Lock and Load (SEAL EXtreme Team) by Kimberley Troutte Page A

Just a few seconds more.
    The unmistakable sound of a fast-moving speedboat interrupted his thoughts. Out of time. The triad were right on top of them. Pulling back, he popped the rebreather in Amber’s beautiful mouth, filled his own lungs with air, and yanked her underwater as hard as he could.
    Her muffled underwater screams said it all. Yanking her down without warning was a bad idea. She thought he’d tricked her, but he hadn’t. Not really. The way she thrashed and fought made it clear he’d burned the trust bridge. He grabbed her arms and forced her to face him. The look of betrayal in her eyes hurt worse than a boot kick to the gonads.
     

     
    Her mind was spinning with confusion. The Black Pirate was here? How had he found her? She had a good ear for vocal inflections, which is why she picked up languages quickly, and had no doubts—Charlie was the Black Pirate. She was sure. His deep voice had rumbled through many of her steamy fantasies. If she closed her eyes, she could match his avatar with the words he spoke now.
    Impossible.
    Weeks ago, he’d asked her out on a date. She’d thought he was kidding around. She gave it half a thought, though, because…well, who wouldn’t? The Black Pirate was sexy as hell. She’d scoured the Internet for games he enjoyed, if only to play with him for a few minutes. She had a serious crush on the Black Pirate, the gamer. She had no idea who the real man was. Never in a million years would she have believed the live version would look like Charlie. If she’d known her online fantasy man was the tanned and muscular man swimming in Victoria Harbour she would have met him for that beer and dancing and lost herself in his green eyes. She wouldn’t be in this mess and Jacques wouldn’t be… no . She refused to think about his blood soaking her carpet.
    Focus on Charlie. Why was he here?
    Had Dad really sent him? Her father knew many people, but she couldn’t imagine any scenario where her father and the Black Pirate would have rubbed elbows. None. Dad was buddies with businessmen and played golf with politicians. He didn’t hang out with Charlie-types who shot bad guys as effortlessly as he did in online war games.
    She wanted to believe, though. With every molecule in her being she longed to accept that Dad had sent a hero to save her. And then he yanked her underwater and tried to drown her. Was Charlie one of the bad guys after all? Her head was spinning.
    “What in the hell are you doing?” She yelled at him, which was tough when she was several feet underwater and had a thing stuck in her mouth. The device was still connected to Charlie. It allowed her to breathe without producing bubbles. Charlie, on the other hand, was holding his breath.
    He gripped her arm and tried to draw her closer. She shook his hand off and narrowed her eyes at him. Let go!
    Charlie jabbed his finger toward the surface again.
    She looked up just as a speedboat zoomed over the top of the water. Oh. That’s why he’d pulled her under, not to drown her, but to keep her from the triad. Panic pressed her like a vise. Would she ever get out of this mess? Even though she was the one with the rebreather, she couldn’t catch her breath.
    Charlie took her chin in his hand and tipped her face up to his. His eyes were filled with comfort, his jaw firmly set. Kindness, power and strength. Charlie was a potent combination.
    He lifted his finger to show that he had to go up to catch a breath. He wanted her to stay down and wait for him. When he fiddled with the tank on his back, she understood that he was going to take it off and put it on her. She gripped his arms and shook her head. No. Don’t leave.
    He grinned and lifted an eyebrow. Total male-cockiness.
    She wasn’t demanding he stay so she could jump him, even if she had a passing thought of doing so. No, the heat he’d started up in her would have to wait. But he wasn’t going to the surface if she could help it. The triad might shoot him.