SEAL Next Door Read online

  They’d spent the drive home talking about the combination bus and walking tour through several of the coolest places in the city, including Old Town, Sherman Heights, the Gaslamp District, and the El Campo Santo Cemetery. They hadn’t seen any ghosts, of course, but the tour guide had been excellent and they’d had a blast. Besides, anything that got Poppy to stick that close to him was a win in Sam’s book.

  “I had an amazing evening,” Poppy said, closing the door and turning in his arms, her body pressed tightly to his chest. “Best. Date. Ever.”

  Instead of answering, Sam lowered his head and captured her mouth with his. It had been a completely spontaneous decision, but the moment their lips met, he knew he’d never be able to regret it. Incredibly, Poppy still tasted of strawberries. Then again, maybe that was always what she tasted like. Either way, as her lips parted to allow him to tease his tongue into her mouth, he knew he’d never taste anything as intoxicating again.

  He didn’t realize he’d buried his hands in her hair until his fingers gently twisted into the long strands. Moans rippled from Poppy’s throat as he tugged her closer, kissing her harder. She nipped at the tip of his tongue in return, her way of letting him know she enjoyed everything he was doing.

  The feel of her firm breasts pressing against his chest made him go hard in his jeans and it took everything in him to stop himself from backing her up against the door and kissing her until she gasped for air.

  Sam broke the kiss slowly, lifting his head to see her standing there with a dazed but clearly pleased expression on her face. The look was adorably sexy on her.

  “Is there a problem?” she asked, her voice low and silky.

  If his cock hadn’t been hard before, it sure as hell was now. A fact that Poppy was obviously aware of if the way she was pressing against him was any indication.

  “No problem.” He gave her another kiss, keeping it semi-PG this time as he tried to keep things under control. “Tonight was beyond perfect, but it’s getting late, and while I don’t know about you, I have to be up early again tomorrow.”

  “On a Saturday?” Poppy frowned. “That sucks.”

  “True,” he agreed. “But I was hoping we could pick back up with this tomorrow night after another date. I don’t have to work on Sunday.”

  “I’m completely up for another date tomorrow night.” She gave him a sultry smile, grinding against him a little. “Speaking of being up for something, I wouldn’t be averse to you sleeping here tonight.”

  Sam rested his forehead against hers with a groan. He should be in line for a sainthood after resisting this kind of temptation. “The offer is inviting, but this thing we have going is good enough to take our time with, and I have no doubt that if I stay here tonight, sleeping is the last thing we’ll be doing.”

  Poppy seemed to consider his words for a moment, like she was solving some kind of mathematical equation. Which, considering Poppy, maybe she was. He hated that her previous experiences with guys seemed to put her in a place where she had to carefully examine everything a man said to see if he was rejecting her. The thought that she might ever consider him doing that made him want to say the hell with it and that he’d sleep here tonight if it made her happier.

  But then Poppy was smiling again as she went up on tiptoe to kiss him almost chastely on the lips. “You know, I’ve never once had a guy tell me he wanted to take it slow before. It’s a new experience, but I think I like it.”

  Turning, she opened the door, then kissed him again. “I’m looking forward to whatever you have in mind for our next date, but don’t think for a second that I’m letting you get out of here so easily tomorrow night.”

  He slid a hand in her hair again, his fingers tightening possessively. “Don’t worry. I like taking my time, but that doesn’t mean I’m slow.”

  After another kiss, Sam was out the door and across the hallway, half thrilled he’d successfully held himself in check and half sure he was an idiot for wasting the opportunity. One look back at Poppy standing there gazing at him with a look of pure heat, had him leaning toward the latter.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “If she’s so smart, why is she dating you?” Dalton asked in his patented southern drawl.

  Sam leaned back in his chair at the conference room table and shook his head. The moment he’d brought up last night’s date, he knew it had been a mistake. But in his defense, he and his Teammates had been waiting in the conference room for over an hour for the after-action briefing on the Indonesian mission. What else was he supposed to talk about? And yeah, to a certain degree, he supposed he’d wanted to brag a little about landing a date with a woman as beautiful and intelligent as Poppy. But when the guys had ragged on him immediately, he realized he’d made a mistake. Dalton’s most recent moronic comment had only confirmed it. Fortunately, Sam hadn’t told them her unique name or they probably would have ragged on that, too.

  Wes and Lane were mostly interested in where Sam had met her, while Dalton spent all his time trying to pin Sam down on whether there was any video evidence to confirm the existence of his so-called girlfriend. Sam was glad he’d refused to provide any details or Dalton would be looking her up on Facebook right now.

  From where he sat at the far end of the table scrolling through something on his phone, Holden ignored the whole conversation—or at least refused to take part in it. Sam was grateful for that at least.

  “What does this new girlfriend of yours do for a living?” Lane asked, this time actually acting like he was honestly curious, and not attempting to set Sam up for more ribbing.

  “She’s a math professor at San Diego Mesa College,” he said. “She went to UC Berkley for her Bachelors, Masters, and PhD.”

  His buddies all went still at that announcement. Even Holden looked up from his cell, a stunned expression on his face.

  “A PhD?” Holden repeated. “Exactly how old is this woman you’re dating? Not that there’s anything at all wrong with dating an older woman, but how much older than you are we talking here?”

  Sam’s first instinct was to tell Holden to shove it sideways, but he bit his tongue. He’d been a little confused about Poppy’s age and the whole doctorate thing, too. His friends had no idea Poppy had skipped so many grades in school.

  “She turned twenty-four in June,” he said. “When I said she was brilliant, I wasn’t kidding. She started college when she was sixteen and got her PhD before she was twenty-three. So, sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not dating an older woman. She’s my age.”

  That answer seemed to satisfy everyone except Dalton, who clearly wanted to send more sarcasm his way. But just as the idiot opened his mouth to say something guaranteed to piss Sam off, the door of the conference room opened and Agent Keith Lucero, the CIA analyst who’d originally briefed them on the Indonesian mission, walked in. They’d worked with Lucero a couple months ago on that armed drone thing in Nigeria, so Sam and the other SEALs trusted him. Two other people in suits who had to be CIA agents, too, followed.

  Before Sam could wonder why these new agents were at what had been described as nothing more than a simple after-action briefing, Chasen Ward, Noah Bradley, and Nash Cantrell—three of the most experienced members of their SEAL Team platoon—stepped into the room and grabbed seats at the table.

  SEALs were usually assigned to missions based on the presumed level of threat, with four of them being used for most operations. The fact that five of them had been sent to that island a few days ago indicated there was something else going on, either in terms of the danger the Team faced or the consequence of them failing. Now, three more of his Teammates were involved, and all Sam could think was that the mission had gotten a lot more serious.

  “I didn’t know we’d be seeing you on this op, Chief,” Holden said, regarding Chasen curiously while two of the CIA agents pulled up a file on the classified computer at the front of the room.

  “I didn’t either,” Chasen said. “Commander Hunt called thirty minutes ago and
told us to get over here for the briefing.”

  “I guess that’s my cue,” Lucero added, motioning toward the large wall-mounted monitor now displaying a classified warning screen with the words, TOP SECRET…SPECIAL ACCESS PROGRAM…PROTECTED INTELLIGENCE SOURCES. “Bottom line, the CIA has re-prioritized the Indonesian threat, based on the intel your Team collected, Holden. The situation is now considered to present a grave threat to national security and is much worse than anything we imagined when we first sent your team to that island.”

  Lucero picked up a remote and flipped through the slides until he reached a photo of two men. Both dark haired with beards to match, they were standing on a crowded city street talking to each other. Even though they weren’t dressed in military garb, Sam recognized them as the men they’d seen on the island who were in charge of the group they’d pegged as terrorists.

  “Meet Abyasa Alatas and his brother, Adika,” Lucero said, motioning to each of the men as he said the names—not that Sam was likely to remember which was which because they looked too damn much alike. “They got their start as terrorists kidnapping tourists to fund various bombing attacks throughout the Indonesian Islands. But over time, they’ve become less focused on the typical terrorist goals and more interested in simply making money. Still, this most recent meeting changes everything.”

  The image on the monitor changed to a man in his late-forties or early-fifties with sharp features, a fierce gaze, and dark hair starting to show touches of gray here and there. He was wearing a military uniform, and Sam knew without a doubt that he was the guy who’d led the more organized group on the island that night.

  “This is Colonel Chung-Hee Kam of the Korean People's Army Strategic Rocket Force,” Lucero said. “For the past fifteen years, he’s been a major figure in the North Korean long-range missile program, including the development of their nuclear capabilities.”

  Sam got a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. He prayed he was wrong, but with Chasen and their other two Teammates abruptly added to the mission, he couldn’t help but think that this was heading in a bad direction.

  “And this,” Lucero continued, pulling up a picture of a younger man that Sam recognized as the bigger guy who’d stood behind Kam the entire time, silent and looking menacing, “is Kam’s right-hand man, Major Kang-Dae Tae. He’s been in charge of security at several nuclear weapon storage sites, including Yongdoktong, located near Kusong. He’s also known as the person who makes problems disappear for his boss and he’s extremely good at his job. Most of the intelligence agencies in the world have attempted to slip into Yongdoktong at one time or another over the years, interested in getting a look at the status of their weapon technology, but no one—not even the CIA, I’m sorry to say—has come close thanks to Major Tae and his security forces. It’s not an exaggeration to say the man is responsible for the death of at least twenty covert agents over the past decade or so.”

  “What the hell are two men like that doing on an Indonesian island in the middle of the night with people like the Alatas brothers?” Sam asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. “They’re high-vis officers in one of the most influential and powerful parts of the North Korean military, which means they live with advantages and benefits that most people in the country could never dream of seeing. Why would they bother going so far to meet a bunch of terrorists?”

  Lucero pinned him with a look. “Because Colonel Kam has become a victim of his own success. His accomplishments and leadership skills have earned him the loyalty and admiration of a large segment of the military and its supporting industrial and scientific communities. Unfortunately for him, being that respected in North Korea tends to get you the wrong kind of attention from the powers that be in the Workers’ Party. They’ve already started to view him as a threat, and it’s widely believed that it’s only a matter of time until someone comes up with a reason to drag him in front of a firing squad for crimes against the regime. Shortly after that, Major Tae and the totality of Kam’s inner circle of soldiers and scientists will simply disappear.”

  “Crap,” Lane breathed. “He’s looking at an execution because he’s good at his job? That sucks.”

  Lucero nodded. “It appears that Colonel Kam would agree with you. That’s why he was on that island in the middle of nowhere meeting with terrorists.”

  “Meaning?” prompted Holden as Lucero paused to flip through more slides.

  Lucero stopped on a blurry image filled with fine black lines and strange looking symbols before looking at them. “Meaning that the Colonel has a retirement plan for himself and his men. And the Alatas brothers are going to be funding that plan.”

  Dalton and Chasen both got up and moved closer to the monitor, leaning forward like they thought that would help them identify the image on the screen. Sam could have told them it wouldn’t.

  “What are we looking at?” Dalton asked.

  “According to our subject matter experts, you’re looking at a neutron generator,” Lucero said. “It’s a linear particle accelerator used to help start a nuclear fusion reaction. I understand it has multiple industrial applications, but in this case, it’s used to trigger the reaction in a nuclear bomb.”

  “Shit,” Sam muttered. “Kam and his soldiers were on that island to negotiate the price for a nuclear bomb? He’s selling the Alatas brothers a North Korean nuclear weapon?”

  Lucero nodded, a grim look on his face. “Unfortunately, yes. And it’s our job to stop it from happening.”

  * * * * *

  “Holden told me that you’ve started seeing someone,” Chasen remarked as he fell into step beside Sam outside the conference room.

  After Lucero had dropped the figurative bomb on them, they’d spent another hour going over details on Colonel Kam and the Alatas brothers trying to find something that might help them figure out what the bad guys’ next move might be, but it had largely been a waste of time. They simply didn’t have enough intel to build a reasonable plan. And they wouldn’t, not until someone came up with info on where and when this nuclear weapon buy was going down.

  “Yeah,” Sam said. “I only met her few days ago, but we’ve really hit it off. I’m seeing her again tonight actually.”

  “She sounds great,” Chasen said with a smile, and for some reason, Sam appreciated that acknowledgment. “You bringing her to the cookout at your parents’ place next Saturday? That way, we can all meet her.”

  Sam grimaced. His dad had been part of SEAL Team 5 for a long time and had only recently retired, but he was still involved with the team as a support contractor and instructor. Sam’s parents still held regular cookouts every month like he did when his father was active duty.

  “I’m not sure,” Sam admitted. “She has no idea I’m a SEAL and I’m not sure I’m ready to throw her in the deep end of the pool before I know what we could have together.”

  Chasen was silent for a moment, like he was considering that. “I get it. But your Team is part of who you are. If you want her to be in your life, she needs to be aware of that side of things. Besides, your mom will make sure that everyone behaves and treats your girlfriend right.”

  Sam had no doubt about that. “I’ll think about it.”

  As they left the secured part of the building, Sam stopped by the storage locker to pick up his phone—cells weren’t allowed in the classified area. He pulled up Google to look for a cool place to take Poppy out to dinner when his phone dinged with a text notification.

  It was Poppy.

  Want to come over to my apartment for dinner tonight? I’m make something simple and we can just relax and hang out here.

  Just like that, the pressure to come up with some way to top last night’s romantic picnic disappeared, replaced by warm thoughts of simply spending time with the woman he was quickly falling for.

  Sam grinned.

  Sounds like a plan, he texted back. What time do you want me there and do I need to bring anything?

  CHAPTER FIVE
/>   Poppy was so lost in the thoughts swirling through her head that she almost missed the knock at the door. A glance at the clock on the stove told her it was exactly five o’clock, which was when they’d agreed Sam would show up for dinner. Something told her that he was the kind of man who liked to be on time.

  “Hold on,” she called. “Be right there.”

  She gave the creamy chicken alfredo another stir before turning down the heat to let it simmer and topping it with a glass lid. After checking to make sure the garlic bread wasn’t burning, she then quickly made her way across the living room, running her hands down her dress as she went.

  Poppy was rarely concerned about stuff like making an impression on a guy. With the majority of men dismissing her because she was a nerd, she’d gotten used to not caring what any of them thought of her. Or at least she’s told herself that. But she could admit that with Sam, it was different. They’d only known each other a few days, but she already liked him. A lot. And she wanted him to like her as much.

  She paused at the door to take a peek out the peephole, just to be safe. The sight of Sam standing there in a button-down and jeans took her breath away. The man was yummy beyond description.

  How the hell had she gotten so lucky to have someone like him move in across the hall from her? She was pretty sure another guy had lived there before Sam, but for the life of her, Poppy couldn’t remember what he looked like.

  “Hey, there,” Poppy said, a smile tugging the corners of her lips up as she opened the door and stepped back to let him in. “Right on time.”

  Sam stood there for a second, blatantly taking her all in. And yeah, she definitely liked the hungry expression that crossed his face when his eyes caught a look at the length of leg exposed by her boho dress. Still, even with all the heat, she couldn’t help but notice that his eyes quickly snapped up and locked with hers after a few seconds. Seriously, did they make them like this anymore?