Saving Ariel: a Protective Hero Second Chance Romantic Suspense Read online

  “You and I are going to finish this. My balls are going to ache like hell until I can slip deep inside you, but we’ve got shit to deal with first. Like the others.”

  A shiver races down my spine, making me jump. The residual heat of that kiss still burns in my blood. My entire body aches. Maybe not in the way he says. Women don’t suffer blue balls and all, but—I rub my thighs together—I ache.

  Then his words finally make it through the haze of lust shrouding my mind.

  The others.

  “Oh shit.” My eyes widen.

  How long have we been away? Andrew and Larry have a good idea of how long it should take to check the weather. If they ever find out what I did with this guy, I’ll never hear the end of it. Not to mention my reputation will be shot.

  The worst thing a woman in my field can do is sleep around, and here I've been practically dry humping the leg of a man I just met. That’s all they’ll see.

  “Um … we need to get back.” I roll my lower lip and bite at it.

  “Yes, luv, we do, but don’t think for a minute we’re not finishing this.”

  “We’ll see.”

  His eyes narrow as he stares me down. “I don’t think you’re understanding me here.” He gestures between us. “This is far from over.”

  “Consider it a one-time thing. Besides, I don’t even know your name.”

  He tilts his head back and lets out the deepest laugh. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I had my tongue down your throat and you don’t remember my name? I think I'm offended.”

  “I was a little distracted.”

  His eyes glint with mischief and he pulls me tight to his side. “I can accept that, but not the rest. Although I see it in your eyes. Go ahead and try to run away. I enjoy the chase.”

  He leans down and plants another devastating kiss on my lips. My nerves light up and my stomach tumbles about.

  I’m flying.

  No, I’m falling.

  The entire room spins and tilts beneath my feet. My hand against his chest does nothing to settle all the spinning and dropping and floating, and boy does he taste good. The slow beat of his heart pulses beneath the palm of my hand. An island of calm amid the chaos of that kiss, do I have the same effect on him as he had on me?

  “My name is Aiden Cole, and it has been my pleasure making your acquaintance.” He pulls back and gazes down at me.

  I try to steady myself on my feet. He holds me by the waist until my wobbling stops.

  “There’s something you need to know about me,” he says.

  Still trying to regain my composure, I rock back and avoid looking at him. If I do that, I’ll fall under the spell of his amazing eyes.

  “What’s that?” I gather my hair at my nape and quickly reform it into a bun, securing it into place on the back of my head. Anything to keep me distracted from his next words.

  “I’m a take-charge kind of guy.”

  “Is that so?” He gives a nod and I shake my head. “I think we need to head back and give everyone the bad news.”

  “After you, ladies first.”

  He wiggles his eyebrows, and the subtext isn’t lost on me. It’s going to be a long couple of days.

  Chapter Six

  Aiden

  The female pilot puts my entire body on high alert. Hard as a rock, I reach down to adjust my frustration, a feat made worse with the knowledge it’ll be days before I can quench my thirst.

  It’s going to be one hell of a rough ride, both the storm and chasing Ariel. Something happened and I don’t understand the switch that flicked in her head.

  Puzzles intrigue me, however, and I determine I’ll get to the bottom of this one. Hot and heavy one instant—she practically climbed on top of me during that kiss—then a cooling off that ventured toward near frigid?

  It doesn’t make sense.

  That doesn’t bother me. The best things are worthy of determined pursuit, and I have a feeling this is a woman who warrants a chase. This is going to be fun, and already the gears in my mind churn with all the ways I can torment her until she has no choice but to surrender.

  Determined to peel back all of her layers, I’ll get in her head and dig in so deep it’ll be impossible for her not to think about me. That’s all I need to win her over. Get her to where she can’t stop thinking about me, and the battle is all but won.

  I give a chuckle as she stiffens her spine, fists her hands, and tries to storm out. A violent shiver stops her in her tracks, reminding me to make a detour.

  Hell, if I bring her back to my quarters, we’ll never leave.

  Sensitive to the difficulties women in my world face when it comes to earning hard-won respect and keeping it, I won’t jeopardize what she’s worked to build by taking her to my room for a quick fuck.

  Maybe a detour isn’t the best option.

  I’ll take her back to the others and then get her something to change into, preferably something of mine. The thought of her wearing my clothes makes my dick twitch.

  When she reaches the sickbay, I hold the door open while she slips inside.

  “It’s a no-go for the flight,” I announce to my crew.

  Ariel’s men glance up and look to her for confirmation. I appreciate their loyalty, and it speaks much to what they think of her.

  “Winds are too high to take off,” she explains. “Aiden assures me we can wait out the storm here.”

  “Is it safe?” Andrew turns to me. “Why evacuate when you could’ve kept everyone here. Seems expensive to offload an entire crew.”

  “Right now, staying is safer than trying to fly ahead of a hurricane. As for standard procedures, it’s safer to ride out a storm on land than on the rig. We can repair equipment,” I gesture to my two wounded crew, "but people are our greatest investment and their safety our highest priority. I’m not going to lie. It’s not going to be a picnic, and we’re in for a rough ride, but the rig hasn’t sunk yet. Sorry guys.”

  “Well, shit,” Larry says.

  “What about them,” Ariel goes to Jeffery and examines the splints we placed. “Can they wait?”

  “Thought you said we didn’t have a choice,” Andrew replies.

  “We don’t,” she answers.

  “Well, it would be best if we can get them to a hospital, but they’re not critical. It’s going to be rough. Jeffery’s legs are broken, but the pulses are good in his feet. I don’t think there’s any internal bleeding. Without x-rays, there’s no telling. We’ll just have to keep a close eye on him. I can try to keep him as comfortable as possible.”

  “And the other?” she asks. “What’s his name?”

  The way she focuses on my injured crewmen increases my growing respect for the pilot. Her compassion makes her sexier, if that’s possible.

  “Caleb has a concussion,” Andrew answers. “There’s no way to know if there’s anything more serious going on in his head. I’m most concerned about him, but we were able to get him to wake and follow commands. He’s not going to like us at the end of this.”

  “Why’s that?” I ask, curious about the comment.

  “We need to wake him every hour. Although, there’s nothing we can do if he doesn’t rouse. We’ll just have to hope for the best.” Andrew glances around the sickbay. “Do you mind if I have a look around?”

  “Our sickbay is modestly equipped, but whatever you need is yours. Sadly, there aren’t any x-ray machines, but we do have the ability to call back to shore if you want to check in with our doc remotely.”

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Ariel chimes in. “Maybe you can call their doc while I call our transport coordinator and give them an update.”

  “On it.” Andrew turns to Larry. “Why don’t you poke around and see what you can find? Y’all have a pharmacy on board?”

  “We do,” I say. “Not sure what all is there, basic stuff I’m sure. Antibiotics and painkillers mostly.”

  “Well, that sounds perfect.” Andrew stands and presses his hands on
his thighs. “Where’s this phone?”

  I have my men help Ariel’s crew. With the evacuation, most station personnel left their belongings behind, which might help to find them dry clothes to wear. I gesture to Duncan. “Hey, come with me.”

  “Sure thing, boss,” Duncan says. “What’s up?”

  “Since our guests will be staying, let's scrounge them up some dry clothes, and we should probably take stock of the galley and figure out food.”

  Duncan smirks. “Ever ridden out a storm on one of these?”

  “Once.”

  “And?”

  “It’s not something I look forward to repeating.”

  “How about that pilot? She might make things easier,” he says.

  “If you lay a hand on her, it’ll be the last thing you do.” I give a low warning growl.

  “Hey, that’s not what I meant.” He points to the ring on his finger. “I got a sexy as fuck wife with a kid on the way. I was talking about you. It's about time you break your dry spell.”

  “What?”

  “Well, it just seemed y’all were gone for a bit, and from the way she’s most definitely not looking at you, I was just wondering.”

  “Don’t. There’s nothing going on that concerns you.” It isn’t a complete lie but skirts the truth by a wide margin. “Speaking of, let’s figure out quarters. I want everyone to stay close.”

  “I can handle that. So, quarters and food. Anything else?”

  “Who’s about the same size as Andrew and Larry? We need to find them something dry to wear and should probably wash what they have.”

  “Great, getting ready to ride out a storm and you have me on laundry detail.”

  I laugh. “I know, we’re living the high life. Now, who in the crew is closest to the pilot in size?”

  Women are rare on oil rigs. Unfortunately, our rig doesn’t have any female crew.

  Duncan scrunches up his face. “I think there’s one or two.”

  “Okay, you do that. Find her some pants. I’ll grab her a shirt and sweatshirt. She’s shivering and nearly hypothermic, although I don’t think she’ll let that stop her. Change of clothes for them all, food, then quarters.”

  “Gotcha, boss,” Duncan says with another smirk. “On it.”

  I separate from Duncan and head to my quarters. While living conditions on the rigs are austere, improvements to crew facilities over the years make things more livable. Personnel live in modular living facilities. Depending on position, we bunk two or four to a room. I’m one of the few who enjoys a private room.

  I head there now, needing a moment to relieve the pent-up energy inside me. Ariel and her men are safe inside the sickbay with Randall there to help them with anything they need. This gives me a moment to unwind, call my bosses, and take care of a very pressing need.

  After I inform my supervisors we’ll be forced to wait out the storm on the rig, I dial my mother-in-law.

  “Aiden!” Her bright eyes stare out of the screen at me. A lot of people think oil rigs are remote, but we have high-speed satellite internet, which means I keep in touch with my daughter nearly every day. “When are you getting home? Hurricane Julian has picked up speed. They say it’s going to be a direct hit.”

  “Is Callie still awake?”

  “I just put her down. She wanted to wait up until her daddy got home.”

  “About that …” I explain the injuries to my crewmen while readying the rig for the storm, the arrival of the medevac crew, and how Ariel made the call, grounding the helicopter. “So, we’re not going to be able to fly out. Do you have everything you need?”

  “Yes, of course. I keep everything on your list just in case. We’re official preppers! Bring on the apocalypse.” She raises her fist in mock salute.

  “Mary …”

  “Hey, you’re the one with the lists and the storage closets filled to the brim with everything and anything we might need. And before you ask, I’ve already cleaned and plugged the bathtubs. They’re filling up as we speak.”

  “Look, I’m sorry I won’t be there to ride out the storm with you and Callie.”

  “Aiden, this isn’t my first hurricane, and this is nothing like the super typhoons Richard and I endured in Okinawa. We’ll be fine. Two girls partying it out. If we’re lucky we’ll lose power and will have to light the candles. Callie made me put one by her bed … just in case. Don’t worry about us.”

  Samantha’s mother is a rare jewel. I count myself lucky I married into her family. Mary welcomed me like a son. She’s tough as nails. Wife of a Marine, she spent most of her marriage raising two daughters alone and often overseas while her husband was deployed.

  Nothing scares Mary, and she passed those traits on to her daughter and her granddaughter. Callie has the best role model in the world to raise her, a fearless woman who embraces everything life has to offer, even when faced with tragedy.

  “Well, I wanted to blow Callie a kiss.”

  “I can take you to her if you want.”

  “You said she’s asleep?”

  I really want to see my daughter’s shining blue eyes and mop of blonde curls. It hurts to be separated from her, especially with a storm on the way.

  I’m not worried about Mary and Callie. They live far enough inland that they should only see the outer wind bands and heavy rains. Nevertheless, it’ll be hard not being with them.

  “She’s dead asleep, but I can wake her. It’s been a busy day prepping for the storm.”

  “Don’t wake her, but tiptoe in. I want to see my baby doll.”

  Mary brings the phone into Callie’s room and holds it where I can see my daughter sleeping. She’s curled up in bed, snuggled beneath a camo-pink comforter. That bedspread embraces her tomboy, rough and tough attitude, as well as her love for all things pink. I blow her a silent kiss.

  “Sweet dreams,” I say in a whisper.

  I can worry about my daughter, but there’s no need. Callie has the best protector on the planet in a grandmother who isn’t afraid of anything. I hope Callie grows up with the same take-charge attitude.

  The screen shifts and I stare at the floor while Mary walks me back into the kitchen. She props the phone on the counter and folds her arms across her chest.

  “So, tell me about this pilot.”

  “What about the pilot?”

  “Oh, Aiden, you think I was born yesterday? The helicopter pilot? The only one you mentioned by name.”

  “I didn’t—”

  “Son, first off, I know the sound a man makes when a woman has caught his eye.”

  “But—”

  She holds up her finger, shushing me. “Second, you don’t have to feel guilty about being attracted to another woman. Samantha doesn’t want you to waste your life pining away for her. It's okay to be interested …”

  “I never said—”

  “I’m not saying this Ariel is the one you want, but I am saying it’s been far too long since you took a chance on any woman. You’re stuck out in the middle of the Gulf, getting ready to face down a beast of a storm, you really should loosen up a bit and see what happens. You might lose power there too and need to snuggle—”

  “Mary!”

  She snickers. “Oh, you know what I mean.”

  I know exactly what she means.

  I clear my throat. “I’m a little uncomfortable talking about this with my mother-in-law …”

  “Fine, we won’t talk about it, but you made a promise to Sam. It's okay to fall in love again, and you aren't being unfaithful to your dead wife if you do.”

  “Mary, that’s a low blow.”

  “Look, Sam was the light of my life. No mother should have to bury her daughter. But I did. Now, I celebrate her life and honor her memory. She wanted you to find someone to love. It’s what I did when I lost Richard. I’m out there, playing the field. Just the other day …”

  I sit down while Mary tells me about her latest beau, happy that the subject of Ariel disappears beneath my mother-in-
law’s overly descriptive, oversharing of a very active love life. After another ten minutes, I say my goodbyes.

  A quick search through my drawers and I find a T-shirt and pair of sweats Ariel can use, at least until after we do her laundry. The thought of her completely naked and wrapped in my clothes makes me painfully hard again.

  Chapter Seven

  Ariel

  I do what I can to help Larry search the small sickbay. There are a lot of bandages we don’t need. Jackpot! I grab a couple of bags filled with fluid and bring them over to Andrew.

  “Will this help?”

  “Lactated Ringers?” He examines the bag of IV fluid, checking the expiration date. “This is perfect.” The man beside him groans. “Now, if we can find some pain killers. All I have is morphine, and that’s not the best for them.”

  “Why not? Won’t it get rid of their pain?” It seems more humane to knock both men out and let the storm pass over while they’re out of it.

  “Yes, but it depresses breathing. I need them as alert as possible.”

  Randall speaks up. “We have a limited pharmacy. Might be something there, although it’s locked up.”

  “How much trouble will we get into if we break that lock?” I ask.

  Andrew stretches, leaning back, then he twists side to side. “I’m thinking we’ll be forgiven. Where is it?”

  Aiden returns. The way he fills the doorway makes my breath hitch and my pulse pound. Our kiss plays on endless repeat in my mind since he left the room. It’s all I can do to focus on searching the small sickbay.

  He cocks his head, taking me in as he casually leans against the doorjamb. He changed out of his rain gear into jeans and a T-shirt.

  Well-worn denim drapes low over his hips, cups his groin, and fills with the muscular bulk of his thighs. I shouldn’t stare, especially at the impressive bulge behind that zipper, but find it difficult to shift my attention anywhere else.

  If anyone notices, I’ll be mortified, but Andrew, Larry, and Randall are busy searching the small room behind me. Duncan has yet to return. Our two patients are in no condition to pay attention to anyone.