Page 22 of Unintended Love

His sister’s tone put him on edge, and he protectively stepped into her room and mouthed, everything okay?

“Oh. My. God!” Xena squealed, grabbed onto his shirt, jumping up and down with a huge smile. “Please tell me you’re in the area.”

Clint wished he had a clue who she was talking to, but she seemed to want him to stay.

“I’m in Eden. Where are you?” she asked, then quickly added, “This is a secure line. We can talk freely.”

That piqued his interest.

“Name it. You know I’ll do whatever I can for you. You’re like sisters to me.”

Clint froze in place. Could she be talking with one of her friends from JAFSOS, the Joint All-Female Special Operations School she attended while in the Navy? Was there any way that she was talking to Ashlin or her team?

She was quiet, listening for a long time before she said the magic words. “Clint is here, but Van is in Saudi Arabia. We expect him back shortly after dark, Ashlin. I’m so glad you’re with Kayla. I can’t wait to see you again.”

At the mention of his wife’s name, Clint’s knees almost gave out. Ashlin. His sister was on the phone with the woman he would give anything in the world to talk to. If they were talking, she was safe. And perhaps her mission was over. If she was headed back to the States, so was he.

“I can’t wait to see you guys again. I promise we’ll have a secure refueling set up for you. We’ll see you around midnight.” Xena said excitedly.

“Who did you say is coming?” Clint asked immediately after she disconnected the line. Then he realized his mistake. He shouldn’t care who was coming. Nobody in Eden knew he was married, least of all to one of Xena’s best friends. Clint pulled his sister into a hug and changed the subject. “How are you doing?” He kissed her on the forehead before releasing her. “Are you heading back out on a mission, or do you get a few days down? I had a chance to talk with Blade on the chopper to Addis Ababa, and he wasn’t sure.”

She hugged her brother around the neck and kissed him on the cheek before stepping back. “First question first. My friends from when I was back in the Navy.” She started to dial, but Clint reached out and touched her hand.

“Your JAFSOS friends? Some of the ones who’ve been here before?” He could only hope that Ashlin was one of them.

“Yeah. You might remember Kayla Scarlatto. She’s got dark, wavy hair and huge brown eyes. Definitely Italian heritage. Kira Frost: She’s cute with short spiky blonde hair, the nurse practitioner. And Mia McCormick, the sassy one who gave you such a hard time when she stayed with us last Christmas, is going to be here, too. Piper Knight is the swimmer who skipped the Olympics to join the Navy. Her brother is a SEAL. She hasn’t been here very often.” Xena looked around before returning her gaze to her brother. “You probably remember Ashlin Cartwright. She’s been here for several holidays. She’s usually quiet until she gets a few drinks into her, then she’s a wild woman. They’re just dropping in to refuel around midnight.”

“I’ll be there.” He turned and walked away, then added without looking back, “To help.” He practically ran to the computer in his rooms while texting Ashlin.

Clint - Is it true that you are coming to Eden?

Ashlin - Yes. Can you video now? I have about three minutes.

It took Clint less than a minute to connect to Ashlin.

“Are you okay, my little tiger?”

Her smile touched his heart. “Yes. I’m fine. The mission was kind of a bust.” Her smile grew huge. “But we’re on our way home, and best yet, we’re stopping in Eden. Xena just told us that you’re home.”

He knew his own smile showed two rows of teeth, possibly all the way back to his molars. “I’m sitting in my suite as we speak, and I can’t wait to see you.” He leaned in closer to the camera and spoke just above a whisper. “I can’t wait to hold you in my arms once again and kiss you. You’d better be prepared to get kissed a lot. I hope the other women can handle the refueling and anything else because I’m not going to let you go once I have you in my arms again.”

“Who said I was going to let you go?” she volleyed. “My teammates know not to expect much of me until it’s time to take off. I have to fly the next leg, so I am expected to do the preflight check.”

“I wish you guys could stay for supper, although we wouldn’t make it to the table. I’d pick you up and carry you to my bed and repeat everything we did the night of our wedding.” Christ. He already had a hard-on. “How long can you stay?”

Ashlin’s shoulders fell. “Only as long as it takes us to refuel. We have to catch a ship in the Indian Ocean on its way back to the US. The captain is already unhappy that he has to wait for us to begin with, plus all the extra security measures he’s expected to perform because it’s us.”

“At least we get to see each other for a few minutes. Although I have appreciated every one of our video calls, it’s just not the same as having you in my arms as we talk.”

Ashlin looked at her watch. “I really have to go in about thirty seconds. But that means I’m almost there with you.”

“Clint.” Theodora’s voice came from behind him in her sing-song way.

How the hell did she find my rooms? How dare they just let themselves in? What the fuck are they doing here? His clock with Ashlin was ticking.

“I brought you a copy of the ultrasound of our baby that the technician took today.” She leaned over his shoulder and placed the small black-and-white picture against his screen. He had to lean around her large belly to be able to still see Ashlin on the video.

Theodora then leaned in and hugged his neck from the side. “Thank you for going with me to the obstetrician’s office today.”