Armed & Dangerous (Book 2 Soldiers Series)

5

Morning came quickly, but Morgan had been up for some time. She hadn’t been able to sleep. She couldn’t quiet her mind enough to be restful. Giving up around seven she got out of bed and got dressed for the day. She didn’t know just what Desman had planned for the day, so she wore her deep purple bikini beneath her stonewashed jeans and her black tank top. She tied her dark hair up in a ponytail and slipped on a pair of white runners.

Morgan made herself a cup of coffee and sat on the balcony watching as the ship slowly docked. It was a lengthy process that took over half an hour. Once the ship was docked, Morgan heard a knock at the door. She left her mug on the desk just inside. She grabbed her wallet and tucked it into the back pocket of her jeans.

She answered the door to find Vivian. She was dressed for a day out. “Great to see you’re ready.”

Morgan wasn’t expecting Vivian. Her friend just naturally assumed she would be joining her. “Where is Pat?”

“She decided to spend the day with Lamont.” She said coming in. “So, it’s just you and me today.”

Morgan felt bad about her plans now. “Oh, Vivian I have other plans today.”

“Other plans?” Vivian was stunned. “Doing what?”

“I’m spending the day with Desman.” She confessed feeling a little bad about abandoning Vivian for the day.

Vivian smiled. “With Desman? You’ve got a date?”

“Kind of.”

“Well then don’t let me stand in your way. Go on your date.”

She couldn’t leave Vivian alone. “I’ll cancel. We can go into town and do something.”

Vivian shook her head. “Oh no, you’re not. You are going on that date. I can find other things to do. You’re not the only person on this boat.” She said heading back to the door. “You have fun, and when you get back, I want all the details.” She giggled, opening the door and almost ran into Desman who was prepared to knock. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She said stepping around him. “You two have fun.”

Morgan watched as Vivian walked away. “You ready to go?” He asked.

“Yes.” She said putting her key card into her pocket. She still felt terrible.

“Are you ok?” He asked noticing she didn’t look pleased.

“I just feel terrible about leaving Vivian all alone.” She sighed. “Maybe we should do this another day.” She said watching Vivian walk away.

Desman frowned. “I suppose she could come with us.” He offered.

“You wouldn’t mind?” She could tell from his face he would rather she not.

“Not at all.” He said with a false smile.

“Vivian!” Morgan called to her friend who was now at the end of the hall. Vivian stopped and looked back. “Come with us.”

Vivian shook her head no and disappeared around the corner. Desman grinned, pleased that she had refused their offer. “Looks like it’s just us today.”

“I guess so.” She said looking him over. He had traded his dress slacks and shirt for a pair of black swim trunks, a blue t-shirt, and a pair of white kicks. He wasn’t looking like the suave man he was the last two nights. “Dressing down I see.”

He held out his arms with a smile. “I thought we’d hit the beach later.” He said. His appearance didn’t surprise her in the least. She had a feeling he was still holding back. She would half expect that back home he roamed the streets looking like a thug. “You don’t like it? I could go change.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. May as well be comfortable.”

“That’s what I figure. Let’s go explore the island.” He gestured for her to follow him. They left the ship and strolled into town and joined a tour group to see the sights the island had to offer. Morgan took pictures of the sights. She even posed for a few shots with Desman. She was enjoying herself so much she wanted to record the memory.

From the tour, they hit the local shops and did a little shopping. After they blew through a fair chunk of cash, they hit a beachside bar for a few drinks. It was only mid-afternoon, but the place was packed with tourists and locals enjoying the white sands and warm sun. They took a seat at the bar with their bags tucked under their barstools. They did a few shots of Jove Cuervo and ordered a glass of draft beer.

“So, tell me where you are from?” Desman asked leaning lazily against the bar.

She supposed there was no reason not to tell him. “Right now, I’m living in New York City.” She confessed.

“Right now?”

She nodded taking a sip from her glass. “I move around a lot. All my life my parents were dragging my brother and me from one place to another. We never really settled anywhere for too long.”

“Why is that?” He asked with curiosity.

She didn’t know if she wanted to get too personal with some guy she just met and likely would never see again but her father’s voice was in the back of her mind telling her not to over think things. “My father doesn’t like to stay in one place. He thinks it makes him too easy to track.”

“Too easy to track?” He laughed. “Is he in witness protection?”

“Nothing like that, but he has these conspiracy theories. He thinks the government is evil and out to get him and by extension us. I guess you could say he’s a tad paranoid.”

The look on his face was that of understanding like he knew what it was like to live with a suspicious person. “I feel you.” He smiled. “My parents have a real dislike of law enforcement and government. They act like they’re being stalked.”

“It’s a terrible way to grow up isn’t it?” He nodded his agreement. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, my parents are great. My father is a wonderful man he taught me so much. Made me feel normal when the world treated me like a freak.”

“How so?”

Morgan looked into her glass. Did she want to go into this? “I’m smart.” She started. “It’s not that I’m trying to be conceded or arrogant, but I have an IQ of about one-ninety-seven. The average adult’s IQ is about a hundred. I finished high school at the age of fifteen. I got my doctorate at the age of twenty. I’ve been the youngest and smartest person in my classes and my career all my life. People don’t like me because of it. As a kid, they called me names, treated me like I was some sort of outcast.”

“I’m sorry people were so mean to you.”

Life hasn't gotten any easier as an adult. The other cops treated her poorly as well. They were always calling her a suck up, an overachiever. They left teasing and insulting notes taped to her locker. One day she had come in to work to find her locker had been cleaned out and someone had filled it with diapers, bottles, and soothers mocking her age. Everyone in the department had a good laugh at her expense. When she reported it to her commanding officer, he just told her it was good-natured ribbing and that she should suck it up and not be so sensitive.

Even her dating life was affected by her uniqueness. Sure, she was pretty, and she had no trouble attracting the opposite s*x, but it never took long for her appeal to fade and soon the men in her life were treating her like she was some raving lunatic. Always calling her names like psycho and selfish. Most people didn’t get her.

“I kind of know how you feel. Growing up it was hard to make friends. A lot of people were scared of me. Parents didn’t want their kids hanging out with me.”

She couldn’t imagine why. He seemed like a nice enough guy. He was friendly and fun. “Why is that?”

“My parents.” He said outright. “My folks can be intimidating. People expect me to be just like them.”

She understood how that felt. Her dad could scare people without even trying. He was unapproachable; which didn’t make her social life any easier. “You don’t seem intimidating.”

He flashed a cocky grin. “That’s because I’m on my best behaviour.”

“Oh, so this isn’t the real you?”

“I saw this trip as an opportunity not to be me, to be someone else for seven days. To be like everybody else…” He paused thoughtfully.

“To just be normal.” She finished his thought. It would seem she and Desman had more in common than she previously thought.

“Yeah exactly.”

Morgan held up her glass for a toast. “Here’s to being normal.” He clanked his glass against hers, and they both drank.

He drained his glass and placed it on the bar top. “Well, if you will excuse me for a moment; I need to use the little boys’ room.” He said getting up. Morgan watched him walk away getting lost in the crowd.

Morgan finished her drink and ordered two more. A man in swim trunks slid onto the barstool next to her where Desman had been sitting. “I’m sorry Sir, but someone is sitting there.” She said.

He looked over at her and smiled. His gaze raked over her. He leaned against the bar. “Well hello, pretty lady.”

Morgan sighed and rolled her eyes. “Someone is sitting there.” She repeated.

He looked around with a chuckle. “Don’t look like anyone is sitting here to me. What’s a pretty girl like you doing here alone?”

He was drunk she could smell the booze on him. “I’m not alone.” She said firmly.

“Let me buy you a drink.” He said flagging the bartender over.

“I have a drink.” She snapped.

“Don’t be so rude; I’m trying to get to know you.”

“I don’t want to get to know you.”

“Don’t be that way.” He said placing his hand over hers.

Morgan looked down at his hand and felt her blood begin to boil. He was going to be difficult. Her hateful gaze lifted and met his. “Please don’t make me tell you twice.”

***

Desman stepped to the side to avoid another customer as he left the men’s room. He was halfway back to the bar when he spotted another man in his seat. A bitter annoyance choked him at the sight. This man was flirting with Morgan and when he reached out and touched her hand Desman felt a violent urge rise inside him.

How dare this man try to pick up his date? His arrogance and audacity fuelled the Soldier within him, the part of him that demanded fear and respect. Nobody messed with a Soldier. Nobody poached a Soldier’s girl. Not unless he had a death wish. Desman took a breath to calm him, reminding himself that here in this place no one knew who and what he was, therefore this man didn’t know any better. He’d let this insult slide.

Desman walked over and grabbed the man’s hand forcing it from Morgan’s hand. “You are in my seat.” He said possessively.

“Blow off.” The man snarled.

“The lady is with me.”

“I don’t see your name on her.”

Desman’s shoulders rolled back, and his back straightened a look of menace in his dark eyes. “If you know what’s good for you, you will walk away.”

“Or you will what?” He challenged poking Desman in the chest. Desman’s hand came up, and he grabbed the man’s finger pulling it back until he heard the bone snap. The man cried out in pain, but Desman didn’t stop there. He twisted the man’s arm backwards until he wailed in agony and slid off the barstool and onto his knees. Desman stopped just short of breaking the man’s arm.

He leaned over his face next to his foe’s while still restraining him. “Now I can break your arm too, or you can apologize and walk away.”

“I’m sorry.” He cried out. “Let me go.” Desman released him, and he scrambled to his feet cradling his injured hand. “You’re f*****g crazy.” He yelled rushing off.

Desman noticed the bouncers coming to throw him out. Desman bent over and grabbed his shopping bags. “I think we should leave.”

Morgan grabbed her bags and jumped off her stool. “I think you’re right.”

They pushed their way out of the bar and headed back to the ship. He had hoped to spend some time on the beach, but events had taken a turn for the worst and Desman didn’t feel like getting arrested for assault in a foreign country. The ship left port in the next two hours, and he was sure the local cops wouldn’t figure out where he was until long after they shipped out.

They boarded the ship along with many of the other guests. They headed to their cabins to deposit their bags. They hadn’t said a word all the way back. Desman was feeling stupid for having lost his temper in front of her, but the Soldier within him had gotten the better of his better judgment. He was sure she thought him a terrible brute for reacting the way he had.

Reaching their cabins Desman turned to Morgan. He had to say something. “Morgan look, I’m sorry about losing my temper back there, I shouldn’t have done what I did. I-” He trailed off noticing the smirk on her pretty face.

“I bet you’re a real badass back home.” He didn’t know how to answer her. He was a bit more than that. He was a real-life gangster, but he didn’t think she would understand. He studied the look in her eyes. Was that arousal? Did the bad boy thing turn her on? If so how far could he push it? At what point did his bad boy appeal become a fearful disgust? No, it was probably best that she didn’t know what he was.

“After our altercation back in the casino, I would dare say you’re no angel.”

“Maybe not but I bet I could take you.”

“Is that a challenge?”

Her smile grew. “The ship has a gym. Want to put it to the test?”

“Me against you?”

“Scared?”

Him scared of her? That was laughable. “I don’t want to hurt you. I am bigger and stronger.”

She just laughed. “I think you may find I won’t go down easily.” She said opening her door. “Meet me in the gym in twenty minutes, and we will see who goes down.” She disappeared into her stateroom leaving him in the hall. She wanted a brawl? How unusual.

Desman went to his room and placed his bags on the desk. He then changed out of his trunks and into a pair of track pants he had brought to lounge around his room in. They seemed more appropriate for this occasion than jeans or dress pants. He then made his way to the fourth deck where the small gym was.

Inside were a few workout machines; a treadmill and a handful of weights, a punching bag, and some large square mats on the floor. Morgan was already inside dressed in a pair of black cotton shorts and a white tank top that hugged her athletic frame. Her hair was still tied up, and she was already working the punching bag over. She wasn’t holding back either; she was giving it her all and that bag was taking a beating.

She stopped when she noticed him, and she came to the mats. “You want to warm up first?” She offered.

Desman shrugged he didn’t need to; most of the time there was no time to warm up for a fight. In his world, you had to be ready to go at the drop of a hat. “I’m good.” He said stepping onto the mats and facing off against her. He didn’t want to hurt her so he decided to take it easy on her, hold back as much as he could.

Without warning Morgan attacked. Two punches to the chest and a roundhouse kick to the ribs sending Desman back a few feet the wind knocked out of him. He held his hand to his chest where she had made contact and stared at her a little surprised. She sure wasn’t holding back, and she had some skill. Something told him she was trained in martial arts. So, it was her training against his street fighting. This would be interesting. She wasn’t the only one with skill. His father had spent a good chunk of his life teaching Desman how to handle himself in the street. Usually with a weapon but he’d make do in this case.

Desman shook off his present state and went after Morgan. Swing, swing, and a kick to sweep her leg but Morgan jumped and remained on her feet. She shuffled back as he came at her and ducked each blow. She swayed and dodged like a jackrabbit. Never in the same place for more than a second. She moved fast, faster than most. She circled him and kicked him behind the knee. Desman went down hard. On his hands and knees, he cringed in pain. That was a dirty trick.

He rolled onto his back and kicked her legs out from under her. Morgan fell on her back, and Desman used this opportunity to pounce. He crawled on top of her using his weight to hold her down. She squirmed and struggled, her hand against his face she pushed trying to get him off her. Desman crossed his arm over her chest just below her neck holding her down. If he wanted to, he could have choked her in this position but this was a friendly fight, and he held back.

She pushed with all her might and damned if she wasn’t strong. It took every muscle in his body to stay on top. Morgan’s leg came up hard to knee him in the groin, but Desman shifted his weight at the last minute and rolled. They moved together and now Morgan was on top. They were evenly matched, and that disturbed him. What kind of Soldier was he if he couldn’t beat a woman half his size. His pride was at stake now he couldn’t let her win. He grabbed her biceps and pushed his knee against her belly. With great ease, he threw her off him. He was a big guy and could easily bench-press her weight.

Desman got on his feet annoyed by how well she was doing. Morgan was up in a flash, and she charged him. Desman twisted just missing her blow. She spun around and punched at him twice which this time he dodged. Reaching up, he grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back. He had her firmly. If she moved her arm would break. He thought he had her but her head came back hard and hit him in the face. His eyes teared up, and Desman staggered back. Morgan spun and kicked him in the chest sending him falling back against the wall.

He paused to catch his breath and saw her coming at him to kick him again. Desman’s hands came up and caught her ankle. He twisted and flipped her off her feet and onto her back. Not wasting a moment Desman straddled her lap and took hold of her wrist and pinned her to the floor. She struggled for a few moments not wanting to give up. She was a spirited fighter, and she didn’t give up easily. She struggled and growled, furious that he had gotten the better of her. He was impressed with how well she fought. She was no shrinking violet. She had given him a run for his money, and in the end, it was the sheer brute strength that won it for him.

“Do you give up?” He asked as she bucked beneath him.

“Never.”

“I’ve won, accept it.”

“No.”

She was fiery, and he liked that. She struggled, panting heavily beneath him. She had fight in her, and that was a turn on. Something came over him, and Desman lowered his face to hers and kissed her. Morgan came to an abrupt stop beneath him. At first, she didn’t respond, at least not favourably. He pulled back and gazed down at her shocked look. He shouldn’t have kissed her. He didn’t know what had come over him.

“I’m-” Her shoulders lifted off the mat, and her mouth met his in a heated kiss. Desman returned her kiss with a blazing desire. He released Morgan’s arms, and his hands slid down her sides coming to rest at her hips. Her hands framed his face, and her kiss deepened. It was a wild passionate kiss, and his body reacted. He was desperately hard and wanted to take her right there on the floor.

The sound of a throat clearing drew them from the madness. They both looked up to see two women in gym clothes standing in the door watching them awkwardly. Desman climbed off Morgan and offered his hand to help her to her feet. “We were just leaving.” He said ushering Morgan to the door. Both women giggled as they walked past.

Once in the hallway they turned to each other and laughed. He felt like a school kid caught making out under the bleachers. “You fight well.” He said standing toe to toe.

“You do too.” She smiled.

The moment passed there was now a discomfort between them. He didn’t know what to say. Could he kiss her again or was it a moment of madness for her? For once in his life, he wasn’t sure how to approach a woman. “You want to have dinner tonight?”

“The six of us?”

“I was thinking just the two of us. You, me, and room service.” He wanted to get her alone. He hoped to work his wiles on her, and he worked better alone.

She smiled and looked away timidly for a moment then their eyes met. “I’d like that.”