Free Code Name: Nina's Choice (Warrior's Challenge) by Natasza Waters

topped the tree line. Was it possible for a SEAL
to turn into Mary Poppins? Because
he’d just landed in some kind of Disneyland of the
rich and well-to-do. The decorating was a mix of old and new
with warm, dark wood floors and colorful floral prints on the wall. Having a
guest room like this, he wondered what Nina’s room looked like. He wandered
down the hall and tap ped on the door he’d seen her
disappear into.
    Gabbs pulled the door
open and stared up at him. She had a big, floppy summer hat on her head and a
pearl necklace dangling around her neck. “Getting dressed for dinner?” he
asked.
    Gabbs giggled, then
swirled around in a flurry of red hair and leaped
onto the king-sized bed. This room definitely belonged to a girl, maybe with a
little tomboy mixed in.
    “Come on in,” Nina
said, pulling her clothes from her bag and disappearing into a closet.
    “Are we staying here for dinner?” he asked, hoping she’d get the hint he was
hungry.
    “Nope, I’m taking you
and Gabbs out for dinner. Mom and Dad have some appetizers prepared, but they
have a fundraiser for the hospital tonight, so we’re on our own.”
    “What about your
sister?”
    “Who cares?” Nina said
sharply. She gripped the corner of the door and peered around it, pinning a
look on him. “Why?”
    “Err, just wondering,
babe. I mean, you haven’t seen each other for a while.”
    “That’s bad because…”
She retreated into the walk-in again.
    A small hand tapped
his arm. When he looked around, Gabbs shook her head at him with a wrinkled
brow. He lifted his hands in the universal, what’s going on? Gabbs put a finger
to her lips.
    Okay . He wandered to the sizeable fireplace
and peered at the trop hies lining the mantle. She’d
been a busy young lady with baseball, soccer, and several Tae Kwon Do awards
tucked next to each other. Two marathon ribbons were tacked inside a frame.
Victoria Goodlife Marathon, fifth in women’s and a third place win. No wo nder she could keep up with the guys. When he’d finally
started running with them again, he was as impressed as the rest of the squad.
The woman had legs like a fawn. She paced herself like a pro.
    “Mom, can we have
spaghetti tonight? Grandma never makes it .”
    “Sure,
sweetie. Find out what Mace feels like.”
    Gabbs hopped on the
bed so she could be eye level with him. “Do you like spaghetti, Mace?”
    “Ah,
yeah, of course. One of my favorites.” He didn’t. Too many MREs with “just add
water” pasta that slid down th e throat like bloated
slugs, made his stomach churn. No worries, where there was spaghetti, there was
steak, and he felt like diving into a really thick one.
    Walking downstairs
together, Nina led them to a comfortable sized living room. Her father was poki ng at a fire, and her mother entered with a tray of cheese
and meat, breads and crackers. The spread came right out of a fine cuisine
magazine.
    “Mom, I want some
milk,” Gabbs said. Nina followed her daughter to the kitchen. Mace sunk into
the softest, most comfortable couch he’d ever sat on.
A nanosecond didn’t pass before Dawn sat down next to him.
    “What can I get you to
drink, Mace?” Dawn asked.
    “He wants a beer,”
Nina called from the kitchen.
    He grinned. “She knows
what I like.”
    Dawn leaned back,
crosse d her legs, and let her arm stray on the top of
the couch. “How long have you been a SEAL?”
    “Mace,
in the kitchen.” It was an order hidden behind a request, and a SEAL always followed orders,
especially with Dawn’s fingers brushing his shoulder. Gabbs rush ed by him, straight at the cheese plate her grandmother had
settled on the table.
    When he walked in Nina
surprised the hell out of him, grabbing his shoulders, pushing him against the
wall with a thunk , and taking his breath away with a
soul-sucking kiss. Switching to sensual auto-pilot
with Nina was as natural as breathing air. He pasted her to his chest, and she
tilted her head, deepening the kiss.
    When she