Dream: Dream Surrender Read online

  “She’s already here. But I’m certain it’s a waste of time. Loren is very clear about her views on men.”

  Despite the doctor’s confidence, the man began moving toward the door as he spoke. Rourke followed on the man’s heels. If this Loren was his woman then he intended to close this issue immediately. The fewer eyes that set on him the better. Keeping a low profile was essential to his unit’s survival. Taking a civilian with them was going to produce a huge security question. Rourke would deal with that just as soon as he found her. If the doctor could provide the information to finding her then it would prevent anyone else from becoming involved.

  Reaching one of the hospital’s elevators, the doctor punched the top floor before turning to face Rourke again. The man’s eyes held a critical look again. Rourke sent him a piercing one back. The civilian world didn’t have a clue as to the details of his life and therefore was not equipped to judge his actions. Forming any sort of permanent attachment to a woman could have deadly results for her. He rarely learned very much about his partners because a little information spilled into the wrong ears could get them killed.

  “Carol, page Loren.”

  “She’s inbound now. ETA is two minutes.”

  The nurse never looked up but fired off her information as she continued to wrap a paper gown about another doctor’s chest. Her assistance was clearly needed as the man stood with his gloved hands held straight up into the air to prevent them from becoming contaminated.

  Two other doctors stood nearby in similar positions. They faced another set of elevator doors as they waited for their incoming patient.

  “You’ll want to move back.”

  “I know what a trauma center looks like, Doctor.”

  “Yes, I imagine you do.”

  The red light above the doors flashed in warning. The waiting teams snapped to attention as they awaited their duties. The doors of the elevator opened in a violent motion as a man’s body came falling across the threshold. The obvious victim of a powerful kick, the paramedic tumbled over his own body as his partner was left to the struggle their patient was intent on waging.

  The close quarters of the elevator didn’t allow for the waiting doctors to lend any assistance to the battle. With the body of the first paramedic sprawled in the doorway, the waiting doctors couldn’t get to their patient. Struggling with the enraged patient, the second paramedic brutally flipped her charge over before using her body to pin him to the stretcher. Her partner regained his feet and pulled the entire struggle from the elevator, allowing the waiting teams to assist her.

  “Are you all right, Loren?”

  “That will conclude our wrestling demonstration for this evening.” Investigating her shirtfront, Loren decided there weren’t enough buttons left to close her uniform.

  “Carol, you might want to call security. This guy’s family is coming en masse.”

  Lord, the stupidity of some of their city residents was amazing. Shaking her head, Loren headed for her locker before her pager went off again. Responding with her bra showing just didn’t appeal to her.

  “So, she’s not married.”

  Dr. Rinehart stared in fascination as Rourke’s eyes glowed. There was an intent frown displayed on the man’s face.

  “I just don’t understand it. Loren doesn’t take very well to men.”

  “She’s deadly at ten paces.” The second paramedic issued his comment as he came back through the doorway, leaving his patient to the care of the trauma room staff. The curses sailing out of the treatment room indicated the lack of gratefulness the youth had for his care.

  “Jim, you’ll need to call in another partner. I have to quarantine Loren immediately.”

  “For what?”

  “That’s classified.”

  Stepping back, the paramedic stared at his face for a moment before his pager went off and he looked back at the doctor with a raised eyebrow. Loren came back into view as the pager on her belt echoed her partner’s.

  “I thought it was a full moon last week,” she grumbled as she tried to fix her uniform top.

  “Did you mean right now?”

  Loren looked at her partner like he’d lost his mind. The man was looking at Dr. Rinehart as he asked his question.

  “Do our pagers know any other time frame?”

  Loren stared at her partner as he gave her a confused look. Snapping his pager out of his hand, she silenced the alarm the unit was issuing, wondering just how long Jim intended to stand there staring at her.

  “Dr. Rinehart says you’re off duty.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Flipping her eyes about, Loren pegged the doctor with them. She didn’t have time for another of the medical staff’s games! Being the only female life flight paramedic was getting a little old.

  Just how she’d missed seeing him, Loren didn’t know. A man like that was not designed for blending in. He was standing with his arms folded over his chest and she found herself tipping her chin up to catch a good look at his face. Her stomach dropped a full three inches as she found the green eyes. The corners of his mouth twitched up in a grin as he watched her take him in. There was absolutely nothing friendly about that grin. It was pure intent.

  “I believe you have…ah…met this man?”

  The obvious indication caused Loren to bristle. The man in question was trouble. In big capital letters, but that didn’t mean she was going to sit there and let Dr. Rinehart critique her for inappropriate behavior!

  “Quarantine for what?”

  “Ebola Tai Forest.”

  A curse slipped from Jim’s mouth as he took a step away from her. Loren would have liked to step away from herself as well. Ebola Tai Forest was no laughing matter. One of the four strains of the Ebola virus, the disease held an eighty percent fatality rate. Add to that the fact that no one understood yet why twenty percent of the infected victims survived.

  It wasn’t something Los Angeles County saw very much of. Only a very occasional traveler was suspect. Her eyes wandered over her company again as she noted the clear proof of his military training. The details were easier to see in the lighting of the hallway. The man’s body had been molded into a weapon. He was also a very likely candidate for transporting a disease like this across the globe. There was no point in asking him if he’d been in Africa, the fact that he was standing in front of her confirmed that.

  And the man had kissed her very deeply and very thoroughly. Fluid exchange was the number one method of contamination.

  “There are words to describe men like you.”

  “Nice to see you again, Loren.”

  Nasty, dirty little words and Loren truly felt that this man would wear them well. It was really too bad that she’d made that bet with herself about not swearing. Tonight seemed like a perfectly appropriate time for cussing.

  “I take it you will not deny your…ah…relations with this man?”

  Forget swearing, Loren was currently ready to begin with physical assault! Doctor Rinehart could just be grateful that she intended to break his neck in a trauma room! Jim was choking on his amusement and doing a very poor job of keeping the sounds to himself.

  “You know, I need to run now.”

  Loren watched her partner hightail it into the elevator. Jim’s mouth worked as much overtime as she did. By shift change, every firehouse in the county would be making up their own version of her love affair.

  “Well then, I suppose I should leave you to this situation.”

  Watching the doctor begin his trip back down the hallway, Loren was left facing her green-eyed dilemma.

  “Dr. Rinehart?” Loren sent her voice after the doctor as he scurried away from possible infection. The man stepped between her and Rinehart.

  “I’m sorry, did we forget to mention that this is now a classified matter?”

  “Just how classified?”

  Whoever he was, he grinned at her question before letting his eyes inspect her. From the top of her head to the black toes
of her boots, Loren didn’t think he missed a single detail of her body. Returning to her face, his mouth settled into a smug expression of victory.

  “Classified is classified.”

  “Umm-humm. Well, if that means you’re planning on disappearing without so much as an introduction, have a nice life. But if you were planning on inviting me along, you can call up my captain and explain this little vacation to him. I happen to like my job. A whole lot.”

  “Rourke Campbell, and we’ll have plenty of time to get acquainted.”

  “Don’t bet on it.”

  But he was. Loren could see his eyes glowing with anticipation. The look on his face made her look closer to see if he actually began to lick his chops over her. Well, it was a bet that he would be losing! It took a little more than sex appeal to get her pants off.

  “Dr. Rinehart.”

  Loren jumped at the command his voice issued. To date he had used a deeply sensual tone with her. The deep rumble that sounded down the hallway called up an urge to straighten her back. Frank reacted like a new marine recruit. The doctor snapped to attention, his back ramrod straight.

  “I trust you can deal with the fire department discreetly. We wouldn’t want a public panic.”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Thank you.”

  Seeing this man in her hospital had robbed Loren of her first impression of him. The second he dismissed the doctor his body executed that silent grace that she’d first noticed about him. A quick step and he’d grasped her biceps as he used the hold to propel her body toward the elevator. Her feet stumbled to keep pace but if he noticed, the information never gained a response. They were already inside the elevator before she managed a retort.

  “This only goes to the landing pad on the roof.”

  His green eyes regarded her with amusement. The same kind a cat used when it was tormenting a mouse. Fine! If the man wanted to waste his time, then she appeared to have plenty to spare now as well.

  The door opened and Loren stepped out onto the roof. She was completely at home here. Her feet traced a path that her body knew by heart. Her stride faltered as she took in the helicopter sitting on the pad. Instead of one of the county’s medical units, this thing was deepest black. The sleek lines screamed out a modern edge that her civilian aircraft lacked.

  “You have style, Mr. Campbell. I’ll give you that.”

  “Major.”

  And pride. An officer to boot. That really didn’t surprise her. The tone the man was capable of using was pure steel. Dr. Rinehart was one of the pickiest doctors in the hospital. Watching him jump when told to was almost worth having to deal with Major Campbell.

  But not quite.

  “This is a Panther.”

  The words came out of her mouth as an afterthought. Loren was too busy looking over the top-secret aircraft to pay her mouth any mind. Nicknamed the Red Eye, these helicopters were cutting edge. They were equipped with the newest laser technology and primarily deployed for searching. They also carried heavy artillery to allow them to complete their searches in friendly skies or not.

  Three of his men turned deadly eyes onto their guest. Rourke watched her examine his bird with suspicion as well. No civilian should even know the name of this aircraft, much less anything about it. That suspicion was rapidly growing as he watched Loren run a critical eye over key areas of the helicopter. It would seem that she knew more about it than just the name.

  “Her roommate works for NASA.” Sergeant Gilmore glared at Loren as he spoke. The Ranger clearly didn’t like the familiar way Loren looked at his aircraft.

  Her roommate’s career was over! Rourke was going to see to that personally! The woman was married, but she was a liar. Sergeant Gilmore would have stated it if the man was her husband. It would appear she also kept company with a man who didn’t understand just what classified meant. That kind of sloppiness got men like Rourke killed.

  His little lapse of sanity was spreading further. If Loren lived with a man it was very likely he was contaminated as well.

  “Pick the guy up.”

  Rourke really shouldn’t have been quite so disappointed but he was. Climbing aboard his aircraft, he left Loren to his junior officer. He would leave the woman to her adultery.

  Oh, this was priceless. Loren found it nearly impossible to contain her amusement. Major Campbell was clearly annoyed with her. Yes sir, the man had his boxers in a twist for sure.

  It was just the right sort of punishment for his ego. The man needed to be brought down a peg and Loren was happy to help. Men always thought that what was good for them was unacceptable for women. Major Campbell held no reservations about making a pass at a complete stranger, but Lord forbid she should have a boyfriend.

  No, she was expected to be the pristine virgin just waiting for him to sweep her off her feet…

  Ha! Not in the real world. Loren very much doubted that he was a virgin and she hated the double standard the man harbored.

  The rotors of the helicopter began their rotation as Loren snapped her harness into place. She was going to enjoy this ride. The county didn’t operate anything quite so modern. Feeling the power contained in the Panther made her nerves zing with anticipation of the coming flight.

  And then she was going to have the pleasure of watching Major Campbell eat his hat. Loren didn’t need a boyfriend. After all, it was really much more satisfying to watch the men around her make complete asses of themselves.

  Rourke Campbell was off to a wonderful start.

  * * * * *

  “I flew up here in a Panther, Mom! A Red Eye Panther! You should see the laser targeting screens. I know the specs but when they are responding to the trigger sensors the precision is excellent!”

  Her son launched into a complete technical explanation of the computer programming abilities of the helicopter that transported him. Loren forced her mind to try and understand at least half of the information being carried in her son’s words.

  At fourteen, Toby had already surpassed Loren in height and was well on his way to becoming a giant. Slim and reedy, her son reminded her of a colt—all legs and energy.

  “You’re his mother?”

  “Why, yes. I’m quite certain I told you I am married. Children sometimes come along in such relationships.” Loren fluttered her eyelashes a few times before returning her attention to her son. Oh yes. Rourke Campbell was entirely too much fun.

  That woman needed to be hauled off to bed. Her husband sure as hell wasn’t taking care of her. If she were his, Rourke would spend the rest of the night working that starch out of her tight little backside.

  Damn it!

  She wasn’t a liar, which brought Rourke back to finding her extremely intriguing. The sight of her son forced him to acknowledge the fact that she belonged to another man. Even if the guy was foolish enough to stay away from her bed, she was still married.

  That was a line that Rourke wouldn’t cross.

  But something was still off. There was no way a fourteen-year-old kid worked for NASA. Rourke headed for his office to discover just where his field information was wrong. While he was at it, Rourke intended to find the name of the man who was such an idiot as to abandon a woman like Loren. Maybe the guy didn’t like kids. She wouldn’t be the first wife to discover that flaw in her husband after the baby was born.

  Ahh, who was he kidding? Rourke wanted to believe she was alone because he wanted her. The woman oozed sex appeal. His body was pulsing even now as he watched her follow her son around one of his helicopters.

  She was one hell of a package. Loren wasn’t slim. Instead her body was tight and full-figured. Sandy blonde hair was twisted on top of her head but the unruly strands refused to stay trapped and were catching the sunlight. A pair of light green eyes betrayed an Irish heritage. Her position with a fire department spoke volumes about her personality. This woman was a livewire. That passion had attracted him on that beach and it was even more apparent now.

  Rourke shook
his head as he resigned himself to disappointment. Another man had noticed her much earlier in life. Lucky bastard.

  “You bitch!”

  Halfway across the landing pad, Rourke turned back at a dead run. The violence expressed in those two words communicated itself down to his soul. Loren was the only female on the site. One of his men had taken major exception to her. Rourke didn’t care what the reason was but the man was deadly furious and Rourke needed to intercede.

  “You said it was a girl!”

  “The doctor told you that. Maybe you should have waited around to make sure.”

  Loren issued her words with precise pronunciation. It was a scene she’d often considered having to endure but it was still a shock to come face to face with her husband.

  Fourteen years wasn’t long enough. Rage was boiling up inside her as red-hot as the day he’d deserted her.

  Chris had always turned to violence when words escaped him. Today was no exception. Despite the years of separation, Loren clearly read the signs of her husband’s exploding temper. She watched the muscles of his chest tighten as he raised his fist to speak for him.

  One thing had changed in fourteen years—Loren wasn’t going to stand there cringing in fear while her husband hit her. She watched his arm as it swung at her face. Her body responded with beautiful obedience to the hours of training she’d forced herself to endure.

  Chris never expected her to move and she took full advantage of his ignorance. Raising her arm to block his strike, she raised a leg and executed a solid front snap kick that sent her husband flying into the dirt. Chris raised a stunned face to her as his mouth issued another round of filthy language that Loren remembered all too well.

  “I am not sixteen anymore! The next time you hit me, I promise you I will make it the last!”

  * * * * *

  Three hours later, Loren was still staring at her husband. Major Campbell might have banished her to the front porch of his house but there was no way she was taking her eyes off of Chris!