by Marlie May
I’d never be okay.
Struggling to regain control of myself, I sniffed. Didn’t work. Tears continued to fly unchecked down my face.
He cracked the door. “I’m…So, this isn’t anything…I just want to hold you.” When I sighed but didn’t protest, he opened the door and stepped inside, fully clothed. “Come here.” Arms wrapped around me, he tucked me close, his chin resting on the top of my head. He patted my back as I sobbed. “Let it out. It’s gonna be okay.”
When nothing remained inside me but shudders, he took my hand and helped me step out of the shower where he dried me like a parent with a small, wounded child, murmuring soothing sounds while he did it. Then he helped me dress in a tee and lounge pants he must’ve snagged from my room.
“I’m sorry,” I said through quaking lips.
“You did nothing wrong.” Lifting my feet one by one, he slid on my fuzzy slippers.
“You’re trying to protect me, and I took off on my own. I should’ve told you where I was going. Asked you to come with me.”
Straightening, he cupped my face. His hair flipped up at his collar, soft curls generated by the heat of the shower. “I messed up, not you. We were having fun. Hell, I was thinking more about kissing you than keeping you safe. Didn’t suspect things would escalate this fast when I should’ve.” He growled. “I wasn’t careful enough.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“And I don’t think it’s yours.” He swept me off my feet and carried me out into the living room. I wanted to protest that I could walk, could do this under my own steam, but I chose to let him do it instead. He wanted to protect me and shelter me, and I needed to be held.
Settling on the sofa with me on his lap, he snuggled my handmade quilt around us and wrapped me up in his warmth underneath.
I couldn’t stop shivering. Despite how hot it was today, my reaction to the near-kidnapping had taken hold.
Walter jumped up beside us and nestled half on/half off Eli’s thigh. His purr, normal and centering after a day that had started with incredible promise yet ended with horror, dragged the pain from deep inside me and scattered it, leaving only my throbbing shell behind.
I stroked Walter’s head, trailing my fingers down his neck and underneath his loose collar. While an identification microchip had been placed by the vet, I’d also bought Walter a jeweled collar with my information printed on the back.
With a sigh, I settled against Eli’s chest.
“I’m wet,” he said wryly.
“I kinda noticed.” Dampness had sunk through my clothing but how could I complain when he’d sacrifice his own comfort to give me reassurance?
“At this rate, I’m going to need to keep a full wardrobe here.”
“I think you should,” I whispered into his neck.
Pressing himself back into the cushions, he stared down at me. “I was joking.”
“I wasn’t.” I lifted my gaze to meet his, knowing my growing feelings must be blazing in my eyes. I’d been determined not to let another man close again. But Eli, with his warm arms, his gentle touch, his humor? He’d crept up on me when I wasn’t looking.
Whatever I felt for him was too new, too fresh to expose to the night air.
I cleared my throat. “Would you—”
“I can—”
His phone beeped on the coffee table.
“That would be Flint,” Eli said. “I texted him the details about what happened earlier.”
Of course he’d notify my brother. I was glad he had.
“Fuck, Eli,” Flint shouted through the line when Eli answered. “What’s going on up there?”
“Mia’s here with me,” Eli said. “You’re on speaker.”
“Good. Mia.” Flint breathed my name in a shaky voice, his bubble of anger bursting instantly. “You okay, sis?” Caring and frustration came through in his words.
“I am.” Beaten but maybe not quite broken. Not any longer. Eli had a way of making me feel whole again.
“Things are going crazy down in…” He coughed. “Anyway, I can’t get home until day after tomorrow. You stay put. I need to know you’re safe.”
“I’m leaving for my conference tomorrow morning.”
“You can’t go now,” he said as if he had complete control over my actions.
“It’s just for two days.” Normally, my back would ramrod and I’d voice protest, but I’d lost my oomph when I bailed from the back of that Chevy. “I have to go. You know that.”
“Your life could be at stake.”
“Many lives are at stake.” How would one person—me—be more important than the women who could be helped in the future by money raised during the event?
“This is only a freakin’ presentation. You’re not the first responder to a disaster.”
“In some ways, I am,” I said with a lift of my chin. He couldn’t see the gesture, but it elevated my voice and added strength to my words.
“Can you wait to go until I get home, then? In other words, show up late. Sure, you’ll miss some of it, but you’ll reduce exposure.”
“I need to be physically present for all of it.”
“Maybe drive out solely for your presentation and return home immediately after.”
Hide behind my VIP security system, he meant.
“As you know, it’s not just the presentation,” I said. I hated to remind him of something—someone, actually—he’d rather forget but he was the one to introduce me to Peter, the head of the Foundation, whom Flint had met through his former fiancée, Julia. “I need to network with the philanthropists throughout the conference, talk them into opening their pockets and giving generously to the Foundation.”
Sure, my findings would spark interest, but the real meat of the event lay in the networking, the influx of money they could contribute. “If I only come and go, my impact will be substantially lower.” After the presentations finished for the day, the Foundation had planned events for the evening and the next morning where I and other speakers would mingle to reinforce the information and drive home how valuable their donations could be.
“I’m afraid for you, Mia,” Flint said. “You know I’d—”
“I’ll go with her,” Eli said, his arms tightening around me. “I don’t plan to leave her for a second anyway.”
A long pause followed before Flint’s gruff voice bled through the line. “Appreciate it. You know how worried I am.”
I leaned forward. “Eli’s—”
“We’re—”
We broke off and shared a smile, because it was clear we’d both been about to tell Flint our relationship was changing.
What we had might be new, but it wasn’t fragile.
“I want Jax to go with you, too.”
Eli’s grunt revealed his satisfaction. “Was hoping he was free.”
“The second I’m back,” Flint said. “We need to talk, figure out what’s going on.” His voice lowered. “I wish I could get there sooner.”
“It’s okay. I’m safe.” I snuggled into Eli, inhaling his scent of man, wet cloth, and strength, which shouldn’t have a smell but fit him perfectly.
Eli cleared his throat. “You said things are heating up down there?”
I watched his face but couldn’t read anything in the tiny lines.
“Well,” Flint said. “Gabe and Haylee are on the trail of a new contact.”
“Cool.”
“Where are they?” I asked. I’d only met Gabe a few times when I stopped by the office, but my curiosity was sparked by this veiled conversation. And I’d always worried about my cousin, Haylee, wanted her to be safe. What was she involved in?
Eli shook his head vehemently, even though my brother couldn’t see the movement.
“On assignment,” Flint said abruptly. “Out of the country.”
Kiddie drones, right? My lips twisted. There was a heck of a lot more going on at Flint’s business than recreational toys.
These guys…These Seabees. They mig
ht’ve left the Navy but the military had remained with them. I had a suspicion my brother ran a bunch of government-sponsored, covert operations. Missions under the direction of their former boss, my Uncle Sid. Why else would a Navy Admiral bother hanging out at a business that made ‘toys’?
“I see,” I said, even though I didn’t. But pressing would only bring on more vague answers. And while curiosity drove my interest, I had enough to deal with at the moment without worrying about whatever trouble Flint might be getting into.
“Haylee and Gabe are okay?” Eli asked.
“Not a care in the world.” On the surface, Flint’s words came through loose and relaxed, as if Gabe and Haylee had gone to Cape Cod for the weekend. While he might believe he could hide it from me, we’d grown up close. An edge had come through in his voice. “They’re relaxing, soaking up the sunshine.”
Eli nodded. “Keep me in the loop, then.”
There was no reason Eli needed to be updated about a fun vacation, right?
“Will do,” Flint said. “Gotta go, now. Meeting. Be careful, Mia. Stay safe.”
I couldn’t be any safer than where I was right now, wrapped securely in Eli’s arms. “Please, don’t worry about me.”
“Can’t help worrying. You know that.”
I’d feel the same if it was Flint in danger instead of me. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.” Flint ended the call.
I eased around in Eli’s arms to fully face him with my knees braced on either side of his thighs. Walter blinked, and his purr hummed around us before he snuggled his nose deeper into the quilt and drifted back to sleep.
The dampness of Eli’s clothing might bring out my shivers but his body radiated warmth. It soaked into me, sparking a different sort of heat. One I was quickly beginning to believe only he could initiate.
Our Christmastown kiss had taken our relationship in a new direction. While a week ago, no one could’ve convinced me I’d be eager to spend all my time with one man, things had changed.
I’d changed.
The fear that had haunted me for a year had flown for the moment, replaced with a longing for something I’d never felt before. Maybe the danger I found myself in right now heightened my emotions, but how could I hold myself back from him when he gave me everything I could ever need? And our situation was tenuous. I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, whether I’d be alive or dead within a week. I could hold myself back or grab onto something wonderful and savor it for as long as it lasted.
While staring into his sinfully chocolate brown eyes, I slid my hands up his shoulders and fingered his curls. “Do you—”
“Mia, I—”
There we went again, speaking at the same time. The comedy of the repetition brought out my laugh.
“You go first,” he said.
Did I actually dare speak about this growing closeness between us? “I just…” My chest rose and fell with my sigh. “The mistletoe legend that said whoever stands underneath a sprig will never be harmed. In some ways, you’re my mistletoe. When I’m with you, I feel confident, secure. Like nothing and no one can harm me.”
His fingertips tickled along my waist and underneath my tee to stroke the sensitive skin on my back. “Exactly the way I want you to feel.”
“But I…”
“What?”
“This isn’t just about you providing security, is it?” I knew the question was stupid the moment I spoke it. He kept saying he was here for me, that he wanted me, that it was solely my decision.
My insecurity ate at me like cancer.
He reeled back against the sofa, and his hands stilled on my back. “Hell, no. It’s a lot more than that for me.”
“Me, too.”
“When I heard you were moving to Crescent Cove, I thought it would be awkward between us when we met up again, and I’ll be honest here,”—his voice deepened—“I fully respect your right to tell me you aren’t interested in going further, because I would never pressure you into something that makes you uncomfortable. Especially when my role here is to keep you safe. But I—”
“Oh, I’m interested.” My words came out firm, but I lowered my gaze from the intensity in his, because the emotions swirling inside me felt raw and exposed. But also, hopeful. “I’ve thought about you a lot since California, and knowing this was your home town only added to its draw.” I swallowed back my lack of self-confidence and continued in a firm tone, “While I wasn’t ready back then, I am now.”
He cupped my face and lifted it until our eyes met. “Then we start over from here.”
“One step at a time.”
“Like I said, you set the pace.”
Part of me wanted to speed things up and find out where this would go, but another part of me wanted to savor this moment. Because this was new and different and wonderful. Something to be savored.
I tilted my head. “The other part of that mistletoe legend…”
His grin sent happiness shooting through me. “You saying you might be open to another kiss?”
I pulled his face closer. “Why limit ourselves to just one?”
Our lips came together.
The rising fire inside me couldn’t be denied. Moaning, I pressed into him, drinking in everything he gave.
Our tongues met, tentative at first until fully unleashed. Wild.
I raked my fingers through his hair and strained closer while he groaned and cupped my butt.
Somehow, he’d gathered up the severed pieces of me and fused them together.
Eli groaned again and his fingers eased underneath my shirt and traced along the seam of my bra. His thumb stroked my nipple through the silky fabric.
I jerked back and gasped.
“Too much?” He panted as if he’d run ten miles. Or like I’d pant if I ran ten miles. Eli seemed to have plenty of stamina.
“No.” I yanked off my tee.
His gaze drifted to my breasts peeking above my lace black bra, and his breath hissed out. “Fuck, Mia. You’re gonna kill me.”
Reaching behind, I unhooked my bra then tossed it aside. I needed his touch more than I needed air.
He trailed the back of his fingers along the tops of my breasts then cupped each mound with his palms. His thumbs on my nipples were replaced with his mouth and his tongue stroked the tip while his fingers teased the other.
His hand continued down my belly, and I arched back to give him full access.
I couldn’t hold back my wince when his hand skimmed along a bruise.
“Shit,” he said. “I’m sorry. You’re sore.” Lifting me up, he eased me onto the sofa beside him, on the opposite side of Walter.
I’d set the rules, suggesting we take this slow, but I wanted to wrench them back and replace them with a cry of need.
But he was right. I ached all over.
He helped me dress in my bra, his fumbling fingers telling me that while he might’ve undressed women in his past, he’d helped few of them put their clothing back on after.
“Tee,” he said, feeding my arms through the sleeves and sliding the fabric down around my waist. He followed his ministrations up with a kiss that was a mix of sweetness and passion.
It only made me yearn for more.
“We’ve got plenty of time,” he said while he held me with his chin nestled on top of my head.
But did we?
A knock on the door drove us apart.
“Expecting anyone?” he asked, instantly on alert. His hand darted around to the back of his waist where his handgun hid. He’d locked it in his Jeep’s glove compartment when we were at Christmastown, but he’d tucked it back under his shirt while we waited for the sheriff.
Rising, he padded barefoot into my entry where he turned on the porch light and carefully edged a slice of the curtain to the side. His posture losing its hyper-attention, he disengaged the locks and opened the door.
The elderly couple who lived in the house on the left of mine stood on the porch.
Elvira peeked through the opening, and her smile widened when she spied me coming toward them. She lifted a white container my way. “The Price is Right just ended and before we headed to bed, we thought we could stop by to—”
“Tell you we’ve got a bone to pick with you,” her husband grated out, his fists clenched at his sides. His thick, bushy white eyebrows wedged together, and his equally white combover slid across his forehead before he raked it back.
“Now, Elwin.” Elvira bumped his side with her generous hip. “None of that. I told you to let it go.”
Face darker than a storm at sea, he grumbled. “Coming and goings, all the damn time.”
Beaming, Elvira pushed the plastic container into my hands while I gaped back and forth between them. Comings and goings?
Elvira continued, “I made my grandson brownies but my daughter-in-law says he can’t have them.” Her voice came out high-pitched and prissy as she mimicked. “Sugar makes him hyper.”
Elwin loomed forward, engulfing the porchlight with his tall, broad-shouldered presence. “Before you moved into this neighborhood, it was quiet. Peaceful. Safe.”
Whoa. Wait. I—
“Frankly,” Elvira said, propping her hands on her hips after I reluctantly took the container of brownies. “I don’t believe a bit of sugar hurt anyone.”
“People creeping around the backyards at all hours,” Elwin shot out.
Elvira’s smile grew even brighter, and she winked at Eli. “Who can resist chocolate?”
“Hold on,” I said, lifting my hand. Unease crept through me on cloven feet, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “Who’s coming and going at all hours?”
“People parking on the street, stomping through my hedges in the middle of the night,” Elwin said with menace. “I won’t have it, I tell you.”
“Love to bake,” Elvira said cheerfully. “You like cookies?” She dipped her head toward Eli. “You’re a hearty young man. Bet you love a plate of hot-from-the-oven treats.”
Eli wrapped his arm around my waist. “Mia makes the best cookies in the world.”
Sweet of him to say, considering he hadn’t tried one yet.
“Elwin, you said you’ve seen people creeping around at night?” I wedged my way into the brief gap in the stacked conversation. Neither Elvira or Elwin was giving the other—let alone us—a second to breathe.