by Kelly Moore
“A job well-done,” I say, and he salutes me.
One by one, they get back to work. Fallon takes my hand and leads me up to our old apartment. I’m flooded with memories when she opens the door. “God, I miss being here with you,” I say as I walk further inside.
I hear the click of the lock of the door behind me. Turning toward her, she has a sexy, irresistible smile. “I know you said you didn’t want to make love to me in that shit hole,” she says, taking her top off. “And I know you said you couldn’t risk being with me if I had to leave again.” She moves inches from me, and I can feel her heated breath on my skin. “But I’m not leaving without touching you, even if it’s the last time.” She unbuttons my shirt.
I inhale deeply. I have no resistance toward her. My dick is instantly hard, screaming to be buried inside her.
My cane hitting the floor makes a loud noise when I drop it. “I couldn’t agree more.” Our mouths crash together like a fierce storm. We’re all hands, tugging at each other’s hair. Our kiss rages through my body with a need that has set me on fire. Picking her up, I limp into the bedroom and lay her on the bed. She impatiently peels out of her clothes, and I drop mine to the floor. I bend over her, and she draws me on top of her.
“I love you,” she whispers into my mouth. I swallow her words needing to taste every part of her. I ache in ways I never thought possible. I kiss the tender skin of her neck, then down to the peaks of her breast.
She pushes hard, and I’m on bottom. “I’ve envisioned this so many times.” She pants out the words. “In my dreams, I was always riding you.”
I lock my hands behind my head. “Never say I want to interfere with your dreams.”
She moves down my body, kissing every inch of me. When she’s thoroughly satisfied with her seduction of me, she moves upward. I grasp her tits in my hand, and she mewls. Raising up, she centers her core over my cock and eases her way down, ever so slowly. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from coming. She raises and lowers herself with her gaze locked on mine.
She’s beautiful, sexy, tougher than I remember. She was strong before, but this beauty riding my cock has put on muscle. Her biceps and shoulders are well-defined. Strength emanates from every part of her body. The young, innocent woman is completely gone. Left behind is a woman who knows what she wants and is willing to fight to the death for it. She’s a SEAL at heart. My SEAL. My heart.
I grasp her shoulder and roll us over. Widening her legs with my hands, I shift my hips and thrust into her. She grasps the sheets and arches her back, letting a scream leave her lips. I repeat my thrusting over and over. She comes, and I keep moving my hips. Her pulsating around my cock has me on edge, but I’m not ready to give it up. I need more of her.
Kissing her, I let her body cool down as sweat covers mine. Once she’s no longer gasping for air, I shift again and start a rhythm that has us both forgetting we were ever apart. I slide in and out of her until neither one of us can take any more. She comes as I willingly give in to the sensation and let go inside her.
Collapsing on top of her, I’m completely spent. Her hands softly rub up and down my back. “I love you, too,” I finally respond. “Please don’t leave me again.” I sound like a small child pleading. I raise up and gaze into her hazel eyes.
She runs her hands through my hair. “There is so much I need to tell you.”
“I want to hear everything, but I have to go.” I roll off her already regretting it.
“Where are you going?”
“I have a date with Nina,” I say, pulling on my jeans. “I need to get my hands on her phone.
She sits on the side of the bed. “How far are you willing to take it with her?”
“Until you came back, I was willing to do whatever it took.”
“You would’ve had sex with her?” Her chin dips downward.
“If it meant finding you, then yes.” A tear escapes from the corner of her eye. I sit beside her, lifting her chin. “It would only have been a means to an end.”
She looks up with tears filling her hazel eyes. “If we would’ve gotten married before I disappeared, would you have slept with her?”
I inhale deeply before I speak. “No. My wedding vows would’ve had me finding another way.”
“Then let's get married. It will be our ultimate revenge on Nina.”
I get on my knees in front of her. “I don’t want our marriage to be out of revenge.”
Her soft hand rests against my scruffy jaw. “That’s not what I meant. I love you. I’ve loved you from the first time we met.” She gets on her knees with me. “Maybe not the first moment. You were kind of an ass.” Her hand goes to my chest. “I fell in love with your heart as much as you tried to hide it. I knew the man inside was good.”
I hang my head. “I’m not a good man. I’ve hurt the people that care about me the most.”
She places her fingers under my chin, tilting my head up. “You’ve fought alongside every one of these men. They know you and love you. They want Nina gone as much as you do.”
“But I’ve let revenge control me at the cost of my team.”
“Did you see all of them? Each of them shook your hand. You can’t tell me that Thorn, Theo, and Lawson wouldn’t do the same in your situation for the women they love.”
“I know you’re right, and I would’ve stood behind them one hundred percent.”
“Then don’t take that away from them.” She stands. “Do you still have our wedding rings?”
I join her on my feet. “Yes. Are you doing this to ensure I find another way with Nina?” I watch her eyes, knowing I’ll see the truth in them.
“I want to marry you because I love you, and if it’s the last thing I do on this earth, I want to be your wife.”
There’s something else she’s not telling me. “You’re leaving something out. What is it? Are you afraid Nina is going to kill you?”
“Not me. But I will die before I let her harm our family.”
“Our family, as in the Gunners?”
She takes my hand, dragging me into the living room, and we sit on the couch. “Sean and I had a hard time trying to be on the run when we first left here. We were playing a constant game of cat and mouse with Nina. She gave me the knowledge and all the skills I needed to disappear from everyone but her.” She draws her legs up underneath her, placing her hand on my thigh. “I was six months pregnant before I realized I was carrying a baby.”
I blink. “A baby?”
“I tried to convince Nina it was Sean’s, thinking she’d finally leave us alone.”
“You and my brother had a baby?” I can feel myself scowling.
She smacks me in the forehead. “No! Lily is your daughter.”
“I…I have a daughter?”
She inches her way into my lap. “We have a daughter. She’s almost two, and she has your eyes.”
“Where is she?”
“Sean and Ember are keeping her safe.”
“Lily, after my mom?”
“Yes.” She climbs out of my lap and grabs her backpack she tossed on the floor when we came into the apartment. She takes something out and hands it to me. It’s a picture of a little girl wearing water wings by the pool. Her eyes are mine, but her smile is Fallon’s.
“This is my daughter?” I point to the little girl.
She nods.
I choke, and my eyes are instantly filled with tears. I try to blink them back, but it’s no use. “You did this all by yourself?” My voice quakes.
“I had Sean. He adores her, and he’s been the best uncle.”
I clutch her to my chest, whimpering, “I’m so sorry.”
Her hands ruffle through my hair. “You’ve nothing to be sorry for, this is all on Nina. It’s time for it to end.”
I push her off my lap, back onto the couch. Getting on bended knee, I wipe away my tears. “Marry me. Today. When I meet my daughter for the first time, I want to be married to her mother, and for her to know
how much you mean to me.”
“And I want her to know how much I love her father.” Her arms fly around my neck, and her lips land on mine. She tastes sweeter than she did before.
“How do you want to do this?”
“Just the two of us. City hall.”
“Are you sure?”
“We’ll take Theo and Fiona for witnesses.” She stands. “Is my wedding gown here, or did you get rid of it after I left?”
“It’s in the closet.”
“I’ll grab it, you get the rings.” She runs off.
I call Theo, letting him know the plan as I dig the rings out of my dresser drawer. Then I call Nina, delaying our date until later. Being that she’s an hour away, we should be able to get away with it without her being any the wiser.
When we arrive at city hall, the rest of the SEAL team is waiting on the steps. “Did you do this?” I point at Theo.
“I know you’ve felt bad about what all has gone down, but I also knew that none of them would want to miss the two of you finally getting married.” He clasps my shoulder.
“He’s right.” Lawson walks up beside him.
“Amen,” Thorn says.
“I’m so grateful to all of you.” I choke out my words.
Fallon takes my hand. “Let’s do this.” We walk up the steps of city hall, locate the right room, and fill out the paperwork to get our marriage license. They waived the three-day waiting period when I told the clerk I had to be overseas on a mission tomorrow morning. Thirty minutes later, and here I am standing in front of Fallon, saying my vows. This is not the wedding I intended, but she’s the woman my heart belongs too and nothing else matters.
My hand shakes as I slide the ring on her long finger. She repeats the process with mine.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the justice of the peace announces.
I place my hands on either side of her face and gaze into her hazel eyes. “I love you, Fallon. Nothing will ever keep us apart again.” I kiss her, and the room is filled with cheers.
“It’s about damn time!” Theo shouts.
We turn to face them. “Thank you for supporting us,” Fallon says.
I squeeze her hand, then glance at my watch. “I’d love nothing more than to take my wife home and make love to her, but I have to finish things with Nina, and I don’t want to keep her waiting. She’ll get suspicious.”
Thorn marches up in front of me. “We have a mission to finish.” Theo, Lawson, Remington, Tate, and Honor join him.
“Tell us what you need, sir,” Tate says.
“We’ve got one more man to locate, and I believe we’ll find him on Nina’s phone. I’ll get it from her today. I need you to keep each other safe because if Nina gets wind of any of this, she’ll take us out, one by one.”
“We’re not going to let that happen.” Theo juts his chin in the air.
“This has to be done today. I have a honeymoon to go on and a daughter to meet.”
Mouths hang open at my comment. Theo steps up to me. “I knew she was yours the minute I laid eyes on her.”
I press a finger to his chest. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
Fallon takes my hand. “I asked him not to. I wanted to be the one to share her with you.”
I chuckle. “I guess we’re all good at keeping secrets. No hard feelings, man.” I hug Theo.
Chapter 20
Nina
I don’t know who was on the other end of my associate’s phone, but it means trouble. More than likely, he’s dead. Taking out my laptop, I pin his last location. “The island.” I dig further, and there is no news in that area about a murder.
I’ve neglected to check in on my dear sister the past couple of months. “What’s she been up to?” My nails click across the keyboard. “Nothing in her account looks unusual.”
“Hmmmm…” I change from her account to mine. A warning flashes on it. Access obtained. It’s red, a flag I had built in if anyone else snooped around in my account. I place a quick call to one of my other associates. It goes straight to voicemail. I try another, and the same thing happens.
“Shit!” As soon as I lay my phone down to do some more digging, it vibrates. Derrick’s face is on the screen.
“Hey.” I try to calm my nerves.
“Hey, doll. I’m sorry, but I’m running late. Can we reschedule? Instead of lunch, let's make it dinner.”
I squint hard and bite my fingernail. “Okay. Is there anything wrong?”
“No. I have some personal business to attend to, that’s all. I’m looking forward to spending the evening with you.” His voice is low.
“Alright. I’ll meet you at your place, say five?”
“Perfect. I’ll see you then. Wear something sexy.” He hangs up.
“What’s he up to?” I snag my keys from the motel room dresser.
It takes me an hour to get to Portland. On the drive, I’ve tried reaching all my men. Something has happened, and I feel out of control, which I never am. I park a block away from the SEAL team headquarters. There’s not one car in sight. “Very unusual. There’s always someone here minding the building.” Nothing. I go back to my car, to sit and wait.
Another hour passes, and I duck low in my vehicle when cars start to pass me, parking along the curb in front of Derrick’s building. The team piles out one by one. Derrick, who’s dressed in a suit, opens the passenger side of his SUV, and out walks Fallon, dressed in a white wedding gown.
“Son of a bitch!” Turning the key in the ignition, I shift into gear and do a U-turn. “Dead. Every single one of you are going to die. Starting with a two-year-old and Sean.” My body shakes I’m so furious. I slap the dashboard. “I’ve been so blind!” He’s been faking the entire time. I let my guard down, and Fallon outsmarted me. I taught her too well. Now, the clock is ticking on all of them. Derrick thinks he has the upper hand, but I’ll turn the tables tonight.
I speed through town and make it back to the motel in record time. Slamming the door to this rathole, I get right to work on the internet, searching for what I need. Once I’ve made contact, I take out my gun from my suitcase, stashing in my purse. I pull out cash from my attaché case, change clothes, adding a wig, and dark sunglasses. Driving across town to a seedy area, I see the black car, parked in our meeting place. I take the money and the gun out of my bag, stuffing the gun in the back of my pants.
I tap on the guy’s window, and he lets it down. He tosses out the butt of a cigarette, and his gaze grazes my body. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he says, opening his car door.
I hold out a roll of cash. “Did you bring me what I asked for?”
He pushes my hand down. “I don’t want money.” He licks his lips.
“That was the deal.” I shove it back at him, and it falls to the ground.
“That was before I saw you.” He reaches his dirty hand out to touch me, but I slap it away.
“Come on. Don’t be like that.” He takes a step toward me. I grab my gun, pulling the trigger without hesitation, shooting him in the neck.
He falls back against his car, grasping his neck, making a gurgling sound. I stand and watch him until he falls to the ground with his bright red blood flowing beneath him. He deserved it. I drag him out of the way and open the car door. Leaning inside, I pop the glove box. There’s a .45 stashed inside. I lift the handle that opens the trunk and go around the back of the car. There are multiple bags of drugs. I find only what I need and get back in my car to head back to the motel to get ready for my date with Derrick.
Showering the blood off my hands, I watch it run down the drain. “Why? Why can’t he love me? Why does she get him? Yes, I fucked up in the beginning. I’ve more than made up for that. I let his precious brother and Fallon live. Even his daughter. I was even willing to raise her as my own with him. This was our last chance. The game is over. I’ll take everything and everyone he loves. Then he’ll beg me to be his, and I’ll spit in his face.”
I blo
w out my hair and brush its length. After I’ve applied makeup, I squeeze my long, lean frame into a tight little number with matching shiny black heels. I had planned on him peeling me out of it tonight. Too bad he’ll never get the pleasure of putting his strong hands on me again. Dotting on more red lipstick, I grab my clutch and place my purchase between my perky breasts, tucking it into my lacy black bra.
Pushing my girls up, I admire myself in the mirror. I’m gorgeous, and Derrick is a blind idiot. I take out a small pistol from my suitcase and place it into my purse.
“It’s time,” I say, heading out the front door. I walk down the pathway, making sure I’m not seen by Lawson and Honor. They’ve probably not made it home from the wedding, but I don’t want to take any chances. The coast is clear. Derrick’s SUV is parked out front, and I can already hear that damn dog barking. I’ll have to slip him a bit of what I’m giving Derrick.
Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I knock on the door. I hear the sound of dress shoes walking across the floor, followed by the tap of his cane. He swings open the door, and the bastard is in the suit he married Fallon in. No ring on his finger.
“You look gorgeous.” He acts interested and kisses me on the cheek.
“So do you. This must be some fancy place you’re taking me to.” I sashay by him as if I haven’t a clue. His dog growls at me. “Do you mind putting him up?”
“Come on, Bullet,” he says. The dog begrudgingly follows him. He lets him out the front door. “Go for a swim, boy.”
“Do you have any wine?” I bat my eyes.
“Sure, but do you want it now or at the restaurant?” He checks his watch. “We have reservations in thirty minutes.”
“I’d rather cuddle up on the couch with you for a few minutes.” I slide the strap of my shoes off and sit on the couch.
“Okay.” He goes into the kitchen and comes back with two glasses and a bottle of red wine. He places them on the table in front of me, then sits next to me. “We could skip dinner altogether if you’d like.” He raises a brow as he trails a finger up my thigh.