Stranger in my Arms

by Rochelle Alers

  He saw Alex before she spied him. She stood in the baggage claims area holding a sign with his name. “I’m Mr. Grayslake,” he whispered, startling her. “How are you, beautiful?”

  Alex lowered the placard and looped her arms under his shoulders. “I’m good. Welcome to the Sunshine State.”

  Merrick gave her a skeptical look before he brushed a light kiss over her mouth. “Surely you jest,” he teased.

  Her eyes took in his powerful presence. “Dad said it’s the first hard rain in weeks.”

  Switching his carry-on bag to the opposite hand, he reached for her fingers. “Did you check the almanac for Saturday’s weather?”

  Alex gave him a sidelong glance as she led him out of the terminal. “Do you really follow what’s in the almanac?”

  Merrick nodded. “It’s more accurate than not.”

  “Well, it’s not going to rain on our wedding.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Why? Because you say so?”

  “Yes,” she said confidently.

  Waiting until they were seated in a late-model Lexus sedan, Alex gave Merrick an overview of their wedding scheduled for Saturday afternoon at four, and that family members had been gathering in Florida all week since David and Serena Cole had announced their upcoming nuptials.

  “Where is everyone staying?” Merrick asked as Alex maneuvered in and out of traffic like an Indy car driver.

  “Most will stay in Palm and West Palm Beach. Michael and Jolene will stay with his parents at their condo. The property where we met will accommodate at least fifty. It’ll be a tight fit, but it will be like a gigantic sleepover. My aunts Nancy and Josephine have enough room to put up another thirty or forty between them.”

  “What’s on the agenda for tomorrow other than getting a license?”

  “That’s it. I picked up my dress yesterday and shoes earlier today.”

  “What about rings, Ali?”

  Her mouth formed a perfect O. “I forgot about them.”

  “Do you want an engagement ring?”

  She shook her head. “No.” Alex wanted to tell Merrick that if they’d had a formal engagement period, then yes.

  “Can you take a few days off for a honeymoon?”

  Alex slowed and then came to a complete stop at a red light. “We can’t do Venice in a few days.”

  “But we can do Key West.”

  She bit down on her lower lip to keep from screaming. “I’d love to spend my honeymoon in the Keys.”

  Reaching over, Merrick rested his hand on her knee. “I’ll call a few places to see if we can’t rent a bungalow. The summer season is over, so we should be able to find something.”

  “What can I do to make you change your mind about staying in a hotel?”

  He squeezed her knee. “There’s nothing you can do, baby. I’ll meet your folks tomorrow.”

  “Are you worried that I’ll slip into your bedroom and jump your bones?”

  Throwing back his head, Merrick laughed. “There’s not going to be any more bone-jumping until after we’re married. Getting you pregnant before I married you was not what I’d planned.”

  “Are you sorry that I’m pregnant?”

  Merrick heard the hitch in her voice and his heart turned over. “No, baby, I’m not sorry. But if it was the only thing that convinced you to marry in this century, I would’ve made it my business to get you pregnant the first time we slept together.”

  “That’s diabolical and underhanded.”

  “All’s fair in love and war, querida.”

  Merrick felt as if he were reliving New Year’s Eve. There were Coles everywhere. They drifted in and out of David and Serena’s house, leaving wrapped gifts and envelopes; they hugged and kissed Alex, overwhelming her until she burst into tears. He took charge of his fiancée when he led her into the house, put her to bed, staying with her until she fell asleep.

  There came a soft knock on the door. Merrick left the chair next to Alex’s bed, crossed the room and opened the door. Serena motioned to him. “How is she?”

  Merrick smiled at the petite woman with graying reddish-brown curls. He met her gold-brown eyes, eyes she’d passed along to her four children. “She’s sleeping.”

  Serena exhaled. “I didn’t want to say anything about the baby, because that’s something you and Alex should make public. I should’ve known she was getting overwhelmed when she stopped talking.” Lowering his head, Merrick smothered a grin. “Oh, I guess you know that she talks a lot.”

  “One of us has to be the talkative one.”

  Serena rested a hand on his arm. “That’s what I told David. He kept saying ‘he’s kind of quiet,’ but I had to remind my husband that every Cole carries the loquacious gene.” Standing on tiptoe, she kissed her soon-to-be son-in-law on the cheek. “Thank you for taking care of her.”

  Merrick met Serena’s unflinching stare. “I’ll always take care of her.”

  Turning on her heel, Serena retraced her steps. She’d told David that he had nothing to worry about. There was something about Merrick Grayslake that reminded her of David’s brother, Joshua Kirkland. Both men were quiet and radiated a danger that could take the nerve of the bravest man.

  She was proud of her daughter. There was no doubt she’d chosen well.

  Merrick sat around the heated pool with Alex’s twenty- and thirty-something relatives as catering staff unloaded their vans, setting candles out on each table. Within twenty minutes dozens of candles flickered like stars while a long table groaned under platters of food set up buffet style.

  It was to be his last night as a single man, and Michael teased him about being whipped. He’d come to like Alex’s family. They were friendly, outgoing, unpretentious and brutally honest. In a few short days they’d become his family: father, mother, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles.

  Merrick sat up straighter, going completely still when he saw Gabriel Cole with a woman from his past. He remembered her even if she didn’t remember him. He stood up with the other men at their approach. Gabriel made the introductions, and when they stood in front of him Merrick noticed the stiffness in her slender body.

  Gabriel smiled at Merrick. “Last, but certainly not least, is the prospective bridegroom, my soon-to-be brother-in-law, Merrick Grayslake. Merrick, this is my friend and colleague, Summer Montgomery.”

  Merrick wanted to tell Gabriel that he knew who she was. Casually dressed in a pair of tailored taupe slacks and an ivory-hued silk shirt, and her hair pulled off her face in a loose knot, she looked nothing like the woman he’d trained. DEA special agent Summer Montgomery had completed her training at the FBI facilities in Quantico, Virginia, and had applied to take an additional course in intelligence training. Merrick, on loan from the CIA to the FBI and the DEA, had facilitated the four-week training.

  Summer inclined her head. “Merrick. Best wishes on your upcoming nuptials.”

  Smiling, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, Renegade.” He’d whispered her code name. He saw a flicker of gratitude in her eyes before she shuttered her gaze. It was apparent Gabriel Cole was totally unaware that his girlfriend was an undercover drug agent.

  Not waiting for the others, Merrick went over to the serving station. Reaching for a plate, he had the servers fill it with vegetables, sliced chicken and cubed fresh fruit. He approached the table where Alex sat with Ana, Summer and Clayborne Spencer’s fiancée and fellow medical student, Kim Cheung.

  He placed the plate in front of Alex. Resting both hands on her shoulders, he massaged the muscles in her neck and upper back. “What do you want to drink?”

  Smiling up at him over her shoulder, Alex crooned, “A fruit juice, darling.”

  Merrick walked away to do Alex’s bidding and Ana covered her hand with her fingers. “Michael’s right,” she whispered. “He is whipped! And speaking of whipped, I owe you one, dear sister.”

  Alex swallowed a mouthful of avocado. Some women craved pickles and ice cream, she craved avoc
ados. “For what?”

  “For pretending you didn’t know Merrick when you two were knockin’ boots.”

  “How long have you known Merrick, Alex?” Kim asked.

  “I met him New Year’s Eve just like the rest of you.” Alex smiled at Gabriel’s girlfriend. “Everyone except Summer.”

  “I saw him, but I wasn’t introduced to Merrick until he came to Michael’s house on the Fourth,” Ana said. “By that time he and Alex were knee-deep in the hot sauce.”

  “My sister’s pissed because Miss Sherlock Holmes couldn’t find out my business.”

  Ana wiggled her fingers. “That’s because your man is tall, dark and mysterious.”

  Kim flipped several strands of straight black hair over her shoulder. “He’s gorgeous.”

  “It’s his eyes,” Ana crooned, batting her lashes. “They’re like lasers. Do they change color when he makes love to you?”

  “Why don’t you ask him?” Alex said, glaring at her sister.

  “Ana,” Kim whispered, “you shouldn’t ask your sister that.”

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “Because it’s disrespectful.”

  “You tell her, Kim,” Alex chimed in.

  Summer Montgomery rested her forehead on her arms and laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks. Gabriel’s sisters were like a stand-up act.

  Merrick returned, carrying a glass of juice, followed by Clayborne, Gabriel and Jason, who set down plates in front of Kim, Summer and Ana.

  Having assuaged her temporary pangs of hunger, Alex drank her juice, then dabbed her mouth. “Summer, you can share my room tonight because Kim will be in Ana’s. Let me know if you’ll need a massage, manicure, pedicure, or if you want your hair styled. Mom has contracted with a group of beauty consultants to hook us up tomorrow.”

  Summer flashed a wide grin. “Count me in for the massage and hair.”

  The women sat eating and chatting for several hours until Alex stood up. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I must get some sleep.”

  Pushing herself into a standing position, Summer said, “I think I’m going to join you.” She smiled at Ana and Kim. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”

  “Wait for us,” Kim called out as she and Ana followed Alex and Summer.

  Chapter 23

  It was minutes from midnight when seven men sitting around a table lifted glasses filled with brandy and toasted Merrick Grayslake.

  Jason, the mirror image of Gabriel, sans long hair and pierced ears, offered the first toast. “To Merrick, my soon-to-be brother-in-law. May your days be sunny and your nights warmer than my esteemed older brother’s.” First Gabriel had been teased about driving a hoopty, and now it was because he’d moved from warm sunny Florida to frigid New England.

  “Hear! Hear!” came a chorus of deep male voices.

  Merrick raised his glass, put it to his mouth and downed it in one swallow.

  “Hot damn!” federal district court judge Christopher Delgado crowed. Slender and elegant with salt-and-pepper wavy hair, he leaned over and slapped Merrick on the back. “You’re going to fit nicely in this family because you drink like an hombre!”

  “Are you signifying something, brother?” Michael asked his brother-in-law.

  “Some male relatives…who I will not out tonight…have a problem holding their Kool-Aid.”

  Jason cupped his ear. “Do I hear throw down?”

  Christopher smiled. “I don’t know about throw down, but the last time I stepped in as bartender I heard complaints about the Kool-Aid being a wee bit too strong.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “Don’t play yourself, Chris. You know right well that stuff you mixed up wasn’t legal.”

  “It’s as legal as I am,” Chris retorted, dodging a barrage of rolled-up cocktail napkins thrown at him. “Jason, check your dad’s liquor cabinet and bring out the good stuff.”

  Jason popped up from his chair. “I know he has the Three Kings.”

  “The Three Kings?” asked Algerian-born fashion designer Silah Kadir. Silah was married to Martin Cole’s youngest daughter. “Are you talking about the Magi?”

  Merrick laughed along with the other men. “Jason is talking about Johnny Walker, Jim Beam and Jack Daniel.”

  “Why do you call them Three Kings?” Silah asked in French-accented English.

  Clayborne rested an arm over his uncle’s shoulder. “Because if you drink enough of them you’ll think you’re seeing not only the kings, but also their camels.”

  “Go get them,” Gabriel urged his younger brother. “We’re here to toast Merrick, and it should be a night to remember.”

  Dr. Tyler Cole looped one leg over the other. Tyler, Martin’s only son, was the heir apparent to the family dynasty. “Don’t look for me to resuscitate any fool who gets so drunk that he’ll mistake the pool for a bed.”

  “Grandpa told me that you were in your cups at Michael’s reception.” Tyler, glaring at his nephew, smothered a curse. “Did Dana give you mouth-to-mouth?”

  Tyler waved a hand. “Get this young pup outta here. This is grown-folk business.”

  “Wait up, Jason,” Clayborne called out. “I’ll help you.”

  Leaning back in his chair, Michael extended his glass to Merrick. “Friend. Soon-to-be cousin. Welcome to the family.” He, too, downed the brandy in one shot.

  Someone refilled Merrick’s glass and he tossed it back, the heat of the smooth liquor spreading throughout his chest. He’d never been much of a drinker, but tonight he would make an exception.

  Jason and Clayborne returned with a plastic crate filled with bottles of scotch, gin, vodka, tequila and bourbon. The liquid flowed, the tongues got looser, the men toasting Merrick for having the good sense to marry into the family; eventually the conversations turned to when the men first made love to their wives and girlfriends.

  Merrick got drunk, drunker than he’d ever been in his life; he was as talkative as the others with one exception: he didn’t disclose the circumstances surrounding his birth, the covert missions for the CIA and the most intimate details of his relationship with Alex.

  Sometime around three Gabriel climbed onto one of the chaises set up around the pool and fell asleep.

  It was Serena Cole who found Christopher, Tyler and Silah asleep on the deck of the pool. Michael, Jason, Merrick and Clayborne managed to make it into the house, falling asleep where they lay.

  None had made it to their designated bedrooms.

  Merrick tied the light gray silk tie in a Windsor knot, then turned down the spread collar on the white shirt. When he’d finally regained consciousness earlier that morning it was to a pounding headache, but after several aspirins washed down with black coffee he felt more human than he had in hours.

  The male bonding/mock bachelor party was unlike any in which he’d participated. Grown men had become boys, fueled by an alcoholic haze wherein they’d confessed their shortcomings. To the world they were rich, powerful, successful men; however, they displayed their very human side when they spoke of the difficulties of parenting and their willingness to compromise in order to save their marriages. Merrick would’ve thought them conventional, but the various tattoos and ear piercings that crossed generations shattered that perception.

  Sitting on the leather bench at the foot of the bed in the suite that had belonged to Gabriel, Merrick closed his eyes and did what he hadn’t done in a very long time—he prayed. He was still in the same position, eyes closed, when Jason knocked on the door and walked in.

  Tall, broad-shouldered, he cut a handsome figure in formal attire. His silk tie matched Merrick’s. “Thinking about backing out, Brother Merrick?”

  Merrick’s head came up at the same time he stood up. Reaching for the jacket to his tuxedo on the foot of the bed, he slipped his arms into the sleeves.

  “No.”

  Jason flashed a dimpled smile. “It’s time we get going, but Dad wants to see you downstairs in his study before you marry my sister.”<
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  Merrick followed Jason down a curving staircase of a house constructed in three sections. The elder Coles occupied one section that included a guest wing, the four bedroom suites took up another section and the third section contained a state-of-the-art recording studio and Serenity Records’ corporate office.

  Merrick walked into the large cool room with floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with books and musical scores. A large glass-top rosewood desk and matching table complemented leather chairs in a rich maroon.

  David Cole was not alone. His brothers, Martin and Joshua Kirkland—the latter the result of an illicit liaison between Samuel Cole and Teresa Maldonado Kirkland—sons Jason and Gabriel, and Matthew Sterling, family friend and father-in-law to Emily Kirkland Delgado, made the large room appear small. The men, all in formal dress, staring at Merrick radiated power and danger, and if he hadn’t been who he was he would’ve been intimidated. However, he’d experienced too much, stared death in the face too often to be intimidated—by anything or anyone.

  David, who sat on the edge of the desk, rose to his feet. Recessed light glinted off his silver hair. “Merrick, I’ve asked you to come here because there is something I must say to you. I’ve asked my brothers, sons and a lifelong friend to be here because I want them to be aware of what’s in my heart at this moment.

  “In fifteen minutes I will place my daughter’s hand in yours. And when that happens I will relinquish all claim and responsibility for Alexandra. My wife and my children are my most precious gifts, and I’m generously offering you the gift of my eldest daughter.

  “I will say this only once, Merrick Grayslake. Love her, and protect her with your life. But if you fail to do this, then look for me to come after you.”

  The nostrils of Merrick’s aquiline nose flared as he let out the breath he’d been holding. His future father-in-law had just threatened him. He blinked once. “Warning heeded, David.” His eyes widened. “You’ve had your say, so let me have mine. At four o’clock Alexandra will become my wife and therefore it will become my responsibility to protect her.