Crystal studied Walker and could see how Bailey had fallen for him. He was a looker, but so was Bane. In Crystal’s mind, no man looked better. And Garth Outlaw looked so much like Riley it was uncanny. And she found out that like Walker, Garth was an ex-Marine.
Garth began talking. “Quade brought me up-to-date as to what’s going on. If you want to set a trap by using Crystal as bait then I suggest you do it in Alaska.”
“Alaska?” Bane asked, frowning. “Why Alaska?”
“Because the Outlaws happen to own a cabin on Kodiak Island and it’s in a very secluded area. But it’s also secured and the cabin has an underground tunnel,” Garth said.
Quade moved forward. “If word intentionally leaks out as to where Crystal is, then the people wanting her won’t lose any time going after her.”
“In Alaska?” Now it was Crystal’s turn to ask doubtfully.
“Yes, in Alaska,” Oakwood said, rubbing his chin, as if giving plan B serious thought. “They will check things out to make sure it’s not a trap, though. Why would Dr. Westmoreland escape to Alaska? The dots will have to connect.”
“They will,” Garth spoke up and said. “I understand Crystal attended Harvard. Coincidentally, my brother Cash went there at the same time. He was working on his master’s degree. Who says their paths didn’t cross?”
“I’m following you,” Oakwood said thoughtfully. “The people looking for Dr. Westmoreland will assume that their paths did cross, and that in desperation, Dr. Westmoreland, you reached out to Outlaw and he offered you safe haven at a cabin he owns in Alaska.”
“Exactly,” Quade said. “And from what Garth says, this cabin will be perfect. It’s in a secluded location on Outlaw property, and the underground tunnel will provide an escape route if needed.”
“And in addition to all of that,” Garth said, smiling, “thanks to those strong Westmoreland genes, Bane and Cash look alike. Probably just as much as me and Riley resemble each other. That will work in our favor if someone knows Crystal had help and has gotten a glimpse of the guy she’s been seen with. They would expect that same guy to be there with her, still protecting her. They will think it’s Cash when it will be Bane.”
Dillon spoke up. “That plan will work if no one knows that Crystal is married to Bane. Are you guys absolutely certain no one knows?”
“So far that’s a guarded secret,” Oakwood said. “I checked and Dr. Westmoreland never indicated Brisbane Westmoreland as her husband on any official school records or other documentation. I wasn’t even aware of the marriage until Quade brought it to my attention. However, on the other hand,” he said, shifting in his chair, “Brisbane Westmoreland has always indicated on any of his official paperwork that he was married and Crystal Newsome Westmoreland is listed as his wife.”
Bane shrugged. “I needed to make sure Crystal was taken care of if anything ever happened to me,” he said, pulling her closer to him and placing a kiss on her forehead. “I also have medical coverage on her as well, just in case she ever needed it, and I established a bank account in her name.”
“All traceable if someone really started to dig,” Dare said. It was obvious his former FBI agent’s mind was at work.
“Let’s hope no one feels the need to dig that far,” Clint Westmoreland said. He then looked over at Oakwood. “Can’t that information be blocked?”
“Yes, but because I don’t know who’s the mole at Homeland Security and how high up in the department he or she is, blocking it might raise a red flag,” Oakwood said. “Our main goal is to try to flush out the mole. Right now he is a danger to our national security. To know he might be someone in authority is even more of a reason for concern.”
Neither Bane nor Crystal said anything as everyone looked over at them. The decision was theirs.
“It’s a big decision. You might want to sleep on it,” Cole suggested.
Crystal stood. “Thanks, but there’s no need to sleep on it. And I appreciate everyone wanting to help me. However, what concerns me more than anything is that those people want me alive, but they won’t think twice about taking out Bane if he gets in their way. For that reason, I prefer that Bane not be with me.”
“Like hell!”
When Bane stood up to object further, Crystal reached out and placed a finger over his lips. “I figured that would be your reaction, Bane.” She shook her head. “There’s no way you’ll let me put my life at risk without trying to protect me, is there?”
He removed her finger from his lips and stared down at her with an unwavering expression on his face. “No.”
She released a deep breath. “Then, I guess that means we’ll be together in Alaska.”
* * *
A gusty winter’s breeze caused Bane to pull his jacket tighter as he wrapped his arms around Crystal and they walked inside the hotel. It was late. Close to midnight. After making the decision that they would be traveling to Alaska, they’d needed to put in place concrete plans. Crystal had trusted him to handle things and asked to be excused to join the ladies who’d been outside sitting on the patio.
In a way he was glad she’d left when she had, because more than once he’d ripped into Oakwood. Too often it appeared that the man was so determined to find out the identity of the mole at Homeland Security that he was willing to overlook Crystal’s safety. And Bane wasn’t having that.
It had taken Dillon, Quade and Dare to soothe his ruffled feathers and remove the boiling tension in the room by assuring him that Crystal’s safety was the most important thing. Only after that could they finally agree on anything.
He still didn’t like it, but more than anything he wanted to bring those responsible to justice so that he and Crystal could have normal lives...something they hadn’t had since the day they married.
“You’ve been quiet, Bane,” Crystal said a short while later after they’d checked into the hotel and gone to their room.
“Been thinking,” he said, glancing around at the furnishings. They were staying at the Saxon Hotel, and it was as if they’d walked right into paradise.
Dare had offered them the use of one of the bedrooms at Delaney’s cabin, but since some of his kin also planned to stay there for the night, he had opted out. He preferred having Crystal to himself, and was not up to sharing space with anyone, not even his family. After he said that he and Crystal would spend the night at a hotel in town, Quade had offered him his room at the Saxon Hotel. The penthouse suite.
It just so happened Quade’s brother-in-law was Dominic Saxon, the owner of the luxurious five-star Saxon Hotels and the Saxon Cruise Line. Quade had a standing reservation at any Saxon Hotel, but since his wife, Cheyenne, hadn’t accompanied him on this trip, he preferred hanging out with his cousins and brother at the cabin, figuring a card game would be taking place later.
“Wow! This place is simply gorgeous,” Crystal said.
Bane leaned back against the door as she walked past him to stand in the middle of the hotel room and glance around.
“Yes, it is that,” he said, thinking the room wasn’t the only gorgeous thing he was looking at. Before leaving the cabin she had showered and changed clothes. Now she was wearing a pair of dark slacks and a pullover sweater. Whether she was wearing jeans and a T-shirt or dressed as she was now, as far as he was concerned, she was the epitome of sexy.
Since her original destination had been the Bahamas, most of the items she’d packed were summer wear. Luckily she and Bailey were similar in size and height, so Bailey had loaned Crystal several outfits that would be perfect for the harsh Alaska weather.
“Come on, let’s explore,” she said, coming back to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him along.
He wished this could have been the kind of hotel he’d taken her to on their wedding night. As far as he was concerned, it was fit for a king and queen. There was a state-of
-the-art kitchen, and according to the woman at the check-in desk, the suite came with its own chef who was on call twenty-four hours a day.
Then there was the spacious living room with a beautiful view of the Smokey Mountains. He figured the furnishings alone in the place cost in the millions. There was a private bar area that came with your own personal bartender if you so desired, and a connecting theater room that had box-office movies at the press of a button.
But what really had his pulse racing was the bedroom, which you entered through a set of double doors. The room was huge and included a sitting area and game nook. He was convinced the bed was created just for lovemaking. Evidently Crystal thought so, as well. He watched as she crossed the room to sit on the edge of the bed and bounced a few times as if to test the mattress.
“It will work.”
He lifted a brow, pretending he didn’t know what she was referring to. “Work for what?”
“For us. I think that last hotel probably had to replace the mattresses on the beds after we left.”
He chuckled, thinking he wouldn’t be surprised if they had. He and Crystal had definitely given both beds major workouts. He continued to stare across the room at her. There was just something about seeing Crystal sitting on the bed that was causing a delicious thrill to flow through him. When their gazes met and held, he decided there was something missing from the picture of her sitting on the bed.
Him.
Eighteen
Crystal leaned back on her arms and gazed through watchful eyes as Bane moved from the doorway and headed in the direction of the bed. Straight toward her.
As much as she tried, she couldn’t dismiss the flutter in her tummy or the way her pulse was beating out of control. All she could do was watch him, knowing what he had in mind, because it was what she had in mind, as well. He was taking slow, sexy and seductive steps with an intensity that filled the room with his sexual aura. There seemed to be some kind of primitive force surrounding him and she could only sit there, stare and feel her panties get wet.
As if he knew what she was thinking, what she wanted, without breaking his stride he eased his leather jacket from his shoulders and tossed it aside. Next came his shirt, which he ripped from his body, sending buttons flying everywhere. And without losing steam he jerked his belt through the loops and tossed it in the air to land on the other side of the room.
Without a belt his jeans shifted low on his hips, and she couldn’t keep her eyes from moving from his face to his chest to trace the trail of hair that tapered from his chest down his abdomen to disappear beneath the waistband of his jeans.
And then there was what he was packing between those muscular thighs of his. She had seen it, touched it and tasted it. And what made her body tingle all over was knowing it was hers.
She studied Bane’s face and saw the intensity etched in his features. A few more steps and he would have made it to the bed. And to her. It seemed the room was quiet; nothing was moving but him and he was a man with a purpose.
By the time he reached her she was a ball of desire, and his intoxicating scent—a mixture of aftershave and male—wasn’t helping matters. Her head began spinning and she could actually feel her nipples tighten hard against her sweater, and the area between her legs throbbed mercilessly.
“Do you know what I love most about you?” he asked her in a low, husky voice.
“No, what?” She was barely able to get the words out.
“Every single thing. I can’t just name one,” he said, gazing down at her. “And do you know what I was thinking while standing there watching you sit on this bed?”
“No, what were you thinking?” He was asking a lot of questions and she was providing answers as best she could. Her mind was struggling to keep up and not get distracted by the masculine physique standing directly in front of her. Shirtless, muscular and sexy as sin.
“I was thinking that I should be on this bed with you.”
“No problem. That can be arranged. Join me.”
She watched his eyes darken. “If I do, you know what’s going to happen.”
“Yes, but we’re making up for lost time, right?”
“Right.”
“In that case.” She slowly scooted back on the bed. “Join me,” she invited again.
In an instant he was bending over to remove his shoes and socks. Straightening, his hands moved to the snap of his jeans and she watched as he pulled his jeans and briefs down his legs.
When he stood stark naked looking at her, he said, “You got too many clothes on, Crystal.”
A smile touched her lips. “Do I?”
“Yes.”
She chuckled. “And what, Bane Westmoreland, are you going to do about it?”
* * *
Hours later Crystal opened her eyes and adjusted to the darkness. The only light she could see was the one streaming in through the bedroom door from the living room. The bed was huge but she and Bane were almost on the edge, chest to chest, limb to limb. She didn’t want to wake him but she needed to go to the bathroom.
He wasn’t on top of her but he might as well have been. With his thigh and leg thrown over hers, he was definitely holding her hostage. When she tried untwining their limbs to ease away from him, his eyes flew open.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”
He stared down into her eyes and she stared back into his. They were sleepy, drowsy, satisfied. He tightened his hold on her. “And where do you think you’re going?”
“The bathroom.”
“Oh.”
He released his tight hold on her and rolled to the side. “Don’t be gone too long. I’ll miss you.”
She smiled when he closed his eyes again. She quickly searched for her clothes but didn’t see them anywhere and didn’t want to turn the lamp on to look for them further. So she decided to cross the room in the nude, something he’d done plenty of times.
Moments later after coming out of the bathroom, she decided to go through her luggage to find something to put on. Their bags were just where they’d left them, not far from the door. She was able to see in the light coming from the sitting room, so it didn’t take her long to open her luggage and pull out one of her nightgowns. After slipping it on she noticed the satchel Bane had given her.
Not feeling sleepy, she decided now would be a perfect time to read. Opening the satchel, she saw Bane had placed the letters and cards in stacks so she could read them in order. He had also banded them together and labeled them. She grabbed the ones marked My First Year.
She decided to sit on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Using the remote, she turned it on and the bright glow and the heat gave her a warm cozy feeling.
Settling on the sofa with her legs tucked beneath her, she opened the first letter and began reading...
Crystal,
I made it to the navy training facility in Indiana. The other recruits here are friendly enough but I miss my brothers and cousins back home. But more than anything, I miss you. A part of me knows I need to do this and make something of myself for you, as well as for myself, but I’m not sure I can handle our separation. We’ve never been apart before, and more than once I wanted to walk out and keep walking and return to Denver and confront your parents to find out where they sent you. I want to let them and everyone know you are my wife and that I have every right to know where you are.
But on those days I feel that way, I know why I am enduring the loneliness. It’s for you to reach the full potential that I know you can reach. You are smart. Bright. And you’re also pretty. I want you to make something of yourself and I promise to make something of myself, as well.
Not sure if you will ever read this letter but I am hoping that one day you will. Just know that you will always have my heart and I love you more than life itself and I’m g
iving you space to come into your own. And the day I return we will know the sacrifice would have been for the best.
Love you always,
Your Bane
Crystal drew in a deep breath and wiped a tear from her eye. Her Bane. Putting the letter back in the envelope, she placed it aside and picked up a Valentine’s Day card. She smiled after reading the poem and when she saw how he’d signed the card, “Your Bane” once again, she felt her heart flutter in her chest.
She kept reading all the cards and letters in the stack. In them he told her how his chief had noted how well he could handle a gun, and how he could hit a target with one eye closed or while looking over his shoulder. “Show-off,” she said, grinning as she kept reading. His extraordinary skill with a weapon was what had made him stand out so much that his chief had brought it to the attention of the captain who had recommended him for the SEAL program.
She also noted that although her birthday and their wedding anniversary were the same day, he’d bought her separate cards for each. By the time she had finished the first stack she felt she knew how that first year had gone. His first year without her. He had been suffering just as much as she had. He had missed her. Yearned for her. Longed for her. She felt it in the words he’d written to her, and she could just imagine him lying down at night in his bunk and writing her. He’d told her about the guys he’d met and how some of them had become friends for life.
Crystal was halfway through reading the second stack of cards and letters when she heard a sound. She glanced up and saw Bane standing in the doorway.
“You didn’t come back. And I missed you.”
At that moment all she could think about was that the man standing there was her Bane. Putting the stack of cards and letters aside, she eased to her feet and crossed the room to him. They had been through a lot, were still going through a lot, but through it all, they were together.
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