All he’d asked her to do was wait for him and listen to what he had to say. But she’d run scared under the guise of sticking to her goals, and now she regretted it. Deeply.
The elevator stopped at her floor. She exited, turned left, and started the long walk to her room at the very end of the hall.
She needed to talk to him, see him. Explain. Hopefully he’d give her a chance, but indications weren’t so good, because she’d called him half-a-dozen times today, all of which had gone straight to voice mail, none of which had yielded a return call.
At the end of the hall, she noticed the door to the room directly opposite her hung open. Interesting. When she’d arrived yesterday evening, the room had been empty. She knew this because the desk clerk had given her the choice of the pool-facing suite or the mountain-facing suite. She’d chosen to see the mountains. She hoped her new neighbor enjoyed a view of the pool, but leaving one’s door ajar probably wasn’t a good idea. Should she shut it?
What if the occupant had stepped away to get ice or hunt down a housekeeping cart for fresh towels? Her good intentions might leave someone locked out of their room. But if they were inside, maybe they didn’t even realize the door wasn’t completely closed.
She hesitated, peeked inside, but saw nothing but a darkened room illuminated by groups of candles. Oh Lord, what if someone had booked the unit for a rendezvous? Surely for their romantic evening they’d want the privacy afforded by a closed door? She knocked and called out, “Hello?”
“Back here. I need help.”
Oh, my God. The voice. She pushed through the door at warp speed. The man sounded exactly like…
“Michael!”
He lay in the bed, in nothing but a pair of white, knit boxers, with one wrist handcuffed to the bed frame. Over his head hung a banner that read, “Happy Birthday, Scarlett.”
She put a hand over her mouth and took several deep breaths through her nose before she trusted herself to speak. Even so, her voice came out as a whisper. “You crazy man. What are you doing?”
“Wishing you a happy birthday. What? Did I leave something out?” He made a show of taking inventory. “I’ve got the candles. The sexy underwear. The handcuff. I even got this…” He rolled onto his side and tugged his boxers down on over one hip. “Check it.”
Stunned beyond words, she approached the bed and sat next to him. “What am I checking?”
He grinned. “Under the bandage.”
Bandage? “Jesus, Michael…are you hurt?” Her hand shook as she carefully peeled back the adhesive, and stared at…
“It’s a little hard to tell right now, because I only got the thing done last night, but it’s a tattoo…the Chinese symbol for home.”
What had he done? He hated needles. “Home?” she repeated lamely.
“Right. Not a cage or a trap. A home, where a certain hummingbird can fly in and stay as long as she pleases.”
Her heart raced. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she knew damn well despite the manufacturer’s waterproof claims, half her mascara rolled down with them, but she really didn’t care. “What if she wants to stay forever? What if she’s in love with you?”
His grin disappeared. “Then I think you should have this.” He lifted something from the nightstand and placed it in her open palm. The handcuff key, dangling from a loop threaded through his grandmother’s engagement ring. “Unlock me, and I’ll do this thing right this time.”
She wasn’t nearly as deft at popping the handcuffs as he’d been.
“Time is of the essence,” he teased after she tried for the second time to fit the key into the hole and missed.
“Do you want to take over?” she shot back, mildly exasperated.
“Nope. It’s your turn to rescue me.”
“It hardly counts as a rescue if you could just as easily free yourself.”
“It’s symbolic. We’re working on a new Grandkid Story here.”
“All right then.” She stabbed the key in and smiled as the lock clicked open.
“Thanks.” He wiggled out of the cuff, took the key from her, and slipped the ring off the loop. Then he lifted her left hand and stared deep into her eyes. “Okay, listen up, because this is the real deal this time—for posterity and whatnot. Are you ready?”
She nodded and then quickly wiped her cheeks and under her eyes so posterity wouldn’t include her tear-stained face.
“Chloe Kincaid, I love you. I fell for you the very first night we met, when I walked into your apartment and discovered my gorgeous, possibly crazy new neighbor handcuffed to her own bed. I love the way you sing off-key at the top of your lungs. I love that you think to arrange furniture for optimal Chi flow. I love the way all your clutter turns a sterile, drab apartment into a home. Bottom line, Chloe? You’re my home. Wherever you go, wherever I go, wherever we go, you’re my home. I want to be your home, too—and keep in mind I endured an hour under a needle to give you symbolic proof.” He slipped the ring onto her finger. “So, what do you say?”
She crawled over him until she straddled his lap. “You’re my home, too, Michael.”
“Does that mean yes?”
She picked up the handcuffs, slapped one bracket around his wrist, and secured the other around hers. “What do you think?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “I think our Grandkid Story is going to need some editing.”
“Yes,” she said, before he leaned in and kissed her, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she was finally home.
Epilogue
THREE MONTHS LATER…
Chloe dropped her duffel bag and garment bag on the bed with a sigh of relief, kicked off her shoes, and then looked around the empty hotel suite. She’d figured her days of empty hotel rooms were over, but this morning proved her wrong. She pressed a hand to her queasy stomach and took a deep, calming breath.
This suite was particularly lovely, with its spacious rooms and double balconies boasting endless ocean views…and it wouldn’t be empty for long. She glanced at her watch and gaped at the time. In less than thirty minutes she’d be at the center of a whirlwind of activity.
The thought of all that activity got her pulse revving. She didn’t mind the rev, but this was the beginning of a long, important day and she didn’t want to exhaust herself before it even started. Nor did she want to throw up. A few minutes of open-air meditation might do the trick.
Inspired, she stepped out onto the balcony and breathed deeply. Closed her eyes. Let her mind go blank.
“Hello Chloe.”
Shock nearly sent her hurtling over the railing. Two strong arms clamped around her waist and pulled her back against the safety of a tall, strong, extremely familiar body. “Are you trying to bolt on me, free bird? Because I have to warn you, you can’t really fly.”
“Michael!” She turned in his arms and thumped his chest with her palm. “What are you doing here? Don’t you know it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?”
He shrugged, completely unconcerned. “I’ve got good feng shui, baby. I don’t need luck. I also didn’t need a room key because you left the door open.” His wandering hand found her butt and pinched her.
She swatted his hand away. “I left it open on purpose, because your mom and Loretta are going to be here soon.”
“Let them knock. I wanted to check in on you before things got too crazy. Make sure you weren’t getting cold feet.”
“Me?” She wiggled her bare toes. “My feet are warm and comfy. Why are you worried?”
He rested his forehead against hers. “I know this isn’t the nice, simple exchange-vows-on-the-beach-in-Jamaica deal we talked about. Once my mom got involved,” he lifted his head and rolled his eyes, “and then with Loretta spurring things on and Lynne and Veronica, who I stupidly thought might be the voice of reason…the whole thing kind of spiraled. I don’t want you to feel penned in by all this, ’cause it’s not too late for us to grab our bags and fly off to Jamaica. I’ll leave a note telling e
veryone to enjoy the reception.”
Her heart fluttered at the offer, but she shook her head. “The colonel would not be pleased.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty thrilled about walking you down the aisle, but he’s not my priority. You are.”
She was pretty thrilled to have him walking her down the aisle too, particularly since her father couldn’t be bothered to request leave to attend the wedding. Much like her mom, he’d given her the “Didn’t we do this once already?” comment and told her to send pictures. Oh well. To paraphrase one of the smartest people she knew, her parents were not her priority. Michael was. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. “As long as this day ends with my husband in my arms, it’s exactly what I had in mind.”
“You sure? My family can be a pain in the ass sometimes.”
“They’re wonderful, all of them. Your parents, Trevor, Kylie, Logan.” They were. Trevor and his very lovely, very glowing, six-months-pregnant wife Kylie could not have been more welcoming, which was good, because something told her she’d be speaking to Kylie pretty regularly soon. Logan, his younger brother, she didn’t know as well, because he lived in Colorado and spent what seemed to be every waking hour buried to his neck in the responsibilities of running his rapidly expanding business. But he’d flown in for the weekend to attend the wedding and arrived at the rehearsal dinner last night with a big, charming smile on his handsome, somewhat stressed-out face.
“Kylie’s wonderful. You don’t know the real Trevor, because she’s sanded down the worst of his bossy, abrasive side. And Logan? Ha, don’t let the polished facade fool you. He—”
“Looks like he needs a good massage.”
Michael scowled at that and tightened his arms around her possessively. “Typical. Women always want to get their hands on Logan. Let him find his own masseuse. You’re mine.”
She laughed and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss the frown line between his brows away. “I am yours. Today, tomorrow, and always.”
He kissed her back, long and hard enough to have her head spinning when he drew away. “No cold feet? No doubts? No feeling trapped?”
“None of the above. I can’t wait to put a ring on your finger.”
“I hope you’re wearing running shoes under your dress, because Harding’s so anxious to see this wedding happen, I’m afraid he’s going to march you down the aisle at double time.”
“He’s worried he’s going to cry. Says he always cries at weddings.”
“He should worry. Half of 3rd MAW has laid bets he won’t make it to the altar without bawling.”
“That’s mean. I’ll just have to distract him so he doesn’t get choked up.”
“And how do you plan to do that?”
She couldn’t keep the sappy smile off her face. For the hundredth time since the phone call she’d received yesterday morning, she found two little words ready to fly out of her mouth. She’d been trying to hold them back until after the wedding, but through fate or whatever, she and Michael had a quiet moment right now, and, what was that saying? No time like the present. “I’ll tell Harding we planned the wedding as quickly as we could, but it turns out we weren’t smart enough to avoid complications.”
Michael stared at her for a long moment, his face completely blank. “Complications?”
She nodded. “Uh-huh. In about six months we’re going to add another chapter to our Grandkid Story. One that might eventually result in actual grandkids.”
His expression remained unreadable, so she hurried on. “I know, timing-wise, this isn’t what we planned, but, then again, nothing about us has ever gone according to anybody’s plans, so, in a way, it’s kind of perfect…don’t you think?” Her heart pounded because, honestly, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“Six months. So…the night in New Mexico?”
She nodded again and wished she hadn’t told him like this. He seemed to have slipped into a state of shock. “Are you okay? You’re awfully quiet.”
“I’m thinking.”
Shoot. This wasn’t going well at all. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I’m about to kiss the mother of my child until she can’t see straight.”
“Oh.” Relief loosened her body and she leaned into him. “In that case, Major, it’s time to put those thoughts into action, because we’ve only got ten minutes.”
He pulled her close, so their lips hovered mere millimeters apart, and grinned. “Chloe, we’ve got the rest of our lives.”
Acknowledgments
Big THANK-YOUs and free massages to:
Heather Howland and Sue Winegardner, for your superfast, yet always-on-point editing genius. Lucky for me, you seem to like it fast and rough! (My writing, I mean).
Fellow Entangled authors Robin Bielman and Hayson Manning, for the tea and sympathy, (okay, maybe it’s more like vodka and kicks in the pants, but still).
All the great readers and authors who gave me input on this story, like Katee Robert, my girl Hayson, Alison Bliss, Donna Broers, Timitra Cozier-Bobb, Lauren Blakely, and the lovely Maggie Kelley.
The Kentucky crew, once again, for all your awesomeness, and the California crew for incredible support.
My family.
All the brave people who have served, and are currently serving, in our armed forces… Thank you.
About the Author
Award winning author Samanthe Beck lives in Malibu, California, with her husband, their son, Kitty the furry Ninja, and Bebe the trash talkin’ Chihuahua. When not writing fun and sexy contemporary romance, or napping on her beach towel with her face snuggled to her Kindle, she searches for the perfect ten dollar wine to pair with Lunchables.
Connect with Sam via Facebook, Twitter, or through her website at www.samanthebeck.com to check her progress on that never-ending quest, or to get the latest on her upcoming Brazens!
Can’t get enough of Samanthe Beck’s romances? Check out her debut novel!
PRIVATE PRACTICE
He’ll teach her how to bring a man to his knees…
Dr. Ellie Swan has a plan: open her practice in tiny Bluelick, Kentucky, so she can keep an eye on her diabetic father, and make hometown golden-boy Roger Reynolds fall in love with her. But Ellie has a problem. Roger seeks a skilled, sexually adventurous partner, and bookish Ellie doesn’t qualify.
Tyler Longfoot only cares about three things: shaking his bad boy image, qualifying for the loan his company needs to rehab a piece of Bluelick’s history, and convincing Ellie to keep quiet about the “incident” that lands him on her doorstep at two a.m. with a bullet in his behind.
The adorable Dr. Swan drives a mean bargain, though. If sex-on-a-stick Tyler will teach Ellie how to bring a man to his knees, she’ll forget about the bullet. Armed with The Wild Woman’s Guide to Sex and Tyler’s lessons, Ellie is confident she can become what Roger needs…if she doesn’t fall for Tyler first.
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Samanthe kicks off her new McCade Brothers series with the enticing and entertaining
LOVER UNDERCOVER
He’s undercover. She’s in over her head.
Yoga instructor Kylie Roberts is the good twin. Or she was—until an accident prevents her sister from dancing at a posh Hollywood “men’s club,” and Kylie has to step into her twin’s sexy stilettos to make rent. But nothing could’ve prepared Kylie for the dead body in the club’s parking lot, a killer who only targets her clients, or the ridiculously hot detective assigned to the case. Too bad he thinks she’s her sister, because Kylie’s willing to volunteer for an intimate, full-body strip search.
Detective Trevor McCade needs Kylie’s help. His plan is to pose as a regular customer and draw out the killer. It means long nights undercover, and long dances where Kylie’s body tempts him with sensual promises. Dances that leave them both wanting more. But despite Kylie’s hidden identity and the danger lurking in the shadows, it’s only a matter of time before Kylie and Trevor take this undercov
er operation under the covers…
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The McCade Brothers series continues in…
LOVERS UNMASKED
a Halloween anthology featuring four of Brazen’s bestselling authors!
Mystery and intrigue surround Halloween night as friends surrender to long-hidden desires, lovers relinquish control, and the heat of passion threatens to consume them all…
Danielle has a plan—use the company Halloween party to seduce the sexy mail guy who works a few floors up who she’s been meeting for coffee for the past few months. The only problem? He’s not who she thinks he is, and he has seduction plans of his own.
Kindergarten teachers aren’t known for breaking the rules, but Steph is ready to go undercover—and get under the covers—to work her magic on her best friend, Landon. Sexy costume necessary, multiple orgasms crucial, real identity optional.
When Stacy discovers her sex-on-a-stick ex at her Hollywood Halloween blow-out, she decides to show the cocky homicide detective exactly what he’s been missing. But she’s not the only one plotting revenge, and Ian’s the only one who can save her.
Lieutenant Derek Tyler and Ginger Peet have overcome every seemingly impossible hurdle on the path to happiness, but when they each receive life-changing news on the same day, will their hard-won trust stand up to the test? Or will their attempts to shield one another drive them apart?
Enjoy your tricks and treats in this sexy anthology featuring bestselling authors Katee Robert, Cari Quinn, Samanthe Beck, and Tessa Bailey.
Falling for the Marine (A McCade Brothers Novel) (Entangled Brazen) Page 20