Wicked Games: The Extended Edition (Steele Security #1)

by A. D. Justice

  Noah tried his best to figure out what was on her mind that had upset her so much. He saw her hand move to her stomach, as if she shielded their baby from something hurtful. He saw the tears well up, even as she tried to fight it. He kept his voice low and soothing. “What, baby? Tell me what you need to know.”

  She had to know for sure before they could move forward. She knew she had to get the words out. “I need to know if you can forgive me.”

  Noah didn’t answer, but his eyes silently questioned her.

  She took a deep breath. “I know you love me and care about me. I know you want our baby. But love isn’t all it takes to make a happy marriage and a happy home. If you can’t forgive me, if this is always between us, we can’t ever really be happy. Everything has happened so quickly with us since I came back here. Maybe you should take some time to be alone and think about it. I will understand if you do.”

  Noah finally answered, “You’re exactly right.”

  She tentatively asked, “About?”

  “We can’t be happy without forgiveness. There hasn’t been one day that I haven’t loved you. Not one day that I didn’t want to be with you. I’ve never wanted you to leave, Bri. Forgive me for ever making you feel that way.”

  Brianna stared at him like he had lost his mind. That sexy smile crept across his face.

  “And I will forgive you if you promise to never, ever, leave me like that again.” His face turned serious, as he punctuated each word, “Brianna. I. Can’t. Lose. You. Again.”

  “I promise, Noah. I promise,” she cried, as she pulled him to her. He kissed her and pulled her into his strong arms.

  * * *

  “Noah?” Brianna’s tone was cautious when she approached him as he was working in his home office.

  He looked up from his computer screen and smiled. “Hey, baby. Come here.” She walked to him and he pulled her into his lap. He wrapped one arm behind her and the other hand rested on her baby bump. He kissed her and asked, “What’s on your mind?”

  “I was just working on the wedding invitations. I know you’ve never wanted to talk about it before, but I just wanted to ask. Are you sure you don’t want to invite your family to the wedding?”

  Noah looked down at his hand, as it rubbed across her belly. “The only family I need is already right here with me.” Brianna’s hand gently lifted his chin up to look at his eyes.

  Noah explained, “Every family has a black sheep, right? In my family, I guess that’s me. When I chose the Army over a career in my father’s business, he told me to never come back, so I didn’t. You, our baby, Bull, Rebel, Shadow, and the rest of the guys–the ones who are always here for me-that’s who my real family is, Bri.”

  Her heart broke for him as she tried to put herself in his place. She tried to picture how she would’ve reacted if her father had disowned her when she refused to work for him and became an investigative reporter instead. She couldn’t imagine her father ever saying she could never come back, then she immediately thought of the baby growing inside her. What kind of parents could do that to their child?

  “Do they even know where you are?” She pulled back and looked at him, as he answered.

  “Couldn’t say. But they don’t live too far from here. If they really wanted to find me, my dad has the resources to do it.” Noah’s voice was flat, but Brianna could feel the undercurrent of hurt in him.

  “I was just thinking about how excited my parents are about the baby. After all this time, I bet your family would be thrilled to see you and find out they’ll be grandparents soon.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so, baby.”

  She put her arms around his neck and held him tight as she promised. “You will always have me, Noah.” She felt his arms tighten around her. “And if you ever decide to talk to them, I will be at your side.”

  * * *

  Brianna’s wedding planner arranged their late August wedding with little effort. Brianna chose a barefoot beach wedding at sunset. Her mother, Diane, and her sister, Missy, both helped Brianna get ready. Brianna loved spending this special time with them. She was about to marry the man of her dreams and she had her entire family there to share the big day.

  “An outdoor wedding. In late August. In Miami. Whose idea was this anyway? I can’t do anything with my hair!” Missy had been in front of the mirror for twenty minutes working on the same section of uncooperative hair.

  Brianna laughed and threw a hair clip at her. “It was my idea, thank you very much!”

  Missy picked up the clip and pulled the section of hair back. With the snap of the clip, she said, “Perfect! Thanks, sissy!” Looking at the time, Missy touched Brianna’s shoulder and her voice hitched when she spoke. “Bri, it’s time to get your dress on.”

  When Brianna looked up at her sister, tears sprang to her eyes when she saw tears glistening in Missy’s eyes. Blinking back tears, Brianna teasingly chided Missy. “Don’t cry! You’re going to make me cry, and I just finished my makeup!”

  Brianna stood and hugged Missy. Within a couple of seconds, their mother had wrapped her arms around them both. “I love my girls!”

  Missy helped Brianna put her wedding gown on. It was sleeveless with a straight A-line fit and stopped just above mid-thigh. The folds in the fabric lined each side of the dress, starting just above her breasts and extended to her hips in a rounded pattern. The folds gathered at her midline, just below the V-shape in the neckline, by a diamond and pearl encrusted pendant.

  Diana took Brianna’s hands in hers and held her arms out to the sides as she beheld her daughter. “You look absolutely elegant, Brianna.” Tears spilled over Diane’s eyelashes and she dabbed them with a tissue. “I can’t tell you how blessed I feel–to have you back, to see you get married, and to know I’ll be a grandmother soon.” She pulled Brianna in for a tight hug as she whispered. “I’m so proud of you, and I love you so much, Bri.”

  Brianna couldn’t speak. It took every ounce of energy to fight back the tears. So she hugged her mom even tighter.

  Diane spoke for her. “Momma knows, Bri.” She smiled as she pulled back from her. “I know, I know–you just finished your makeup.”

  Just when she thought she would get out of her dressing room without crying, her father showed up at the door. “You are absolutely gorgeous, Brianna. Noah is a very lucky man.” Brianna saw water shimmer in Evan’s eyes, and the first tears fell before she could stop them when he finished speaking, “How can I give you away? You were my girl first.”

  Brianna’s arms flew around his neck and she squeezed him tight. She managed to squeak out. “I’ll always be your girl, Daddy.”

  “All right, enough of the water works! You’re going to be late for your own wedding!” Missy was back in charge and shooing everyone out of the dressing room. She quickly touched up Brianna’s makeup and reassured her. “You look perfect. Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  Brianna and Missy joined Evan outside the dressing room and walked to the staging area, where the wedding coordinator, Emily, waited with Brianna’s other bridesmaids-her sisters, Jessie and Ashley. They hugged Brianna just as Bull, Rebel, and Shadow walked up.

  The three men pulled Brianna to the side. Bull kissed her cheek as he started. “Sunny, you are glowing. Really. We have a gift for you, and we thought you may want to wear it for the ceremony.”

  Shadow pulled a square velvet box from his pocket and opened it. Brianna gasped when she saw the necklace. The elegant dog tag hung on a white gold chain by a diamond studded lobster clasp. The front of the dog tag was polished white gold, the edges were lined with diamonds, and an infinity symbol was engraved in the middle.

  Rebel removed it from the box and said, “Read the back.”

  “Out loud,” called Missy, who had obviously eavesdropped on their conversation. Everyone laughed and gathered closer to Brianna.

  Brianna turned the dog tag over, and her hand flew up to cover her heart. She read aloud. “A brother’
s love never ends.” She looked at each man, tears brimming again, unable to speak for a moment. “I love it. I–I can’t thank you enough.”

  She hugged each man, thanking each individually. With a kiss on the cheek, she whispered, “I love you.”

  Bull then took the necklace and clasped it around her neck. “It looks great on you, Sunny.”

  Emily said, “It’s time everyone.” She motioned for the music to start and sent Jessie and Rebel down the white carpet toward the minister. When Jessie was a quarter of the way down, Ashley and Shadow followed. Bull held out the crook of his arm to Missy, she slipped her hand in, and they started their walk down the aisle.

  The music changed to announce the bride as Brianna slipped her arm in Evan’s. He looked at her and asked, “Ready, sweetheart?”

  She took a deep breath and said, “Ready, Daddy.”

  They walked out, arm in arm, and Brianna witnessed the perfect sunset. The sky was different shades of pink and purple as the sun shimmered on the water and hung just over the horizon of the ocean. The slight ocean breeze made the humidity and heat at least tolerable.

  As they turned the corner to face Noah, Brianna’s heart leapt at the sight of him. Noah wore a sky blue short-sleeve button down with white cargo shorts. His dark tan against the blue shirt made him look even sexier than normal. She could feel his eyes move over her, take her in, and she saw the admiration in his face. She smiled, as she walked toward him and toward her future.

  Noah couldn’t move or breathe when Brianna stepped into his line of sight. Everyone else faded away when he saw her, like they were the only two people in the world. She was more radiant than anyone he had ever seen. And she was all his. His chest swelled with pride as she walked down the aisle, to him, to be his, forever.

  Evan visibly had a hard time releasing her when the minister asked who gave her away. His voice was strong as he responded, “Her mother and I do.”

  But Noah saw Evan squeeze her arm tighter as he said it. As Evan’s eyes met Noah’s, the unspoken message was unmistakable. “Take care of my daughter, or I’ll take care of you.” Noah nodded, hiding his smile, and took Brianna’s hands.

  After a few words from the minister, he said, “I understand the bride and groom have written their own vows.” He nodded to Noah to start reciting his vows.

  Bull handed Noah the ring as Noah spoke, “Brianna, I promise to be the best husband I can possibly be. You will have all of my love, all of my heart, and all of me for the rest of my life. I will do everything in my power to protect you, provide for you, and make you the happiest woman in the world, every single day. I love you today, tomorrow, and forever.” Noah pushed the ring on her finger, as she watched breathlessly.

  Tears brimmed in Brianna’s eyes as she took Noah’s hand and slid the ring on his finger. “Noah, since the first day we met, you have been in my heart, on my mind, and my only love. I promise to stand by you, be your soul mate, and support and love you in every way possible. My life starts and ends with you. From this day forward, you are my everything. I will freely give you all of my love, every day, for the rest of my life.”

  The preacher declared, “You may now kiss the bride.” Noah took Brianna in his arms and kissed her deeply, as the guests cheered. After what felt like forever of taking pictures, the wedding party moved to the reception area. Their friends and family watched as Noah and Brianna took the floor for their first dance as Brian Adams’ song I Do It For You started playing.

  Noah wrapped his arms around her waist as she slipped her arms around his neck. He pulled her as close to him as possible and leaned his head down to whisper in her ear. “I love you, Mrs. Steele. I can’t wait to get you away from all these people.”

  The low timbre of his voice and warm breath so close sent shivers down her spine. She turned her head slightly and kissed him lightly at first, then more passionately. As she pulled back, she whispered, “Let’s go find a broom closet somewhere.” She felt his chuckle rumble through his chest.

  They managed to stay through the rest of the reception before they made their exit. The guests showered them with birdseed on their way to the limo waiting to take them on their honeymoon.

  No one noticed the lurking figure watching from the shadows.

  Keep reading …. a sneak peek of Wicked Ties is next!

  WICKED TIES

  STEELE SECURITY BOOK TWO

  Steele Security, Book 2

  A.D. JUSTICE

  WICKED TIES.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. If the location is an actual place, all details of said place are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to businesses, landmarks, living or dead people, and events is purely coincidental.

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  All copyrights are held by A.D. Justice and have not been transferred to any other individual. Sharing or posting of this material in any group is considered copyright infringement and will be reported to the authorities. Criminal and civil charges will be pursued for damages.

  Photography by Eric Battershell Photography/FITography

  Cover design by Cover Me, Darling

  Cover Model Don Allen

  Copyright © 2014 A.D. Justice.

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 978-1497414860

  WICKED TIES BLURB

  What if everything you've ever believed turned out to be a lie?

  What if learning the truth changes everything?

  Colton “Bull” Lanier thinks his life is all figured out. His trust is hard earned. He lets no one see the man inside. He doesn’t believe in love and he doesn’t get involved.

  Until she walks into his life.

  There is more to Steele Security’s newest client, Chaise, than what meets the eye. She's in trouble, but she's also hiding something and keeping her secrets close to the vest. With her life in danger, Bull reluctantly agrees to protect her and help find a missing girl.

  When their attraction flares hot enough to burn them, Bull gives Chaise something very rare–his trust. But as worlds collide, lifelong secrets are revealed, making Bull question everything he ever believed. When Chaise disappears, the men of Steele Security are on the case. But, will they reach her in time?

  How will Bull handle the wicked ties that bind?

  Prologue

  “Colt! Coming to you, buddy! Get ready!”

  Colt widened his feet and slightly bent his knees, getting into his stance as the batter took a swing. Just as his coach predicted, the ball flew in low toward him in his shortstop position and bounced off the ground once before he caught it and whisked it to first base.

  “Out!”

  “Great job, Colt!” Colt heard his father call from the stands but he didn’t take his eyes off the field. The sun was in his eyes but his baseball cap helped some in shielding his face. The bright spring day was perfect weather for a game. The vividness of the tulips, pansies, and daffodils in bloom colored the landscape. The slight breeze kept the sun from being too hot, but the heat didn’t matter to Colt. He played all summer in the sweltering heat and loved every second of it. But this, this was a perfect spring Saturday for baseball with his dad watching.

  Colt punched his glove a couple of times and took his stance again as the next batter swung. He loved this—the smell of the dirt, the feel of swinging the bat, and the sting of catching a line-drive. He was only seven, but he knew he wanted to be a professional baseball player when he grew up. That would make his daddy so proud.

  “Let’s get ‘em, son
!” He knew his dad’s voice anywhere. He could pick it out of the crowd of parents on both sides of the dugouts with his eyes closed. He loved the game, he loved the crowds, he loved everything about baseball—but none of it compared to how much he loved his father.

  His father, John, worked a lot of hours and had to travel frequently, but he never failed to make time for Colt. Every day that he was home, John spent time doing something—anything—with Colt. He taught him everything he knew about baseball in their backyard. They had just started working on football, too, since Colt was close to being old enough to start playing on the local recreation league team. But Colt insisted that baseball would always be his first love.

  John also made it a point to teach Colt from an early age how to treat a lady. Even at seven years old, Colt could see how much John and his mother, Beth, loved each other. They unfailingly showed one another complete respect and trust. They were affectionate with each other and with Colt—keeping their small town Alabama home as cozy as possible. Colt felt loved, safe, and secure with his parents.

  After Colt’s team won the game, John took the family out for the standard celebratory dinner of pizza and ice cream. Afterward, John and Beth strolled hand in hand toward their home on the oak-lined street of their small town. Colt was secure on John’s broad shoulders and thoroughly enjoyed being able to touch the lowest branches of the trees as they walked and chatted.

  Late that very night, Colt heard voices coming from the kitchen. Sneaking out of his bed, he crept down the hallway, crouching low against the wall to keep out of sight. Just as he reached the opening to the kitchen, he heard his parents speaking in hushed tones. He could tell they were concerned about something but he couldn’t hear what they were saying. When they started moving toward him, Colt rushed back to his room and jumped in the bed. Several minutes later, John knelt at Colt’s bed, ran his fingers through Colt’s hair and whispered, “Just remember I love you. Always, son.”