by Vaughn, Ann
"I'm sorry, cara mia," he said softly, "chasing old ghosts."
She pulled back and looked up at him.
"I can help with that."
"You already are," he replied.
"Am I? Your dreams are getting worse."
"My life is changing. Because of you. I never had anyone who could make me fear for them until you. I'm sorry I ran. That isn't who I am."
She cupped his face in her hands and stood on her toes to kiss him.
"You came back, though, didn't you, Commander? That's all that matters."
"Dio," he swore, crushing her to him again. "I don't deserve you."
"That's where you're wrong," she said, tightening her hold on him. "You deserve everything, Mike."
"Cara," he began.
"Don't argue with me, Commander. Irish, remember?"
"Damn Irish," he said, before claiming her lips.
Charles wasn't happy. He hadn't seen Lainey in days. Those damn soldier boys were keeping her hidden. He'd talked to her that once but it wasn't enough. He knew that she would be going to that fancy society Ball thing at the Rich Guy's house. She went every year. But he also knew that he'd have a better chance of breaking into the White House than he would at getting past that security, and he was sure that the soldier boys were adding to the security to make it even tighter.
He had to see her. He had his pictures and his videos, but they weren't enough. He had to see her every day like he used to. It was as vital to him as the air that he breathed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The days leading to the Founders Day Ball were always a whirlwind of activity for Lainey. She and Kacee and their mothers worked tirelessly on planning and preparations every year. This year, with the threat of Conroy looming, things were even more hectic. Lainey went to the Adtkissons' every day with Mike so he and his team could work on the security preparations. She enjoyed the time away from the loft, however, so even though he still restricted her from going outside, it was nice to have a change of venue. He wouldn't allow her to go to the dressmaker's shop for the final fitting of her gown for security reasons, so Kacee's mother had arranged for the fittings to be done in their home.
Tensions were running high with the guys. Tessa and Shane were arriving later in the evening. Tessa would be in the security room helping to watch the monitors and Shane would be used for additional security. None of the guys were happy about Tessa being there so soon after her ordeal, but she insisted on helping in some way and Mike reluctantly agreed that having her in the booth would free up one of the guys from having to do it. Lainey knew that Tessa just needed to feel involved; Riley told her that Tessa was having a hard time dealing with the fact that she would have to take a step back from her involvement with the team and that it was causing tension between her and her husband. She hated that for Tessa. She didn't know her well, but hearing the guys talk about her, she knew that being sidelined would not sit well with her.
"Lainey," her mother admonished, "pay attention. Pedro was speaking to you."
Lainey blinked at her mother then turned to focus on Pedro, the dress designer, who was watching her anxiously. She offered him a smile, shaking her head.
"I'm sorry, Pedro, my mind was a million miles away. Could you repeat what you said to me?"
"Not to worry," he said, showing her the gown he had held up, "what do you think? It turned out rather well, if I do say so myself."
She got up and went to him, running her hand down the elegant satin of the dark emerald gown. It was simple in design, an off-the-shoulder form fitted bodice with elegant peacock beading, and a long, floor-length sheath skirt. It was simple and elegant and she knew the deep emerald color would make her eyes stand out, and it hadn't escaped her memory that she'd been wearing a deep emerald green dress the Founders Day Ball all those years ago when she'd first met Mike.
"It's perfect, Pedro, as always."
"Not perfect until you try it on, missy. Up with you now," he said, making her laugh.
She stood and went into the adjoining bedroom that they were using as a dressing room. Kacee followed her in with the dress, placing it on the rack while Lainey stepped out of her clothes.
"When are you going to stop wearing a minimizer and embrace those girls," Kacee said, eyeing Lainey's bra.
"Well...have you seen the back of that dress? I'm not exactly going to be able to wear a normal bra with it."
Kacee turned the dress around, seeing it's low scooping back.
"Holy cow! Are you going to be able to wear a bra at all with it?"
"Pedro should have brought one he had made for me to wear with it. Is it in the bag?"
Kacee fished around in the bag that was hanging on the hanger and found the lingerie set Pedro included in the same color as the dress.
"Good Lord, girl..." she said, holding up the thong panties, "what's the point?"
Lainey smiled, taking the lingerie. "The material is super clingy...he doesn't want panty lines marring his design."
"Yeah, so again, what's the point of even wearing them?"
She giggled, "Because the point is, a treat for The Commander later...if he's nice to me," she added with a wink, taking the lingerie and the dress into the bathroom to change. When she came out, Kacee gave a low whistle.
"I think Mike's going to be swallowing his tongue before the night's through when he sees you in that."
Lainey smiled. The front of the dress was fairly conservative, but the bra Pedro had designed definitely pushed her "girls" as Kacee called them, up and created an impressive but conservative show of cleavage. The back dipped down to slightly below her waist at the center of her back, had two, low slung X straps and left the rest of her back completely bare. It was the most daring dress she'd ever worn, and had been a last minute change to Pedro...she'd called him last week and said she wanted to break from her usually conservative style for something a bit more risqué...still elegant, but something that would make even the hard-nosed Commander sit up and take notice. Pedro had been thrilled to finally be able to design something that flattered her curves rather than concealed them.
"I think Pedro out-did himself," she said, studying her reflection in the three-way mirror that had been set up in the room.
"Me, too. I'll bring everyone in," Kacee said, walking out.
Lainey continued to study the dress in the mirror. It was such a departure from her normal style. She hoped her mother wouldn't have a negative reaction to it; it was making her nervous enough.
"Perfection!" Pedro said, clapping his hands as he walked in. "Turn, turn, let me see," he said, gesturing for her to do a slow spin. "What do you think? Is this what you were picturing?"
"It's fantastic," she told him.
"Oh. Wow," Lisa Riley said when she stepped inside.
"Isn't it gorgeous?" Kacee asked to the room at large.
"I love it," Kacee's mother, Gina Adtkisson said.
"Mom?" Lainey asked, looking at her mother.
"It's stunning," Lisa said.
"Of course it is," Pedro said, snapping his fingers for his assistants to move in with the shoes he'd brought. They were strappy silver sandals with three-inch stiletto heels, and matched the beadwork perfectly. "Perfect. The only thing we need to work on is your hair...Carletta brought extensions...what do you think?"
Lainey ran a hand through her blonde curls and thought about how Mike seemed to like to stroke her hair.
"No, no extensions. You'll have to make due with the hair I've got, Pedro."
"But with some wisps and -" he began but she cut him off.
"And my guy likes to play with my hair, don't want him running into extension clips...make do."
Pedro frowned. "Fine. Jewelry, then. I was -"
Gina Adtkisson cut him off. "I have a perfect set for this dress. I'll go get them."
"Oh, Gina, I couldn't -" Lainey began but Gina just laughed.
"Nonsense, cara, what's mine is yours, you know that. I'll be back."
/> "You need to tan just a bit more," Pedro told her, still studying her appearance. "Not much, maybe just a shade darker. And if you won't let Carletta add extensions, then we at least need to do a color shine on your hair, lighten it up a shade."
Lainey sighed. "Fine. I can do that."
Gina Adtkisson came back in with a jewelry case containing gorgeous emerald and diamond drop earrings that when placed in Lainey's ears, dangled down to just below her jaw. They were absolutely perfect for the dress and made her eyes stand out even more.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Pedro praised them.
"I didn't think the dress needed a necklace," Gina said, "but I have this beautiful bracelet that matches the earrings."
It was a cuff bracelet and again, it was a perfect compliment to the dress.
"These are beautiful, Gina, thank you for letting me wear them."
"They look like they were made just for you. Look at how they make your eyes stand out," Kacee said.
"All right," Pedro said, clapping his hands. "Your ensemble is complete. Now, change clothes and let Carletta color your hair in Gina's salon, then hit the tanning bed," he ordered.
After changing, Lainey followed Kacee to the Adtkissons' private salon room where Carletta and several of her associates began work on Lainey and Kacee and their mothers' hair and nails. This was one of the perks of being friends with the uber-wealthy. Kacee and her mother never had to go to a salon or spa if they didn't want to; they simply paid their favorite stylists to come to them.
Lainey was sent to tan first so that it didn't mess with her hair after it had been done. As she stripped down and lay in the tanning bed, she couldn't keep her thoughts from drifting over the last few days. After Mike came back and apologized, he'd been very attentive to her...when he saw her. He made very certain, however, that he stayed busy from dawn until well into the night. He was back to sleeping whenever and wherever he happened to be when he fell asleep, many times, in the chair at his desk. She hated it; hated that his dreams were so haunted he couldn't relax.
Her mind drifted over what were now precious memories to her; watching him juggle, seeing him smile when she'd done those flips in the loft, holding him and singing Love Me Tender to help him relax. Even their arguments were precious to her because she knew no one else was close enough to him to argue the way they did...and likely never had been. She didn't know of girlfriends he may have had before Carolina, but apparently if there were any, they weren't anyone of any significance.
"Lainey?" Kacee said, poking her head into the room.
"Yeah?"
"Mike is looking for you."
"OK, I'll be out in just a minute," she said, opening the bed and reaching for her robe.
"I'll send him in here," Kacee said, "that way you can have some privacy."
"Yeah, good thinking, thanks," she said, securing the belt on her robe. A few seconds later, the door opened and those chilling eyes settled on her, making her smile. "Hey, what's -" she began but he stepped to her and cut her words off by sealing his lips over hers, kissing her so deep she could barely breathe.
"This isn't what I came in here for, but damn," he said, his hands molding over her full breasts through the robe, "damn," he growled again, sliding a hand inside to cup and squeeze her.
"Mike," she sighed.
"I can't resist," he said, tugging one side of the robe open to expose the breast he held to his view. With an arm around her waist, much as he'd done in that bathroom at Melissa's house, he lifted her up then began a blazing trail of kisses along her breast, before drawing her into his mouth, his tongue stroking over her.
Somewhere in her mind, was the thought that her mother was just on the other side of that door, but she really didn't care at this point. She hadn't had this sort of attention from him in days; she wasn't about to turn him away now. Her fingers dug into his hair, holding him to her. Too soon, he was pulling away and pulling her robe closed. She smoothed her hands over his hair as he let her slide down his body to her feet, smiling up at him.
"I like surprise visits," she said, making him smile.
"I was just coming to tell you I have to leave for a bit. Some problems have popped up with a band we're handling security for."
"A band?"
"Devil's Lair."
Lainey's eyes widened. "You handle security for Devil's Lair?"
"Well, I don't personally, but one of my guys does... a friend of Colt and Tessa's. Anyway, Colt is tied up with the security cameras so I need to run up to the offices to get Oscar the information he needs."
"OK. I'm about to get my hair done so I will be tied up for the next two hours anyway...but, wow, Devil's Lair? I love their songs Committed and High Life."
"Maybe we'll catch a show, after all this mess is over."
"Yeah?" she asked, smiling.
"Sure. I'll see where they're playing and we'll head there."
"Cool!" she said, kissing him.
He pulled her robe tighter together, covering her, then after one last kiss, stepped back from her.
"I'll let you know when I get back."
"OK."
He started to leave, then turned and pulled her back into his arms, kissing her until she was clinging to him. When he stepped back this time, he winked at her then left the room. Lainey leaned back against the wall, fingers to her lips trying to calm her racing heart. Would she ever get used to him?
A quick knock sounded and then Kacee stepped inside. She met Kacee's bright-eyed gaze from across the room.
"What?"
"Girl! What did he do when he came in here?"
Lainey smiled. "What do you think?"
"He came out with hair that had recently had fingers run through it and looking like one pretty satisfied man."
"He has to go handle a problem for a band they are handling the security for. Devil's Lair."
"Jack Lair's band?" Kacee asked, surprised.
"Yes. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Just don't tell Connor," she laughed. The lead singer of Devil's Lair had caught Kacee's eye right before she met Connor.
"Lainey?" Carletta called, "I'm ready for you, sweetie."
"Be right there," she told her.
"Well, I'm happy for you both," Kacee said, "I hope things continue to run smooth for you. I want both of you to be happy."
"Thanks. If we can ever get this situation with Charles under control, maybe we can actually go on a normal date."
"Hopefully that won't be much longer. We'd better get out there before Pedro storms in."
Mike got the information Oscar needed from the offices, and then spent a little extra time going over billing than he would have liked. Melissa had sent him everything that needed his or Riley's signatures. After he sorted through that, and then spent a little time chasing the paper trail of Charles Conroy, double checking everything to make sure there wasn't something that they'd missed that would give him a clue as to where he could possibly be hiding. Plus, he had to admit, it was nice to have a few moments to be totally by himself to try to figure out how to get this situation under control so that Lainey could go back to living her normal life again.
Lainey. He closed his eyes a moment, picturing the way she'd looked when he walked into the tanning bed room, her hair mussed, face damp from sweat...and that pale pink robe just daring him to slide it open. Her breasts were quite the surprise as well. She kept them concealed under her clothes pretty effectively. He had no idea prior to being in that bathroom with her at Melissa's that they were quite as full as they were. Damn, but he couldn't wait to get his hands on her again, to feel them without restraint, without being rushed.
Pushing thoughts of her from his mind, he shut his computer down and closed up the offices. He needed to get back to the Adtkisson Estate and help the guys finish everything up. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day and he needed to have all his wits about him to be able to handle it all.
Charles spotted the Casiano guy's SUV as it pulled out of the parking garage of t
he Orion Securities office building. He didn't have to follow him to know he was heading back to the Adtkisson Estates. That's where the big society event was tomorrow; and most likely where Miss Lainey was right now. He'd tried following that SUV a few times that he'd seen it around, trying to see where it was that it disappeared to every time but so far he'd been unsuccessful. The trackers he'd planted on it had all been neutralized within minutes of activation. They had some sort of jammer on board or something. He'd love to know how they did it.
No matter, though. He was a patient guy, to a point. He could wait them out until their guard started to slip. She would eventually have to go back to work. And then he'd get to see her every day again. For now, that was enough. Just to be able to see her in person every day like before. She was so beautiful; so sweet. He knew he could make her love him if she'd just give him the chance. That's all he wanted; a chance to show her how good it could be between them. She had such a big, kind heart. He knew she would see that he only wanted what was best for her, that he only wanted to give her everything she deserved. He would put her up on a pedestal and worship her like a queen if she would let him. Not like Phoebe. That bitch of an ex-wife of his, who couldn't even love him enough to stand by him when he needed her. But Miss Lainey had been there for him. She'd taken care of him when he needed it and listened to him and showed him that she really did care for him. Everything that his stupid bitch ex-wife was supposed to have done but didn't. Miss Lainey was everything...and one day soon, he'd show her that he could be everything for her, too.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The flurry of activity leading up to Saturday and the Founders Day Ball had been hectic and out-of-control, so it was a surprise Saturday morning and early afternoon, that it all passed with relative peace and quiet. When Lainey woke Saturday morning, it was to the smell of breakfast cooking. She came downstairs, expecting a full house, only to see that no one was there except Mike, who was dressed in sweats and his usual Navy T-Shirt, making an omelet.