by Vaughn, Ann
"Good morning," he said when she approached, handing her a glass of orange juice.
She took the glass but stood on her toes to kiss his cheek before walking off.
"Good morning," she murmured, going over to the window to look outside.
She heard him moving a couple of things around in the kitchen, and then the next thing she knew, he was right there behind her, arms wrapping around her waist, leaning down to kiss her neck. She slid her free hand over his forearm, closing her eyes while his lips skimmed to her ear.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly, lifting one hand to push her hair away from her ear.
"Nothing," she replied.
"Lainey," he cautioned her, "something's on your mind. Talk to me."
She sighed, still staring sightlessly out the window but enjoying the feel of his arms around her.
"I feel...I don't know. Out-of-sorts, I guess. Like everything in my life is spinning out-of-control. My heart hurts for Charles Conroy, even after all that he's done to make my life miserable. He's...what he's doing now, this isn't him."
"No, but at the same time, you can't afford to feel sorry for him. He's unstable."
"I know...but, like I said before, he was a Marine who was hurt in the war. He could be any of my cousins," her hand squeezed his forearm, "or you."
"Yes, he could. But still, what he's doing is wrong and he needs to be stopped. He needs to be found so that he can get the help he needs."
"I'm just afraid he won't let it come to that. He's terrified of going back to jail. He'll kill himself or force one of you to kill him before he goes down."
"If that happens, we can handle it. We've all killed before, cara mia."
"Yes, but enemies. Not one of our own. And beyond him...I just feel like, I don't know, like something precious is just within my grasp and yet I can't quite get to it." She took a deep breath and then turned in his arms to face him. "I know I've been toeing the line and telling everyone that I'm fine with you not being my escort tonight, and I am...but also in a way, I want you with me. I want to be by your side all night, and yes, I want to dance with you. I still believe that the safest place for me to be is right by your side, and I don't understand why you won't..." she stopped, a lump in her throat preventing her from going any further. She shook her head and swallowed hard to regain her composure.
"Look at me," he said, cupping her face in his hands and tilting her head up to force her to look up at him. "Under normal circumstances, there is no where else I would rather be...but these aren't normal circumstances. I will not take any chances with your safety." She started to pull away but he wouldn't let her. "If anything were to happen to you...I couldn't take it."
"Wouldn't it make sense to keep me right by your side, then?"
"If you are this close to me, I can't think about anything else but you."
She closed her eyes, knowing she wasn't going to change his mind. The feeling that something significant would happen today just wouldn't go away. He kissed her forehead and released her, going back to the kitchen to finish their breakfast. Something needed to give...and soon. Either they find Conroy and put that to rest...or they do something with this...whatever it was between them. Whichever the case, they needed to do something soon because she didn't know how much longer she could stand living in limbo like this.
"It's ready," he said, turning her attention to him.
She wiped a tear from her cheek and crossed over to the bar to eat. This time, they ate in silence. She wasn't sure what needed to be said or should have been said; she only knew she didn't have the energy to fight and so remained quiet. When they finished, she quietly gathered the dishes and washed and put them away, all the while feeling his cool gaze on her.
Going back upstairs, she climbed back on his bed and picked up her Kindle. Reading was usually a sure fire way to take her mind off of things but she found she just couldn't get into the story. Staring sightlessly at the page for who knew how long, she finally tossed it to the side of the bed and lay down, closing her eyes to try to push thoughts of him from her mind. It wasn't that he did anything wrong, or even unexpected. She just wanted him to...be different than he was. She, of all people, knew that people didn't change, no matter how badly others wanted them to.
What did she really expect, anyway? He'd made it clear that he felt he needed to be part of the security detail rather than a party participant. She'd accepted that, defended that position to his mother. Why was she upset now?
Downstairs, Mike went over a systems check of all the cameras at the Adtkisson Estate. Everything seemed to be up and running. He watched Whit checking the wait staff security credentials as they came in. He saw Colt and Tessa in the Control Room, also going over all the camera feeds. Everything seemed to be running like clockwork, which was good. The biggest vulnerability would be when they arrived at the gates and again when they exited the vehicle at the entrance. After that, the biggest challenge would be keeping eyes on her and watching for signs of Conroy.
He glanced up at his bedroom door. Who was he kidding? His biggest challenge was going to be keeping his eyes off of her body. He'd heard them talking about her dress when he'd gone into the salon looking for her. He could just imagine how beautiful she was going to look. The tensions between them were growing stronger by the minute. Were tonight any normal year for the Ball, he could look forward to possibly cementing their budding relationship once they got home from an evening of dancing.
Closing his eyes, he shut that thought down. No sense longing for something that wasn't going to happen. It did, however, make him re-think his strategy where Conroy was concerned. Keeping Lainey hidden was keeping her safe, but doing nothing to draw Conroy out. Ideally, he needed to have her go out and be seen. Using her as bait turned his stomach, though. If something were to go wrong and she were hurt, he'd never forgive himself. He glanced at the clock; they would need to leave in three hours. Setting his alarm, he decided to stretch out on the couch and see if he could catch a bit of sleep before he had to get ready.
After a fitful nap, Lainey got up and began getting ready for the Ball. She took her time in the shower, making sure everything was smooth and clean and fresh. She had no intention of playing nicely. She was going to wear her incredibly sexy dress and set out to make Mike Casiano forget his own name when he looked at her. Getting out of the shower, she carefully dressed in her custom-made lingerie, and then sat on the edge of the bed to smooth lotion on her skin.
A knock sounded on the door and she quickly pulled her robe on, then called for him to come in. He stepped inside, his icy gaze raking over her briefly before he headed to his closet. Curious, she followed him inside, the first time she'd stepped in there.
"Oh. Wow," she said, seeing everything hanging pristine and neat; military-style efficient.
He glanced at her as he passed his uniforms and went to where his suits hung.
"What?"
"It's really tidy."
"Why wouldn't it be?"
She shrugged. "I don't know...you're a guy. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised, military and all."
He pulled a black suit out and hung it on the end of the closet, then pulled two ties out and held them up for her to pick. She stepped to him and chose a tie, then took it from his hand and looped it around his neck, using it to pull him closer to her.
"I don't know what will happen tonight," she said, kissing him briefly, "but..."
He stopped her, giving her a long, deep kiss, then stepping back from her.
"Tonight will be fine, just remember to stay within my line of sight."
She rolled her eyes and started to turn away but he caught her arm to stop her.
"Don't roll your eyes at me. The rules tonight are important."
"I know. I won't forget."
"Promise me," he pushed.
"Mike."
He gave her arm a yank, pulling her into his chest. "Promise me, Lainey."
"I'll do my best," she said.
&
nbsp; "No. Promise me. I want your word on this."
"Fine. I promise."
"What are you promising, cara mia?"
"Mike," she sighed.
"Answer me," he growled.
"That I will follow all your rules. Sir," she added saucily.
He studied her a moment, leaned down to kiss her, then gathered his things and left, pausing only long enough to tell her what time they had to leave. She sighed and after a couple of deep breaths, went back into the room to get dressed. Her phone rang while she was putting her make-up on. Apprehensive, she glanced at the ID but saw it was Kacee.
"Hey, sweets! Are you almost ready?"
Lainey studied her reflection in the mirror.
"All that's left is putting on the actual dress."
"Uh oh...I hear a tone. What's going on?"
"Nothing."
"What did he do this time?"
Lainey laughed. "Nothing major...he just made me promise to follow all his rules for tonight."
"Hmm, promise, huh? Well, we'll see what we can do."
"I don't know, Kace...I don't want to provoke him or go looking for trouble."
"Are things starting to heat up between you? What have you done all day together today?"
"Really, not much. We had breakfast together. That's been about it."
"Maybe that's the tone I'm hearing in your voice, then. Disappointment."
In spite of her mood, Lainey laughed. "Maybe so. I'm just...I don't know. I feel like I'm losing my mind. I want my life back. I want to go on an actual date with him. I want to be with him tonight and dance with him and let everyone know that we are together."
"Oh, honey, all of that will come. First step is getting into that smokin' hot dress and watching his jaw hit the floor when he sees you."
"Yeah, I need to do that. We're supposed to leave in just a few minutes."
"OK. Text when you get here."
"Will do."
She put the finishing touches on her make-up, then removed her robe and stepped into her dress. Studying her reflection, she had to admit that the highlights Carletta put in her hair were perfect. Combined with her fresh tan, the green of her eyes really stood out. She put her heels on and grabbed her clutch purse and taking a deep breath, headed downstairs.
Mike was on the phone when she emerged from his room. He looked up and felt his heart stop and his mouth run dry. Stunning wasn't a strong enough word. She was...beautiful. The emerald green dress brought to mind what she wore the night he'd first seen her, when she was just seventeen years old. This dress, however, was no teenager's dress.
"I'll call you back," he said, ending his call and putting his phone into his pocket.
Lainey was smiling so bright he thought he'd go blind from it. She did a little turn and if his heart hadn't stopped before, it certainly did now. The dress had her back completely bared and dipped down to an almost indecent level on her delectable backside.
"You are...breathtaking," he said, hand over his heart.
"Thank you...you are, too," she said, smiling up at him. "Could you fasten this for me?" she asked, handing him her bracelet.
He took the diamond and emerald bracelet and fastened it to her right wrist, then placed a kiss to the inside of her wrist.
"Colt, Riley and Whit will be waiting for us when we arrive. We'll flank you like we've done the rest of the times we've gone out. Once inside the ballroom, you're free to go wherever you wish. We'll have eyes on you at all times. If you need to leave the ballroom for any reason, you come to me first, am I clear?"
"Yes, sir," she said, giving him a small smirk.
He tightened his hold on her wrist and pulled her closer.
"Very good," he said, sealing his lips over hers, his hand going to her back, skimming her bare flesh, making goose flesh erupt all over her.
"Mike," she breathed when he pulled back, her hands clutching his lapels.
He cupped her face in his hands, thumbs skimming her cheeks.
"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, Lainey Riley," he said softly. His phone chimed in his pocket, breaking the moment. "We need to go."
He started to step back but she tightened her hold on his jacket. "Maybe we should just stay here," she said, pressing against him, "just the two of us."
"I'd like that," he said, kissing her brow, "and if this job weren't so important to Orion, I'd do just that. But I have to be there, cara, I'm sorry."
She closed her eyes briefly but nodded.
"I understand."
He lifted her hand to his lips.
"Let's go."
Lainey placed her hand on his arm and followed him into the elevator. When they got to his Escalade, he lifted her into his arms to help her get in so she wouldn't stumble over her dress. It thrilled her when he did that. She loved feeling his strength. She was beginning to realize that not only did she love everything about her wounded warrior; she was falling in love with him. Actually, if she were honest, she was pretty sure she'd already passed the falling stage and was just straight up in love with him. And how frightfully, awesomely wonderful was that?
Chapter Twenty-Five
They didn't speak on the drive to the Adtkisson Estate, but Mike captured her left hand in his right and held it the entire drive. Several times she glanced at his profile to see a muscle working in his jaw, but she never asked what was wrong and he didn't share. These would be their last few moments of solitude and being together for the rest of the day; Lainey chose to enjoy them rather than dwell on what wasn't going to happen. She liked the feel of his big hand surrounding her small one; his calloused palm pressed to her smooth one. Occasionally, he would stroke his thumb along hers, sending a shiver up her arm and down her spine. After all their arguing and fighting in the early days of all of this, she never would have imagined such a moment between them, where just his presence next to her and the touch of his hand was enough.
He released her hand when he pulled up to the security gate leading to the Adtkissons' home. The guard checked his credentials, even though the guard was well aware of who they both were, and then opened the gate to allow their entry. Before they rounded the last bend in the long drive that would have them visible to the house, Lainey reached up and smoothed her hand over his hair, causing him to glance down at her.
"What is it?" he asked softly.
"Nothing...I just know that this is the last time I can touch you for the evening."
He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss to her knuckles.
"It's just one evening, cara mia," he said.
She sighed. "I know...but an important one. Don't worry. I won't cause you any problems," she said as he pulled into the circular drive in front of the house.
"Lainey," he began, but stopped himself, "we don't have time to get into this. Please, just follow the rules and everything will be fine."
She watched him get out and round the front of the vehicle, as Riley opened her door and held his hand out to help her down. She gripped her cousin's strong hand as if it were a life-line, causing him to look questioningly at her. The door closed behind her and Mike was there, the others closing ranks around her as they rushed her inside. She'd forgotten to text Kacee that she was nearly there so when she stepped through the ballroom doors and got the nod from Mike that she could go where she wanted, she pulled her phone from her purse and texted her. They were early due to his need to be there for the security detail so she was practically alone in the ballroom, with just the staff making last minute preparations.
Kacee replied to her text and said she would be down within the next fifteen minutes or so. With a sigh, Lainey began to sit at a table toward the back, but caught sight of Tessa McCanton as she made her way through the room from the opposite side. She walked smoothly and with a purpose, her long legs carrying her with grace and efficiency. Lainey would never have guessed that she was still recovering from being stabbed and beaten just a few short weeks ago. She looked just as beau
tiful as before the beating. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a knot at the base of her head and she wore a sleek black pant suit and stylish but sensible boots.
Lainey walked over to her, smiling when Tessa's gaze settled on her.
"Hi, Tessa! It's so good to see you," she said, embracing her, "you look so much better than the last time I saw you."
Tessa smiled. "I feel much better now, too. Walk with me? I've got to get to the security room."
"Sure. That was so scary, watching him jump you, but wow, you were awesome!"
"Thanks. I still can't believe I let him stab me. That blow to my head had me dizzy and I lost my balance. Colt would so have lit me up about that if he'd seen."
"Colt made it to you in record time. I've never seen anyone move as fast as he did. He made it down ten flights, across the street and up ten flights faster than I could have imagined."
"He's always looked out for me. Was kind of like the brother I never had. He taught me to fight in a way that would work to my advantage against a larger opponent. When our convoy was hit by an IED attack and shrapnel pierced me, he's the one who took care of me. After doing a field dressing, carried me five miles back to the base. I would have bled out if he hadn't been there...and now he and Shane are not getting along, glaring at each other constantly."
"Did anyone tell you about the fight in the waiting room between them?"
"Yes, Shane did. I can't believe he punched Colt. I was..." she paused, listening, Lainey assumed to her earpiece. "Can you hear me? Hello? Damn, I need to get a new mic," she pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed a number. "Hey, my mic isn't working, but she's with me. We're going to the security room. Well, I assume because she left with me, and I assumed my mic was working."
Lainey rolled her eyes. She could just imagine the other end of that conversation.
"I understand, but she is with me, I'm sure she didn't think she needed to tell you when she was with a member of the team."
"Let me talk to him," Lainey said.