Rick reached over and held Judy’s knee, keeping her in the car while Meg ran toward them.
“I’m sorry. Let me just say that now and get it off my chest.”
If there was a look that Meg perfected and Judy saw through better than anyone, it was the guilty innocence that came with the half smile and squinting eyes. Must have come from her mixed-up religious beliefs growing up. It was like her Jewish grandmother and her Catholic mother each took hold of one side of her body and went to confession. You’re guilty, but you don’t really believe in hell so what does it matter?
Judy shook off Rick’s hand and stepped from the car. “Sorry about what?”
Meg’s smile grew to a thin line and she offered a half glance over her shoulder toward the house.
Like a video on slow motion, through the doorway of Mike’s home walked her father.
Though Judy never feared her dad, he wasn’t a small man and she’d spent most of her life trying to please him.
“Tell me my mother is here.”
When Meg didn’t say anything, Judy shot her eyes to her best friend.
“Sorry. It wasn’t like I could tell him not to come in.”
Rick stepped around the car and placed his arm around her waist. “How bad can it be?”
Judy wasn’t sure. There weren’t many conversations she’d had with her dad without her mother nearby, yet here her father stood, miles from nowhere, Utah, without an ounce of a smile on his face.
“I’m so out of here!” Meg said, turning her attention to Rick. “I think your Tarzana house has my name on it. Extra rooms, extra beds, lots of cameras. Love ya, Judy, but this is a family matter and I’m not volunteering for any more drama this week.” Meg leaned in, gave a big hug. “Call if you need me,” she whispered.
Judy waved her friend away. “Go. Text us when you get there. This guy is still out there and I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me.”
“I’m good.”
“In the flour container is a Glock, fully loaded.”
Meg hugged Rick. “The fact I’m leaving with the promise of weapons, and you’re staying here, should scare you.”
Judy and Rick faced her father, his frown, and his disapproval as they both walked toward him.
Not a syllable of a hello, or a smile of any kind, her father filled the doorway with a glare centered on Rick. “You’d told me you’d keep her safe. You said nothing about marriage.”
Rick’s fingers squeezed as if to assure her he could handle her dad.
“Keeping her safe means being by her side, Mr. Gardner.”
“So you give up her freedom for your own?”
Rick lifted his chin.
“Dad!”
“This is between him and me.”
“The hell it is.”
Her father shifted his stare to her.
Judy forced a breath deep in her lungs. “Inside. I don’t need this in tomorrow’s papers.” With that, she stepped out of Rick’s arm, past her father, and into the house.
Truth was, her knees knocked, but she strode into the house, dropped her purse on the table in the hall, and moved into the kitchen. She took the single-stem rose, laid it by the sink, and opened the refrigerator. Meg had opened one of the many bottles of wine Mike had on hand and left her half a bottle. Pouring the liquid into a glass, and not even bothering with a wineglass, proved how close to the surface her nerves were.
Judy heard the men walk in behind her. Instead of turning toward them, she looked out the back window, sipped her wine, and asked, “Where’s Mom?”
“She stayed home.”
“Refused to come?”
There was a pause, proving she had the right of it. “I’ve already had one child marry out of convenience or some such bullshit. I wasn’t about to sit around without finding out what’s going on this time.”
Judy turned toward her dad then and Rick stepped closer to her side. “I’m not Mike.”
“No. You’re my daughter.” A portion of her father’s edge chipped away. “What father lets his daughter make lifelong mistakes without trying to stop her?”
Judy set her glass down and took Rick’s hand. She really hoped, no matter what Rick might think about their temporary marriage, that he’d let her do the talking. “Your ability to control my life is no longer in place, Dad. If in fact we’ve made a mistake, it’s ours to make. More importantly, it’s already done.”
When her father met her stare, his glare reminded her of Zach when he wasn’t happy. Or maybe Zach reminded her of their dad. “You were never this difficult before you went to that damn college.”
“You mean before I grew up?”
He growled.
She sighed. “I’m an adult. That might come as a shock to you, but I am.”
“You sound like your mother.”
“Mom’s an intelligent woman. You should listen to her.”
Even Rick glanced over as if she were skating on thin ice.
Seconds passed, and Rick turned to her dad. “How about a beer, Sawyer?”
“Fine.” Her dad pivoted on his heel and marched to the sofa in the den.
Alone, but within earshot of her dad, Judy gripped the counter and tried to keep from trembling.
Rick grabbed a couple of longneck beers and placed them on the counter beside her wine. “He just cares,” he whispered.
“I know. We just don’t need any extra drama right now.”
“Defuse, deflect, or destroy. I think maybe we should go with defuse and deflect.”
Judy leaned into his shoulder with a laugh.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rick encouraged Judy to shower, take a moment to decompress. The tension in the room ranked up there with his first days in the service.
Once Judy disappeared and the sound of the pipes opening up filled the vast emptiness of the huge house, Rick leaned his head back. “I care for your daughter, Mr. Gardner.”
Sawyer grunted.
Rick would have liked to tell the man the depth of those feelings but didn’t think Judy’s dad needed to hear those words before she did. With everything going on in their life, he didn’t want to add any more to hers. He wasn’t sure she felt the same and didn’t think the rejection would sit well with him. If he confessed his love, and she came back with some let’s be friends when this is over bullshit, it would gut him.
Their relationship was fragile on many levels.
“You care for her?” He didn’t sound convinced.
“Yes.” Rick didn’t look at the man, didn’t want him to see his deeper feelings.
“Marriage isn’t supposed to be temporary. I didn’t think I had to tell my children this growing up. Thought it was a given since Janice and I never considered separating.”
Even though neither Judy nor Rick said a thing about their marriage being temporary, seemed Sawyer already came to his own conclusions.
“I cared for her before our life grew complicated. There’s no guarantee anything is temporary.”
“What are you saying, Rick?”
Rick looked at his father-in-law, met his stare. “I’m suggesting you restrain your judgment. Judy’s been through a lot and doesn’t need the distraction of pleasing her father right now.”
Sawyer blinked a couple of times before tipping his beer back.
Rick’s phone buzzed. When he looked, he saw the video feed of Judy’s office light up. The motion detector on the one bouquet triggered the device to signal him.
“An important text?” Sawyer really wasn’t impressed and Rick realized just how difficult it was going to be to win the man over.
The cleaning crew was in Judy’s office, wiping down her desk and emptying the trash. Rick leaned over and gave Sawyer a glimpse of the phone. “I told you I was going to watch over her. This is her office.”
“You’re spying on her at work?”
Rick shook his head. “We think the guy who attacked her has access to her space. We’re watc
hing for him.”
When Sawyer said nothing, Rick stood and started from the room. “Mind joining me, Mr. Gardner? I’d like to show you something.”
The room Russell and Dennis had taken over housed several monitors and recording devices. Rick flipped a few switches and let the monitors spring to life. The cameras outside the Beverly Hills home were obvious. The gate, the backyard, the front door. The feed into Judy’s office showed them both activity as a housekeeper pushed a vacuum around the office and then out in the hall and out of view.
Sawyer looked at the other feeds. “What’s all this?”
“You’ve met Neil.” He pointed to a set of feeds on one large monitor. “This is his place.” He pointed to another home. “This one is Malibu, where Blake and Samantha live. Zach and Karen’s place.” He flipped the feeds as he spoke. “And this is in Tarzana, my place.”
Sawyer found another location housing only one camera. “And this one?”
“The Governor’s Mansion in Sacramento. Not that we need to actually monitor that, but Carter and Eliza like to know that we can tap into their system if needed.”
Sawyer waved his hand at all the monitors. “What are all you afraid of?”
Rick actually laughed. “Nothing. The Marines taught me many things. Being resourceful and having the knowledge to protect those you care about is a priority for us. Blake Harrison is one of the richest men on this continent. Neil is married to Blake’s sister, and you already know some of the risks Michael faces.”
Meg walked through one of the feeds at the Tarzana house. A light indicated the signal of the alarm being set.
“And why is your home monitored? You look like a man who can take care of himself.”
Was that a compliment?
“Because normally all this is there. This is a temporary setup put in place when I was in jail.” It killed him to say that. “Once we capture the man behind the attacks, this will all leave your son’s home.”
“Are you sure you’ll find him?”
Rick leaned against the desk. “I will. I take my responsibilities seriously. Keeping my wife safe is my main priority.”
Hannah picked up on the second ring.
“Hey, sis.”
“Oh my God, Judy! You do realize that I’m now going to be placed in a chastity belt and forced to live my life in a tower because of you.”
Hannah was a typical overdramatic eighteen-year-old. If Judy was honest with herself, she knew Hannah’s life would be more difficult with the decisions Judy had made.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Hannah paused. “You really married him?”
“I did.”
“I always thought I’d be in your wedding. I was too young to remember much of Rena’s.”
“We signed papers, Hannah. There wasn’t a real wedding.” Judy glanced at the ring sitting on her finger and admired the shine.
“So it’s true . . . what Dad said about your marriage being a fraud like Mike’s was?”
No. Mike and Karen had only ever been friends. From what Karen told her, they hadn’t even slept together. Considering how attracted Karen was to Zach from day one, that was probably for the best. Rick was much more than a friend. “Everything happened so fast. I don’t know what’s going to happen or how things will end up.”
“If you stay married, you better have some kind of wedding eventually.”
“Careful what you ask for . . . I might ask you to wear some horrific dress that itches in all the wrong places.”
Hannah laughed.
“I need to talk to Mom. Is she home?”
Hannah said her good-byes and handed the phone off. “Make him go home, Mom. Please!”
Janice offered a soft laugh. “I would like to think I have that power over your dad, but making him do anything is always a balancing act. I told him not to go. I thought by my not getting on the plane he’d abort the notion of going to California.”
“Rick and I need to concentrate on us. I know that sounds selfish, but I can’t deal with Dad right now.”
“I understand, honey, but your dad has a mind of his own and feels it’s his duty to make sure you haven’t married someone just to keep him out of jail. Think about that for a minute.”
Judy sat on the edge of her bed talking into the phone and pinching her nose. “The only reason Rick was in jail was because of me. It’s not like he robbed a bank and I’m an airhead who shacks up with a lowlife.”
Her mom laughed. “No one is calling anyone names. I don’t think your father thinks Rick is guilty of anything.”
“Then why is he here? It’s like he doesn’t trust my judgment at all. He didn’t run here when Karen and Mike got married.”
“Mike is a son.”
“So?”
“It’s different with daughters.”
The conversation was making her head split.
“You’ll understand when you have children of your own. For now, you’ll have to trust me. Your dad and I love you, honey. We wanted to see you walk down the aisle when the right man entered your life.”
The next words popped out of her mouth without a filter. “Who says Rick isn’t the right man?”
There was a long pause.
“Well then . . .”
“Yes . . . well then.” Judy released a long-suffering sigh. “You have to trust that I know what I’m doing, Mom.”
“I’ve never doubted you, honey. Never.”
Judy ended the conversation with her mother and forced herself to join the men.
“I love him,” Judy said hours later when she and Rick retired for the night. “But I want to strangle him.” She flopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
“I’m not sure that’s the way to win him over.”
Judy growled.
“Look on the bright side,” Rick said. “My parents haven’t shown up.”
Judy glanced at Rick as he kicked off his shoes. “Have they even called?”
“My dad did.”
She rolled on her side and leaned on an elbow. “What did he say?”
“Asked if I was guilty.”
“Oh no.”
Rick didn’t seem fazed. “My parents think I’m crazy. Can’t blame them. I ran to the Marines and got out nearly as quickly. I end up in jail, in the news.”
“But if your dad thinks you’re capable of killing anyone . . .”
Rick paused and removed his sport jacket. Concealed in a holster was one of the guns he carried. “I saw active combat, Judy. I’m capable of killing.”
She shivered. “I never thought of it like that.”
He slid out of the holster and laid it on the dresser before stepping toward the bed. He crawled on top of the comforter with her, leaned his head next to hers. “I wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone hurting you.”
“That scares me.”
“I would never hurt you.”
His green eyes pierced her. “I know.”
He reached for her, pulled her close, and kissed the tip of her nose.
She placed a hand on the side of his cheek. “Do you realize we haven’t consummated our marriage yet?”
Those dimples doubled and his lips met hers. Soft kisses coaxed her open and onto her back. They’d had so many distractions, so many obstacles, they hadn’t spent nearly enough time in each other’s arms.
Rick wasted little time reminding her of how talented he was with his tongue, keeping her pinned to the bed without really holding her down. She felt safe with him close. His presence was a crutch, she knew, but as vices went, Rick was worth any hangover he might induce. The tips of his fingers ran inside the edge of her pants and she moaned.
He silenced her with a kiss, robbed her of breath. When stars started rolling in her head, she pulled away. “Oh, Rick.”
“Shh . . .” He kissed her neck, pulling another moan from her. “Much as I love the noise you make in bed, babe . . . making love within feet of your disapproving father would be better without the
threat of him attempting to walk in on us.”
She froze and squeezed her eyes shut. “You did not just say that.”
He laughed as he unbuttoned her shirt and pressed his lips to her breast. “You like adventure.”
Her hands were on his shoulders, ready to push him away. “But my dad . . .”
Apparently, her father wasn’t a threat for him. He found the pert end of her breast and moved in to taste while his knee slipped between hers. “Oh!”
Rick laughed over her breast while he worked the clasp until she was free of both her shirt and her bra. His five o’clock shadow rubbed below her breast as he paid equal attention to both sides of her body.
Thoughts of her father fled and she sought Rick’s touch everywhere. The scent, the feel of his skin on hers doubled when he removed his shirt and sent it to the floor. Would she ever tire of the thick dips and curves of his amazing body?
“So soft,” he said as he nuzzled her hip once she was free of her pants. Hot breath moved in waves over her core. His intentions of tasting all of her smoldered in his eyes.
She shook her head on the bed, tried to control the tone in her voice. “I’ll scream,” she warned him. Keeping silent with a tongue-induced orgasm wasn’t in her.
He pushed aside her panties, left one side dangling from her ankle, and kissed up the planes of her naked body. “No. You’ll feel everything and keep quiet.”
His words brought moisture everywhere.
“I can’t.”
“Shh.” He leaned in, licked her inner thigh.
The need to moan tickled her throat, but she held it back.
“There you go.”
Rick moved one of her legs over his shoulder and nibbled his way around her, each taste a little closer than the last. She couldn’t hold still, the need for him to find her was so keen she nearly grasped his head to help him focus. Then he was there and Judy brought a fist to her mouth to keep from crying out. He was merciless, holding no prisoners and keeping nothing back as he teased and prodded. With her orgasm close, she pushed against him with an intensity she couldn’t ever remember being so powerful before this . . . before Rick. Before coming in silence as she writhed on the bed.
Taken by Tuesday (Weekday Brides Series) Page 22