by Angel Payne
Once he joined her, Zeke took a long second to look her over—carefully this time. She kept her head slightly bowed, her eyes fixed on his chest, and her hands gracefully to her sides. Oh, yeah. She had it all down perfect. Luna always did. She was flawless about the stance, the posture, the demeanor, the phrases. Regrettably, she thought that was all it took. Her impatience had torpedoed even second sessions with so many Doms. He’d told her that before, promising she’d always have his honesty.
That promise didn’t stop now.
“So…hey,” he finally repeated.
She watched his hands as he shifted them in his pockets. Her gaze darkened with disappointment. Don’t think about it, girl. They’re staying right there.
“Hey,” she replied quietly.
“I’m glad we ran into each other.”
She shot a glance up to his face. “Yeah. Welcome back.” Almost like an afterthought, she added, “From wherever you were.”
“Luna, about that—”
“Skip it.” She held up a hand and curled it back against her neck. “I’m serious, Z. You don’t have to do this. I understand, okay? Saturday night was great. Thank you…for everything. But afterward, I wasn’t a priority. I didn’t expect to be. You had shit to take care of, and—”
He disobeyed his own damn rule to flash a hand up, slamming it over her mouth. “Damn it, you were a priority,” he leveled. “Your submission was incredible. I’m humbled that you trusted me as you did. And I would have told all of that to you a hundred times if shit hadn’t gone down like it did with that bastard Mua and his goons.”
She nodded and lifted an unblinking gaze up through her lashes. The dark purple flecks in her eyes glittered as the late afternoon sun bathed her face. When he lowered his hand, she murmured, “You don’t like him very much, do you?”
“To put it mildly.”
“Why?”
He peered at her in curiosity. The question wasn’t normal for Luna. She wasn’t the nosy poodle type. She was the watchful cat in the corner, seeing everything and forgetting nothing. She only revealed her game if there was a worthy treat in the process. That meant he had to phrase his reply with care. The shit that had gone down with King was classified. For all intents, despite the viral video and the news coverage, what had gone down on Saturday outside Bastille was, too.
“Scars,” he finally said. “Gashes that are long over but remembered forever.”
The glints in her eyes were joined by a wet sheen. “Yeah. I know the feeling.”
Zeke winced. The remorse wasn’t required of him, but it showed up anyhow. He followed up on every play session with a subbie, no matter how big or small their exchange. For Luna, Saturday night had been big. Blowing-up-the-Death-Star big. And he’d flown right out of the galaxy.
“Luna, listen—”
“Didn’t I say to skip it?” The cat came out of the corner, damn near hissing the words. “I said I understand, Z. You had bigger issues at hand than my sub drop. I got it, I got it.”
He moved in and braced a hand to the wall next to her head. “You have every right to be tweaked. But I have every right to explain.”
“There’s nothing to explain.”
“I had no idea Rayna was going to show up.”
“But she did.” Her lips twisted. “Didn’t she? Oh, how lucky for all of us that Princess Rayna chose to grace Bastille with her resplendence!”
He cracked his neck. Why the fuck wasn’t that working to knock thoughts properly anymore? “Be careful where you’re going with this, Luna.”
“Like you were careful on Saturday, Sir? Like you thought about anything when Her Highness got into trouble? Or did you just activate your royal guard card and fly to her side, hoping to hear her gasp in sweet thanks?”
He shoved away. For the first time ever, this woman really scared him. The vehemence in her voice, fired so completely at Rayna, awakened the grizzly in him. Like that bear, he exercised a choice. Walk away from the provoker or tear them open with a swipe of his paw. He decided on the former before the latter tempted him deeper.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that, girl. And maybe you should, too.”
He pivoted, only to be yanked back.
“Zeke!” she sobbed. “Please, no!” He caught a glimpse of her crumpled face before she threw herself against him. “I’m sorry.” She attempted to hug him, but the move backfired, with her arms wound awkwardly around him. “I’m really, really sorry.”
Wetness soaked through the front of his shirt. Zeke sighed and held her in return. Fuck. He was so starting to lose his edge.
“I’m sorry, too,” he mumbled.
She whispered her desperate thanks and held him tighter.
Pain flared down his back.
“Ow.” He got the word out on a laugh, half grateful for the excuse to set her back.
Luna bit her lip as she swiped at her running mascara. “Oh, God. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“Don’t worry about it. One of Mua’s assholes nicked me with a knife on Saturday. You pushed on the most tender part of the wound.”
“Oh hell, Z.” She grabbed at his shoulders. “I didn’t know—”
“Of course you didn’t.”
To his relief, Garrett appeared. “Z,” he pressed, “we gotta fly. Sage just texted me with two new things for the damn list.”
He grabbed one of Luna’s hands and squeezed. “So are we cool?”
She smiled, but the look wavered as if her brain was directing her to do something else. Z told himself it wasn’t his problem, that she wasn’t his problem, but he worried. He made a mental note to chat later with Max about her. They’d see each other at Hawk’s bachelor bash. The club owner would definitely be there, since he’d be getting his Jag back from Zeke at the same time.
“We’re cool, Zeke,” she confirmed. She wrapped both her hands around his. “We always will be, okay?”
“You bet. See you around, then?”
“Yeah. See you around.”
He turned and made his way to where Hawk waited, the truck already started. He didn’t look back. He already knew he’d find Luna still gazing at him. Watching him like the cat in the corner, waiting until her moment to strike was absolutely right.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Just twenty more minutes.”
The second Rayna said it, her eyes locked with Sage’s in the mirror.
They squealed together.
That did nothing to help the warm sting behind her eyes. “Oh, Sage,” she breathed, resting her chin on her friend’s shoulder. “Oh, my.”
She was a breathtaking bride. Her dark blond hair, now extra thick because of the pregnancy hormones, hung in long loose curls that fell from beneath a simple white headband adorned with purple and white wildflowers. She wore a white knit sweater that had gold threads woven into it, tied with a purple satin sash. Because of that, her gown’s bodice was simple, flowing into a skirt of multiple lace layers that stopped midcalf in front, sloping to the ground in back. Her shoes, which were actually low-heeled white lace boots, completed the look.
“Sweetie, you’re so beautiful.”
Sage twisted her hands. “I’m so nervous!”
“Whaaat?”
The exclamation bounced through the room, as things usually did when they were issued by Sage’s mom. Heidi Weston burst into the room like the doting, excited mother of the bride that she was, her gold dress swishing around her tall body and her joy-filled hazel eyes.
“Mom!” Sage surged to her feet and rushed into her mother’s arms. Rayna watched them with a wistful pang. The last time she’d hugged her own mom had been at Sea-Tac, a month after her twelfth birthday. Mom had volunteered for an aid trip to Honduras, then devastated by Hurricane Mitch. Though she’d been immunized against malaria, there had been no time to start on pills, too. She’d died doing what she loved best: helping others who needed it the most.
“Rayna!” Heidi charged. “Get your backside over he
re, girl; don’t think you’re getting out of this.”
She giggled but steeled herself. The guys at the base’s sports bar hadn’t nicknamed the woman “Mama Vise Grip” for nothing. Heidi hugged people with every muscle in her body. Today was no exception. Rayna gasped in tandem with her friend as they got squeezed together.
“Heidi!” A man’s voice buzzsawed the air. “You want me walkin’ her down the aisle or shuttlin’ her to the med center for cracked ribs?”
An older, barrel-chested man entered, his uniform decorated with enough medals to trim a Christmas tree. Rayna joined Sage in throwing grateful glances to him.
“Baby!” Heidi ran over to him, foregoing the rib torture in favor of curling herself against his chest.
“Major Boone.” Sage offered her hand and a smile. “Aren’t you the dashing one today?”
The man’s face crunched on a frown. “Sagie Pie, I’ve known you since you were twelve. Your mother’s been wearin’ my engagement ring for a year. Can we try for ‘Dad’ today?”
Sage’s eyes glimmered. Rayna swallowed hard, witnessing her friend struggle with the request. She’d shared water rations, dirt cages, and complete life stories with this woman. To Sage, the only meaning that went with “Dad” was the alcoholic asshole who’d skipped on her and Heidi when Sage was ten. In a moment of ugliness that didn’t belong with the day, Rayna entertained a secret fantasy that the man had hooked up with Zeke’s mom and they’d died of alcohol poisoning together.
Her friend’s watery sigh jerked her back to the moment. “How about ‘Walker’?” she suggested to the major.
He beamed. “That’ll be just fine.”
Rayna fidgeted with the cowl neckline of her own dress. The dark purple wool hugged the rest of her torso, including the long bell sleeves. That theme was emulated in the flowing swirl of the tea-length skirt. “I still want to know the meaning of ‘Sagie Pie,’” she quipped.
“Another day,” Sage chuckled.
The major stepped back and admired her from head to toe. He jutted his chin as his eyes glittered over. “Dear God, Sage,” he rasped. “That boy’s gonna want to throw you over his shoulder and cart you off to the woods before any of us can utter a felicitation.”
“Aww, Walker. Th—”
Sage interrupted herself on a gasp.
“The woods!”
Rayna cried it together with her.
“What about the woods?” questioned Heidi. “What’s wrong?”
“My bouquet,” Sage explained. “I wanted it to contain some wildflowers from the local forest.” Her eyes misted again. “Ava and Ethan volunteered to go pick the flowers, but that was an hour ago.” She swung a pleading look to them all. “The flowers are important. Thinking of this place…the lake, the egrets, the flowers…kept me sane so much of last year.”
Her voice faltered through the last part of it. Rayna grabbed her hand and twisted hard. “Don’t cry,” she ordered. “You don’t get to cry until Garrett does, missy.”
Sage’s gaze sparked with such bright green tints, she seemed a mischievous fairy. “You’re sounding exactly like Zeke Hayes on some very scary levels, Ray.” She broke out in a laugh as Rayna felt her whole face being dunked in the blush bucket. “Oh. My. God. Rayna Chestain! We are so talking about this during the reception!”
“Damn, dear.” The mutter came from the major. “You’re right. They really do have a language all their own.”
Rayna knew a good chance for escape when she had one. “I’m going to go find Ava and Ethan,” she announced, riveting her gaze to the floor as she scooted to the door. If Sage got another look at her now, her friend would detect the truth, all of it, in a second. Then she’d end up spilling what had gone down during Zeke’s and her own trip to the woods yesterday. The last thing her friend needed today was a maid of honor sobbing for all the wrong reasons.
Fortunately, everything looked different on the path this morning. Nearly twenty hours ago, wind and autumn sun had been slashing through the trees, sharp knives of weather that were so perfect for the pain in her heart with every word, glance, and touch she’d exchanged with Zeke. Their lasts of everything…
This morning, the world seemed ready for a new beginning. A silvery mist floated over everything, turning the world into a hushed herald for whispered vows of love. Rayna smiled as she looked toward the water. As if they’d been summoned by special messenger just for Sage, three egrets flew in through the fog and took position on the dock.
She delved deeper into the forest.
“Ava?” she called. “Cuz, are you still out here?”
That was an instant lesson in unsuccessful. Her voice got absorbed by the mist, traveling two feet at best. Rayna smiled, enchanted by the atmosphere. If her best friend weren’t getting married in fifteen minutes and her cousin didn’t have the bridal bouquet, she would’ve gone exploring for a fairy prince and princess—preferably a couple who could order Sage and her impish imagination into line.
“Ava? Ethan?”
She shouted it a little louder.
“Hey, you two. Where— Oh!”
Her cousin and Ethan forced the cry from her as they seemed to materialize from behind a tree. She dismissed the hocus-pocus theory in an instant, since Ava was wearing half the tree in her thick hair and down her back. Her cousin’s pale pink cashmere sweater showed off a nice collection of leaves, bark, and twigs, not that Ava noticed. She was too busy catching her breath and forcing her neckline to behave again. Ethan didn’t look any less guilty. Rayna smirked as he mumbled something like an apology, pushing Sage’s completed bouquet into her hands.
“Thanks.” She pushed some of the flowers around to create a more balanced look, blending in the forest blooms the pair had found during their mission. Obviously, that wasn’t all they’d found out here. Her grin widened. “Hey, umm, Runway”—she deliberately used Ethan’s radio call sign, thinking it would help the guy in the composure realignment department—“you have…some lipstick…”
“Shit.” Ethan wiped at his mouth. “Where?”
Rayna looked up to assist with the pinpoint. “Everywhere.” She giggled.
“Shit.”
“Don’t worry. Cut up the path to the right after you go back through the gate. There’s a side door into Sage and Garrett’s kitchen.”
“I owe you big-time.”
She laughed again, but the mirth faded fast as she turned up the path herself. As Ethan headed toward the shortcut, he ducked his head as if panicked. A second later, she saw the reason why. The mist gave up Zeke’s distinct form. Ethan had avoided getting caught in his uniform and a face full of smeared lipstick by two seconds.
The close call had nothing to do with her halted heartbeat.
Was he even real?
The dark jacket of his dress blues made his shoulders stand out against the fog in broad, perfect relief. His stripes, along with the curved triangle at their bottom denoting his staff sergeant rank, gleamed on his upper arm. His newly short hair turned every bold angle of his face into a proclamation of his power as a warrior and his potency as a man.
You want to repay that favor now, Runway? Make the world go away so I can drag your teammate into the mist and hump him like a naked forest nymph.
They walked toward each other with slow, hesitant steps. Rayna picked nervously at the bouquet as she walked. Hell. Cue the sappy soundtrack, and they’d make for damn great filler footage in a campy cable TV movie.
When he got within a few steps, Z stopped. “Christ.” His tone was full of reverence. “You’re fucking beautiful, Ray-bird.” He grunted at himself. “Shit. Sorry.”
“It’s all right.” Rayna let the corner of her mouth tilt up. “I’m the one who knows you’re human, remember?”
She expected a snarl. She got a self-deprecating laugh instead. “Right. Thanks for the reminder.” He lifted a hand toward her but dropped it after a few inches. “You okay?”
She rolled her eyes. “That question’s gett
ing redundant, Sergeant.”
“I know. But I’m human, remember?” He ducked his head to look through the trees, across the grass at the ceremony site. The string quartet started up, sending the strains of Brahms’s Menuetto toward them. “I think it’s residual paranoia, too. Garrett’s freaking out. Sage probably is now, as well.”
“What? Why? I left five minutes ago, and she was only at alert level orange on the spaz scale.”
“That was before we realized Franz is a no-show.”
“Oh, damn.”
“Oh, damn is right. Not often you get to have a CO who’s also ordained.”
She smiled. “Franzen’s a pretty cool guy.”
Zeke tucked her arm beneath his as they walked back through the gate. Rayna was tempted to pull away, but he kept his fingers pressed atop hers, a silent order to let him be gallant. It wasn’t like he was guiding her back to civilization by the ass. Not that she’d fight him much on that scenario, either.
“Well, right now his ‘pretty cool’ presence has been missing since he and Hawk traded texts yesterday at lunch. He confirmed he’d meet us for some beers at the Opal last night and never showed. Now this.”
“What do you think’s going on?” She knew he’d feel better if he could vocalize his strategy. If there was anything she knew categorically about Z by now, it was his allergy to helplessness.
He slowed their pace and lowered his voice. “I think whatever they’re spinning up for us on the mission, it’s going to be complicated and dangerous. I think they’ve sealed Franzen behind closed doors for the briefings on it.”
“Crap.”
“Pretty much.” He glanced to where Tait, Kell, Rhett, and Rebel helped to seat people at either side of the ceremony arch. His mouth became a tight line. “Which is why it’s really vital we get our friends married today.”
Rayna yearned to refute the inference of his tone. But playing ostrich didn’t do anyone good. Garrett needed to put a ring on Sage’s finger now. Her future, and the future of their child, might depend on it.