The Marcelli Bride

by Susan Mallery

  “I thought you had to be smart to be a SEAL. I guess not.”

  • • •

  Brenna returned, and they completed the tour. Joe stayed in the background, watching Darcy as she interacted with everyone she met.

  He hadn’t thought about her as a person before. To him she’d been little more than the slightly attractive reason he was stuck here instead of back on base. Not that there was any guarantee that he would have been allowed to stay on base after the incident with the admiral’s boat.

  Now he saw her as an individual—one with a temper. She liked dogs, had a smart mouth, and was shy with strangers, although she forced herself to act otherwise. She was also afraid.

  Brenna opened her car door and Max jumped inside. She turned to Darcy.

  “I had fun,” she said.

  “Me, too.” Darcy smiled, then leaned in to hug her. Brenna’s large stomach got in the way.

  “I’m huge,” Brenna said with a sigh.

  Darcy touched her belly. “You’re lucky.”

  Her voice had a wistful quality that made Joe feel as if he’d stumbled onto something personal. Before he could turn away, Brenna reached for him.

  “All right, big guy. I’m outta here. Take care of our guest.” She lowered her voice. “I like her. Based on what I read in the paper, I thought I’d hate her, but I don’t. So be nice to her.”

  “You’re not the boss of me.”

  “So you like to think.”

  Brenna moved to the car and climbed in. Darcy stood there and waved until she disappeared around the corner.

  “That was fun,” she said when they were alone. “Your sister’s great. I really like how she bullies you.”

  “I let her think she bullies me.”

  “Oh. Right. That’s how it is.”

  Her eyes were bright with humor, her mouth smiling. She was pretty, he thought, as heat tumbled in his gut and moved south. And as much as he hated to side with Brenna—if she found out she would never let him forget—he agreed with her assessment of Darcy. From what he’d read in the paper, she was supposed to be a class A bitch. So far, no real sign of that.

  Paige strolled up. “Hey, Darcy. What’s up for the rest of the day?”

  “I’m not sure. I’d like to head out and sketch the vineyards.”

  “Sure. Give us about a thirty-minute heads-up. We’ll send you out with a team of three.”

  Darcy’s smile faded. “Sure. Thanks.”

  Paige wandered back to the guesthouse. Joe turned to Darcy.

  “Not in the mood for an entourage?” he asked.

  “I don’t mind that. Sometimes I forget why I need them. I’m not excited to be reminded.”

  “You were kidnapped. They want to be careful.”

  “And I want them to be careful.”

  She turned toward the house, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. Her skin was soft against his fingers.

  “What?” she demanded. “Did I disobey? Do I have to get down and give you twenty?”

  He studied her face. The shadows were darker today. “You’re not sleeping.”

  Instantly her expression closed, and she jerked free of his hold. “I’m fine.”

  “You should talk about it to someone.”

  “Are you volunteering?”

  “Maybe Paige could help.”

  “Don’t worry about me.”

  He knew what she was going through—not the particulars but what it was like to be unable to come down after an assignment. “There are ways to handle post-traumatic stress—”

  “Don’t you dare psychoanalyze me,” she told him. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

  “Actually I do. And while you’re already pissed off at me, I’m going to tell you to start eating better. And exercising. It will help you sleep.”

  She headed for the house. “Go away,” she called over her shoulder as she ran up the stairs and ducked inside.

  He wanted to, but there was nowhere to go. Like her, he was trapped here for the duration. Also like her, he had ghosts haunting his sleep and things he didn’t want to remember.

  6

  Two days later Joe heard a commotion in the driveway. As Darcy had stuck close to the house, he’d been trapped inside as well, and he was happy for an excuse to get outdoors. As he stepped outside, a familiar battered Jeep pulled up. Instantly several Secret Service agents appeared and surrounded the vehicle.

  “Don’t shoot,” Mia said as she got out of the driver’s side and held up both hands. “We’re unarmed.”

  Joe felt himself smile. When Mia was around, life was never boring.

  She spotted him and squealed. “Joe! You’re here! Did you know about the Secret Service? They stopped us at the turn-off to the driveway and searched the car. Now I think they’re going to take Ian out back and shoot him.”

  As she spoke a tall, lanky blond guy climbed out of the Jeep and also held up his hands.

  “I don’t get it,” the kid said, looking both confused and scared. “What I do?”

  Paige took Mia’s friend by the arm. “If you’ll come this way,” she said as she steered him toward the guesthouse.

  Mia waited until the agents had walked away before lowering her arms and racing toward Joe.

  “What gives?” she demanded as she launched herself toward him. He grabbed her and pulled her against him, then hugged her close.

  “All these questions,” he said, putting her down. “How about starting with a greeting?”

  She grinned up at him. Mia was barely five foot three, with big brown eyes and brown hair she always had streaked blond. Too much makeup stained her face, and she insisted on wearing trashy cropped shirts and too-short shorts. But she was pure energy, and she adored him with a devotion that never wavered.

  Her full mouth swelled into a pout. “You should be greeting me . You never answer my e-mails. Why is that? I’m very faithful about writing.”

  He patted her on the head, deliberately mussing her hair. “I don’t consider ‘hey, get any lately’ correspondence I want to respond to.”

  “You’re such a stick-in-the-mud.” She glanced toward the guesthouse and then back at him. “What’s up with the police brutality?”

  “They’re being careful.”

  “Who’s they?”

  Joe wasn’t sure what to say. Of all his family members, Mia was the biggest risk to blab. “You didn’t tell anyone you were coming to visit.”

  “This is my home, Joseph,” Mia told him sternly. “I don’t need permission to show up. So what did I interrupt? An alien landing? Secret nuclear experiments? Although Brenna won’t like anything that messes with her precious wine. Why don’t you—”

  The back door opened. Joe heard it, and he knew who had appeared by the expression of total stunned disbelief on Mia’s face.

  “Holy shit,” she breathed. “That’s the president’s daughter.”

  Joe glanced back at Darcy. “Meet Mia Marcelli, the youngest and least mannered of the four sisters.”

  Mia slugged him in the arm, then walked over to Darcy. “Wow. What on earth are you doing here? Are you lost?”

  Darcy smiled. “No. I’m hiding out for a few weeks.”

  Mia turned on him. “That’s why those government types came and asked all those questions. I thought it was about something else. This is so incredibly cool.” She looked at the guesthouse and gasped. “Oh, no. Ian wasn’t cleared, was he? That’s the big deal. I brought an unknown enemy into sacred territory. Jeez. What will they do to him?”

  Joe didn’t have the answer, so he shrugged.

  “You’re no help,” Mia said as she took off at a run toward the guesthouse. “Wait!” she yelled. “He’s not a terrorist. We’re just sleeping together. Don’t hurt him!”

  Joe watched her for a second, then turned to Darcy. “We’re all so proud.”

  Darcy continued to watch as Mia entered the Secret Service headquarters. “She’s great. I can’t wait to meet your
other two sisters.”

  “They’re both a little more low-key. Although Francesca has a master’s in psychology, which makes her think she knows more than she does.”

  “Then she must have a field day with you.”

  Joe hadn’t seen much of Darcy in the past couple of days. He knew he’d pissed her off, and he’d half expected her to report him to Paige or Alex, complaining that he’d crossed the line between the hired help and those who were part of the inner circle. But neither of them had said anything to him.

  Now he took in the shadows under her eyes—they were darker than before. There was a wariness in her expression, as if she expected him to attack.

  He told himself he didn’t care if she never slept again, that his entire focus was on getting through this assignment and getting back to the base. Nothing else mattered. Not her, not his family, and especially not the awareness he felt whenever she was around.

  “You’re looking fierce about something,” Darcy said. “I was teasing about your sister. You don’t have to be so sensitive.”

  He stiffened as if she’d shot him. “I’m not sensitive.”

  Darcy held in a smile. Men were so predictable. Violate their sense of manliness and they got all prickly and defensive.

  “Of course not. How could I have thought such a thing?” He glared at her but didn’t speak. No doubt he wasn’t sure if she was kidding. The last time they’d been together, he’d pissed her off, and she’d reacted. Maybe overreacted. She suspected Joe had only been trying to help.

  “I like your family,” she said as a change of subject. “Mia reminds me a lot of Brenna.”

  “They’re alike,” he admitted. “Katie and Francesca are similar, too. Less volatile.”

  She smiled. “Less interested in making you crazy?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “You’re a lucky man, Joe Larson,” she said. “You have a family most people would envy.”

  His expression turned from wary to trapped. She sensed he did not want to be having this conversation with her. She also knew that he wasn’t comfortable walking away from her. After all, she was the person they were all trying to keep safe.

  “Oh, I have to admit I like that,” she murmured.

  His dark gaze lasered in on her face. “Like what?”

  “Having power over an ex-SEAL.”

  One eyebrow rose. “Not in this lifetime or the next.”

  “Uh-huh. The thing is, you can’t go anywhere, can you?”

  She moved closer, then circled around him. Was it possible to make him do tricks? She grinned. His eyes narrowed.

  “Ever married?” she asked.

  “Once. You?”

  She laughed. “You hardly have to ask. Nearly every detail of my life has been played out in the press. No engagements, no serious boyfriends. At least not in a while. Dating the president’s daughter comes with restrictions most guys aren’t willing to take on. Now back to you. What happened to the little woman?”

  “I used to ship out for six, eight months at a time. Kind of makes it hard to keep the home fires burning.”

  Yet other men managed to do it. Why not Joe? He was good-looking enough. He had a body that was near godlike in its perfection. When he forgot to act as though he had a stick up his ass, he was okay to talk to. So why no entourage of women hanging on him? Why did he always act as if he would rather be somewhere else?

  “You do like women, right?” she asked, pretending a seriousness she didn’t feel.

  Fury erupted in him. She felt both the energy and the heat, but his control was impressive. Not by a flicker of a lash did he react to the insult. “What do you think?”

  “I think your past could make for a very interesting story. But don’t worry. I won’t ask you. There are plenty of folks around here who would like nothing more than to tell me all they know about you.”

  He groaned.

  “Oh, yeah,” she said with a laugh. “The hell of family. Why is it so hard for you to be with them?”

  “This isn’t a conversation we’re going to have.”

  “Why not?”

  “The subject doesn’t interest me.”

  But it interested her. Why did he resist such a wonderful group of people? From what she’d seen in the past two days, all that the Marcellis wanted was the freedom to love him. What wouldn’t she give to have a piece of that for herself.

  “I can help you with this,” she said.

  “No, thanks.”

  “Oh, but you don’t have a choice. We’re trapped here, and I could use a distraction.” She didn’t mean any of it, but threatening him was fun.

  “When did you get to be an expert?” he asked.

  “I’m not. Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. That’s me. Your new instructor on getting along with your family. We’ll have classes and everything. You can thank me later.”

  “Not likely.” His gaze narrowed. “This is a joke, right?”

  She arched her eyebrows. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  The man actually growled. She had a feeling he was thinking that he would rather have an arm cut off than deal with her and the Marcellis. Not that he had a choice. Neither of them were going anywhere, and she was in a position to force her will on him.

  For once being the president’s daughter didn’t seem like such a bad thing.

  • • •

  Mia Marcelli didn’t sit still, Paige noted. She squirmed, hunched over, straightened, then bounced to her feet.

  “I didn’t know what those agents wanted when they came to see me last week,” Mia said as she took the mug of coffee Paige offered. “I thought it was about the spy stuff.”

  “What spy stuff?”

  Mia rolled her eyes. “They keep asking me to be a spy. Is that crazy or what? I mean look at me. Do I blend in?”

  “Why you?” Paige asked. “Do you know?”

  Mia shrugged. “I do languages. Give me a good instructor and a few weeks and I can function using that language. Give me three months and I can talk like a native. It’s my brain. I’m really smart about other stuff, too, but languages are my thang. I try to pick up a couple every year, you know, just for fun.”

  As Paige had struggled with high school Spanish and barely passed, she didn’t know what to say. “Good for you. Did you accept any of the offers?”

  Mia wrinkled her nose. “No. I just graduated from Georgetown, and I’m starting with the State Department in September. This is my last summer of freedom, and I was going to spend it traveling with Ian. Are you guys going to kill him?”

  Paige laughed. “No. We want to find out more about him, though.”

  “Because of Darcy.” Mia’s eyes got wide. “Why is she here?”

  “There was a kidnapping attempt on Lauren. They took Darcy by mistake.”

  “Whoa—that’s scary. I wonder how you guys picked this place to hide her. But it’s good. I mean, the Grands will love her to death. I know they always make me feel better when I’ve had a bad day or something.”

  Alex walked into the kitchen. “We’re nearly done,” he told Paige, then he turned to Mia. “Your friend will be free to go in about an hour.”

  “So he’s not dangerous?” Mia asked. “I could have told you that. Ian’s fun, but not the least bit deep, and isn’t depth of character required for true commitment to a cause?”

  Alex stared at her without speaking. Paige was careful to hide her amusement.

  Mia rose and walked over to Alex. “You obviously work out. Talk about muscles. So who are you?”

  “Special Agent Alex Vanmeter. I’m in charge of this operation.”

  “Ooh, our fearless leader.” She glanced at Paige and grinned. “I just love military types. And guys into security. There’s that whole ‘take a bullet’ mentality. The ultimate sacrifice. Of course it doesn’t measure up against Kyle Reese in Terminator. He traveled across time, but death is a close second.”

  Alex sighed heavily. “Ms. Marcelli,” he began.

/>   Mia moved in close and rubbed her palm against his upper arm. “Mia. Call me Mia. And I’ll call you Alex.” She stared into his eyes. “Ian’s just a summer fling. It’s not serious at all. I mean, he’s fun, but I can’t imagine living with him for the next sixty years. He talks too much, and I’d be forced to kill him. Then I’d need to be punished. Would you want to be the one to punish me, Special Agent in Charge Vanmeter?”

  Paige had a feeling that if Alex had been drinking, he would have spit. Color darkened his cheeks as he jerked free of her touch and stepped back.

  “Perhaps you would like to return to the house until we’re finished questioning your friend,” he said firmly.

  Mia sighed. “All right. But if you change your mind, let me know.”

  She waggled her fingers at Paige and sauntered out of the guesthouse.

  Paige began to chuckle as soon as Mia left.

  Alex glared at her. “You think that’s funny?”

  “That you have a groupie? Absolutely. She’s just playing with you, Alex. She doesn’t mean it.”

  He grabbed a bottle of iced tea from the refrigerator. “If she gets in the way of my job, I want you to talk to her.”

  “Oh, no. If you have a problem with Mia, you take it up with her. She’s not a threat, and if you can’t handle a little flirting from a twenty-one-year-old grad student, then you’re not the man I thought you were.”

  Alex’s glare deepened. “You like her.”

  “Of course. She’s fabulous.”

  “Then she’s your problem.”

  “Sorry, no. I’m busy with Darcy.” She moved close and batted her eyes. “But I’m sure a big, bad agent like you can handle little Mia.”

  Alex set the bottle on the counter and grabbed her upper arms. There was nothing challenging about his hold, or threatening. But the second he touched her, everything changed.

  For a moment, time shifted and Paige found herself slipping back to her weeks in training. When Alex had been so much more than a fellow recruit. The heat of his hand burned through to memories she’d thought she had forgotten. The scent of his body reminded her of being naked and in bed and never ever having enough of him.