They spent every waking hour—when they weren’t at work—together, and thanks to the cameras, he felt like he spent the days with her as well. Some evenings they were at his place, sometimes at hers, but he never spent the night under the same roof again. The temptation to join her in her room would have been unbearable and he didn’t want to screw this up with her.
It was growing late and Joel held Sage tight against him. It was past time to say goodnight, but he found it harder and harder to leave her each night. He stole one more kiss standing inside the front door, trying to convince himself to turn the knob and leave. He reached behind him to touch the door when her eyes widened.
“Don’t,” Sage said, grabbing his sleeve. Worry filled her gaze.
“I can’t stay all night,” he said, brushing the hair back from her face. “You’ll be fine.”
“No, it’s not fine. Something.” She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath. “Just wait. There’s something—I don’t know—something bad’s going to happen tonight. With you. Just, don’t take off yet.” Her face was pale, her eyes intense.
“Sage, nothing’s going to happen.” Joel pressed a kiss to her forehead, wondering why she suddenly freaked out. Then his cell phone rang.
She clasped shaking hands in front of her. “That’s it. That’s what’s wrong.”
“Honey, it’s probably just something at work.” He fished it out of his pocket. “This is Joel.”
“It’s Trudy.” Her voice hitched, bringing Joel to full attention. “Wade... there was a blood clot... he had a massive stroke.” Her voice broke and she didn’t finish the news, but Joel didn’t need her to say the words. Wade hadn’t made it and all of the good feelings of the previous moment shriveled up and blew away while dread and horror filled his chest.
“Trudy, is your family there? Your parents? Did his arrive today?” Joel pulled Sage closer, needing contact as pain ripped through him. Wade had been fine—they’d spoken on the phone that afternoon. He’d been jovial and excited to go home again. They had planned for Joel to bring Sage to visit when Wade felt well enough.
“Yes. They’re here.” Her voice hitched as she struggled with the words.
They spent the next few minutes talking while Joel tried to calm Trudy down even as he fought his own anguish. He couldn’t cry, though. Not yet. Not while he was trying to hold it together for her. At her request, after he hung up, he called Riley and asked him to spread the word among the SEALs. Then Joel buried his face in Sage’s hair, pain ripping through him as he tried to accept that Wade was dead, that their earlier phone conversation had been their last.
Sage hugged and petted and soothed, and instead of going back to his own place, Joel let her lead him to the sofa again, where they curled up together. A few hours later he woke from a nightmare when he rolled off the sofa onto the floor, Sage still in his arms.
“What happened?” he asked, still breathing heavy from the images in his mind. This time the nightmare hadn’t been a memory, just a mash of images and emotions that clogged his throat and made it hard to pass air.
“It’s just a dream.” Sage rubbed his arm, soothing him even as she lay half on and half off of him from when he rolled them off together. “Let’s go up to my room. It’s more comfortable there.”
“I... No. I should go.” But he didn’t want to. The thought of facing the darkness made him shudder. Wade was gone. His eyes burned, but he extricated himself from the embrace and set her aside, then moved toward his jacket.
Sage took his hand and tugged him up the stairs. “It’s okay, I’ll let you sleep on top of the covers if you want to. We’ll both sleep better up there.”
He doubted he’d sleep at all if he had the chance to hold her on her bed. But he craved her presence, and the thought of going home alone filled him with dread, so he let himself follow her up the stairs.
When they reached her room, she kicked off her shoes and crawled under the covers, fully clothed. “Come on,”
Joel wavered for a moment, then pulled off his own shoes and slid in still wearing his jeans and T-shirt. As he gathered her close again, he thought about how much she had come to mean to him, and how much worse this night would have been without her. When had anyone been there for him like this? His unit had his back in battle, as friends, but they all had their own things. No one had ever just been there for him, loved him like she did. No one before her ever seemed to think he was worth it.
He brushed a kiss against the crown of her head, determined to show her what it meant to him. Despite his expectations, he drifted off to sleep again.
Sage wasn’t sure when Sunday dinners had become a normal and expected part of the routine for the house, but sometime after the hotel opened Jonquil or Rosemary had somehow organized dinner every Sunday night for anyone who was in town and not on call at the resort. Sometimes Harrison popped in, Blake was almost always in attendance, but Joel was at Sage’s side every week.
She’d always thought having someone shadowing her every move would drive her crazy, but as time passed and he was more firmly entrenched in her life, she didn’t feel irritation at his presence. Or not often, anyway. Joel was comforting, reassuring, even when he was drilling her on safety precautions or dragging her to the shooting range—which he did twice that week despite the cold weather. Or maybe it was the care that he showed, ensuring that she could protect herself if he was unable to help her that comforted her.
Sage leaned back against his chest after the food was gone and banter started to flow. She watched the byplay of people in the room. Vince and Rosemary were having a heated discussion comparing the Rockies to the Mets—even though Sage doubted Rosemary cared one way or the other about the Mets—she hadn’t watched any sports since they’d moved to Juniper Ridge. Blake and Lana were discussing some show they had both seen when it was touring in Chicago, Lana playing with the long necklace she always wore under her shirt. And Cami and Jonquil were dishing out the dessert Rosemary had put together. Delphi was on call at the resort that weekend, but she didn’t always participate, even when she was available.
Sage enjoyed hanging out with her sisters, watching how the near-hostile atmosphere of their first meeting had slowly started moving toward friendship and even sisterhood—though arguments over whose turn it was to do the dishes still abounded. There was a long way to go, but they would get there, eventually.
She let out a breath of air, opening her mind as she snuggled back against Joel. A feeling of wrongness slammed into her and she shivered, clutching at her shirt. She studied everyone’s faces, tried to reach into the ether for answers to where the feeling came from, but couldn’t pinpoint the source of the trouble. The feeling grew and she reached for Joel’s hand, squeezing it tight. “Something’s wrong.”
“What do you mean?” He shifted her dark curls away from her neck and laid a kiss against the sensitive skin of her nape.
The doorbell rang and Lana hopped up. “I’ll get it.”
Sage’s bad feeling intensified and she called out, “Lana, don’t answer it.” She was half out of her seat before she knew it.
Lana shook her head and opened it with a grin, then looked around, ending with a glance at the ground. She screamed and jumped back.
Joel and Blake were both upright in a heartbeat, running to her.
Sage’s heart seemed to stop when she saw the horror on Lana’s face, and she watched Blake glanced out the door and blanch. He pulled Lana into his arms, pressing her face against his chest with one hand. Seeing them together like that, the truth about them as a couple practically sang to her. Lana was pregnant. She pushed back the impressions of them—bits and pieces of the past and future twisted together. She forced it away, focusing on what upset her sister. There would be time to think through the rest later.
Joel’s expression was grim and he stepped around something, shutting the door so he was outside.
Sage started to go to him, but Blake shook his head. “Don’t go out there. Really,
you don’t want to see it.”
“It was horrible, horrible,” Lana’s voice was muted against Blake’s shirt, but she held on, not removing her face from his chest, grasping him tight.
Sage’s stomach dropped and she swallowed hard. “What was it?” If the surprise on the porch was that bad it could only have come from one place, and she had enough going on without adding another “present” from her stalker.
The whole mood of the group was subdued now, tense, as they waited for Joel to return, or someone to say what the fuss was about. It only took another minute for Joel to come back in, shutting the door tight behind him. His face was granite hard as he finished up a phone conversation. “Yeah, I’ll keep everyone away from it until you can send someone out.” He hung up and turned to Sage, walking over and taking her hand.
Joel led her to the sofa and waited until she sat before explaining. “There was a little surprise on the doorstep. A paper there had your name on it, and it was signed YFH.”
“Your Future Husband,” she whispered. She hadn’t needed to hear it to know it was true, but somehow the confirmation made it worse. When he nodded that she was right, she forced herself to ask. “What kind of surprise?”
He pressed his lips together as if unwilling to tell her, but explained after a moment. “Mr. Sunshine. Apparently YFH doesn’t care for cats.”
“He’s dead?” she asked, feeling faint. He was never allowed into the house, but she had grown fond of him, enjoying quiet nights on the back porch during the summer, listening to the crickets and stroking his warm fur.
“Worse.” Lana said, her voice shaky. “Mutilated.” She pulled out of Blake’s arms and ran for the bathroom. The sound of retching followed.
“He’s never going to stop. He’s angry.” Sage looked at Joel again, feeling helpless. “What’s he going to do next?”
Joel pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Apparently he didn’t have any more answers than she did.
When Joel stepped back outside to speak with the deputy who came to take pictures and statements, Sage slipped up to her room to pack a bag. She couldn’t stay here anymore, taking the risk that her sisters could be in danger. And she didn’t want to be apart from Joel, not now when the stalker had gotten so twisted.
Maybe it made her weak that she needed Joel so much, that she wasn’t able to stand on her own two feet, but if that was the case, she didn’t care. For once she would let her weakness guide her—to stay with Joel, where she belonged. All of this time she’d held back, thinking he wasn’t interested in her, but now she knew how strong the chemistry was between them, that it wasn’t all on her side, she wasn’t going to let him get away. He was everything now, and she wasn’t going to let him keep her at arm’s length ever again. Especially not when staying here could put her sisters in harm’s way.
She set the suitcase by the front door as Joel came back into the house.
“Where are you going?” Cami asked. “You’re not running away.” The comment was more command than question.
Joel’s gaze flashed to the bag and then to Sage’s face. His eyes showed his worry and fear, even though his face was still a mask.
“I’m going home with Joel. It’s not safe for the rest of you if I stay here anymore,” Sage said. “I don’t want to take any risks and Joel can protect us both better at his place.”
“But the rule from your dad’s will,” he objected.
“I talked to Alex a few days ago. He said there was a provision for emergencies, and that this would fit under that rule.” She mentioned the estate attorney, who was also Lana’s cousin. Her stomach quivered, proving she wasn’t as sure about Joel’s reaction as she pretended to be. What if he didn’t want her taking over the only private space and time he had left?
“Are you sure?” he asked. His eyes were asking much more than the words alone said.
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, until Rosemary cleared her throat. “Are things cleaned up out there? And does anyone still feel like eating the cobbler I made?”
There was a moment of silence, then Vince stood. “I’m in. Anyone else?”
It was just the ice breaker everyone needed. Lana didn’t feel up to dessert after emptying her stomach earlier, but the rest of them sat down to cobbler.
A few minutes later Joel stood and took Sage’s empty dish, setting both of theirs in the dishwasher. “I’m going to take a quick walk around the property, then I’ll be back for you.”
Sage nodded and grabbed her coat.
“You’re sure?” Jonquil asked. “He hasn’t been back into the house since your birthday. We’re safe here.”
“Thanks, but no. It’s bad enough that you got hurt in my car. I don’t want to take a risk that anyone else is going to get hurt. Besides, it’s not like it’s a hardship to spend time with Joel.” She smiled, though it lacked the happiness she might otherwise be feeling. She still couldn’t believe her stalker had hurt Mr. Sunshine. He was a sweetheart, and a really good mouser. She had spend so many hours loving on him when she didn’t have anyone else to talk to. Why had her tormenter done that, taken him away from her? And how hard for Mr. Sunshine. She hoped death was quick and the rest came afterward. The thought of it made her stomach turn, and her heart ache.
Joel came back in, picked up her bag and pulled out his pistol. “Stay close behind me.”
She hoped the gun was just Joel’s paranoia, and he wouldn’t actually need to use it, but she wasn’t about to call him on it. Not while she still felt shivers going across her skin at the thought of the surprise on her doorstep.
It took less than a minute before they were walking into his kitchen. Joel set the alarm and locked up tight, pulling down the shade. “Wait here while I clear the house.” He walked through the house systematically, checking every window lock and making sure all of the drapes were closed so no one would be able to see in.
Sage stood in the kitchen, shivering, waiting for him to tell her it was safe—this was a new layer of caution she’d never seen him use in his house before, and it made her even more nervous.
He returned to her, grabbing her bag and taking her hand. “Come on. It’s warmer in the bedroom.” He led her up the stairs. “When all of this calms down, we can re-evaluate what you want to do about living arrangements. For now I can set up the air mattress in the other room for me.”
“Don’t. There’s no reason for that, and you won’t sleep as well,” Sage said. Her heart was pounding in her chest. “Please, I don’t want you a whole room away.”
Joel took both of her hands and studied her face. “If I stay in here with you, I won’t promise that I’ll be a gentleman.”
She wet her lips, nerves zinging through her. She needed him close, needed the constant reassurance of him, to have him to hold, and she was sick of letting him keep anything back from her. “Maybe I think you’ve been a gentleman too long already.” She leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his and he pulled her into his arms. The kiss went from tentative to passionate in a heartbeat and Sage knew she was where she belonged.
In the morning Sage woke to the sound of weights clanking in the next room, accompanied by some Queensryche turned low enough not to wake her. She smiled, realizing she was in Joel’s home. She stretched in the bed and checked the clock. It was her usual wake-up time.
She rose and headed for the shower to get ready for the day. As she left the bathroom a while later, Joel passed her, going in to take his turn. “How are you this morning?” he asked.
“Just fine.” Her eyes slid along his sweaty frame, the tank top damp with perspiration. “You look fine too.”
He leaned in to kiss her. “I’m going to hop in quick.” He checked his watch. “How long do you need to finish getting ready?”
“Twenty minutes.” That would give her time for her morning meditation.
She went down to the living room in case he turned on music while he was getting rea
dy. She sat crossed legged and breathed in and out. She heard the water in the pipes, the refrigerator humming and eventually, the pounding of her own heart. There were no strong impressions this morning, but after the events of the previous night, that was fine by her.
Sage felt centered and at peace when she heard Joel’s footsteps on the stairs. She looked up at him and smiled.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Just meditating.” She unfolded herself and accepted his hand up. “It helps me feel more centered, in tune with the universe.”
He nodded and smiled. “Does it help you with your precognition?” There was an edge of condescension in his voice. He was verbally patting her on the head as if he thought it was a joke. He’d never done that before.
Hurt flooded her. How could she make him understand? “Yes. It makes me more receptive.”
His brows lifted a little and amusement lit his eyes. “I guess that makes sense.”
“You think I’m full of crap, don’t you?”
He walked into the kitchen and pulled yogurt and bread from the fridge. “Do I have to believe in precognition as long as I accept that you believe in it?”
She folded her arms over her chest, pain shooting through her. “Right. And if you believe communism is bad and I pat your head and say you must be right, but think you’re nuts, is that okay with you?”
“That’s not the same thing at all.” He shot an irritated look at her. “Why do we have to argue about this? It’s not like you can prove it.”
“Right. So the day you got the call about Wade and I told you something was going to happen hours before the phone rang, that was nothing, right? It was all in my head.”
He opened his mouth to rebut, but she didn’t let him. “And when I told you not to leave me at home the next week because something bad would happen and two minutes later you got the call about the blood clot, that was in my head too. And telling Lana not to open the door last night must have been a dream. Maybe I imagined that I had those impressions.” She grabbed the yogurt from him, a spoon he had just set by it and whirled to go back upstairs to eat it.
SEALed With Love (DiCarlo Brides book 2) (The DiCarlo Brides) Page 14