Her fingers reached for the doorknob but slid away when he grabbed her hair and yanked her back.
This was it. She had to fight or die, and she had way too much to live for.
He turned her around and pinned her to the wall with one hand at her shoulder and another at her neck.
Movement from the side caught their attention.
“Kellyn, honey. Go back to bed. Mommy will take care of this.”
Her little mouth hung open like she was in the middle of a silent scream.
Fury filled Marina.
“Dammit, get your ass to bed!” Craig yelled. “Don’t forget, you’re not allowed to say a single word.”
Kellyn turned around and ran.
All Marina cared about was getting her out of the room so she saw nothing.
“She doesn’t speak because of you.” Marina had had enough. She was a mama bear, and she’d do anything to protect her cub. There was no doubt that once Craig was finished with her, he intended to move to her baby. That wasn’t happening tonight.
“Unlike you, she’s smart, and she listens.” He tightened his hand on her neck. Spots danced in front of her eyes. It was do or die.
She’d learned in self-defense that if she let her body go to goo and fall to the floor, she’d have a chance to get away. She needed those few seconds to prepare.
She collapsed to the floor and rolled away. Craig stood stunned.
Marina popped to her feet. “Are you ready?” She fisted up.
“Ready for what?”
“To have the shit beat out of you.” She nailed him in the nose on the last word and didn’t let up until he was on his knees, begging for her to stop.
“I begged you and you never stopped.” She delivered a kick she hoped he’d feel for days.
“Mar Mar, stop. You’re going to kill me.”
She pulled back her foot and nailed him in the hip. It was his favorite place to kick her. Hurt like a bitch for a long time, and it bruised where no one was likely to see it.
“Then so be it. It’s a make-my-day state, and you’re breaking the restraining order.” She delivered a few more blows before she stepped back. “You’re a coward. Get up and fight me. You’re being bested by a woman.”
Craig lay curled in a ball at her feet. The man cried and begged for mercy but Marina wasn’t feeling sympathetic.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Aiden had traded his uniform for a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. He’d settled into the sofa to watch a movie when someone pounded on his door. He heard a wail that sounded more like a wounded animal than a person.
He flung the door open to find Kellyn dressed in her pajamas, her red block in her hand. This time she wasn’t silent. Her tears came with sounds and words.
“He…he kill Mommy again.”
Aiden’s heart fell to the hardwood floors. “I’ve got you.” He picked Kellyn up and put her on the couch. “I don’t want to leave you here, but I have to so I can save your mom. You stay here, okay? I love you. I will take care of you and your mom. I promise.”
She took in a jagged breath and curled into the corner of the couch, pulling the throw over her head. “Peas help Mommy.”
“I will, baby, I will.” Aiden slipped on his shoes and grabbed his service weapon before he shot out of the house like a bullet. He didn’t even take the time to call for backup, which was stupid, but Marina didn’t have time if she was fighting off Craig.
When he got to the door, her yell wasn’t filled with fear, but pure anger. Aiden found the door locked and kicked it open. He stopped to take in the scene in front of him. Marina stood with her foot on Craig’s neck. She was choking the life out of him.
He had two choices. He could turn around and let her kill him, or he could tell her to stand aside. He’d made the blunder of choosing for her once before. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
When Marina saw him she eased the pressure on her foot.
“Thank God,” Craig wheezed. “She’s trying to kill me.”
Aiden took in the surrounding situation. Nothing but a beer bottle was broken. He gave Marina a visual once-over. She was solid and unharmed except for the bruise blooming on her neck. Aiden pointed his weapon at Craig. “Don’t move even a fraction on an inch or I’ll shoot you.”
“I’m unarmed. You can’t shoot me.”
Aiden ignored him and walked to Marina. “Hey, sweetheart. You okay?” He glanced down at Craig. “Tough night?”
She laughed. It wasn’t a fun laugh but a laugh of disbelief. “Oh you know, same old, same old.”
Craig lay there bleeding on her floor. No doubt he had a broken nose. By the wheezing in his lungs, probably a few broken ribs. Maybe a punctured lung. One of his fingers wasn’t right. Bent at an odd angle. He’d never been so proud of Marina.
“You know I love you, and I respect your right to choose for yourself.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek without taking his weapon off the asshole. “Should I stay and call for back-up, or do you want to finish what you started?” Anger bubbled under Aiden’s skin. “Maybe I should kill him for you.” He made a show out of checking his weapon even though he’d chambered the bullet before he entered the house. “Yep, loaded and ready.”
Craig scurried back.
Marina shook her head as if she was clearing her thoughts. “You’d kill him for me?”
“Honey, I’d do anything for you. You want him dead?” Aiden hadn’t ever stepped outside the law, but he’d do it for Marina and Kellyn. It wouldn’t be too hard to prove that Craig came after him. Colorado was a make-my-day state, which meant it was legal to kill an intruder.
She lifted her foot like she might crush his skull. “You do love me, don’t you?”
“I do.” He looked toward the busted door. “I hate to hurry you up, but our girl is in my house. She’s crying and she asked me to save you.”
“She is our girl, Aiden.” Marina set her foot down. “How’d she get to your house? Is she okay?”
He shrugged. “I think she climbed out the window. She’d be better if you were there with her.”
“She’s not your girl,” Craig cried.
Marina kicked him again. “Shut up or I’ll kill you.” She pressed a kiss to Aiden’s lips. She looked at Craig and growled. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call for backup. Don’t kill him. He doesn’t deserve an easy death.”
“You got it, babe.”
She ran out of the house.
“Would you have killed me?” Craig asked from his place on the floor.
Aiden said, “Yes, without a second thought because a man should protect his family. A real man would do anything for his woman, including killing a worthless, spineless piece of shit. She spared you for now.”
Craig tried to smile, but his lips were swelling, which made his grin grotesque. “I won’t do time. My father would never allow it.”
Aiden pressed his weapon to Craig’s temple. It would be so easy to pull the trigger, but that wasn’t what Marina wanted. It wasn’t what he wanted either. His father had raised him to be a better man, but he also had raised him to protect what was his and what was important. In this situation the two conditions warred with each other.
Seconds later, the sirens of Mark’s cruiser filled the air.
He crept to the door with his weapon drawn. “You okay, Boss?”
“Never been better.”
“I need an ambulance. I’m injured,” Craig whined.
Aiden palmed his own chin, his shadow of whiskers scratching against his skin. “Did you ever call an ambulance for Marina?” He turned to Mark. “Call him an ambulance and tell them to pick him up in about an hour at the station. We’ll need a bus from Silver Springs.”
“No!” Craig yelled. “I want to go to Copper Creek.”
Mark handed Aiden his cuffs. Once Craig was secure, he lifted him to his feet. “You lost your right to choose.”
Aiden had Craig secured in a cold lonely cell, and made some calls to ensure he didn�
�t slip through the knots.
He arrived back home two hours later to find the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. Marina and Kellyn were tucked in his bed sound asleep. His keys jingled when he set them on the nightstand.
Marina opened her eyes. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t bring her back there. Not until the door is fixed, and it’s cleaned up.”
He didn’t want them to go back there. “Marina, this is where you belong.”
She patted the mattress beside her and he climbed in next to them. His arms circled them both. He breathed her in. She was coconuts and honey as well as fierce. He’d never felt so proud in his life. He fell asleep knowing that this was it for him. He would give up everything for them.
Aiden woke to a giggle and the weight of a four-year-old on his stomach. He opened his eyes. “Good morning, little monkey. I’m so proud of you.”
He ruffled her hair and waited. God, he hoped she’d found her voice for good.
She poked him in the chest. “I’m poud of you. I wuv you.”
Aiden hadn’t cried in years, but those seven words meant more to him than anything. He pulled her to his chest and cried into her hair. Marina rolled over and wrapped her arms around them both.
“She’s remarkably okay. I’m okay. You’re okay. We’re going to be okay.”
He squeezed them back. “Yes, we are.” There was no doubt of the truth of that statement.
He would have loved to take the day off, but there were too many things to do. A door to repair. A living room to clean. Most importantly, he had to make sure that the long arms of Mayor Caswell couldn’t reach his son. One of the late-night calls Aiden had made was to a friend who was also a judge. He’d explained the situation and asked if all proceedings could be moved to Silver Springs. Turned out the saying “it’s not what you know but who you know” was true. Also true was how karma came around to bless a person or curse them. In Aiden’s case, he’d done a favor for Judge Trumble a few years ago, and the man was happy to repay him.
“I’ve got to go to work for a little while, but why don’t we meet back here for lunch?”
Kellyn let out a litany of yeses before she asked for hotdobs and kips. Having been silent for so long, her words weren’t clear, but Marina and he understood her completely.
He left the girls at home and went to the office. According to Mark, Craig was handcuffed to his hospital bed. That was a relief, but something about Kellyn’s first real words rattled him. “He kill my mommy, again.” It was the word again that shook him to his core.
He spent the morning looking into the disappearance of the first Mrs. Caswell. Kari hadn’t been seen in over two years. There wasn’t any record of employment, car registration, or credit cards. No paper trail.
The one thing about kids was they didn’t play with words. They were literal.
While Marina made him coffee this morning she’d told him that Craig had told Kellyn she wasn’t allowed to say one word, and that was why she didn’t. What was he trying to silence? The only thing that made sense was she saw him kill her mother. He wasn’t ready to tell Marina what he knew in his heart. He needed to mull it over—to make sure. Besides, it would take time to get a search warrant for the Caswell house, but he wouldn’t stop until he got one and put Craig away for life.
When he got home, Marina was there, but Kellyn was gone.
“Where’s the little monkey?”
Her smile captivated him. “You know how small towns are. Word gets out and everyone wants to help. Katie invited the little chatterer over to make cookies.”
“Is she okay? I thought she’d be more traumatized. Maybe we should take her to see her therapist.”
“I already made the appointment and cancelled the dentist for today. We’re in Copper Creek all day next Wednesday.” She tilted her head back and looked into his eyes. “Dr. Thayer said to let her play this out. She saw Craig in handcuffs being put into the police car. I told her you saved us both and Craig can never hurt us again. She trusts me. She trusts you. Besides, she loves baby Sahara, so it looks like you’re stuck with me.”
“I can think of worse scenarios.” He ran the pads of his fingers over the bruises on her neck. “Does it hurt?” Seeing the marks made him wish he’d killed the bastard.
She nodded. “But I know how you can make it feel better.”
“Is that right?” He hardly recognized the low throaty growl that came from his mouth. It was love mixed with relief and need.
“Yes,” she said in a breathy whisper.
“I promised you a do-over.”
She held his hand and led him toward the bedroom.
“And you’re a man of your word.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Oh my God,” she moaned.
Aiden paused mid-thrust. “Sweetheart. I aim to please.” He rolled his hips and pressed forward. When he used the word aim, it wasn’t word play. He knew the exact place to put pressure to send her over the edge for the third time that afternoon.
Her body was boneless as the climax rolled through her. “Aiden…good God.”
He collapsed to his elbows, cupping her head between his forearms. The pace of his lovemaking didn’t slow or stop. His hips moved with precision to build her up again.
“I love you, Marina. I could have lost you last night before I made things right. Had the opportunity to show you how much I care about you.”
She gripped his hips and pulled him deep inside her. “I know you love me. You don’t have to show me how much in one day.” She wiped the sweat from his brow. “It’s your turn.”
“I never thought I’d see the day when a woman said she’d had enough orgasms.”
“Is that what you heard?” She pushed his chest, rolling him off her and taking his position on top. “I’ll never have enough of you. I’ll never reach my limit of pulse-pounding, heart-stopping climaxes, but you’ve given enough for today.”
She lined herself above him and slid slowly onto his hardness. Watching his eyes nearly roll back into his head and hearing him groan was the greatest reward.
He set his hands on her hips. “I promise to always give more than I take.”
She raised and lowered again and again.
“Oh holy hell.” His hips moved under hers. She picked up the pace until he couldn’t take it anymore. “Marina, I’m…I’m—”
“I know, let it go.” She pressed into him and stilled. His head moved from side to side as he peaked and fell over the edge with words of love on his lips.
They lay sated in each other’s arms, facing one another. She knew from the look on his face that he had questions. Questions that didn’t belong in their bed.
“Let’s get up. I can see an interrogation coming.”
He pulled her close and kissed her. “Not really, I was admiring your strength. Who knew my woman was such a bad ass?”
She rolled out of bed and put on his shirt. It hung nearly to her knees. “Out of bed, buster. There isn’t room for anything between those sheets but love, great sex, and sleep.”
When he stood, her eyes went from his shoulders to the heavy length between his legs. He was a beautiful man—tall and proud and hung. He was everything she’d dreamed a man should be—kind, gentle, loving.
He looked at the mussed-up bed. “It was great, wasn’t it?”
She brushed her fingers across his chest as she passed him on her way to the kitchen. “Best I’ve ever had.”
He stepped into his jeans and pulled them up. “Best you’ll ever have, you mean.”
He followed her while he put her favorite blue shirt on. “You’re sounding confident.”
He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Okay, the last I hope you’ll ever have, so not so much confident as hopeful.”
She took a glass from the cabinet and set it on the counter. “My last?” She liked the sound of that. She wanted no one else but him.
“You know where this is going.” He turned her around and lifted h
er to the granite counter. “I won’t ask today because it’s just too much too soon, but I will ask.”
“What do you want to ask me, Aiden?”
He smiled. “You know how I like things to be just right.”
She giggled. “I’m nearly naked in your kitchen. What could be more perfect?” She had a feeling about what he wanted to ask. She wanted to hear the words and know that the man who was saying them was serious about his intentions.
He reached above her head and took out a jar of peanut butter. “Sandwiches sound perfect. Damn, woman, you made me hungry.”
He moved away from her to get the bread and jelly. While he made sandwiches, she thought about her past.
“He never really asked, and I never loved him.”
Aiden’s knife stopped halfway through spreading the peanut butter over the bread. “I know. You stayed because of Kellyn.”
She nodded. “Yes, but I want you to know that I’ve never loved anyone like I love you.”
He dropped the knife and went to her, putting his hands on her thighs. “I’m so happy to hear that, baby. I’ve loved no one like I love you.” He ran his hands up her bare thighs until he reached under the shirt. “Round three or food?”
She gave him a quick kiss and slid off the counter in front of him. “Food, then round three.” She looked at the clock. Katie had said she’d bring Kellyn home by five. They had less than an hour left. “Eat up. We don’t have much time.”
She’d never seen a man wolf down a sandwich so quickly. They never made it back to bed. They took it to his shower, where he lathered her body and made her feel clean and dirty at the same time.
Dressed and sitting on the leather sofa like they hadn’t made love all afternoon, they waited. Aiden opened his mouth to talk, but closed it quickly. He did that several times before Marina reached out and touched his arm.
“You want to ask something?”
He looked at her thoughtfully. “I don’t want to ruin the day, but this is important.”
She scooted closer to him. “You can ask me anything.”
One Hundred Excuses (An Aspen Cove Romance Book 5) Page 15