Sweet Time (Sugar Rush #4))

by Nina Lane

  Mia leaned forward on the sofa to study the map that was spread out on the coffee table. She’d gotten out all the wedding binders, and they’d been reviewing the entire event from start to finish.

  “What about the entry from the parking lot?”

  He explained the revised plans for access control, and though Mia didn’t love the idea of checkpoints, she understood the need for them. It also looked as if everything would be okay if she didn’t fight Gavin on every change and they worked together instead. She conceded that it must be a pain for him to have to modify all the security measures because of last-minute changes to the plan. And of course she didn’t want anything even slightly bad to happen at the wedding.

  She gave him new contact information for several of the vendors, confirmed that only certain people would be making deliveries, and agreed to his changes in access control.

  “Where will you be during the event?” She gestured to the map.

  “I have a command center set up here.” He tapped a room beside the kitchen. “But I’ll be patrolling the whole area and in communication with all teams.”

  “And the fireworks?” Mia asked.

  “I’ll review the details and talk to both Hannah and the guy who’s organizing them,” Gavin said. “I won’t make promises, but if it checks out okay, you can still have the fireworks.”

  She smiled, the last threads of tension easing from her chest. “Even though they’re a surprise?”

  “As you said, they’re not for me.” He rolled up the map and set it back in his briefcase. “I can handle surprises for other people, as long as no one’s safety is compromised.”

  “I’m glad you’re the one in charge.” Mia liked his efficient movements, his large, capable hands that could perform any task. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, feeling tired but satisfied at what they had accomplished. “I know everything will be fine in your hands.”

  He shot her an amused grin. “You didn’t think that at first.”

  “Yes, I did. I didn’t like you messing with my plans, but I’ve always known you can handle anything, especially protecting other people. There’s nothing you can’t do. It’s just one of the reasons I’ve liked you for so long.”

  He closed his briefcase and turned to slide his hands around her ankles. He tugged her feet onto his lap.

  “Trust me, sweetheart.” He rested his head on the back of the sofa. “There are a thousand things I can’t do.”

  “Well, making me feel good, both physically and emotionally, isn’t one of them. Because you do that so well.”

  A faint, humorless smile tugged at his mouth. He stroked his hands over her bare feet, trailing his fingers over the curves of her ankles and arches.

  “What am I going to do with you?” he murmured under his breath, slipping his hand beneath the hem of her fleece pajama pants.

  “Whatever you want.”

  He let out a short laugh. “You got under my skin the second I saw you sitting on the counter at the bakery, batting your eyelashes at me.”

  Mia smiled at the memory, remembering the zing of excitement she’d felt when she first saw Gavin, all steely-eyed and muscular, stride into Wild Child with his security team.

  “When you started talking about the bakery security system, you said you had to conduct a physical assessment,” she said. “And I told you that sounded fun.”

  “Mmm. I stripped you naked in my head right then and there. Gave you my own personal physical assessment.”

  “I wouldn’t have known that by looking at you.” Mia nudged her toes against his groin. “Given that you merely asked me if I was an employee, then told Polly you were going to check staffing security levels. I think that was the instant I decided to do whatever I could to get your attention.”

  “Honey, you had my attention with one look. If only you knew what I’ve imagined doing to you…”

  “You don’t have to imagine them anymore.” Mia wiggled her foot, a tingle racing up her leg as his cock swelled under the light pressure. “You can just do them.”

  He rubbed his fingers over the soles of her feet in a warm, gentle massage.

  “Your list,” he said.

  “Which one?” Mia settled back against the sofa pillow. “The guest list?”

  “No, the one you texted me at noon.”

  “Oh. I didn’t even know you got it.”

  “I did.” He glanced at her, still rubbing her feet. “So how did it feel to write those things?”

  That was what he wanted to talk about now?

  “Well… okay, I guess. I mean, I had to think pretty hard, which wasn’t all that fun.”

  “And how do you feel about what you came up with?”

  “Fine. It’s all true. I’m good at all those things.” She rolled the hem of her fleece between her fingers. “So why didn’t you respond?”

  He studied her with that seeing into her soul gaze that stirred a new longing inside her. A longing to let him into all the places where her fears and insecurities lurked, the ones she usually kept concealed beneath a candy-colored veneer of fun and pleasure.

  “I wanted you to think about them,” Gavin said. “You’re using all those qualities right now.”

  “What are you even talking about?”

  “By planning the wedding. You’re an excellent organizer, good with people and decorating. You also know how to manage your time. You’re a great friend who knows how to make this about Polly, not you. And yes, you make the bad stuff disappear, which is what people want when they’re planning a special event.”

  “So what does that have to do with anything?”

  “It proves you don’t have to blame yourself for deciding to major in French lit and not developing work experience. You have a skill set. Now you need to put it to more permanent use.”

  “I don’t know how.”

  “Think about it.”

  “Are you trying to psychoanalyze me again?”

  “Your beautiful brain doesn’t need psychoanalysis. You just need to know what you want. And to know you can do it.”

  She looked at the ceiling as she considered what he’d said.

  Maybe he was right that she was using all those qualities with the wedding—more, she’d genuinely enjoyed doing it, not only for her best friend’s sake but for her own. She’d loved processing all of Polly’s ideas, then working with decorators, florists, caterers, and musicians to fulfill her friend’s vision of a perfect wedding. She couldn’t have been more thorough with the details and dedicated to ensuring the event unfolded without a hitch.

  “When Granny turned seventy-five, I planned a surprise birthday party for her,” she told Gavin. “She loved wild animals, so the party was zoo-themed. It was so much fun. We had a zebra cake and I put all this greenery by the door so it was like the guests were entering a jungle. We had animal games and party favors. Everyone loved it. So I’m good at this kind of stuff. Planning events and parties.”

  “You are.”

  “Do you think I could do it for a living?” Excitement sparked inside her, and she sat up to look at him. “I mean, as a career?”

  “Do you think you could?” Gavin asked.

  “I could try,” Mia said. “Maybe see if there are any event planners looking to hire an assistant. Or maybe just do it myself. If I could put Luke and Polly’s wedding on my resume, that’s already an amazing reference. My friend Susan’s parents have a 40th anniversary coming up. I can ask her if she needs help with the planning.” She chewed on her bottom lip, considering. “What do you think?”

  “I think it’s a great idea.”

  “I’m not even sure where to start.”

  “Sounds like you already have,” Gavin said.

  She had, hadn’t she? She wasn’t well-versed about starting her own business, but Polly was now a highly successful businesswoman and could give her plenty of advice. And all their other friends would be happy to help out. She’d always liked going out
and having fun with their friends, but she knew they’d rally around her if she needed them.

  She rubbed her hands on her pants. “I’ve never thought of starting my own business before. I know from Polly that it’s a ton of work, but I’m a good worker. Especially when I’m working for something I believe in. I think I can do it.”

  “I know you can.”

  She looked at him, struck by the satisfaction in his blue eyes, the relaxed set of his shoulders.

  “Did you have that idea all along?” she asked.

  “I figured you could do something like that, yes. But the idea had to be yours.”

  “I think you lied. You really are psychic.”

  He smiled. “I’d never lie to you.”

  He certainly hadn’t yet. In fact, he’d been nothing but honest, sometimes painfully so. She got to her knees and moved across the sofa to him. He opened his arms. She settled against him, her curves fitting perfectly against the hard planes of his chest. Warmth flooded her, banishing any lingering frustration.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  He kissed the top of her head and folded his arms around her. And just like that, all the bad stuff disappeared.

  Chapter

  TWELVE

  During the day, Gavin had a laser-sharp focus on finalizing the security for Luke and Polly’s wedding. Nothing, not even Mia Donovan in pink fleece cupcake pajamas, could distract him when he was working.

  Then there was a point when he stopped working. And she flooded his thoughts like a waterfall breaking through a cliff.

  On Saturday, he paid another visit to Asante and a few other downtown bars, interrogating the bartenders and servers about a kid who fit “Danny’s” description, but came up empty. A search through his online resources revealed dozens of “Dannys” and “Daniels” in the area. Though he had no official reason to have the kid arrested, he wasn’t above issuing a warning and scaring him.

  He set one of his men to further searching before he left the Knight Security offices. Unless he was coordinating his team at a venue or event, he was accustomed to working until seven or eight, even on weekends, then heading home to cook dinner before trying to wind down with a hot shower or TV. Invariably he ended up working most of the night, in between sporadic sleep.

  He closed the front door and set his keys and briefcase down. His phone buzzed with a text from Luke—Don’t forget BBQ tomorrow at Dad’s. 5pm.

  Gavin texted back: Thanks, but working late.

  He could almost hear the exasperation in Luke’s tone with the reply: Tomorrow is Saturday.

  He punched out another text. And the wedding is in a week.

  No reply came after that. Not even Luke could argue with the timeline of his own wedding.

  Gavin told himself his distance from the Stones was due to professional reasons; he’d spent the past five years setting up his business and reworking the entire Sugar Rush security system. Didn’t matter that it was finished now—maintaining security and keeping all protocols up to date was a major part of his job.

  He unknotted his tie, poured a glass of scotch, and checked his mail and messages. There was another thick envelope with his name scrawled in black ink. He opened it and dumped out the contents.

  His blood iced. Photos of wedding preparations spilled onto the counter—the decorator leaving her shop, the villa manager, two women sitting at a table at Wild Child. Polly and… Mia.

  Anger bubbled inside him. How the fuck…?

  He opened the single sheet of paper. The black ink read: Are you ready? Because I am.

  Gavin smothered his anger. He set the note and photographs aside. He had to stay dispassionate. Letting his personal feelings take over could only lead to mistakes. He’d promised Polly her wedding would be perfect. And he’d vowed to protect Mia to the fullest extent of his abilities. He’d keep his promises, even if it meant shutting off everything he was starting to feel for her.

  He’d be an idiot to underestimate his adversary. This could be a diversion—that another area could be a target while the wedding was in progress. He already had a stronger security presence and police at Sugar Rush and the Stones’ private residences, both now and on the day of the event.

  He took a hot shower, changed into pajama bottoms and a T-shirt, and sat down to both finish his scotch and review the rest of the security measures. He logged in to the map of the Sugar Rush campus. The doorbell rang.

  His guard shot up. He peered through the peephole and yanked the door open.

  “What are you doing here?” he snapped.

  Mia blinked her green eyes at him. “Hello to you too.”

  “It’s almost eleven.”

  “I know. You showed up on my doorstep at almost eleven, remember?” She pushed past him in a waft of cheese and pepperoni, her arms laden with a large pizza box and a paper bag. “I decided it was about time I brought dinner to you. Pizza and a special treat from this little hole-in-the-wall bakery up in Santa Cruz. They just made fresh batch about an hour ago.”

  He frowned. “You drove all the way up to Santa Cruz alone just to get dessert?”

  “See how much I like you?” She gave him a sweet smile. He hardened his heart against its potent effect.

  “I don’t like you driving alone so late.” He closed the door and followed her into the kitchen. “Much less going forty miles away to some hole-in-the-wall.”

  “I have my cell, Gavin.” She narrowed her eyes and took two plates from the cupboard. “And it’s not like you cared last week what I did or didn’t do alone. Or at what time.”

  “That was before we were…” Shit. What?

  Mia lifted an eyebrow. “Before we were what?”

  “Before we were a thing,” he retorted.

  “Oh my.” She pressed a hand to her heart, her eyes widening. “Are we really a thing, Mr. Knight? Why, I just might swoon.”

  He crossed his arms and scowled. “You know what I mean.”

  “Yes, my Roman emperor.” She put her hand on his arm, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his nose. “I know what you mean.”

  She bustled around the kitchen, getting out napkins and glasses, taking romaine lettuce from the fridge to make a salad. In a red mini-dress, sheer stockings, and red flats, she was a valentine come to life. One who was starting to fold into his heart at the worst possible time.

  He tilted his head back and swallowed the last of his scotch. He shouldn’t have crossed the line. He’d known that even when he was stepping over it.

  And that wasn’t how he operated. Ever. So why was he taking risks for this little flowers-and-lace girl? Yeah, she fucked like a dream, but he could get some action anywhere. Instead he’d let his dick rule his head, and now he’d likely put her at a level of danger that made his blood freeze.

  “Sit down before it gets cold.” Mia waved him to the table.

  She poured herself a glass of wine from the bottle he’d left on the counter the other night and sat across from him.

  Tell her to go.

  The order snapped into his head, but his voice refused to issue the words. All he could do was try to smother the pleasure at the realization that he only needed to look up to see her sitting across from him.

  What if it could always be like that? What if she snuggled up against him every night and he woke to the all-encompassing scent and feel of her? What if she walked sleepy-eyed into the kitchen every morning, pressing a soft kiss against his jaw before asking for coffee? What if she texted him little notes throughout the day, asked him to join her for lunch, gave him little glances that only they understood? What if he could take care of her forev—

  Christ. He was turning into a sappy, lovesick asshole. One who had no idea how he was going to extricate himself from this young woman who’d made his heart beat again.

  “I had my final fitting for my dress this afternoon.” Mia lifted a slice of pizza to her mouth, oblivious of his inner commotion. “And I confirmed all the changes with Polly, who is fine with everythi
ng. She’s scheduled the rehearsal dinner for two nights before so we all get enough sleep before the main event. She’s all excited because Luke is surprising her with the honeymoon, so she has no idea where they’re going. If I had to guess, it’s probably Spain because I overheard him talking to Hannah about Barcelona.”

  Gavin was accustomed to dead silence when he came home from work, but Mia’s chatter was like music. At Wild Child, he’d always enjoyed the sound of her voice and her silvery laugh. He didn’t dare imagine what it would be like to have the sound of her filling his house all the time.

  “So what did you do today?” she asked.

  “Worked.”

  She nibbled on a pizza crust. “Do you ever do anything besides work?”

  “Not really. Though that’s changed somewhat over the past few days.”

  Her eyebrows drew together slightly. “But before we were a thing. Don’t you have any hobbies?”

  “I work out at the gym. Used to do a lot of running, but on my last tour I blew out my knees.”

  “Is that why you were medically discharged?”

  He nodded.

  She glanced at her plate, fidgeting with the edge of her napkin. “Can I ask you what happened?”

  His jaw tightened. He didn’t want anything staining her beauty, but this was his reality. It always would be. At some point, she needed to know the truth.

  “A nasty surprise.” He pushed back the black fog encroaching on his mind. “We were on a recon mission in a town outside of Fallujah. We’d pulled up near an abandoned building for the night. I was on the roof when the mortar blast hit. The building crumbled like a house of cards. The floor went out from under me. Broke both legs, shattered my knees. I was sent back for replacement surgery.”

  “And the PTSD?”

  “Yeah.” He dragged a hand down his face. “That was from everything else.”

  Shit. He hated the despair in her green eyes, the lines of sorrow on her forehead. He no longer wanted to keep her in a tower—he wanted her out in the world, charming people with her smile and helping them celebrate their lives. She belonged in a dream land, a place with cotton-candy clouds and an endless supply of ice cream. Not his world. Not a world where she was a potential target for a psychopath.