by Bonnie Vanak
Wondering what he’d do when he finally remembered...
* * *
She had made love with this man, let him into her body, bared her emotions before him. They’d tangled together in hot passion last night. Dale was an excellent lover, tender and considerate.
Now, in the soft light of dawn, he looked official and commanding, a stranger capable of breaking her arm.
Or her heart.
She watched him dress in his navy blue double-breasted jacket with the thin gold stripes on the sleeves. Layers of medals decorated his left breast, along with a shiny gold pin, an exact duplicate of his inked arm.
So handsome and distinguished.
She jumped up and helped him adjust the navy blue tie around his crisply ironed dress shirt. Her fingers rested on the navy SEAL pin, a symbol of his dedication and honor.
“Fancy duds, sailor. Got a date?”
“With brass in D.C. I’ll be back late.”
Gray eyes twinkling, he caressed her cheek. “I’ve never had a naked woman help me dress.”
Glancing down, she blushed and covered herself. Dale pulled her hands away. “Don’t. You’re such a beautiful sight in the morning. You make my blood race.”
He kissed her, making her blood race. Dale leaned his forehead against hers. “If I stay here, all your hard work will go to hell because I’m going to rip off all my clothing and get naked with you in bed.”
With a final kiss, he donned his white hat and left the room.
Keira sat on the bed, hugging herself. They were closer than ever, and nothing seemed to threaten her bliss. No Centurions banging on her door, invading the house. Keira touched the slave armband on her biceps.
Under Dale’s protection. As long as he never renounced their agreement verbally, she remained safe.
But for how long?
Chapter 20
Her first dinner party ever. Keira felt more nervous than a new bride entertaining her husband’s business partners.
Dale wanted to fully incorporate her into his life. All the Phoenix Force SEALs and their wives and girlfriends were invited. And, at Keira’s insistence, Ensign Lees. She needed a familiar face, female company who could set her at ease.
Because being around Dale’s team at an intimate dinner party scared the hell out of her. What if one of them had been in the basement along with Shay? What if she were recognized?
And Shay himself, his presence was left as a question mark. He might make it. Probably not.
Leaving Dale to finish preparations, Keira went onto the back deck and stared at the sun sinking behind the trees. Pink streaked the sky. Dale had family. He had his team, who would die for him.
She had no one.
Suddenly she felt unbearably lonely, missing her people, though it had been years. She thought of her little brother, his bravery and kindness.
How the Centurions, too, had brutally slaughtered him.
A sob rose in her throat.
The sliding glass door slid open. Two warm arms encircled her waist. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” He pressed a soft kiss to her nape as she gathered her composure.
“I’m worried about dinner. All those big bad SEALs and we’re serving a wussy fondue to start. Can’t imagine them eating fondue.”
Dale turned her around. “Honesty, Keira. Remember?”
I remember, but you don’t.
“I was missing my family,” she admitted. “Missing them, oh, so much. You have parents, two sisters and nieces and nephews. And your team, who are your brothers in blood. I have...no one.”
He kissed the corner of her mouth.
“You have me.”
Dale kept kissing her mouth, little brushes of his firm lips. “And once the guys really get to know you, they’ll adore you. They’ll have to, because if they don’t, I’ll assign them to deploy to the nearest ice cap to target-shoot penguins.”
Horrified, she drew back. “Penguins?”
He grinned, the gesture impish and boyish. “Well, maybe just the ice floes.”
A steady beat of gnawing trepidation pounded through her veins. “I made enough for the entire navy. You’re not expecting anyone else to drop by?”
“Ensign Lees and her boyfriend. Shay’s on the road. Won’t be joining us.”
Relief flooded her. She grasped his shoulders to steady herself. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
* * *
Ensign “Call me Robyn” Lees brought her boyfriend, a hybrid wolf shifter. “We fight like cats and dogs,” she’d told Keira, with a teasing but adoring look at the tall, lanky man.
The men immediately gathered in the dining room, where the cheese fondue was set up on a side table. They began animated discussions while their wives and girlfriends shook their heads.
“Boys and their toys.” Sienna, Lt. Parker’s wife, shook her head. “I swear if Matt isn’t blowing something up or shooting something or running as a wolf, he gets so restless.”
Keira smiled stiffly. “You mean running with his wolf.”
Six sets of eyes gazed at her.
“She doesn’t know,” Robyn told them.
“We’re all paranorms. I’m a Fae,” Sienna explained. “No need to watch yourself. Just worry about a sudden surge of magick or someone accidentally releasing a power bolt.”
“Or Sully materializing in the bathroom when you’re taking a bubble bath.” This from Leona, a pretty blonde witch, who blushed when she realized what she’d revealed.
The women laughed and started talking about male faults.
Tightness in her muscles gradually faded as she listened. These women were ordinary, despite their origins.
Maybe I can fit in with Dale’s world.
Leona sighed. “I get so tired of the guys all congregating together, and then we sit around and gab. For once, can we all get together? Any ideas, Keira?”
Inspiration seized her. “A few.”
She went to the untouched Steinway and opened the lid, lovingly skimming a few keys. Dale had not played for her. But she sensed the music inside him, sensed his love for his art had been set aside, and had not died.
Keira sat at the bench and began banging on the keys. The women laughed and held their ears. But Dale entered the living room, dismay on his face.
“Sweetheart, I’m allergic to bad playing. Must you?”
“Only if you take my place.”
Abandoning the piano bench, she looked at him. All attention riveted to Dale, who stared at the piano with the same avid longing he’d centered on her last night.
You can do it, she mouthed to him.
The cocky smile he flashed assured her he could.
Dale sat at the bench. The SEALs exchanged amused glances. “Cover your ears, wolf,” Dallas joked to Dakota.
He began to play, fingers rippling over the keys, coaxing the music out with each skilled and swift stroke. Keira closed her eyes and enjoyed the music, her spirit singing with each note.
When he finished, a crashing crescendo, there was silence. Then Dakota clapped. Everyone else followed, the applause like thunder.
Gaze soft, Dale turned to her.
“Thank you, for giving me my music back.”
He reached up, cupped her nape and kissed her. Keira closed her eyes, not caring they had an audience, not caring about anything.
She wanted to hold this moment in her hands, and cherish it forever.
“You’ll thank me more if I don’t burn dinner,” she whispered, and kissed him again.
Scurrying into the kitchen, she focused on setting out the dishes. The other women drifted inside, helping, their chatter making her feel accepted and normal.
Now she was not a wolf held captive by demons all these years, but a woman with a man who cared deeply for her.
Maybe even loved her.
Like I love him.
The potato masher stopped in midair. Stricken she stared into the half-beaten potatoes. Love Dale? She couldn’t love him, couldn’t give her heart to a
man accustomed to strict military procedure, who readily admitted his team meant more than any relationship.
A man grateful for her “woo-woo” methods, but who would never eagerly embrace her ideals of trying to find the good in people. Because he was too busy searching for the bad.
Keira ignored the bitter feeling as she continued preparing the meal.
Tonight would be a good night. No matter what. No demons, negative thoughts or sadness would dash her hopes for a successful dinner.
Keira pulled the dish of green beans from the oven as the doorbell rang.
Voices sounded in the hallway. A deep, assured male voice and a woman’s voice that sent a chill rushing down her spine as she froze, holding the casserole dish.
“Sweetheart, look who’s here!”
Turning, she peeped through the kitchen down the hallway.
And dropped the platter of green beans. It shattered on the floor, vegetables splashing at her feet, the walls.
Oh, please, no, not now, not now...
In through the door walked a fair-headed woman with a gentle smile and a tall, rugged SEAL. Chief Petty Officer Sam “Shay” Shaymore and his new bride, Kelly.
The only living people who could reveal her true identity.
Panic clogged her throat. Keira staggered back against the counter, staring from the kitchen at the happy reunion taking place in the hallway.
“We didn’t know what to bring, so we brought it all. White, red and the bubbly stuff.” Shay thrust three wine bottles at Dale.
“Champagne, Sam.” Kelly kissed his cheek. “So good to see you again, Curt. You look well. Much better. There’s color in your cheeks.”
“All thanks to my girlfriend. Come on in, make yourselves comfortable. Need to get into the kitchen. I believe there’s a crisis with green beans.”
Crisis? More like a full-fledged emergency. Break out the life vests, boys, I’m sinking.
The other women fussed and helped her clean up the mess, efficient and effective, as she dropped to her knees. She focused on picking up the shards of broken dish.
Like the shards of her broken life.
Dale rushed into the kitchen and dropped beside her. “You okay?”
“The green beans jumped out of the oven and to the floor,” she said lightly.
Concern etched his handsome face. “Forget it. I’m more worried about you.”
A lump rose in her throat. Soon, you won’t be. “I’m fine. Get everyone seated. Dinner’s almost ready. I have more than enough veggies to make up for the dead green beans.”
As the others gathered in the dining room, she bowed her head, fighting for control.
Shay would see her. And tell his commander. She expected nothing less. She was caught. Maybe she could plead a headache, go upstairs before Shay saw her...
If she bowed out now, she’d bring more attention to herself. Suddenly she just wanted the ruse to be over with, for Dale to know the truth.
He’d heard it from her, but did not believe her.
Maybe hearing it from someone else would convince him.
In the meantime, she’d do her damnedest to ensure everyone had a good time.
Dale deserved a nice night with his men and their significant others.
Pasting a wide smile on her face, she carried the first course into the dining room.
* * *
The man stared at her through dinner. Sweat poured down her back as she ducked behind the tall arrangement of fresh roses Dale had brought her. But there wasn’t any escaping the scrutiny of Chief Petty Officer Shaymore.
Every dish was met with praise. Talk flowed easily, the women steering the conversation as surely as a captain guiding a destroyer out to sea, avoiding shoptalk. It was a lovely evening, or would have been, if not for the young SEAL studying her as if she were an enemy in their midst.
But I am.
When dessert was finished, she stood to clear the table. Shay stood, as well, and glanced at Dale. “Sir, I need to talk to you.”
“Sounds official. This is a dinner party. Can’t business wait until tomorrow?” he asked.
“Honey, he’s right. Let’s relax. No shoptalk,” Kelly told her husband.
Shay sat, his narrowed gaze focused on her like a wolf’s. Ignoring the panic curling in her stomach, she began to clear the table.
The others helped. She shooed the men from the kitchen.
“Dale, why don’t you play some more? Entertain everyone. Try something modern that doesn’t sound like a dirge.”
He shot her an amused look. “Beethoven is not dirge music.”
As everyone filed down the hallway to the living room, Kelly remained in the kitchen. “Keira.”
Here it comes...
But the woman’s voice was soft and her eyes were kind. “It’s you, isn’t it? The woman from the basement.”
She started to deny it. Shoulders sagging she nodded.
“Sam and I didn’t remember your name, some kind of memory block. But your face, I’ll never forget it.”
Hugging herself, she stared at the floor. “And you remember what I did to Dale.”
“I remember how terrified you were, how you begged the demons not to make you hurt him anymore. You were forced against your will.” Kelly glanced at the open doorway, where laughter drifted down the hallway, followed by the piano playing. “Have you told Curt?”
“I tried to tell him. He doesn’t remember.”
“A memory-blocking spell. Or perhaps he doesn’t want to. You have to trigger his recollection of what happened.”
“Don’t ask that of me,” she whispered. “I’d rather die.”
“No one will blame you for what happened. You were a victim, as well.”
Bitter laughter choked her throat. “Oh, right. Tell that to them....” She jerked a thumb at the hallway. Paul and Robyn had already left with excuses. Only the SEALs remained, a close-knit gathering of men who’d die for their leader.
Or kill anyone who hurt him...
The woman clasped an odd silver pendant hanging from a chain around her neck. She rested a hand on her arm. “Then let me help you. Close your eyes.”
Trusting this woman, trusting anyone who knew what she was, proved difficult. Keira shook her head.
“Please. I want to help.”
Finally, she closed her eyes, relaxed. A warm tingle raced through her veins, and she felt a rush of connection, entwined with pure love. The love shook her to the core. Tears trickled from her eyes.
Then the warmth faded, and Kelly removed her hand.
She opened her eyes, wiping them with the corner of the frilly white apron. “What did you do?”
Kelly pointed to the pendant. “I used my triskele to link us. A slim link, but a psychic one. It will deflect Sam’s fury because if he tries to hurt you, he’ll sense me and all the love I have for him.”
“Such a powerful love,” she whispered. “You’re blessed.”
A sad smile touched Kelly’s mouth. “I love him with all my heart, but he has faults, too. And one is struggling to forgive someone who’s hurt him, or anyone close to him. Curt is more than his commanding officer. He worships him like an older brother and would do anything for him.”
“I’ll remember that.”
* * *
When the last bottle of wine was polished off, their guests left. She joined Dale in the bedroom, collapsing onto the pretty window seat.
“You were terrific. Thanks.” He kissed her, his mouth warm and firm. A tingle raced down her spine.
Dale started to tug his shirt over his head. Keira reached for the lamp.
“Leave it on.” He stood before her, scars crisscrossing his muscled chest. “I want to make love to you in the light. ”
Keira undressed and dived under the covers. Dale aimed her his crooked smile and tugged the covers back. Then he jumped onto the bed and pulled her to him, kissing her. His tongue traced the tight seam of her mouth. He tasted like cherries, wine and chocolate. Ben
eath the gentle, yet authoritative pressure of his mouth, she moaned for more.
He rolled over, opened the nightstand drawer and retrieved a condom. Dale ripped open the foil package and sheathed his erection. Then he applied a liberal amount of lubricant over his shaft.
“I’m sorry. I can’t wait.”
He mounted her and pushed his penis deep inside, past her tight muscles. Keira clutched at his wide shoulders, her fingers digging into the scars her claws had created. He began to move, his fierce gaze capturing hers. It proved too intense and she closed her eyes.
“Look at me, Keira. I want you to see who’s making love with you,” he told her.
He nuzzled her neck, blew into her ear. She shivered delicately, her nipples hardening into tight buds.
With exquisite smoothness, he pushed into her. Keira writhed a little, trying to find some ease as his thickness penetrated her fully. She sucked in a breath, and relaxed, opening to him. He pulled back, and began to stroke inside her, his penis rubbing against her sensitive tissues, the friction creating a delicious heat. His muscles contracted as he thrust, powerful shoulders flexing.
Slowly, he moved, giving her time to become accustomed to him. Tenderness shone in his darkened gaze. Something inside her eased, the demon blood receding to the furthest corners of her mind. Keira felt only pure goodness, and joy, none of the guilt always dogging her heels. It felt as if Dale’s courage and goodness pushed away the evil darkness inside her with gentle, healing light, the strength the demons tried to steal from him now flowing freely into her as they joined their bodies. Silky chest hair rubbed against her aching breasts, his hard torso sliding against her soft abdomen. She arched to meet his rhythm.
Wonder came over her face as she watched him. His mouth parted on a gasp, lips trembling. The bed beneath her was as soft as down, the male pressing her backward onto it solid muscle. It felt as if he locked her spirit in his, a closeness she’d never experienced until now.
His thrusts became more urgent, harder, until his flesh slapped against hers. Wrapping her legs around his pistoning hips, she reached for it, the tension growing until she felt ready to explode.