by J. L. Saint
“You lie,” Mari’s father shouted. “He lies!” He waved the gun in the air.
Out of the corner of his eye, Roger saw FBI agents turn toward them and the SOO barrel forward. “Gun!” Roger shouted the only warning he could as he dove for Mari.
The SOO was so intent on getting to Mari that he missed the threat and walked into harm’s way.
FBI and secret service agents realizing the threat buried him and Mari beneath their combined protective muscle just as Mari’s father fired a barrage of bullets.
By the time the agents let up him and Mari, her father was disarmed and on the ground, unmoving from a bullet to the chest. Hospital personnel rushed in to administer first aid to him but their expressions didn’t hold any hope.
The SOO had taken a hit in the back and was telling the hospital staff how to give him first aid. It would be a few days before he came after Mari, which gave Roger plenty of time to position Mari as safely as he could. At least he prayed it would. He turned to Mari, but she wasn’t at his side.
She’d gone to her father. Roger joined her. They hadn’t been able to save him. The hospital staff had covered her father with a sheet.
“He wasn’t always this way,” she said softly, tears in her eyes. “He was always an important man in the village with responsibilities but when we were little, he’d always take time out of his day to make Maisa and me laugh by pretending to be a wolf who tickled his prey to death. The day I was attacked he condemned me, and that father died to me. There was nothing I could do or say to change his mind then and there was nothing I could do or say to stop him from this end yesterday or today. Did his choices to hate drive him to this madness?”
Roger slipped his hand into hers. Mari turned away from her father’s body and Roger saw the doors to the hospital chapel to the right of where they stood. “Come on,” he pulled her with him into the quiet room, leaving the chaos and her father’s body behind. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his heart. “I’m sorry for all of your loss, Mari. For your father, for your mother, for your pain and most importantly for the loss of Neil. Choices we make determine who and what we become.”
She raised her gaze to his and instead of tears of sadness, she smiled at him. “And the choices we make after something terrible happens determine that as well. When the tragedy with Neil happened, you chose to step into the void. That choice saved me from Dugar and now from my father.”
She placed her hand over his heart. “If it is not too late, I’d like to choose too. I want to choose love and I choose you. I choose to create with my life and not to destroy. My child…children maybe…and I deserve to be happy. You deserve to be happy. So if you still mean what you asked me in such a hurry just a minute ago, the answer is yes. I will marry you.”
Roger’s heart thundered, his blood roared in his ears, and his vision dimmed. He went down on his knees and bowed his head before he fainted.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Were you shot?” Mari went down on her knees beside him, her soft hands searching over him, checking for an injury.
“Nothing’s wrong,” he sighed. “You humble me with your forgiveness. But if you don’t stop your exploration, I’m going to have trouble facing all of those people that are waiting just outside that door.” He nodded at the faces glaring at them through the glass-paneled doors of the chapel. “Before they descend, I have to tell you that I love you.”
She glanced at the spectators and didn’t try and hide her face at all. Her smile was like the sun itself. “I love you too.”
Epilogue
South Maui Beach, Hawaii
September 15
1830 hours
“Mari stop.” Roger shuddered, his eyes crossed and the rolling turquoise waves and glorious red sunset out the window blurred.
She ran a fingernail up his side and all along the underside of his arm then drew a circle in his palm. His erection burned harder and his hips jerked in response, he had no idea just how many nerves were connected to his dick. Everywhere she touched, everywhere she licked, every place her silky hair brushed over his skin she found one.
“Stop?” She slid her tongue down his stomach then blew her hot moist breath over his sex. Her silky hair fell across his groin and she brushed the tip of her tongue up the head of his penis.
He bowed up, heels and shoulders digging into the bed. “No. Don’t stop, just help me out a little. Take me inside.”
“When I’m ready,” she leaned up and whispered in his ear.
He exhaled. “Tell me who put you up to this?” Holly had to have talked her into doing this. But when? They’d seen Holly at the hospital together. She was on the mend and upset she missed all of the action.
When Roger told Dekker he was marrying Mari, Dekker had helped him delay Mari’s questioning, but had said they’d better hurry and get back before the SOO was released from the hospital. Dekker probably hadn’t meant for Roger to go all the way to Hawaii to do it, but he wasn’t about to give Mari anything less than she deserved and she deserved paradise for her wedding. The ceremony would be tomorrow morning at the Kula Botanical Gardens. He had the marriage license in his back pocket. Or had had it there before Mari stripped his jeans off him. He was still adjusting to waking up with his hands tied to the headboard. Delta Force had a motto, De oppresso liber, free the oppressed. He guessed he’d been a good soldier and had done his job.
She was liberated and killing him softly.
“You told me to do this,” she said. “In the cabin the other morning you said I’d have to tie you up to keep your hands off me. I figured it would be a good way to get to know you as well as you know me before we get married tomorrow.”
Damn. Now she’d scrambled his brain too. How could he not let her have her fun? How much more could he take without starting to scream? He could take all the pain in the world with barely a grunt. He’d trained for that, but pleasure. That was doing him in. Driving him crazy. If he were to yell, he doubted anyone would hear. They were in a private house on a secluded beach. So what was the big deal? The truth was, he wasn’t ready to lose that much control, to lose that much of himself in her that he was screaming for her to fuck him. He loved her though. He had been and still was willing to lay down his life for her. So why not?
If he wanted to, he could ditch the silk curtain ties she had wrapped around his palms, but he hadn’t wanted to spoil her game.
“Oh, hell,” he cried as she ran a nail down the sole of his foot and moved up his leg. When she cupped his balls he was breathing heavily. Then she leaned forward and drew his penis into her hot mouth.
“Oh! Yes, yes, yes.” He arched to her wanting more, but she let him go. She eased up his body, letting her breasts brush all along his chest. “Not yet,” she whispered in his ear again. “I’m not ready yet.”
He shifted, thrusting her higher up his body and sucked her nipple into his mouth before she could get her balance. She moaned and shivered as he stroked the hard point until he had her squirming.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice gruff with need. “You’re ready. You’re ready for me to taste your sweetness. You’re ready for my hot mouth. You’re ready for me to go deep. We’re both ready for it all. I love you.”
“Yes, I’m ready.” She sighed and kissed him, releasing the knots, freeing him to love her completely. He didn’t know what they would face when they returned to the States, but he did know they would do it together and that was all that mattered.
The morning was so beautiful. The lush vegetation of the Haleakala surrounded them in a cocoon of green, fragrant with the blooming white ginger, and alive with the orchids Roger had ordered. Each flower a beautiful work of art.
Mari stood facing him, her heart singing as she stared into his so-blue eyes. He kissed the vibrant gold lei he held and slipped it over her head. She did the same with hers, having to stretch up on her tiptoes as he bent down. He wore a white suit. She, a flowing white dress of lace and satin.
The priest spoke, a man with a voice as rich as the ancients and warm dark eyes and sun-kissed skin. “This morning we gather beneath the warmth of the sun to welcome you to this joyous celebration. Aloha. I share with you the Hawaiian word for love. Today Lt. Col. Roger Weston and Maryam Dalton have come together to celebrate and make eternal through the commitment of marriage the special aloha that exists between them. With aloha in their hearts, they promise to share their lives and have chosen their own vows to make this day their own celebration of aloha.”
Roger spoke then. “Mari, I choose you to be my lawfully wedded wife, and pledge to be your faithful husband. To share with you my heart, my life and my love. To give to you and make with you all the happiness I can for as long as I shall live.”
His heart and soul were in his every word and melded to hers as he slipped the simple gold band on her finger.
“Roger, I choose you to be my lawfully wedded husband, and pledge to be your faithful wife. To share with you my heart, my life and my love. To give to you and make with you all the happiness I can for as long as I shall live.”
Hands trembling, she slid the ring on his finger. They clasped hands and spoke as one. “Always and forever. Till death do us part.”
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Mari looked at him expectantly, her lips ready for his, but he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I’m not ready yet. You have to wait.”
She blinked at him shocked. Remembering her game last night—surely he wasn’t going to—
A woman came running up the steps to the wedding gazebo, carrying a large box. “They’re here.”
Roger smiled and took the box. “Open this first. Then I will be ready.” He handed her the box.
“What is it?”
“Just open it.”
Mari untied the ribbon and pulled up the lid. The moment she did, a shower of butterflies flew into the air around them, brightly orange with silver teardrops on their wings. They were the most beautiful present ever. And it was the most beautiful, most perfect moment of her entire life. She was speechless as tears of happiness and wonder streamed down her cheeks. Roger kissed her tears and then he kissed her, joining her soul to his in a way she never imagined was possible.
He knew her. He accepted her. He loved her.
About the Author
J.L. Saint is the pseudonym for USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer St. Giles. She is a nurse and mother of three. She has won a number of awards for writing excellence including, two National Reader’s Choice Awards, two time Maggie Award Winner, Daphne du Maurier Award winner, Romance Writers’ of America’s Golden Heart Award, along with RT Book Club’s Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Gothic/Mystery. Website: www.jenniferstgiles.com www.jlsaint.com
Look for these titles by J.L. Saint
Now Available:
Collateral Damage
As Jennifer St. Giles
Midnight Secrets
Darkest Dreams
Coming Soon:
As Jennifer St. Giles
Silken Shadows
Let a terrorist take her? Not over his dead body and damned soul…
Collateral Damage
© 2010 J.L. Saint
Silent Warrior, Book 1
One thing makes Jack Hunter invaluable to his Delta Force Team. The same trait that makes him suck at relationships. Single-minded focus on his career—and honing his ability to never miss a kill.
After a terrorist missile devastates his team and leaves him with only partial memory of a FUBARed rescue mission, he retains only one clear picture no one believes: the last face in his gunsight belonged to a prestigious American businessman. The man’s wife has to know something, but the only way to get to her is go AWOL.
After her husband trades his family to tango with double-Ds, Lauren Collins decides her dogs are better judges of character. She’s unaware how far her soon-to-be-ex’s web of deceit reaches—until the only thing between her, her sons and a killer is a wounded Delta soldier who activates her sorely neglected X-chromosome like nobody’s business.
Their instant attraction is kryptonite to Jack’s injury-dulled edge. Thrust into a world of peril, political treachery and treason, Lauren has no choice but to trust Jack with her life. Even if she and her sons survive, she’s not sure her heart will…
Warning: Contains a warrior who doesn’t hesitate to lay his body on the line, more than one emotional love story to tug at your heart, and chaos at Chuck E. Cheese.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Collateral Damage:
“Come in to the bathroom and let me clean you up, then we both can relax,” she said past the emotion clogging her throat. What almost happened was still too fresh in her mind for her to be anything but overwhelmed.
“I can do it.” He stood, coming so close to her that she had to take a step back. His nostrils flared as he inhaled sharply. He searched her gaze for a moment as if trying to assess her mood.
“So can I, and right now I need to make sure you’re all right more than you need to be Mr. Invincible.” She marched to the bathroom and pointed to the closed commode, determined to ignore the effects of his close proximity on her senses. “Sit.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up as he sat. “What’s next? The Terminator?”
“Sponge Bob Square Pants,” she said briskly as she turned on the water.
He snorted and winced. “Can we stick with Superman?”
“Depends on how cooperative you are, Dudley Do Right.” More like Studly Do Right.
He laughed, then groaned. “Okay. You win. Just don’t make me laugh again. No more torture.”
She opened the first-aid kit and he reached for the Ibuprofen, downing a handful of them before pulling off his stained T-shirt. The bathroom shrank to the size of a pea pod, a very warm pea pod. And the torture had just begun because ignoring him and the effect of his chiseled in stone physique became impossible. His every muscle was perfectly defined, supple and vibrant with life. Thank God for that.
This man had put his life on the line for their country numerous times. And he’d put everything on the line for her without question.
Taking the wash cloth, she gently cleansed away the dried blood then dabbed some antibiotic ointment to his wound and left it open to air at his insistence. She turned her attention to cleaning his neck and chest as well, lingering more than she had a right to, but unable to stop herself from relishing every touch. A touch he was clearly far from indifferent to, a reaction that filled her even more with want, with need, with excitement. He seemingly watched her every move with his heated gaze, but then she swore he’d stared at her mouth, her breasts, her sex so long that it was a wonder she didn’t burst into flames.
She surprised herself on how quickly she finished, then again, he had a way of warping her perception of time. It could have been five minutes, it could have been fifty, whatever it was, it wasn’t enough. She wanted more of him, needed to give more to him in so many ways.
That bullet had shot to hell any barriers or pretensions, leaving a raw need that only he could fill. She slid her palm against his hard-edged jaw and eased his gaze up to hers. His skin had become burning hot, his pulse raced beneath her finger tips, and his respirations had quickened considerably. “Are you sure you don’t need the hospital?”
“The hospital is the last thing I need right now.” His voice was like sandpaper, made her feel raw, vulnerable and that much more needy. He placed his hand against her hers and turned to brush his lips to the inside of her wrist. The simmering desire between them flared white hot and burned a path all the way to her core. She shivered with excitement. The connection between them was one that only a near-death incident could forge.
Her mouth went dry and she searched hard for the right thing to say to him. Her heart was so full, her need so great. She met his gaze. “I don’t know that I’ve thanked you enough. For being there yesterday. Today. For keeping my sons safe. For keeping me
alive.”
He started to shake his head and she stopped him. “Let me finish. I want to thank you for what you’ve done every day, for the years that you’ve been there doing what has to be done so I can live the life I live. It means more than I can express or ever repay.”
He exhaled. “Lauren, sometimes it’s a job, sometimes it’s more than that. It’s everything I believe. But right now it sure as hell isn’t—”
She pressed her finger to his lips, halting his words. “That being said, I want you to know this has nothing whatsoever to do with gratitude and everything to do with what’s in my heart.” She planted her mouth on his, ready to start this kiss where their kiss last night had ended.
The deeper they dig into the past, the closer they come to a killer.
Blood and Bone
© 2011 Dawn Brown
Crime writer Shayne Reynolds is looking for the next book that’ll get her out of her parents’ basement and on track to rebuilding her life. She’s found it in Robert Anderson, a confessed murderer who’s out on parole. Something’s never added up about that case.
From the moment she sets foot in Dark Water, nothing goes as planned. Anderson’s family wants her to drop the story—especially surviving son Des. A man who ignites sizzling heat even as he stands firmly in her way.
Laboring under his father’s crushing legacy and his grandmother’s iron resolve to get rid of the nosy writer at any cost, Des struggles to save the self-destructive sister who once saved him. There’s something honest and forthright about Shayne, though, that tempts him to help her get to the truth. Even if it means double-crossing his powerful grandmother.
Despite their resolve to keep it strictly business, sexual sparks quickly set fire to tangled emotions. And threads of a fragile bond that someone with a vendetta could use to weave their death shroud…