Love Redone

by Peyton Reeser

  Grinning like a loon, he swept forward so quickly she blinked just once before he was towering over her. Reaching for the hand that hung at her side, he was powerfully aware of the slight trembling he detected before his huge, warm hand engulfed hers. She tensed for a fraction and then relaxed into his touch, bringing him a rush of gritty satisfaction from the acceptance that arced through him like a thunderbolt. His mind briefly blanked while he blessed the saints above for that single moment of truth.

  Before settling them into the luxurious front cabin of the massive Barrett jet, Nick took charge of the hand he was still holding, pulling her into another section of the plane. They walked through a small work zone that looked like a flying office, past the forward galley to a rear cabin where several people were already seated.

  Shannon was caught a bit off guard by the presence on his plane of what looked to be a small family and was more than slightly curious what was going on. A tiny sigh of acceptance left her throat as she silently acknowledged that no one was full of more surprises and hidden depths than the man pulling her along behind him down the aisle of his private plane. As always, he just took command of whatever situation he found himself in.

  Who she assumed was the patriarch of the gathering leapt to his feet and met them in the aisle, hand extended, a warm greeting ready “Mr. Barrett, I am Alejandro Reyes. There are no words to thank you for what you are doing for me and my Sophia,” he uttered with sincere emotion. Shannon was awash with warmth as she picked up on the intense gratitude and good will that was swirling all around them the minute Nick’s hand connected with that of Mr. Reyes.

  Nick looked a bit discomfited at the man’s words, as if thanks were the very last thing he expected or wanted to hear. Still gripping Shannon’s hand in his, she felt a flare of connection flow between them, from the hand of the man looking at Nick with intense gratitude through Nick himself, and although she still had trouble reading him as clearly as she did everyone else, she could feel his satisfaction through their clasped hands.

  Pulling her forward until she was at his shoulder, Nick introduced her to their guest with an undisguised sense of pleasure and pride.

  “Mr. Reyes, let me introduce Shannon Reynolds to you. She will be accompanying us on our trip east. She’s probably wondering in her female mind why I didn’t tell her we’d have company today.” He ended with a conspiratorially comical tone that men use in mixed company when they are making jests about themselves and how they handle their women. Especially if they suspect they might be in for a stern look or worse!

  Laughing, Mr. Reyes jumped in as he shook her hand. “Ah, my Sophia would be taking me to task in such a situation, but you must not be angry, Miss Reynolds. Mr. Barrett is an angel to me and my family for allowing us to fly east with him.” With a face glowing with pride he told her, “You see, our son Anthony is a Marine! He’s a good boy,” Mr. Reyes continued as he looked around at his wife before turning back to her, “and a good soldier. But…he was wounded in Afghanistan and is in hospital near Washington. Mr. Barrett is so very kindly giving us a lift so we can bring Anthony’s family to him when he needs us.”

  Shock must have shown on Shannon’s face, for he instantly added a heartfelt, “Don’t let this worry you, Miss Reynolds. God has been good to Anthony and his injuries will heal, with a lot of rehabilitation. We go to help our son now thanks to this man here.” He looked at Nick with nothing short of worship, making the man in the spotlight of gratitude practically squirm in embarrassment.

  Shannon swung surprised eyes at him. Her astonishment at what he was doing vanished instantly when overcome by the deep, deep pleasure she found in this completely selfless act of kindness. The look he gave her and the aw shucks grin that followed were so cute and unpretentious that they melted more than just her heart.

  “Please, let me introduce you to my Sophia,” Mr. Reyes interjected. “As you can see, the babe is asleep in her arms so she cannot get up.”

  Talking to his wife in rapid Spanish, they spoke briefly before Mr. Reyes turned back.

  “Sophia sends you the blessings of a grateful mother, Mr. Barrett. We will never be able to repay you for the kindness and help you are showing to our son,” he offered in translation of his wife’s words, which she emphasized with a look of pure gratitude as she gazed at Nick.

  “Mr. Reyes, sir…please call me Nick. And tell your wife it is she who is blessed with so wonderful a family and a son to be proud of who risks his life for his country.” Looking a tad uncomfortable with the open appreciation of the Reyes family, Nick was trying to deflect the praise coming his way. Watching the interplay, Shannon was struck by the many different sides of this man that she had seen just today. Gentle lover-in-waiting—Shannon liked that phrase because it made her feel powerful—take-charge man, joshing buddy with a crew of men’s men, and now secret do-gooder.

  Remembering just where they were, she felt today’s puzzle pieces falling into precise order. Yes, he wielded his power and authority without apology and the obvious trappings of enormous wealth were evident everywhere in his life, but not all of what she was seeing was indulgent or abusive. Her long-held bitterness for the life of money and power she’d assumed he’d chosen over her had been crashing down brick by brick as the wall of resentment erected around her bruised heart lost its sway.

  Realizing she’d been deep in thought, Shannon melted back into the moment while Nick was earnestly telling Mr. Reyes and his wife that he was honored to be of whatever service he could and went further by telling them that he tried to always include a military family with travel needs in his journeys when the room was available. This reveal brought a burst of pure joy to her awakened heart.

  “I will call you Nick if you will please call me Alejandro,” Mr. Reyes said proudly before he turned in Shannon’s direction. “Miss Reynolds, my wife bids you hello and apologizes for not getting up. The babe is Anthony’s son! My Sophia holds him close every chance she gets. Please, both of you come meet my family.” Alejandro smiled proudly as he drew them forward.

  Speaking in English, he introduced Shannon and Nick to his son’s young wife, Melissa, who it turned out was a kindergarten teacher in San Diego. She and Anthony had married just as he started his first of three tours of duty in harm’s way. The baby, Jon, was only four months old and his daddy had still never met him. Their reunion would be sweet, and she spoke with eloquent gratitude to Nick for making it possible.

  Next was a young man, probably late teens, in a very proper button-down shirt and khaki pants whose demeanor screamed private school, stood to shake their hands. This was Michael, Alejandro’s youngest son and adoring little brother to war-hero Anthony. He, too, was politely composed and deferential toward Nick in a way that reminded Shannon that he truly was a man amongst men. A standout in all ways that term implied. He wasn’t at all like the spoiled playboy she’d been angry at all those wasted, empty years.

  Then it was time to meet Alejandro’s wife, a lovely Latino woman with jet-black hair and vibrant brown-gold eyes whose quick smile and easy manner drew Shannon in. Reverting to Spanish, Alejandro made the formal introductions to his wife. Before anyone could say another word, Shannon quickly stepped around both startled men and knelt down by Sophia’s seat.

  Having picked up on Sophia and Alejandro’s fluent interaction, Shannon immediately began speaking in perfectly nuanced Spanish, completely in tune with the dialect and regional eccentricities they displayed in their speech.

  Watching as Shannon spoke in rapid Spanish to an obviously delighted Sophia, Nick thought to himself, this is what she does. This is what I remember so clearly, how she could read a situation like nobody’s business.

  The two women chatted away like old friends as Nick watched contentedly, proud of her abilities, the ladylike way she behaved, and the intuitive way she had of putting everyone around her at ease.

  When one of her beautifully delicate hands reached up to ruffle the dark-brown curls of the half-sleeping child
, Nick’s heart flipped over in his chest watching the natural and loving interaction. He was immediately assaulted by the vision of Shannon lovingly moving her fingers through the long blonde curls of a little girl who looked to have the cute-as-a-button mouth of her mom and the adorable dimples of her daddy. Didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess where that vision came from since all of Nick’s thoughts and senses were specifically focused at all times on grabbing that longed-for future with both hands and doing whatever it took to seal the deal and make her his forever.

  Suddenly, as she was lovingly stroking the adorable baby in Sophia’s arms, Shannon looked up, directly at him, straight into his soul. They stayed like that for long moments, staring intently at each other as another thread was rewoven between them, stitching some small, still-unspoken part of their tattered hearts back together.

  “This is your woman, Nick? She is special, this one,” Alejandro said just loud enough for her to hear.

  Nick, never taking his eyes off of her, replied, “Yes, yes she is. We are both lucky men, Alejandro.”

  Alejandro laughed out loud as he said for all to hear, “My luckiest day was finding my Sophia, and I dare say you seem to have done as well, my friend!” He slapped Nick on the back and extended his hand once more in a bonding handshake, bringing nods of approval from all assembled and smiles of delight from the two women at the center of it all.

  Taking their leave of the charming Reyes family, Nick and Shannon retreated once again to the front of the massive plane to sit in the well-appointed main cabin for takeoff. Each had been relatively silent, lost in private thoughts and musings, after having seen to the safety and comfort of their guests during the long flight ahead.

  Nick was grateful for the chance to sit down and relax after having to help Shannon to her feet when they left the rear cabin. Kneeling down next to Sophia and her adorable grandson had caused a hesitation when it was time to rise, a reminder of the injury that had started this long, odd journey they had embarked upon. Her ankle, while doing so much better every day, was still a bit stiff and unyielding at times. Was it total reflex that had her reaching out for Nick’s assistance when she went to stand? He wasn’t sure, but regardless, he was enormously glad that his ever-watchful eyes had been one step ahead of her, for he was already preparing to help when her hand shot out.

  Now that they were away from the effusive praise of the Reyes’s, Nick was happy to focus his full attention and energies on Shannon. Helping her to a seat had allowed him to wrap an arm protectively around her waist, aiding her passage through the plane, a simple action that brought him immense pleasure and contentment.

  He hoped his gentle touch and solicitous attention was making those emotions clear to her. Nick wanted Shannon to fully understand how important to him and precious she was in his life. Their long nights sleeping in the same bed when he’d held her and their limbs had twined together in total perfection had set the stage.

  The fancy luggage he’d had delivered for her to use, the limo ride to the private hangar, the huge private jet with the Barrett logo emblazoned on the side—all of that was part of who he was and pretending otherwise wouldn’t be truthful. Since being completely open and honest was the only way to move beyond the outright lies and half-truths from the past that had almost destroyed their future, Nick had sagely decided to just let it all unfold as normal. There was also real effort being made on his part to open up so she could see inside his heart and mind. These things, he knew, were important to her.

  A female flight attendant approached them with a polite smile and a basketful of cookies and bottles of fruit juice, which she carefully placed into a special holder on the small shelf next to them.

  “Mr. Barrett, Miss Reynolds, the Captain has informed me that we are in line to begin taxiing the runway. Your guests and crew are secure, sir.” she said directly to Nick. “Are we ready to get underway?” After getting a quick nod and a “Thank you, Nadia” from Nick, she efficiently evaporated back to wherever one’s private flight attendant went, giving Nick an opportunity to lean closer to where Shannon was seat-belted in.

  “Off we go, little one,” he said gently as he ran a finger down her face from ear to chin. “East coast, here we come!” he added in a jolly tone, bringing an adorable soft pink blush to her cheeks and those beautiful eyes to his. Her face told a million stories, all of which warmed his heart, for at that moment there was no shadow of lingering doubt or anger from the past hovering nearby. It was a gloriously free moment when he couldn’t stop himself from straining against his seat belt to lean close enough to place a tender smooch on her sweetly kissable mouth.

  As the plane began to taxi to their assigned runway, Shannon sat back in the outrageously comfy leather seat aboard the equally outrageous, luxurious company jet that would take them from her simple, uneventful Southern California life to the east-coast realism of Nick’s grown-up world and a long-put-off visit with her parents and brother.

  Okay, so maybe her boring and ordinary life was not so much that anymore, she marveled inwardly. Not since she’d slammed full speed into her past in more ways than one. In just a few short days, she had retreated from the business that had been defining her life for far too long, leaving everything in the more-than-capable hands of her assistant, Rory, and allowed Nicholas Barrett to overtake her life like a hurricane. Life as she knew it had certainly changed in oh so many ways, including the part where she had allowed him into her bed. To sleep, yes. But even that had been a huge step for her.

  She watched out the window as the plane picked up speed, hurrying down the runway, gathering energy to take off and glide to the sky. Still feeling the after- glow of the gentle kiss Nick had gifted her minutes ago, Shannon was suddenly glad he was next to her. He had reached out and taken her hand, giving it a gentle little squeeze at the moment of takeoff. She was not a secure flyer, preferring distraction to watchful attentiveness when she had to travel, but his reassuring presence and the way he always seemed to know what she needed relaxed her immeasurably. She gave herself up to enjoying the plane’s quick ascent and the capable way the pilot brought them in short order to a cruising altitude, which he announced via the onboard communications system.

  The second the seat belt sign went off, Nick reached out and unbuckled her so quickly that she gasped in surprise, hauling himself out of his own seat and bringing her with him to sit side by side, legs touching, on a soft, leather sofa.

  His unexpected actions and physical movement of her body had caused Shannon’s dress to hike up her long, tanned legs before she knew what was happening. It was a naturally modest reaction for her to instantly try to tug it back into place because she never had been one for showing too much skin in public. While being alone in a sequestered cabin aboard a private jet didn’t qualify for public, Shannon was trying to readjust herself when she caught sight of Nick’s face.

  His fierce gaze all but burned her legs as he stared at her bare limbs with undisguised appreciation. She actually gulped because right then the air around them became drenched with a blatant sensuality that scrambled her thoughts and dried her throat. She stopped trying to tug down the hem of her favorite vintage Ashlynn McVeigh dress, feeling a twist of feminine delight unfold at her core as she simply allowed him to look to his heart’s delight.

  His eyes became dangerously hooded with desire and something she else couldn’t quite pinpoint. Her breathing became short and shallow with expectation since she had no idea what would come next.

  * * *

  Nick’s mind clouded with erotic imaginings as he devoured the long, lissome limbs bared to his hungry eyes. That he wanted those tanned, soft-skinned extremities wrapped securely around his hips as he hammered her body with his powerful thrusting hips was a no-brainer. So far, they’d weathered a storm of raw emotions from their painful parting that hadn’t completely killed the opportunity for a handful of kisses and stolen caresses.

  Hell, any time they were even in the same room, he had an in
stant hard-on and experienced a deep, insistent need for this woman that no amount of time or her denial was going to change. Allowing Shannon to set the pace was by far more difficult than any business deal he’d ever been involved in, for his need to take control and move her along to the desired end game was an instinct he knew had to change. His past actions when he had chosen for her and taken away her right to have a say was a bitter lesson learned the hard way. This stage was all about Shannon. With time now on his side, he was sure they would get there because her need for him was so painfully obvious; each time he touched her she all but went up in flames.

  Being a man, however, meant that sometimes he had to constantly test the waters and keep taking chances. Reaching out and stopping her small hands from tugging down the hem of her dress was just such a test. When she didn’t resist he ran a large, warm hand up her calf to the outside of an exposed thigh, eventually sweeping underneath the fabric of her lovely outfit until his questing fingers touched the elastic of her lace panties.

  A startled Shannon began to reach for his hand to stop what he was doing until, at the last second, she instead laid her hand upon his forearm a second before dropping her eyelashes lest he get a full look at the powerful yearning surely evident there. Things were spiraling out of control as she careened from one set of potent emotions to the next.

  Was this her happily ever after? Shannon wondered. Was she brave enough to let the past stay in the past? So many of her carefully constructed arguments against this man had been dismissed over the last week that she was left with a lot of empty space in which to create a more truthful version, warts and all, of Nicholas Barrett. No longer a demon and far from being an angel, Shannon was finally allowing herself to admit that she’d willingly take the bad with whatever good she could find as long as, in the end, he would stay by her side this time and not throw her away when the going got tough. Did she have the spirit necessary to demand what she saw as hers?