She remained quiet, and while he would normally appreciate her not babbling like Nancy, he now wondered what she was thinking. Hell, I barely know what I’m thinking. The kiss had been unexpected, and it didn’t escape his notice that with the tables turned he was the one who initiated the kiss. But, unlike ten years ago, they were now both adults.
For a strange reason that he did not attempt to discern, he hated the silence. “Um… do you think you got everything you need?”
Her head jerked around, and she looked at him for a moment before nodding. “Yes. I feel certain that I’ve got enough of his records to be able to let Mrs. Hightower know more about her husband’s finances. Now, whether or not it gives her what she’s hoping for, that I can’t say.”
His shoulders relaxed as he realized talking about work would be a safe subject to draw her out with. “What kind of things are you looking for?”
“I’m particularly curious about his cash transactions. Their website says that they accept credit card payments or checks as long as they have five days to pass the banks. But I overheard Junelle on the phone telling someone that paying in cash would be perfectly fine.”
“So you think some of his cash transactions may not be going into the books?”
Nodding, she said, “That’s one of the things he could be doing. If he’s not reporting all the cash transactions, then he’s hiding income from the IRS, not paying taxes on it, and therefore hiding it from Mrs. Hightower.”
“How detailed do you have to be in this kind of investigation if it ends up in court?”
Her nose scrunched and he noticed she absentmindedly fiddled with her ring as she thought. “I confess this is strange for me. Usually, when I’m looking for evidence of fraud, whether dealing with an employer or a couple getting a divorce, I’m meticulous right down to the penny… or as close as I can be. In those cases, I have to be prepared to be an expert witness in court. With Mrs. Hightower, she just wants to know if her husband is hiding money from her. From what Nancy tells me, Mrs. Hightower thinks if she shows her husband that she knows what he’s doing, he’ll agree to a much more generous divorce settlement.”
“It seems kind of callous, doesn’t it? She wants her money but doesn’t care if he’s doing something illegal.”
She was quiet again, and he shot her a risky glance considering they were on a curvy mountain road. Her brow was furrowed in thought, and he waited to see what she would say.
After a moment, she nodded slowly. “If I find evidence that he’s engaged in illegal activities, I’m ethically bound to let the authorities know. I’m not bound to continue to investigate, and I have no control over what the authorities will or won’t do.”
Relief speared through him, an emotion that caught him off guard. As a SEAL, he followed orders even if the end game for his superiors was not always known to him. He trusted in the system, at times doing what some would consider to be wrong, to meet the end goal. His team worked in perfect unison, finishing their missions according to the orders they had been given. In many ways that was what Lynn was doing, and yet, it made him feel better to know that she was not just doing this for a paycheck. If Errol was laundering money, someone in authority would be told.
“What are you thinking?”
Her question caught him off guard, interrupting his musings. “Honestly? I was just thinking that I’m glad if Errol is engaged in illegal activities, someone else besides his wife will know.”
“It’s funny, isn’t it, that ethics can sometimes be so gray when we think that they’d be black and white?”
This question caught him even more off guard. “Yeah. I mean, for me, I follow the orders that I’m given. I don’t spend any time thinking about right or wrong in the middle of a mission, I’m focused on just completing the mission. And if you told me that you were going to simply turn everything over to Mrs. Hightower and walk away, then I couldn’t blame you. I certainly couldn’t judge you. And yet, knowing that he could be brought to justice makes me feel better.”
They were quiet for another moment, and he hated the heaviness that had filled the air. Looking for a lighter topic, he asked, “So, what do you plan on eating for dinner? Remember, our meal is part of the package, so you can have anything.”
Laughing, she said, “I’m so hungry right now, I could probably eat anything they put in front of me. But, if they have a surf and turf meal on their menu, I wouldn’t turn it down!”
“Steak and lobster… now there’s a girl after my own heart!” As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how the quip turn of a phrase had seemed so right. So far, everything about her had fit him perfectly.
Now that the heavy tension in the truck had been released, they chatted amiably for the next hour until pulling up to the Smoky Casino and Resort. The resort was a tall, dark brick building that blended in well with the thick forests of the mountains all around. Having never been there, he’d checked it out online and discovered it had over a thousand rooms described as luxury accommodations on their website. It boasted three restaurants, four bars, a fitness room, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, hiking trails and, of course, the casino.
“Wow, it’s huge, isn’t it?”
Nodding, he replied, “Yeah. I looked at it online and it seems to have everything anyone could want for a weekend getaway.” As soon as he said those words, it hit him how much he was looking forward to a few days’ getaway with Lynn. Not just to have a break from his family or thinking about his recuperation and rejoining his team, but to spend more time with her. Giving his head a little shake to dislodge those thoughts, he said, “Let me get our bags.”
Lynn walked beside Nolan as they entered the lobby of the resort. Polished tile reflected the huge chandeliers overhead. The room was massive, and as Nolan approached the reception desk, she slowly turned in a circle, taking in the space. Having never been in a casino resort, she was surprised that it almost resembled a mall with the various high-end shops off to the left. A decorative sign indicated the fitness area and swimming pools were also down that hall. To the right were a pizzeria and the entrance to one of the bars. Other signs pointed to the various restaurants and their locations. The largest sign pointed the way to the casino. If the lobby was so overstimulating, she wondered what a casino would be like.
“Just one?”
Hearing Nolan’s surprised voice, she hurried over to his side. He dragged his hand through his hair, and she was uncertain what the problem was.
“Yes, Sir. The Cupid of The Mountains Wedding Chapel made the reservation. It’s a lovely suite, I assure you.” The receptionist tilted his head slightly, his forehead scrunched. “You wanted more than one room?”
“Mr. and Mrs. Bell! I see you made it!”
The voice coming from the side had them swinging their heads around in unison. Errol Hightower! Offering a polite smile, Lynn greeted, “Mr. Hightower. What a surprise to see you here.”
“Oh, once a month or so I like to come and have a little fun at the tables. Nothing serious, you understand. I have a few old friends that I meet up with.” His gaze moved between her and Nolan before shifting over to the receptionist. “Is there a problem with your reservation? Junelle is always so efficient with these things.”
“No!” she and Nolan said at the same time. She quickly shot her gaze up to him and reached out to take his hand, giving his fingers a reassuring squeeze. “No, I’m sure everything’s fine. It was lovely to see you again and thank you so much for your… um… assistance today.”
Errol’s smile was wide and he turned to the receptionist. “Make sure their honeymoon suite is perfect.” He then offered a slight wave before continuing down the hall toward the casino. Turning back toward the receptionist who now appeared utterly confused, she breathed a sigh of relief as Nolan mumbled, “The one suite is fine. Thank you.”
Since everything had been paid for, Nolan simply had to sign and then they were given their room cards. The receptionist handed them a map of the
casino resort and began marking the places to eat, the bars, and anything else he could think of in his rote, practiced speech. She tuned him out, her mind now turned toward the fact that Errol was here in the casino. As Nolan took her hand again, she jumped and looked up toward him.
“You ready to go, sweetheart?”
She glanced between his tight jaw and the receptionist staring at them and plastered a smile on her face. “Absolutely, honey. I can’t wait to get upstairs.”
Nolan threw his bag over his shoulder and grabbed her bag before linking fingers with her again and heading toward the elevators. The resort was crowded, and they had no privacy until they stepped out onto their floor. They were the only ones exiting the elevator on the ninth floor, and as the elevator doors closed behind them, she jerked her hand from his.
“What’s going on?”
“I thought Mom made a reservation for us separately. I mean, I know the chapel had one room reserved, but I thought Mom made a separate reservation. Obviously, she skipped that step when she found out they did that, so we just have the one suite.”
“Oh.” Unable to think of anything else to say, she snapped her mouth shut. While the thought of spending the night with Nolan would have fulfilled her teenage dreams, now it was simply... awkward. Especially since it appeared sharing a room with her was the last thing he wanted to do. It was obvious he was not happy about having to spend the night with her. She followed as he stalked down the hall toward their door. Even though she had no illusions of being with him, the sting of rejection hit once again.
He unlocked the door and threw it open, stepping in. She followed, looking around. While she would not call the accommodations luxury, they were certainly nice. They stepped into a room complete with a deep-cushioned sofa and two chairs facing an entertainment center with a wide-screened TV. In the corner was a wet bar and refrigerator. As Nolan stalked over to the windows and drew them open, she spied a view of the thick mountain forests. A door led into the bedroom, with a king-sized bed centering the space, complete with the requisite nightstands and chest of drawers with another wide-screened TV on top. To the left was a large bathroom, beautifully appointed with a soaking tub and a massive shower.
When she walked back into the living area, Nolan was standing at the room-size window looking out at the view. His back was straight, and his hands were on his hips, but she had no idea how to read his body language.
“Listen, Nolan, I know it was weird to run into Mr. Hightower downstairs. That kept you from getting another room. I certainly don’t need all this space, so we can go back down and ask them to get another room for me.”
First, his head turned slowly to capture her gaze, then his body followed. “I’m not sure that would be wise, Lynn. It threw me that we’d only have one room, but I got the feeling from the look Errol shared with the receptionist he’s well known to them. I don’t think we should take a chance to have him question our motives.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip, then cocked her head to the side. “Our motives?”
“We’re supposed to be on our honeymoon, so we need to keep up the appearance in case he’s around. Plus, I’m sure it’s already crossed your mind that we now have a birds’ eye view into what his gambling habits are like.”
He stepped away from the window, moving closer until he was directly in front of her. Her head leaned back so that she could keep her gaze on his face. She found it difficult to think straight when he was so close but forced her mind back to the reason they were here. “Ye…” She cleared her throat. “Yes, I’d thought about it.” She glanced around to the side and asked, “Are you okay here? Here with me?”
“Yeah, sure, of course.”
His gaze was intense and she looked toward the sofa. “It’ll be easy for me to sleep out here. I’m certainly not tall, so I’ll fit. Plus, I might be up late going through the records—”
“Abso-fucking-lutely not!”
Startled, her gaze shot back up to his face, not knowing how to interpret his mood.
“If you think for one minute that I’m gonna let you sleep on the couch while I take a king-sized bed, you don’t know me.” He dragged his hand through his hair again and continued, “I’ll be fine out here.”
She thought about arguing but decided against it. Wanting to change the subject, she said, “How about that meal? Are you still hungry?” His shoulders relaxed and his scowl slid away.
“Yes.” Turning, he walked over to the desk in the corner and grabbed the resort notebook. Looking over his shoulder, he said, “Come take a look and let’s figure out where we want to eat.”
She hurried to his side, and they spent a few minutes familiarizing themselves with the resort’s facilities. “Oh, my goodness, they have an all-you-can-eat buffet! Look at these pictures!”
“It looks amazing, but remember that all the guests and families will pile into it.”
Scrunching her nose, she nodded. “You’re right. How about the steakhouse restaurant here? That’s listed as their premier restaurant.”
“Sounds perfect.” He cast his gaze over her. “I know it’s a little early, but why don’t we go on? We’re dressed for it and it shouldn’t be crowded for a late lunch or early dinner.”
It was obvious his mood had shifted back to a happier Nolan, and she decided to go with the flow. Smiling up at him, she said, “Just let me run to the bathroom and freshen up. It’ll just take me a couple of minutes.”
She turned and grabbed her overnight case and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door. She stood in the middle of the room for a moment, her eyes closed as she tried to settle her nerves. The day had been a whirlwind of activity, and her brain was desperate to play catch up. She walked over to the sink and stared at her reflection. Her makeup still highlighted her delicate features. Her hair held its wave, the front having stayed in its clip. Her super-powered deodorant had performed well. The wrinkles in her dress were minimal. At first glance, she looked very much like she had the first thing that morning.
Her gaze dropped to her hands resting on the counter near the sink. The white gold band circling her left ring finger glistened in the light. Swallowing audibly, she felt the events of the day deep within her heart. It had been a fake marriage, their full legal names not on the license. Vows had been spoken, but not meant. Promises had been given, never to be kept. Rings to represent to the world their never-ending love were only for show.
It hit her that the day’s actions carried long-lasting effects. Down the road, when she married for real, she would always remember this day… and she knew the memory would mar that future event.
Hearing Nolan close the closet door outside the bathroom, she jolted out of her depressing thoughts. Washing her hands quickly, she dried them on one of the thick towels. Reapplying her lip gloss, she plastered a smile on her face, as fake as their wedding. Throwing open the door, she beamed up at him. “I’m ready.”
11
While Lynn had been in the bathroom, Nolan tried to gain control over his confused and confusing emotions. The day had not gone as planned, and he was torn between throttling Nancy for her harebrained scheme and throttling his mother for not making the other reservation. Considering the kiss he instigated, he also battled the idea of being thrilled that he and Lynn were sharing a space so that he could get to know her better and hating the idea of sending her conflicting messages. I leave in a month to go back to my team. There’s no room for any relationship.
Even as he rejected the idea of a relationship, he found his gaze dropping to his left hand where the wide, white gold band rested. He was surprised it didn’t feel heavy or awkward but instead felt perfectly natural.
Maybe there’s room in my life for a casual relationship. More than just a fuck… more like a fuck buddy. He winced at the idea and shook his head. She’s not that kind of woman and I’m glad. But still… maybe a few more shared kisses will work her out of my system. We can enjoy our time here and then part as friends.
&
nbsp; As he closed the closet door, he turned as she alighted from the bathroom. Looking as beautiful as ever, he leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek, not wanting to smudge her lip gloss. Smiling, he took her hand and they headed back down the elevator to the restaurant.
The meal was everything he hoped it would be. Thick, juicy steak. Perfectly-cooked lobster tail. A baked potato that was loaded with butter and sour cream, the outer skin salted and crunchy. Intrigued by the idea of tempura-battered green beans, he was not disappointed. Lynn had ordered the same dinner, and he wondered how she would handle all the food. She was only able to eat about half but, as ravenous as he was, he managed to finish her steak for her.
They were placed in a circular booth and had slid around so that they were sitting next to each other. At first, there was almost a foot between them but, as the meal continued, they drifted closer.
The server kept their wine glasses filled, and by her third glass, she giggled. “I never drink this much, but this is really good.”
He was not a wine connoisseur, but the red he was drinking was the perfect complement to his steak. Lynn had opted for a white, and he grinned as she finished her glass. The server brought their small, round, beautifully-decorated wedding cake that had also been part of their package. This time, the server poured champagne.
“Oh, my God, I’m going to bust out of this dress!” she whispered, leaning against his shoulder.
He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed. “We’ll take a walk after we have our dessert.”
He lifted his glass of champagne and turned toward her, watching as she mimicked his actions. Her eyes were wide as she waited to see what he was going to say. Having not planned any special words, he blurted, “To the most beautiful woman, the most beautiful bride.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, she blinked, and he could swear there was moisture gathering. Before he had a chance to say anything else, a tremulous smile curved her lips. “That was lovely. Thank you.”
Hot SEAL, Undercover Groom (SEALs in Paradise) Page 9