by Avery Gale
Coral didn’t realize how scared she’d been until she saw her husband. Launching herself into his arms, she sobbed with relief. “Somebody shot at us. Did you hear it? I pulled Caila back into the pool, and we hid in the grotto, but Josie was going to be sick, and I was going to sneak her out the back into the locker room. I already knew this door was here by the way. And then Colt grabbed her and took off. I hope he got her there in time. She was awfully green before they left. I think she’s pregnant, but she says she isn’t sure. I need to check on Caila. Did you find the ass hat who fired the gun? There were two shots. I think the shooter waited to fire the second one assuming the glass would shatter and the second one would hit Caila. You don’t think it was a hunter, do you? I don’t. You said Caila was the only person you’d given permission to hunt so close to the house, and she was on the ladder in front of me. We were going for more drinks…the last pitcher was pretty lame…I think Joelle switched it out.”
“Stop, pet.” He hadn’t raised his voice, but the command in his deep voice was unmistakable. Sage was a loving husband and father and one of the most influential businessmen in the nation, but above all else, he was her Dom, and the submissive inside her responded immediately. He pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. The steady beat of his heart beneath her ear calmed her racing heart, and taking a deep, cleansing breath, she relaxed into his embrace. “I’m so proud of you, pet. Your quick thinking would have saved Caila’s life if the glass hadn’t held.”
Coral didn’t think she could answer without bursting into tears so she simply nodded. Mitch moved past them, and Coral saw a gun tucked in the back of his pants as he pulled Aspen into his arms. “You’re having a pretty wild week, mi amour. First, you tangle with a tower on the Prairie Winds training course. Then a wild girls’ party ends in gunfire. I believe this sets a record for you.”
“You heard about my little accident on the tower, huh? Jax is such a blabbermouth.” Coral heard Aspen’s sigh of resignation. “I wasn’t drinking today, you know.”
“Yes, I know you weren’t drinking, love. I enjoyed watching you skinny dipping with your friends. It does my heart good to see you laughing and enjoying yourself. And finding you naked and wet was an unexpected, but very welcome, surprise.” Coral smiled at Mitch’s admission. She could only imagine what a surprise it had been to return from a mission to find his wife stark naked swimming with her drunken friends…well, two of them had been pretty tipsy until the fear burned up the alcohol in their systems.
“Did you find the shooter? My clothes are over by the lounge chairs. I could get dressed and help track him.”
When Aspen started to step back, Coral watched Mitch’s arms tighten around her. “No. I’ve busted my ass to get home to you, and I’m not letting you go traipsing off into the woods. I’m looking forward to sharing a warm shower with you and then losing myself in your sweet body for the rest of the night. And then we’re going to have a nice long chat about your failure to report a likely change in your physical condition to your trainers in Texas. I’m sure you’ll be getting an earful from Kent, Kyle, and Jax, as well.” Coral wanted to laugh out loud at the expression on Aspen’s face. From what she’d learned, the four of them had been friends since they were kids, and the three Doms were more than a little protective of their new operative.
Coral glanced up to see Sage watching her with studied intensity. When she didn’t say anything, he raised his brow in question. “Pet? What’s going through that sharp mind of yours?”
“I was just thinking about how protective Aspen’s friends are, and it made me realize the five of us are surrounded by the most wonderful men in the world. We may fuss about you being over-protective…”
“The word smothering has been tossed around a time or two, I believe,” Sage interjected, his teasing tone relaxing her.
“Okay, so maybe fuss wasn’t a strong enough word, but you get the idea. Anyway, I want you to know I appreciate the tightrope you have to walk.”
“Explain what you mean, pet.”
“It has to be hard to protect, but not inhibit. To shield, but not coddle. To love, but let go.” Coral watched his expression change between one heartbeat and the next. The shift from curiosity to love brought tears to her eyes.
He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in what started as a chaste kiss, but quickly detonated in a thermonuclear explosion that threatened to make her knees fold out from under her. Damn, the man could destroy her with nothing more than a kiss. His no holds barred invasion of her mouth sent an electric current of rampant desire pulsing through her blood. She felt her sex liquefy and her nipples tighten in need. There were times Coral wondered what she’d done to deserve the man currently melting her from the inside out. But I’m not foolish enough to question my good fortune or discount a blessing when it comes my way.
Kip and Ryan rounded the corner, stepping into the dimly lit grotto to find Joelle sitting with her arm protectively draped around Caila’s shaking shoulders. Both women stiffened in surprise at their sudden appearance, and the fear in Caila’s eyes made Kip furious. She’d always considered their home her own. God dammit to hell, she’d felt safe here. It had been her sanctuary for years. And now he’d be forced to rebuild that trust as well.
Brandt and several of the ranch hands were currently tracking a man through the woods behind the house. Kip and Ryan had returned to the house when it looked like the man was circling back. They’d lost his trail near the turn off for the Cooper’s small ranch, but they’d come back to the main house anyway.
He’d wanted check on Caila and planned to rejoin the men following the man up the mountain, but the shell-shocked expression on Caila’s face left him unsure he could walk away anytime soon. He only hoped whoever got their hands on the bastard didn’t take him completely apart, because Kip wanted a shot at him as well. Before she stepped away, Joelle whispered something to Caila, and he saw her tentative nod before she took a hesitant step in his direction.
Kip felt rooted in place, unable to move forward as the relief of seeing for himself she was unharmed poured through him. Her hair lay in damp strings over her shoulders, the crystal blue of her eyes almost obscured by her dilated pupils. He loved the way her eyes danced with mischief when they were outside, the light constricting her pupils to make the blue look like a sparkling mountain lake.
Ryan stepped around him to pull Joelle into his arms, and Kip heard his cousin quietly questioning her about how she was feeling. Refocusing his attention on the beautiful woman standing in front of him, his hand automatically moving so his palm cupped the base of her skull. Massaging the tight muscles, he watched as her eyes darkened as she relaxed into his touch. He was shocked when she suddenly stiffened and stepped back, turning away from him. “I need to get dressed and get back to my dad’s clinic. There’s a lot of work to do, and I’ve wasted enough of the day already.”
What the hell?
Shackling her small wrist in his large hand, Kip pulled her around quickly so she stood toe to toe with him. Using his height to his advantage, he looked down at her and frowned. “Want to explain what the hell this is about? The asshole who fired shots at you hasn’t even been caught yet, and you want to waltz out of here and return to work—alone?” The only thing holding back his rage was the knowledge she was reacting out of panic. She just kept taking hit after hit, and it was easy to see the mounting fear was taking a toll. Adding that to the fact she didn’t fully trust him yet, it was a recipe for the clusterfuck of all clusterfucks. And the bottom line was, he had no one but himself to blame. “Do you honestly think there is a chance in hell any of us would let you walk out the door?”
“Somebody is going to get hurt, Kip. You can’t expect me to stay here and endanger people who haven’t done anything wrong. You and I both know that shot was meant for me. And unless I’m missing my guess, it was a high-power rifle, which means the second shot could have easily been a through and through. He’d have killed C
oral, also.” Kip could see Caila winding up right in front of his eyes, the adrenaline surging through her system narrowing her perspective to a pinpoint. He remembered Brandt talking about the same thing happening to new recruits and how dangerous it made them. Adrenaline-fed fearlessness has no place on a SEAL team. Brandt’s words ran through his head as he watched Caila try to formulate an argument she thought would fly.
Kip glanced at Ryan, who was frowning at Caila but hadn’t said anything yet. “You’re wasting your energy trying to find a way to play this, Cal. Not happening. It’s just that simple.” He expected an argument and was surprised when she just leaned her forehead against his chest and started to sob.
Ryan shook his head when Kip opened his mouth to speak. “It’s the adrenaline crash. Let her get it out; she’ll feel better. Running is a fight or flight response. She knows she can’t fight an unknown shooter, so she was going to run. Her desire to protect her friends is understandable, even if it’s misguided.” Kip nodded in understanding then led her out of the dark grotto. He would have loved to move her to his home behind the main house—the privacy would have been perfect—but he wasn’t willing to risk exposing her to another sniper shot. Obviously, the man who’d fired at her wasn’t overly concerned about being caught, so there was a very real chance he’d circle around hoping they’d let their guard down. Not fucking likely.
Coming uninvited onto Morgan land was begging for trouble, and this guy just bought himself more than he’d bargained for. People in the remote areas of Montana learned early on how important it was to watch out for one another. By now, every man, woman, and child in the area had already been alerted to be on the lookout—his chances of making his way out of the area were narrowing with each passing minute.
By the time he’d led Caila into his suite, she was fading fast. “Come on, baby. We’ve got to get you cleaned up. Let’s wash the chlorine out of your hair. Mama Morgan would have a hissy if I let you skip it.”
She gave him a watery grin. “True. She was always a stickler about me showering and conditioning my hair. Thanks for remembering.” Watching her drop the towel and move under the shower of warm water made his cock rock hard. Hell, he needed to step away and make a couple of calls, but Kip found it impossible to move. When his phone vibrated in his pocket, he reluctantly stepped from the room to answer Brandt’s call.
“Did you catch him?”
“Not yet. Appears he’s been holed up at the Cooper’s place. Best guess, he was going to use Doc to lure Caila in. He traded out the truck he was driving for Doc’s vet truck. What an idiot. That’s going to make him really easy to spot, so I’m guessing he won’t use it for long.”
“Orman?”
“Preliminary analysis of his truck confirms that, but that’s off the record until we’re sure. For now, we’re only listing him as a person of interest. We found the spent shells, but not the weapon. I’m sure Cal will ask, so tell her the shells are .408 caliber. I can tell you from the placement of those pings in the glass this guy has some serious hardware.”
“Including one hell of a scope.”
“Yeah.” His brother sighed, and Kip knew his brother well enough to be certain whatever was coming wasn’t going to be anything good. “Listen, we found a camera in this guy’s duffle bag.” Oh, shit. Kip had a sick sense of foreboding about where this was headed. “No public play until this is over, alright? And close your fucking drapes until Sage gets your windows replaced.”
“Kip? Is that Brandt?” He hadn’t heard the water turn off, and her dainty bare feet hadn’t given away her approach, either.
He disconnected the call and turned to her. “Yes, it was. We’ll sit down as soon as I close the window coverings. Then I’ll update you.” He wished like hell he could spare her the knowledge her childhood home had been violated by the man trying to kill her, but he wouldn’t withhold information. She gave him a questioning look when he asked her to return to the en suite bathroom, but she complied without asking. They both loved the outdoors and the closed in feeling wasn’t going to be pleasant for either of them.
Claustrophobic beats dead any day of the week.
Chapter Twenty
Caila sat on the edge of the bed listening as Kip recounted everything that had taken place up to the rifle shots. When she heard about Dean Morgan’s sudden appearance in Phoenix’s office, she could feel her face flushing with embarrassment. Dammit to dusty doorknobs, could this possibly get any worse? Before she could chastise herself for tempting fate, it reared up like a fire breathing dragon using its tail to slap her upside the head. When will I ever learn?
By the time Kip finished telling her about Barry Orman hiding out in her dad’s house, stealing his truck, and Brandt’s discovery of a camera, the room was spinning around her. The alcohol in her system threatened to make a return appearance, but she was too dizzy to run to the bathroom.
“Take a breath, Caila, right fucking now.” The sharp commanding tone of Kip’s voice was enough to make her suck in a deep breath. But her stomach was still rolling so violently she felt like a small ship being battered by a hurricane. Moving so they were practically nose to nose, Kip coached her through several deep breaths before retrieving a cool compress for her forehead. “Damn, baby. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so pale. I’m going to help you break that nasty habit of holding your breath.”
Giving him a weak smile, she replied, “It came in handy when Coral pulled me back into the pool. We swam underwater back into the grotto.”
He shook his head and grinned at her attempt at humor. “I’m grateful for her quick thinking, and I’m even more thankful Sage is a paranoid bastard. That impact resistant glass was damned expensive, but worth every cent.”
“I heard the first ping and saw a piece of the glass chip away from the pane, but I’d had enough to drink it didn’t register as danger. Well, not until Coral grabbed me. She didn’t say anything, but I swear I could feel the fear pulsing around her. My mind registered the second shot just before we went under. I’m not sure if it was really that long between the shots or if it took me that long to catch up.”
Caila had been sure this wasn’t a wild shot from a hunter…there had been too many coincidences, something she didn’t believe in. She’d loved hunting and had been doing it herself since she was old enough to tag along with the Morgan brothers. Her dad hadn’t been interested, but Sage, Colt, and Brandt taught her everything she’d needed to know. Hunting didn’t hold any appeal for Phoenix, and Kip hadn’t wanted her tagging along when they were younger, so she’d hunted with the older brothers until they’d finally cut her loose on her own.
They didn’t allow anyone else to hunt in the wooded area between their houses because it was her favorite spot. Colt helped her build her deer stands during one of his rare breaks from the rodeo circuit, and Brandt improved the ladder one summer while he’d been on leave. But it was Sage who had always made himself available whenever she’d wanted to go hunting. The significance of his wife being the one to save her today wasn’t lost on Caila.
“I know Coral didn’t actually save me, but for some reason, it still seems that way.” She hoped he understood, because she wasn’t sure she could explain the feeling.
“I understand, because I feel the same way. Coral’s maternal instinct isn’t limited to the girls, I promise you—everybody in the family benefits from it.” She realized she was finally starting to wind down as his fingers stroked the side of her face. The touch was soothing rather than sexual, and her heart skipped a beat when it became clear how attuned he was to her needs. Their previous sexual encounters had been fast, fueled by explosive chemistry and totally lacking in anything resembling an emotional connection. But this seemed different…much different. This was about comfort and understanding her need for a quiet moment to bring herself back to center.
He didn’t say anything, just led her into the shower. Waiting for the water to warm, he stripped quickly before pulling her into the large enclo
sure. Strong fingers massaged fragrant shampoo into her hair, and she recognized the floral scent of her favorite hair treatment immediately. Yesterday, she’d used his shampoo because that’s all that had been available. Even though she loved being surrounded by the masculine scent she associated with Kip, this set a small piece of the world back right.
Closing her eyes and letting her chin fall forward, she couldn’t hold in her deep moan of pleasure. He remained quiet, but leaned down to press a soft kiss in the middle of her forehead before rinsing the soap from her hair. Turning her so she faced away from him, he lifted her hair to rinse the remaining shampoo before adding her favorite conditioner. She didn’t know how he’d managed to get her favorite products, but the fact he’d made the effort made her feel more special than it probably should have.
By the time he’d finished with her hair, Caila was falling under his spell. Her reactions were less about relaxing and more about a sensual prelude to something far more satisfying. Her nipples were so tight they throbbed with each beat of her heart. Her pussy ached with unfulfilled desire, and all she could think about was touching him. Reaching behind her, Caila trailed the tips of her fingers down his lower abdomen and smiled to herself when they brushed his rigid length. His soft hiss told her he wasn’t unaffected by her touch.
“You’re playing with fire, baby.” His ragged breathing assured her he was skating on the edge of his control, and she could hardly wait to push him past whatever was holding him back. “You’ve had a rough day, Cal. I want to take care of you. Jesus Christ, baby.”
She decided to cut off his train of thought because it sounded a lot like an excuse for not giving her what she needed the most. Tightening her grip and letting her hand slide up and back down his rock-hard cock, she relished the sensation of the steel beneath silk. Her fingers bounced over the ridges, and his heat against her palm sent a flood of moisture to her sex.