Embattled Home

by J. M. Madden

  Lora lost herself to the movement of their bodies, tears dripping down her cheeks as she reclaimed her sensuality. As Chad relaxed into a quivering heap beneath her, Lora felt some intangible chain fall away from her being.

  Chad noticed her tears and sat up beneath her to cup her face. “What did I do? Did I hold your hips too tightly?”

  She shook her head but he didn’t seem to see.

  “I shouldn’t have pushed there at the end. I’m so sorry, Lora. I couldn’t help myself.”

  “Chad, stop it. I’m not crying because you hurt me. I’m crying because it was more beautiful than I ever could have imagined. You need to not freak out every time I react to something. You’re making me grow, and I appreciate that more than I can ever tell you.”

  Cupping his face in her shaking hands, she was overcome with such a sense of rightness it made fresh tears course down her cheeks as she leaned in to kiss him. Chad cradled her to his broad chest and fell over to the mattress, holding her hips to him so that he didn’t slip out of her. As they curled up on the sheets, they fell asleep sharing breath and space, and it was the most content she’d ever been.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Lora stared at the man and woman sitting on her couch in the living room a few days later. They both wore blue suits, though the woman’s was markedly more feminine. Even without being introduced, she had known these were the lawyers from New York. Very high-paid lawyers, judging by the way they carried themselves. But the shrewd look in their eyes as they looked around her house made her cautious. The looks had screamed disdain.

  Chad stood just behind her chair, arms crossed, expression forbidding. He didn’t like these people being in her house any more than she did.

  “Ms. O’Neil, before Mrs. Malone died, she had modified her will. Her son, well,” the man, Doug Sanders or something, trailed off. “In light of the series of events he has been involved with recently, Mrs. Malone had the foresight to change some things, effective weeks ago. The most important being that Derek Malone was no longer her heir.”

  Lora’s eyebrows popped up in surprise. “She disowned him?”

  The female lawyer, Nilson, or was it Nelson?, nodded her sleek blond head.

  “Wow.” Lora shook her head. “He was her only child. I never would have thought she’d do that.”

  “Well,” Sanders sighed, “she did. Quite emphatically, I might add.”

  “Mrs. Malone did not plan to retire from her position at the company in the near future, though she gave directives in case something happened to her. She expected those directives to be used years from now.”

  Lora cocked her head. “What directives are you talking about?”

  The two lawyers looked at each other. Sanders then turned his gaze to her. “She left the company to her only living, recognized heir… her granddaughter.”

  She stared at him for several long seconds, trying to figure out who that was. When it dawned on her, she could only shake her head. Chad and Palmer had said something about this days ago, but she never imagined it would actually happen. “She left the company to Mercy?”

  The two of them nodded together.

  “She’s six. What the hell is she supposed to do with it?”

  Mr. Sanders lifted a brow at her. “Well, the granddaughter is too young to run day to day operations, obviously, so that aspect would be left up to the child’s legal guardian.”

  Lora’s consciousness shifted for a moment and she could find no words for the shock pouring through her. Chad’s hand on her shoulder grounded her and she looked up at him.

  “That was why he was after her,” he told her quietly.

  All of the puzzle pieces began to fall together. Rosalind’s attempt to reconnect with Mercy and Derek’s interest in her. It was all because of the company.

  “I thought the FBI had been investigating the company.”

  The lawyers shifted uncomfortably but Nilson dug into her briefcase. “This is a deposition by the company. I’ll wade through all the convoluted talk and just tell you that basically, the illegal dealings and money issues stopped when Derek left the company. The FBI has released the Malone Corporation from all liability. I will say that restitution was paid to the affected account holders and the charges against the company itself have been dropped.”

  “Holy shit,” Chad breathed.

  Lora was thinking the same thing, just couldn’t get her tongue moving to say it. “Um, I’m not a company CEO. I’m a high school secretary and mother. How on earth am I supposed to run this company?”

  The lawyers looked at each other, and Sanders took the lead. “Well, Ms. O’Neil, you would have to appoint a proxy to do business in your stead. Or hire a reliable business manager.”

  Shaking her head, she leaned back against the chair. “I wouldn’t even know where to hire one of those.”

  Mr. Sanders smiled at her kindly. Lora expected to see shark’s teeth behind his lips, but no. “We’ve been the Malone lawyers for a long time Ms. O’Neil. We are here to help.”

  “I truly appreciate that, Mr. Sanders. Thank you.”

  His smile dimmed. “It’s Samson, Ms. O’Neil. Doug Samson.”

  Lora cringed. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Samson. I have a lot on my mind right now.”

  The lawyer gave her a tight smile.

  “I think,” Chad interjected, “Ms. O’Neil is going to have to think about things and get back to you. In the meantime, why don’t you look for a few options for her?”

  The lawyers did their bobble-head nods and gathered their briefcases. Unfortunately they left stacks of information for her to read.

  Chad ushered them out of the house and turned to lean against the door, one brow raised.

  Walking across the room to him, she wrapped her arms around his waist. “The man is haunting me,” she sighed.

  Laughing, he squeezed her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “No, he just did what a lot of exes do when they die: leave a lot of crap for those left behind. We’ll deal with it. Or appoint somebody else to deal with it.”

  She shook her head against the solid wall of his chest and leaned back enough to look at him. “You are amazing. Do you know that? They wouldn’t have even made it in my door if you hadn’t been here and you asked what I needed to know. Thank you.”

  “I’m always ready to help you. Always. I love you. How could I do otherwise?”

  The words rolled over her and she couldn’t believe them, not yet. “We’ve only known each other five weeks. Isn’t it too soon to be professing love?”

  Chad grinned down at her, shaking his head. “Maybe for you but not me. I started to fall in love with you before I even met you. I knew the kind of woman you were.”

  Laughing, she ducked her head and tightened her arms around his waist, running her hands down his back and tight butt cheeks. In response, his hips shifted toward her, excitement building between them.

  They’d slept together all last night. And the night before. And the night before that. The sex had been cataclysmic, but the cuddling afterwards had been sublime. They suited each other so well. They were narrowing down what triggered negative reactions from her and they worked around them, and she felt more free than she ever had.

  Chad took some time off from LNF and encouraged her not to go back to work. The school had promised to give her time to deal with what was going on and she was taking them up on it.

  The first day they spent together lazing around the house. They took a walk around the block and Lora tried to change her hyper-attentive ways. The second day he showed up, he brought Mercy a bright blue bike with training wheels. When he lifted it over the side of the truck, Mercy had given a little scream. “I’ve always wanted a bike,” she cried.

  Lora gave her a look because this was news to her. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  Mercy blinked up at her. “I didn’t want you to have to worry about me.”

  Tears came to her eyes at the amount of maturity in her child’s
expression. “Well, our life is changing. If you want something like that, you tell me.”

  Mercy grinned and nodded her head, then turned her attention to the bike.

  The third day they’d spent together at the zoo, navigating screaming crowds of school children. Lora was truly frazzled by the time they made it all the way around the loop, and if it hadn’t been for Chad’s endless supply of Starlight spearmints and buffering hugs in the midst of the crowds she would have melted down.

  Later on that night they ordered pizza to be delivered. Another first time event. Mercy hid behind Chad’s legs as he paid for and took the boxes, shut the door and locked it. She let go when he walked the pizzas to the coffee table and set them down. As they pulled pieces from the box and munched happily, Mercy looked up at her. “Mom, I want something.”

  Lora grinned at her daughter, knowing that at some point she would have to curb the ‘I-wants’, but not just yet. “What’s that, honey?”

  “I want Chad to stay here with us. All the time.”

  Chad went still beside her, but when she looked up, he was grinning at Mercy. He glanced at her, brows raised, to check her response.

  Lora sucked in a breath, knowing that she was on uncharted, sandy ground. In her deepest heart, she wanted the same thing, but did she dare say it? As she looked into the gentle reassurance in his expression, she knew it would just take a tiny leap of courage. “Chad, would you like to stay here with us?”

  Lora forgot how to breathe as she waited for some kind of response. Chad seemed to be dragging out the anticipation though. After several long seconds, he nodded his head. But he held up a cautioning finger. “I would love to be a kept man, but it kind of goes three ways.” Moving from the couch, he went down on one knee in front of Mercy, sitting on the floor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny gold ring. “Mercy O’Neil, will you marry me and be my awesome daughter? To have and to hold, in muddy times and clean? And help me keep your mother happy and safe?”

  Mercy nodded her head as hard as she could, laughing and crying at the same time. She flung her arms around Chad’s neck and sobbed.

  Lora’s eyes were leaking as well, so overcome with love that he had thought to include Mercy. But then he turned his damp eyes to her and she was rocked with the deep-in-her-heart knowledge of what was coming next. Levering to his feet, still holding Mercy against him, he circled the table to kneel in front of her. Then he reached into that pocket again and pulled out a shining white gold solitaire ring. His eyes incredibly kind, he held it out. “Lora O’Neil, would you do me the honor of wearing my ring? I promise to protect you and love you as long as I’m allowed, in whatever way I’m allowed, and I promise to always have Starlight mints at the ready.”

  Lora wept with fear and joy and laughter, knowing that she would never find another man like him. Nodding, she held her shaking hand out and allowed him to slip the ring onto her finger. Then she whipped her arms around his neck, and the three of them rocked back and forth. He pulled back enough to capture her lips with his own, sealing the love between them.

  “No rush,” he murmured in her ear. “We’ll take it a day at a time. Just know that I love you with all my heart.”

  “And I love you,” she whispered. “More than I ever dared dream I could.”

  Mercy wiggled to get free. “Can I eat my pizza now?”

  Laughing, they all separated to finish their meal, but Lora and Chad sat hip to hip, basking in their adoration for each other.

  The End…

  And now for a little taste of Embattled SEAL, Harper’s story…

  Five million thoughts raced through her head as Cat shoved her way into the hospital room. She had no idea who the men were, only that they were keeping her from her husband.

  As she stepped to the side of the bed, she wanted to jerk him up and hold him against her, make him open his beautiful silver eyes and tell her he loved her.

  But he hadn’t done that for a long time.

  Her eyes catalogued the machines. He was on a vent, saline dripped steadily into his arm along with another clear fluid she couldn’t see the sticker of. Probably some kind of pain med.

  There was a scuff on his heavy jaw and dark hair had already begun to darken his jaw. They’d left the johnny hanging, untied, merely draped over his massive chest. They probably couldn’t have tied it even if he’d been vertical.

  Lifting the edge of the fabric, she found several heavy-duty bandages high on his chest. She looked at the men. “Are one of you a doctor? Tell me what happened.”

  All three of them stood at the end of the bed, watching her. But the one with the cane spoke up. “I’m Harper’s employer, Duncan Wilde. Would you explain who you are please?”

  Cat looked the man up and down. Forties, salt and pepper hair, a little grayer on the sides. Kind, experienced brown eyes. “I’m his wife. Estranged for the past year and a half, but still his wife. Why didn’t you call me if you’re his employer?”

  The man shifted against his black cane. “Honestly, there was no beneficiary contact in his employment file. Who did call you?”

  Cat blinked. “I think the hospital. The VA I mean. Not this one.”

  The other gray haired man spoke up. “I called the VA to let them know he had been injured and to get his medical records. They must have called her.” He stepped forward, hand outstretched. “Dr. Reynolds. I just operated on your…husband. He’s had significant damage…”

  Cat struggled to focus as the doctor went through the list of major and minor injuries, but her eyes kept drifting back to his form on the bed. He seemed bulkier to her, even lying the way he was. But his face seemed leaner. Deep grooves bracketed his mouth and her fingers itched to stroke them away. Damn, after eighteen months she should have been pissed, and in the back of her mind she knew she was, but she was more happy to see him right now. Thrilled, actually.

  The doctor was still going on, cautioning her about getting her hopes up. She laughed and shook her head at the man. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. Preston will be fine.”

  If you would like to read more about the disabled veterans of the Lost and Found Investigative Service, check out these books:

  The Embattled Road (FREE prequel)

  Embattled Hearts – Book 1

  Embattled Minds – Book 2

  SEALed with a Kiss Anthology

  Her Forever Hero

  Other books by J.M. Madden

  Second Time Around

  A Needful Heart

  Wet Dream

  Love On the Line – Book 1

  Love On the Line – Book 2

  The Awakening Society – FREE!

  Tempt Me

  Urban Moon Anthology

  Connect with J.M. Madden

  If you’d like to connect with me on social media and keep updated on my releases, try these links:

  Newsletter

  Website

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  And of course you can always email me at authorjmmadden@gmail.com

  About the Author

  I am a wife and mother of two. I am a stay at home writer, which I dearly love, and I recently added the title USA Today Bestselling author to my moniker.

  I was a Deputy Sheriff in Ohio for nine years, and I found myself tapping that experience as I wrote Second Time Around, my very first book. No, I didn’t tackle and cuff my husband, although there was that time in K-mart… Anyway, it was quite a change going from writing technical reports with diagrams, witness statements, inventories, etc., that would stand up in court to writing contemporary romance. I’ve always written, though, and it was always a dream to do something with that huge, leaning stack of spiral bound notebooks.

  I’ve now published 15 books, with many more on the way. I thank you so much for taking an interest in my work!

  Excerpt from

  Somebody’s Angel (Rescue Me Saga #4)

  by Kallypso Masters

  Copyright 2013-2014 K
allypso Masters LLC

  Available now in e-book and trade paperback

  Description:

  When Marc d’Alessio first rescued the curvaceous and spirited Italian Angelina Giardano at the Masters at Arms Club (in Nobody’s Angel), he never expected her to turn his safe, controlled life upside down and pull at his long-broken heartstrings. Months later, the intense fire of their attraction still rages, but something holds him back from committing to her completely. Worse, secrets and memories from his past join forces to further complicate his relationships with family, friends, and his beautiful angel.

  Angelina cannot give all of herself to someone who hides himself from her. She loves Marc, the BDSM world he brought her into, and the way their bodies respond to one another, but she needs more. Though she destroyed the wolf mask he once wore, only he can remove the mask he dons daily to hide his emotions. In a desperate attempt to break through his defenses and reclaim her connection to the man she loves, she attempts a full frontal assault that sends him into a fast retreat, leaving her nobody’s angel once again.

  Marc finds that running to the mountains no longer gives him solace but instead leaves him empty and alone. Angelina is the one woman worth the risk of opening his heart. Will he risk everything to become the man she deserves and the man he wants to be?

  ABOUT THE RESCUE ME SAGA: These books are not stand-alone stories and should be read in order. Characters will recur in later books to deal with further issues in their lives as the saga continues and each book builds upon all previous ones. Sometimes main characters even need another book to help resolve major issues affecting their relationships.