by C. M. Steele
“You look angelic,” I mutter, staring into those watery blue eyes.
With a twinkle in them, she replies, “Only for today.”
I can’t help myself from letting out a laugh. I’ve never laughed so much in my life since I’ve her. “Good, one day is enough. I love you, Lindsay. Marry me?”
“With pleasure.” We face the officiant and let the ceremony begin. It feels like an eternity standing here waiting for her to be mine. My cock hasn’t gone down since she made her entrance. I’m glad I made sure to tuck the fucker under my belt because it’s obvious that I could hammer nails with him right now.
“You may kiss your bride,” he says, and I don’t for a second hesitate. Tugging her close I turn my head slightly and close my lips over hers. Her arms come up around my neck, then into the hair on the back of my head, massaging me as our kiss goes deeper. A round of hooting and hollering brings us back to the present.
“Now let’s serve some food and booze so we can be alone,” I announce to the crowd, leading my wife down the aisle and into the reception hall. The party goes off without a hitch. In the back of my mind, I’m still waiting for Guest to show his hand. He’s been off the grid for two weeks, but the fact of the matter is most people like him don’t get over their obsession until the person is dead.
As I wave off the last of the guests, I turn and steal a kiss from my bride. I’d do anything for her. And that’s when the shot rings off, I drop down dragging my wife to the ground. The spread of red covers her gown. My team is on the hunt. Everything is moving in a blur as they move us through the garage to a safe vehicle and we rush Lindsay to a hospital. We’re almost out of the gate when a body swings onto the front of the vehicle. It’s Guest. I tell Denver to gun it, thrusting this fucker into the front gate. Then we reverse, and two of the guards have guns trained on him as they drag him out of our way. Lindsay needs a doctor right away. I press a towel to her wound and whisper to hang in there for us. “I love you, Lindsay, you can’t leave me.”
Once we're at the hospital Lindsay was rushed into the ER where a team of doctors and nurses take her into surgery. Denver does the hard part of making the calls for me. I can’t talk about Lindsay right now, or I’ll fucking lose it. Instead, I focus on the bastard that did this to her. As it happens, he’s being rushed to the same hospital. The team found the long range gun he selected. They’ve bagged it for the police and waited for a personal escort to the hospital. I’m going to kill him if I lay my eyes on him. I sit there, waiting with my hands in my hair hoping to hell that she pulls through. My whole existence revolves around Lindsay. Without her, I couldn’t go on. Everything changed that day, and I don’t ever want to look back to the miserable unwittingly isolated soul I’d been before.
“Where is she?” Brent says frantically.
“They’re operating on her now.”
“How could this happen?”
“He used a long-range rifle with a scope to hunt her down from the large tree at the edge of the property in the front. It happened so fast, I didn’t get her to the ground quick enough. I wasn’t paying enough attention.”
“It’s not your fault; the fucker must have had help. There’s no way that everyone was unaware of him in the tree unless someone made sure to keep everyone away from it,” Brent says.
I think about it. Several times he was too close to her, but I can’t see any of my guys willing to do this to us—to Lindsay. How did he get inside the property without help? Everything is triggered to go off even in the tree if it’s over a certain weight. Then it hits me. The dead animal had been a test run in the tree to determine the weight. I need to go home, and triple check the surveillance. It accidentally fell from the tree I’m guessing, and that’s what set off the alarm. I go into the hall where Denver is holding a crying Casey. I interrupt because this is more important.
“Denver, do you know if the surveillance on the dead animal is still available?” Our system recycles space every month, but there was a glitch in the system yesterday. I should have fucking known. I was so damn lost in my bride that I wasn’t paying any attention.
“It is. I have the full day saved prior to and after the incident.”
“Okay, send it to me. I have a theory I’m running on.”
“Yes, sir.”
I pull my sister in my arms for a hug. I need it more than she even knows. “I’m sorry, Roman. I hope she’s going to be just fine.”
“Thanks, Case, I know you and Lindsay were starting to become very close.” My throat tightens up at the prospect of losing her.
“Boss, it’s the doctor.” I turn around and walk over to the doctor who’s clearly looking for me.
“Doc, please tell me she’s going to make it.”
“She is. The bullet missed all the major organs. Can I have a word with you in private as well?” I nod and follow the doctor into a small break room. “Mrs. Wolf is pregnant.”
“I’d say she’s only a few weeks, so from now on, she’ll be monitored regularly. At least once a week for the next couple of months. I would also suggest a lot of rest. And before you ask, as long as she’s not bleeding or in too much pain from her wound, sex is acceptable.”
“Thank you, doctor. Can I please see her now?”
“Yes, but she’s sedated in recovery.”
I go into the main OR area looking for the recovery when I see a group of cops standing by the door. “Is this for Lindsay Wolf?”
“Yes, Mr. Wolf. According to the doctors, you’re the only one allowed in.” They lead me into the room, closing the door behind me. “My love,” I whisper, rushing to her bedside and resting my head on her bed.
Chapter 19
Lindsay
“Fuck me,” I grunt and not in a good way. My shoulder hurts so much, and Roman’s downstairs making me something to eat. It’s been a full month since our wedding and of course my almost death. I have a lot of recovery to go through, but so does Roman. He’s gone into the super-safe mode. He had the tree uprooted and turned into a freaking bench. One thing is for sure, my bastard attacker is no more. He died from his injuries just last week. I don’t relish the death of someone else, but the feeling of peace had been far greater than ever before. As for the person who helped the fuck into the tree, he was standing under our noses the whole time—Dan.
Once he was caught and knew that it was possible jail time and the loss of his income, he took his own life. Until yesterday, I wasn’t sure the motive. Then it was clear when they pulled his records. Stewart Guest was Dan’s father and had his own personal demons. A trail of missing women were in his path as well. It’s scary what these two had hidden so well. Roman’s tripling up on his background check for every employee even ones that have been with the company for a decade. Next week he’ll have reviewed them all.
The smell of bacon hits my nose, and no pain in my arm can stop me from making a mad dash to the bathroom. By the time I stop, I hear the bedroom door open. “Lindsay,” Roman calls out. “Are you okay in there?”
“I’m fine. I’m coming out.” I pop a couple of Tylenol because it’s the only thing that’s safe for me at this time. When they told me I was pregnant, I demanded that I be taken off the hard drugs as soon as possible. I was only on them for a week. It’s for the best. The pain doesn’t get that bad any more, well sometimes, but I can manage.
“Does it hurt this morning?”
“A little more than usual. I rolled to my bad side this morning.”
“Yeah, twice last night you did and groaned, rolling back into my arms. I’m sorry, Lindsay.”
“Roman, stop with the guilt, the blame, the recriminations. This has nothing to do with you. You did what you could, and if you hadn’t pulled me out of the way, I might not even be here.”
“Don’t say that. It’s unfathomable.”
“What’s unfathomable is this breakfast. I love you, and I love that you try to take care of me, but this isn’t one of them.”
“I’m sorry. I trie
d. My parents are on their way here. I can ask them to pick up food.”
“No, I’ll make something small in a minute. I know you have to leave.” The doorbell rings and Roman checks the door from his phone. It’s his parents. “See, I have them here to help.”
I get dressed while Roman goes down to let them in. “Holy shit, bro, lay off on the cooking. It smells like burnt bacon mixed with shit.” I hear her as I reach the top of the stairs.
“Casey, watch your language,” Mom scolds her.
“Shit, the bacon,” Roman yells, running into the kitchen.
“Lindsay, you look wonderful this morning,” Dad says, smiling at me.
“Smooth, but I know I look like crap. What’s that?”
“We figured he’d try and cook. We couldn’t let him do that to you, my dear,” Mom says, handing me a large container of food.
“Thank you.”
“Let’s move into the family room before we all get sick from that smell.” Dad pushes us forward. “All these years and he still hasn’t learned.”
“But he tries,” I say, falling in love with Roman every day.
Epilogue
Roman
A Year Plus
There’s not enough security for us. What the fuck do they mean we’re having twin girls? I had to check the damn sonogram like ten times. Seriously, I want a little girl just like my wife, but I’m not ready for two of them. They’re going to be just as beautiful and that unnerves me. I need to call my dad because he had three girls after me. I’m almost there and this is only our second pregnancy. Our son Harrison is a year old now, but since he’s a boy, I don’t have as much to worry about until his hormones kick in. With Lindsay’s past experiences, the thought of someone coming after my girls like that would send me apoplectic. I’ll rip a fuckers head off.
“Are you still looking at the picture?” She comes into my study with my baby boy sleeping on her chest. I take my little man from her, then she scoops up the images we got from the doctor’s visit.
“Everything is going to be okay, Roman. They’re going to have the best daddy who is going to look out for them at every turn. I’m sure they’ll have more guards than your sister or I ever had.”
“I know you’re right, but that doesn’t mean I’m not panicking.”
“You’re going to end up spoiling them rotten. That is one thing I’m sure of. Now, how about we go and lay him down and I take care of my insane husband.”
I cock my brow up at her with a smirk. “Mm, I like that. What do you have in mind?”
“I could think of a thing or two.” I walk quickly to the door, hoping not to wake Harry because today he’d pick the day to be a light sleeper. I get him into his crib and take my wife’s hand. She leads me to our bedroom with her little dress on that sways with every step hypnotizing me. I don’t know what she has in mind, but anything will do. I couldn’t get inside of her since yesterday morning because she had her doctor’s appointment and didn’t want the doctor to be able to tell that I fucked her pussy rough and raw like always. She turns around, pulls my shirt over my head, then shoves me onto the bed. Her tiny hands pull on the button to my jeans, then slowly rubs my cock which is pressed brutally against my zipper.
She moans, running her hands and her mouth down my stomach, kissing me until she reaches the waistband of my boxers. I lift my hips and gladly help her free my cock from the damn clothes. She pushes them down to the floor and I kick them off. Kneeling beside the bed, she takes my cock into her mouth, sucking down as deep as she can, stroking the rest in with left hand. She knows how much I love seeing the rings I placed there when she touches my dick. Her head bobs up and down, but I can’t take much more. As much as I want to come down her throat or on her perfect tits, I need to feel her warmth wrapped around me. Pulling her off my cock, I lift her onto the bed, putting her on all fours and tossing her dress up over her ass. She’s wearing a pair of tiny red panties, tempting me like a bull to tear them off.
I shred them in one tug, and thrust on home, fucking my wife with everything I got until we both come. And just in time too, the baby monitor is blaring with a screaming little guy.
“Lucky,” I grunt out. “You lay down. I’ll get our little man.”
I hop out of bed, slipping on my pants and go get my son. “Oh I see how it is.” He’s no longer crying, instead he’s playing with his feet. I try not to laugh because I swear as soon as he hears his mama scream out, he starts crying. I think he’s learning early to protect her. “For now, I’ve got this. Mama is safe, but I’m telling you son, it’s the girls you’re going to have to help me with. I have a feeling they’re going to be a handful.”
Lindsay
Ten years later
Harrison is turning eleven and the girls Blake and Brooklyn are turning nine in two months. Where has the time gone? Roman’s out of town, setting up a new security system for a friend of his. He should be back by tomorrow. Casey and I are on our way to go birthday present shopping for Harrison.
“Girl, what’s wrong with you?”
“Oh…it’s nothing, I just can’t believe all the years have passed. I’m sad that my babies aren’t babies anymore.”
“I get it. Our oldest is ten, double digits. It’s freaking scary how fast the time passes.”
“I wish I never got that birth control. I think it’s the reason we never got pregnant again.” After I had the girls, we were exhausted, so we decided holding off on more kids was the right way to go. I had a five-year gizmo shoved up my cooter and immediately had problems. It got stuck and punctured my uterus within the first six months. It was one hell of a nightmare and now, nothing’s been right for me in that area. The doctor says I can have more babies, but my clock is running out of time. At forty, I’m done regardless. If we only have the three, I’m happy with that. They are truly wonderful kids.
“You’re still young, maybe it’ll happen in the near future,” she says, patting my thigh.
“You’re probably right. Between Harrison’s birthday and Roman being away, I’m feeling a bit emotional. I need to get over it.”
“Yes, now let’s go have some fun, spending my brother’s money.” She laughs as we jump out of the truck and enter the Lego store. I barely get through the rotating doors before everything goes black on me.
***
Roman
I’m rushing through the ER like a nut case. I was already on my way home when Denver did the smart thing and called me against my wife’s wishes. “I’m looking for my wife, Lindsay Wolf,” I exclaim, handing the reception my ID to save time.
“Yes, sir. She’s just been discharged.” Her head nods in the direction of the long hallway.
“Roman,” Lindsay calls out, trying to jump out of the moving wheelchair, but the nurse nudges her back in place before stopping it. “What are you doing here?”
“I was on my way home and I was contacted.”
“Who told you?” she grumbles, narrowing her eyes at Denver behind her.
“I would have been pissed if I didn’t get a call. They know that I still would want to know, but I’m going to let it slide since one of them was smart enough to know I’m fucking crazy when it comes to you.”
“I’m fine. Your sister overreacted and called an ambulance when I fainted in the store.” I’m shaking my head at Casey while she rolls her eyes.
“She didn’t overreact. There’s got to be a reason for you fainting.”
I see Casey smiling brightly then Lindsay cheers, “There is…I’m pregnant.” I lift her up from the seat and pull her into my arms. It’s just what we wanted.
“I can’t believe it. Are they sure?” I don’t want my hopes smashed if it’s not true.
“Yes. It explains why I didn’t feel like eating this morning and…”
“Why she’s been all mopey and maudlin. ‘I miss Roman; the babies are getting old.’ Sob, sob,” Casey adds, giggling. “Now, we can go shopping for baby things, too!”
“Always the
same Casey.”
“You got that straight,” she smugly remarks, sticking her chin out.
“Let’s go eat, take a nap,” Lindsay says with a smirk, “and then we can pick up the kids and tell them.” Fuck yeah. I’m in all agreement for that. I nod and kiss her lips.
I walk us to the exit and wave off at the other two who brought her in. “Thanks, you two,” I say to Casey and Denver for bringing her here and for him calling me.
“You’re welcome,” Denver adds with a wink. That’s when Casey gut checks his ass. “I knew it was you.”
“Bye.” I take Lindsay out of there. Let him deal with her temper. “That’s what he gets for being a snitch,” I add, making Lindsay crack up. Damn, I love her smile.
THE END