A Love For Always

by Victoria Paige

  After giving Kato and his parents a hug, Sylvie nodded to Nate, signaling she was ready to head out.

  “I lost my phone. It was beside the package that exploded,” Sylvie said as they walked through the hospital’s sliding doors. “I don’t have Nana and Mom’s phone numbers memorized in my head, but it should be on my computer. I should let them know I’m going to be late going down there today.” She looked at Nate. “You haven’t heard anything from Sam, have you? I’m worried about them, Nate.”

  A pained expression crossed Nate’s face, worrying her more. “Ah, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  *****

  The sun just cleared the horizon when Nate finally pulled into his garage. Sylvie had dozed off. He took a moment to compose himself after holding back his frustration all night. The thought that he’d nearly lost her was tearing him apart. If she hadn’t stepped out of the room, she’d be dead. Who wanted her dead? The explosive device was more concussive as to cause damage by shockwave to the immediate vicinity than incendiary. He gripped the steering wheel a few seconds longer before killing the engine. He took a long drawn in breath and glanced at Sylvie, reaching out and brushing her cheek with the back of his fingers. He didn’t lose her. He needed to cling to that thought. Replaying “what ifs” in his head would only drive him insane. Funny that all his CIA training to compartmentalize shit was useless when it came to her.

  She moaned softly before her lids fluttered open. “Nate?”

  “Hey. Want me to carry you in?” he asked softly.

  She grinned weakly. “Don’t be silly.” Sylvie exited the Ferrari and stretched like a cat before trudging around the car. When she got to his side, he put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

  She returned the embrace, her fingers pressing in on the gunshot wound he had quickly patched up in the car when Porter was driving. He gritted his teeth, but a hiss escaped him.

  “What’s this?” Sylvie’s brows drew together when her fingers felt the rough material. Nate didn’t want to add to her problems and was figuring out a good time to tell her about the attack in the basement parking. Her fingers gripped his shirt and yanked it up. “Oh, my God. Nate, what happened?”

  “Let’s get you inside,” Nate muttered, quickly unlocking the door that opened to the kitchen. Walking in, he tossed the keys on the countertop. “Are you hungry? Want me to fix you something?”

  Her expression turned mulish. She crossed her arms across her chest and said, “Take off your shirt.”

  “Babe, I love that you can’t wait to get me naked, but now’s not the time to get frisky.”

  “Nate? After the night I’ve had, I’m not finding this funny.”

  He sighed. Guess humor wasn’t the right approach.

  “Either your dad or your ardent admirer wanted to send me a message.”

  Sylvie’s mouth gaped in disbelief. “When? What did they do? And take off your shirt.”

  Shaking his head in resignation, he pulled the navy blue Henley over his head. He always carried extra clothes in his car, and he’d changed out of his blood-soaked shirt after pouring hydrogen peroxide and wrapping a bandage around his wound.

  A pinched look came over Sylvie’s features as she stared at the damage from last night. “That bandage is soaked. Dammit, Nate, we were at the hospital, why didn’t you have it looked at. And your back … what—”

  “Rolled off a car,” Nate said shortly. Yeah, he was going to be sore for a while, but this was nothing new to him. “Sylvie, I’ve been through worse. I’ve sewn myself up here”—he pointed to a scar on his rib cage and on his lower abdomen—“and here, without anesthesia and with nothing more than a needle and dental floss. This is nothing. Stop making a big fuss out of it.”

  Sylvie’s fingers traced the bruises on his back. Her touch sent a jolt straight to his groin. This woman was killing him. He was fired up right now with the need to protect her. Unfortunately, that need came along with the urge to possess her, the need to fuck her hard, and feel her come alive in his arms. He put his shirt back on and moved away from her before he did just that.

  “You look like you’re about to pass out,” Nate observed. “Why don’t you sleep for a few hours?”

  “Aren’t we meeting Nana and Mom soon?”

  “That won’t be for another few hours. The admiral just texted me that he’d be leaving for Richmond in the next half hour. So you have time to regroup.”

  “I really appreciate you doing this, Nate.”

  How could he make her understand that he would do anything for her? Anything to make things easier for her.

  “I’m just glad you didn’t get pissed at me for making that decision,” Nate said. The first thing he did when Sylvie got into the ambulance to ride with Kato to the hospital was call Sam, getting him up to speed on the situation, and cautioning him to be extra vigilant. The second order of business was to ask a favor from the admiral to pick up Sylvie’s grandma and mom and bring them to his house. He didn’t want Sam to be on his own and would feel better having Porter have his back.

  “I’m really sorry for doubting you yesterday,” Sylvie said, painful regret in her voice.

  “Ah, babe,” Nate said quietly, closing the distance between them and gathering her in his arms. “Nothing you ever say or do is going to push me away this time. You got me.” He pulled away slightly so he could stare down at her. “You have me. All of me.”

  *****

  The beep of a phone awakened Sylvie. She felt the shift of the mattress. The warm body wrapped around her like a cocoon, disentangled and moved away.

  “Yeah,” Nate’s gravelly, sleep-laden voice answered the call. “Just a sec.”

  He left the bedroom, his conversation muffled after he closed the door. Still drugged with sleep and her eyes scratchy, Sylvie let out a yawn and looked at the time. It was 2:00 p.m. Disoriented for a moment, she wondered why she was still in bed at this time wondering what day it was. It was Sunday and she was usually at Nana’s, but today her grandma and mom were coming to her because her life changed last night. Knowing her employees were safe, the loss of her restaurant hit her, scalding her gut like boiling broth. Tears prickled the back of her eyes. It tore her up to see her kitchen in shambles, one she had taken pride in designing. If she didn’t hate being her father’s daughter before, she sure did now. Why couldn’t her mom have chosen a less complicated man to fall in love with? If she’d had typical parents, she wouldn’t have been an outcast in school. Now without the restaurant, she had lost the identity she had tried so hard to build for herself. She had become a simple pawn in her father’s organization. So preoccupied was she with her rambling thoughts, she was startled when a hand touched her shoulder.

  “Hey.”

  “God, Nate,” Sylvie sniffled as she used the back of her hand to swipe the tears from her eyes. “I didn’t hear you come back.”

  He gently turned her from her side so she was lying on her back. Seeing Nate’s look of utter tenderness made her cry even more.

  “Oh, firecracker,” he whispered.

  Now she was bawling, but when Nate tried to get her into a sitting position so he could hug her, her mind veered to the incongruous thought of ruining his shirt. “Don’t. I’ll get snot on your shirt.”

  He pulled her up anyway and cradled her head against the curve of his neck. “Snot away, babe.” His body was shaking with laughter. “You worry about the strangest things.”

  It didn’t take long for Nate to calm her down. His hand alternately stroked her back and massaged her nape, doing wonders dispelling the pity-party she had going.

  “It’s not the end of the world, Sylvs,” Nate whispered. “You’re going to rebuild, and I’ll be right with you every step of the way.”

  “I know. I’m just, I dunno … overwhelmed.”

  “That’s understandable.”

  “I need to find a way so my team will be okay. Taylor—his wife is pregnant. Kato is helping his parents with som
e debt. I can call a couple of chef friends to see if they have any openings,” Sylvie sniffled again. “And Rick can go to hell.”

  “Cade,” Nate chuckled. “I think you should get used to calling him Cade or Bowen. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of him.”

  “Hmmph,” Sylvie grumbled. “I’ll probably fillet the crap out of him when I see him.”

  “Bloodthirsty wench,” Nate laughed, pulling away. “Feeling better?”

  “Yes.” Her nose was still stuffed up. She disentangled herself from Nate and padded to the bathroom.

  Yikes. Her face was a sight. Blotchy skin, puffy eyes. It was an improvement from the drowned rat look she was rocking when she came home from the hospital. She had showered and fallen into deep slumber soon afterward. She washed her face and brushed her teeth. When she was done, Nate appeared in the mirror’s reflection. He was watching her with his arms crossed in front of him. Sylvie raised a brow.

  “That was the admiral on the phone, by the way.”

  “Oh, Mom and Nana are almost here?”

  “Yup. They’re making a stop at the supermarket to pick up a few things,” Nate said. “The admiral is very particular about keeping time and thought I’d appreciate the heads up regarding the unexpected detour. He also wanted to make sure we’re home so I could take over for him before he lost his mind.”

  A grin tugged on Sylvie’s lips. She’d met the stern-faced admiral a couple of times. She could only imagine what her mom and Nana thought of him. “Is Mom giving him a piece of her mind? You know she’s anti-gun and all that. You should have heard her complain about Sam to me.”

  “It’s Nana actually. I think when the admiral couldn’t give her a straight answer about what I had in my fridge and pantry, she insisted on making a food stop. The admiral informed them they’re not on a fucking vacation and shouldn’t be expecting the fucking Club Med experience.”

  Sylvie covered her mouth as laughter bubbled up. “He didn’t.”

  Nate’s lips hitched up. “He did. I could hear your Nana speaking in the background, lecturing the admiral about the benefits of eating whole food while he grumbled in my ear. ”

  “That’s my Nana.”

  “Babe, we’re keeping them safe from the Asian Mafia and whoever is using you to get to your father. Eating frozen food and canned goods for a month ain’t gonna kill them.”

  “I didn’t put myself through all this trouble just so I could mess up Nana’s liver with all these processed foods,” Sylvie shot back. “Even a week on those could set her back.”

  “You’re right.” Nate blew out a breath. “Sorry, I didn’t think about that.”

  “You’ve been thrown in the deep end with my issues, Nate,” Sylvie tried to make him feel better, not liking the contrite look that crossed his face. “You’ll learn.”

  “Well, I’ve been trained to learn pretty damned fast.”

  “You may have been super-agent-whatever,” she quipped, “but you’re only human. Still, there’s nothing like cleaning out the crap you have in your pantry. Knowing Nana, you’ll probably need to make room anyway.”

  “There’s enough room in the guesthouse kitchen.”

  “There’s also me. You do realize you picked a chef for a girlfriend, right?”

  “Girlfriend sounds so shallow compared to the depth of what you mean to me,” Nate murmured, pulling her close to him. “Woman. You’re my woman. And yes, I know I have to make dietary adjustments like give up hotdogs and Pop-Tarts.”

  Sylvie narrowed her eyes. “I’m not a snob, and I like hotdogs, but yes, the Pop-Tarts have to go. You better cut back on processed foods. I don’t know how you stay so fit living on beer, pizza, and bacon.”

  “I run thirty miles a week,” Nate reminded her. “I also lift and spar with Sam or Ed at the gym. Damn straight I deserve pizza and beer.”

  She lightly trailed her fingers on the hard ridges on his stomach and pinched. Nope. Nothing. Hard as bricks. He must be doing something right, or he simply was a freak of nature. Her hand moved to his jaw and savored the feel of a day’s worth of sexy stubble. “Hmm …” A dreamy sigh escaped her. Despite everything that had happened last night, having Nate beside her right now made what lay ahead less daunting. “I’m a lucky girl. Waking up to this face makes my morning every single time.”

  Nate’s brown eyes warmed to the color of molten chocolate. “That’s my line, firecracker,” he said thickly before leaning in and giving her a deep searching kiss. His hands gripped her butt, lifting her onto the vanity. He moved between her legs, a tortured groan vibrated in his throat as his kisses grew more urgent and their bodies mashed into each other.

  Sylvie pulled away. “We can’t—”

  “One more kiss.” Nate yanked her from the vanity and her core was pressed against his erection straining through his boxer briefs. Her butt was hanging off the edge and her legs tightened around him instinctively. He didn’t rub against her, just held her steady. His mouth and tongue doing all the work and Sylvie wished they had more time.

  When Nate finally lifted his head and let her slide off his body, they were both panting.

  “Sorry, that’s nine years of pent-up need,” Nate murmured in an almost sheepish tone. “Yesterday wasn’t enough to get it out of me.”

  Sylvie laughed. “Well, you won’t be getting it out any time soon. How do you feel about having three women around?”

  “I’m pretty sure Nana and Pru aren’t into younger men.”

  “Eww! Nate, that’s disgusting.”

  “I’m kidding, Sylvie, and you have to stop treating Nana and your mom as though they’re sexless. They’re very attractive women.”

  “Okay. Stop,” Sylvie ordered sternly. “I know Mom is attractive. I’ve been envious of her red hair my entire life because I took after Dad in that department. You should see how men fall all over themselves to please her.”

  “Now you’re making her sound like a man-eater,” Nate said dryly.

  She eyed him speculatively. “Her boyfriends seem to love it more when she ignores them. Maybe that’s the way to wrap men around my finger.”

  His eyes darkened as he raised his hand, cupping her neck in a gesture of dominance, thumb tilting her chin up so they locked gazes. “Just try ignoring me,” he said softly. “Get it through your head that I’m the last and only man you’re wrapping around your finger.” The dangerous glint left his eyes; he grinned roguishly. “Actually, one part of my anatomy would definitely love to be wrapped by your fingers.”

  She snorted. “A predictably male response.”

  Nate shot her another panty-melting grin before dropping his hold around her neck. He stepped back and smacked her butt in a way that stung. “Get dressed, babe.”

  Predictably male indeed.

  She glared at a still grinning Nate and nudged him aside, exiting his room to walk to the guest bedroom. After their relationship irrevocably changed yesterday, she had only moved her toiletries to his bathroom, but none of her clothes. She was pulling on her jeans when he walked into the room, phone in hand, obviously just ending a call. He glowered at her clothes hanging in the closet and her stuff scattered on the vanity.

  “The admiral called again. He said it looked like Nana is buying up the entire store and to be ready to make space to put all the shit away.” He looked glum, like a boy about to do something he didn’t want to.

  “Relax. It’s time to embrace a healthy lifestyle.” Sylvie pinched his cheek in amusement.

  “Fine. We do this, you move your goddamn clothes into my room,” Nate grumbled. “And I mean ASAP.”

  “Fair enough,” Sylvie laughed.

  CHAPTER TEN

  A blur of activity ensued as soon as the black Suburban pulled up in front of the house. Sam was driving, the admiral was riding shotgun. Nate watched Sylvie run up to the first row passenger door and pull it open, squealing with excitement when she saw Nana. She helped her grandma from the car, the older woman clucking at her for treating h
er like an invalid. Sylvie’s mom emerged next. Seeing his woman so happy, surrounded by her family, reiterated the rightness of his decision to bring them in from Richmond.

  “Ladies.” Nate walked up to the gaggle of women. “Hope you had a good trip.”

  “Nathan!” Sylvie’s grandma enfolded him in a bear hug. Nate winced briefly when her arm made contact with the wound on his side.

  “Nana!” Sylvie exclaimed. “He’s injured.”

  “Oh, heavens.” Nana immediately jumped back, instantly contrite and eyeing him from head to toe. “Where are you hurt?”

  “It’s nothing.” Nate frowned at Sylvie. “Stop making me look like a p— sissy.”

  “Nate, it’s been a while.” Pru opted for a quick peck on his check. “Thanks for helping my daughter out.”

  “I’ll do anything for her, Pru,” Nate said earnestly. “Always believe that.” Pru’s lips quivered and moisture welled in her eyes. Nate thought for a horrified second that she was going to burst into tears.

  “Nate, we’ve got stuff to unload from the cargo. Save the greetings for later, yeah?” Porter interrupted brusquely.

  “But he’s injured!” Nana said indignantly.

  Great, his balls just shriveled up. He could just see the admiral milking this for what it was worth.

  “I’m sure he can manage, right, pretty boy?”

  Older man or not, Nate wanted to punch the smirk off the admiral’s face.

  “Let’s do this,” he muttered to Porter’s retreating back. “Sylvie, can you show Nana and Pru inside? We’ll follow with their things.”

  “That man is very rude,” Nana whispered to him. “Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate him coming to get us, but he’s either growling or grumbling.”

  “Don’t mind him, he’s just a cantankerous old man,” Nate chuckled.

  “I heard that,” Porter called from behind the SUV. The admiral lifted the gate and started hauling some suitcases down. Nate was about to walk over to help him when Sylvie’s mom quipped, “Or he just needs to get laid.”