“I just needed a hug,” Brynna replies with a bright smile.
Maddie comes running over and loops her arms around both our waists, squeezing tight. “I want to hug.”
Running my hand down Maddie’s back, I’m reminded how fragile she is, how tiny, and exactly what this mission is.
Keep the girls safe.
Stop thinking with my dick.
I pull away and turn my back to them abruptly. “Go get settled, Bryn.”
“I think we should—”
“Stay here,” I interrupt and turn to face her but can’t meet her eyes. “Do. Not. Leave. I have to go get food and other supplies. Get you and the girls settled, and I’ll be back.”
“Caleb, we can’t be holed up in your house for days! We’ll all kill each other by tomorrow night.” She props her hands on her hips and stares at me like I’ve gone mad.
“Do as I say,” I respond and grab my keys. “And for God’s sake, keep your phone on you.”
With that I leave, emotions I have no business having swirling around inside me. God help me, I’m falling in love with two amazing girls and their mother. And I’m exactly what they don’t need. Broken. Hurt.
Another man who will end up leaving them, just like that pussy of an ex-husband of hers. What kind of a man lets his wife care for infant twins alone?
Yet here I am, knowing I can’t be with them forever. They deserve so much more than a fucked-up ex-SEAL.
But I’ll be goddamned if I can stay away.
Chapter Ten
~Brynna~
“I don’t want to!” Maddie screams.
“Stop touching her!” Josie wails back and tugs her doll out of Maddie’s arms. “She’s mine!”
“Girls!” I yell but am met with deaf ears as they start hitting each other, sobbing and crying.
“HEY!” I roar and pull Josie away from Maddie.
“She started it!” Maddie yells between sobs and buries her face in her own doll.
“What the hell?” Caleb exclaims as he comes in from outside. “I could hear you all from the street.” He’s scowling at us as he slams the front door and crosses his arms over his chest. “What is going on?”
“I hate you all!” Maddie yells and runs for the bedroom that she and Josie have been sharing in Caleb’s house for the past two days.
“You’re not s’posed to say hate!” Josie calls after her as she follows.
“Do not touch each other! Do you hear me?” I call after them and then square my shoulders and glare at the tall, too-handsome-for-his-own-good male standing before me.
“What did I do?” he asks.
“Caleb Montgomery, we have been in this house for more than two days. If we don’t get out of here for some fresh air, it won’t matter if there could be a homicidal drug lord trying to find us. I’ll kill us all by lunchtime myself!”
His lips twitch, and his clear blue eyes smile down at me. “I don’t think you’ll actually kill us.”
“We can’t take any more of this, babe.” His eyes flare when I call him babe, just like they always do, and I soften a bit. “I know you’re trying to keep us safe, but the girls are going stir-crazy. We can only watch so many movies, and if one of them says, ‘She’s touching me!’ one more time, I am going to poke my eyes out with a hot stick!”
“So, you’re saying you want to get out of the house,” he replies sarcastically, and I ball my fist and sock him right in the arm.
“Ouch,” he mutters and rubs his bicep, scowling at me. “You’re stronger than you look.”
“Please, Caleb. It’s not fair to them.”
He exhales and shakes his head, eyes trained on the floor, and rubs his forehead with his fingertips.
“Have you and the girls been on that damn duck boat ride that goes through downtown?” he asks unexpectedly.
“No.”
“I know the owner. There will be a small crowd, but it would be controlled, and we can sit in the back so I can keep an eye on everyone around us.”
“Okay!” I bounce on the balls of my feet as I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him loudly on the cheek.
“Just a few hours,” he clarifies and then softens. “I don’t like seeing them so unhappy.”
“They’ll love this. It’ll be perfect.”
“Girls!” Caleb calls out, and within a few seconds both girls come trudging out of their room, their faces long. “Get your coats. We’re going out for a while.”
“Yay!” Josie exclaims.
“I love you!” Maddie shouts, and they both scurry to get ready to leave.
“See?” I kiss his cheek again and grin up at him. “Better already.”
***
“Look, Mom! It’s Jules and Nate’s building!” Josie is pointing eagerly out the window of the duck boat, the yellow duck bill whistle in her mouth that all the passengers get when they get on the amphibious truck.
The quacking gets incredibly annoying, and the whistles will be “lost” by morning.
The truck drives through downtown Seattle, by the famous Pike Place Market, through old Belltown and then right into the water of Lake Washington for a tour about the lake, giving us a fantastic view of the Seattle skyline.
The girls are loving it.
“Yes, it is,” I agree and smile at Josie. “But how do you know?”
“Because it’s by the really good doughnut place.” She grins. “I like the glazed ones.”
“Ah, that’s right.” I nod and have a sudden craving for glazed doughnuts myself. “We went there the last time we stopped by to see Jules and Nate.”
Josie giggles as I tug on one of her long ponytails, and I glance over at Caleb, who hasn’t paid attention to one word the tour guide has said, but instead watches every person on the truck intently, his eyes narrowed.
He and I are both seated on the aisle, giving the girls the window seats so they can see everything the tour guide is describing.
“Relax,” I murmur to him.
He doesn’t even look my way.
I put my duck call between my pursed lips and blow it in his face.
He whips his head around and glares at me.
“Relax,” I tell him again, with a grin. “This is fun.”
His body is tense, every muscle flexed and ready to jump into action. His phone rings, and he reaches for it and has it pressed to his ear before the second ring.
“Montgomery.”
And suddenly, like magic, it’s as though his body deflates like a balloon. “Thank God.”
He listens and then chuckles. “Yeah, well, that’s one less thing we need to worry about, but we’re not out of the woods. Okay, later.”
He hangs up and exhales, pushes his hand through his hair and finally glances down at me. “I’ll tell you when we get back to my place.”
“Good news?” I ask.
“Yeah.” He nods and scans the group again.
“They’re the same people that were there twenty seconds ago. They haven’t changed, Caleb.”
“I don’t like crowds,” he murmurs as he shakes his head, his eyes trained on the exits, body still alert.
I reach over and lace my fingers through his, anchoring him to me. I can’t imagine what’s going through his head right now. The girls are oblivious, loving the sights and sounds of the city, dancing along with the music and blowing into their duck calls.
“Thank you for this,” I murmur to him, and he nods once then breathes a sigh of relief when the vehicle stops back where we started and the passengers begin to disembark.
“Now what?” Maddie asks with a wide grin.
“Let’s get ice cream!” Josie exclaims as we stand to be the last ones to leave.
“Let’s go to the movies!” Maddie joins in.
Caleb swears under his breath and tugs one of each of the girls’ hands into his own as we walk past the Experience Music Project toward the parking garage.
We lucked out on the weather today. For February, it’s relati
vely warm, and rain-free.
Thank God.
“Caleb! Look! Cotton candy!” Josie points at a red and white cart laden with clouds of cotton candy in plastic bags, popcorn and slushies.
“Okay, we can do cotton candy.” Caleb grins down at the girls and leads us to the cart.
“I want pink!” Maddie and Josie exclaim at the same time.
“Two pink cotton candies.” Caleb chuckles with the older woman working inside the cart.
She smiles widely and hands them over, then collects the money for them from Caleb. “Your family is beautiful.” She winks. “And your girls clearly have you wrapped around their little fingers.”
I tense for a moment, my eyes glued to Caleb’s face. He continues to stare down at his wallet, a smile tugging on his lips, but then he frowns almost regretfully. Finally, he glances back up at the kind woman, offering her a fake smile.
“Thank you,” he replies simply, accepts his change and hands the girls their sweets.
“What do you say?” I remind my girls.
“Thank you!” Their voices are a chorus of excitement as they dive into the sweet confection and nibble their treat.
“Thank you,” I mutter to Caleb, who meets my gaze with sad blue eyes.
“You’re welcome.”
***
“I want to stay here, Brynna.” Caleb’s hands are braced on the countertop at his hips as he leans against it and glares at me in exasperation.
“Absolutely not.” I shake my head furiously, fold the dish towel in half lengthwise and drape it over the cabinet door beneath the sink. “We have a life to get back to.”
“Brynna, listen to me—”
“Caleb,” I interrupt, my voice calm and quiet, and he stops talking and watches me carefully. “No. My girls need to go to school. I have a job. Yes, Levi is creepy, but…”
“Levi is no longer an issue.” Caleb crosses his arms over his chest, drawing my gaze to his rippled biceps, and I have to press my knees together from the zing of electricity that zooms through my pussy.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“He’s been fired.”
I stand and watch him, waiting for him to explain further.
“That was Matt on the phone today.” Caleb sighs and shakes his head. “The extensive background check came back. He has no violent history, which means he’s just a creepy guy with a crush.”
“So, he just figured Matt and I are together?” I ask and feel a light sweat break out on my forehead.
“Yeah.” He chuckles and pulls me to him, as though he can’t stand to be apart from me for one more second, even if we are arguing. “He thought Matt was your husband because he picks you up from work every day.”
I close my eyes as I sigh and lean my forehead against his chest. “Thank God.”
“He’s still been fired. Even if he doesn’t have a record, he was inappropriate with you. Isaac fired him before I showed up there and ripped his balls off.”
I laugh and lift my head to gaze up into his eyes. “I handled him.”
“I really think we’re safer here, Legs.”
My smile evaporates. “No.”
He growls and pulls me against him more tightly, buries his face in my neck and takes in a long, hard breath. “You are so fucking stubborn,” he murmurs against me, the words muffled, and I can’t help but laugh at him.
“Back at you.”
“If we are going back to your house tomorrow, I have some conditions.”
“Wow, this sounds like a compromise,” I reply drily.
He bites my neck, right where it meets my shoulder, before he pulls back and glares down at me. “One, no school bus. Either Matt or I will take them to and from school every day. I will not budge on this.” He runs his hands soothingly up and down my back, but narrows his eyes at me, daring me to defy him.
“Yes, si—” I catch myself and stutter, “Okay.”
Caleb smiles at me softly. “You can say, ‘Yes, sir,’ you know. I hear it every day.”
“Not in this lifetime,” I mutter and chuckle. “No way.”
“Okay, number two, we have the alarm system on the house expanded.”
“I can’t afford—”
“I know people, Brynna. This won’t cost you a dime and should have been done weeks ago. I want censors on the windows and motion-censor lights outside.” He stops and stares at me, waiting for me to acknowledge him, and I do with a nod.
“Number three, I want you to go to the range with me more often, and I’m leaving my nine mil with you at all times.”
I begin shaking my head, but he leans in and rests his forehead against mine and rubs our noses together. “Please,” he whispers, his voice rough, and I know it’s taking everything in him to agree to letting us go home.
He wants us all to be safe. How can I find fault in that?
“Okay,” I acquiesce and kiss his chin. “Anything else?”
“Yes, neither you nor the girls are ever to be alone. Ever.”
“Can we go to the bathroom alone?” I ask sarcastically.
“You are such a smart-ass,” he responds, but his lips are pulled back into a half smile, and his eyes are happy.
“I can live with this,” I murmur and kiss his lips softly.
“Good.”
“I’m sleepy.” I yawn widely and then chuckle. “I think I’ll head to bed.”
“I’ll be along soon.” He kisses the tip of my nose before I move away from him toward the bedroom. “I have to call Matt and then I have a bit of reading to do.”
“Okay.” I grin and saunter into his bedroom, yawning once again.
***
“Holy fuck! Get down, get down! Retreat!”
Rat tat tat tat tat. Boom! Boom!
I jolt up in the bed and search frantically around, but Caleb isn’t in the bedroom.
“Take cover, goddamn it!”
I jump from the bed and run into the living room. The lights are still on, as is the television, tuned to a military show on the History channel. Caleb is lying across the couch, where he must have fallen asleep while watching the show, but he’s thrashing about, sweating, and his breath is coming in hard, harsh pants.
I rush to his side and sink to my knees beside him.
What do I do? Do I touch him?
The television continues behind me. Boom! Rat tat tat tat tat!
I grab for the remote and snap the power off and then turn back to the terrorized man before me.
“Caleb,” I murmur and gently lay my hand on his bicep, and before I know it, he’s rolled us both onto the floor. He pins me with his huge body and wraps his hand around my throat, squeezing.
He’s having one helluva nightmare.
And so am I.
“I said retreat, goddamn it!” he shouts and glares down at me, his eyes glazed and blank, as though he’s not really there at all. It’s the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
Holy fucking shit.
“Mommy! Mommy!” I hear the girls in the doorway, scared shitless and crying.
Dear God, don’t let him choke me to death in front of my girls.
“I’ve got you, motherfucker!” Caleb growls in my ear, and a cold sweat breaks out all over my body. Jesus, if I were an insurgent, I would just lie down and die at the sound of this voice.
He wouldn’t have to shoot me.
“Caleb,” I try again, but he squeezes even harder.
I wiggle my arms free and begin hitting him on the back and sides, over and over, trying to wake him, but he just pins me harder with his legs and snarls down at me. The bright color of his eagle tattoo catches my eye, and I watch his shoulder muscle flex as he tightens his grip on my throat.
“Stop hurting my mommy!” Josie cries just as the edges of my vision begin to darken and I see stars.
As Maddie lets out an ear-piercing scream, I knee the inside of his thigh, hard, and am suddenly freed and pushed away from him. I roll onto my stomach, gasping a
nd wheezing.
I cover my throat with my hands and cough, pull myself up onto my knees and watch Caleb’s eyes clear, the blankness replaced with horror and disgust. He scrambles away from me, in a backward crab-crawl, until his back hits the wall.
The girls are huddled together in the doorway, clinging to each other with wide eyes, crying for me.
“Fuck me,” Caleb whispers, and my head whips around to find his knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around them, and his face in his hands. He’s shaking violently.
“Caleb,” I manage, my voice hoarse, but he cringes away from my touch and shakes his head adamantly no.
I jump from the floor and run to my babies, pull them into my arms and carry them back into their bedroom, to the full-size bed they’ve been sharing.
“Why was Caleb hurting you?” Josie sniffles and buries her face against my chest as Maddie clings to me and buries her face in my neck.
“He didn’t mean to,” I reassure them, repeating it over and over again, while reassuring myself. I kiss their heads and breathe in their sweet baby shampoo smells, rocking them back and forth. “He was having a bad nightmare.”
“He sounded scared,” Maddie murmurs and sniffles.
“I think he’s still scared,” I whisper and kiss her forehead.
“Maybe we should hug him,” Josie whispers, but cowers deeper into me.
My brave, sweet girls.
“I think Caleb needs to be alone for a little while, but you can give him lots of hugs in the morning, okay?”
They both nod. “Will you lay with us for a while?” Josie asks.
“Of course,” I reply and tuck them in, then lie with them, smoothing their hair from their faces and murmuring to them. I brush the tears from their soft cheeks and kiss them both over and over again.
“I’m okay, babies.”
“Love you, Mama,” Josie whispers as she falls back into sleep.
“Love you, too, brave girl.”
Maddie is already snoring softly, both having fallen into an exhausted sleep, and I leave them and prepare myself to face Caleb.
Come Away With Me Page 10
