Treasured

by Pinder, Victoria

  Mary was a knockout.

  I needed to be smart now. Wanda Frost had been my brother’s fiancée until he was shot and killed. I’d teamed up with my brother’s friends, who ran Cole Security, to help get her out of the company he’d started.

  Since returning stateside, my mission had been to reclaim the company that was rightfully mine. Two weeks before, I’d had a meeting with Mark from Cole Security, as Wanda was selling guns illegally.

  The years training to be a Navy SEAL were still fresh as I retired my uniform, but once again I was running in Devon’s shadow. He’d trusted these men, and they remembered him as the saint he was.

  They’d found Mary as a source to target while I handled the legal paperwork to oust Wanda from the company.

  So there I was, out to prove that I, Dwayne Jenson, was better than my older brother had been. I’d earned better grades in school, continually outperformed him in every physical challenge, and went to church every week to talk one-on-one with my creator—something Devon had always said was stupid.

  And then, he was gone. My older brother, who judged me, now no longer called, and that had been hard.

  Guess it was harder on my security team, though, since they continued to share stories about how wonderful Devon had been every time we were together, like on this night, at the table.

  I mostly listened, but my first mission to get intel on who worked at my company had just grown more interesting.

  Nothing had prepared me for the pretty blonde who had sauntered past. For the first time in a while, I was alive, and my nerves were on edge for her return.

  As I waited, I circled back to my table and my new associates. Natalie asked, “You were just talking to Mary Steel?”

  The sharp eyes of Mark Dixon and his wife, Charlie, were on me like laser pointers on a gun, and I stood at attention. “Yeah, the opportunity presented itself more easily than I imagined.”

  Mark winked, like he wanted to laugh at me though we weren’t that close. “Look, Thunder Thighs, the blonde can’t distract you from why we’re here.”

  The blonde was most definitely for pleasure and not a mission. But they were right. I didn’t need to get distracted. She had information I needed.

  Even though my body craved far more—and a tiny voice in my head whispered there was more—I gave a curt nod. “I’ll find out about Arthur and Wanda if she knows anything.”

  Charlie motioned with her head. “Your girl is coming back. I can run a background check on her, if you need.”

  “Stop. When Wanda walks in, I’ll be ready to remind her that she can’t keep me from my company.”

  The farther away from work people, the better. Mary and I needed to be alone. I met her halfway between the dance floor and where she’d gone, and I immediately said, “There you are.”

  She turned to me, but she shook her head and asked, “You’re still here?”

  I cocked my eyebrow and met her sarcasm with my lips turned up. “Are you upset?”

  “Surprised.” She spun toward the room. “Look around. There are tons of beautiful women here tonight that are more in your league.”

  She was selling herself short. Her curves were deadly and would fill my dreams tonight. So no one else would hear us, I whispered into her ear, “None as interesting as you.”

  She turned back toward me and heaved that perfect chest that was neither too big nor too small as she asked, “What’s your name?”

  The lights flashed near the stage, and I smelled the sweet air around her as I said, “Dwayne Jensen, ma’am, and yours?”

  With her thumb, she pointed toward the stage and said, “Mary Steel.” She took a step back. “And it looks like I’m needed onstage.”

  I followed her, asking, “Running away from me again?”

  She shook her head and said, “I’m here to do my job.”

  I winked at her and said, “Funny. Me too. Go and finish yours so we can get a drink.”

  Her hips swayed as she rushed onto the dance floor and up the side of the stage.

  Mark’s voice came through my earpiece: “The other target of yours is here, Thunder Thighs.”

  Guess he’d found my call sign funny. Didn’t matter, though. I glanced at the doors and saw Wanda again. I hadn’t seen her since I was still in college. “I see her.”

  Charlie reminded me of the report I’d been shown earlier that listed her as an international arms dealer who worked with some shadowy characters using Mary’s ex as the contact. She followed that with, “Wanda Frost has quite a reputation.”

  No way my brother had known that about her. If he had, he’d been more lost than I remembered. I didn’t even blink as I approached her. “I remember why my brother named me his backup if something happened to him. I hadn’t realized she used my time in the SEALs and found herself a loophole.”

  Charlie repeated, “Then you’re warned.”

  “I got this,” I said and then approached as she grabbed her name tag. Wanda wasn’t nearly as vibrant as Mary, but I was still all smiles when I said, “Hey, you.”

  She pivoted around me. “Get lost.”

  “Wanda, my brother thought you were perfect once.”

  She turned around.

  Mary’s voice was on the speaker, and I turned toward the stage. She had a microphone in her hand. “Tonight, we raised over one hundred thousand dollars for women’s shelters.”

  “Dwayne.” Wanda hugged me and kissed my cheek. “I almost didn’t recognize you. You look healthy.” Her phone rang and she stepped back as she said, “Look, you and I should talk in person soon.”

  “Sure, but if you want to save yourself the headache of lawyers, you’ll sign off on my control without fighting me,” I said, hoping she would buy this reminiscing thing.

  “Yet I made us both a lot of money,” Wanda said with a nod. “And the board likes me.”

  Honestly, facing my past wasn’t my style. If I was caught in my memories, then I was avoiding the present, and that could get me killed. But the board didn’t know Wanda had the company under federal investigation. Everyone would soon.

  Mary continued to brighten the room with her voice. “Thank you, everyone, for being here. This money means a lot to my family.”

  Steel. Her last name had been on the program. And her brightness on the stage made her almost like an angel in the distance.

  Wanda stepped back, waving her ringing phone. “Now is not the time for this.”

  “I came here to give you fair warning,” I said then handed her my business card. “So you’ll call me when you see you have no way to stop me.”

  “Cocky.” She took the card and hugged me again. “That’s probably what got your brother killed too. Later, Dwayne.”

  At least she’d remembered me.

  Mission accomplished for the evening. My team would be happy.

  Next, I turned my attention toward Mary. She was off the stage and sitting in her seat.

  I pressed my thumb to my lips and imagined what kissing her might be like. I made my way over to her and slid into the empty seat beside her.

  She shook her head at me and said, “I saw you talking to that pretty woman.”

  I would never betray Mary with someone like Wanda, but I patted her knee and said, “She is my brother’s ex-fiancée and a temporary business associate.”

  “My ex works with her.” Mary’s knees brushed against mine, and a spark rushed through me. “And she’s staring at us.”

  Jealousy would get me nowhere fast. I massaged her knee under her shimmering red satin dress and said, “Small world, then. But for the rest of the night, I’m completely yours for the taking.”

  She tapped the table. “We’re not—”

  “Oh, we are.” Change the topic and keep her talking. The plan was simple. I folded my hands. “I should also say I’m impressed with your family’s charity.”

  Her face blushed prettily. “It’s not just a charity. My aunt started these shelters because she’d been abused b
efore she met my uncle, and she wanted to help other women find their strength in a safe environment. My cousin, her daughter, owns the place, but I run it.”

  No man should ever hurt a woman. Cherish was better. I nudged her and said, “That’s noble.”

  Her finger traced her water glass as she said, “No, it means sometimes the Steel women pick the wrong men.”

  Her tone told me she’d had a bad experience, and I assumed his name was Arthur. I kept my voice low and said, “That’s not me.”

  She sat back and stared at me like she didn’t believe me at all. “That’s what they all say.”

  I leaned closer, ignoring how my hair stood on end from being so close to her as I said, “I… look, I respect that you’re a mom, and I respect that mind, body, and soul of yours.”

  Music started up, and people filed out onto the dance floor around us.

  Her finger touched mine, and energy coursed through me as she said, “That’s crazy.”

  And then she cracked up, staring at the ceiling as she laughed. My own shoulders relaxed like I had found a slice of heaven. “You finally laughed.”

  The DJ started a fast song, and she took my hand and tugged on it. “Okay, Dwayne. Do you want to dance?”

  I pressed my hand to my heart. “With you?”

  She crossed her arms and said, “You can go to your brother’s ex if you want.”

  I stood up and walked with her to the dance floor, where I said, “No, you’d be the perfect woman in my arms right now.”

  She curled her arms around me and said, “I can’t believe I’m falling for this charm.”

  We moved in beat with the music. “You think I’m charming.”

  She giggled. “I think you’re unbelievable.”

  I let my hand go a little lower on her backside. “You can find out more later.”

  Her face blushed, but instead of throwing me off her, she laughed and said, “The sex innuendo so early. I’m shocked.”

  Interesting. I held her tight and stared into the blue eyes that bore into my soul. “I’m a man who knows what he wants.”

  Her eyes were like ice, but she didn’t pull away. “And then will find an excuse to leave in the morning before we even exchange phone numbers.”

  Or I’d keep her forever. Mary wasn’t someone I would ever willingly leave. Part of me wanted to claim her as mine and never let her go—ever. But she would not want to hear about that instinct. So I squeezed her palm in mine. “You could give me a chance, y’know. I might surprise you.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not looking for a surprise.”

  She glanced up and down my body, and I hoped she liked what she saw. I practiced in the gym for hours every day to be at my peak. “What are you looking for?” I asked.

  She sucked in her bottom lip, and I spun her around to the music, which changed to a slower beat. She came into my arms willingly. She made the air smell like roses. She went onto her tiptoes and whispered in my ear, “Honestly?”

  My lips tingled to taste her. Every part of me wanted to claim her as my own and keep her. I asked her, “If you could have whatever you want in a man, what would that be?”

  She rested her head on my shoulder. Unlike my last girlfriend, I would keep her forever close. I was normally closed off, but she made me want to hold on and not let go.

  For a minute, I wondered if she hadn’t heard me or had just chosen not to answer.

  The song continued to preach about love, but then she finally glanced up, and it was like the sun had burst out of the morning sky as she said, “To be treasured as his one and only, to be loved and be considered important and as a partner in life…” My shoulders widened as if she were giving me direct orders to follow. She turned her head down. “Y’know, the guy a girl can count on, no matter what shitstorm shows up in her life next. One who’s rock solid and right there, holding my hand.”

  I squeezed her waist like I was promising her to be that guy but instead said, “That’s honest. I like that.”

  She let out a small “ha” that I would have missed if we weren’t so close. “What can I say? I’ve had time to think about it.”

  I glanced over her head and saw a flash of light in our direction. Then I met Wanda’s gaze.

  Mary wasn’t a target in our war for control of my brother’s company. I had the shares. So I pointed her toward the back door and said, “Tell you what, let’s finish this dance, say hello to everyone, and get out of here, together.”

  She licked her lips as she sized me up. I hope she saw the me inside that no one else did, the boy who had once competed for everything to prove he was the best. She raised her eyebrow and asked, “You’re serious?”

  I twirled her one last time as the song wound down and said, “Yes.”

  She laughed and squeezed my ass. “Then you’re on. It’s my one night of freedom.”

  And it was my one night to prove I was more than a one-night stand, it seemed.

  I wanted to hold her and never let go. No other woman had ever done that to me. I was hers for the taking.

  Chapter Three

  Mary

  Holding a man who was practically double my size and all muscle everywhere was not how I thought I’d spend the night.

  Truthfully, I’d not had any man touch me since… stop, now. Arthur wasn’t worth a moment’s thought.

  Besides, I was there with Dwayne, and he seemed like a man who’d stepped out of my fantasy to dance with me.

  Inside, I was already humming to be his, but that was crazy.

  Heck, I was being reckless, but I ached to be held by him.

  I didn’t remember ever being truly held, and tonight, being in his arms might make the best moments to cherish.

  So I opened the hotel room door with my swipe card and showed him in as I said, “This way.”

  As the door closed, my skin prickled. I’d not been alone, with a man, in forever.

  Dwayne put his phone on the desk and then turned toward me. My heart was in my throat. “Did you get enough to eat in there, Mary?” he asked.

  I let out a small sigh. No need to be so scared. He wasn’t here to hurt me. I shook my head and slipped out of my heels. “We’re not here to eat. Are you getting cold feet?”

  I walked toward him, but he took my hands and said, “I’d like to talk first.”

  My heart swelled. I would never get romance in my life. I knew it, but this one second was… sweet. However, I lowered my shoulders and arched my eyebrow. “In my hotel room?”

  His muscular hand ran up and down my arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps and zaps aching for more, but he sat on the small sofa and asked, “What can I say? I want to know more about you. How old is your son?”

  This wasn’t like my ex. He’d never asked me… anything. He talked about himself, all the time. I lowered myself beside him and fished out my phone as I said, “He’s eighteen months now.”

  He motioned with his head, so I pulled up a photo I had taken the week before. He smiled, and butterflies flew in my stomach.

  I’d once ached for my son’s father to love us both, but he’d thrown my baby.

  My heart had stopped, and I would never forget it.

  Dwayne was four times more muscular and could do serious damage to anyone with one push, but he handed me my phone and asked with a brightness in his gaze that made me hunger for him, “Still a baby. What happened with the father?”

  The topic. The buzzkill. I met his gaze, and my lips tingled to kiss him. Instead, I glanced down at his hands, which were bigger than my waist, but I wasn’t afraid now. So I said, “He beat me.”

  His face went white, and his hands curled. I reached out and squeezed his thumb and ignored the energy that rushed in my veins as he said, “Wait. What?”

  Time for the whole truth. If he didn’t want that night, I would get it. Maybe I wasn’t ready for a one-night stand either. “I didn’t leave when that happened. I left when he threw our one-week-old baby against the wall. I almost l
et my son die because I was afraid to get out. I’m not that stupid anymore.”

  He reached out and hugged me.

  I leaned in to his embrace. I hadn’t expected this. I had never expected to feel desire in my veins again. He said, “Mary, that’s horrible. A real man protects a woman.”

  That was the fairy tale. He let me go, and my stomach twisted like I was experiencing a physical loss. “You can leave now if you want. I’ve been getting help, but that’s generally the deal-breaker conversation.”

  There was a knock on the door. I jumped up, but he slowly followed and said, “I’d like to stay and for you to eat.”

  I opened the door and saw two plates of food and a bottle of wine. I waved the server in. “You ordered room service?”

  He tipped the server, who quickly left, and said, “I charged my room.”

  I locked the door once again and crossed my arms as I walked toward Dwayne. “Why?”

  He showed me the cheeseburger and fries he ordered for me and said, “You seem fragile, and I need you to have your strength tonight.”

  Well, he wasn’t into me eating salads. My mouth watered for the carbs I would normally avoid. I picked up my burger. “Seriously?” I took off the paper and smelled the meat. I’d not had one of these since graduating high school. I scooted into the small couch and held it to my lips. “I thought men liked frail women.”

  He sat beside me and bit into his. As he finished, he winked at me. “Personally, I’ll need a woman who can kick my ass once in a while.”

  “I’ll never be that physically strong.”

  He scooted closer, took another bite, and said, “Oh, I mean one who can tell me what I did wrong and not want to walk out the door when I fuck something up.”

  I took a bite. Wow. It was better than the memory burned into my mind of my friends pressuring me to eat lunch like I was anorexic. “Funny. I’ve been hoping a girl like that shows up for my brother.”

  “You have a brother?”

  He poured the wine. I finished my burger. He’d been right—I didn’t remember when I ate last. I put my napkin on my lap, holding my plate, ignoring the fries, and said, “Yeah. My brother was arrested briefly for beating the crap out of my ex. Judge exonerated him.”