Under Control

by Zoë Normandie

  “Hey, it’s okay,” he tried to assure her.

  “What if something happens to you?” she cried, a small, vulnerable voice shooting through. “What if you don’t get better?” Her eyes grew big and concerned as her breathing became heavy.

  “I will be fine. I’m tough,” he assured her, knowing exactly why she was so upset. “You’ve been here before?”

  She nodded, using one hand to wipe her tears and keeping the other hand with his.

  “Carrick, I can’t explain what it was like watching your bloody body rolled down the same hallway where I last saw my parents…”

  But then her words stopped, and she closed her eyes. His own throat grew stiff as he watched her break down. It was fucking impossible to see. How could such an amazing young woman be forced to go through so much? His jaw tightened as he experienced every feeling he’d never wanted to have for years.

  Finally, her inhalation grew stable, and the tears stopped. He could only guess she was trying to control her reaction and not to completely lose it. Only when she’d recovered did she open her eyes, tilting her head as she studied him.

  “Are you crying?”

  “No.” Carrick blinked his eyes, realizing they were dewy. “It’s the meds.”

  A wide grin spread across her perfect lips, her gorgeous smile uplifting him in a way he desperately needed. It was clear that there was something everlasting between them, and Carrick knew what he had to do.

  “I’m sorry, Dani,” he conceded. “I should have told you everything.”

  Danica nodded, understanding and forgiveness crossing her face. It was then that he knew that he still had her…very much so.

  But he damn well didn’t deserve her.

  “There’s something else I should have told you,” he began, watching her carefully. “Delta gave me an intel report from LAPD. Someone snitched about what happened to your parents. Petrov killed them.”

  Her face grew white, and he could see the deep loss in her eyes.

  He continued, “I’m sorry, Dani. I should have told you as soon as I read the report.”

  He could feel her backing away, shaking. Her hand slipped away from his, and he feared that he would never have her again.

  “I didn’t know…that you knew.” She leaned back, her body trembling, and her eyes darted to the window. A tear rolled down her cheek.

  He sat up in his bed and pain ricocheted through his back—but he didn’t give a fuck. Reaching out to grab her once more, he held onto her waist, afraid she’d run.

  “I won’t keep things from you again,” he let out in a hoarse voice.

  She bit her lip, cold and detached.

  “I’m—” he started, but her angered face turned to him, cutting him off.

  “I know about the intelligence report. I know Petrov killed my parents.” She snapped at him. “I know because I was the snitch.”

  “What?” Carrick looked shocked, trying to process what she’d said as he pulled her back to him by her hand. “What do you mean?”

  Fire in her eyes, she ground out, “I was in the car when it happened. I survived.”

  On pure instinct alone, Carrick dragged Danica’s body onto the bed. Without asking permission, he took her mouth with his, breathing a thousand apologies. How could he have been so stupid? She was stronger than anyone he’d ever met.

  “Stay with me,” he exhaled between kisses.

  She let him continue kissing her, and finally, after a minute of being held, she reached up to his shoulder and caressed his skin. Her touch sent a fire across his chest—but it was a damn good heat. That warmth hit his bones and rushed back up to his eyes. When he looked down on the beautiful brunette in his arms, she shot him a little grin.

  “No more secrets.”

  He nodded, conceding—willing to do anything to get her back. “Never.”

  He kissed her again, taking her tongue into his mouth like he was never again going to kiss anyone. Her taste was delicious and immediately forced his cock into an uncomfortably hard place—one where he just wanted to fuck the shit out of her in his hospital bed. But before he could act, Delta’s echoing voice came closer to the door with what sounded like the doctor in tow.

  “Come home with me.” Carrick gripped her ass tightly while Danica squirmed. “I need a nurse.”

  A little something seemed to cross her lips, but she quickly corrected herself and furrowed her forehead.

  “I’m not that type of nurse.”

  As Danica pushed off the bed, Carrick couldn’t shake the fantasy of what he wanted to do to her when he healed.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Danica

  Danica stood outside Carrick’s Sunset Beach home on the back patio, waiting for him to come out. They’d been back from the hospital for a few days, but he’d spent most of the time sleeping it off—recovering from the bullets they’d taken out of him and ridding his system of the painkillers. If he’d wanted her to play nurse, she hadn’t been able to do much except trying to spoon-feed him homemade vegan soup and smoothies, which he’d complained about.

  Finally, today, he’d held her hand and asked her if she wanted to go out with him—like, out of the house. He had something he wanted to show her.

  She stood outside his place, waiting, in dressy shorts with a tucked-in soft white blouse. She’d taken extra care in her outfit, using a few things Aunt Kathy had dropped off for her. Carrick’s aunt had impeccable taste, which had started putting it all into perspective. She’d been behind all the décor. That was now obvious.

  Combing her long brown hair through her fingers, Danica nervously adjusted her blouse. Tucked in or left out? She gazed at her reflection in the sliding doors, trying it as half tucked in. She didn’t know why this particular outing felt so important, but it did.

  The sliding door opened, and a slick, scheming smile affixed to a familiar handsome face appeared.

  “Ready?” He licked his bottom lip as he looked her up and down.

  The look that never failed to give her goosebumps… She blinked at him in the high afternoon sun, feeling hotter under his gaze.

  Nodding, he instructed her to meet him around front—where he was going to pull out the truck. As she walked through the alley between houses, she let out a breath, relishing how much Carrick had chilled out since Petrov was dead and Andriy had been jailed. Danica’s testimony against him had been the nail in the coffin that LAPD needed to finish off a long organized-crime investigation. Of course, Danica had instructed her lawyer to donate whatever inheritance she received to an organization supporting women fleeing violence. She wasn’t going to take that tainted money.

  Smiling and feeling a sense of peace for the first time since her childhood, Danica turned onto the street where Carrick’s black pickup truck was pulling around. He stopped, letting her jump up in—and hit the gas with purpose. She clicked in her seatbelt, offering Carrick a shy smile as he peeled onto the highway. Whatever it was that he wanted to show her seemed important, because she could tell he was still in some pain.

  He risked his life for me.

  Something she would never, ever forget.

  After a short drive into the main stretch of the small beachside community, Carrick pulled in behind a well-appointed brick building that had a frontage on the tourist shopping drag and backed onto the long public beach. It was a duplex, a commercial property, and appeared to have a coffee shop on one half with the other half currently vacant.

  Jumping out of the truck, Carrick came around the side and opened her door, helping her out like the perfect gentleman, despite his injuries. Well, almost the perfect gentleman. He let his hand slip a little lower on her back and lifted her up by the ass into his body.

  “Fuck.” He coughed in pain, seeming to realize what a bad choice that had been, and immediately let her slip back to the ground.

  “Can’t change your spots,” Danica grinned.

  Wincing, Carrick grabbed the side of the truck for stability and clos
ed his eyes. As he loomed over her, collecting himself, there was something so raw and vulnerable about him, just like how he’d been since the day he’d fallen head-first into her lap, blood flushing over his back. He’d been real.

  Things felt real.

  Danica couldn’t help but stand on her tiptoes to plant a little kiss on his cheek before retracting shyly. It drew a wide grin across his mouth as he touched where she’d kissed him, and he shot her a promising look.

  “Coffee first?” he prompted, nodding at the shop. “Or surprise?”

  Danica laughed but confusion crossed her face as he pulled her toward the front doors of the duplex.

  “What—? Is the empty side the surprise?” she asked, nodding toward the dark, empty side of the building.

  He raised his eyebrow like he wasn’t going to tell her anything and ushered her forward to the door of the vacant space. He whipped out a key and unlocked it, opening it for her to go in. She moved into the dusty interior. It was small and dark—and it smelled like an old printer.

  Turning to him, she asked, “Let me guess. This is the new investment property you bought?”

  “Yup.” He grinned, tucking his hands in his pockets.

  “Nice,” she said. “Your desk will go over there, and Delta’s over here.”

  He laughed like she’d said something outrageous.

  “Unless you fired him?” She gasped. “Please tell me you didn’t. He’s so much nicer than you.”

  “Delta’s still enlisted. He’s deploying in a few days.” Carrick shook his head. “Anyway, I don’t think you want me sitting here all day.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it would be bad for business,” he said, a knowing twinkle in his eyes. “How are you going to run an art gallery all day if I can’t keep my hands off you?”

  “An art gallery?” she asked…then her mouth dropped.

  Carrick shrugged. “I’m investing in you.”

  Realizing what he’d done, Danica immediately felt tears of gratitude and joy welling inside her. He was never going to be the type to check with her first. That was his way. And maybe that wasn’t always a bad thing—because he was incredibly thoughtful and giving, in a way she’d never known.

  Before she could say anything or move anywhere, he pulled a little bright blue box out of his pocket and toyed with it in his fingers. And she froze—staring at him, and what he was doing.

  “I did this all wrong before, Dani,” he said slowly, holding the box up. “I should have told you that I love you. And you know what? If this isn’t the best marriage proposal, then I don’t know what is.”

  As he finished, a wild smile crossed his lips, like even he couldn’t believe he’d said it all. And Danica burst out laughing.

  “That’s not a good sign,” he grumbled.

  “It is— It is!” She beamed, tears springing from her eyes. “It’s just that only you could propose marriage in a way that is so nonchalant yet so touching at the same time.”

  She took a step forward, reaching up to his cheek as he stood still. He popped open the box, showing her what he’d chosen. It was a stunning, thin gold band, delicate and feminine, with a gorgeous green emerald on it.

  “It’s so beautiful.” She breathed in sharply, gently touching the gemstone.

  “I figured you want me to find something with ethical origins,” he explained. “I hope it fits. Sometimes fingers can seem smaller when compared to the girth of my…”

  “Carrick!” She pushed him gently before he could finish, cracking up as he teased her. “Please. I don’t want to have to tell our children how you sized my ring.”

  “Our children?” he said, a little twinkle in his eye.

  “Well, I want at least two…to go along with the white picket fence you are going to build for me.” She stood up on her toes, planting a kiss on his lips.

  “I’ll have to get started on the fence tomorrow,” he said as he slipped the ring onto her finger, taking her lips at the same time. “Today, we can start on the kids.”

  And as he kissed her slowly, tasting the tip of her tongue, she moaned then said, “I didn’t say yes yet.”

  “I expect some return on my investment, you know.”

  Danica sighed, letting the tall, protective man deepen their kiss, enjoying her mouth more and more. As she kissed him back, she knew she’d found herself home—and home was with him. Pulling back just so her nose was touching his, she looked up at him with a sultry gaze, locking and connecting.

  “I love you so much,” she whispered. “And, yes, I would love to be your wife.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Danica

  “You look stunning,” Addie gasped as she helped Danica zip up the back of her mossy green cocktail dress.

  Looking into the bathroom mirror, Danica beamed at her best friend, who was flipping her long blonde hair behind her back. Danica was overjoyed that her former roommate could be there on the day of her wedding.

  Danica checked her watch, her eyes widening. “Wow, time has really flown by today.”

  Addie reached to the counter, picking up and sipping her mimosa. “Bubbly can do that to a girl. Let’s head downstairs.”

  Taking Addie’s hand, Danica led them down the beautiful wooden staircase of Carrick’s Sunset Beach home, which now was her home as well. As they crested the second floor, she looked out of the patio door and saw Carrick off on the beach in the distance, preparing for the evening beach wedding they had planning. It was simple and small—with just a few friends.

  “He didn’t want to wait too long.” Addie chuckled, finishing off her drink.

  Danica shook her head, grinning. “He said he wanted to get started on kids right away, but I know the real reason he wanted this shotgun wedding. He didn’t want to give me a chance to plan a massive, fussy event.”

  Her heart warmed with the thought, watching Carrick, in his well-fitted collared shirt and slacks, organize chairs on the lower patio with Delta. As Danica turned around to find her way downstairs, the doorbell rang. Addie followed her down, grabbing her camera along the way.

  As Danica opened the door, she was surprised to see Kendra, the sergeant with LAPD who was assigned to her case.

  “Oh, hi, Kendra.” Danica smiled, opening the door a little farther. “How can I help you?”

  “Good evening.” The serious, athletic blonde stepped into the entryway, looking around suspiciously. “Is he here?”

  “Who?”

  As Kendra searched for words, Danica heard the patio door open in the back.

  “Sergeant.” Carrick’s voice boomed from the hall as male footsteps echoed through the level.

  Danica spun on her heels, watching Delta and Carrick enter the space. Kendra stiffened beside her as though her veins had flashed to ice.

  “Kendra.” Delta exhaled, as if he’d been gutted.

  Danica and Carrick exchanged looks, a concerned expression crossing his face.

  Kendra shot him a murderous glare. “We need to talk.”

  Delta’s jaw flexed, and he shook his head. An icy pause followed, and Addie silently backed up the staircase.

  Carrick squeezed Danica into his chest, and grumbled into her ear, “Come with me.” He pulled her through the garage door, leaving Delta alone with Kendra.

  “What’s going on with those two?” Danica asked as Carrick pulled her into a shadowy part of his garage.

  “He didn’t call. Just stay out of it.”

  But before she could persuade him to dish out more, he leaned forward and kissed her, stealing every ounce of her attention, drawing her into him. He ran his hands up and down her back until he found her ass, squeezing and bringing her tighter against him.

  Pulling back, he gave her one last kiss before reaching behind him to a black sheet that was draped over something. He tugged on it, revealing a brand-new surfboard and wetsuit hiding underneath—with price tags still on them.

  “For the honeymoon.”

  H
er mouth dropped open as she reached out to feel the smooth surface of the gorgeous new surfboard.

  “God, Carrick—you spoil me,” she gasped. “How am I ever going to repay you?”

  He laughed, picking her back up in his arms. He’d healed a lot in the past few weeks, though he still winced in pain when he pushed himself too hard. She felt his throbbing erection lengthening in his slacks as he took her jaw and kissed her deeper and deeper.

  “I’ll show you.” He bit her lip and hiked up her dress. “You didn’t think my generosity came for free, did you?”

  She tilted her head back as he ran his teeth down her throat, licking and tasting every inch of her neck and collarbone.

  His dark drawl continued, “I was never a good guy, Dani. I’m greedy. I’m jealous. I’m possessive.”

  He ran his rough, calloused hands up her thighs, pushing aside her panties like they were a waste of space. He immediately found her wet, eager pussy and pressed into her opening with determination. She moaned as he rocked his hand back and forth, drawing out her wetness then pulling out his hard cock. With the reminder of what he’d done to her in the past, hot need filled her, like she couldn’t wait for the wedding night. Because she knew exactly what she was in for.

  As he shot his thick fingers into her pussy, massaging her aching walls, he groaned lower, darker.

  “I’m controlling,” he confessed, biting her ear, “and I’m always going to be that way. I always get what I want—but you know that.”

  Lifting her farther and pressing her back against the side of his truck, he brought the head of his massive erection to her slit and thrust up into her, bringing her full body down on his length. As he slid up into her with ease, she could hear shouting coming from the entry level of their house—and remembered that his best friend was just feet away.

  Excited and nervous, she took every inch of Carrick’s member, letting him pound her body up and down as he tasted her mouth. Drinking her in, he kissed her hard and fast—and fucked her harder. Her breathing grew as fast as her moaning, coming so damn close to climax. He always knew when she was close and brought his fingers to her clit to drive her over the edge.