by Rebecca Deel
She walked from the bedroom without a backward glance. Once in the aisle, she stopped, waiting for the man wheeling up behind her. “Where do we go so Rio can treat you?” she asked softly. The Fortress operatives were sleeping with the exception of Jon Smith, who worked on his laptop. Something about his edginess told her he didn’t fully go to sleep in the company of others, even his teammates.
“Right here,” Zane murmured, indicating the empty seats butting up against the room where her stubborn brother lay.
She sank onto the seat beside the window. Claire leaned her head against the seat’s back, tired to her bones. Every muscle in her body ached. Despite the fatigue swamping her, she paid attention to Zane’s skilled maneuvers shifting from his chair to the seat at her side. “I’ll bet you could bench press a bus,” she whispered.
A quick grin was her answer, then he sobered. Zane reached out and cupped her jaw in the palm of his hand. He turned her face toward the light. “Are you okay, baby?” he asked.
Jon handed her a blanket. “You’ll need this,” he whispered with a lopsided smile. He turned on his heel and returned to his seat and resumed working.
“Does he always talk that much?”
Zane chuckled. “Yep. Can’t shut him up.” He tapped her chin with a gentle touch. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you hurt anywhere else that I can’t see?”
She shook her head. Claire leaned up and kissed him. “I’m fine thanks to you. You were amazing.”
A snort. “If I was so amazing, you wouldn’t have a bruised face or a sore stomach.”
“Bruises heal. Don’t shortchange yourself, sweetheart. You took down a big bruiser with a significant height and weight advantage. You trusted me to protect myself with the right tool. Your trust in my ability means the world to me.”
The SEAL blinked. “Sweetheart?”
Claire frowned. Seriously? He focused on that and not on the other statements? “Got a problem with that?”
“No, as long as you mean it.” He swallowed hard, his face filled with an emotion she couldn’t identify. “Does that mean you care for me a little?”
She stared. Was he serious? “You heard what I told Adam.”
“That you were crazy about me? Yeah, but you might have said the words in the heat of the moment.”
“No, Zane.” She glanced quickly around the cabin. All was still quiet, Jon preoccupied with his computer. Claire turned to the man at her side. She may be on the verge of making a total fool of herself. So be it. Her courageous SEAL had put his life on the line time and again for her. She could put her heart on the line for him. Steeling herself for a stinging rejection, she said, “I didn’t make that statement in the heat of the moment. In fact, I’m more than crazy about you.”
He stilled. “How much more?” he whispered.
She pressed a blistering kiss over his lips before she answered. “I’m in love with you, Zane Murphy.” There. See what he did with that declaration. She didn’t expect what she got.
Zane closed his eyes, shuddered. When he lifted his lids, his eyes glittered with strong emotion. “Thank God,” he murmured, and wrapped his strong arms around her. He tugged her against his chest and spent several minutes exchanging slow, deep kisses with her.
Oh, man. She could spend a lifetime exchanging kisses with Zane and it wouldn’t be enough. When she finally eased her lips from his to grab a few much needed breaths, Claire couldn’t stop smiling. “I hope that means you feel the same.”
“Oh, baby, I do love you so much. You’re the other half of my heart, Claire Walker.”
“Guess that’s fair since you own mine.”
“Good to know. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’ll never take the gift of your love for granted.”
The door to the bedroom opened and Rio slipped out with his medic bag in hand. “Adam’s asleep, Z. Your turn.”
“You need to check the stitches in Claire’s side. Collins might have popped a few loose when he hit her.”
“After I check you.” Rio held up his hand to forestall further argument. “Lay the seat down. Claire, lay yours down and look at his scruffy mug while I check his leg.”
Jon set aside his computer. “Need help?” he murmured to Rio.
“Sure. Thanks.” The medic uncovered Zane’s wound, ripped the material of his pants, and leaned close to examine the injury. “Not too bad. Bullet’s still in there, though. I need to take it out.”
Zane shrugged. “Do it.”
“Need anything?”
Her boyfriend shook his head. Claire kept her gaze locked with Zane’s while Rio and Jon removed the bullet, cleaned the wound, and stitched his leg. Once Rio wrapped the injury, he said, “Z, kiss your girl while I check her side, then Jon and I will clean up your ride. You can change clothes when we reach Bayside.”
Zane followed Rio’s orders and exchanged kisses with her for several minutes. She barely felt the hypodermic delivering local anesthetic to her side, or the tugs when Rio replaced three stitches.
After the medic finished with her, Zane eased back from Claire and said, “I know the adrenaline crash must be hitting you hard, but I need to hold you a while. Will you let me?”
Suited her needs as well. She never felt safer than in the shelter of his arms. Claire twisted until she could rest her head against his shoulder. Zane tugged the blanket over her shoulder.
“Relax against me for a while. Sleep if you can.”
Right. She didn’t want to miss a minute of being held by the man she loved to distraction. It wasn’t long, however, before the warmth of the blanket and Zane’s body heat lulled her to sleep. When she woke, Zane was still holding her tucked against his side.
He squeezed her gently. “Feel better?” he murmured.
“Some. How are you?”
“I’m fine, babe.”
“Adam?”
“Resting comfortably. Rio stayed with him. We’ll land in Texas soon.”
Claire eased away from him, stretched. “Will an ambulance be waiting for us?”
“Not exactly.”
She heard the hesitation in his voice. “Are we going to a hospital?”
“We can’t afford any questions about Adam’s condition or my gunshot wound, baby. We underwrite the expenses of a clinic that’s fully stocked with everything Adam and I need to recover. Sorensen is the best. He’s a world-class trauma surgeon and he used to be an operative. The man knows what he’s doing.”
Some of her tension melted away at his words. She trusted Zane as she trusted no one else except Adam and Nana. What she hadn’t expected, though, was for her brother and Zane to be taken to an animal clinic for treatment. The two guys who met them at the airport easily maneuvered her brother in and out of the SUV, then hustled him in through the back door of the clinic. Although she didn’t see any animals, she heard a couple dogs barking on the other side of a closed door at the end of the corridor.
Ted Sorensen, the trauma doctor turned veterinarian, asked her and Zane to wait in an empty treatment room while he examined Adam, then Zane. More than an hour later, he strode into the room where Claire waited for word on the men in her life.
“You must be Claire Walker, Adam’s sister. You can breathe easier. Your ornery brother is going to recover fully, though he won’t be in a good mood while he’s healing. I’d say he’ll be on his feet sooner than he should.” A scowl crossed the doctor’s face. “Walker isn’t one to listen to my advice.”
Claire rolled her eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know. If you’ll give me a list of instructions, I’ll make sure he does what he’s supposed to do and nothing else.” A smile curved her mouth. “In fact, I know someone who will ride herd on him for as long as you need her to.”
“Who?”
Zane rolled into the office. “Your grandmother?” he asked.
She nodded. “If I can’t convince Adam to follow the doctor’s advice, I’ll sic Nana on my brother. She might be little, but Nana is fierce in
a temper. Neither one of us is stupid enough to cross her.”
“What about her heart?”
“As long as I warn her ahead of time, she’ll be fine. The one thing Nana wants is to be needed.”
“Perfect.” Sorensen gave a short nod. “I’ll be ready to kick him out of here in a couple days along with Zane. Rio or one of the other medics can watch Adam for a few days. Then it will be up to you or your grandmother to keep him in line.” His eyes narrowed. “I think you should call on your grandmother for Walker’s care. I’m prescribing some downtime for you.”
Nice. Why hadn’t she met a doctor like him before? “I’ll handle it.” Claire wanted him to recover. “He’ll have scars?”
Another scowl from the physician. “Collins always leaves his mark.”
“Not anymore,” Zane said.
“You take care of him?”
A nod from her SEAL.
“Good. Z, I expect you to follow my instructions to the letter, including taking some time off. Now, I have four-footed patients who need me. I’ll be back later.” At the doorway, he stopped, looked back over his shoulder. “You can see Adam now. He’ll be sleeping for a while, though.” He stared at Zane. “You the guy Walker’s planning to pound some sense into?”
“Yep. I’m in love with his sister.”
A grin from Sorensen. “Good luck, my friend.”
Claire waited until the physician left the room. “Are you going to need luck?”
“Absolutely. Adam is a protective big brother. I wouldn’t expect otherwise from him.”
Good thing Zane had expected flak from her brother. Much to Claire’s annoyance, Adam grilled her SEAL whenever he had the chance. After Zane left with Rio to help load the duffel bags in a waiting SUV two days later, she turned and cupped her brother’s face between her palms. “You’ve had your fun with Zane,” she said softly. “Now lay off. I’m crazy in love with that man, Adam.”
“You barely know him,” he snapped.
“I’ll get to know him better when we’re home. Do you trust me?”
His expression softened. “You know I do.”
“I’m walking into this relationship with my eyes wide open. I want the kind of relationship our parents had, bro, and I won’t settle for anything less. Zane treats me with the love and respect Dad showed to Mom. He’s a good man, Adam.”
“Yeah, he is. I just want the best for you, sis.”
“I can’t do better than a man who thinks of me first, treats me like a rare jewel, and puts his life on the line to protect me.”
Adam searched her expression for a moment before he sighed. “If he hurts you, I’ll dump him in a dark pit and leave him for the bugs.”
Claire laughed. “Deal.”
When they landed in Nashville, Adam’s boss met them at the airport. Brent Maddox looked as if he’d aged ten years since Claire last saw him. Fatigue, disappointment, anger? Perhaps a mix of all three. The grim man must be shaken. Security was his livelihood, yet four of his people had betrayed him and their teammates.
“Adam, I’ve arranged a safe house for you and your grandmother. Two operatives will be assigned to stay with you.”
Her brother frowned. “I don’t need babysitters. I’m mobile.”
“Not mobile enough. Humor me. I’m doing this for your grandmother. She needs to be concerned about you and your surly attitude. Let the Fortress operatives worry about your security.”
“If they don’t sell me out or kill me first,” he muttered.
“We cleaned house. Adam, I vetted these guys personally. You and your grandmother will be safe.”
“What about Claire? Collins’ people might come after her in retaliation for killing their boss. She won’t be hard to find.”
“No one will touch her,” Zane said.
“You can’t keep an eye on her 24/7.”
“Zane is taking the next month off,” Maddox said.
Thirty seconds of stunned silence greeted his statement. Finally, Zane asked, “Why?”
“Doctor’s orders and you’ve more than earned it, Murphy. In fact, that’s half the vacation time I owe you.” He inclined his head in Claire’s direction. “Heal. Spend time with your girlfriend. Be a tourist. Travel with her. The two things I don’t want you to do is darken the doors of the Fortress compound or log in to our computer system. I want you well rested when you return to work next month.”
“Perfect,” Remy said. “How about a trip to Louisiana, Z?”
CHAPTER FORTY
Zane’s heart slammed against his rib cage as he sped to Claire’s door. Once he rang the doorbell, he tugged on the collar of his dress shirt. Man, he hated ties, always felt as though he were choking with one wrapped around his neck. He was grateful his friends couldn’t see him now, clad in this monkey suit, stomach in knots at the thought of the evening to come. Everything rode on the outcome of this night.
Quick, light footsteps drew near, then the door opened, and there she was, the woman who was his heartbeat. He’d spent the best month of his life in the company of this beautiful photographer and fallen more deeply in love with Claire as each day passed. For the first week of his vacation, they visited some of the must-see places in and around Nashville. The second week was spent in Louisiana with Remy and his family. Controlled chaos was the only way to describe the Doucets’ sprawling family. But, oh, man, he and Claire had so much fun. Remy’s nieces and nephews were a riot. The Doucet men doted on Claire and accepted Zane as one of their own. And the food? Mrs. Doucet was a fabulous cook. No wonder Nate wanted her recipes. Zane gained a couple pounds that week.
Once they returned to Nashville, Zane spent every waking minute with Claire. They cooked together, laughed, watched movies, argued over politics, settled on a church they both felt comfortable in, and discussed books, art, and photography along with many other topics. He appreciated her sense of humor and loved her sharp mind. Though she stimulated him, he relaxed in her company. When she worked on her computer, he made more progress on his video game. He accompanied her to her photo shoots, helped out where he could. In short, he adored this woman.
Day by day, Zane found it more difficult to hold back and not try to rush her into marrying him. He didn’t want Claire to regret being his life partner. So he made himself wait, let her see what life with a man on wheels was really like. He’d lost count of the number of times people viewed them with pity over the past month. He’d bristled. She said they were the ones who deserved pity, that she was thrilled to be with him.
Zane whistled softly at the vision in navy blue standing in the doorway. “Sweetheart, you look drop-dead gorgeous.”
“I’ll have to keep an eye on the women in the restaurant, babe. I’ll be the envy of every woman in the place.”
His cheeks burned. Not knowing how to respond to that, he said, “Ready to go?”
“Absolutely. Where are we going?” Claire asked as she locked her door.
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
She laid her hand on his shoulder as they went to his truck, a habit she’d developed since their return from Belize, one habit he loved. “I get to choose the next restaurant.”
Hopefully there would be a next time. “Deal.” He opened the passenger door for her and, once she was inside, hurried to the lift pad. An hour later, they were shown to a table at Old Hickory Steakhouse in Opryland Hotel.
“Zane, will we have time to explore the hotel after dinner? We didn’t have time to do that when we were here with Marty and Sheila. I would love to scout out possible locations for future photo shoots.”
“Sure.”
She beamed at him. “Fantastic.”
Somehow, Zane choked down dinner, though he didn’t eat with his usual enthusiasm. Couldn’t. What if she said no? Resolve hardened in Zane. SEALs never backed down or gave up. If Claire said no, he’d simply wear her down. He couldn’t live without her now. Claire Walker was more important to him than his next breath and he wanted a lifetime with h
er.
After dinner, they explored the Cascades. When they came upon a secluded bench with little foot traffic close by, Zane said, “Sit with me?”
A questioning look from his lady, but she sat at the end of the bench and reached for his hand.
He leaned in and kissed her, long and deep, praying this wasn’t the last time he had the privilege. When he broke the kiss, Zane cradled her jaw in the palm of his hand. “I love you, Claire. More with each passing day. I never dreamed I could be this happy until I met you.”
Tears sparkled on her eyelashes. “Zane,” she whispered.
“We’ve spent a month together, but it’s not enough. Baby, I want a lifetime with you.” He slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out the engagement ring he’d bought in Remy’s hometown, the diamond sparkling in the light. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
When she opened her mouth to speak, he held up his hand. “Before you give me your answer, be sure. If you agree to marry me, I’m not strong enough to let you walk away should you change your mind. I hope medical science advances enough where I’ll be able to walk again, but I can’t live my life waiting for something that might never happen. My being in a wheelchair may never change. If you need time before you give me an answer, just say so. I don’t want you to make a choice you’ll come to regret.”
“I will never regret loving you, Zane Murphy.” Tears streaked down her cheeks. “You’re everything I dreamed of in a mate. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I would love to be your wife.”
He slid the ring on her finger, then kissed her. “Soon, my love?”
She smiled. “I need to talk to Nana. How does a month from now sound?”
“Like a dream come true. I’ll ask Brent for the rest of my vacation time for our honeymoon.” He shared another blistering kiss with her. “You won’t regret taking a chance on me, babe. I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy.”
Claire pressed a finger against his lips. “All I need is you, love. You are the greatest gift I’ve ever received.”
