After Him: An Enemies-To-Lovers Romance (Virgin Island Series Book 1)

by L. L. James

  “Carm? Are you still there?”

  She sniffed and blinked back tears for the second time that day. “I’m here. And I understand you have to do this. It’s just Kate is in the hospital and I can’t be there for her, and you’re down on St. Kitts involved in something dangerous. It just sucks, that’s all.” She finished as she looked up at the ceiling and huffed out a breath.

  Marek’s voice was like a sweet caress. “I’m so sorry about your sister, cheri. I’ll figure something out as soon as I get back. I promise.”

  “Be safe, Marek. I don’t want to lose you when I’ve only just found you.” She suddenly stated.

  A low chuckle came from the other end of the line. “I’m not going anywhere. If I don’t get back tonight, Landon has a spare bed made up. I’ll be back soon.”

  The connection started to crackle again and broke up Marek’s next words. Carm gripped the phone, leaned her head against he wall and closed her eyes, whispering. “I’ll be here waiting. I love you.”

  Static crackled on the line, but Carm heard just before the line went dead, “I love you too, cheri.”

  For the second time that day tears flowed down her face and her heart pounded in her chest. Only this time it was for a completely different reason.

  Marek loved her.

  Carm hung up the phone and slid to the bamboo floor. Wrapping her arms around her shins and resting her head on her knees, she let the tears come. Joy and elation poured from her as well as fear for the love of her life and for her sister. She purged the guilt from her with a river of tears.

  Everything that had been building inside her came out as she sat huddled on the kitchen floor in Landon’s bungalow. Carm gave in to the urge to have a good, purifying cry and sobbed against her bare knees. She cried for her sister and the baby she was bringing into the world all by herself. She cried for the miracle she’d been given in Marek and his love. She cried with fear for the dangerous position he was in right now and the fear he might not make it home.

  And she cried to rid herself of the guilt of finding her dreams and a good man who loved her, all while her sister—her best friend—was delivering the child of a man who’d abused and abandoned her.

  She sat there until the sun sunk low outside the windows and cast the room in a warm, golden glow. Until all the tears were gone and she couldn’t cry any more.

  Then Carm picked herself up off the floor and reached into her pocket for the calling card she’d placed there earlier that morning. First she dialed her house. No one answered, so she called information and got the number to the local hospital.

  After being passed through operator after operator, Carm was finally connected with her sister’s hospital room. Mallory picked up the phone on the third ring. For twenty minutes she gave Carm an update on her sister’s situation and talked about the options Kate was facing.

  Just as Carm was about to hang up Mallory cut in, “Wait! Kate just woke up and wants to talk to you. Here she is.”

  She heard the phone shuffle and felt her heart lurch when she heard her sister’s voice. “Hey, Carm.”

  “Hi, sweetie. Mal says you haven’t had the baby yet. That’s good. She also said they’ve been pumping you full of injections. Are you handling it all right? I know you hate needles.”

  Kate gave a weak laugh. “They’re awful, Carm. And the shots burn like hell in my arm. But they are helping the baby develop and they’re keeping her inside, so I’m not complaining.”

  “Her? Are you saying it’s a girl?”

  “The ultrasound this afternoon confirms it. I’m having a baby girl, Carm.” Kate started to say more but broke off on a sob and couldn’t.

  Even though her heart broke, she kept her voice strong and clear. “You’re going to be fine, sis. And your baby girl is going to be fine. I’ll be home as soon as I get the package tomorrow, OK? So, don’t you worry. I’ll be there before you know it.” Carm took a deep breath. “Now, get some more rest. I love you and I’ll be home soon.”

  She hung up the phone and let her shoulders slump. Talk about an emotionally draining day. She needed comfort food. Where did Landon keep the chocolate?

  Twenty-Five

  It was finally over. Marek slouched in the front seat of Landon’s truck and breathed a sigh of relief. The son of a bitch had been caught and all his goons had been rounded up. It had taken over twenty-four hours, but Carillos Andrade finally got his.

  Now it was time for him to go to Carm.

  Except he had to check his place out first. He’d been warned that some of Carillos’s men would probably hit his place once their boss called them and told them of the snooping around he’d been doing. That was fine with him. As long as Carm was safely away when they did it, he didn’t give a fuck. It was only stuff. He could replace things, but he couldn’t replace her.

  His need for her almost overwhelmed him. It felt like he would crumble up and die inside if he didn’t get to hold her in his arms soon. Tell her how much he loved her. Feel her soft curves mold against him as he buried deep between her thighs.

  He needed Carm more than he needed air.

  Landon jolted him out of his thoughts. “You’ve got a nasty cut on your forehead, bro. The butt of Carillos’s gun nailed you good. You gonna be all right?”

  Marek gingerly touched the bandage over his left eyebrow and grimaced. “I’ll be fine, man. The medics looked it over and stitched it up. The fat little bastard got a cheap shot on me. That’s all right, though. He cried like a girl when he was arrested. Did you see that? Seriously bawled like a baby. He didn’t look so goddamn tough then.”

  Landon laughed, the sound rough and gravelly. “Yeah, I saw that, dude. Looked like he was going to piss himself when the police surrounded him with guns drawn. I thought it was damned ballsy of you to offer yourself as bait, man. But it worked.”

  Marek rolled his head along the headrest and grinned at his friend. “Oui, it worked. As soon as I realized how much he hated me for going straight and becoming successful, I knew it would be easy. Did you hear the shit he railed at me?”

  Landon snorted and turned the Ranger down Marek’s long paved drive. “I especially liked the one about you being nothing but an educated son of a whore and a blue-balled Brit. I thought that was beautiful. Real poetic and inventive.”

  “Wasn’t it just?” He replied dryly.

  They came to a stop in the circular drive and Marek gave his house a once-over. It looked fine from the outside. But who knew what damage had been done on the inside.

  Both men climbed out and walked the brick path to the front door. Neither were surprised to find the door jam splintered. Pushing the door open, Marek stepped inside and sucked in a breath. It looked like a hurricane had come through the house.

  Everything had been tossed around; pottery lay shattered across the floor. The paintings in the entryway had been slashed. A thought occurred to him and he stepped over a busted antique bombe chest and sprinted to the living room, his heart lodged in his throat.

  It was still there. The bastards had left it alone. His dolphin statue sat unharmed in the corner of the room, fluid and graceful in a space of total chaos. Plants were up-ended and soil was strewn everywhere, his leather couch slashed all to hell. But his dolphin—Carm’s favorite piece in his whole house—had been left untouched.

  Marek felt like kneeling and kissing the thing.

  Instead, he reached out a shaky finger and skimmed it over the smooth blue surface and grinned foolishly. He glanced over his shoulder at Landon and said, “They didn’t touch it, man. They fucked up the rest of my house, but they didn’t get my dolphin.”

  Unsure of the significance, Landon just nodded and rocked back on his heels. “Sure thing, bro.” He gestured over his shoulder with a thumb. “Shouldn’t you go check out your office?”

  Marek dropped his hand and turned around, the grin still on his face. “Oui, I should. But, even if they totaled everything in there, I’ve got all my business backed up elsewh
ere and on this handy little memory stick I carry around on my keychain.”

  He pulled out his keys and flashed the slender black cartridge. “I never leave home without it.”

  Landon just shook his head and smirked. “I should’ve known. C’mon, let’s check out the rest of your place. See what else those fuckers trashed.”

  With a backward glance for reassurance that the dolphin really was safe, Marek strode past his friend to investigate the rest of the house. They were both confused and shocked to discover that the entryway, the living room, and his office were the only rooms that had been ransacked.

  They checked out the house thoroughly, but nothing else had been touched. It almost looked like they thugs had run out of time and had to abandon their fun.

  Not that Marek wasn’t grateful for it, because he was. It was just damned odd.

  Though he wanted to get to Carm more than he wanted to breathe, they spent the next forty-five minutes cleaning up and clearing out his first floor. He didn’t want to bring her back to her knew home with half of it looking like a whirlwind had blown through. He didn’t want to give her anything else to worry about.

  When they were finished, he and Landon were sweaty and tired. But the worst of it had been cleared out. Marek made a call before they left for Landon’s and had people on their way to finish cleaning up before he closed the front door behind him.

  He glanced down at his Rolex and swore. “Merde. It’s already noon. I need to get to Carm.”

  Landon opened the driver side door and laughed. “Whoa, would you look at Marek? All revved up and rearing to go to his pretty lady. That’s so cute.”

  Marek bit his tongue—for a moment. “Screw you, Landon. Your turn’ll come around someday soon. We’ll see who’s laughing then.” He climbed inside and clapped his friend on the shoulder.

  “Not in this lifetime, bro. Love and me don’t mix.” Squealing the tires, Landon peeled down the drive, the sound of male laughter trailing behind on the breeze.

  Carm glanced out the window for about the twentieth time. Still no sign of Marek. She’d already run into town on the scooter to the post office. The package had been waiting for her when she got there. She had all the proper identification now and had booked a flight out that left at four o’clock.

  All she needed now was her husband.

  Glancing anxiously at the clock on the wall again, she swore when she saw the time. Past noon. Why wasn’t he back yet?

  The last thing she wanted to do was leave Tortola without speaking to him. Without telling him exactly how she felt. But if he didn’t show up soon, she’d have to anyway.

  Family was everything. And Kate was the only family she had.

  Carm sighed and looked over her shoulder around Landon’s living room. What the hell was she going to do? Leave Marek a note? Now, that sounded mature.

  Hi, honey. I love you and want to make a life with you. I want more than anything to stay married to you. By the way, I’m on a plane back to Colorado. Just thought you should know. We’ll chat later. Love you!

  Yeah, real cute.

  Something this important, this pivotal, needed to be said in person. And she’d say it, just as soon as he got his butt to Landon’s. Please let his butt and the rest of him be safe. She hadn’t forgotten the fact that he was doing some recon work with the police. For all she knew, he could be lying in a hospital some where.

  “Stop it. Don’t think like that. He’s fine. You know he’s fine. And he’s going to pull into the drive any minute.” It felt like the perfect time for a little pep rally on her behalf. The right time to bolster her optimism.

  She felt like she was going to puke.

  Everything was coming to a head. Coming right down to the wire. From Marek and their relationship, to her sister. Carm felt like she was going to lose it soon if something didn’t give.

  A moan escaped her lips and she cringed. She pushed the heels of her hands into her closed eyes to stop the sting of unshed tears. “How am I going to get on that plane if he doesn’t show up in time? How do I leave? Oh God, what if he does show up in time and doesn’t want what I want? What if he doesn’t love me like I love him? How do I survive something like that?”

  “I don’t think you need to worry about that, cheri.”

  She dropped her hands on a small scream and whipped around. There he was, alive and whole, standing just inside the door. With her heart lodged in her throat and those unshed tears spilling over, Carm stared at the love of her life, unable to speak.

  With eyes so green they glowed with emotion, Marek stepped toward her. “I love you, cheri. More than my own life, more than I ever expected to love anyone. You are all I see. You are everything. And you’re not getting on a plane bound for anywhere unless I’m right there by your side.”

  How could this be? Is it real?

  Carm opened her mouth to speak and closed it again on a sob. Every emotion came crashing down on her in that moment. All of her hopes and fears. All the agony and stress. All the wonder of falling in love and then discovering that her love was returned just as strong and beautifully.

  A shaky hand lifted to wipe her tears from her cheek. Large, hard fingers brushed whisper-soft across her skin. She watched Marek through watery eyes with amazement. Such a strong, capable man—and his hands shook when he reached for her.

  The pad of his thumb traced across the seam of her full lips before moving to cup her jaw. He forced her to look in his eyes. His voice was thick with accent and raw with emotion. “I was blessed by God and by fate the night you walked into Big Bubba’s. I felt it the moment when I looked at you. I knew nothing was going to be the same for me. You consumed me from that moment, cheri. I wasn’t expecting you. I wasn’t looking for you. I certainly haven’t done anything to deserve you, that’s for damn sure.” Marek’s other hand rose to cup her face. “But I was given the most precious gift in you. One that I promise to love and cherish for always. You are the sun and the moon. The earth and the sea. You are everything to me.” He placed a soft, warm kiss on her trembling lips. “Now, tell me you’ll marry me.”

  Confusion clouded her brain. She tried to shake her head, but he held her steady. Gripping his hands with her own, she said, “We’re already married.”

  He grinned, the wound over his eye turning the look mischievous. “True. But I want a real wedding. I want to proclaim you my wife to the whole world. Then I want to get busy making babies.”

  That statement startled a laugh out of her. Babies? She sobered. With her heart skipping in her chest and her head reeling from his declaration, Carm stepped into his embrace and tucked her head onto his shoulder. “I love you, Marek. I wish we could go home right now and I could show you how much. But I can’t.”

  She heard the confusion in his voice. “What do you mean you can’t? Of course you can, cheri. Landon has a spare room.”

  Carm shook her head and stepped out of his arms. “No, I really can’t. That’s why I came to Landon’s house in the first place. I was looking for you. Kate’s in labor. And it’s way too early. I have to get to her now. I’m the only family she has. I’ve already booked a plane and it leaves in just a few hours.”

  Landon spoke up for the first time from the front porch. For the first time since she met him, she could tell he’d been trying to give them some privacy. “How far along is your sister? Has she already effaced and dilated?”

  Carm had forgotten the pilot was there, all she’d seen was Marek. Startled a bit by Landon’s questions, she wiped at the rest of her tears and replied, “She’s just over seven months along. And her water broke this morning, so I don’t think there’s any stopping the delivery. Why do you ask?”

  Landon peeked in through the open front door and shook his head. “Just wondering, darlin’.”

  A sudden thought occurred to Carm. “Do you have kids, Landon?”

  His blond head disappeared and she heard footsteps on the stairs. She thought he wasn’t going to answer when she heard h
is fading voice. “Once upon a time, darlin’. Once upon a time.”

  His response shocked her. Carm turned wide eyes on Marek, but her man just shrugged. “You know as much as I do. There’s some things he won’t talk about. I don’t pry. Now, come here and give your husband a proper kiss. I’m injured, if you haven’t noticed and desperately need some tender loving care.”

  Carm flashed him a saucy grin and sauntered over to him. “I did notice that. You’ll have to tell me how you got it later. I think it makes you look dangerous and tough.”

  Marek reached for her hips and pulled her close as he lifted a brow. “Oui? You think so?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “What do you wanna do about it?”

  A deliciously wicked thought occurred to her and Carm lifted on her toes and whispered in his ear. Pure female delight rushed through her at his sharp intake of breath and rough groan. His hands gripped hard at her hips.

  She lowered to her feet again and cocked her head, waited for his answer. It didn’t take long.

  “I’ve always been a big fan of flying. Why are we still here? Let’s get on that plane, cheri.”

  Laughter bubbled up and spill over as his eyes heated and his grin went pure sin. It was good to be in love.

  As Carm stood in front of her husband, the man she’d waited her whole life for, she realized something. Something so great it filled her very soul with joy.

  She’d screwed up big time when she’d come to Tortola. Made a muck out of everything. Yeah, she’d messed up her life good. Picked it up and dumped it upside down like a champ.

  And she couldn’t be happier about it.

  Not when she was staring into the clear green eyes of her very favorite mistake.

  Epilogue

  “You sure you want to do this, cheri?” Marek asked for the tenth time.

  “Yes, I’m sure. Now stop procrastinating and give it to me. You know I promised Kate I would. Are you going to help me or not?”