by Zoë Archer
“Roger that. But I’m done for tonight. I’m taking Mari to a hotel. She’s been through a lot.”
“Good idea. Put it on the tab. We’ll spring for the accommodations while we put her house to rights. The containment team will be there shortly. When they’re done I’ll send a carpenter out to fix her place up good as new.”
“Thanks, Matt. I’ll let her know. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”
They spoke a few more minutes about the mission and what came next. By the time they ended the call, Mari was ready. She stood in the hall, waiting for him, the packed satchel in her hands. He took the bag from her and slung it over his shoulder along with his own.
They had to go out through the kitchen because the front door was still mostly blocked. Simon dropped a small transmitter on the debris that had once been a Marine. He had been a hell of an adversary but all in all, it was better that he was now gone. Simon pitied the man who had come to such an untimely and unnatural fate.
The sky was turning gray in the east as they walked together around the house, a sure sign of the dawn to come.
“Give me your keys, sweetheart. I’ll drive.”
She didn’t argue, just handed the keys over. Her hands were trembling, and he knew she was still dealing with the residue of the adrenaline surges that had helped save her life.
He opened her door, checked the interior of the SUV, and ushered her in. Stowing his gear and the two packs in back, he then claimed the driver’s seat. They rode in silence for a while as Simon negotiated the gravel lane that led to the larger paved road. He hadn’t driven in this area much, but he knew the layout from both map study and reconnaissance. He knew just where to head to find the nicest hotel in town.
“I’m glad that’s over.” Mariana shut her eyes as she collapsed back against the headrest.
“Me, too.” He reached over and took her hand.
“You’re out of a job now.” Her attempt at humor warmed him.
“Can’t say I’m sorry about it.” He took the turn toward the highway. There were a series of hotels out toward the city at a variety of price points. The one he had in mind was top of the line and luxurious. Mari deserved a little pampering after what she had experienced over the past few days.
She dozed on the way and Simon understood the adrenaline that had been keeping her going had also caused her to bottom out. Her body was crashing after the hell she had been through that night. He pulled in to the circular drive of the upscale hotel and despite the hour, a bellman and a valet were ready for them.
Simon touched her cheek. “Wake up, love. We’re here. Just a few more minutes and you can go to sleep in a big, comfy, king-size bed. What do you say?”
“Is that a promise?” She didn’t even open her eyes and her voice was sleepy.
“Scout’s honor.”
She propped one eyelid open. “Were you ever a scout?”
“Not a boy scout. But I took scout training. I’m the real deal,” he teased.
“I have no doubt about that, Simon.” She straightened, stretching as she came more fully awake. Her expression was serious when she turned to him in the dim interior of the car. “If I never said it before, I’ve always admired your skills in the field, even if I never really experienced them until the past few days. You saved my life more than once and I’ll always be grateful.”
“I don’t want your gratitude, Mari.” The conversation turned serious real fast.
“It’s way more than gratitude, Simon.” Her eyes met his and the moment stretched.
She had said she loved him. He hugged those words close to his battered heart. He wanted to reach out and grab onto her with both hands and just hold her for the rest of their lives. But how could he take a chance with her future? How could he not? Simon moved closer, on the verge of declaring himself.
There was a noise by the driver’s side door.
He mentally cursed the valet who chose that moment to walk up to his window. Her gaze flickered to the intrusive presence at the window, and the mood was broken.
Simon wasn’t sure if he was more annoyed or grateful. In that moment he’d been tempted to throw all caution to the wind. Now, saner thoughts prevailed. Any more insanity on his part would have to wait until they were inside.
“Come on, let’s get checked in.”
He hopped out of the SUV and dealt with the valet while she exited the car and stretched some more. She was about to get their bags when he stopped her, utilizing the bellman’s services. This sojourn was all about pampering her. Starting right now, he wouldn’t let her lift a finger.
He checked them in using the company credit account, and within minutes they were ensconced in a luxury suite with a lovely view of the city far below. She hadn’t said much on the way up in the elevator and was yawning a lot. The poor woman was beat. Simon’s first priority had to be her comfort—getting her settled in a warm bed with nothing to do but sleep until she woke naturally.
Simon was used to the letdown after an extreme adrenaline rush and was better able to deal with it. Poor Mari was trying hard to keep her eyes open, but was losing the battle when he ushered the bellman out with a hefty tip.
“Alone at last.” He leaned back against the closed door and couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. She was tousled and adorably sleepy, perched on the foot of the king-size bed.
“I’m sorry, Simon. I seem to be dead on my feet.” She made a face. “Sorry. Bad choice of words there.”
He laughed in spite of himself. It was a good sign that she was already able to joke about what they’d just been through.
“How about you just relax and I’ll take care of you for a change?” He pushed away from the door and walked toward her.
“That sounds interesting.” She perked up a little.
“Do you feel up to a hot bath? There’s a Jacuzzi in there.” He jerked his chin toward the door to the spacious bathroom. “There’s also a bottle of wine in the cooler. After a glass or two, you should be mellow enough to sleep straight through.”
“After a glass of wine and a hot bath I’ll be comatose, Simon.” She laughed and the sound warmed his heart.
“That’s okay. Your only job now is to sleep until you can sleep no more.”
“What about the clinic? I have to go back on duty tomorrow—or rather, today. What time is it?” She searched for the clock on the nightstand next to the big bed.
“Don’t worry, it’s all arranged. Commander Sykes is going to square things. You’re off duty for the next three days at least. More if you need it. All we have to do is let him know.”
“I’m impressed. It must be nice to have friends in high places.” She gave him a teasing smile as he took her hand and helped her rise to her feet.
“You’ve earned a rest after what you’ve been through the past few days. Matt Sykes agreed. He also wanted me to thank you for pitching in on my mission.” He walked her toward the bathroom door, ushering her through into the white wonderland of porcelain and steel.
“Oh, this looks like heaven.” She ran her hand over the gleaming countertop as they passed on their way to the tub. Simon reached down to start the taps then returned to help her undress.
“My version of heaven is right here.” He cupped her shoulders and looked down into her sleepy eyes. His words came out in a rough whisper, clogged with emotion. He knew he shouldn’t speak of his feelings, but found he couldn’t help himself.
“Do you really mean that, Simon?” She looked so hopeful as she stared up at him, searching his gaze.
“More than anything, Mari. You’ve always been it for me. Since the moment I first met you, I haven’t wanted anyone but you in my life.” She looked responsive so he dared a little more. “For always.”
“Always?” Her whisper sounded full of anxious hope, sparking the same feeling in him.
He nodded. “I know I don’t have any right to ask…” He trailed off, uncertain, then started again. “I want to be with you, Mar
i. I want to try again, and I promise I won’t leave this time. You’ll have to kick me out of your life if you want me gone, because I don’t think I can give you up. It nearly killed me the first time and I’m not strong enough to put myself through that again. Even though I’m asking you to deal with the uncertainty I’m facing. I mean, they don’t really know what the contagion did to me. I could have complications later—”
She stilled his tumbling words by placing one of her fingers over his lips, but the beatific smile on her lovely face reassured him.
“I want you in my life, too, Simon.” Her voice was laced with tears. They looked like happy tears, judging by the delicate smile on her face. “Your condition doesn’t bother me. I’ll take you any way I can get you. Remember, I’m a doctor, and not a bad researcher. If you’re willing, I’d be happy to see what I can discover about what happened to you and what could happen in the future. I want to help in any way I can, Simon. You mean a lot to me.”
“You mean a lot to me, too, Mari.”
It wasn’t a declaration of love but it would do for now, Simon thought. He had to work his way up to saying the words. He wanted to hear her say them again first. He didn’t want to be the only one out there on that most fragile of limbs. He had gone pretty far up the tree already. That final gamble would be better saved for another time when they were both rested and able to think more clearly.
The Jacuzzi really was heaven. Mariana felt boneless between the warm, gushing water and Simon’s hands stroking over her. The tub was big enough for them both and Simon had brought in the wine and two glasses shortly after he’d helped her into the full tub. Then he’d undressed and climbed in behind her, spooning her from behind.
The combination of the wine, the warm water, and the hot man behind her had her in a state of relaxation she hadn’t felt in a long time. In fact, she didn’t think she had ever felt so good. At least not in recent memory. Probably not since the last time she and Simon had been together.
“This is nice,” she said, trailing her fingers through the water.
“More than nice,” Simon agreed from behind her.
“Someday I’m going to get one of these tubs for my house.”
“In that little cabin? I don’t think it’d fit. You’d have to add on a room.”
“No, the cabin is a rental. I mean, when I buy a house. I’ll probably be moving out of the area once I’m out of the Navy, depending on what job I take next, and…where you’ll be.”
She felt his muscles tense behind her and waited with held breath for his response.
“Would you come live with me if I promised to put in a Jacuzzi?” The words were teasing, but she thought the sentiment was very real. It made her warm all over. He was asking her to live with him. Hopefully that was a first step toward a lifetime together and she would take it—she would take him—any way she could get him.
“With an enticement like that, how could I refuse?” She reached behind her, twisting to pull his head down for a tender kiss. The warm water and his strong arms combined to make her forget all her troubles, all the fear and worry that had gone before.
“I think you’ll like my place in the country. How do you feel about chickens?”
“We had chickens when I was a kid. And a couple of geese. I could never eat the ones we raised and wouldn’t let anybody near them if butchering had been mentioned. My family used to laugh at me, but those birds were like pets.”
“Duly noted.” He chuckled at her, as she’d known he would. “How about if we get a few hens for eggs and let them live out their lives on the farm? No hen stew.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“For you, I’d move mountains.”
He sounded so calm about them living together and she could picture his little farm in her mind. It was like a fairy tale. A dream come true. She hugged the image to her heart, daring to hope for the first time that it might really come to pass.
They languished in the tub for a few more minutes. She would have loved to make love to him, but she just didn’t have the energy. The steam made her sleepy and the feeling of security and happiness that only Simon gave her lulled her into a dreamlike state.
She was half asleep when he coaxed her out of the bath, dried her off, and ushered her toward the bed. He had been so good to her. She’d been able to banish the horrors of the past few days almost completely from her mind while he pampered her. She would have loved to do the same for him but she was too tired, too drained after the trip here and the night they’d just passed. She would make it up to him later. When they woke up. For now, she reveled in the feel of him lying next to her as he tucked them both into the huge, fluffy bed. She hugged the thought of living with him close to her heart. It was a start. He wasn’t pushing her out of his life. He wasn’t pushing her away anymore. They’d live together, and wherever life took them, they’d face it as a team.
He spooned with her, tucking her close against his warm body, making her feel safe. For the first time in days, she felt truly safe. She could let down the guard she’d developed and let go, trusting to Simon to protect her. For always. That’s what he’d said.
She hugged the memory of their conversation to her heart. Simon wasn’t the most eloquent of men at the best of times, but he had come closer than he ever had to expressing some pretty powerful feelings. Feelings she returned fully.
“I love you, Simon,” she whispered as she drifted to sleep in his arms.
Chapter Ten
Mariana woke shivering in reaction to a nightmare she couldn’t really remember. It wasn’t hard to guess what she had been dreaming about. Her life for the past few days had been the stuff of horror movies.
“You okay?” Simon’s gravelly voice came to her in the dim room. She turned to find him watching her, concern in his expression.
“Man, that was a doozy. Sorry I woke you.” She wiped her face, not surprised to find tears on her cheeks. Her hand was shaking as faint tremors wracked her body. Adrenaline still coursed through her veins making her long to flee…somewhere. It made no sense, but nightmares never really did.
Simon tugged her into his arms, letting her nestle her head below his chin. One strong hand circled her waist while the other stroked gently over her hair in soothing motions. She felt cocooned in his warmth, in his protection.
“Listen to my heartbeat, Mari. Let it steady you. Breathe deep and let the adrenaline dissipate. You’ll crash in a few minutes if you let go of the fear.”
“Have some experience with this, do you?” She tried for calm despite the way her heart still raced. It was embarrassing to be so vulnerable, so afraid and trembling in his presence.
Simon was a modern-day warrior of iron will who didn’t show fear. He probably didn’t even feel it anymore. Not after all he’d been through. He had faced down zombies for the past few months as a matter of course. She felt like a fool for the unreasonable fear that had snuck up on her when she was most vulnerable. In her sleep. When all her defenses were down.
“I’ve learned to deal with the ups and downs of the adrenaline fog.” Simon’s husky voice touched her, drawing her away from the fright that still rode her body.
“You?” She moved back a few inches to look up at him. “I seriously doubt you ever feel fear.”
“Oh, I feel it.” His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking her skin with a light touch. “Maybe not as easily as I used to after all I’ve seen, but believe me, it’s there. I just don’t show it like most people. I’ve learned to channel the adrenaline rush, to use it to make me stronger instead of giving me the shakes.” His hand trailed down, over her shoulder to her arm, and then his fingers twined with hers, bringing their joined hands to his chest. “Your muscles still feel like overdone spaghetti?”
A laugh burst from her lips. “How’d you know?”
“I’ve been there.” He flattened her hand on his chest, right over his heart. The rhythm was strong and steady, just like Simon himself. He was her rock in
a sea of uncertainty. “Just concentrate on the rhythm of my heart, Mari. Breathe deep and slow. You’ll get there in time.”
She followed his instructions. Breathing in and out, focusing on his heartbeat, his comforting presence. After a few minutes, it started to work. She began to feel her heartbeat matching pace with his. Her breathing slowed and steadied as her body tuned itself to his.
“God, Simon, I feel like such a fool.” Her voice still shook, but her breathing was leveling out, steadier now.
“Never that, sweetheart,” he whispered, stroking her back. “You’re the bravest, smartest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”
When he said it like that, she almost believed him. Simon had always had the ability to make her feel really good—emotionally and physically—with both his confidence in her, and his skills as a lover. Maybe a little of the latter was what she really needed to get her mind off the nightmare.
She rose above him on one elbow. “And you’re the sexiest man I’ve ever had the good fortune to have in my bed.” She gave him a temptress’s smile. At least she hoped that’s how he would interpret it. Beneath it all, she still felt a little desperate to forget all the scary things that had happened in the past few days.
“You think I’m sexy, eh?” His teasing grin told her he was willing to humor her whims. He knew her too well not to realize what she was doing, and he played along, the rogue.
“Oh, I know you’re sexy. Sexy Simon. That’s what my friend Claire used to call you behind your back. Do you remember her?” She trailed her fingers over his chest.
“Dark hair, kept in a bun all the time? Glasses? She was studying neurology, wasn’t she?” She nodded, surprised he remembered such small details. That was a fair physical description of Claire, though she had a scintillating sense of humor under that sometimes severe exterior. They’d gone to happy hour a few times after work and on one or two memorable occasions, Simon and some of his friends had joined them at the local watering hole. “I didn’t think she had it in her. Looked like an uptight librarian to me.”
