by J. M. Madden
Harper stared up at her for several long seconds before he closed his eyes, but not before she’d seen the shine of moisture in their depths. He pulled her down on top of him, burying his face into her neck. “You are every bit the woman you’ve always been, calm and understanding, willing to put up with my shit. And I have to tell you. All of those things you see in me? I wouldn’t be any of them without you. And I mean that. You’ve supported me through everything. You flew across the country to be at my bedside even though you didn’t know the kind of reaction you’d receive. It amazes me that you would take that chance. But I’m so glad you did. I love you, Catherine Marie Preston. I always have.”
She flashed a smile at the use of her full name. “And I love you, Harper Broderick Preston. I always will.”
They kissed like they always did, as if they were twenty-two again and had just fallen in love. Cat loved it when he cupped her head and guided her mouth over his own. Reaching down, she shoved his underwear away and cupped him in her quivering hand.
When she positioned him beneath her and sank down the communion felt almost spiritual. With his words he had aroused her like nothing else could and she could feel her release dancing within reach.
Harper bent his knees behind her and gripped her hips in his massive hands. Cat watched his muscles bulge beneath her as he took control of their movements. She had never seen a more glorious man.
Harper’s face grew lax as he lost himself to the drives of her body flexing over his. One of his hands left her hips to cup her breast, tweaking the nipple. Cat moaned, wondering how long she could hold out. That sharp edge of tingling heat continued to build.
Harper began to pant. Cat knew that he loved the look of her body over top of his own. She leaned forward, her breasts bouncing a few inches from his face as he began to piston into her hard from beneath. That delight, the need she saw etched into his face had to echo her own.
And because they were in such synchronicity when he began to orgasm she did as well. Sublime pleasure arched her body over top of his and, unable to help herself, she sobbed. The release was emotional as well as physical and she would always cherish this night.
And as many more as they had ahead of them.
Though she had paid for two weeks in the rental house, they completely scrapped all previous plans and left two days early to head to Denver. At the end of the weekend she and the kids would fly back home and wait for Harper to find them a house. The kids had a month and a half left of school before they were out for summer break. The situation wasn’t ideal but she didn’t think there was any easier way to do it. Moving across country with two kids, a dog and a household was going to be a pain in the ass no matter how she did it.
Harper dismantled all his little cameras and doodads, re-boxing them to take back to his boss. Cat packed the truck, suddenly struck with nervousness.
They were about to completely flip their lives on end on the mere hope that they could be together as a family again. Her parents were not going to be overjoyed.
Just then Harper walked out of the house. His straight dark hair was almost an inch long now, but it looked really good on him. For years it had never been much longer than a half inch. The granny shades had been retired, replaced with a reflective set of wraparound Oakleys. When he had those glasses on you couldn’t even see the scars. That sharp jaw had been shaved clean, just like she liked it.
His body was well on the mend. Every once in a while she caught him wincing as he reached for something, but those times were fewer and farther between. As he hefted his duffle into the back of the truck her eyes traced down his magnificent body. The new blue jeans cupped his ass to perfection and the knife she had given him was snugged into the corner of his pocket. The Damascus blade had been packed away with care. The black Henley shirt he had stretched on over his massive chest and taut abs made his eyes look even more silver. He considered the color tactical but she just considered it sexy.
When he looked up at her and graced her with one of his rare smiles she couldn’t help but return it. Yes, she had hope. More than enough for all of them.
Harper was attacked with nerves as he pulled into the parking lot for LNF a few hours later. Duncan would be in his office, he knew. Seemed like the man never left it. There was something inside of him urging him to claim his family in front of one of the best buddies he’d ever had. Duncan had been his original friend out here and it was only proper that he introduce them first. Yes, he’d met Cat at the hospital, but Harper didn’t know if he was even aware of the kids.
“Are you okay?”
Cat’s hand on his back and her question brought him back to the present. He’d already parked but he didn’t remember doing it. He lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes, blinked at her and realized the kids were watching him too. “Yeah, I’m good. Just…this situation is a little surreal. I honestly never thought you would ever be a part of my life up here. These men have become my family and a few of them have started their own families. That made me miss you guys even more.”
“Well, now Dad, you can have us all.” Tate’s matter-of-fact little voice said from the back seat.
Harper looked at him over his shoulder. “Yep. Looks that way, huh? Let’s go.”
He slipped his glasses on and stepped out of the truck.
To say that Shannon was surprised to see him, family in tow, was an understatement. Harper introduced her and the women shook hands, sharing smiles.
“Is Duncan in?”
Shannon nodded, looking dazed. “Of course. I think you can go right in. He’ll appreciate the surprise.”
Harper knocked and pushed the door open before he’d even heard a response, his hand firmly wrapped around Cat’s. Duncan looked up and smiled in genuine pleasure, rocking back in his chair.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” he drawled, running his gaze up and down.
Harper snorted at the joke the two of them had never heard before. Cat laughed more appreciatively.
But Duncan’s attention had been caught by the kids coming in behind them.
“Duncan, you know Cat, but these are my kids, Dillon,” he rested a hand on her shoulder, “and Tate.”
Harper lifted the boy up into his arms.
Duncan pushed up out of the chair and circled the desk, his face creased in a smile. He shook each of the kids’ hands. “It’s a true pleasure to meet you. Your dad is really something.”
Harper caught the narrow-eyed look Duncan threw at him and he knew there would be questions later, but that would be all right. He could deal with questions.
“Hold on a minute. We just had a meeting.” Duncan made a call and men began filtering in. Tate’s eyes widened as Palmer rolled in, then widened even more when Flynn came in with Maya. The boy wandered over and immediately struck up a conversation with the wagging dog.
Harper shook Palmer’s gloved hand. “’Bout damn time you got back,” the third partner of LNF groused.
“Sorry I got shot, boss man.”
Palmer waved the statement away.
Flynn held out his hand to Harper. “Good to see you, Preston.”
Harper shook and nodded to the dog. “Tate’s not going to bother the dog, is he?”
Flynn shook his head. “Nah. She’ll take all the attention she can get.” He moved aside as more men moved in to welcome Harper back.
Cat watched the reserved look on Harper’s face ease as one after another men entered the room, as well as a few women, to welcome him back. She was a little curious because he left his Oakleys on, but as she looked at the group she realized he wasn’t the only one.
He turned to her suddenly. “Guys, this is my wife Cat, and my kids Dillon and Tate.”
Fresh hellos circled the room and Cat could understand why he’d wanted to come back here. Yes, he’d had camaraderie in the Teams, but after he’d been injured the interactions had become stilted. As she looked around the room she realized Harper was one of the least injured men here, ev
en after his recent injury.
“Where’d you get hit, big man?” A tall black man with a prosthetic arm leaned in, looking him up and down.
Harper pulled the V of the Henley over and down far enough that they could see the pink scar on his pectoral muscle. There were a few appreciative whistles but one guy, Brian she thought his name was, leaned in and scoffed. “Oh, whatever. I think Flynn’s got you beat for gunshot wounds. Zeke’s definitely got you beat for all other scars. You’ve been milking it the past few weeks.”
They all laughed and that set the tone for the rest of their time at the office. The guys would come in and joke with him, but underneath it all she could see a visceral understanding. Even when their voices got quiet and he told them about losing his vision, lifting his glasses, there was still an empathy running through them all.
“Aren’t they amazing?”
Cat looked down at the woman beside her. “Shannon, right?”
The woman nodded, smiling sweetly. “I’ve watched these guys for a couple years now and yes, they all get down, but as soon as they get together it goes like this. Upbeat, playing around, but with an understanding you could not believe. I’m so impressed that you’re Preston’s wife. How long have you guys been married?”
“Fourteen years. Dillon is twelve and Tate is six.”
Shannon’s eyes followed the kids as they played on the floor with the dog. “Wow. I’m so tickled there’s another woman around. Preston is one of those scary guys that you’re not really sure what he needs or even wants because he so rarely talks, but as soon as I saw the two of you together you made sense.”
Cat smiled, touched by the sweet sentiment. “Thank you.”
Chad entered just then and the already jubilant group laughed even more. As she watched Harper’s smile spread at the gentle teasing directed his way she knew she would do everything in their power to secure a life here.
He looked up just then, searching for her. Cat gave a little wave and tipped her head at him, as if motioning him back to play with the other boys. Grinning, Harper turned back to the conversation.
Harper couldn’t remember a time when he had felt more complete. As he looked at the men in front of him talking shit about what had gone down he wondered how he ever would have been able to leave. Glancing at Cat sitting on the couch with Shannon, he felt a little stupid not letting her into this life sooner.
Chad bumped into him. “Hey, come here a minute.”
Harper followed him out of the office and down the hallway to the exercise room. The smell of good sweat greeted him and his body yearned for a good workout. “I don’t know if I can do a lot right now, Chad.”
Chad shook his head, smiling, and motioned across the room. Harper glanced across and his gaze immediately focused on his weapon, positioned on top of one of the two-door cabinets that housed their miscellaneous gear. Without a word he crossed the room and lifted it down.
Removing his wrap-around Oakleys he set the rifle on the table, then sat in the chair before it. For a long time he just looked at the mess. A lot of time and money had gone into the customized Barrett MRAD .338 Lapua but Harper realized, looking at the destruction, that the weapon had saved his life. The composite stock had changed the trajectory of the bullet when it struck. If the stock had been wood the bullet would have continued on an almost straight path through that wood. But because it hit the composite stock it angled sharply up, hitting and shattering the scope.
Yes, he’d lost the sight in his eye but it was better than a bullet to the face.
Chad rested a hand on his shoulder. “The scope is done for, but I think you can salvage the Barrett.”
Harper nodded in agreement. “Thanks for getting this. I think I needed to see for myself how bad it was.”
“No problem, buddy. It was the least I could do. Let me know when you want to go to the range. I’ll go with you.”
Harper gave him a tight smile.
When he walked back into Duncan’s office carrying the weapon, Cat’s eyes went to it. And though she hadn’t been trained like he had, she could immediately see the damage that had been done and what could have happened. Her glossy eyes met his in complete understanding.
Harper hated to leave the office. Everybody had stuck around to be friendly but they needed to get going. The kids were getting tired and they needed to find a place to stay. He’d already decided that his apartment was off limits. Too many unsecured weapons to be safe around the kids.
They settled on a decent hotel with adjoining rooms. They would only be here two nights before Cat and the kids had to fly back to Virginia.
Harper sank down into the office chair at the desk while Cat kicked off her shoes and sank to the edge of the bed. The kids were watching TV in the other room.
“Thank you for meeting the crew,” he told her.
Cat gave him a funny look. “Why wouldn’t I meet them?”
He shrugged. That was a good question. “You were very gracious and warm. And nonjudgmental. That’s a big deal in our group.”
Cat nodded, understanding what he meant. Some of the guys there were really chewed up. Zeke had shown up just before they left and her heart had ached for the guy. But being through that kind of ordeal just made them stronger men, she would hope at least. “Zeke has a girlfriend, right?”
Harper nodded. “Some of the guys hang out at a place called Frog Dog. Ember is the daughter of the owner. Zeke really digs her.”
Cat grinned, sensing it was an understatement. Shannon, sweet as she was, loved talking about people in love. Cat had gotten the scoop on most of the guys that were involved.
Duncan wasn’t though, which Cat thought was odd. As the leader of their rag-tag group he appeared to be the most level-headed, centered, but he had no home life. Shannon wanted to find someone for the founder of LNF but hadn’t yet met the right woman.
“Do you guys always get along?”
Grinning, Harper shrugged. “There’s friendly rivalry. We have Marines and SEALs working together. There’s bound to be some dust-ups. They’re all good-natured though.”
Cat could imagine. When the guys from the Teams got together they could be rowdier than twice the number of kids. Men that lived their lives on an adrenaline edge needed excitement in their regular lives.
A yawn suddenly hit her and she glanced at the clock. It wasn’t especially late but they had done a lot today. Walking through the connecting door she found both kids already asleep, though the TV continued to blare. Using the remote to turn the set off she managed to get their shoes off and blankets over top of them. Crossing back to her room she went in the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she returned to the bedroom, Harper was dropping his jeans to the floor.
Cat blinked, appreciating his cute butt, but was too tired to do more than that. He stopped in front of her on the way to the bathroom and dropped a kiss to her mouth. Cat wound her arms around his neck and let him support her. “I loved your group. They are exactly what you need.”
Damn, he felt good. Hard muscles poured off the heat and her legs sagged. Without a word he swung her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. Within seconds of being tucked in Cat had fallen asleep.
Harper hopped in the shower and allowed himself to soak in the scalding water. When he left the bathroom Cat was sound asleep, hands stacked beneath her cheek. It was still early.
Harper knew sleep would not come for a while so he redressed and let himself out of the room. Hotels put him on edge. Too many hiding places and exits. If he could walk the perimeter he might feel a little better about his family’s safety.
Though he didn’t plan it he found himself down in the parking garage unlocking the rear hatch of the Yukon. Hoisting his butt up on the tailgate he pulled the rifle case toward him and popped the latches. He wouldn’t get the gun out; he didn’t need overweight hotel security guards trying to save the world by calling him in. But he needed to look at it again.
The night vision scope he’d spent sev
eral grand on was a piece of trash now. The front crystal was totally obliterated. That had been what had screwed his eye, those little tiny shards. Seemed ridiculous that something so small could have such devastating impact.
He was thankful it hadn’t been more than that though.
When he returned to the room an hour later he felt like he could sleep. Tomorrow they were going to look at houses and neighborhoods. Then the following morning Cat and the kids had to fly back to Virginia. He refused to be saddened by that.
They would be back.
They had an interesting day exploring the outskirts of Denver. Cat loved how vital the city felt, as if there were always something going on. They identified a couple of areas where they would think about having a house. It was kind of a given that Harper wanted to be out of the city. She did too and the kids needed decent schools, but any more than that she would leave up to him.
That night they ate dinner in, wanting to spend as much time as possible together before their early morning flight out. The four of them watched silly TV and played, savoring being a unit again.
When Harper tucked the kids in that night Tate cried. “I don’t want to leave you. Why can’t I stay?”
Cat’s eyes filled with tears as she watched Harper brush his hand over Tate’s dark hair. “Because, buddy, we don’t have a house or anything yet. While you guys finish out school I’m going to find us a place to live. That’ll take a while. You have to pack up all your stuff and help Mom out. She has a bunch of work to do too to get ready. I promise you that we will be together as soon as we possibly can. I’ll talk to you as much as I can, okay?”
