Finally Home (Home Series)

by Vaughn, Ann

  He worked for several hours, until the sun was shining through the windows and a movement from the bed drew his eyes to Lainey. He got the joy of seeing her reach for him, eyes still closed. When she touched his empty side of the bed, her eyes fluttered open and he felt his heart leap when those emerald eyes settled on him.

  "Good morning," she said, smiling at him.

  "Good morning," he echoed, watching her.

  "Did you sleep at all after the dream?" she asked.

  "No," he replied, eyes returning to his computer.

  She got out of bed and crossed over to him, sliding her hand through his hair and kissing his cheek. He looked up at her, watching her, but she merely winked at him, grabbed her bag and disappeared into the bathroom. For a moment, he sat staring at the bathroom door, long after she'd closed it. When he heard the shower running, he sat for a few more minutes, debating, then got up, crossed to the bathroom door, opened it, and stepped inside.

  Lainey looked up when she heard the bathroom door open, then froze when she saw Mike step in. The shower, thankfully, had frosted glass on the door, but she still knew it was him and her heart began wildly pounding at knowing he was in there with her. Taking a deep breath, she decided to tackle it head on.

  "Help you with something, Commander?"

  She saw his figure move close to the door, then lean one shoulder against the wall, facing her.

  "When we go back home, I'm going to be really busy with the security preparations for the Founders Day Ball."

  "I know."

  "The times I have to go to the Adtkissons, I'll have to take you with me."

  "That's fine."

  "There isn't going to be a lot of time for me to allow you to do much else."

  She was quiet a moment. What could she really say to that?

  "Lainey," he prompted.

  "Yes?"

  "I'm not going to be able to be your escort for the Ball," he said and she felt her heart sink.

  It made sense, of course. He was going to be busy that night. Still, she couldn't help being disappointed.

  "Okay," she said, her voice small.

  "It's not that I don't want to, cara mia, but your safety has to be my number one priority."

  For some reason, that remark set her off.

  "Seems to me, the safest place for me to be would be right by your side, Commander. But that's just me. What do I know?"

  "There will be several things that require my attention that night. Between me and the others, you will be covered at all times."

  "So, if you're going to be shadowing me most of the night anyway, why can't you be my escort?"

  "Because if I am dancing with you, then I'm not watching the crowd. I can't afford to be distracted by you."

  "Distracted by me," she repeated flatly. "I see."

  "No, I don't think you do," he said, his voice going soft.

  "You're right. I don't. It doesn't make sense to me at all."

  "My reasons are solid, and my own. Last night, I gave you a glimpse of what being with me will be like. There are times, cara, when I will expect you to do exactly as I say, when I say it and without question. Admittedly, most of those times will be in the bedroom, but when it comes to your safety, the same applies. I will not compromise on your safety."

  She sighed. It was pointless to even argue with him.

  "Did you really come in here just to lay down the law and pick an argument with me, Commander?"

  "Let's just say I wanted to make sure I had your undivided attention."

  "Really. OK. Well. Let me see if I have yours," she said, opening the shower door. She had the satisfaction of watching his eyes widen and his nostrils flare. Oh, yes. She definitely had his attention now.

  "Dio!" he swore, his eyes glued to her very ample breasts.

  A surge of feminine power ran through her as she smoothed her hands over the sides of her breasts.

  "Like what you see, Commander?"

  A vicious curse tore through him as he stepped forward, his hands closing over her breasts.

  "How the hell have you kept these hidden?"

  "A girl has her ways," she said, looking up into his eyes, seeing that they'd gone a little glossy as he took in her nude form.

  "You're beautiful, cara mia," he breathed.

  She smiled, then bit her lip as her fingers curled into his shirt and she yanked, pulling him, fully clothed into the shower with her. Laughing, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he was stumbling in, tightening her hold when he straightened so that he lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist.

  "I believe you have me where you want me, Ms. Riley," he said, smiling at her.

  "Not quite," she said, fingers on his lips, "if you were exactly where I wanted, you wouldn't be dressed in anything but me."

  He nipped at her fingers then leaned in to capture her mouth. Lainey moaned and tightened her hold on him as his tongue plundered her mouth. She was panting when he pulled back, his attention again on her breasts.

  "Put your legs down. On your feet," he ordered. She whimpered but obeyed, dropping her legs so he could place her on her feet. He backed her into the wall, hands covering and kneading her breasts. For several moments, he contented himself with just fondling and squeezing them, but then he bent down and took one rosy tip between his lips, causing her to bury her hands in his hair while he feasted. Her womb clinched and her knees went weak, feeling his tongue laving and circling her.

  "Mike," she gasped, tugging on his shirt.

  "Hands on the wall," he ordered. "At your hips, palms to the wall."

  "Mike, please," she cried.

  "Do it or I leave, cara," he reminded her.

  Frustrated, she dropped her hands from his shirt and slapped them back against the shower wall in the position he specified.

  "Brava," he praised her again.

  "Why won't you let me touch you?" she pouted.

  "I told you why, cara mia," he said, his hands leaving her breasts to trail down her sides to her hips.

  "When will you let me touch you?"

  "When I take you," he replied, his fingers trailing between her legs.

  "Take me now," she countered.

  He chuckled. "So eager."

  "You're driving me crazy, Commander."

  "That's the plan," he said, "face the wall."

  "What?"

  "You really do need to work on your listening skills, cara mia. Turn around and face the wall."

  With an exasperated sigh, she turned to comply, but stopped when he grabbed a handful of hair at the back of her head and gave a not-so-gentle yank.

  "What do you say to me?"

  "Yes, sir," she gasped.

  He covered her mouth with his for a quick, passionate kiss, then spun her to face the wall, taking her hands and placing them shoulder level on the wall.

  "Do. Not. Move. Your. Hands. Understand?"

  "Yes, sir," she replied.

  His hands cupped her breasts as he leaned down and skimmed his lips along her spine, starting at her neck and ending at the indention at the small of her back. His fingers again delved her between her legs, massaging her until she was a quivering mass of need.

  "Please," she breathed, one hand slipping from the wall to reach down to grab his wrist.

  He immediately withdrew his fingers and turned toward the shower door without a word to her.

  "No! Mike!" she cried, frustrated.

  Lainey watched in utter disbelief as he stepped out, grabbed a towel and shut the shower door in her face. She pushed the door open and saw him standing there, smirking at her, running the towel over his hair and she wanted to punch him. She reached for a towel off the rack but his hand closed over her forearm, stopping her.

  "Let go," she snapped.

  He pulled her into his arms, crushing her breasts against his wet shirt.

  "Careful of your tone, cara mia," he said, his voice low and soft.

  Her eyes flashed. "What you did in there, that
was not cool."

  He chuckled. "Damn Irish...I told you last night, punishment is immediate."

  Chapter Nineteen

  "Let's get one thing straight, sir," she snapped, "I am not one your men. I am not in the military. I do not work for Orion Securities and you will not order me around as if I were all of those things. Am I clear?" she snapped, using his own phrase against him.

  He smiled down at her, clearly enjoying her irritation.

  "Tell me, cara, what upset you? That I punished you or that I left you unsatisfied?"

  "I am not a child to be punished," she seethed between clenched teeth.

  His eyes dipped down to take in her breasts pressed against his chest. "I am well aware of that fact, trust me."

  "Why do you keep holding back from me? Your whole 'Obey me, now' act is just another way of protecting yourself...and I am the last person who would ever hurt you, Commander."

  He lifted a hand to the side of her face, his thumb sweeping over the apple of her cheek.

  "You're wrong, cara mia, you are the only person who can hurt me."

  That admission startled her. She looked into his eyes, seeing that they weren't so much cold as they were guarded. Taking a deep breath, she reached up and cupped his face in her hands.

  "I would never hurt you, Mike...but you could hurt me."

  He turned his head to kiss her palm, then leaned down to kiss her lips.

  "Did I hurt you in there?" he asked softly.

  She sighed. "No...I just...wasn't expecting it."

  "I thought you understood last night, but perhaps I should clarify a few things. My life is very much about structure and order, that comes from my Navy background, yes, but there was a time when all control was taken from me. And maybe I wasn't clear on that last night...my scars...yes, you will see them and yes you will touch them, but right now, I'm not ready for that. Last night, when I told you to hold on to the headboard, you did and no matter what I did, you didn't let go."

  "Last night was...hot," she said, her voice raw with emotion.

  "And how was this morning any different?"

  She sighed, her fingers toying with his shirt. For a moment, she thought about his words. How was this morning different? Both times, he'd asked her to remove her hands from him and to keep them where he told her to. Both times she'd known it was because of his scars...but this morning, when she'd dropped her hand, there'd been no warning. He'd just left. He'd been aroused the same as her but he was able to turn it off and walk away.

  "Because you walked away," she admitted, still looking at her fingers on his shirt.

  "I told you I would. I'm a man of my word, Lainey."

  She did look up at him then. "But you just walked away."

  "Yes, I did," he replied.

  "I didn't like it."

  "Obviously."

  "I don't want to live in fear that if I do something you don't like, you'll walk away from me. If we're going to be in a relationship, then be in the relationship."

  He started to reply but a knock at the bedroom door interrupted him.

  "Get dressed, I'll see who it is," he said, giving her a quick kiss.

  She tightened her hold on his shirt when he started to walk away, making him stop and look down into her eyes a moment before leaning down and giving her a more thorough kiss. When he pulled away that time, she let him go, reaching for a towel.

  "Hey, Boss," Colt called from the other side of the door.

  "Yes?" he called.

  "You got an ETA on when we're leaving? I need to arrange for pickup of some of the equipment we need for the gig at the Adtkisson Estate."

  Mike glanced at the clock. "Two hours."

  "Got it. Thanks," Colt said and he heard his footsteps retreat.

  Mike stood for a moment, taking several deep, calming breaths before going to his bag to retrieve dry clothes. The truth was, he'd had to pull back from her because he'd been dangerously close to taking her then and there in the shower, with his men and her cousin down the hall. While that would have been nice, it was not how he wanted their first time together to be.

  He quickly changed out of his wet clothes and was just smoothing his shirt down his abs when Lainey walked out of the bathroom, her blonde hair dry now and looking very much like the pixie her cousins named her for. She was so heart-stoppingly beautiful, she took his breath away.

  As he watched, she packed her bag and made the bed. When she was done, he stepped to her, pulling her back into his arms, his thumb tracing over the apple of her cheek.

  "Where this is heading is...you fascinate me. I've never known anyone quite like you. You told me to not expect you to say 'Yes, sir' to me outside of the bedroom...I would never want you to, unless in jest. But in the bedroom, yeah, I want that from you. I want that control."

  She met his gaze. "Do you need it?"

  "I really can't answer that yet. I haven't been with anyone since Carolina, and that was before I became an officer...and I was only with her once before she met Nick. So, I really don't know if I need it or not...I just know that when I told you to keep your hands on the headboard and you did...I liked that. A lot."

  She cocked her head as she looked up at him, studying him. Was he asking so much from her? Just to submit in the bedroom. He liked it; made him happy...could she be like that? Last night had been...exciting.

  "Yeah?" she asked, a smile teasing at her lips.

  "Yeah...and I can promise you this...I will never ask you to do anything you aren't comfortable with."

  "But...walking away from me..."

  "I only left the shower; I knew you'd come right out after me. Had we been in bed, if we were lovers and you'd done something to cause me to pull back," he leaned down and kissed her, then skimmed his lips over to his ear, "then you'd have to get creative to lure me back."

  Lainey shivered. That, she could totally do.

  "OK, then...I can do that for you," she said, molding herself into his chest when he wrapped her tight in his arms.

  "Grazie, bambina," he said, his lips against her brow. "You ready to go face everyone now? They all know we slept in here together."

  She shrugged. "Doesn't bother me."

  "No?"

  "Mike, you walked in the room last night, came straight to me and kissed me in front of all of them. They get it."

  He chuckled slightly. "You're probably right. Look, before we go out there...are we cool?"

  "Meaning, am I still mad at you?"

  "Pretty much."

  She smiled and reached up to tweak his nose. "Be sweet to me the rest of the day, then we'll talk."

  He raised her knuckles to his lips. "I think that can be arranged."

  After an enormous breakfast in which Melissa showed she knew exactly how to feed a crew of such big guys, they said their goodbyes and everyone loaded into the SUVs, giving Whit a few last moments of privacy with Melissa. She was staying until after the Founders Day Ball, and then Whit was coming back to help her pack hers and Petey's clothes and then the rest Mike would have movers pack up and deliver...except the furniture. He told her she could keep the house for as long as she wanted, which absolutely melted Lainey's heart.

  On the drive back to the airport, Mike surprised her by keeping her anchored to his side with his arm around her...of course, it was just the two of them, Riley, Jenna and Cam in this SUV, and while Riley may take delight in antagonizing Colt, Coop and Whit, he wouldn't say anything to Mike. They talked about a whole lot of nothing really on the drive, mainly listened to Cam and responded to him. She hadn't heard back from Wade yet, and a discreet inquiry of Cam let her know he hadn't heard from him again either. She would have to make a point of trying to contact him once they got home.

  The plane ride was a bit more subdued. The guys gathered together to discuss security schematics and details. Sarah cuddled up against Colt's side and fell asleep. Jenna was using the time to read a book, which she told Lainey she rarely had time for these days with Riley around, so Lainey
let her enjoy her read. For herself, she sat gazing out the window at the ground below, thinking how strange and wonderful the last twenty-four hours had been.

  Mike's kisses had been everything she'd ever dreamed they would be. She loved being in his arms, feeling them wrap tight around her. Truth be told, she liked when he fisted his hand in her hair and yanked her head back so he could kiss her or make her look into his eyes. He could be forceful and demanding, or tender and sweet, and she liked both versions. Even what happened this morning, now that she had some distance from it, was exciting to her, now that she knew his thought process behind it all.

  The main thing that marred her reflections was his nightmare. It broke her heart to see how he was suffering and she wished she could somehow convince him once and for all to confide in her. He'd been totally wrecked after that dream, unlike the other time he'd woken beside her from a dream. That time, his cool demeanor had alarmed her; this time, he'd been trembling and cold, and while she hated that he'd suffered, she knew she would always cherish the memory of him falling to his knees and embracing her.

  "Wake up, cara," she heard Mike's voice drift over her. Blinking, she turned toward the sound of his voice, surprised to see him seated next to her.

  "Did I fall asleep?" she whispered.

  He brushed a lock of hair from her face. "Yes. You were frowning."

  "I was thinking about your nightmare," she told him, studying his face for any signs of change in him, though of course, all that greeted her was his usual stoic look. "What was different about this one than the one you had the first night you slept with me?"

  A slight widening of his eyes was the only outward reaction he had to her words. He looked away from her for a moment, then drew a deep breath.

  "The nightmare is usually the same. I recognize it when it hits. It wakes me up, but after all this time, I've learned to just move on from it, though I usually can't fall back asleep."

  "But the one last night was different?"

  He raised her hand to his lips.

  "It was."

  "How?" she pressed.

  His gaze dropped to her hand cradled in his. She watched him skim the fingers of his opposite hand over the back of her hand and knew he wasn't going to answer her.