by Gennita Low
She turned and the door opened. Reed stood there, waiting for her. His gaze was intense as he ignored the man behind her. She walked steadily toward him, knowing Brad was watching, understanding this was the closure he wanted. Her walking away from him meant something to him.
When she reached Reed, she turned and looked back. Brad had already turned to face the fountain. His stance was rigid, his head bowed. The waterfall was oddly loud as it echoed through the solarium. Guiding her out, Reed shut the door.
“You okay?”
“Yes,” she said. She glanced at the glass windows at the far end of the wall. “You were watching.”
“Yes,” he said.
She cocked her head. “And?”
“That kiss lasted too long.” He paused, his gaze searching. “But I’m okay with it, if it made you sure about what you want.”
She smiled. That explained why he’d opened the door after the kiss. He wanted to make sure she was walking back to him. He’d understood her need to find out, yet he hadn’t been willing to stand outside passively. He was, after all, a SEAL, and not likely to want to be second to anyone.
“I’m very sure,” she said. She squeezed his hand. She didn’t want the subject of Brad to be between them. “Seeing him doesn’t change how I feel about you. It was important to do the right thing.”
“I know. And he saved your life. For that the man deserved a thank you kiss, at least,” Reed said, as they made their way to the front of the building.
She cocked her head. “Did you really think I wanted to go back to him? Would you have let me go?”
He shook his head. “Not a chance, babe. I’d never have let you near him if there had been any doubt in my mind.” He draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer. “A part of me is jealous you were involved with him, that’s all. I know what it’s like to want you, you see. And from where I was, I could see he wasn’t over you yet. Not by a mile.”
She sighed. “I hurt him. I told myself I’d make it up someday.”
“The most important thing is you stood in front of him and owned up to him. There’s nothing harder than admitting you were wrong, especially in matters of the heart. I’m proud of you.”
She studied Reed’s profile for a second. She’d come to understand this aloof man so well. He was thinking of his mother again. They stopped at the closet near the entrance, where everyone hung their winter jackets.
She pulled her jacket off its hanger, then turned to him, arching an eyebrow. “I can show you what I want, but we’ll be late for Jazz’s wedding.”
“Are you trying to tempt me to choose between you and my commander’s happiest day?”
She gave him an innocent look. “Would I do that?” She deliberately licked her lower lip, knowing it turned him on.
He slipped both his hands under her jacket. “There are cameras everywhere in this building, you know,” he remarked casually.
“Want to give COMCEN an eyeful?” she asked, grinning.
“Wretched wench,” he said, pulling her toward him.
Epilogue
They flew to Louisiana for Lieutenant Jazz Zeringue and Vivi’s big wedding, which was to take place the following morning. Reed wanted Lily to see his teammates out of uniform. He also wanted to introduce her to them in an informal setting. The wedding was the perfect time to let everyone know what Lily meant to him. She would be his date there, and his teammates would know he wanted them to welcome her into their circle.
Vivi Verreau, Jazz’s bride, had already met Lily several times. Reed was glad that the women had struck up a friendship because of their backgrounds. He’d forgotten Vivi was a runaway herself and was now a volunteer in an organization helping runaways and orphans in Southeast Asia. Lily’s interested questions had told him her heart was still very much set on helping girls in similar situations. He filed that knowledge away for the future.
That night, when Lily lay quietly in his arms, he thought about all they’d shared. From the moment he’d seen her up in the Macedonian mountain pass, he’d admired her strength and courage. She’d been a lone woman against insurmountable odds, and she’d survived. She’d been afraid to come back to the United States, but she’d placed her trust in him and had gone through six weeks of intensive testing and “deprogramming,” as T had called it.
He planned to take her away when the authorities finally okayed her papers. There was a beach in Florida he wanted to show her. He wanted to build a monster sand castle and walk her into it. And then he wanted to ask her to marry him. He smiled in the dark at the image of her sun-kissed face smiling back at him. Drifting off to sleep, he thought he heard her say yes.
The Zeringue wedding the next day was as chaotic as a firefight. While the guests were arriving for the festivities or being shown to the huge temporary structure in the back of the house where the nuptials would be held, an army of help in the main house was trying to make things go smoothly before the ceremony itself. There were men everywhere at the Zeringue household, and Reed grinned as he watched his commander’s eight sisters act like field marshals, ordering them about on last-minute tasks. He left Lily for a bit to give a helping hand to his teammates, who were trying to arrange the overflowing trays of food on a long table without spilling any of it on their suits.
“If you’d just move that plate with the meatballs an inch, we can get this plate of wings in right here,” Cucumber said.
“Why not just move the wings to the end of the table, man?” Dirk pointed to an empty place.
“Are you nuts, man? See this keg? We want the meatballs with the wings, right here, because we’re going to be standing close to the target,” Cucumber said. “Prime space, you know?”
“Oh, excellent strategy,” Dirk said. “Let’s move the beans down there then.”
“But I like beans,” Turner said.
“You’re on crutches. Guys on crutches not helping with this difficult task don’t get top preference,” Mink said.
“Come on, move that bird shit there. We have to get to the back soon, dudes, or we’ll miss Jazz putting the ring on Vivi,” Dirk said.
Mink slashed his throat with his forefinger. “Man’s dead meat,” he announced. “Wings clipped. Balls chained up. No longer able to think for himself.”
“But on the plus side, he won’t need to worry about his dick shriveling up.”
The men laughed in agreement, adding their off-colored remarks.
“Are you going to say that about me?” Hawk interrupted as he walked past.
At the sight of their commander decked out in his best man’s clothes, Cucumber, Mink and Dirk, the “Stooges,” whistled in unison and put on their Hollywood shades. Reed grinned. It was good to see his teammates relaxed. He looked around, trying to see whether Lily was close by. They had to join the guests soon, too.
“You look good enough to eat, sir,” Cucumber said.
“The shiny white’s hurting my eyes, sir,” Dirk chipped in.
“The best man always looks his best,” Hawk told them, a corner of his lips lifting. “And I don’t want any of you harassing Amber about her ring. Get it?”
“Ring? What ring? Did you guys see any ring on Amber?” Cucumber boomed out, pulling off his sunglasses to reveal wide, innocent eyes.
“No, I didn’t see any diamond ring on Amber,” Dirk replied, acting surprised.
“Nor I. Have you, Zone?” Mink asked.
“You mean, the big shiny thing that has God knows how many carats on Miss Hutchens’s finger? Nope, not me,” Zone answered, nudging Reed.
“Nice finger,” Reed said solemnly.
His teammates stared at him, some with their mouths open. Zone choked on his beer.
Cucumber thumped Zone’s back. “Did Joker just make a joke?” he asked incredulously.
“Reed, we’ll talk later,” Hawk said, as he fidgeted with his boutonniere. “See you all outside in a few.”
Reed didn’t miss the slight edge in Hawk’s voice. He nodded and watched as his c
ommander made his way out toward the entrance. He had an idea what they were going to be discussing.
Someone tugged at his elbow. He turned and smiled at Lily. “Guys, I want you to meet Lily Noretski.” He gave his friends quick eye contact. Most of them knew her background already. “Lily, these are my teammates. The big guy is Luke. The other two with sunglasses are Dirk and Marcus. The one on a crutch is Jason. And that’s Zodenko, but we all call him Zone because he won’t talk to you if you call him anything else.”
“Hi,” Lily said, shaking hands. As they all followed the crowd out into the backyard, she whispered to Reed, “I hope I can remember their names. I’m not used to meeting so many people.”
Reed slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. “You’ll get to know my teammates,” he said. “They’re great people.”
She eyed him solemnly. “I’m thinking they might not be comfortable around me because of what I’ve done.”
He thought of Hawk’s and Amber’s injuries. His friends were a loyal group and fiercely protective. Because they didn’t have all the facts, he knew his friends were going to be reserved for a while. He also knew they would be looking at Hawk, to see how he and Amber treated Lily.
“I’ll take care of it,” he said.
Lily pinched him. “Stop playing macho with me. I do know how to take care of hostile men, you know.”
“Yes, and all of them have seen you in action, so I’m not going to worry about that,” he said, a small smile playing on his lips. But he was still worried about Hawk. He gestured to two seats in the back. “Here all right with you?”
“Yes.” Lily sat down, looking around. “Am I the only one around here not confused by all the Steves in this crowd?”
Reed laughed. “I was wondering when you’d get to that. All the McMillan men are named Steve or variations of that name.”
“All of them?” Lily asked, a fascinated, horrified look on her face as she searched the crowd again. “All of them? Hawk too?”
“Yup, even Hawk. He’s Steve too, and so is that man standing by him with the woman with the white leather jacket.”
“They look alike from here, except Hawk’s a bit shorter,” Lily said, craning her neck. “It’s even more difficult when some of them are wearing similar uniforms. Now that I think about it, those guys did all look kind of cute, like Hawk. Are they all Navy SEALs too? Ow!”
“Wretched Wench,” he whispered in her ear.
She rubbed her arm where he’d pinched her and made a face at him. “Well, at least I can’t go too wrong if I start addressing every handsome man here as Steve, right? Except you, love, so stop pinching me.”
Their lips met briefly. Reed loved these moments best of all, when they teased and shared a private moment, like lovers did. He wanted more moments like this.
The wedding march began and everyone stopped talking, looking back eagerly. Reed held Lily’s hand as Vivi Verreau, in a simple white gown sewn with lace and pearls, walked past them down the aisle. Her lace veil was long, hiding her face, and she held a simple bouquet of lilies and roses. He suddenly had an image of Lily in a long white veil…and not much else.
Vincenzio, pay attention.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”
But once that fantasy started, it was tough to get her out of his mind. He happily smiled at the image of Lily in a white bikini in a white veil on the beach. Now Arch would love that.
She would be tanned and her hair streaked from the sun. Her eyes would have that naughty sparkle they always had when she was turned on. He would lift the veil away so he could nestle against her sun-kissed body. She would lift her face to him so he could taste the sea, and his hands would explore the soft skin, molding her smooth, almost bare, ass. Then he would slowly ease his way up her back. A string bikini…because that’s the easiest to come off….
He heard “I do,” and blinked. He’d missed the exchange of nuptials. He smiled ruefully as he watched Jazz lift the veil from his bride’s face. He’d never seen his commander look happier. The ladies around him sighed as the handsome groom bent his head and ravished his wife with a kiss. The men snickered as the kiss went on. And on.
“I have this fantasy of you wearing nothing but a long veil,” Reed whispered in Lily’s ear, knowing it would make her giggle. “And I slowly reveal each part of you and start kissing—”
She poked him in the ribs, her eyes still on the happy couple. “Shhh…” she ordered softly, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
“You know, like when I bathed you? Only this time I’ll use my mouth. You know, where you go all crazy when I lick you—”
Lily quickly stood up, following the rest of the crowd as everyone clapped and cheered. Reed grinned as he joined her. Her eyes had that sparkle. He didn’t see why he should be the only one turned on by his fantasy.
* * *
Eight sisters. Watching Jazz’s family made Lily think of her own. She wondered where they were and what they were doing now. She watched Amber hugging Vivi.
Amber had been like a sister to her for four years. There was that painful pang in her gut every time she thought about what she’d done. She still couldn’t believe her friend had forgiven her, had, in fact, insisted she wasn’t killed right off the bat.
Everyone was hugging and shaking hands. She lost sight of Amber as Jazz’s mother and sisters crowded around the couples near the front.
Lily sighed. It was good to see so many happy faces. She glanced up at Reed. Every time she looked at him, her heart went pitter-pat. The man was just too damn cute in military dress whites.
“That was a beautiful wedding,” she said, smiling. “And no, I don’t want to hear any more about your dirty little fantasy about a white veil.”
He winked at her. “I have others.”
“I bet.”
They moved with the crowd slowly, heading back to the house for the reception. She could already hear Reed’s teammates squabbling about beer and food.
“Yo, Zippy-do-da, shouldn’t you be up on stage playing the guitar and directing the band so your brother and his bride can dance, man?”
“My brother is upstairs undressing his woman. Do you think he’s going to be quick about it? Hand me a beer, dude.”
“Zippy Zeringue! You get up on the stage and start the music, do you hear?” a woman’s stern voice said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Lily laughed with the people around her. She’d never seen or heard such chaos.
“Why don’t you join your team while I go freshen up?” she said to Reed. She didn’t want to take him away from his buddies. “They sound really hungry.”
Reed shrugged. “Okay, but I’ll wait for you before we eat.”
“Okay.”
She made her way through the side door. The Zeringues had rented some portable toilets outside to accommodate the wedding guests. She bumped into someone coming in and froze at the sight of Hawk McMillan.
He was alone, and they hadn’t talked since that night he and his men had stormed the building in which her girls had been captives. His eyes narrowed at the sight of her.
Lily took in a deep breath. “Hello, Hawk,” she said.
“Lily,” he said.
She waited a beat. When it was obvious he wasn’t going to say anything else, she took a side step to walk around him. “Excuse me,” she murmured.
His hand snaked out and stopped her. “While we have a private moment, I’d like to talk to you,” he said.
She looked into his tawny eyes. There was no warmth in them. “I’m listening,” she said quietly.
“If you put Amber in that kind of danger and hurt her again, I’ll make damn sure you’re locked up behind bars for a long time. I know all about your illegal dealings, and I’ll use everything I know to put you away. Do you understand?” His voice was lethally soft and flat.
She didn’t blink. “If I hurt Amber again,” she said, “I’ll give you the keys to lock me away.”
/> Hawk nodded. “I just wanted to make that very clear. I don’t care whether you had neuro-implants or you were under hypnosis. You gave her to Dilaver, and if she had been killed—”
She covered his hand, which was gripping her arm hard. She understood his nightmare that he could have lost Amber that night. She’d had the same one too, except she would have been the one responsible for her friend’s pain.
“Hawk, I know. I live with the guilt every time I look at her. I’ll always live with the guilt. I love Amber, and I’ll stay away from her if that’s what you want.”
The door behind her opened. She and Hawk let go of each other.
“Is everything okay?” Reed asked, stepping into the cool night air. He studied them and slipped an arm around Lily. “Is there anything you’d like to say to me, sir?”
Hawk shook his head. “I’ve already said my piece to Lily.”
There was tension as the men exchanged a long glance. Lily didn’t want to be the cause of friction between Reed and his commander.
She moved closer to Reed. “It was nice seeing you again, Hawk. Please tell Amber I said hi.”
Hawk didn’t look away from Reed. “We won’t be friends for a while, Lily,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t talk to Amber. She loves you, in spite of what you’ve done. So she’ll probably look for you inside.” He finally returned his gaze to Lily and his voice was a little warmer. “Friendships are important. Jazz and I are as close as brothers. Maybe in time, I’ll see that between you and Amber again.”
He nodded at them both and went inside.
“What did he say to you?” Reed asked as he walked her further away.
“Nothing I haven’t said to myself,” Lily said. “It’s okay. He wasn’t nasty or anything. Just wanted to make sure I know where I stand in his eyes.”
