by Maddie Wade
“Nate, you in charge of the grill?” Smithy called, jogging toward the group.
Jace was starting to see Smithy come back to them, in little flashes of the man he’d been. He’d never be the man he was, but it was comforting to know there were still recognisable parts of him. The things done to him during his time with Rhea Winslow had changed him, damaged him. The guilt of knowing he’d kidnapped and murdered people, innocent people, hung around his neck like a loose garrotte ready to tighten and cut his oxygen at any given memory.
He was only just getting to the point where he could look Dane in the eye. He couldn’t forgive himself for kidnapping Lizzie and guarding her while she was horrifically injured and at the mercy of Rhea Winslow.
Jace understood it, they all did. They knew it was very likely they’d have felt the same in his position, even though they didn’t agree with it. Smithy had been drugged with mind-altering and mind-control drugs but even then, he’d fought back, something deep in the recess of his mind reminding him who he was. The fact that Lizzie would’ve died without him meant nothing because he blamed himself for her being there in the first place even though Lizzie didn’t blame him. He’d need to deal with that in his own time, but the fact he’d taken this trip to watch him and Dane marry their women was a good sign.
Megan had helped a lot with the residual effects of the drugs. Jace adored his future sister-in-law, seeing so much of Lucy in her. The fact that she and Daniel had found love together was the icing on the cake. Both deserved to be happy after what they had been through.
He looked up as his cousin Jack sauntered towards him.
“You ready to tie the knot?” he asked as he sat down beside him on the white sand.
“Never been surer of anything in my life.”
Jack took a swig of the bottled beer in his hand and fixed his eyes on the horizon. “Sorry to hear about your mum.”
Jace nodded. “Yeah, she wanted to come, but the doctors say she can’t travel so soon after the surgery.” Two weeks ago, his mother had been rushed in for an emergency hysterectomy and therefore couldn’t travel. He and Lucy had been all set to cancel the wedding, but she wouldn’t hear of it.
“Makes sense. I promised to add her on Skype so she can see the whole ceremony with my mum. At least she’ll see your ugly ass get married.” Jack grinned and Jace enjoyed seeing his cousin relaxed for a change. Running Eidolon was his life and Jack loved it, but it took a gruelling dedication.
“Who are you calling ugly, Shrek?”
Jack laughed and gave him the middle finger. “Careful or I might just lose the rings.”
“Hey, it’s Luce who’ll have your balls, not me.” Jace took a pull of his beer and tried not to laugh at Jack’s wince. If there was one thing more dangerous than an ex-assassin, it was an ex-assassin who was a bridezilla. And his Luce had planned every second of this wedding, so God help the person who messed anything up.
“Fine, but if it ever gets out that I’m scared of your wife, my career is over.”
Jace chuckled. “They won’t hear it from me, cous.”
It was bullshit anyway—Jack Granger was the most respected and feared man at Eidolon. His team of ghost ops men were all top of their respective fields, and Jack was no different. He may have left the military under somewhat of a cloud, but for those that knew and worked with him, it was clear whatever had gone down, wasn’t what the rumours suggested. He’d been tipped to be the youngest man to lead the elite SAS forces as his tactician skills and bravery in battle were unrivalled, even by Zack.
For him to say he feared Lucy was out of respect. Lucy was good, even better than Roz in his book, but Jack had the drive to prove himself and that gave him the edge.
“You bringing a date?” Jace asked.
Jack frowned. “No! Why would I do that?”
“No reason, just thought you might consider it as the bridesmaids are all attached.”
“I don’t need your help to get laid. There’re plenty of women that would kill for a piece of this,” Jack said, indicating himself.
“Fine, have it your way. I hear Bebe and Astrid are both single.” Jace knew he was poking the bear. Relations between Eidolon and Zenobi had always been somewhat tense, although lately they’d thawed a little.
“I’d rather gouge out my own eyes than touch a Zenobi woman.”
“Harsh, man. They’re both beautiful women.”
“Never said they weren’t. But when I fuck a woman, I want to know my throat is safe from a blade when I close my eyes.”
“Fair point.” Jace agreed, knowing that Bebe and Astrid were deadly. “Just saying though… I can definitely see you and Astrid making gorgeous babies together.”
Jack snorted. “Never gonna happen. You and Will can make our mothers happy in that department. I’m not allowing some woman to get her hooks into me.”
“So jaded, Jack. You’re gonna end up old and lonely.”
“Maybe, but I’ll take my chances.”
They both stood and walked towards Kanan and Nate at the barbecue and piled their plates high with steak, burgers, and ribs before sitting down beside the others.
Dane turned to Zin once they were all seated. “You and Celeste talked about getting married yet? Surely it’s time you put a ring on her finger.”
“Hear, fucking hear!” Kanan added.
Zin looked at Dane and then Kanan. “We’ve talked about it, and we will when we’re ready. Celeste is happy to wait until the time’s right.”
Kanan raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? You’re the fucking clever one who can read people well enough to expose their weaknesses but you’re sure acting like a dumbass.”
Zin looked up, surprised. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means my sister has been desperate for you to propose since you moved in last year.”
Zin looked shocked and a little affronted. “She said that?”
Kanan shook his head. “No, of course not. She’d never utter a word against you and would probably wait until the end of time before saying anything. Roz would have my balls for this but let me tell you something. When a woman starts to leave out bridal books and creates wedding dress boards on Pinterest, then she wants a fucking ring.”
It was the first time Jace had ever seen Zin taken aback. Zin and Celeste were madly in love, any fool could see that, and the fact that Kanan was encouraging Zin to propose to his baby sister spoke volumes. Despite not knowing each other for most of their lives, Kanan and Celeste were close, and Kanan had effectively given his seal of approval with his comments.
“I thought it was for Lucy and Lauren,” Zin said quietly, obviously deep in thought.
“So?” Kanan said.
“So what?”
“Are you going to marry my fucking sister or not?”
“That’s never been in doubt for me. I love her and always will. Yes, I will propose, but I’ll need to give it some thought and make it special.”
“Now you’re talking.”
“Well, now we’ve finished with that can we please discuss the fact that the al-Kamali family is in town?” Will asked as he smothered his steak in hot sauce.
“Yeah, that makes my starfish all sorts of twitchy. If the Princess fucks up the wedding, Lucy will lose her mind,” Jace said gravely.
“I’ve had a bad feeling since we saw those men at the airport,” Daniel added.
“Do you think the two things are connected?”
Daniel shrugged at Zack. “Not sure but could be.”
Will stood and poured more beer from the keg into a glass before walking back over. “I did a quick check and couldn’t find any flags for them with Interpol, but I didn’t dig deep. Do you want me too?” he asked Zack.
Zack shook his head. “No, but it might be worth finding out how long the Princess intends to be at the hotel.”
“Why isn’t she on the yacht and why does she have a three-man team with her?” Drew asked.
Jace looked at Drew
and wondered if he had any clue how much of an asset he still was to the team. “She doesn’t get along with her brother’s wife, but her father won’t permit her to travel alone. She goes with the Prince and then gets away on her own as often as possible.”
“That doesn’t explain the three-man team. One would be better and allow her to go under the radar easier.”
“Her father doesn’t trust her guards not to sleep with her. She has somewhat of a reputation.”
Jack twirled the second glass of beer in his hands. “If by that, Zack, you mean the woman is dick-hungry, then you’d be right. She once tried to seduce Blake when he was working for the British Royal family as a PPO.”
“Sounds like the perfect woman,” Liam said, who until that point had been quiet. Jace laughed.
“Yeah, you two would get on great, both being sluts,” Nate said.
“Not everyone can find the love of their lives so easily, my friend.” Liam saluted Nate but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Nate smiled at Liam. “Believe me, it wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.”
The sky began to darken, and they lit torches in the sand and drank and bullshitted until around midnight when Dane stood up. “Well, I don’t know about you all, but I have a warm woman waiting for me. I’m heading back.”
“Wait up, I’ll come with you,” Zack called, who followed Dane with Nate, Will, and Zin joining them. The single guys, along with Kanan who said waking Roz was not worth his life, stayed back to keep drinking.
Jace thought it’d been a low-key end to his single days but an enjoyable one. He didn’t see the point in pretending it was something he’d miss when what was waiting for him and his future with Lucy was so much better.
* * *
The room was silent when Dane entered and began to undress. He had poked his head in on the kids who were both sound asleep, their cherubic faces peaceful. Tomorrow the four of them would be spending the day on a small, secluded beach before the hectic lead up to the wedding.
Looking at the bed, his breath hitched in his chest. Moonlight streamed through the window, allowing him to see the beauty of his sleeping woman. He wondered if she truly understood how much he loved her. Sometimes he felt like his heart couldn’t contain the feeling and would burst. She’d given him every dream he’d ever dared to hope for and more.
Dane felt his body tingle with desire as he studied her. Her blonde hair framed her face like a halo, her skin a warm gold from the hours in the sun. In sleep, her body was relaxed, and her tiny, pale blue silk nightie had ridden up, exposing her bare pussy.
His cock hard, he stroked the length once trying to ease the need to be inside her. Moving towards the bed, he dropped to his knees and crawled up until he was hovering over her pussy. Her scent was a drug, intoxicating him. All day he’d needed to feel her hot walls tighten around him as he fucked her. This woman, who held his heart in her tiny hand, had the power to annihilate him, and yet he trusted that she never would.
Just like she trusted him to never hurt her, despite his size and the training he had, not to mention the things he’d done in the name of his country and then after in the name of Fortis. There was a mutual vulnerability that somehow gave them both immense power and strength.
Dipping his head, he took in the scent of her skin and her sex, his mouth watering with the need to taste her. One leg was cocked up with her knee bent and the other was straight, giving him access to her most intimate parts. His tongue found the soft skin of her labia, and he started gently licking and tonguing her hole until she began to move and moan as she slowly came awake at his ministrations.
He found her clit with his tongue and toyed with the hard bundle of nerves as her hand landed on his head, and he smiled. She was awake now, her body responding as he bit and sucked her clit until she was a mass of writhing pleasure beneath him.
Her voice was husky with sleep and desire when she called his name, her legs wrapped around his ears as she came on his tongue. The breathy sounds of her pleasure made pre-cum drip from his hard cock. He licked her softly as she came down from her climax, her hands in his hair as he kissed his way up her body, taking the fabric with him.
“Lift up,” he said, wanting to see all of her. She did as he asked, and he drew the silk over her skin and tossed it to the floor. Her eyes were dark with desire in the moonlit room, her lips parted waiting for his kiss. “Been desperate for this all day,” he admitted as he ran his thumbs over the nub of her heavy nipples, watching them respond and harden at his touch.
Dane dipped his head and sucked one distended nipple into his mouth as he rubbed his dick through the wet of her pussy, rocking against her clit and revelling in the moans coming from deep in her throat. “Like that, baby?” he asked, releasing her nipple.
“Yes,” her words were a groan as he rocked against her again and she arched towards him. His mind wanted to take this slow, to make love to her, but his body felt tight and hot with the need to claim her body and her climax.
Sitting back, he lifted her legs straight up until her ankles were resting on his shoulders. He kissed the arch of her foot as he rubbed his cock through the silky wetness of her pussy. The moan that hissed through her lips as he grazed her clit with his cock broke the hold on his control, and he eased back and pushed his way into her in one hard, swift motion.
She arched her back as her hands reached for him, but Dane linked his hands with hers, lifting them over her head as he moved inside her. He started fucking her hard but slowly until he felt the walls of her pussy begin to ripple and tighten against his cock. Releasing her left hand, he pressed his thumb to her clit, rolling it in a hard rhythm as she gripped his forearm.
“Come for me, Lauren,” he demanded, his voice thick and rough with desire. Her pussy tightened until he could barely move, her climax demanding his release as her name escaped him and he filled her.
His breathing was hard and fast as he eased her legs down and let his body weight sink into her softness. Her arms circled him as she buried his head in her neck, and he caught his breath. Lauren wrapped him up in her body, arms and legs around him, holding him tight.
A warm feeling of contentment and pleasure settled over him. He let the emotion he felt for her swallow him up, secure in the knowledge they would keep each other safe from whatever they may face in the future.
“Love you, baby.”
“You can go out more often if that’s how you’re going to wake me,” she whispered, the sound low and seductive.
Even though his body was satiated from his release, he felt the need to take her again. “Not finished with you yet, baby.”
“Promises, promises.”
Chapter 8
Lucy watched as Jace swam another lap of their private plunge pool before swimming to the side where she sat with her legs dangling in the warm water. He was so handsome it was all she could do not to jump him every chance she got. The water was glinting off his body in the early morning sun, the muscle in his biceps and shoulders rippling as he swam.
“Need you to stop looking at me like that, Luce,” he said as he rested his arms on the edge of the pool beside her. Lucy saw the dark edge of desire in his eyes and felt the magnetic pull as he ran his eyes over her. Her body responded, nipples tightening, her breath catching in her chest.
“I can’t,” she responded, her voice gravelly.
The answering growl from Jace was like a flame to her body that craved his touch. Suddenly she was no longer on the side of the pool but in his arms in the warmth of the water. Her legs went around his hips, her arms around his neck as she felt the water ebb around them and then the thick ridge of his hard cock nestled against her needy body.
His eyes held hers as she felt one hand hold her and the other pull the ties to her bikini bottom. With practised ease, he removed the material so there was no barrier between them.
“Lift up,” he growled and with no foreplay needed, drove into her wet heat with his hard cock. The hiss o
f pleasure that fell from his lips as he gripped her hips and began to fuck her was a catalyst to her pleasure.
His mouth was on hers in a bruising kiss that felt desperate and dangerous, and they each fought for control. Both were in a race to reach a climax. Jace released the tie at her neck, allowing her top to fall so her breasts bounced against him in the water.
“God, so fucking perfect,” he groaned as he sucked a nipple into his mouth and she arched into him, wanting more. Lucy could feel pleasure building inside as her hands raked down his skin, not caring if she left marks on him, not caring that her moans were loud enough to wake the dead. She felt her orgasm build and just as she reached the peak, Jace pulled out. A moan of protest slipped from her mouth.
“Soon, baby,” he said as he kissed her quickly before spinning her around so her back was to him. “Hold onto the edge,” he demanded.
Lucy did as he said and felt him pull her hips back as he slid inside her again. The change in position made his cock rub up against her G-spot. His hands were on her hips, controlling her. He ran his hand along her spine before burying his hand in her hair, pulling so she was up against his front as he fucked her. The pinch in her scalp was an erotic sting which made her whimper.
“Fucking love you like this.”
Lucy didn’t respond, words stuck in her throat from the sensations flooding her body. “Jace,” she finally called, not knowing what she needed but wanting something to ease the ache threatening to drown her.
He ran one hand up her belly, between her breasts and held the column of her throat. She could feel her pulse pounding against it. “You need to come, Luce?”
She sobbed as the ache built until she was on the edge of an abyss, tears pricking her eyes. “Yes!”
“Then come for me, baby.” His hand moved from her hip and he slid his finger over her clit. The light touch sent her over the edge and into an oblivion of clawing pleasure that made her vision go white and her breath stall in her throat. His name was a cry on her lips as she came, hot tears slipping down her cheeks as the feelings and sensations swamped her.
