Sheltering Reagan

by Avery Gale

  When she’d settled, he released her from the restraints and helped her kneel. He’d loosened the tension on the clips twice during their scene, so removing them caused her very little discomfort. “I’ll kiss your tender nipples when we get home, baby, and I promise you’ll forget all about the clamps.”

  Standing in front of her, Rafe pulled a long, slender black velvet box from his pocket. When he flipped the lid open, he saw her eyes widen. The etched platinum necklace was simple, but far from plain. It would sparkle when it caught the light without drawing unwanted attention when she was out in public. “Do you know what this is, Peach?

  “Yes. Well, I think I do, Master.” Hearing her automatically switch to the honorific he preferred convinced him that he’d made the right decision.

  “We’ll work out all the details later, but I didn’t want to wait another minute before making you mine.” Tears streamed down her face, and he was pleased she kept her eyes on him rather than on the gift she was about to receive. “Do you want to be mine, Reagan?”

  “Yes. Yes, please. I already belong to you, Master”

  His heart clenched as he snapped the locking mechanism into place and placed the chain holding the only key over his head. “And now, everyone will know that you are mine. And that I am yours.” Cheers erupted around them as he helped her to her feet and wrapped her in the warm blanket Taz handed him. He held her close as they accepted congratulations, but all he could think about was getting her home and beneath him.

  As the crowd slowly drifted back to the main part of the club, Nate appeared at this side. He waved toward one of the emergency exits where Taz and Kodi stood holding their coats and his toy bag. “Your car is just out back. It’s all warmed up and ready to go. Congratulations, man.” The big man leaned down and pressed a kiss against Reagan’s forehead. “No work for a couple of days, sweetness. I’m damned proud of you. That was an incredible scene, and Kodi is going to reap the benefits as soon as we get you two out of here.”

  After what seemed like another endless round of congratulations and goodbyes, they were finally settled into the car. She’d winced when her ass met the heated seats, making him smile. “I’m going to kiss every inch of you when I get you home. There won’t be a spot I don’t lavish with love.” Startled at the realization that was the first time he’d said it out loud, he looked over to see surprise in her eyes.

  Pulling quickly to the side of the road, he leaned over the console and sealed his lips over hers for a long, lingering kiss that was meant to be a promise of things to come. “I do love you, Peach. Love isn’t about how long you’ve known someone. It’s the realization you can’t imagine your life without them.”

  “I love you, too. I think I’ve loved you since you first called me Peach.” This time it was her turn to initiate the kiss, but this one was little more than a quick press of her lips to his own. “Can we go home now?”

  Sweeter words had never been spoken.

  Epilogue

  Six Months Later

  Rafe Newell watched his new wife pace the length of Sage Morgan’s opulent office. Anyone who didn’t know her would assume she was being held captive. “She looks like a caged tigress.” Sage’s observation was dead on.

  “Pretty ironic considering the view on the other side of the glass.” Sage’s answering laughter proved he knew how easily distraction could obscure the view. The floor to ceiling windows framed Mother Nature in all her glory to Reagan’s right. Well, make that her left now. Glancing at the man standing beside him, Rafe shook his head. “I thought the song You Had Me From Hello was nothing more than a cliché country music ballad before I met Reagan.”

  “And then you found out what the rest of us have learned over the past few years—the right woman changes everything.”

  Rafe nodded in agreement. Sage Morgan’s remark couldn’t have been any more accurate. Rafe had already been making changes in his life when he met Reagan, but she’d fast-tracked his plans in ways he could have never foreseen.

  “Honestly, I thought my mother would be livid when we eloped, but two minutes alone with Reagan and she was a puddle of adoring goo.” He’d expected his dad to fall in love with Reagan, but his mother’s approval had come faster than he’d hoped. “The party you hosted helped tremendously.”

  “Never let it be said the Morgan women don’t love throwing a party.” Rafe laughed, because it had been easy to see how much the five Morgan wives and their mother-in-law enjoyed one another’s company. “It was fascinating to sit back and watch them brainstorm how to get your mom on board.”

  “Using Josie was pure genius.” Colt Morgan’s wife, Josie—known to the world as singing sensation Josephine Alta—had issued a personal and very public invitation to his family during one of her sold out concerts. When she’d heard his parents were spending the winter in Miami, she’d sent the VIP tickets to the first of her south Florida shows. His mother, father, and sister had been treated like royalty, and Josie’s televised invitation had been replayed on every major news outlet for days.

  His mother and sister were instant celebrities with all their friends and were still gushing about it during their phone calls. His dad had just chuckled. “Well played, son. Well played, indeed.”

  “Does she know why you’re here?”

  Sage’s question pulled him back to the moment, and he shook his head. “No. You and your dad worked so hard to get this done I didn’t want to steal your thunder.”

  “As much as I appreciate your consideration, it wasn’t necessary. Don’t think for a minute our motives are altruistic. Reagan’s reputation as a physician’s assistant made helping her regain her license a win-win. If she’s happy, you’ll be happy and more likely to stay in Montana. Your clinic is already booked up two years in advance, and it’s not even open yet. And that’s not even mentioning the fact Ryan is already putting her on the schedule for next month.”

  A knock on the door behind them drew their attention away from their conversation as Sage turned to let his dad and two men Rafe hadn’t met into the room. After introductions were made, Rafe led Reagan to the large leather sofa and asked her to sit while Sage and Dean Morgan introduced the first man. Montana’s medical licensing board had not only issued Reagan’s license in record time, they’d sent one of their legal team to personally deliver the documents.

  As soon as she fully understood what the men had told her, tears of gratitude flowed down her tan cheeks. The three weeks they’d spent in the Caribbean had done wonders to heal both her body and spirit. The downtime had also given Rafe a chance to reaffirm how important it was to move his practice to the slower-paced western Montana. After Reagan’s second round of hugs thanking Dean and Sage, as well as the obviously embarrassed attorney, she’d turned to the second man. “I’m sorry. I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.”

  Rafe stood, motioning the other man forward. “Reagan, I’d like you to meet Walter Kenyard. He saw the film clips of Josie inviting my parent to the reception and contacted them. It appears he’s been trying to track you down for close to a year.”

  The man stepped forward, his expression softening when he saw Reagan struggling to hide her dread. “Mrs. Newell, I’m so pleased to finally meet you. Let me assure you that you have nothing to fear from me. I’m bringing good news, not bad.” After a briefly explaining Reagan’s connection to his deceased client, Mr. Kenyard paused to give her a chance to process his words.

  “Why didn’t my dad tell me about his father? He always said his parents died while he was in college.”

  “His mother and the man he knew as his father were both killed in an accident during his senior year.” Rafe had been shocked at the similarities between her father’s experience and her own. It was a family tradition he vowed to break. “You father may not have known his step-father wasn’t his biological dad, because he was adopted at a very young age. That’s something you will probably never know. But I can tell you, after working with hundreds of clients, yo
u’d be doing yourself a huge favor by giving him the benefit of the doubt.”

  Rafe agreed. It wasn’t in her best interest to dwell on yet another perceived breach of loyalty. “Peach, don’t get lost in the what-ifs of this. Hold tight to the wonderful memories of a man, who from what you’ve told me, loved you very much.” He was relieved when she took a deep breath and nodded, but the sheen of tears made his heart clench. The only thing keeping him from pulling her into his arms and assuring her everything would be fine was knowing this was one of those rare opportunities to empower rather than comfort. He wasn’t about to let it slide by.

  He returned her attention to the attorney, who looked at him gratefully. “As you heard, I’ve been trying to catch up with you, but you’ve managed to stay a step ahead of me until I saw Ms. Alta speaking to your in-laws with your wedding picture on the screen behind her. The bottom line is your grandfather left you a rather substantial inheritance.”

  When Reagan paled, Rafe stepped to her side, urging her to sit down. She complied, but he could sense her need to resume pacing coursing close to the surface. “I’ll be able to pay off my student loans?” Her question had been so softly spoken he wasn’t sure the other man had heard her until his easy laughter filled the room.

  “Yes, Mrs. Newell, I suspect you’ll be able to do a lot of things you’ve only been able to dream about up until now.”

  Tally couldn’t remember the last time she was this exhausted, or maybe her sleep deprived brain was just blocking out everything but the driving need to find a horizontal surface where she could crash for a few hours. The past several days had been an emotional roller coaster. She’d been thrilled to see her husband and Master standing in their living room three days earlier. But the unexpected surprise had gone south quickly when he’d once again demanded she move back to Washington D.C. She’d tried in vain to explain why she couldn’t, but her reasoning had fallen on deaf ears. Karl had stormed out the door after telling her it wasn’t a request. From the open door of his rental car, he’d demanded she begin making arrangements to move while he was on his second factfinding trip to Columbia. Hell, why didn’t I know he was going back to Columbia again?

  She’d barely had time to register his arrival before he’d slammed the door and driven off into the night. After a restless few hours of sleep, she’d been called back to the hospital where she’d been for the past… Looking around for a clock, she shook her head, trying to clear the fog from her brain. Slapping her hand against the round disc to open the surgical unit’s doors, Tally walked to the waiting room. Her young patient’s parents jumped to their feet when they saw her, and Tally pasted on a bright smile as she assured them their seventeen-year-old son would recover from the accident that had nearly cost him his life. The elderly woman who’d hit him was texting and hadn’t seen the brightly clothed bicyclist in time to avoid him. Thankfully, he’d been wearing a helmet, or the outcome would probably have been much different.

  After the third round of hugs, she quietly excused herself from the room. Stepping into the hall, she felt her eyes widen in surprise. The man standing a few feet from the door sent a surge of heat through her. A minute earlier, she would have sworn she didn’t have the energy to respond to Koi’s sudden appearance. “Did Kodi have her baby?” Tally knew his sister wasn’t due for another couple of weeks, but it was the only reason she could think of for him to be at the hospital.

  “No, ma poupée.” Something in his expression made her go still. His eyes were dark with concern as he closed the distance between them. “Come. We need to talk before the reporters arrive.” Reporters? He led her into a conference room at the end of the hall, since the small room was usually locked and only available to staff.

  “You’re scaring me.” She hated how small her voice sounded, but the knot of worry in her chest was growing exponentially. And she knew the only thing keeping her feet moving one in front of the other was the adrenaline flooding her system.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I didn’t want you to be blindsided by the press. There’s been an accident, Tally. Karl’s plane went off radar a couple hours ago.” She felt herself sway, but Koi had been ready. His large hands wrapped around her upper arms and pulled her into his arms. “The crash site is mountainous and will be difficult to access, so it’s going to be a long wait for news, ma poupée.”

  Bone deep fatigue combined with crushing guilt washed over her like a tsunami. Tally leaned her head back and opened her mouth to speak, but the words stuck in her throat. The sensation of falling backward continued even after she’d leaned back enough to look into his eyes. It felt like falling back off the dock at the lake when she was a kid…that moment of suspended animation before the black water washed over her obliterating the sun and leaving her in the silent darkness.

  The End

  Books by Avery Gale

  The ShadowDance Club

  Katarina’s Return – Book One

  Jenna’s Submission – Book Two

  Rissa’s Recovery – Book Three

  Trace & Tori – Book Four

  Reborn as Bree – Book Five

  Red Clouds Dancing – Book Six

  Perfect Picture – Book Seven

  Club Isola

  Capturing Callie – Book One

  Healing Holly – Book Two

  Claiming Abby – Book Three

  Masters of the Prairie Winds Club

  Out of the Storm

  Saving Grace

  Jen’s Journey

  Bound Treasure

  Punishing for Pleasure

  Accidental Trifecta

  Missionary Position

  The Wolf Pack Series

  Mated – Book One

  Fated Magic – Book Two

  Tempted by Darkness – Book Three

  The Knights of the Boardroom

  Book One

  Book Two

  Book Three

  The Morgan Brothers of Montana

  Coral Hearts – Book One

  Dancing with Deception – Book Two

  Caged Songbird – Book Three

  Game On – Book Four

  Well Bred – Book Five

  Mountain Mastery

  Well Written

  Savannah’s Sentinel

  Sheltering Reagan

  I would love to hear from you!

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  www.averygalebooks.com/index.html

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