The Second Time Around

by Aliyah Burke

  Her full lips with the darker dot on the lower right lip. The curly dark lashes that framed her slightly slanted eyes of rich chocolate brown.

  He also memorized how she appeared when he found her. Hair not clean and neat but shorter, the additional length in her lashes had gone. Those eyes, however, had latched onto him and impounded his hurt. All rational thought vanished, replaced with anger that he learned to control in the SEALs. The iron control melted like it had been shoved into the sun itself.

  A gut check, no other way to explain it. There had been multitudes of missions before — both for D.A.R.K. as well as when he been active duty, and through all those he’d never come unhinged like this. They had taken his woman.

  One glance was all he needed.

  “Two years,” he muttered. “Two years and all I’ve done is stare at the picture of how I want to remember her versus how I found her.”

  Avery had still been beautiful when he’d found her there and the moment he’d found her, every single protective instinct flamed to powerful. Hell, some he didn’t know he had.

  His phone rang and he answered instantly, as it was his office phone.

  “Derek Wilder.”

  “Mr. Wilder, this is Larson Spindell from Montana State Patrol. We spoke the other day.”

  “I recall, yes. You are concerned about your daughter.”

  The hesitation told him all he needed to know, the situation had not gotten any better.

  “My time is running out. I’d like to hire you. Do you have time to talk now?”

  “I don’t think this should be done over the phone.”

  “Me either. I’m sitting in your parking lot. Do you have time to meet with me?”

  “Of course. Come on in and I’ll meet you in my office.”

  He ended that call and placed another to the front desk.

  Emma picked up. “Yes, Derek?”

  “There’s an Officer Spindell coming in. Please bring him straight to my office.”

  “Of course.”

  Within five minutes, it was only him and the officer seated in the office, Emma having walked him up and vanished. The man was a wreck. No way to put it any other way. Derek didn’t blame them, his daughter was missing. His entire world.

  Derek gave him his full attention, jotting down notes as the man provided a new recap.

  “I know this isn’t a popular question and you will want to hear it.”

  “The cops asked me the same thing. How do I know she’s not just staying out of contact?”

  “Young people do things they don’t want their parents to know. It does happen. I’m not asking this because I won’t go find your daughter. I am mentioning this because she was doing something she didn’t, and when I interrupt, she may not appreciate it.”

  Tears shone in his eyes. “Not my daughter. It’s just the two of us. We’ve never gone this long without communication.”

  Derek nodded. “Okay. I just needed you to know.”

  “We didn’t discuss payment.”

  “I’m having them put together for you now. Emma will bring it in shortly.”

  The uncertainty in his gaze bothered Derek. There was no doubt this was keeping him up.

  “I’ll start on this tonight and will keep you updated on my progress.”

  “Do you require payment all up front?”

  “Officer Spindell, I will find your daughter. If it has to be made in payments then so be it. You came to us because you believe your daughter to be in danger. That’s not anything I — or my brothers — take lightly. Our first priority is ensuring your daughter is safe, payment is secondary.”

  “I —”

  Emma knocked on the door frame.

  “Come on in.”

  She moved over the carpet, her body displaying her pregnancy once more. He hid his smile; this was her second pregnancy, her first having resulted in twins.

  “Here you are, Mr. Wilder.”

  There were two copies each within their own presentation folder. He kept one and handed the other over the large desk to the man sitting across from him. As he watched, the officer opened it and read. Derek didn’t open it, he already knew the amount. The company kept both paper and digital files on each account.

  “Take your time reading over it. I will be right back.”

  Two hours later, he clicked off the light to his office and jogged down the stairs. He saw Karen and Rhodi together by the front desk.

  “Don’t you have a house to do that at, as opposed to the front counter?”

  Karen grinned and Rhodi merely shrugged.

  “Emma said you had a case and had her call Alyse up. What’s going on?”

  “I have a few leads to follow up on.”

  “The missing girl. I’m coming with. Let’s go.”

  That right there explained what they were doing there. Rhodi kissed his wife and he waved as they headed out to the airstrip.

  Two weeks later, they disembarked with Shania accompanying them. After the reunion with her father and they had left, Derek finally departed for home.

  He hadn’t gotten a lot of rest and had the need for solid sleep. I need to drink so I pass out and don’t dream at all. He parked in his garage before trotting inside.

  After his shower, he crashed until the peal of the doorbell woke him. Rolling from bed, he shoved into a pair of sweats before padding down to the front door.

  It wasn’t family, they would’ve walked right in. There was the potential this was a local kid selling something. Unlike his siblings, Derek didn’t have his entire property fenced off all the time, he tended to leave the front gate open. So people could come in and drop things off.

  Fighting a yawn, he yanked open the door.

  “What?”

  His breath slipped away. He blinked to make sure he wasn’t losing it.

  The owner of those brown eyes watching him, who had for the past two years only been in a dream, stood on the front porch.

  Her.

  Avery.

  Chapter Two

  Avery gulped. Derek was so much larger than she recalled from the hell of her kidnapping.

  “You.”

  Even his voice was a work of art.

  “Hi.” She couldn’t find any other words. At her side, Cao leaned in silent support against her leg.

  Derek’s dark blue gaze darted around, searching for something only he knew about.

  She ran her gaze over him, taking in the broad bared chest with scars down to the low riding sweats. There was a trail of black hair she had this insane urge to follow. Tongue, fingers. It didn’t matter to her.

  Were she to be completely honest with herself, she built him up so much, it made sense she was attracted to him. In her mind, he was more than just the man who’d saved her. As a hopeless romantic she created an entire scenario where they’d fallen in love and had gone from there.

  That wasn’t any dream she shared with the numerous therapists her parents had sent her to. No, it was something she ran a scenario of when nightmares and cold sweats kept her from sleeping.

  To everyone else, she had zero intentions for or attraction to any man. She knew why but again, not anyone else’s business.

  He gazed around before lowering his arm before stepping back and gesturing her in.

  The expression on his chiseled features couldn’t be classified as welcoming by any means but, given he did not slam the door in her face, she considered this a win.

  Plus, now I’m in his house.

  Cao sat at her side, quiet and observant. She brushed her fingertips along the top of his head as she gazed about Derek’s home. Searching for any bit of insight into this man who’d saved her life.

  “Why are you here?”

  That deeper raspy voice grated along her skin, replacing the memory she’d held onto, greedy and unwilling to allow it to fade from her memories.

  She’d rehearsed this a million times in her mind, what she’d say, how he told her, and then that first kiss.
r />   Mentally slapping herself, she flicked her tongue over her lips and opened her mouth. His gaze never once left her.

  His phone rang. Still, without removing his gaze from her, he withdrew it from his pocket.

  “What?” The word harsh and sharp.

  She moved her gaze from the strong fingers clenching the phone. No problem holding a phone, gun, or her. She stared again at the scars along his chest, proving he was a man who did things. The two newest were gunshot wounds.

  Part of her wondered how he’d received those. Saving somebody else. Someone special to him?

  “I’ll be by later, I have something to handle here first.” A few more grunts. “Sure thing, Kris, see you later.” He ended the call and slid the phone back into the pocket of his sweats. After a long blink, he arched an eyebrow at her. “You’re about to say why you are here.”

  “I needed to thank you.” Her nerves were jacked up. Already there had been the phone call. That sucked some of her confidence. Now the anger and impatience with how he watched her eroded the rest of her courage to finish this.

  “For?”

  “Not letting me die in Central America.” She inhaled deeply and forged ahead. “I know it’s been two years and a man like you probably has no reason to remember, but to me it was just yesterday.” Her chest tightened. “When you —”

  She stopped when he shook his head.

  A different glint reached into his eyes and she struggled to bite back a whimper. The heat there had her heart pounding in her chest.

  “I remember you, Avery.”

  Her knees trembled at the way her name danced off his tongue. He rolled the ‘r’ and she would swear before God and the Supreme Court it vibrated her clit. Leaving her aroused and wanting.

  “Every fucking day, you’re there. In my head. My mind. My dreams. Trust me, Avery. I remember you.”

  He moved closer as he spoke and so their feet nearly touched. Fingertips burned and she ached with the deep need to touch him. Spread her fingers along the hard planes of his chest, rushing over the defined muscles, experiencing the brush of his chest hair over her palms. Be close enough to inhale the scent of his skin. More than now, and he smelled delicious.

  Time lost all meaning as they stood there until the sound of footsteps on the porch and the squeak of the screen door. Not a fan of people behind her, she adjusted in time to see a tall, broad man entering.

  Recognition sparked as she watched him. Blond hair to Derek’s black and light blue eyes versus dark. A man who went by the name Wild.

  “What the fuck is —” he focused on her — “oh, well now, this is an interesting development. Hello, Avery.”

  While unsure, her smile came. “Wild, right?”

  He flashed a grin she had no doubt turned women’s heads. Her body didn’t react any further than feminine appreciation.

  “That’s me, darling. Everything okay?”

  “I just came to thank him, and you for rescuing me. I’ve been negligent in expressing my appreciation.”

  Wild crossed his arms, glancing between Derek, Cao, and her. “Sweetheart, we don’t need any more thanks other than you safe as you are.”

  In her periphery, she observed Derek’s gaze narrow. Face impassive, she ignored her initial “happy dance” as that romantic whore she was pretended it was solely for the reason this man flirted with her.

  “I needed to do this.” She tamped down her frustration that rose because it happened. People tended to think she wasn’t all that capable.

  “We heard you. And we thank you.”

  “Leave us, Wild.”

  Derek’s voice dragged along her skin like he touched her himself.

  Intimately.

  The golden man didn’t move. And his brother repeated himself, his voice even lower.

  “Derek?”

  “Dammit, Wild. Get. Out.”

  Those dark blue eyes had latched onto hers, refusing to release her gaze. Still, she believed the other one was hesitant.

  “One hour, Derek. I will be back.”

  She didn’t see Wild leave but, from one second to the next, she had zeroed out they were alone. Worrying the inside of her lip, she waited for Derek to say something else.

  He approached her. Every inch of him coiled. Predatory. Her insides were a mess, but she didn’t move.

  Derek reached for her, calloused hands cupping her cheeks in an infinitely gentle manner. She trembled, not out of fear but from the simple pleasure of his touch. It was better than she recalled. From the first moment he held her close — to protect her, yes — that emotion had been there from that initial touch.

  Gazes locked, she held her breath as he swept his thumbs along the corners of her lips. He dipped his head closer and she whimpered slightly.

  Closer and closer he came, those eyes never moving from her.

  His warm breath fanned out along her lips and cheeks. Derek leaned in, the blue of his eyes deepened into almost black.

  Music filled the air, separating them with a jolt. With a scowl he yanked his phone from his pocket once more and snapped, “What?”

  Whoever he spoke to meant something to him. She had no doubt about that as she witnessed his entire visage soften.

  “Yes, ma’am. I got it. I’ll swing by Emma’s and pick it up. Oh, and Ma, there will be another guest for dinner.”

  Panic slammed her. Dinner? With a deep breath she calmed herself. Very arrogant of her to assume he meant her. Surely a man like him had a girlfriend. Perhaps a wife.

  I hope not, given he almost kissed me.

  He continued his conversation, all the while his stare never wavering from her, no doubt cataloging everything. Avery fought the urge to shift beneath his assessing gaze.

  “We’ll see you then, Ma.”

  He ended the call and tossed the phone to the sofa. She tracked it with her eyes. Watching as it bounced before settling. Once. Twice.

  “I’m sure you have things to do and I don’t want to take up any more of your time. I, like I mentioned, needed to say thank you in person.”

  I have to get out of here before I break down.

  With a deep breath she turned to the door. Forcing her feet to go each step until she could reach out and pull it open. Then she stepped out into the increasingly cold weather. Fat flakes fell from the sky and she knew she had to get to a hotel. This would not be good weather for her to be caught in at night. Or day, but her vision wasn’t good at night. Especially if the conditions were hazardous.

  He reached her three steps from her car.

  “Why are you leaving?”

  Finishing the distance to her car, she turned to face him, resting against the frame.

  “I came and accomplished what I had set out to do. Is there reason I shouldn’t leave?”

  His eyes smoldered as he again eradicated the distance that had been between them. Cao growled and he stopped short. He leaned to the left and peered past her. When he was upright once more, Derek beckoned to her.

  Avery was before him before she realized she not even hesitated in following his order.

  “We have unfinished business.”

  Everything on her felt heavy in that languid, well, pleasured sort of way.

  “And this.”

  Derek kissed her.

  Were he to die now, he would die a happy and content man. Two years of dreams and the craving he couldn’t explain, all soothed and appeased now.

  Protectiveness towards this woman surged with more power and focus than anything he’d ever experienced before. Not even as an active duty seal had a mission gotten to him like the first time he laid eyes on her.

  He forced himself to relax and back off from her lips. Her big brown eyes watched him with a blend of raw passion and shock. The shock faded and the passion grew.

  “You’re not going anywhere, Avery.”

  “I have to get a hotel room. I don’t see well at night anymore.”

  Instantly, that protectiveness raised forward again at
the sound of embarrassment dripping from her words. “You survived. Do not feel less because you have suffered aftereffects.”

  Dammit, he wanted to hold her and offer support. He had to keep his distance until he regained control.

  I shouldn’t have kissed her.

  Didn’t matter how much he berated himself, had he that moment all over again he would still do the same thing. Still allow himself that simple pleasure.

  Right now he wanted to kiss her again.

  “I should go.”

  “You’re staying here. We will go together, and your dog as well, to get your things. This weather will become worse before it’s better. And I’ll not have you out there on the road.”

  “I have no wish to be even more of a —”

  “Don’t finish that sentence,” he growled.

  Raking his gaze over her once more, he took a deep breath and retreated into his home. Once his jacket was in hand, he made his way back to her side, noting the way she withdrew her fingers inside the sleeves of her army green coat.

  Two things had him in a moment, he had to go easy for, while he knew he’d never hurt her, he could appear intimidating and it may not register for her. And two, he really, really wanted this woman as his. Keep her safe and protected. With her, he wanted what his brothers had with their women.

  Avery blinked but didn’t move back. He was proud of that, she may have fear but she held her ground. He gestured for her to return to her car.

  The cold bite from the winter air had him sucking in a deep breath, even as it brought to mind nights before a roaring fire. With Avery.

  Avery glanced all around before striking out to the car once more. Derek had brought her with him to get his jacket because he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t have left had he not had her so close. He lagged and, phone in hand, pressed the preset button.

  “Sup?” Adam’s deep voice crossed the line.

  “I won’t be at dinner.” He clicked off the call and shoved the phone back in his pocket. Moments later it buzzed but he ignored it. She opened the back door and her dog, a large Chessie, bounded in, turned around, then came right back out. Derek was impressed, this dog had the old look with a large blockhead, powerful.