She’d changed from a raging woman in emotional pain to a very docile lady in love. Even now she snuggled his hand between her bare breasts, needing him to cup and fondle, like he needed persuasion. It crossed his mind he should let Alex know the problem was fixed, and, oh, by the way, he would need two more weeks off to take Ember to Paris, France, or maybe his place for the rest of her life.
She pushed her butt against him. “I like making love better than war.”
“Me, too.” He smoothed his hand over her hip until it came to rest on her thigh. “I’m sorry I kicked your brother out.”
“I’m not. Larry only shows up when he needs a place to flop. He’ll find one of his druggie friends and sponge off them for a while. That’s all he’s good for. Absolutely nothing.”
“He did look kind of shocked when he found himself out in the hall, though.”
She chuckled, her eyes closed in near slumber. “Good. You saved me the trouble.”
He buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes, content for the first time in a long time. They woke later and made love until late afternoon. The workday that had begun so wretchedly turned into a day of discovery and play.
He brought two cups of coffee to her bed, but they didn’t get around to it. She’d finished her seafood chowder for lunch. To go with it, they built chicken and avocado sandwiches that might as well have been oysters on the half-shell. Everything seemed to feed their insatiable hunger for each other’s bodies and souls. They came to rest momentarily in her living room in front of the fireplace. Her zany quilt was all that covered them for now.
With his arms full of Ember, Rory called home and chatted with his mother, then Tyler. Yes, he’d be home in time for dinner, and he was bringing a surprise. Tyler tried to find out what the surprise might be, but in the end, Rory just hugged Ember tightly on his lap and said, “It’s a very good surprise. You’ll like it. Bye, son. Now go tell Grandma I’ll be home soon.”
He hung up the phone. Ember’s arms were still around his neck and his arms around her waist. Given the chance, he’d haul her off to her bed again, but a morning and afternoon of hot steamy sex was enough for one day. And to think he was getting paid to do this, too.
She was pretty worn out. Apparently it was exhausting being a bitch twenty-four-seven. All the sex hadn’t hurt her, either. “What are you smiling about?”
“Alex chewed my ass pretty good when you left this morning.”
“Why?” She leaned back to see his expression.
“Guess he thought we’d been up to something. It stands to reason. He did catch us kissing.”
“Ha!” She giggled in that deliciously rich voice of hers. “I wish we’d been up to something a whole lot sooner. You made me mad in Chicago when you wouldn’t kiss me.”
“I’m sorry.” He smoothed his hand through her hair. “I’m a serious kind of a guy and we were on a mission and.... Do you forgive me?”
She kissed his cheek. “You should be the one forgiving me. I was out of line.”
“Nah. The op wasn’t supposed to get as exciting as it did.” He traced the swell of her full breast beneath the quilt, rubbing the pad of his thumb over the tip of her nipple, bringing it to a peak.
He liked her naked and in his arms. She was the most luscious woman he’d ever known. Her body responded to his like they were meant to be together. How could a woman with the sizzling looks of Marilyn Monroe contain the sweet spirit of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz? Ember was the epitome of innocence in a sex symbol’s body. Everything about her stoked the fires of protectiveness. He pulled her close, needing to mate with every last piece of her.
“I was thinking of starting my own business,” she said wistfully.
That came out of the blue.
“You were?” He pushed a stubborn strand of her hair off her face. “Why?”
“I quit, remember? Besides, it’s time to do something different.”
He hadn’t seen that one coming, so he kept his mouth shut. Flames flickered across the gas log for a few quiet minutes.
“Can I tell you something, Agent Dennison?” she asked quietly.
“After everything we’ve just done together, I’m only Agent Dennison?”
“No, but I’m not good at relationship stuff, and I don’t want to scare you away.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Trust me. I’m not scared of you. What’s up? Just say it.”
“I love you.”
Zing! His breath caught. He honestly didn’t see it coming so soon. And yet, his heart told him true. He’d been thinking the very same thing.
“And now you can leave if you want.”
Again with the leaving! What the heck?
“But no matter what you think, you’re a good man and a great father and—”
He shushed her with his lips to hers in a gentle crush. Finally ready to love again, he turned her on his lap to face him. “Why, oh, why do you think I’m going to leave you? I’ve got news. I’m not the leaving kind of guy. Think about it. Your father was the biggest ass in the world for deserting you like he did. I don’t know what kind of guys you dated before Todd, but look at me.” He tipped her chin up to see into those soft green pools of Ember. “Look at me.”
She obeyed.
“I am not leaving you. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever. Do you hear me?”
She sat up straighter on his lap, the quilt pulled up to her chin even as she wiggled her backside on his thighs. “What does that mean? Exactly.”
He shrugged like it was no big deal. “Just that if you decide to start your new business on the east coast, you and I will be able to spend more time together. You’ll get to know Tyler. I’ll learn to like your cat. Speaking of which, where is that fur ball?”
“I don’t care.” She cupped his chin and directed his gaze toward her. “And I was only thinking about starting a new business. I might not. Tell me more.”
And he fell into the purest pools of emerald. No, he dived in. Heart first.
“It means you’ll sit by my side at my Thanksgiving table. You’ll get to meet my mom and dad tonight. And you and I are going take Tyler up to Vermont to get our Christmas tree. Then we all might head west to the family farm in Nebraska for Christmas.”
Without a doubt this was the right time and the right woman. His body ached to prove the depth of his love again. He cradled her in his arms. “Do you want to know the very best part?”
“Yes?” she asked breathlessly.
“I love you, Ember Davis. I’m going to love you every single day for the rest of my life and every night, too. I will never leave you, little girl.”
A tear trickled out of the corner of her eye. For some reason his choice of words, little girl, or that’s my girl, or good girl, hit a tender spot. It was just something his father always said to his mom. Here Ember was all grown up with a hot body that screamed sex appeal, but the little girl Ember still peeked around the edges, still waiting to be seen, noticed and loved.
She crashed into him, her mouth on his lips, her hands in his hair. Those luscious breasts were uncovered and pressed against his chest. The quilt slipped away, and talking was way overrated.
Easing her to the floor with him, he poured his heart into every kiss, every nibble and every taste of the woman who would be the rest of his life. The quilt became mattress as the need to couple with her took control. The glimmer of orange glow cast by the fire on her bare skin only enhanced the heat between them. There was no stopping.
Never before had he felt such a strong compulsion to shelter her physically and emotionally, to strengthen and restore what damage others had done. The purest love shone up from her eyes as he settled into a near push-up stance above her, his weight supported on one elbow and forearm. The deep emerald of her gaze glimmered with sparks not cast by the fireplace. Lowering his body onto and into hers, he watched the green turn dark, then misty, then brim until her heart spilled over.
When she sighed and closed her eyes, they came tog
ether in shuddering tenderness. More of melting than of mating, his heart exploded at the sensation of her body accepting his, filling him even as he poured all he had to give into her. There was no way to contain the act of giving and taking. They shared until he collapsed with his face in her neck, sure there was no better way to die. Her hand cupping the back of his head held him steady, but it was her next words that sealed his heart to hers forever.
“Rory Dennison,” she breathed.
It was just his name, but it was his name. Soon to be hers. Soon to be theirs. He rolled to the side of her, cocooning her in the shelter of his arm where she belonged. Now she owned all of him and it was good.
They still lay bound together and pleasantly spent when the phone rang. He stretched to reach it on the end table while Ember giggled beneath him, gently brushing her hands over his chest.
“Hi, Mom,” he muttered. Mothers. They seemed to have impeccable timing. She needed him to pick up a pint of heavy cream for dessert. “Sure thing. We’re on our way.”
He tossed the phone onto the couch. “Have you had enough lovemaking for one day?” he asked even as his body responded again to the lovely naked lady beneath him. At the rate they were going, they’d miss dinner. Maybe breakfast.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her lips for one quick peck. “I have now.”
“Then let’s go to my place. Tyler’s waiting and I understand we’re having pot roast with all the fixings.” He set her on her feet and stood next to her. “Let’s get dressed.”
The glitter in her eye took his breath. “Shower first?”
Hell, yeah.
“Hey! I know you,” Tyler squealed when he pulled the door open. “You had pink hair. Where is it?”
“I left it in my drawer,” Ember answered. She and Rory had finally made their debut as a couple, but she’d not expected the ecstatic welcome from Tyler when Rory unlocked his apartment door. Tyler must’ve heard the key in the lock. He recognized her right off, but he was not the picture of robust health she remembered. Dark circles shadowed his blue eyes. He’d lost weight.
“You keep hair in a drawer?” His eyes widened. “Me and daddy don’t.”
“Where do you keep your hair?” she teased.
He pointed to the top of his head. “Whatcha think? On our heads. You wanna hear a joke? Knock-knock.”
“Tyler,” Rory cautioned his precocious son. “How do we greet adults?”
The same wide-open smile Ember remembered lit Tyler’s drawn face as he stuck his hand out for a handshake. He cocked his head and said, “We say I glad to meetcha! So knock-knock.”
Kneeling, she played along. “Who’s there?”
He beamed. “I Tyler.”
“I Tyler who?”
“I, umm, I, umm.” He shifted his feet, wiggling and glancing sideways to his dad. “Oh, yeah. You not Tyler. I Tyler. I Tyler-rific!”
“That’s a funny joke!” Ember giggled. This little guy was downright adorable. She opened her arms for a hug and mini-Rory responded with gusto, charging into her like a linebacker.
“Tyler, take it easy,” Rory scolded when she had to put her hand to the floor behind her to keep from being knocked to her butt.
“No, he’s fine.” This was what she wanted, a welcome home by the person most important to the man she loved.
“He’s been practicing that joke on me all afternoon,” Rory’s father said, rolling his eyes. “I’m glad he got to try it out on someone else for a change.”
Tyler twisted in her arms to face his dad. “Where my surprise? Bemember? You was bringin’ me a surprise.”
“You’re hugging her,” Rory said with a big grin.
Tyler looked back at Ember, the same adorable thick lashes as his dad’s fluttering on his cheeks while he digested the news. Rory’s parents hovered nearby. His mother wiped her hands on a kitchen towel, a knowing smile tugging at her mouth. His father looked mildly pleased, but not as keenly interested as his mother.
“But, Daddy,” Tyler said, his brows furrowed and the cutest puzzled look on his face. “Kin we keep her?”
That was all she needed to hear.
“Yes, we are going to keep her,” Rory said with a throaty chuckle. He tugged Ember and Tyler up off the floor and presented her to his parents. “Mom and Dad, I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Ember Davis. Ember, my parents, Sawyer and Ruth Dennison.”
Fiancée. Wow. When did that happen?
“It’s about time,” Ruth declared, her eyes scrolling over Ember in one quick assessment that didn’t betray anything other than the happy welcome Tyler had already declared. Rory and Tyler shared Sawyer’s good looks. It was easy to see where they got their strong profile and even their cleft chins. But their eyes? The deep blue belonged to Ruth, and right now that beautiful color was washing over Ember in a warm wave of acceptance. She scolded her husband. “You see what I mean, Sawyer? We need to visit this boy of ours more often. First Tyler gets sick. Now Rory’s getting married. My heavens, we’re missing his whole life.”
“It looks to me like he’s doing okay, Ruthie. He’s got his old man’s eye for a good-looking woman.” Sawyer winked at Ember. “Come here, little girl. Let me give you a proper Dennison welcome.” He hugged her in one arm while he shook Rory’s hand. “Congratulations, son. Your mother’s right. It’s time you and Tyler had a good woman in your life.”
Now it was Rory’s turn to blush. “Thanks, Dad. We’re getting married before you two head back home. Hope you’ve got the time, umm, that is, if it’s good with you?” he asked Ember, his brows lifted with his question. “Sorry. I should have asked you first. I kind of got ahead of myself.”
And wow. Did good things really happen that fast? To her? But then he made it worse. Rory dropped to one knee, his eyes brimmed and glistening. He reached for her hand, interlocking their fingers. “I love you, Ember. I don’t have a ring to put on your finger yet, but I don’t want our mission to end. Will you marry me?”
The room hushed. Even Tyler stopped bouncing on the balls of his feet and spun around to watch.
“Wow. I mean, yes. I really will.” She had to blink to keep the tears from falling.
Ruth didn’t seem to have the same problem. “Oh, for the love of God, come here.” She grabbed Ember’s hands, her eyes glimmering “I’ve always wanted a daughter. Now, I finally have one.”
Ember hesitated. She let Ruth pull her into a hug.
Tyler broke the emotional moment with a boisterous, “C’mon guys. I wanna eat.”
Sawyer scooped him onto his shoulder for a quick ride into the dining room.
Rory hung back with Ember.
“I guess this means I’m not starting my own business,” she murmured.
His hand slid down to her hip while he planted a kiss into the side of her head. “Do what you want. The studs and wigs, too. I don’t know what got into me earlier. They don’t matter, you do. If they make you happy, wear ’em. Be whoever you want to be. Just let me love you while you do it.”
She circled his waist with her hand, sliding her fingertips beneath his belt. With his shirt tucked in like it was she wasn’t touching skin, but the intimate gesture sent goose bumps shivering up her spine. She knew exactly what had gotten into him earlier because it had gotten into her as well. As old as life itself, it was the animal within, the need to claim her mate. Only this time it came with a promise. It came with love.
“I’ll talk with Alex in the morning,” she whispered. “Maybe he’ll take me back.”
“You know he will, but make sure it’s what you want.”
“I am pretty spoiled. I have you, Tyler, and Maple Syrup. What else is there?”
He stopped short of the dining room doorway, his hands on her hips and his lips in her ear. “The rest of our lives, Mrs. Dennison. And after that, there’s always forever.”
Her heart caught. Forever. Wow.
Epilogue
Weddings have a way of taking on a life of
their own, but what did Rory expect? He’d asked Ember to marry him, and with Ember came energy, bright colors, and one very strong woman with a definite opinion. Of course there’d be life, only with her it would be extraordinary.
He should’ve known everything had already changed the moment he saw the white doves rise up from the chapel steps when he and his parents arrived. Tyler couldn’t chase them away fast enough, and somehow that was fitting, too. The doves were an unexpected wedding present from a little girl a world away and the last of Ember’s vision.
The Lobsang Operation might have ended on a bittersweet note, but Tyler’s happy giggle when the birds lifted heavenward was Ember’s future. Her life was just beginning. Rory’s too. There’d be toasts and cheers aplenty, but by the end of the day, the right Mrs. Dennison would finally be at his side and in his bed.
His best man? Connor Maher. Who else? Her bridesmaid? Mother, of course. The audience was filled with family from Nebraska as well as everyone from The TEAM. She’d invited Larry. He had yet to show, but everyone else did. The chapel was full.
Tyler preceded Ember, taking giant steps instead of the much shorter ones they’d practiced. Halfway up the aisle he started counting. It was one of the self-calming skills he’d learned. Other people might think he was just being obnoxious, but this little guy was learning how to control his ADD. Out loud.
“One. Two. Free. Seven. Nine. Ten. Twelb. Fip-teen. One hundred!” he proclaimed loudly and proudly, beaming up at his proud father and his best man. “I did good, huh, Unca Connor?”
Uncle Connor Maher replied just as loudly, “Yes, you did. Good job, Tyler!”
And Rory thought, oh, those pesky Fs and Ths. He winked at his son and Tyler squeezed both eyes shut in the cutest double wink. If that little guy smiled any wider, his face would split.
The audience chuckled. Rory’s gaze shifted over the head of his precocious son. The Wedding March began and there she was, the woman he’d literally lived through and fought hell for. All of his past mistakes came down to this one defining moment. There was a world of truth to thanking God for unanswered prayers because there she was, the perfect answer to all of his.
Rory (In the Company of Snipers Book 6) Page 30
