Fiancé by Friday

by Catherine Bybee

  Suddenly she wasn’t very hungry.

  “Where are you?”

  He dropped his speed on the freeway and kept the phone close to his ear. “On the tail of our guy, sir.”

  “Are you headed here?”

  “Why would I be? He’s north.”

  “You’d like to believe that, wouldn’t you, grunt. I told you he was the smart one. You’re going in the wrong direction. He’s here and setting up to catch you. Stop fucking around with the birds and get your ass here before you’re on my list of prey. Got that, soldier?”

  “Yes, sir! On my way, sir. What about the girl? Do I need her to get to him?”

  “Leave her to me.”

  And then the call was disconnected.

  Once their hosts left, Neil and Gwen sat outside on the back patio and watched the sun set. The mix of emotions rolled in and out of Gwen’s mind and was making her crazy. What happened when Neil walked away tomorrow? How would she manage to stay in this home with strangers? How long could she last without contacting her brother, her friends? What if Neil wanted this marriage to be temporary?

  “What is my princess thinking about?” Neil interrupted her thoughts with his question.

  “This isn’t how I pictured my wedding day.”

  Neil moved closer to her and sat back down. He picked up her hand that held his ring. “I can top that,” he said. “I’ve never pictured a wedding day for me.”

  “Well…women think of these things from the time they are old enough to understand fairy tales. I even have a wedding dress picked out.”

  “What does it look like?”

  “My wedding gown?”

  He nodded.

  “It’s white, of course, with a jeweled waist…slim fitting. Strapless. The train fans out below the waist.” She’d not only picked out the dress months ago, she knew who sold the dress in Los Angeles who could help her at a moment’s notice to pick it up. “It’s beautiful.”

  “And what would I wear?”

  She liked this game suddenly. “At first I thought black. Traditional. But I think gray is better. But this is silly. We’re already married.”

  “Doesn’t mean we can’t do it again.”

  Funny, she didn’t think she’d ever get him to marry her the first time. “In Aruba…with my brother and Samantha?”

  He stroked her cheek with the backs of his knuckles. “Your hair will be back to its normal color by then.”

  “A trip to the salon can fix that.”

  “I’ll look forward to it. That is if you still want me after this is over.”

  “Oh, Neil. How can you worry about that?” The question was never if she wanted him but if he wanted her.

  “I’m not a prince.”

  “I already told you that isn’t what I want.”

  “You might…later.”

  Gwen leaned forward and touched her lips to his. He softened and drew her close.

  She was scared, down to the core of her being. When he was close all her worries were washed away.

  “You know what we need?” she asked when she drew away.

  “What?”

  “I noticed a large bathtub upstairs. I know my back could use a good scrub.”

  He smiled and lifted her to her feet.

  Twenty minutes later, she pulled him into the bathroom and removed the borrowed bathrobe from her shoulders. When he reached for her before they made it into the warm water, she batted his hand away and laughed. “It’s your wedding night, soldier. Do you really think I’d deny you?”

  He grinned, and let her pull him into the water. He sighed as he sat back. His huge frame filled the space and left little room for her, but she didn’t mind. She’d added bubble bath to the water and regretted it once half of his amazing body disappeared in the white foam.

  “When was the last time you took a bath in a tub?” she asked.

  “I couldn’t tell you.”

  “Life’s little pleasures. Here,” she said as she moved in the water until his back was in front of her, “let me do you, first.”

  Like the first time they’d made love, she traced the ink over his shoulder and back, but this time she did it with soap and hot water. The small space of the tub and the hot water surrounding their bodies added to their intimacy.

  Something else filled the mix of desire. When Gwen ran her soapy hands over his broad back and shoulders, she realized what it was. It was the comfortable hum of knowing she could be herself with this man and not fear him running away.

  “Have I told you how much I love this tattoo?”

  “You mentioned it.”

  She smoothed her hands over his shoulders and eased some of the tension from his neck. “How often do you have to work out to make these as large as they are?” She squeezed his shoulders as she spoke and moved to his back and waist.

  “Four, five nights a week.”

  “You must be going through withdrawal running across the country the way you are.”

  “Our personal exercise routine has its rewards.”

  She laughed, once again surprised by the humor behind his stoic exterior. The front of his chest held a slight amount of hair and tickled her fingers as she scrubbed him. “We haven’t exactly slept.”

  She let her hand drift lower and he clasped it in his, stopping her from touching him intimately. “I’ve slept more with you than I have in years.”

  On some level, Gwen knew that. Her hand stalled and she allowed him to shift them inside the tub until she rested between his legs and his hands traveled her shoulders and back. At first, his touch was innocent enough. When he cupped her breasts in his soapy hands, she went lax in his arms and let her head fall into his shoulder.

  As he touched her, she felt him harden. “This is going to be a short bath, I’m afraid.”

  “Depends on how you look at it.”

  His hands moved below her breasts and to her stomach. She twitched under his fingers, wanting them…

  “Have I told you how beautiful you are?”

  She swallowed. “I’d have remembered if you had.”

  He kissed the side of her neck and dropped his hands lower, sliding between her hip and thigh.

  “You’re beautiful, Gwen. Much more than a man like me deserves.”

  His confession broke her heart. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “You deserve everything.”

  “I don’t deserve you.”

  She twisted in his lap. “Well it’s too late to back out now.”

  His lips found hers in a slow sizzling kiss. She moved closer and the water sloshed out of the tub to the floor below. It didn’t matter. The only thing that did was getting closer to the man who held her. To let him know how much he deserved her. How worthy he was of her and so much more.

  She opened for him, accepting his tongue, his touch. Slow wet hands moved over her body, down her hip and bum. With little effort, he picked her up and had her straddling him. His lips left her and moved over her neck and shoulder. The water lapped at her waist and the bubbles dripped off her breasts.

  Slow teasing hands moved between her legs and played. He knew exactly where to touch to render her mind to nothing. The thought of leaving the tub to find protection filtered in. She scooted closer, grasped his cock in her hand. “I’ve not been with another man in years,” she managed. “The doctor’s given me a clean—” Neil slipped a finger deep inside. “Oh, do that again.”

  He did and she squirmed.

  “I don’t want to think of another man touching you,” he said in her ear.

  “No one has…not like this.” He pressed against her nub with the perfect amount of pressure. “It’s wise to ask about our sexual health before marriage.” She rolled her thumb over the tip of his penis and took pleasure in his moan.

  “I would have told you if there were any issues before we made love the first time,” he said.

  Of course he would have. She stroked him hard and he lost his pressure on her. When his hand fell away, sh
e slid up his body and positioned herself over him.

  He grasped her hips and held her motionless as his gaze found hers. Gwen smiled and leaned forward to take his lips. Her knees bumped the side of the tub as he lowered her onto him. Between the warmth of the water and the thickness of her husband, Gwen couldn’t remember ever feeling so full. Neil moved within her, guiding her hips with his strong hands in a way she couldn’t inside the tub.

  Water splashed from the tub but neither of them bothered with the mess. It was the only time Gwen had made love to anyone without protection and she was going to savor every moment. It was the first time she made love to her husband and not just a man she’d grown to care for…and she’d do everything she could to fulfill his needs.

  His strong fingers gripped her hips to move her faster. She squeezed him tight inside of her. “I’ll lose control if you do that,” he told her.

  She did it again.

  He growled and slid a hand between them, found the center of her pleasure and forced a moan from her. The angle of the tub made it hard to get closer but Neil worked her into an explosive orgasm within seconds. He followed her into bliss, spilling himself deep inside her womb.

  A cramp in her leg had her wiggling off him much sooner than she’d have liked. “Bathtubs aren’t ideal for making love,” he said as he rubbed her hip to ease the pain.

  “They’re great for cleanup.”

  He laughed and looked at the floor. “And mopping.”

  She sighed. “I suppose we should clean this up before retiring. Wouldn’t want our hosts to think the worst of us.”

  Neil helped her from the tub and covered her with a towel. When he left the room to find something to mop up the mess, Gwen glanced at her appearance in the mirror.

  I’ve fallen in love.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  How was he going to leave her? You’re in deep, Mac! Real deep.

  They’d made love so many times the night before, and in so many positions, he didn’t think she’d be walking come morning…but she was. They’d thrown all caution out the window with the lack of condom use and he couldn’t bring himself to care. The thought of her carrying his child made him feel like a god. And that was new.

  He’d all but bullied her into marriage, lied to get his way. At some point he’d come clean…after.

  Early in the morning, he’d called Rick to see how close he was. He’d made great time and was on his way up the mountain to scout out camp. Rick also made a phone call to Neil’s landline in California to get the attention of the dirtbag who stalked them. He and Rick had to think of every scenario. Raven could have access to a plane, or even a commercial flight, which would bring him there within hours. Or Raven might have to drive. It was hard to judge. Neil didn’t know if they’d wait out the guy for a few hours or a few days. In that time, he couldn’t risk contacting Gwen. If anything, Neil wanted Raven to think he and Gwen were hiding out together. The lure of a vulnerable woman was what this man went after, and Neil would exploit it to his fullest.

  That beautiful woman had fluffed the pillows on the bed for the third time in ten minutes and was doing a poor job of hiding her anxiety.

  “You’ll be safe here.”

  “It’s not my safety I’m concerned about.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me.”

  “Too late.” She attempted a smile. “I’d feel better if I knew what you were planning on doing.” Gwen picked up one of the pillows and pulled it into her lap as she sat on the edge of the bed.

  “We’re going to bait him, bring him to justice.” The answer was simple, the execution…not so much.

  “Sounds easy. How do you know he’ll find you up there?”

  “I won’t be hard to find.”

  “Won’t he catch on to that? He might think it’s a trap and not show up at all.”

  That was always a possibility. “I doubt that will happen. The longer this guy is hidden, the more people will be watching for him. Now with you out of harm’s way he has no choice but to come after me.”

  “Unless he gives up.”

  “I could gauge that better if I knew exactly why he was coming after me. But I don’t. I doubt he’ll walk away, Gwen.”

  Neil moved to her side and removed his wallet from his back pocket. From it, he took a still photo of him and his regiment before their last mission.

  She took the photograph from his fingers and pointed him out. “That’s you.”

  Several years younger with less of the world’s weight on his shoulders. “That’s Rick,” he said as he pointed to the man standing beside him. “We call him Smiley. He’s the one coming up with me to find this guy.”

  Gwen pointed to the next man. “Who’s this?”

  “That was Billy. The one they say committed suicide.”

  “He looks so young.”

  “He was.” Now he was dead. “That’s Mickey…the only other one alive.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “Top secret, and I don’t have a clue. This was Boomer and Robb.” There hadn’t been enough of them left to bring back to bury, but he didn’t tell Gwen that. “Linden almost made it out alive. They were great guys. I failed them once and can’t do it again.”

  Gwen placed a hand on his arm. “I’m sure they don’t blame you.”

  Someone from the mission blamed him…all of them. “I led the operation, Gwen. I was responsible for their deaths.”

  She straightened her shoulders and gave him a stern look. “Is that right? Did you squeeze the trigger? Did you toss them out of a plane without a parachute?”

  “No.”

  “Then I’ll hear no more of your fault for their unfortunate deaths. If your military found blame, they would have held you prisoner, and that obviously hasn’t happened. It’s time for you to forgive yourself for what happened, Neil. Once you’ve done that you can move on with your life. If not, then you’ll have one sleepless night after the next until you’re jumping at every noise.”

  She described his existence up until then…up until her. “How come you’re so smart?” he asked. He captured her hand and kissed the back of it.

  “School of Princess. It’s in the curriculum.” She laughed.

  He kissed her softly the way one would when they said good-bye. “You’ll be all right here. Stay on base,” he told her. “And don’t leave the house without an escort.”

  “When do you think you’ll return?”

  “A few days at most.” And because he had to give her something should he not return, he added. “If I’m not back in a week…Chuck will contact Blake.”

  The smile she wore fell. “You’ll be back.”

  Or die trying.

  Blake stood beside his best friend Carter and watched through the mirrored glass while Dean and Jim interrogated the poor teen with a crush on Karen. Not ten minutes into the questioning, Blake knew they were looking in the wrong place.

  “He’s not our man.”

  Carter shook his head. “I agree.”

  Juan finally caught on to the problem in the next room and started to get upset. “Is someone trying to hurt Miss Jones? Is that what you think I’d do?”

  “We don’t know, Juan. Why don’t you tell us?” Jim asked.

  “She’s like our mom.”

  “A mom?” Dean asked.

  “OK, maybe not a mom. More like a hot aunt, but she’s like family. If someone’s trying to hurt her you should be out there protecting her instead of talking to me.”

  Blake turned away from the mirror. “We’re one step ahead of you, kid.”

  Carter shook his head. “Waste of time. Maybe we’ll get lucky and catch this guy on a monitor once they’re up and running.”

  “What a cluster. Wish to hell Neil was here.” Then he would have one less thing to worry about.

  Dean walked out of the interrogation room and into theirs. “It’s not him.”

  “We figured.”

  “Are you ready to go through Nei
l’s things?”

  Blake hated invading his privacy like that, but what choice did he leave? He ran a hand through his hair.

  “Gotta be clues somewhere as to where he is,” Carter said.

  Blake pushed out of the room. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Dean walked them out of the station. “I’ll be along in an hour. I have a couple of leads I want to follow up on first.”

  On the way back to Malibu, Blake gave Carter some good news. “Samantha’s pregnant.”

  Carter swiveled in his seat and removed his sunglasses. “No shit.”

  “We’ve been talking about it for a while.” Blake pulled onto the freeway and merged into the crowded California interstate.

  “Sounds like you’ve done more than talk about it.”

  Blake smiled, remembering the not talking nights with his wife. “Morning sickness is kicking her ass. I wanna get all this shit wrapped up and get back to her, Carter. It’s the only reason I’m going ahead with searching Neil’s personal space.”

  “I get it. Neil’s a private guy. But when you run off and think a murderer’s on your tail there’s no telling what’s going on. Neil wouldn’t expect you to sit back and do nothing.”

  “He’d expect me to trust him.”

  Carter placed his sunglasses back over his eyes. “If anything was panning out to suspect foul play toward Gwen or Neil then it would be a hell of a lot easier to trust the man.”

  Back at his estate, Blake and Carter let themselves into Neil’s home. The house was a guest quarters that mimicked the main house in style and structure. The sparsely furnished inside space suited the needs of a bachelor. One room was dedicated to monitoring the main house and Gwen and Karen’s place in Tarzana. The other was a bedroom with the bare minimum of furniture. Although the small kitchen had everything it needed to feed a family, the only things that looked used were the refrigerator and the microwave.

  There was a leather couch and a recliner along with a flat screen television hung on the wall of the living room.

  “Where do we begin?”

  “I’ll start in his office,” Blake told Carter. “You look in his bedroom.”