Deadly Honeymoon (Hardy Brothers Security Book 7)

by Hart, Lily Harper

  Mandy lapsed into silence, her face busy as she glanced around at the bare walls. “You had all the wallpaper stripped because you knew I didn’t like it. I told you it was too busy and it distracted me.”

  “I … are you angry with me or not? I’m confused now.”

  Mandy shook her head, pushing her wild hair away from her face. “I’m not angry. Well, I’m kind of angry. Not really. I know why you did what you did. It still pisses me off, but you’re always going to do it. I don’t know why I’m so angry.”

  James made an exasperated sound in the back of his throat. “You’re angry because you’re scared,” he said. “I don’t help matters when I order you around instead of asking you to do things.”

  “Yeah, but I’m used to that,” Mandy said, her eyes wet. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

  “I like doing things for you.”

  “I’m so … spoiled.”

  “You’re not spoiled,” James replied. “You’re passionate. I like that you’re passionate.”

  Mandy shifted, her gaze meeting his. The anger was gone, leaving only vulnerability in its wake. James preferred the anger.

  “James, if you were to be hurt … or die … while you were trying to protect me, I would never get over it,” Mandy said. “I wouldn’t survive. I would curl up into a ball in a room – maybe this room – and I would just cease to exist. I cannot live with that.”

  James chose his words carefully. “And if you were to be hurt … or die … and I knew I could’ve done something to stop it, I wouldn’t survive. If your heart stops beating, so does mine. I won’t even curl up into a ball. I’ll just be gone.”

  Mandy scrubbed her hands up and down her face. “I don’t want anything in this world except for you.”

  “Right back at you.”

  “We have to come up with a compromise.”

  James shook his head. “No. In this instance, I will never compromise. I will keep you safe any way I can.”

  Mandy’s shoulders slumped. “We’re always going to fight about this, aren’t we?”

  “Yes.”

  “Doesn’t that upset you?”

  “No.”

  Mandy held her palms out in front of her, confused. “Why?”

  James stepped forward, linking his fingers with hers. “Because I like how fiery you are,” he said. “And I really like making up.”

  Mandy fought the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Do you want to make up now?”

  “More than anything.”

  Mandy tilted her head to the side. “Take your pants off.”

  “You take your skirt off,” James countered.

  “If you’re the boss where my safety is concerned, I’m the boss in here tonight.”

  James considered the offer. “Do you promise?”

  “Yes.”

  He sighed, reluctantly pulling his hands away from hers. He kicked off his shoes, tossing them against the wall of the studio. Then he unbuttoned his pants, letting them drop to the floor. He still had his boxers on, but Mandy’s challenging look told him to take those off, too. Once he was naked from the waist down, he looked to her expectantly. “Take your skirt off.”

  Mandy shook her head. “Not yet. Take your shirt off.”

  James sighed, but he acquiesced. He knew she was feeling powerless, and if this was what it took to give her strength, he would cede his control. She was in no danger here.

  Once he was naked, Mandy took a step forward. James reached his arms out, his attempt to gather her to him obvious. Mandy pushed his hands away. “Not yet.”

  “I’m feeling a little exposed,” James said. “You’re fully dressed.”

  “Will you let me be in control if I’m naked?”

  “I’ll let you be queen if you’re naked.”

  Mandy smiled as her hands moved to her shirt. She tugged it over her head, revealing her white bra. James wanted to touch her, but he held back. She wanted to be game leader tonight. Mandy’s hands moved behind her, loosening the button and zipper at the back of the skirt. It dropped to her ankles, and James was mesmerized as she lifted it with her foot and kicked it to the side.

  “You didn’t tell me you weren’t wearing underwear tonight,” he said, his voice raspy.

  “I knew I was going to owe you after the date,” Mandy said. “I just didn’t know how much I was going to owe you.”

  “You’re my wife,” James said. “You don’t owe me anything but your love.”

  “That’s not owed,” Mandy said. “That’s given freely. That’s volunteered. That’s necessary for breathing.”

  “Baby, I want to touch you.”

  “Not yet,” Mandy said, her hands travelling behind her again. Once her bra was unlatched, she pulled it from her body and discarded it with the rest of the clothes on the floor. “I’m going to leave the garters and stockings on.”

  “That’s nice,” James said, drinking in the sight of her.

  “Or, do you want me to take them off?”

  “No,” James said hurriedly, holding up his hand to still her. “Never take them off.”

  Mandy smiled, taking a step closer. “Put your hands behind your back.”

  “Why?” James whined.

  “Because I’m the boss.”

  James kept his eyes on her pert breasts, the jigging flesh driving him crazy with every step. “Baby … .”

  “Shh.”

  James sighed, but he clasped his hands behind his back. Mandy took the final step, her erect nipples brushing against his chest as she pressed her lips to his. James’ hands had a mind of their own, and they were itching to touch her. He held back, though, even when her tongue slipped into his mouth.

  Mandy wasn’t tall, and she wasn’t physically strong, but her lithe body was commanding as she moved her mouth from James’ chin and trailed a series of breathy kissed down his chest. She flicked her tongue across his turgid nipple, sucking it into her mouth.

  “Baby,” James moaned. “I need to touch you.”

  “No.”

  Mandy extended her tongue as she ran her fingers over James’ strong back, kneading his flesh as she slipped her hands up and down his narrow waist. She dropped to her knees, her tongue dipping below his waist and traveling lower. She cupped his taut rear in her hands, massaging him as she sucked his hard length into her mouth.

  “Oh, God, baby.”

  Mandy continued to run her hands up and down his backside, finally cupping his rounded underside and forcing his hips toward her open mouth. She sucked hard, licking the tender flesh under his quivering member.

  “Ugh.”

  Mandy bobbed her head, keeping her tongue extended as she explored the wonder that was her husband. She urged his hips forward as she moved her head, the two of them joining in a passionate rhythm.

  “I need to touch you,” James gasped, a powerful orgasm threatening to overtake him. “Please?”

  Mandy pulled away briefly. “No.”

  She attacked him again with vigor, controlling the rhythm even as his hips began to stutter.

  “Baby … oh, baby.”

  Mandy continued to suck him until the tremors subsided. When she was satisfied, she remained on her knees as she looked up at him coyly. “Thank you for being my husband.”

  James’ pounding heart skipped a beat. “Can I touch you yet?”

  Mandy’s head careened from side to side.

  “Baby … I am not joking. If I don’t get to touch you, I’m going to die.”

  Mandy shook her head again, flicking out her tongue and making contact with him one last time.

  “I am begging to be able to touch you,” James said, near tears. “I need to feel you.”

  “You just felt me.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  Mandy was quiet, considering.

  “Mandy,” James warned.

  Mandy rolled back on her haunches, resting herself on the freshly refinished hardwood floors. “I love you.”


  “I love you,” James said. “Let me show you.”

  “Don’t die for me.”

  James was torn. “I can’t promise you that. If I can die to save you, I’m going to. You did the same when Tony had me at his mercy. Don’t ask me to do differently.”

  Mandy’s face contorted, but his words filled her with understanding. “Okay.”

  “Okay I can touch you? Or okay we’re can live to fight another day about sacrificing ourselves for each other?”

  “Both.”

  James sank to his knees, relief washing over him. He crawled over his wife, desire forcing him to press his lips against hers before he could speak again. After minutes – which seemed like hours – James pulled away. “I love you more than anything. I will not lose you. I will not let you lose me. We’re in this for the long haul, woman. You are my wife, and you are my soul mate. We’re never going to be apart.”

  Mandy nodded, tears flooding her eyes again. “Then love me.”

  James leaned forward, emotion overtaking him. “I love you every second I’m alive.”

  “Then make love to me.”

  James smiled, and even though it was meant to be sly and flirtatious, the emotion expressed was earnest. “Every time I touch you I’m making love to you.”

  Frustration flitted across Mandy’s face. “Then do it. I’m dying here.”

  James chuckled. “Lay back.”

  Mandy did as she was told. James spread her thighs wide, his fingers gripping the garters for leverage. His mouth was only inches from her center when he paused. “Tell me you love me again.”

  “I love you,” Mandy said. “I love you forever.”

  James extended his tongue, flattening it as he attacked the quivering flesh between her thighs. He was relentless. He knew the game had exhausted her emotionally. Now he was going to exhaust her physically. They both needed to take solace in each other.

  Mandy jerked up, an orgasm overtaking her within seconds. The foreplay had been extensive, and she had been living on the edge since she’d stripped bare. Mandy gripped the back of James’ head as the tingles overtook her. “Oh. Oh. Ooooooh.”

  James refused to pull back his assault until he was sure the shaking in her thighs had subsided. He crawled up her body, already hard again. He kissed her deeply this time, love tamping down the passion. They locked eyes when he entered her, her hands moving up his arms and locking behind his neck as their bodies pressed together.

  “I love you,” James muttered, his hips pumping as he shifted in a circular motion. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

  Mandy arched her back, crushing her breasts against his chest as she sucked on his tongue and whimpered at every thrust. “Oh, I love you.”

  They tumbled over the abyss together minutes later, mouths, limbs, and hearts joined, collapsing to the ground in a sweaty mess.

  It took them almost ten minutes to recover, and when they did, James gathered Mandy’s naked body in his arms and carried her to the adjacent room instead of back to the house. He tucked her into the bed there, Mandy’s eyes brightening when she realized that the mattress from her former apartment had finally arrived.

  “This is where we fell in love,” she said, crawling on top of his body and resting her head against his shoulder as he pulled the covers around them and held her close.

  “It is.”

  “This is where we’re still in love.”

  “It is.”

  “This is where we’re going to be in love forever.”

  “You’ve got that right, baby,” James said, reaching over and hitting the switch to turn the lamp off. “There’s nothing in this world that will ever make me stop loving you. Some things are forever, and we’re one of them. Now, go to sleep. You’re going to need your rest if we’re going to do this again in the morning.”

  “Were doing it again in the morning?” Mandy’s eyes were closed, her tongue thick with sleep.

  “We’re doing it forever,” James replied, giving in to his fatigue. “Everything with us is forever.”

  Eighteen

  Noise in the downstairs saloon jolted James awake. Mandy was asleep in his arms, her head resting on his chest as he supported her weight. They’d slept heavy, exhausted from emotional upheaval and physical play. James listened, trying not to wake his slumbering wife if the noise turned out to be a false alarm.

  James could hear someone padding up the steps, and he tensed. He was unarmed here. His wife was naked on top of him, vulnerable, but his gun was in the main house. He made a move to shift Mandy off of him, ready to fight whoever was coming through the door.

  Grady was the one who poked his head in, his eyes wide as he tossed the discarded clothes from the previous evening into the bedroom. “These were in the other room,” he said dryly.

  James lifted his finger to his lips, inclining his head to Mandy’s sleeping form and letting his body relax. “What are you doing here?” He kept his voice low, moving his hand to the back of Mandy’s neck where he rubbed soothing circles in an effort to lull her.

  “Looking for you,” Grady replied. “Peter called Sophie. His men were alarmed because they heard yelling last night, and then it didn’t look like anyone returned to the main house. I figured it was better for me to check than them.”

  “We had a fight.”

  “I heard,” Grady said. “Apparently the whole neighborhood heard. It looks like you made up.”

  James smirked. “That’s the only reason I like to fight.”

  “What were you fighting about this time?”

  “Whether or not I should be trying to shield her with my body when we’re moving from the Explorer to the house,” James said.

  “Ah.”

  “I think she’s just frustrated,” James said. “She doesn’t like being watched over. I understand.”

  “And are you frustrated?” Grady asked.

  “Whenever she’s in danger I’m frustrated.”

  “You two are just … unbelievable sometimes,” Grady said. “The level of immaturity you two bring to this relationship is dumbfounding.”

  “I’m not just going to let my wife be in danger.”

  “And she’s just not going to let her husband be in danger,” Grady countered. “Do you remember what happened the day before your wedding? I’m not keen on bringing it up again due to my part in that situation, but she was more than willing to sacrifice herself to save you.”

  “I remember.”

  “Do you also remember how that made you feel? Do you remember the feelings coursing through you when you thought Mandy was going to willingly die to save you?” Grady pressed.

  James scowled. “Yes.”

  “And how did you feel?”

  “Helpless.”

  “That’s how Mandy feels,” Grady said. “You need to understand that. I know you feel the need to protect her, but you also need to realize that she feels exactly the same way about you.”

  “I know that,” James said. “I still can’t change how I feel.”

  “And neither can she.”

  “What do you suggest I do?” James asked.

  Grady shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  “I do,” Mandy mumbled, shifting in James’ arms.

  James sighed, glancing down at her placid face as she opened her eyes. “Oh, yeah? What do you think I should do?”

  “Stop bossing me around,” Mandy said.

  “I’ll take it under advisement.”

  “You know what else you should do?” Mandy asked.

  “What?”

  “Make me breakfast,” she said. “I’m starving.”

  James chuckled. “Get dressed, trouble. I think we could both use some food – and coffee.”

  “And a shower,” Mandy added. “I feel all … sticky.”

  Grady made a face, turning on his heel and stalking out of the room. “You guys are just sick.”

  “SO, what are we doing today?” Mandy asked, digging into her eggs enthusiasticall
y.

  “I forgot it was the weekend,” James said, rubbing his hand over his stubbly chin as he considered the question. “What do you want to do?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “We can stay here if you want. We could swim or something.”

  “Are you going to play shark again?” Grady asked, mixing his own eggs and hash browns together.

  Mandy shot James a hard look. “You told him about that?”

  “He guessed.”

  “He did not.”

  “Oh, like you’re not going to tell Ally,” James countered.

  “Speaking of Ally, I haven’t seen her since the whole blueberry-margarita thing last weekend,” Mandy mused. “Maybe we should have another barbecue? We could have everyone just spend the day here.”

  “No blueberry margaritas,” James warned. “I’m not going through that again.”

  “No blueberry margaritas,” Mandy agreed. “I think I still may be hung-over from a week ago.”

  “And I’m cooking hamburgers and hotdogs,” James added. “Nothing fancy.”

  “I love a good hotdog,” Mandy teased.

  “Fine. We can have a barbecue.”

  “Thank you, Dad.”

  “Now, eat your breakfast,” James said. “We need to get you in that shower before everyone arrives, and that might take a good, long while.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you two are filthy dirty and you won’t be showering alone,” Grady supplied.

  James shot him a look. “Will you call everyone and invite them over?”

  “When did I become your secretary?”

  “When you took it upon yourself to interrupt my morning delight with my wife.”

  “Seriously, you two are just sick.”

  “SO, I heard you and James introduced your neighbors to a screaming match last night,” Ally said, pushing Mandy’s legs to the side so she could make room for herself on the lounger next to her best friend.

  “Who told you that?”

  “Grady.”

  “Grady has a big mouth,” James said, looking over the burgers as Jake handed him a heaping plate of meat.

  “He does,” Ally agreed. “I hate that he gossips so much.”

  “You gossip more than he does,” James shot back.

  “No way,” Ally said. “I am not a gossip.”

  “Whatever.”