Deadly Waves
Hardy Brothers Security Book Twenty-Three
Lily Harper Hart
HarperHart Publications
Contents
Copyright
1. One
2. Two
3. Three
4. Four
5. Five
6. Six
7. Seven
8. Eight
9. Nine
10. Ten
11. Eleven
12. Twelve
13. Thirteen
14. Fourteen
15. Fifteen
16. Sixteen
17. Seventeen
18. Eighteen
19. Nineteen
20. Twenty
21. Twenty-One
22. Twenty-Two
23. Twenty-Three
Mail List
Acknowledgments
Books by Lily Harper Hart
Copyright © 2016 by Lily Harper Hart
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
1
One
James Hardy was all smiles when he found his wife in her studio shortly after noon. She wasn’t expecting him, so she didn’t turn when he paused in the doorway. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, a serious expression on her face as she studied the canvas, and she was dressed down in cotton shorts and a tank top.
She looked simple … and breathtaking.
James took the opportunity to study her when she wasn’t aware of his presence. She was adorable and beautiful, and he knew he would never love anything the way he loved her. She was his whole heart, and sometimes he felt as if he was being swallowed by love when he looked at her.
He’d been excited to leave work early. He had a surprise for her, and he couldn’t wait to see her face when he told her about it. She got joy out of all of his surprises – after she chided him because she claimed she didn’t like being caught off guard – and James was fairly certain this would be no different.
“What are you looking at?” Mandy Avery-Hardy remained fixated on her canvas as James basked in his lovey-dovey feelings. When she addressed him, he couldn’t help but smirk.
“How did you know I was here?”
“You have a certain presence,” Mandy replied. “After two years together, I’ve learned to feel you before I even see you.”
“Some people might call that co-dependent … or just plain weird.”
“Some people,” Mandy confirmed. “I call it living with the husband I love.” Mandy’s smile was impish when she finally turned in his direction. “Why are you home so early?”
James shrugged as he moved closer, extending his hand so he could rest it on her hip. He was happiest when he could touch her – especially after recent developments.
It had been three weeks since she was taken from him and he spent the longest thirty-six hours of his life wondering if she was alive or dead. His life ceased moving forward during that time, and it was only the strength of his family that allowed him to refocus and get her back. A deranged security guard at the courthouse where she used to work took her when no one was looking. He had plans for her that didn’t involve a happily ever after with James. James got her back, the security guard was in jail, and James would be forever thankful because he knew just how close he came to losing his heart. That didn’t mean he could shake the nightmares and worry from that time. They plagued him still.
“What were you saying?” James asked, struggling to focus on the question Mandy asked as she pelted him with curious stares.
“I asked what you were doing home so early,” Mandy said. “Then you got a weird look on your face.” She licked her lips and narrowed her eyes as she studied him. “Are you worried I’m going to disappear again?”
It was something they didn’t really talk about. James’ breakdown in the wake of her kidnapping, that is. She knew he didn’t do well in the aftermath and he was ashamed about the manner in which he fell apart. She also knew he was reluctant to leave her for long stretches of time because he didn’t want her out of his sight. He was convinced the hyper-vigilance would fade, but she was beginning to wonder if that was truly the case.
“I’m not worried about you,” James said, slipping his arm around her waist and tugging her closer. “Speaking of that, though, how is your foot?”
During her escape from the cabin where Clint held her, Mandy cut open her foot on some broken window glass. It had mostly healed since her ordeal and she no longer walked with a limp. It was still tender, though.
“My foot is fine,” Mandy replied, making a face. “My foot is going to go up your behind if you don’t stop hovering.”
James feigned hurt. “Is that what you think I’m doing, wife? You’re crushing my heart.”
“Cute.” Mandy tapped his chin with her index finger before locking gazes with him. “What’s wrong? You have your serious face on.”
“I don’t have my serious face on,” James countered. “Nothing is wrong. I happen to have a surprise for you. Your beauty distracted me when I was watching you work, though, and my chest was flooded with love. That’s probably why you think I have my serious face on. I’m seriously in love with you.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet I don’t even care why you’re here now,” Mandy said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her body close to his. “Let’s go into the bedroom and I’ll flood you with something else.”
She was in a playful mood, and that was generally all of the prodding James needed to spend an entire afternoon in bed. Since her kidnapping, his co-workers at Hardy Brothers Security – the security business he owned and operated in Southeastern Michigan – had done nothing but offer acceptance and understanding regarding his lack of time at the office. They were happy to let him spend as much time with Mandy as he needed … and James felt as if he needed a lot of time with her to make up for the anguish that almost ruined him during her absence.
As much as he wanted to do as she suggested and drag her into the adjacent bedroom so they could lock out the world for the rest of the day, he knew he didn’t have time for that. They were officially on a timetable.
“I have a surprise for you,” James said. He couldn’t resist pressing his lips to hers after saying the words. When he pulled back, her sea-blue eyes were bright and sparkling. “Oh, now you’re interested. What happened to flooding me with love and happiness in the other room?”
“I’m still going to do that,” Mandy said. “What’s the surprise, though?”
“Maybe I can’t tell you until after you love me up,” James teased, gripping her narrow waist with both of his hands. “Maybe you’ve distracted me to the point where I have no choice but to take you into the bedroom and ravish you and then tell you the surprise.”
Mandy bit her lower lip. She looked legitimately conflicted. “Okay.”
Despite the fact that James wanted to play it straight, he couldn’t stop himself from grinning. “You’re such a bad liar,” he said. “I’m going to try and pretend my ego hasn’t been bruised by the fact that you would prefer to hear about the surprise than roll around in the sheets with me.”
“We could do both,” Mandy suggested. “We could roll around while you’re telling me about the surprise.”
The idea held some merit, but James knew she would have a million things to do once he confessed and he didn’t want their playtime cut s
hort before it even got started. He would save that for when they were in their hot tub instead of the guesthouse later that night.
“I’m going to just tell you instead,” James said. “Something tells me you’re going to put a to-do list together in the next five minutes and loving me is going to be an afterthought.”
Mandy shook her head. “Loving you is always my first thought.”
“And that’s why you get surprises,” James said, kissing her cheek before pulling his head back. He wanted to see her face when he told her the big news. “How do you feel about going on vacation?”
“I love going on vacation,” Mandy replied. “We’re going on vacation in the fall, though. We’re going to New Zealand. Er, you didn’t forget, did you?”
James smiled. How could he forget that trip? She’d surprised him at Christmas with a new camera and plane tickets. “I would never forget our big adventure,” he said. “I’m trying to see if I can find a way for us to actually spend the night in a hobbit hole.”
Mandy pressed her lips together and raised her eyebrows, making the expression he loved most in her repertoire. He would never tire of any of her expressions, but that one made his dreams a happy place.
“This is a different vacation,” James said. “It actually came up because of work, but when I was approached, I immediately thought of you.”
“You immediately think of me all of the time,” Mandy said, resting her hand on James’ wrist. “What’s the surprise?”
She was like a kid on Christmas morning. She couldn’t wait to rip off the paper herself so she wanted someone to spoil the gift for her.
“Give me a kiss and I’ll tell you,” James prodded, grinning.
Mandy made an outraged face. “James!”
“I can’t tell you without a kiss,” James said. “My memory isn’t what it used to be. I need a kiss to refresh it.”
“You suck,” Mandy muttered as she rolled up to the balls of her feet and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.
James cupped the back of her head and held her there, deepening the kiss before releasing her. He almost lost his mind and forgot the surprise during the exchange, but he knew she would never allow that. “What were we talking about?”
Mandy didn’t miss the hint of merriment in his expression. “Tell me now!”
James barked out a laugh. She was impatient. It wasn’t one of her finer traits and yet he loved it all the same. “We’re going on a cruise.”
Mandy stilled, the words taking her by surprise. “Really?”
James couldn’t decide if she was processing or disappointed. “Unless you don’t want to.”
“No, I want to,” Mandy said hurriedly. “It’s just … what if we sink and the sharks get us?”
James snorted. Of course her mind would go there first. His wife was both in love with and terrified of sharks. She had shark everything – including slippers and panties – and yet she was afraid to get in the ocean on their honeymoon because she was convinced she would get eaten.
“Never change, wife,” James said, his expression momentarily earnest before he returned to the fun of the afternoon. “The cruise ship is not going to sink. I promise. If it does, I’ll be there to protect you from the sharks.”
“Will you punch them?”
“Maybe.”
“This is kind of exciting,” Mandy said, her eyes wide as she contemplated the possibilities. “I’ve never been on a cruise before.”
“I haven’t either,” James said. “I think it will be a fun experience for us to share.”
“But … you said it was for work,” Mandy said. “Will I get to see you?”
“This is a new cruise ship line,” James explained. “The owner wants us to run security protocol during the first trip. He’s set up special suites for us.”
Mandy narrowed her eyes. “Us?”
“This is a work trip, baby,” James said, slipping a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I am going to have to do a few things. There’s going to be plenty of time for fun, though. Given the nature of the trip and the fact that I will be busy some of the time, I decided to bring everyone.”
Mandy was still confused. “Everyone?”
“Well, everyone within reason,” James conceded. “Avery is too young. He’s a baby. I talked to Mom and Dad and they’re going to take him for the rest of the week. Well, they’re going to take him as long as Emma agrees. I’m not sure she’ll want to be away from him.”
“I bet Finn talks her into it,” Mandy said, whirling around the room before turning back to him. “Do you really mean everyone?”
“I mean that Grady, Jake, Finn and myself will have work to do,” James answered, referring to his two brothers and another co-worker who made up Hardy Brothers Security. “That will not take up all of our days, though, so I will have plenty of time to spend with you. When I’m not around, you will have Sophie, Emma and … .”
James didn’t get a chance to finish because Mandy was already squealing and clapping her hands. “Ally?”
James fought the urge to smile at Mandy’s excitement. His sister Ally was often the bane of his existence, but she was also his wife’s best friend. They grew up together. James knew Mandy when he was younger, although he was far too old for her when she developed a crush on him. Chance brought them back together as adults, and while initially reluctant to get involved with a client who also happened to be his sister’s friend, James couldn’t fight Mandy’s pull. For a man who never thought he would settle down with one woman, now he couldn’t imagine ever being away from that one woman.
“Ally is going, too,” James confirmed, tilting his head when Mandy squealed again. “After leaving her out of the New Orleans trip, do you really think I would risk her wrath and leave her out of a cruise?”
“No.” Mandy hopped up and down three times before throwing her arms around James’ neck. “Thank you.”
James returned the embrace, briefly pressing his eyes shut as he basked in her warmth. “There are no thanks required, baby,” James said. “I wouldn’t have taken the job if I couldn’t bring you with me. I made that clear with the owner.”
Mandy pulled her head back. “You know you’re going to have to go back to a normal schedule eventually, right? Clint is in jail. I’m safe. I … .”
“I don’t have to do it yet,” James said, cutting her off. “I love you and refuse to be separated from you right now. A few hours is too much time to be away and I refuse to apologize for the way I feel. The owner was more than happy for us to bring all of you along for the ride. He thought it was a great idea, in fact.
“He said that we could check the security systems during the day and enjoy ourselves whenever we’re not on duty,” he continued. “He wants us to have a good time and test everything so there are no holes. He’s excited to meet you.”
“You told him about me?”
“I tell everyone about my beautiful and perfect wife,” James said.
“You’re too cute for words.” Mandy smacked a loud kiss against James’ mouth and then pulled back as she moved to put away her painting supplies. “When do we leave?”
“The day after tomorrow.” James braced himself for the screech.
“The day after tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“James, I can’t believe you waited so long to tell me,” Mandy said, putting the caps back on the bottles. “Do you have any idea how much I have to do? I need a sheet of paper to make a list.”
James smirked. “And there’s the wife I know and love.”
Mandy ignored him. “I need to call Ally. We have some last-minute shopping to do.”
James balked. “Why do you need to go shopping?”
“Because I need a new bathing suit … and sunscreen … and summer dresses … and lingerie.”
James widened his eyes. “It’s a cruise, baby,” he said. “I think you only need the sunscreen and bathing suit.”
“That shows what you know,”
Mandy scoffed. “Cruise ships have fancy dinners at night … and dancing.”
“Dancing?”
Mandy blew out a long-suffering sigh. She recognized James’ tone. “You don’t have to dance if you don’t want to.”
James grabbed Mandy’s waist and tugged her back to him even though she put up a token fight. “I’ll only dance with you, wife.” He pressed a kiss to her nose before releasing her. “Have fun shopping with my sister. Try not to be too late. I have plans for you to reward me for my surprise when you’re done.”
Mandy was bubbly when she headed toward the door, but she stilled long enough to shoot James a saucy look. “I will meet you in the hot tub at seven to celebrate,” she said. “Have the love nozzle and pizza ready.”
“And that right there is why I love you more than anything, wife.”
“Right back at you.”
2
Two
“Do you think it’s too risqué?”
Mandy held up the black bikini next to her body as Ally Hardy studied it from the middle of her best friend’s living room floor. Their shopping excursion took five hours – less than they initially expected – and they stopped at Mandy’s house to compare their booty once finished.
James, who returned to the office after Mandy’s excited exit, was walking through the front door when he caught sight of the mess on the floor. “What the … ?”
“You’re home early,” Mandy said, snatching away the bikini. “I wasn’t expecting you for another hour.”
“Obviously,” James said dryly, balancing the pizza in one hand and a stack of papers in the other as he used his foot to close the door. He shook his head as he got a full gander at the mountain of bags. “What did you buy?”
“I … stuff.” Mandy looked caught.
“What kind of stuff?” James didn’t care how much money his wife spent. He was dumbfounded that she managed to purchase as much as she did in such a limited amount of time, though. “We’re going to be on a cruise ship, baby. That means you need one bathing suit, some toiletries, and a few other things. I just … what did you buy?”
Deadly Waves (Hardy Brothers Security Book 23) Page 1
