by Lea Hart
“Honey, I’m proud of you. It’s not every day that a person can get the full value out of a forty-dollar breakfast buffet. I think they may have lost money on you.”
She pressed her fingers against his lips. “Don’t talk about it.”
He shortened his steps so that their paces matched. Sara was moving slowly along the shore, and he attributed it to the massive amount of food she’d just consumed. He had enjoyed every second of watching her eat. It turned out that her appetite for food was similar to her appetite for sex. Which was good news for him. “What would you like to do today?”
“I have some panels to finish for my meeting tomorrow. Other than that, it’s up to you. If you have something to do, please go ahead. I can sit on the beach and be very happy.”
“Not without me.”
Turning, she looked up at him. “Why not?”
“We are milk and cookies. We stay together.”
“That’s right…” Lifting their clasped hands, she swung them back and forth. “What would you like to do today, cookie?”
“I’d like to go by the offices and maybe the warehouse. They have a setup at the airport that we might want to mimic. Rory set up offices and a gym in the hangar where they keep the plane and helicopter. Joel and I have been discussing doing something similar. We want to grow, but we’re limited by how much space we have in our current location.”
“Let’s do that.”
“What about the drawings that you have to do?”
“If there is a chair, then I can draw just about anywhere. You’ve taken time off to come with me, so I want to make sure that you can do what you want.”
“I want to do you.”
Laughing, she squeezed his hand. “You have…several times.”
The late morning sun warmed the air, and the seagulls cried out. There were lots of kids close to the shore, running in and out of the water. The tide was low, so it was perfect for the little ones to test their bravery. One little girl in a purple swimsuit almost ran into Sara. Holding her hands out, she caught the cherub and steadied her. The mom came rushing over, scooped up the girl and smiled at them before walking off. “What a cutie.”
“How many do you want?”
“How many what?”
“Rugrats?”
“Oh…well. I’m not sure. I haven’t thought about it in a while.” Holding her hands behind her back, she walked quietly and stared at the horizon.
“Do you want children?”
“Yes, I do. But a lot has to change in my life before I really think about it. I’ve shoved a lot of dreams to the back of my mind because they’re not possible right now. No need to torture myself when none of it is likely.”
Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he held her securely against his side. “Everything is going to be possible sooner than you think. Then you can think about all of the things you want, because I’m going to give you every single one of them.”
“Just like that?”
“Yeah. Just like that.”
“Well, you did get me waffles and French toast this morning, so maybe anything is possible.”
“It’s only the beginning, Sara.”
***
Grady parked the truck in front of a two-story home on a quiet street on the east end of Coronado Island. Casa Frazier. I haven’t been here in over three years.”
“When was the last time you saw Mark and Birdie?”
“At their wedding. Somehow Mark talked Birdie into marrying him within weeks of meeting her. He was seriously injured on an op, and Birdie agreed to marrying him as soon as she could get a wedding together. They got married on New Year’s Eve, and it was one of the best weddings I’ve ever been to.”
“What made it so enjoyable?”
“Mark and Birdie love each other like crazy, and it was very cool to see them celebrate it. Birdie made sure the wedding was fun with a lot of great food, music, and drinks. It felt like the best party in the world celebrating two people who fell in love.”
“I know that’s what a wedding is supposed to be, but so often isn’t. People get caught up in the pomp and circumstance, and they forget what the whole thing is about.”
“Birdie and Mark never forgot it for a minute.” He climbed out of the car and walked around. Opening the door, he held out his hand. “This is going to be fun.”
Kissing his cheek, she stepped out of the car. “What a lovely home.” The two-story craftsman had a big porch that framed the front of the house. An impressive garden bloomed along the front porch with a small fountain off in the corner. “I should update the front of my house. This inspires me to put in a little more effort.”
“Had a few things on your plate. Can’t imagine that a garden has been on the top of your list.”
“I would like to change my life enough that I can think about my garden.”
“Working on it.”
She kissed his arm and squeezed. “I know. You’re the only thing that stands between me and utter despair.”
“Honey, I’ll stand between you and anything bad in the world.” The front door opened, and Mark stood in the doorway with a beautiful baby girl in his arms. Grady waved as they approached. “You’re lucky that your wife gave you such a beautiful baby,” he called out.
“Don’t I know it. Thank God Maddy inherited her looks from her mom.” Mark kissed his daughter’s head and smiled. “Madeline loves company.”
Mark shifted his daughter to the other arm and shook Grady’s hand. “Good to see you, man. It’s been too long.”
“Agreed.” Stepping behind Sara, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Sara.”
Sara held out her hand. “Lovely to meet you, Mark.”
“Are you sure that you want to tie yourself to this old sailor?”
Glancing over her shoulder, she winked at Grady. “Absolutely.”
Birdie walked up and smiled at the group. “Everyone come in.”
Mark stepped aside and looped his arm around Birdie. “We’re happy to have you.”
Sara greeted Birdie and exchanged hugs. “Thank you for having us. I’m looking forward to getting to know Grady’s friends.”
“I’ll tell you all the embarrassing stories from over the years. I have a lot of them,” Mark responded.
Birdie held out her arms for her daughter and shook her head. “If you tattle on him, then he gets to do the same. And I, for one, can live without hearing anymore tales from your wild past.”
“You like my wild side, no matter what you say.” Mark laughed.
Birdie shook her head and winked at Sara. “He likes to remind me of that whenever he gets the chance. Follow me and I’ll get you a drink. We can leave the men to their own devices.”
Mark clapped Grady on the back and led him into the house. “It’s good to see you.”
“Thanks for having us.” Grady glanced around as they walked into the kitchen. “Family life suits you.”
“I’m a lucky man. I married the love of my life, and she’s given us an amazing child to love. I never imagined that I would be this fortunate. I sometimes come into the house and wonder what I did to deserve this much happiness. My wife and daughter look at me with more love than I’m worthy of.”
“I’ll bet they feel the same way about you.”
“Yeah, Birdie likes to tell me how much she loves me about two or three times a day.” Shaking his head, he grinned. “I highly recommend the family life.”
“Working on it,” Grady responded.
“Congratulations. I thought that might be the case. You have the same look I did when I met Birdie.”
“What look is that?” Grady asked.
“The look that says you will do whatever is necessary to bind the woman in your arms to your side for the rest of your life.”
“Makes all those ops we were on look like a cakewalk.”
Mark laughed as they walked into the kitchen. “Ops were easy in comparison to this.”
Birdie handed Maddy to Mark and gave him a questioning look. “Are you saying that life-and-death missions were easier than family life?”
“Of course. The men all followed my orders, and we had a clear objective. You and Maddy hardly ever follow my directives, and working with you two is like herding cats.”
Maddy clapped her hands against her father’s face and made a raspberry sound. “Thanks, Mads. You proved my point perfectly.” When she leaned her head against his chest, everyone saw who the boss in the family was.
Birdie laughed and patted her husband’s back. “We’re a lot more fun, and we smell better.”
Mark rubbed his daughter’s back and shrugged. “That’s true.” He winked at Grady and Sara. “I like this fireteam a lot more than any of the other ones that I was on.”
Grady laughed and hoped like hell to be as lucky as Mark someday. Glancing over at Sara, he wondered if she would be willing to go all in once they took care of the mafia. He sure as hell hoped so, because he couldn’t imagine wanting anyone else to be on his fireteam. Taking her hand, he kissed her head. “You wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“That’s the truth,” Mark responded as he put his arm around Birdie. “I knew what I was in for the minute I spotted Birdie. Damn lucky I was right.”
***
Grady sat with Mark in the backyard while the ladies were inside giving Maddy a bath. It was fun to see Sara with the baby and how excited she was to hold her. It gave him ideas about what their future might look like together. “Are you and Birdie as happy as you seem?”
Mark took a slug of his beer and grinned. “I never thought I would get this lucky and be this happy. Birdie is better than I imagined. We’re not perfect and we have our struggles, but I couldn’t imagine my life without her.”
“Does she get tired of your cranky ass and need a break from you?” Grady laughed.
“No. It’s the opposite.” He crossed his leg over his knee and studied his jeans. “I can tell you this because Birdie talks about it openly. About four months after Maddy was born, Birdie started having anxiety attacks. A small event would trigger her, and she would start worrying about something happening to me or Maddy. At first she tried to work through it herself, and then she realized that it was getting worse. We hit a rough patch when I was asked to advise on an op that would take me out of the country for three weeks, at least.”
“What happened?” Grady asked.
“I didn’t understand the full extent of her struggle, so I was ready to take the assignment. The day after I told her that I was going to go, she fell apart. Now, you have to understand how devastating that was. Birdie is the most competent, independent woman I’ve ever met. I came home and saw her sitting on the floor, clutching Maddy, crying uncontrollably. It scared the shit out of me. She was absolutely convinced that something was going to happen to me and she was going to be alone. There was no changing her mind. It took a while, but she finally confessed what she’d been going through. Once I understood the depth of the problem, we started to deal with it.”
“I know you, and I can imagine how hard it was to turn down the assignment,” Grady remarked.
Mark rubbed his hand on the back of his neck and grinned. “It wasn’t that hard. Seeing my wife in a panic got my priorities in order. I never figured that she needed me all that much. I know she loves me, but she could probably run a small country if she wanted to. Going through this experience together has taught me that she needs me in ways that I never understood. She could probably still run a country. She just needs me to come home every night to be able to do it.”
“How did you two work it out?”
“Birdie started seeing a therapist, and she took some antianxiety medication for about six weeks. That helped her get over the worst of it. Now we have a routine, and it seems to be working. She still goes to therapy. She lets me know if she starts to go into a panic, and we work through it. What really seemed to help was that she started bringing me lunch. Maddy started getting her teeth, and nothing calmed her like being in her stroller, so Birdie ended up walking all over the island in an attempt to help soothe her. One day she walked from the house to the base, because it had taken that long for Maddy to fall asleep. The next day, she did the same thing and brought me lunch. Now most days, the girls bring me something to eat. They stay for about ten minutes and then walk back. Works out for everyone. Somehow if Birdie sees me for a couple of minutes in the middle of the day, then she’s okay. We’ve had about five good months, and she says that she’s starting to feel better. Also, she confessed that all that walking is making her butt smaller, so she doesn’t want to stop. I happen to like her the way she is, but I’m not willing to rock the boat.”
“So now you know that Birdie not only loves you but also needs you.”
“Out of something hard came something good. Which is true more often than not. We are closer than we’ve ever been, and I know that when tough things come up, we are going to be able to deal with them.”
“So, you two really are perfect for one another.”
“Yeah. I’m one lucky son of a bitch.”
The back door scraped open, and Birdie, Maddy and Sara strolled out. The baby was clean and had her pajamas on, and Birdie handed her to Mark. “She’s ready for her bottle and her story.”
“That’s my cue.” Mark stood up and dropped a kiss on his wife’s head as he passed. “Come on, Mads. Let’s go have a story.”
Grady watched Mark walk into the house with his daughter and hoped like hell that he would be that lucky someday. Glancing at Sara, he knew he’d found someone he wanted to be lucky with.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Thursday
The sound of the waves filled the room as the warm ocean breeze blew across her skin. What a wonderful way to start the day. Rolling over, Sara felt Grady’s stare. It was so primal that she wondered if he was about to consume her in one bite. Moving her hand to his face, she let her fingers play across his cheek. “Good morning.”
“I’ve been waiting…I figured that I wore you out last night and you needed your rest.”
Snuggling closer, she spread her fingers across the massive wall of muscle that covered his arm. He was a physically imposing man, but his real strength lay in his character. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
His hand ran along her back, and she shivered under his touch. “For standing by me, protecting me, and caring. I didn’t realize how heavy the burden has been until you took some of it off my shoulders. The last couple of days has been the first time I’ve relaxed in a really long time.”
“I would do anything for you, Sara.”
It seemed as though the room grew hotter as the desire to blend blood and bone with him overwhelmed her. She wanted to tangle her body and heart with his forever. “Let me…”
His laugh was rich and deep and very masculine. “Allow me, Sara.” Throwing the sheets aside, he stared down and grinned. “You are all mine, and I’m going to love every inch of you.” He pushed her legs apart with his knees and dragged his finger through her slick folds. “So wet.”
The heat from his skin made his scent stronger, and she swore it was pure animal mating. A heady mixture of desire and testosterone stole her ability to think as he took control of her mind and body.
His tongue ran down her center while his finger slipped inside. Between the strokes of his finger and the nibbling, licking motions of his mouth, her back bowed off the bed. She was completely under his command. “Too good.”
“No such thing, honey. Let me see how I make you feel.”
Her orgasm shimmered closely, and a small whimper escaped her lips. He must’ve sensed what she needed, because he added a second finger and pumped in and out of her wet heat with light strokes. At the same time, he closed his teeth over her throbbing bud and bit gently.
She came, and blinding pleasure rolled over her in waves. She rode it out in wild abandon. He didn’t stop stroking her with
his tongue or remove his fingers until every ounce of her orgasm was done and she was wrung out. Finally he lifted his head and gave her a satisfied grin.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“I have no idea.”
“Perfect.” He leaned over, grabbed a condom and ripped the package open with his teeth. “Now I’m going to make you feel really good.”
“I don’t know how much more I can handle.” She sighed.
“Oh, you’ll handle it and then ask for more.”
She watched his hungry eyes as he fitted himself with the condom. Raising her legs, he hooked her ankles over his shoulders and paused. Breath held, she waited for him to take her, and her eyes slipped shut.
“Open your eyes.” Grady poised himself above her with his muscles locked. “It’s going to be fast and hard.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t hide, Sara. Keep your eyes open, because I want to see your smile when I make you come again.”
“Please…”
Grady stroked himself against her swollen folds, rubbing the sensitive clit until she was right there again on the edge of coming. She writhed underneath him, digging her nails into his shoulders. He kept up a maddening slow pace and she shouted, “Take me now.”
“Since you asked so nicely.” He plunged deeply inside and buried himself completely.
She cried out and hung on as the length and width of him filled her. All she could do was surrender as he started to move. With every stroke, he claimed her, and all she could do was hang on to his shoulders as he drove inside her over and over again.
Rocking his hips, he put just the right amount of pressure on her clit to keep her from tumbling over. “Grady…please.” And with one perfect, deep thrust, she was released. A shimmering heat crawled over her body as she shot apart.
Brutal pleasure flooded her senses as she turned boneless. His loud shout told her that he had followed her over. Tiny tremors wracked her body as she drifted back to reality. Helpless, she melted into the bed. It was a mind-blowing experience, and she wanted more.
It felt as if he marked her and claimed her in a way that would irrevocably change and maybe wreck her life. The collision seemed worthwhile though, because if she was going to be destroyed, this was the way to go.
