It's Always Been You

by Paige, Victoria

  “No matter how much you beg me,” he added.

  She jabbed her elbow behind her and was satisfied to hear him grunt.

  “Vicious woman,” he muttered. His arms came around her, his leg wedging itself between hers. Her breath caught when she felt the hairs of his thigh tickle her sex.

  “Shit . . .” he whispered. “I’m fucked out, but your pussy sure feels good.”

  She squirmed.

  “Babe, stop,” he groaned into her neck. “If you get me hard, you’ll have to do all the work since it’s your fault. I’m not sleeping with an erection.”

  “Don’t men get morning wood?”

  There was a rumble of laughter behind her. “Yeah, babe, but that’s different.”

  Caitlin huffed. “Men are so complicated.”

  “I disagree. We eat, sleep, and fuck. Now, I need some sleep. You do, too.”

  “Seriously—”

  “Caitlin.” He squeezed her arm.

  She exhaled deeply again and tried to sleep, but she was very much aware of the man sleeping naked behind her. Very aware.

  *****

  Caitlin looked away when a needle pricked her arm. Dr. Fern Ryan arrived promptly at 8:00 a.m. for a follow-up. She also drew some blood to make sure the anti-serum had no lasting side effects. Caitlin found out this morning, that aside from being Travis’s personal physician, the doctor was cleared by the CIA to treat agents of private security firms who worked for the agency.

  “Any nausea or dizziness?” the doctor asked as she tested the dilation of her pupils.

  “Nope, just the pain from the bruises. I even stopped taking the pain meds,” Caitlin replied. Dr. Ryan exuded a business-like air. Her chestnut hair was gathered in a severe bun, and was streaked with gray. Caitlin would place the doctor’s age in her early fifties. She was extremely slender, almost bony in some places, but she was ramrod straight in carriage. Caitlin wouldn’t be surprised if she had been in the military at one point and couldn’t imagine Travis asking the doctor to bring him condoms.

  “I believe you’re receiving the birth control shot today?”

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t sound too sure.”

  Caitlin was still annoyed at Travis’s high-handedness.

  “I’m sure,” Caitlin sighed.

  The doctor smiled, softening her austere appearance quite a bit. She took out a vial from her medical kit and tore open a package for a fresh syringe. “You shouldn’t let him bulldoze you into things. That man can be quite . . . arrogant.”

  “I’m aware of that fact.”

  “Something tells me he’s met his match though.”

  Caitlin’s eyes snapped to the doctor’s in surprise, but she got distracted by another prick on her arm.

  “I feel like a human pin cushion,” Caitlin muttered.

  “Poor girl. It wasn’t too long ago when I gave you that physical. Hopefully, I won’t be seeing you again for a while.”

  “You and me both. All done?”

  The doctor nodded and started to pack up. Caitlin waited for her to gather her things so they could exit Travis’s study together.

  Travis was pacing outside the room with a somber look on his face. When he saw them, he barked, “What took so long?”

  “Calm down, Travis. I just wanted to be thorough,” Dr. Ryan answered.

  He inclined his head jerkily, his eyes cutting to Caitlin, but he was addressing the doctor, “Is she okay?”

  “Healthy as an ox.”

  Relief mellowed the tension on his face.

  “No heavy exercise,” the doctor added, her meaning not lost on them both. Caitlin felt color rising to her cheeks even as Travis turned ruddy. “And if you don’t want her to get pregnant, Travis, you should continue using condoms for a week.”

  Travis grinned. “Not a problem, Fern.”

  The doctor shook her head, reached out, and squeezed Travis’s arm. “I’m glad you found her.”

  She turned her bespectacled gaze on Caitlin. “You have a good man here, young lady. Stay out of trouble.”

  Travis slung his arm around Caitlin, pulling her close, and kissed the top of her head. They walked the doctor to her car, and watched her pull away. Returning to the house, Travis paused at the foyer and turned her fully in his arms. “We have a slight problem.”

  His tone seemed serious, but his face wasn’t.

  “Um . . . What?”

  “My parents are coming over.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  He was joking, right? Caitlin thought frantically as she stared at Travis with her mouth hanging open. Travis’s eyes grew alert, taking in her reaction carefully.

  “Babe. Breathe,” Travis said worriedly.

  Breathe? Breathe? Breathing was the least of her problems. Well, maybe not. She started taking deep exhalations, pulled away from Travis, and backed into the kitchen slowly. She turned around and leaned against the countertop, bracing her hands on the edge. “Are you trying to kill me?” she gasped out as her heart galloped against her breastbone.

  “Caitlin,” Travis’s voice was calm behind her. “They’re going to love you, sunshine. Don’t worry.”

  She released her grip on the counter and faced him. “Have you told them I’m alive?”

  His gaze slid away from her and stared at a spot on the floor.

  “Freaking great,” Caitlin muttered. “You’re going to give your parents a heart attack as well.” Then she shrieked, “What the HELL were you thinking?”

  Travis’s arms were outstretched to placate her, but she swatted them away and scooted past him to wear a hole in the carpet in the living room.

  “I’ll explain when they get here,” Travis said.

  “And tell them what? Oh, by the way, my wife is alive?”

  “I couldn’t hold them off forever.” It irritated Caitlin that Travis was so matter-of-fact about the whole thing. “Mom said my sister, Lisa, had some stuff for me and wanted to bring them over before she returned to work this week.”

  “Travis, have you considered what would happen if things don’t work out between us?” Caitlin asked. “We’ll hurt them in the end.”

  “We’ll make sure we won’t,” Travis replied, still speaking in that measured tone, but a line formed along his jaw.

  And that was when it hit her. He was so calm about the whole thing because this was another way to back her into a corner and make her accept her fate as his wife.

  “You did this deliberately.” Her eyes narrowed. Surprisingly, she wasn’t too pissed off by his tactics, but he had to stop his underhanded manipulations.

  The doorbell rang. Caitlin froze.

  Travis cursed, looked at the door then back at her.

  Caitlin unfroze and started to run for the stairs.

  “Caitlin,” Travis roared after her. She heard voluble profanities erupt behind her, and she stopped at the bottom of the staircase. What was she doing? What did she think she could do? Hide in her room forever?

  Travis was already upon her by the time she could even decide what to do. He grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the living room.

  “Stay here. Don’t fucking move,” he ordered.

  The doorbell rang again.

  *****

  The good news was no one fainted.

  Travis was having second thoughts about this impulsive plan he had hatched early this morning when his mom called inquiring if they could come over. It bothered him because he was not an impulsive man. He was calculating and precise. It seemed when it came to Caitlin, all bets were off and he never knew how he’d react. He’d become an opportunist. Any way for him to bind her to him he would do it. She needed to have a sense of family. And he didn’t want to delay that any longer.

  He opened the door to his parents, but he stood by the frame with an arm outstretched on the jamb, preventing entry. Lillian Blake eyed her son with a frown. “Forgot your manners, Travis?”

  “Mom.” He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. Then he
turned to his dad and lifted his chin in greeting. “Dad. Ah . . . there’s something I neglected to inform you both,” Travis started, but his mom, clearly losing patience, ducked under his arm to enter the house. His eyes slid shut at the inevitable.

  “Really, Travis, there’s no need for . . . oh, sweet Lord!” his mom shrieked behind him. Daniel Blake, hearing his wife’s distress, scowled at his son and forced himself past the door.

  Caitlin would most likely demand a divorce after this. So much for wanting to rip this whole thing off like a Band-Aid.

  “Uh . . . hi,” Caitlin said timidly to his parents.

  “Sarah?” his mom choked. Walking a couple of steps forward, her movements faltered. His dad immediately rushed to his wife’s side to offer support.

  “What’s the meaning of this, son?” His dad’s voice was gruff.

  Travis walked to Caitlin and hugged her close. “Mom, this is Caitlin. Caitlin is Sarah.” Shit, this was harder to explain than he thought. “It’s complicated,” he added lamely.

  Way to go, Travis. Real slick.

  His mom took another step forward, her eyes glazed with tears, lips trembling. “Sarah? Oh, my God. Travis. Is this real?’

  He better explain things pretty fast. “Mom, Dad. Maybe you should sit down.” He nodded to the couch. His parents sat, obviously in a daze.

  “Sarah was a victim of revenge against DEVGRU, my SEAL unit,” Travis said. He felt Caitlin stiffen beside him. He’d already rehearsed the whole story; he hoped she would play along. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the who and the what. But a year after Sarah was taken, I began to piece together some evidence that led me to believe she was alive.”

  “That’s why you never gave up on her,” Lillian’s voice trembled with emotion. “Oh, Travis. Is this why you started BSI?”

  Travis nodded. “There’s more to this, Mom.” He glanced briefly at Caitlin, who had her head bowed. He gripped her hand tightly. “Sarah does not exist anymore.”

  “Is someone still after you, Sarah?” his dad asked.

  “Her name is Caitlin now,” Travis said. “She has amnesia.”

  “What?” his parents exclaimed, their eyes narrowing at his wife.

  Caitlin shot him a you’re in so much trouble look. He didn’t care as long as they ended up in bed. His cock twitched. Fuck! Blake, now is not the time to have a hard-on, especially in front of your mom. Any lustful thoughts were quickly squelched.

  “Caitlin only remembers the past three years. She doesn’t remember the both of you.” His throat constricted. “Or me.”

  His mom rose and walked over to them. “Oh, Travis.” His mom hugged him. Shit. Nothing like a mother who could sense her son’s pain. She turned to Caitlin. “Your death nearly destroyed him, Sarah . . . I’m sorry . . . it’ll take me some time to get used to your new name.” His mother embraced Caitlin tightly. “Whatever happened, I don’t need to know. I’ve accepted that part of my son’s life. Dear child, it’s good to have you back.”

  His mother broke into a sob, hugging Caitlin tighter. Travis encircled them both in his arms. His life was definitely looking up.

  The men observed the women who were busy chatting in the living room. The only other awkward moment was when his mom bluntly inquired about Caitlin’s scar and bruising. His mother was admittedly nosy and sometimes was short on tact, but there was no one who had a bigger capacity for love than one Lillian Blake.

  “There’s something you want to tell me without your mother finding out?” Daniel asked his son.

  “Someone is still after Caitlin,” Travis admitted to his dad. “The attack we told you about, which is the reason for her current injuries, is not quite over. It’s under control right now, but I’m trying to be careful. I’ll be assigning extra security for you both, unless you want to take Mom on a vacation for a while.”

  “How long?”

  “I don’t know, Dad.”

  His dad nodded. “I understand. I prefer to take your mom away, but a part of me doesn’t want to leave you both alone in this. If something happens to either of you, we want to be close in case you need help.”

  “Dad—”

  “Your mom is not obtuse, Travis. Leaving for another vacation so soon after coming back from Lisa’s is going to make her suspicious. I’ll break it to her gently.”

  “I’ll arrange for security as soon as possible. I had a contract that ended yesterday, and I’ve already recalled my crew from that one.”

  “We’re all set then.”

  “You’re all set,” Travis assured his dad.

  *****

  It would be a couple of hours before Travis’s parents left. Caitlin caught an earful of his mother’s anecdotes of her life before, thinking it would spark her memory. Sadly, amnesia didn’t work that way. None of the stories sounded familiar, and it was as if Lillian was recounting someone else’s life—not her life with Travis. Though she knew Lillian didn’t mean it, the older woman’s eyes drifted to Caitlin’s scar more frequently than was comfortable. Eventually his mother said, “I know of a good plastic surgeon that can fix your scar, Caitlin.”

  Caitlin knew she meant well, because there was no malice in her tone, and clearly she was just trying to be helpful. Unfortunately, the men had walked back to the living room by then, and Travis overheard his mother. He was furious.

  “What the fuck, Mom!” Travis snapped. “Caitlin is perfect the way she is. I would not change a fucking thing.”

  “Travis, calm down.” His father’s voice boomed behind them.

  There was a tense line along Travis’s jaw. “I think this visit is over.”

  “Travis, your mom—” Caitlin began.

  “No. He’s right, my dear,” Lillian said in a quiet voice. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just that—”

  “It’s okay, really,” Caitlin assured her. “The scar is a part of me now. I’d feel naked without it.”

  His mother looked at her with such regret. “Oh, Caitlin.”

  Damn, she must have looked really good with a flawless face, Caitlin thought miserably.

  “Sweetheart,” Daniel addressed Lillian. “I think it’s time we get moving. We haven’t quite settled back to routine, and the kids need time for themselves. Three weeks is not enough to make up for three years.”

  “Damn straight,” Travis muttered. His mother wrinkled her nose at her son, miffed at his cursing. Caitlin wanted to laugh. There was such a sense of family between them that even when they were at odds, she found it so endearing.

  “Thank you,” Caitlin told Travis after his parents had left.

  “For what, sunshine?”

  “For giving me a family.”

  “Babe, they’ve always been yours,” Travis said softly. “Since the day I decided you were mine, they belonged to you.”

  He eyed her carefully. “So, my mom didn’t overwhelm you?”

  Caitlin grinned. “Travis, you know your mom. What do you think?”

  He groaned and hugged her to him as they strode to the TV room. “Sorry for leaving you alone with her. I had something to discuss with my dad.”

  “No problem. She wasn’t bad at all. I have a feeling I’ll be getting used to her in no time.”

  “You did get along well.”

  “What did you have to discuss with your dad? Does it have anything to do with the danger from Komarov?”

  Travis exhaled heavily. “Yes. I can’t risk them being a target.”

  Before Caitlin could digest this tidbit, react, or say anything, Travis squeezed her tighter against him. “And I don’t want to hear you say it’s your fault. I’ll handle this, Caitlin. We’re in this together. I protect what’s mine. You concentrate on getting Komarov his money, and I’ll take care of everything else.”

  Caitlin shrugged. It seemed easier now that she had gotten the first set of files open.

  “I forgot to add,” Travis whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. “You concentrate on mak
ing sure that body is available to me any way I want it, and I’ll take care of everything else.”

  *****

  It wasn’t as easy as Caitlin thought it would be, but it would be three days later when she eventually cracked the encryption on all the files. All 100 million dollars of Komarov’s money plus change—the interest garnered from three years sitting in the bank was quite substantial.

  The breakthrough happened one afternoon when she was in Travis’s office. She was squirming with excitement in her chair as she stared at all the money that would finally liberate her and Travis to live their life together.

  Together.

  Caitlin’s skin tingled with the memory of the past three days. Sex, sex and more sex. They couldn’t get enough of each other. She couldn’t remember why she had resisted him so firmly in the first place. She was feeling so lucky now—to be falling in love with a man who fiercely loved her. Although he had not said the words again since the day in the kitchen, she could feel it in each caress and in the way he looked at her—tenderness, passion, yearning. She hoped her eyes reflected the same.

  “Someone’s daydreaming,” a sultry amused voice spoke from the doorway.

  Beatrice.

  The redhead had come in every day to discuss security contracts with Travis and his team. She also made it a point to stop by at the conference room where Travis had her set up to work on the files.

  “Hey, Beatrice!” Caitlin smiled at the newcomer. She hadn’t quite made up her mind whether she liked the redhead or not. Her familiarity with Travis made Caitlin a bit jealous, and the last thing she wanted was to act petty. So she tried to squash those feelings and told herself that if Travis wanted Beatrice, he would have gone after her a long time ago instead of carrying a torch for Caitlin for so long. Feeling a bit better with her quick self-reflection, Caitlin widened her smile.

  “You seem to be happy about something,” Beatrice said as she glided into the room. How she could do this gracefully in three-inch spiked heels was beyond her.

  “Getting some of my skills back.”