Cami’s Georgia Patriots Romance Collection

by Cami Checketts

  “Sariah,” he murmured.

  It was her beautiful face, full of anguish. A hand grasped her chin and though Sariah looked furious with her dark eyes full of fire, she also looked beaten and disgraced.

  The next text down was a book from the normally brief Griff, “Thought you should see these. The story is they almost drowned her before taking these pictures of her and putting the pictures all over the internet with a story about Tyler Whittingham burning her every time she cheated on him.”

  Mack sat there, staring at the pictures. Someone had almost drowned Sariah? Someone else had burned her for cheating on him? That part had to be lies. The Sariah he knew was without guile, she’d never cheat on anyone. But if she’d had a boyfriend who had abused her like that … Mack’s fists clenched as venomous thoughts he’d never had before circled in his mind.

  He wished he hadn’t seen this. It had been over two months, no, since he’d first seen her last fall almost eight months ago, that he’d been falling in love with Sariah, and hoping she’d tell him about what had happened to her. He didn’t want to find out like this, with partial facts and a sick gut. Why would Griff do this to him? He clenched his fist. This wasn’t Griff’s fault. Griff didn’t relate to things like emotion and love, but he protected and took care of his family. In his mind, he was protecting Mack by making sure he had all the facts.

  He couldn’t respond though. He wanted to ask so many questions and that wasn’t fair to Sariah. When she was ready she would tell him the answers. He rolled his neck, wondering when she would ever trust him enough to confide in him. Only two more weeks and he’d be too busy to see her much, especially if she wasn’t willing to relocate to Georgia when she graduated from school in June. Would their relationship fizzle and die? His chest tightened at the thought.

  He had this weekend. A weekend with only him and Sariah. His chance to really grow close to her, and pray she’d share her secrets. He didn’t want to force her into sharing. Yet how could he act like he didn’t know now that he knew and would that be worse for their relationship when she found out?

  His phone rang. He glanced at it, not wanting to talk to anybody but Sariah and with no clue what he’d say to her. Navy.

  He slid it open. “Hey, sis.”

  “You okay?” Her usually flippant voice was full of concern.

  “Griff told you?”

  “I’m sorry. He’s still in Peru. I chatted with him a little bit about you and Sariah. I didn’t know he’d go and find those pictures. He said they were online. Big blow-up about four years ago with some guy who was hoping to get into politics and his girlfriend did that to Sariah while they were dating.”

  “Stop. I don’t want to hear this from you. I want her to tell me.”

  “How long have you been going to see her every weekend?”

  “A couple of months.”

  Navy said nothing, which was worse than her telling him how gullible he was. The pictures and disturbing story were making him sick and he knew it was reasonable of his family to think Sariah should have told him her secrets by now, but they didn’t know her like he did. Sariah was feisty, funny, beautiful, and smart, but she was also very private and guarded. If he forced his way past her barriers, it might be the end of their relationship. He couldn’t let that happen, but now that he had some of the information, how could he just act as if everything was normal?

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sariah and Mack arrived in Crested Butte late Sunday. It was too late for her to play tour guide and reveal how gorgeous this mountain retreat was. They had three days together. She could show him the wonders of the mountains and share all her secrets as well. She’d promised herself that this would be the weekend. She’d finally tell him about her scars, what had happened with Tyler, and how much she loved Mack.

  Last night, when he arrived to take her to dinner, and today things had been a little… uncomfortable was the only word she could think of, between them. She wasn’t sure what to pin it on. Her nervousness for him to see her scars and hear her story? It could be possible something was off with Mack. He’d seemed really excited when she agreed Monday night to go away together, but maybe he was nervous also. Maybe he had his own secrets he was nervous to share. She smiled to herself, knowing that probably wasn’t true. Mack was an open book.

  They loaded up into the elevator after checking into The Grand Lodge. It was very nice but not over-the-top extravagant. She liked that. Mack was always real and down-to-earth. She knew he had plenty of money and was famous in his own right, but he never acted like that. Even when people recognized him and asked for autographs, he’d simply give them his irresistible grin, sign whatever they wanted, and then turn the conversation around and get to know them a little bit. He never bragged about himself.

  They exited the elevator and walked to their suite. Sariah opened the door, as Mack had insisted he carry the luggage. Nerves fluttered in her stomach as they walked in. He’d promised separate bedrooms, and she trusted Mack implicitly, but they’d never been alone like this. The main part of the suite had a nice-sized living room with a kitchenette. She could see two bedrooms, with lamps softly lighting them.

  Mack carried her luggage to one and his to the other. He returned to where she stood by the front door.

  Smiling, he took the key from her hand and set it on a side table. Then he slid her purse off her shoulder and also set it down. He wrapped both of his hands around hers and asked, “Are you tired?”

  She nodded, her throat feeling thick. This was going to be the time to reveal all and she was terrified. She should probably wait until the last night they were together. Then if he wanted some space it wouldn’t be as awkward. That was good reasoning.

  He tugged her toward the bedroom where he’d put her suitcase. “You should rest then. I’ve got a lot planned for tomorrow.”

  “Do you now?” She forced a smile and berated herself for feeling awkward. This was Mack. He was amazing. She could probably rip down her shirt and push her hair out of the way and he’d tell her how beautiful she was and hold her while she told him the whole awful story. Probably.

  She looked up into his blue gaze as he stopped in the doorframe of her room. Not tonight though.

  “But I do need at least one good night kiss to get me through until morning.”

  She laughed, sliding her arms around his neck. “Do you now?” she asked again.

  He grinned and his hands encompassed her lower back. His lips met hers and joy encircled her as he gave her a passionate kiss that displaced all worries from her mind. They’d kissed every Saturday night and Sunday afternoon for the past couple of months, standing next to one of their cars. Something about being alone, in this lovely room, took the intimacy of this kiss to a deeper level.

  Mack pulled her up and in, ever closer to his strong body, and then he deepened the kiss. Her mouth seemed to explode with tingles and warmth. Mack tilted his head and continued the exploration of her mouth. His kiss became more insistent and filled with passion. He picked her clean off the floor and pressed her against the door as he continued working his magic on her mouth.

  Sariah had never, ever felt a kiss as deeply as she did this one. She loved it, but there were warning bells going off in the back of her mind. Ignoring them, she wrapped her legs around Mack’s back and clung to his broad shoulders with her hands.

  Mack pushed off the door, and still kissing her, he walked slowly into the bedroom. The warning bells became fire sirens. Sariah’s body was on fire and she needed a pump truck to knock her over with water, right now. She pulled away from Mack’s kiss, gulped in air, and said loudly, “Please help us, dear Father in Heaven, to stop being stupid.”

  Mack stopped in his tracks and stared at her, his breath coming hard and fast. He set her on her feet, stepped back and said, “You are an angel, Sariah.”

  She backed away, bumping into the bed. “No, I’m not. I just kissed you like …” She couldn’t even say it. She’d heard Pastor warn abo
ut it, but had no clue passion could explode that quickly. She felt like she’d been consumed by fire and desire. Her prayer had been spot on. It was very, very stupid to risk their virtue and the purity of their developing relationship like that.

  Mack’s blue gaze was very serious. “That was on me.” He shoved a hand through his short curls. “I love you, Sariah, and I let myself get carried away. It won’t happen again.”

  Sariah believed him, and trusted him, but she had to go back to the first part of his statement. “You love me?”

  He nodded and then shook his head. “I’m messing this all up. I wanted to tell you how I loved you in a beautiful way. Not when … I’d almost taken advantage of you.”

  Sariah smiled softly at him. “You are a great man, Mack Quinn. We both let things get a little … heated, but I don’t believe you would ever take advantage of me.” She stepped up to him, stood on tiptoes and softly kissed him. “And I love you too.”

  Mack’s chest rose and fell quickly. “I want to keep kissing you so badly right now.”

  “But you love me too much to start that fire again,” she guessed.

  He blinked down at her and tenderly cupped the left side of her face with his right hand. “Exactly.” He backed away, his hand dropping to his side. “Tomorrow I’ll give you the kiss I’m dying to give you right now.”

  She tilted her head and tried for sass, but her heart was beating so fast she could hardly speak. “I’ll plan on that, Mr. Quinn.”

  He grinned and then turned and hurried from the room, closing the door behind him. She heard his door shut as well. Sariah stood there until her heart stopping racing. That kiss had been insane and far too much for her inexperienced self to deal with. Tyler had tried to push her physically a few times, but she’d never felt desire like this and it had been easy to tell him no. Keeping her desires in control with Mack was definitely going to be a challenge, but Mack was a good man … a great man.

  Her face heated up as she remembered how she’d said a prayer aloud. Some people would make fun of her for that. Not Mack. He’d told her she was an angel. She put a hand to her heart. She loved him so much. Maybe telling him her secrets wouldn’t be anything horrific like she’d envisioned.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Mack followed Sariah on his rented mountain bike along the Snodgrass Trail above Crested Butte. Everything in this valley was so lush and green. He was used to green, being from Rhode Island and living in Georgia, but the mountains and pine trees in Colorado were majestic and he loved the crisp, clean air.

  Sariah kept up a good pace. He liked letting her lead. He was still humiliated thinking about last night. He’d almost let the fire for Sariah race out of control. He’d never had that happen to him before. He was almost afraid for tonight, but he’d be more careful. He loved that she’d stopped and said a vocal prayer. She was everything he’d always wanted. Now if only she’d tell him about her scars, and those horrible pictures. Did he bring it up or just keep waiting? He’d told her he loved her and she’d responded. He was still waiting for the perfect moment this morning to give her the kiss he’d promised last night. It had better be in a public place.

  They finished the trail and returned the bikes to the concierge who had secured them from a local bike shop and ate a quick lunch in the hotel restaurant. Then they drove to the Judd Falls Trail, a trail that was supposed to be fabulous and was close to their hotel.

  Again, Sariah set a great pace and they enjoyed looking down at Judd Falls then set off on the higher trail to the lake that was another four miles, if the people they’d questioned on the trail had accurate info. Mack’s gaze kept being pulled from the forest and towering mountain peaks to Sariah.

  He was busy studying her beautiful frame and when she stopped suddenly, he almost plowed her over.

  “You okay?” he asked, resting his hands on her waist.

  “M-m-mack,” she whispered, turning toward him and clinging to his arm.

  Hearing the fear in her voice, Mack stepped in front of her and searched for the source. A large black bear was down in the stream below the trail. The animal was busy searching for fish and hadn’t noticed them.

  Mack wasn’t sure how to proceed. Black bears weren’t as dangerous as grizzlies but he knew they’d killed humans, Mack and Sariah were on his territory, and he hadn’t seen any other hikers for a while.

  Mack reached back for Sariah. “Let’s just head slowly back,” he whispered.

  She didn’t respond but started walking back down the trail.

  Mack kept looking over his shoulder, his eyes on the bear as they eased quietly down the trail. Voices drifted down to him from farther up the trail. Mack’s gaze darted back to the bear. The bear’s head swiveled to the voices and it stopped searching for fish and watched to see who was approaching through the trees. Mack’s stomach dropped when he saw two teenage girls jogging down the trail, talking rapidly, not a care in the world. They were both small and that worried Mack. A bear might be threatened by someone his size, but not a skinny near-child.

  The bear must’ve had the same thought as it lumbered up the short incline straight toward the girls.

  “Sariah,” Mack muttered, ripping his keys out and putting them in her hand. “Run down to the Jeep. If I don’t come with the girls soon, get help.”

  “I can’t leave you,” she whispered back.

  “Go!” He pushed at her and started back up the trail.

  The bear reached the trail and planted itself in the girls’ path. They both stopped abruptly, twenty feet from the bear, and their mouths dropped open in horror. The bear lifted up onto his back paws and the girls screamed in unison. The bear roared in response. Mack’s stomach churned, but he had no choice. He yelled as loud as he could, a deep, guttural yell that didn’t sound human, even to him.

  The bear pivoted to face him, obviously recognizing the real threat. Mack prayed for help as he stomped toward the bear, screaming, “Go!” He’d never felt small around another human, but this bear on his hind paws had him by almost a foot. His stomach filled with ice but he kept moving, and praying he looked bigger than he felt.

  * * *

  Cold sweat covered her body as Sariah watched Mack storm up the trail toward the bear. The bravery in that man astounded her, but the fear of the bear ripping him apart had her shoving the keys in her pocket and instead of running, like he’d told her to, she searched for sharp rocks and sticks. She’d been raised in the Colorado mountains by a forest ranger. She knew the textbook answers on how to fight black bears, but she’d always been afraid to run into one. Mack’s intention was obviously to protect the girls, but she was afraid he was going to enrage the bear with his aggressive yell and movements. Yet if he didn’t distract the bear, the animal would probably rip into one of those girls.

  The girls were still screaming and the bear reared up and roared. He obviously felt threatened, and from the way he went after the girls initially he must think they were easy prey. If there was any hope of this bear leaving without a fight, they’d just lost it.

  Mack was big and loud and he looked like a superhero as he kept fearlessly approaching the bear. The girls had scuttled back on the trail, away from the bear. They were hugging each other and still screaming.

  “Go!” Mack hollered at the bear, shooing him with his hands like he was a pesky dog.

  Sariah was amazed at his bravery, but the bear stood his ground. With black bears you were supposed to fight, not run or play dead. Mack definitely looked ready for a fight but a man’s flesh couldn’t withstand the claws or teeth of a bear. Sariah scooped up another large rock and then she spotted a good, solid stick.

  The bear growled back, slammed onto his front paws, and advanced on Mack on all fours. He was a massive animal, making even Mack look small.

  The girls screeched out their terror. They couldn’t have been more than fifteen or sixteen. Sariah didn’t blame them for being scared, but she wished they’d stop screaming and adding to the commot
ion.

  Mack raised his muscular arms and roared right back. The bear kept coming. Mack didn’t back down. He bravely took two more steps forward.

  “Hey!” Sariah yelled. She dodged around Mack’s side, wound up and threw the larger of the rocks she’d been holding. It pinged off the bear’s side. The bear yelped and stopped advancing.

  “Sariah,” Mack cried out, pushing her behind him. “Stay back.”

  Sariah shoved the stick she’d found into his hand. “If he keeps coming, hit him with that.” She bent and picked up another rock, stepping to Mack’s side and hurling it as hard as she could at the bear. It hit him in the head and he roared in anger. “Let’s back up toward the mountain so it will know it can retreat to the river.” It had come from the river, so hopefully that was where it wanted to retreat, if it wanted to retreat.

  Mack nodded and holding the stick high above his head, he waited until Sariah was behind him then he slowly retreated a few steps with her. The bear turned slightly with them, staying focused on Mack and not retreating like Sariah had hoped. At least the girls were just whimpering now, and had followed their example and moved farther away from the bear and its path to the river.

  Sariah waited, holding her breath. She glanced askance at Mack. He looked like a fearless warrior, holding the stick in a threatening position, the muscles in his arms all flexed and ready for action. She loved him. This man could protect her from anything. If they survived this, she was going to kiss him and tell him her every secret.

  The bear shuffled forward, snarling at them.