by Terry Spear
“A cruise?”
“Yeah. Like Tessa’s idea of going to Hawaii for a honeymoon. We may not have church weddings, but I think honeymoons are the way to go. I’ve never been on a cruise before, and that’s where I want my mate to take me.”
“What if you get seasick?”
“I’ll just take something for it and stay in the cabin with my mate, curled up in bed with him so he can take my mind off the waves—or we can make our own waves.”
Finn had been on a lot of ships in his lifetime, but never a cruise ship. To think he could be on the high seas with Meara, sequestered away in a cabin for two. The scenario definitely played into his fantasies.
He looked into the fridge and smiled at all the steak. “Anna brought us some groceries.”
Moving in behind him, Meara slipped her arms around Finn’s waist and peeked around his shoulder. “Hmm, shrimp,” she said.
“And steak.”
“You and Hunter.”
He looked down at her. “You don’t like steak?”
“Of course I do.” She ran her hand over his hard stomach. “Beefsteak is my favorite. But I love shrimp, too. Do you want to grill it by the ocean? We could use that gas grill down below.”
“Yeah. I’ll let Paul know we’ll be down there, and he can watch our backs.”
She studied the bottle of wine Anna had gotten them and set it aside, then looked for a couple of wineglasses. Once she’d found them, she fished out a couple of plates and sighed. “Too bad we have to have an audience.”
Finn shook his head and pulled out his phone to call Paul. Having an audience was good, or he was bound to forget what he was here for—again.
***
Meara set an old comforter Finn said he’d found in the garage on the sand. Like a pro, he prepared the steak and vegetables, which she hadn’t thought he’d go for. Hunter liked to grill, never bothering with the vegetables, but she didn’t figure that meant Finn would grill, too. At least half of their male pack members didn’t cook.
She loved watching Finn flip the steaks with finesse as if she was in a fancy Japanese restaurant. Then she poured them some wine, thankful to Anna for being so thoughtful, and stood next to Finn as the breeze tugged at the collar of his shirt.
“Do you vacuum?” she asked, teasing in a casual way.
“Vacuum?”
She shrugged, thinking how even more perfect he would be if he wasn’t running off on deadly missions. Not only could he grill great impromptu meals, but he was a damned sexy lover. But if he also vacuumed, the chore she hated most, he would be a woman’s dream come true. It wasn’t the vacuuming, particularly, that she hated so much. It was that the vacuum spit out more than it sucked up.
“Never was part of my SEAL training.” He gave her an elusive smile.
“Hmm, well, maybe it should have been. Every man needs to know how to vacuum.”
“What about Hunter?”
She sighed. “I’m afraid he didn’t get any training, either.” But then she brightly added, “I’m sure Tessa has him vacuuming up a storm now, though.”
Finn flipped the steaks and said with a smile, “I can’t imagine Hunter vacuuming, sweeping, or mopping floors. He’d be good at giving the orders, though, pointing out spots that needed further work, a little more polish, a little more sweeping and vacuuming.”
She laughed. “Yeah, that’s Hunter all right. He’s also good at building fires to keep Tessa warm.”
Finn gave her a devilish look, and Meara felt her body warm considerably. “I’m talking about wood fires. The electricity was out during a snowstorm, and he had to keep them warm.”
Finn grinned broadly and nodded his head.
“By keeping the fire going.”
He chuckled.
She shook her head. She’d never known a man who was better at taking what she said innocently and turning it into sexual innuendo. She gave up trying. But then she began to think of what it would be like if her electricity went out in the middle of a snowstorm and Finn was with her. Would he spend a lot of time trudging down to the beach to gather firewood?
For certain, he’d take her to bed and ply her with hot kisses designed to thaw her out, his body rubbing against hers in the heat of passion.
Her cheeks warmed again, and he cast her a questioning glance. “Anything you want to share with me?”
“No. I’m ready to eat, though.”
He still looked like he was more interested in knowing what she’d been thinking about.
Within minutes the meat was browned, along with potatoes, zucchini, yellow summer squash, onions, and carrots. The steaks and shrimp had perfect grill stripes and had been seasoned with thyme, rosemary, and lime rind after being lightly coated with olive oil.
“Rare, right?” Meara asked, watching the steak as it sizzled.
Finn gave her a sexy smile. “Steak seared on the outside, nice and red and juicy on the inside.”
“Hmm, just the way I like mine.” She carried their drinks to the blanket as he brought their dinner plates.
To her surprise, he brought up the vacuuming issue again. “I take it you don’t care for the chore of vacuuming.” He sat down beside her as the sky over the ocean blossomed with pink and orange, the white clouds thinly stretched behind the setting sun, rays stroking the dark water.
“It’s just that my vacuum cleaner doesn’t pick up well. I end up moving the dirt around the floor as the vacuum sucks it up and spits it back out.” She took a deep breath and raised her glass to Finn’s. “To sunsets over the water, and to peace and prosperity everywhere.”
He drank some of his wine and raised his glass to hers. “To a beautiful wolf on a golden night. May you find happiness always.”
“Thanks. I try to.” Once she found the perfect mate to share it with, she would. Of course there would be bumps on the road to bliss, but still…
She watched the sun set as she ate the steak and shrimp and vegetables, also enjoying apple slices and red and green grapes, and washing it all down with sips of red wine. To top it off, they shared bars of chocolate, no s’mores this time. The meal couldn’t have been more perfect. And the company and the setting.
She thought about Finn and his declaration that he wasn’t into dating. Did he mean dating as in eating out at restaurants? They were nice, but she didn’t need five-star restaurant service to enjoy a night out. In fact, this was better than most dinners she’d had where she was waited on hand and foot. More relaxing. More atmospheric and appealing to a wolf. More conducive to a romantic liaison without tons of people in attendance. With Paul watching them, protecting them, she figured Finn wouldn’t kiss her at all.
She hadn’t had any nicer dates with a man than these impromptu affairs with Finn.
When Finn took the empty wineglass and plate from her and set them aside, she envisioned another kiss, hoping that he’d ignore Paul for the moment.
He didn’t give her a kiss, not at first. He gazed into her eyes as if he was doing some real soul-searching. Then he sighed and pulled at her to join him. When she did, he made sure she was nestled between his legs as they sat on the blanket and watched the last of the fireball sun melt away beneath the waves. She imagined it sizzling as the heat of the sun hit the water and the night air grew cooler.
Finn rested his chin on the top of her head and held her gently in his arms. When the last of the light was gone, he nuzzled her bare neck with his face and then caressed her cheek with his mouth, his hands shifting to her breasts. That made her wish they really were alone with the sound of the waves washing over the sand and the night breeze swirling around them.
“What did you think of us? The team?” Finn asked, his voice low and husky.
“I was too busy giving Hunter a hard time about the missions you all were going on afte
r you left the Navy.”
“Paul swore up and down you favored him,” Finn persisted, “because you were always giving him a coy smile.”
“That’s not true. I didn’t pay any attention to him.” She felt her cheeks heat. Had everyone believed Paul’s teasing?
“Allan said you blushed whenever he caught your eye.”
She shook her head. “Not me. Ever.” When Finn didn’t say anything further, she looked over her shoulder at him. “Well, what did you say to the other guys about me?”
Finn smiled reminiscently. “That only I stood a chance with you because only I riled you so that you’d speak with me. Sure sign of love. I knew it was only a ploy to get me alone.”
“Yeah, right. So that I could have my wicked way with you? I’m sure they believed it as much as you did.”
For a long moment, he said nothing but caressed her neck and shoulders with his large hands. And then he chuckled. “If they didn’t before, they’ll believe so now.”
***
Later that night, as Finn relaxed with a sleeping Meara in his arms in the guest bedroom, he thought about the fun he’d had with her on the beach. Cooking the steaks and shrimp and watching the surf with the breeze in their hair had made him feel as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Like when he’d been a young man just out to have some fun.
He’d wanted to kiss her and hold her close, and he finally had allowed himself to do so, despite knowing Paul had to be watching them. He had tried to keep it just a sweetheart’s kiss, nothing too sensual, but with the way she’d leaned back in his arms and tilted her face up for more, he couldn’t help himself. He could never get enough of her.
Hunter would be on a rampage for sure as soon as he arrived.
After thinking how much he had enjoyed being with Meara, Finn closed his eyes and slept for a short while until Anna yanked open the guest bedroom door and said in a rush, “Hunter just drove into the driveway in case you want to make yourself presentable and… put some distance between you and Meara.”
Finn was torn between staying with Meara and seeing to Hunter.
“Stay,” Meara coaxed. Her voice had a sultry, sleepy quality as she tightened her arm around his as if intending to keep him in the bed with her by force if he thought otherwise.
“We’re sleeping,” Finn said firmly to Anna, tucking Meara tighter in his arms. “Close the door on your way out.”
“It’s your funeral,” Anna said cheerfully.
“I won’t let him kill you,” Meara whispered to Finn as the door clunked closed.
“Good.” He kissed her hair, the sweet fragrance of her shampoo tantalizing him. “I don’t care for funerals.”
He really didn’t think he could fall asleep, what with Hunter’s impending arrival, but as soon as he heard voices, he knew he couldn’t doze again.
“Where’s Finn?” Hunter asked gruffly from the direction of the living room.
“In the first guest bedroom on the right down that hall,” Anna offered.
“And Meara?”
“She was afraid of the dark,” Anna said very seriously.
“She’s with Finn?” Hunter asked, his voice irritated but with a hint of surprise.
Meara moaned. “She would have to tell him I was with you,” she said quietly to Finn.
He squeezed her in a warm embrace. “Good thing you’re afraid of the dark.”
“I’m not. And Hunter knows it.”
Finn shook his head. “We’ll have to come up with another story then.”
Meara sighed. “I’ll protect you.”
“Hmm.” Finn kissed her head and snuggled close with her. “Not to worry.”
Anna said to Hunter in a cheerful voice, “The master bedroom’s free if you want to sleep in there.”
“That’s all right,” Hunter said with dark promise. “I’ll just wait to hear the good news when my new brother-in-mating wakes to tell me.”
Finn let out his breath in a heavy exhale. This wasn’t going to be easy, because hell, he wasn’t even sure he knew what he was going to say to Meara’s brother when the time came.
***
When Finn finally decided he’d had enough of a rest and it was time to face Hunter, he left Meara to sleep longer in the bedroom or to hide away from Hunter while he had to deal with him. Finn took a shower, dressed casually in jeans and a plain blue T-shirt and a pair of sandals, and then walked down the hall to the living room to see a brooding Hunter.
He was the only one of the SEAL team who had let his hair grow long, and the windswept coffee-colored strands hanging to his collar softened his stern look. But his eyes, normally dark brown, were nearly black as he waited for Finn to make an appearance. His gaze had been focused on the front picture window but quickly shifted to Finn as he approached.
Finn noted that Anna must have gone to bed, and Paul was nowhere to be seen.
“We’ve got a bigger problem than dealing with my being with Meara,” Finn said, broaching the subject first, hoping to get the attention off him and Meara.
Hunter scowled at him. “My sister needs a mate. You’re leading her astray.”
Finn shrugged and remained standing, wanting to get a cup of coffee before he had any weighty, lengthy discussions about Meara or anything else. “Call it the courtship phase. If we decide we don’t get along well enough, no harm’s done.”
For a brief moment, Hunter seemed taken aback, as if he couldn’t see Finn courting any woman. Maybe because Finn never had.
“You aren’t right for her. She needs someone who’ll stay with her and keep her in line, not someone who is gallivanting around the continents, saving the whole wide world.”
“What about you and Tessa?”
“That’s different.”
“Really? I suppose time will tell since we haven’t been contacted for a mission since you got hitched. Then we’ll see if you’ll go or not. Then again, maybe it’s time for me to settle down.”
Hunter eyed him suspiciously. “Are you?”
Finn shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. She sure makes a man lose his sense of what’s important and what’s not.”
For the first time, Hunter gave him a sinister smile. Then it faded. “You haven’t met my mate. You might think I’ll run roughshod over you if you upset Meara, but you haven’t seen Tessa. She’s like a wolf with a mission when she’s got it in mind to right a wrong.”
“Anna said she wasn’t all wolf.”
“Believe me, she is.” Hunter took a deep breath and didn’t say anything for a moment as if he was coming to some conclusions of his own. Then he said, “All right, so what do we have concerning this case?”
“Two assassins who were human—run-of-the-mill guns for hire. Two others that were wolves.”
“I got a look at them. I didn’t recognize any of them, but Bjornolf’s running some prints on them.” Hunter frowned. “Because of the bruised eye and jaw that Bjornolf was sporting, I asked if he’d gotten injured when he took down one of the assassins, but he said he hadn’t. Some madly jealous wolf caught him unaware. Want to elaborate?”
“No.” Finn headed for the kitchen. “I’m getting a cup of coffee. Want one?”
Hunter followed him into the kitchen. “Sure. So what did Bjornolf do to Meara that you popped him twice for it?”
Finn knew Hunter wouldn’t take no for an answer about Bjornolf’s black eye. “He kissed her without her permission. Then he said he’d do it again with her permission.”
“Hell, Finn,” Hunter said, rubbing his hand over his jaw. “His regular job is killing assassins. And you socked him over Meara?” He shook his head, but he looked half amused and half pleased.
“Somebody had to do it.”
Hunter chuckled, and Finn figured he’d gotten into Hunter’s
good graces to some extent. Hunter’s phone jingled, and he lifted it off his belt. “Hey, honey. Yeah, I got here just fine.” He looked at Finn. “No, I haven’t killed him yet. I need him still. And Meara likes him. What can I say?” He listened for some time, smiled a whole hell of a lot, looked up at Finn, and then said, “I’ll tell him. Call you later. Get some sleep. I’ll return as soon as I can. Love you, too. Bye.”
Finn handed Hunter a cup of black coffee. “Was it Tessa?”
Hunter took a swig from his mug. “Yep.”
“Did she have a word for me?”
Hunter looked sternly at him. “Yep.”
“And it was?”
“If you’re sleeping with Meara, you’re mated to her. No going back on the deal. Tessa’s words.”
“Ah.”
“Tessa’s serious.” Hunter finished his coffee, walked over to the coffeemaker, and poured himself another cup. “Her words have merit. In the old days, Meara would be a ruined woman, and to be honorable, you would have to mate her.”
“If we both wanted the same thing, yeah. In this day and age? No. That’s saying Meara even wants me. She has issues, you know.”
Looking damned surprised, Hunter stared at Finn. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Nothing that she’d talk about, but deep down she’s afraid of an alpha male who might exercise too much control over her. She would never do well with a beta who would roll over and play dead at her feet, but…” Finn shrugged.
Hunter sat down on the bar stool. “Is that what her problem has been all these years? I always thought she needed a beta to boss around.”
Finn straightened and looked Hunter in the eye. “Bjornolf said he was interested in her.” Finn studied Hunter’s expression, glad to see his eyes darkening with irritation.
“Over my dead body,” Hunter growled. “He’d be ten times worse than you.”
Amused at the comparison, Finn smiled.
“I mean, as far as his work goes.”
“I knew what you meant.” Finn refilled his coffee mug. “Bjornolf said he’d try to track down Cyn and see where he’s been these past six months. If he was in the SEALs, we should be able to come up with something.”
