by Regan Black
He stilled her hands as she flicked open the button. She groaned, edging toward frantic as she kissed the line of his collarbone where she knew he was ticklish, breathing in that scent that was him alone.
He flinched, chuckled as he carried her to the couch. The man was almost too gentle as he bared her body to his view. Only the hunger in his gaze kept her from begging him to hurry. It was a marvel, being the object of that look, seeing a reflection of the needs and desire crackling though her veins.
At last, he pulled a condom from his wallet and rolled it into place. He buried himself deep into her body and each slow, heavy thrust melted her from the inside out. She couldn’t hang on, couldn’t hold on a moment longer. The orgasm crashed through her and she clung to that blissful edge until his body shuddered with his release.
He shifted her around until she was sprawled over him, easing those lingering aches with those amazing hands. Fatigue and satisfaction tugged at her and she pulled the quilt over them before dozing off, his heartbeat a comforting echo under her ear.
* * *
Derek relaxed under her pliant limbs, unwilling to disturb her as she slept. They were incredible together, though they still had yet to try this in a real bed. The couch was better than a bedroll, but he suspected her hip would be screaming when she woke up. Probably the rest of her as well, considering she’d been hit by a car.
He wondered how she did it. Most people, himself included, would crumble under the strain of her current situation. The idea of someone coming after her and her siblings was deeply disturbing. Here, in the quiet aftermath, it dawned on him that she must have been pulled off the training exercise as a safety precaution.
So did that make the helicopter accident an accident or had it been the madman’s impressive reach? Either way, he had to make her understand no one else put the blame for Kevin’s injury at her feet. He didn’t have to know anything about the misappropriation accusation against her to know it was all fabricated. Grace Ann wouldn’t jeopardize her career. More than that, she wouldn’t risk tarnishing her family name.
He’d never met anyone as determined to live up to the legendary standards of their parents.
The stress was getting to her, though. He saw it when her hands were restless, her mind distracted and of course the panic attack when the car backfired.
He slipped out from under her, tucking the quilt around her as she curled on her side. Dressing, he went to the guest room for his cell phone and laptop, automatically checking the street as he went. A new car and team was in place out front. James and Tyler were most likely at the shop getting their tire replaced.
Obviously, he didn’t know Hank as well as Grace Ann did, but the man didn’t seem prone to drama or overkill. He didn’t care that she hadn’t received a fresh “you will pay” note. He would stick around until Hank could get someone else with all the right credentials and training in place. Grace Ann was too important to him. Whatever they might be to each other, he wouldn’t take risks with her safety.
He opened his laptop at the table and sat down to catch up on his email. A quick scan of his inbox made it obvious he needed to call the office. He had his cell phone to his ear before he realized noise would likely wake Grace Ann.
He ducked out the back door as his assistant picked up. Loreen was sweet enough to ask about Kevin before filling him in on the current crisis. Summarizing the long list of concerns, they identified the most urgent needs and developed a plan of action.
“You sound good,” Loreen said. “Better than I expected.”
“Kevin’s great.” Derek leaned against one column of the pergola shading the patio. “It’ll take some time, but his medical team and army unit are on the ball.”
“That’s really good news.”
A hitch in her voice caught his attention. “What? Is Hudson eyeballing my office?”
“No!” She laughed. “Well, yes, he is always after your office. I’m just so glad you’re not, um, depressed or something. I know how much you hate hospitals.”
“Oh.” It wasn’t like he didn’t have good reasons.
“I’ve heard Walter Reed has a great campus. You only sound this relaxed after one of your nature weekends.”
She didn’t know she was referencing his outings with Grace Ann. He had no idea those weekends had made such a noticeable difference to his demeanor. “I was scared as hell for Kevin,” he admitted. “You’re just hearing loads of relief.” He tried to hide his eagerness to get off the phone. “He’s expecting me up in his room for dinner,” he fibbed. “So I’ll get going.”
“Great,” Loreen said. “We’re all thinking of you both,” she said. “You are coming back?” she queried in a muffled whisper.
“Yes,” he chuckled. “I may have to telecommute for a few weeks until Kevin is cleared to be on his own again, but I’m coming back.”
“Good. I’ve got my marching orders. You keep doing whatever has you in such a good mood.”
The easiest assignment he’d ever heard. “I’ll tell Kevin you said hello.”
Ending the call, he stepped into the sunshine, soaking up the sense of peace and contentment. Yes, he was relieved for Kevin and curious about what next step he might explore with Grace Ann. Eager, he headed back inside. Near the decorative stand by the door, he saw a folded card wedged under the potted plant.
“YOU WILL PAY” was scrawled on the card in dark red ink, in all caps.
His pleasant, relaxed mood evaporated in a flash of fear for Grace Ann. This was the message she’d expected. The bastard trying to punish her father had been right here. Too close to Grace Ann. Icy fingers danced down Derek’s spine.
He took a picture of the note card and sent a text to Hank with a brief message. “I’m taking her out of here.”
Let Hank come investigate the scene and collect any evidence. Clearly the Riley Hunter knew where she lived and was making his point. Derek wasn’t going to spend one more minute playing along or tempting fate.
Chapter 7
He sat back once the bugs had gone quiet, concerned about the unexpected intimacy he’d overheard. He’d planted the devices to learn her daily plans and routine so he could cause more fear-inducing panic, eroding her confidence and trust in her protection detail. His always being a step ahead would be the last straw for this particular Riley, he was sure of it.
He’d been through her service record and wrung every drop of information from his inside source to get a handle on her mind-set and her personal life. He recognized breakable when he saw it, just as he recognized an ambitious man with something to prove, like his source.
Major Riley had been through hell on her last tour. His source had shared plenty of details about how her demeanor had changed since the unit returned to the States. Her devotion to her patients had become more pronounced and the distance from her friends increased.
The man in her home changed the equation. Either that acquaintance had escalated quickly or his source had missed a critical element in the research. He needed to get a better picture before he left town.
At his laptop, he connected to his cloud service and reviewed his notes. Her last serious relationship had been over two years ago. Since her return to the States, she reportedly hadn’t dated at all. If she had an established romantic relationship with the man staying with her, his lead on the ground had failed him. If it was simply an adrenaline response, there were fewer factors to interfere with his ultimate plan to destroy General Riley and everything the man held dear.
After a brief internal debate, he sent the message, demanding a meeting. In planning his attack, he’d eliminated as many face-to-face encounters as possible, assembling his team through referrals and successful test operations. He had a network of select managers in place where the Riley children were stationed around the country, ready to act on his command. Truly, it was a setup that would please even General Riley
’s passion for organization.
Grace Ann was special to the general, and therefore her takedown had to be special. The general had never outright called her his favorite child, but he didn’t have to. The look in his eyes when he shared family stories or shared news of her being honored for one thing or another made it clear she was his pride and joy.
The pride and joy was about to disappoint her father in dramatic fashion. She would be disgraced, humiliated, dishonorably discharged, and if she lived through the hell he was sending her way, she’d be too broken to ever create joy again.
* * *
“Hank,” Grace Ann murmured, recognizing the number on Derek’s cell phone screen when it hummed on the counter in Kevin’s hospital room. Another chill trickled down her spine and she wrapped the panels of her cardigan tightly around her.
Though Derek had woken her gently just over an hour ago, his urgency had been unmistakable. He’d taken her outside and shown her the note from the Riley Hunter. The chills had started immediately. Fear or rage, she couldn’t separate one from the other, and she couldn’t get warm.
The man tormenting her father had been to her home or sent someone in his place. He’d been at her back door. When? How long had he stayed? Had he peered into her windows? She’d walked her backyard, searching for a trail. Finding everything in order was somehow worse.
When Derek told her they were leaving the house, she hadn’t argued, more than willing to go. He’d gathered the few items he’d brought while she packed her essentials. They loaded into his car and she didn’t even care where they went or how long she’d be away. In the reflection of the side mirror, she’d watched two men hustle to her house on Hank’s orders.
They’d brought Kevin his brownies and chattered about nothing in particular while fear coiled in the pit of her stomach like a rattlesnake ready to strike. She didn’t dare let it show or the pictures might get back to her father. The hunter behind these attacks wanted a reaction and she refused to be his pawn. Not even anger cut through the chills. Her house and the hospital were home turf, her domain. She didn’t appreciate being chased away from the two places she always considered safe havens.
“You okay?” Kevin asked as Derek stepped outside to take the call.
She rubbed her palms together and pressed them between her knees. “I’m great.”
He pointed to his throat. “Feeling better?”
In her rush to get out of the house, she’d forgotten to change into something that concealed the lingering marks. “Better than you, I’m sure,” she teased.
“Come on, Grace Ann. Talk around here is a psych patient jumped you.”
She couldn’t recall sharing that explanation with anyone other than Hank. “Not a big deal,” she said. “How’d you hear about it?”
He winked. “Gossip in the workplace is everyone’s favorite addiction.”
“I thought that was social media,” she said.
“Same difference.”
“Probably,” she agreed. “Speaking of rumors, PT says you’re top of the class.”
He sat up straighter. “I am a stud down in PT,” he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “It’s not as easy as people think to walk away from a helicopter crash.”
She appreciated his sense of humor almost as much as she appreciated that he still felt comfortable around her. Of course, he didn’t know the whole truth. “They carried you away.”
“A vicious rumor.” He pretended to get serious. “You could help me out by quashing that one whenever it’s spoken.”
“Sure thing,” she promised. “I can’t crush the legend-in-your-own-mind thing you’ve got going.”
“Thanks,” he said with such sincerity she laughed.
The normal banter felt good, reassuring, though she still hadn’t worked up the courage to apologize to Kevin. The words kept circling through her mind, like a gerbil on a wheel. Whenever she opened her mouth, the words jammed up, but she had to try. Who knew when she’d have another chance?
She glanced to the door and confirmed Derek was still on the phone. “I’m sorry, Kevin.” There, the most important words were out.
“For what? This?” His nostrils flared and his gaze narrowed. “You need to stop blaming yourself for every damned thing.”
Oh, she wanted to lay the blame where it belonged, especially in light of the note Derek had found. She just couldn’t. Evidence or not, she was 99 percent sure that helicopter went down because someone thought she’d be on it.
“The situation...” She had to stop and hit a mental reset switch or she would have babbled uncontrollably. “It’s different.” Yes, lousy things happened to good people every day. It had always been harder for her to see a friend hurt than to carry that pain herself. “They put you on that helo in my place because of a last-minute protective order from way up the chain of command. I can’t help feeling it should be me in that bed, not you. I’m so, so sorry.”
He stared at her a long time. “Are you telling me you wouldn’t have needed a stretcher?”
He was gallantly lighting the way out of a dark conversation, and she responded in kind. “Based on my additional training and experience, it’s a valid theory.”
“But you’re a girl,” he said with a snort.
The outrageous response had her sputtering and laughing. Leave it to Kevin. “You’re too good for any of us,” she said when she caught her breath.
“Stud,” he said, tapping his chest.
“Yeah, well, the PT department will crack that fragile bravado soon enough.”
“Says you.” Kevin glanced past her, saw Derek was still occupied. “Seriously. I don’t care who pulled you or why. You didn’t cause the instrument failure they tell me led to the crash. Tell me you understand it was an accident. It’s not your fault.”
“Working on it.” Logic and common sense said she couldn’t be held accountable for the actions of another person—a person determined to wreak havoc on her life. Unfortunately her emotions were rolling around like loose marbles, impossible to wrangle and getting underfoot at the worst times.
“Can I ask you a favor?” Kevin asked suddenly.
“Of course. You know I’ll do anything for you.”
Kevin motioned her to lean closer. “Keep Derek as far from me as possible.” Her confusion must have been obvious as he rushed to add, “He means well, but we can’t let him slide back into that caregiver role. I see the strain on his face already.”
She suspected the stress lining his face today had more to do with her than Kevin. “I’ll do my best.”
“If I know him, he’ll drop everything and stick here indefinitely.” He grabbed her hand. “I love him. That’s why I can’t let him hang out here too long. He put his entire life on hold for me when we were kids. Make sure he goes home and keeps moving on with his life, okay?”
“I will,” she promised, hugging his hand between both of hers. Though she’d miss Derek, she had to get him back home where he could be safe, before he shifted those caregiving tendencies to her.
“Good. I think he has someone special at home. I don’t want my mess to screw that up for him.”
“Someone special?” she asked through the sudden buzzing in her ears.
Kevin nodded. “Pretty sure. He’s like Fort Knox with personal details.”
She and Derek were only friends with benefits and they’d specifically agreed they were free to date other people. Yet those kisses after lunch had felt different. Special. New. If he was interested in someone else back home, how could he have made love to her like that?
“A couple weeks ago,” Kevin was saying, “he was completely off the radar and when he did get back to me there was something he wasn’t saying. Don’t let him blow off someone awesome because I fell out of a helo.”
A couple weeks ago. She stuffed the shock and hurt deep to deal with later. H
er last trip with Derek had been six weeks ago. That meant she wasn’t the “someone awesome” Kevin suspected. Considering their agreement, he should have told her. “I’ll make it happen.”
“What’s that?” Derek asked, striding in.
“Kevin wants his favorite burger from Roscoe’s when he’s moved to the nursing center,” she improvised.
“We can definitely do that,” Derek agreed. He shot her a look she couldn’t quite decipher. “Tonight, if you want.”
“Oh, thanks, but I’m all set for dinner tonight,” Kevin replied.
“You are?” Derek asked, suspicious.
Grace Ann rolled her eyes. Kevin was too much like her younger brothers. “He’s made an attractive friend or two along the way.”
“Here?” Derek’s eyebrows arched in shock.
“It happens more often than you think,” she deadpanned.
“Helps to be the guy who walked away from a helicopter crash.” Kevin smirked with blazing overconfidence.
“I suppose we’ll have to start calling you Norris,” Grace Ann said.
Derek frowned as Kevin gave an enthusiastic cheer.
“That’s me. Yes!”
“Chuck Norris.” Derek groaned when it clicked. “You start that and there will be no living with him again.”
They were all laughing when an aide stepped in, a shy smile on her face. Grace Ann immediately noticed that she didn’t work on this floor. Picking up the cues, she nudged Derek out, leaving Kevin to flirt.
When they were well away from Kevin’s room she asked about the phone call. To her surprise, Derek asked her to take them to a part of the hospital she didn’t visit regularly. Concerned, she led him to a canteen that specialized in baked goods and fancy lattes. “What’s the problem?” she asked when they were settled at the counter.
“Hank’s team found two bugs in your house. One near the kitchen pass-through, the other in the front room.”
