Chapter Twenty

Wick

Two days later, Angelfish Cay Drive, North Key Largo, Florida…

Wick stood before the sprawling two-story mansion, staring at it with her eyes wide. The beach house, with its pristine white exterior and expansive windows, seemed to stretch on for acres. The gentle lapping of the ocean waves against the shore and the distant cries of seagulls added to the serene atmosphere.

"So? What do you think? Is this a nicer place than ours?" Wick asked, glancing down at Nitro.

Wagging his tail enthusiastically, he responded with his eyes bright, "Ruff, ruff… yahoo!"

"Okay, granted. The beach is much nicer and clearly bigger for you to run around, but the house?" She turned her gaze back to the impressive structure, taking in the elegant balconies and the sparkling pool that overlooked the ocean. "It's huge. Can you imagine the cost of upkeep? Let alone dusting all those rooms."

"Grruff." Nitro's half-growl, half-bark was indicative that he didn't agree or that he was actually rolling his eyes—which she firmly believed he did most days during their talks.

"Don't give me that look," she said, narrowing her eyes playfully. "That's a real issue. You know I hate dust."

"Ruff, ruff, aarf, arf… ruuuff huumaan," Nitro replied, his tail wagging even more vigorously.

"Hmm, I guess you're right. He does have a ton of people looking after the place. Imagine that, a housekeeper, a chef, a gardener, and I don't even know what the others do."

"Grafffy, ruff, arff," Nitro barked, his head tilted to the side.

"Don't you, exactly me," Wick retorted, placing her hands on her hips. "You know how pedantic I am about a clean house."

"Gruff." Nitro's response was accompanied by what Wick could only interpret as an eye roll.

"There you go again. Rolling your eyes at me."

Nitro did a short jump, stomping his feet playfully. He shook his head, his ears flopping from side to side, then took off toward the surf, his legs carrying him swiftly across the sandy beach. The dog's unbridled joy was contagious, and Wick couldn't help but laugh as she watched him splash in the shallow waves.

"Hey! Come back here. I'm talking to you," she called after him in a voice soaked in amusement. "Gmphf, cheeky dog."

As Nitro frolicked in the water, his barks and yelps of delight carrying on the salty breeze, Wick turned her attention back to the magnificent beach house. She couldn't deny the allure of the place, with its picturesque setting and luxurious amenities. It was a far cry from their own, much smaller home, but she couldn't help but wonder what life would be like in such an opulent residence.

"Well, I'm here now, and I'm not leaving. Max DuPont is stuck with me." With a contented sigh, Wick made her way toward the shore, the soft sand beneath her feet and the gentle breeze tousling her hair. As she approached the water's edge, Nitro bounded over to her, his fur dripping with seawater and his tongue lolling out in a happy grin, which morphed into a low growl.

"How did you find my house, Wick?"

"Holy shit!" she shrieked, startled by the dark voice, then scrambled to get between the charging ball of fur aiming for Max's throat. "Stop! Sit."

"Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!"

"No, he just surprised me. This is our friend." She patted his head and kept her voice calm and even. "Remember the one I told you about? It's his house we were just talking about. This is Max." She turned. "Max, this is Nitro. He's a trained K9 military dog and—No! Nitro, down!" Wick screamed as Nitro ignored her commands and charged Max.

"What the actual fuck?" she gasped and stared at the man and dog displaying joy and happiness. Running around in circles until finally, Max sat down on the sand and hugged the big dog fiercely.

"You're still alive! Damn, Nitro, it's good to see you."

"I… what is going on here?" Wick was completely confused.

"Arrff, Arrffuu." Nitro bounced about in a show of pure joy.

"I was Nitro's handler for two years. During a secret mission to Afghanistan, he was critically wounded. I was told he didn't make it."

"I'm lost. I know you were in the military, but that was many years ago. How could you have been his handler as recently as five years ago?"

"I still do certain covert ops for Delta Force. Nitro and I were teamed up when he was just a puppy to assist in a long-term mission to uncover corruption in the military." A dark frown creased his brow. "And that is information no one but Jax, and now you know, so please keep it to yourself."

"Of course. You don't even have to tell me that." She smiled and hugged Nitro as he circled her briefly before running back to Max. "Now I understand his reaction when we arrived at the house. He could smell you. He has never acted so erratically, chasing and smelling around the house. I'm only realizing it now; he was searching all over for you."

"Which brings me back to my original question. How did you find my house?"

"Hmm, see, I would be rather pleased if you asked why I was here, not how I found your house." She waved him off as he opened his mouth to respond. "Either way, I'll tell you. After my first escapade on board Club Decadent Skies, I tried finding you, but since all I had was a man called Master M, who doesn't seem to have any kind of social media presence, I hit a brick wall. Once I found out who you were, I could dig deeper. Et voila… here I am."

"None of my properties are open to public perusal, Wick."

"Don't I know it. We had a hell of a time finding any information about you other than the brief bio on CyberCo Airline's website."

"So, you involved someone on your staff in your search, opening my life, that I have deliberately kept from public eyes to others?"

"Just my IT guru, who is also my best friend. I can assure you she won't say a word to anyone. I trust her with my life." Wick tilted her head sideways. "You ran out on me. I planned on going with you."

Max stared at her for long moments, with his expression as closed as a book that got lost way back during the crusades.

"I know."

"So, you did hear me call you. Why didn't you wait?"

Max rubbed Nitro's fur, his gaze turning troubled as he gazed out to sea.

"Maybe because I didn't want you to see me at my most vulnerable."

"You vulnerable? Oh, c'mon, Max. You're the strongest man I've ever met. There's no way you'd ever be…"

The look on his face hijacked the rest of her sentence. Her legs felt like crumbling as he allowed the remembered pain and disillusionment open for her to see. She rushed over and hugged him, her body trembling all over. Nitro jumped up and wrapped his front paws around them, their protector, and from what she could ascertain for both of them, their savior.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Max." She cupped his cheeks, exulting in the death grip with which he hugged her. "Never again, you hear me? We committed to make this relationship, this growing forever after, between us work. That means we're there for each other. In good and bad, in sadness and joy, and in laughter and tears. I will never judge you, just as I know you'll never judge me, no matter what. You don't do this again. Next time, I will go with you. No argument."

"There won't be a next time."

"You know as well as I do that no one can predict the future, honey. I need you to say it. You'll never cut me off like that again."

"Honey?" he hedged.

"Ruff. Arffuu." Nitro echoed her feelings of frustration. At least he was still on her side.

"You don't like it? How about lovey, or honey buns, or wait, I know… studmaster?"

"Graff." This time, Wick was sure Nitro rolled his eyes at her.

"How about you just say it, love?"

Wick turned to stone. She didn't have to ask what he meant. It was there in his eyes—his feelings, his needs, and his desire to know it was reciprocated.

God, how can one woman get so lucky so quickly?

"I don't know how it happened," she began softly. Her fingers plucked at the buttons of his shirt. "Stefan turned me cynical, which is why I walked away from feelings, from ever finding my happy ever after. This… us, it's happening so fast…" She smiled timidly. "I don't know if I can trust it, Max, but I'll be damned if I don't give it my all. I'm in love with you. No, that's not it. Even though it's only been a short time, I know that I love you. Period. For me, this is it. I believe that in you, I've found the soul mine has been searching for."

"Hearing you say those words just voids the ugliness of my past I've been struggling with since my return. With the kind of life I had, I never believed love existed. I'm still weary whether I truly know what it means to open my soul to another person. You make me believe. Yes, it's fast, but I'm not a youngster anymore, and although emotionally scarred, I'm mature enough to recognize what we have is exactly what I have dreaded my entire life—loving and trusting another with my heart." He caught her lips in a passionate kiss. "In you I trust. I give you my heart, Willow Carter."

"Oh, God, Max… I never knew how much I missed that name until this very moment." Tears gathered in her eyes. "I'm going to change it back. Now I have a reason to."

"Hmm, perhaps you should wait and do the change once." His smile was brilliant in the bright midday sun. "Willow DuPont has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Oh, I do, honey. I do, indeed."

"Raff. Arf. Arfff." Nitro was in total agreement with the development as he ran circles around the couple, who were lost in each other's arms as they gave over to the emotions wrapping them in a cocoon of love and joy.

"It seems we have Nitro's approval," Max murmured as his lips captured hers in a kiss filled with reverence that quickly turned into passion as he tumbled her on her back and settled between her legs.

"Max! What are you doing? We're on a beach... Ooh," she sighed when his fingers found the swollen nub between her legs.

"It's a private beach, my love." He strummed it lazily, watching the heat blaze to light up her eyes. "No one will come… except us," he joked when he slipped the straps from her shoulders to bare her quivering breasts to his gaze.

"Ah, so lovely and so tasty," he murmured against her skin just before he sucked a taut nipple into his mouth.

Wick's breathy sighs floated over the sound of the ocean as their passion rose to match the crashing waves that swirled a dance of joy behind them.

"Oh, my… Max!" she sighed as the blunt tip of his tumescence nudged her wet lips, parting eagerly to allow him entrance.

Their sighs married in one breath of pleasure as he settled hilt deep inside her.

"Ah, my love. Perfect, you are so perfect for me," he praised as he rocked and ground into her. Their passion alighted into flagrant lust as he drove into her, desperate to reach the acme of pleasure that finally took their breaths away. He looked into her eyes as their climax slowly ebbed to a throbbing pulse deep inside her.

"You are mine now, my sweet little Phoenix. I'll never let you go."

"Ditto, honey."