Chapter 19

19

I wasn’tsure what woke me up, the blinding morning sun coming in from the hotel window or the sounds Mellie was making. I brushed her hair off my face, letting the strands slip through my fingers. Day three waking up with Mellie. The first day I’d woken in time to enjoy the feel of her draped over me.

Beautiful torture.

That’s what this was. And if I couldn’t convince her to stay in Maryland and take a chance on us again, the beautiful would drop off, leaving nothing but more torturous memories.

“Bright,” she groaned and nuzzled in.

She’d done this near on every morning when we’d been together—nestle the side of her face on my stomach as she woke before she kissed my lower abdomen. Sometimes this would lead to those lips trailing down and sucking me off. Sometimes those lips would glide up my chest and she’d climb on and ride me. Sometimes that kiss led to me taking over and fucking her.

My body had not forgotten.

Meaning without the early morning phone call, she was about to get an altogether different kind of wake up if we didn’t get up and get a move on. The old-school kind, the kind that put the ‘good’ in morning.

“You didn’t close the curtains,” she sleepily accused.

Then I felt it—those beautiful fucking lips. My abs contracted, my fingers still running through her hair froze, and to prevent myself from moving I fisted the sheet with my other hand.

“Melissa,” I warned.

“Mmm,” she hummed.

The vibration shot straight to my dick.

“I missed you,” she whispered, shifted, and started sliding her lips lower.

“I missed you, too, baby.”

Melissa lifted her head, tipped her eyes up, and gave me something I never thought I’d have again.

Soft, sleepy hazel eyes with a hint of hunger.

Still whispering she amended, “I really missed you, Garrett.”

I let that pain of knowing it was my fault she’d missed me even for a day slice through me. I welcomed the agony as it heated my blood and tightened my chest. I memorized the hurt in her voice and filed it away.

“I promise, Mellie, I fucking promise, baby, if you let me, I’ll make it so you never miss me again.”

Before she could respond the goddamn phone rang.

Melissa blinked and the spell was broken.

But I saw it, the flash of hope, and that was all I needed.

* * *

We weresix hours into our drive, and this was the fifth time my phone had rung.

“Zane,” Melissa announced before I could look at the car’s information screen.

Since I’d received back-to-back calls from Cash, Melissa had connected my phone to her car. Seeing my boss’s name on the screen made me regret this decision. Zane was unpredictable at best. Downright offensive would’ve been a more accurate way to label him.

“Want me to answer?”

Hell no, I didn’t want Zane on speaker phone.

“No. I’ll call him back.”

Melissa declined the call and three seconds later it rang again.

Fuck.

I used the button on the steering wheel to connect, hoping in vain he’d control his mouth.

“Hope you’re wrapping it before—”

“You’re on speaker,” I cut in just in time.

“So?”

So?

Christ.

“Melissa’s in the car with me.”

“And?”

“Why’d you call?”

“To remind you that one plus one equals three. Don’t be a fool and wrap your tool.”

The call disconnected and for a moment I wondered if he was dropped on his head as a child. Then I tried to remember how much money I had in investments and if I retired now if I could take care of Melissa and the children we were going to have.

“Um,” Mellie started. “What was that?”

“That was Zane being an idiot.”

“And Zane’s your boss?”

The disbelief in her tone didn’t surprise me. Not many people outside of my line of business would believe that not only was Zane Lewis one of the best operators the Navy had ever trained, he was also the most sought after when shit hit the fan. He was also the most immature, socially dysfunctional person I knew. There wasn’t a boundary Zane respected. But his loyalty was unmatched. Once you had his respect and love he would burn the world to save you. There were very few people stupid enough to cross Zane Lewis.

“Yep.”

“And he’s one of your closest friends?”

“He’s a total asshole and the best man I know. There is no one I trust more than Zane.”

Melissa tucked one leg under herself and twisted in her seat facing me before she went on.

“So, let me get this straight. Your boss, the best man you know, the person you trust more than anyone, who is an asshole just told you to…not be a fool and wrap your tool.”

Jesus, that sounded even more ridiculous when she said it.

“That’s Zane.”

“That’s crazy.”

She wasn’t wrong.

“It’s his love language.”

I heard her giggle, a sound I missed so damn much, a sound I vowed to win back, a sound I was willing to do anything to keep.

“Though I have to say his stupid jokes have never been aimed my way. I’ve always been on the sidelines laughing at my teammates.”

“So he tells all his employees to wear condoms?”

I have been involved in some pretty absurd conversations, but none more bizarre than me explaining that my extremely wealthy, highly respected boss acted like an adolescent boy.

“No. Well yes, but only when he knows one of his men has found the woman he’s gonna marry. At first I thought it was because Red Team was dropping like flies and he was afraid they’d start having children and he’d lose men. But that wasn’t it. He was watching his men struggle through emotions they weren’t used to feeling. They were fighting giving in to those emotions. Zane has a variety of ways of making a man evaluate his life. He tries humor first. If that doesn’t work, you get tough love.”

“I don’t get it. How does telling a man to wear a condom spark him to evaluate his emotions?”

“It doesn’t. It annoys the fuck out of him. Especially when he does it in front of his woman like he just did me. But it’s what sparks the tough love and that’s the part when Zane makes them see reason.”

“He’s done this to all your teammates?”

“Yep.”

“But never to you?”

This was important she understand so I glanced over at her and took the maximum safe time I had to hold her stare before my eyes went back to the road.

“I have never brought a woman around any of my teammates in the ten years I’ve been working for Z Corps. Not one. Not ever.”

Silence lingered and neither of us attempted to fill it.

I had one shot to get her to stay. One last chance to get this right. If I couldn’t convince her, I knew who could. I’d watched Zane bring war-hardened operators to their knees, surely he could persuade a sweet, stubborn, beautiful woman to take a chance on me.

* * *

“It’s Kira,”Melissa announced when my phone rang again.

I hit the button and answered, “Hey.”

“Couple of things,” she cut right to it. “I just got off the phone with Derrick Jenkins.”

When she didn’t continue, I prompted, “Yeah? Any news on Ran?”

It had been three days since Slater was found murdered and Ran was still in the wind. He hadn’t been back to the farm and Kira had been monitoring his credit cards, bank accounts, and using the facial recognition program she developed to track him. So far nothing. Which was more than a little concerning seeing as a low-level criminal like Ran had zero chance of getting by Patheon. If the guy was out roaming the street somewhere, Kira would have a location within seconds.

“No. They’ve got nothing. I’ve got nothing. And now I’ve got bad news and more bad news. Someone broke into the Rivers’ home last night but they were dressed head to toe in black, including gloves and a full face mask. I’m sorry Melissa.”

Wide-eyed, Mellie asked, “Why would someone break into my parents’ house?”

“Was anything taken?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

Kira’s cautious tone told me she was thinking along the same line I was but didn’t want to be the one to tell Melissa.

Fuck.

I reached over, found her hand, twisted, and wrapped my fingers around hers.

Only then did I ask, “Looking for the kids?”

Though it wasn’t a question, it was a statement of fact.

Melissa’s hand spasmed and her fingers tightened.

“That’s what the FBI thinks and we agree.”

This time, Mellie’s hand didn’t spasm—her whole body shook.

“That’s actually good news, baby. Means no one knows your parents took off.”

“Right,” she whispered.

“Means no one was watching,” I tried.

“Okay.”

“Sorry to say that’s all I got,” Kira said.

We were facing another night in a hotel. Eight hours in the car seemed to be all the kids could take. Or more to the point, all Cash could take.

I was going to owe him huge for this.

“We’re still clear?” I asked Kira.

“Absolutely.”

I didn’t question her; if Kira said we were clear of a tail, I trusted her.

“Thanks. Talk soon.”

The call disconnected.

“I’m scared.”

She didn’t sound scared, she sounded terrified.

“I promise you, nothing will happen to Christian or Gracie. Swear it, baby.”

There was no wavering when she said, “I know you won’t.”

I let that roll through me then I called Cash.

“Yo, man,” he happily chirped.

“What do you say we stop early, pick a kid-friendly place to eat, and meet up?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“I’ll have Mellie find a place with a hotel nearby. We’ll have dinner and give them some time together.”

“Copy that.”

I wondered how long it would take or if it would ever sink in that Cash trusted me. No questions asked. Pure trust.

“Find a place for us to stop, baby.”

“Really?”

“If you can hold out seeing your family for another hour or two that’d be ideal. If not, no worries, we’ll make it up tomorrow.”

She pulled her hand free, twisted, leaned over the console, and brought her lips to my jaw.

“Thank you, honey.”

Those sweet words were more than enough. But the lingering kiss—fucking sublime.

* * *

“Auntie Mellie, there you are!”Christian skipped to his aunt.

I thought I’d mentally prepared myself to see the boy again.

I hadn’t. At least not enough. The resemblance was remarkable. Coloring, eyes, facial features, the boy truly looked like he could be Melissa’s child. The first time I saw him the pain was unbearable. I couldn’t stop all the what ifs and regrets from tumbling around in my head. Seeing him now was no less painful. The only difference was I knew it would hurt, and it did like a motherfucker, but at least the pain wasn’t crippling.

“Hey, buddy.”

Melissa swung Christian up into her arms and hugged the boy. Visions of her doing the same to our kids swarmed my thoughts.

One day.

“Grandpa said since I won the quiet game, I can have a Sprite.”

“Did he?”

“Yep.”

“Well, then we better get in there so you can get your Sprite.”

Melissa put the boy on his feet. As soon as she did his hands went in the air and he shouted, “Cash is king!”

My gaze shot to my friend just in time to watch him dip his chin and smile at the pavement. When he was done doing that his eyes lifted and came to me.

Asshole thought he was funny.

“I’ll give you that, brother, but only because you still got another twelve hours to go.”

Cash’s smile faded.

I strolled to Mellie, tagged her hand, and pulled her close.

“Tonight we’ll stay at the same hotel as them. But you stay with me.”

“Okay, honey.”

No argument.

No stubborn glint in her eyes.

“Love you, Mellie.”

She gave me a small smile but didn’t give me the words.

For some reason I was beginning to like she hadn’t said them back.

When we fell in love it had been easy. I’d earned her love, but I didn’t have to work hard for it.

This time around, I’d need to prove my worth.

I’d have to prove I was worthy of her.

Which meant I had to face Kira and my brothers.