Chapter 15

"This needs to end," Fletch demanded in a deadly tone to the colonel. "He needs to be in the brig until he's chaptered out. He threatened Emily and her daughter to my face! He doesn't give a shit about authority and he's escalating."

Fletch and the rest of the team were sitting around the table with the colonel, discussing the incident from the other night.

"He flat-out told me he was planning some grand scheme, and if he touches one hair on Emily or Annie's head, I can't guarantee his safety."

The colonel held up his hand. "Look, I get that you're pissed, but don't overreact."

It was Hollywood who spoke up this time, his words all the more effective because he was usually the quiet one who backed up his teammates, but never really started anything. "That's bullshit and you know it, Sir. What would you do if this was your wife he was harassing? Would you like for someone to tell you not to overreact?"

"Of course not, but it's being handled."

Beatle shook his head. "Not very well. With all due respect, Sir, this needs to be moved up the chain of command."

The older man sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I know, and I'm doing everything I can. All I'm asking is for you to not go crazy. So far it seems like, other than the money thing, he's been all talk."

"Talk leads to other shit," Truck observed dryly.

"I know," the colonel conceded. "I have a meeting with the general today. He'll fast track this."

"And lock him up until it's done?" Fletch persisted.

"Yes. I will highly suggest he take that into consideration."

Fletch wasn't happy with the conversation, but honestly hadn't thought it would go any other way. After being cut off from Emily, Jacks hadn't really done anything that broke the law. There was nothing against showing up at the same restaurant where they were having dinner, but Fletch knew it was an intimidation tactic on the other man's part. At least he wanted it to be. Unfortunately, or fortunately, he picked the wrong group of men to try to intimidate. It was one thing to be able to blackmail a mother with a young child, it was another altogether to try to do the same to a team of Delta Force soldiers…even if he didn't know they were Delta.

"Appreciate anything you can do with this," Ghost said, always the peacemaker. It was why he was their leader, he could schmooze with the best of them—but then turn around and stab them in the back if necessary.

After the colonel left, the team stuck around to try to figure out what their next step would be.

"Can we just beat the shit out of him and be done with it?" Truck asked, obviously pissed off.

The fact that his friends were upset on his and Emily's behalf went a long way toward calming Fletch down. "We need to play this cool. We'll put Tex on him and see what he can come up with. Otherwise it needs to be status quo on our parts," Fletch stressed. "I'll make sure Em knows to be on the lookout for anything odd. Annie too."

"You'll tell Annie what's been going on?" Truck asked incredulously.

"Not the details, but she's not stupid. She already knows that her mom had a ‘not nice' friend and that he's bad news."

At the grim look on Truck's face, Fletch continued, "Seriously, the kid lives for Nancy Drew and GI Joe. I'll make it a game to her, she'll be fine."

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure, Truck. I wouldn't do anything to hurt or scare that little girl. She means the world to me. I wouldn't do anything to mess with her head."

His teammates nodded, knowing what Fletch said came from his heart.

"I do need a favor though."

"Anything."

"You got it."

"Whatever you need."

The reassurances from his friends made him thankful for the millionth time that he was privileged enough to work with these men. "I need someone, or a couple of you, to entertain Annie for a day, preferably as soon as possible."

Seeing the smirks and sly grins, Fletch knew his friends knew exactly why he was asking.

"Movin' in on that, huh?" Hollywood asked.

"Hell yeah. But I know Em will be uneasy if Annie's around. I need her to understand how much she means to me…and I can't do that if there's the possibility of her daughter interrupting us."

At the nods around the table, Fletch relaxed. He'd been ready to defend his escalation of his relationship with Emily if need be, but he shouldn't have worried. After the team saw what Ghost and Rayne went through, and how Fletch was with Emily the night she was sick, everyone realized that she was it for their friend.

"How about this weekend? There's that carnival thing on base. We could take her there," Blade suggested.

"Yeah, and she likes military stuff, right? We could show her the museum," Beatle added.

"And what about the PT grounds? She'd probably get a kick out of the obstacle course, right?" Truck chimed in.

"Thanks you guys, she'll love it."

"Think Emily will agree?" Ghost asked seriously. "It has been fast, and she doesn't really know all of us that well yet."

It was a legitimate question. "Yeah, I think so. I'll talk to her. She knows that I'd trust you all with my life, so I think she'll be okay with it. I'll make her understand that the only people Annie would be safer with, other than me and her, is you guys."

"It's a plan then," Beatle stated resolutely. "Anything else?"

"Not for now. Thanks."

"Come on, the colonel wants us to go over the latest intel from the state department and give our thoughts. We have a long day of reviewing crappy surveillance and satellite video to get through," Ghost told the group, standing.

Everyone groaned good-naturedly, but didn't protest. In actuality, they all lived for this kind of thing, and they couldn't wait to delve into the world of espionage and prevent terrorists from carrying out their pathetic attempts to hurt others.

Later that night, after dinner and a lively conversation with Annie describing in minute detail how a bee makes honey, including lots of hand gestures and buzzing noises, when asked what she'd learned at school that day, Emily sat with Annie on her bed and tried to think of the best way to discuss with her all that was going on.

"How're you doin', baby?"

"Good, Mommy."

"You like living in Fletch's house?"

Annie nodded vigorously.

"And you like Fletch?"

"Yeah. He's really smart, and I get to make breakfast with him every morning."

Emily smiled at her daughter and ran her hand over her blonde hair lovingly. "I like Fletch too."

"But you didn't always."

Emily shouldn't have been surprised at Annie's words, but she was. "Here's the thing, baby. That other man—you know which one I'm talking about, right? The one I told you to run from if you ever saw him?"

Annie nodded solemnly.

"Well, he was telling me bad things about Fletch. Things that weren't true. I'm ashamed to admit that I made a mistake and didn't ask Fletch about them. I just believed the other man."

"Like rumors?"

Emily nodded, remembering how she'd had to have a talk with Annie earlier that year because she'd come home telling stories about one of the other kids' moms that she'd overheard some of the teachers talking about at recess. She'd explained that rumors can sometimes not be true and very hurtful to the person being talked about. "Exactly. I listened to rumors when I shouldn't have."

"But you like him again, so it's okay now, right?"

"Right."

"Are you gonna marry him?"

Emily laughed. "How about I start by going on a few dates with him first?"

Annie tilted her head in thought, then proclaimed, "Ten."

"Ten what?"

"Ten dates. Then you can marry him. But I'm not wearing a dress. I want to wear an Army costume."

"How about this," Emily bargained, knowing better than to agree. If she agreed, she knew Annie would be demanding a wedding after exactly ten dates. "I'll date Fletch, and after ten dates, I'll update you as to how it's going. Yeah?"

"And the dress?"

Emily leaned down to kiss Annie. "And I promise if Fletch and I get married, you don't have to wear a dress. You can wear whatever you want."

"I love you, Mommy. You look happy."

"I am happy, baby. I'll go get Fletch so he can read to you. Love you."

Fletch smiled down at Annie. Emily had called him upstairs and left him and her daughter alone for their new routine. She loved it when he read to her from the latest version of the Army Survival Manual . He'd finished chapter fourteen on tropical survival techniques—including things such as finding water and food and what plants to avoid—and left the book for Annie to read on her own during her "stay up as late as I want as long as I'm reading" time. He kissed her on the forehead and said, "Good night, squirt. See you in the morning."

The little girl didn't answer, she was too engrossed in finding out how to tell the difference between an edible plant and an inedible one.

Fletch entered the living room and sat on the couch, settling in to watch a rerun of Seinfeld with Emily. This had become their custom over the last few days, after finding out they both loved the show. They'd commiserated over the fact it'd ended, but decided it was for the best. The worst thing to happen to good shows, or a book series, was when they went on too long.

"Saturday the guys are taking Annie to the carnival on base," Fletch informed Emily. "They'll spend the day with her and will make sure she's safe the entire time." He knew his words weren't questioning, they were matter of fact.

"They are? Why?"

"Because it's time. Because I want you all to myself, and that seemed the best way to get what I want."

Emily was quiet for a moment and Fletch could see her mulling over his words. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye then looked back at the television. "All day?"

Fletch smirked. "Yeah, Em. All day. I think their plan is to pick her up around eleven, then take her to dinner after the carnival. They'll return her sometime early evening."

This time Emily bit her lip and he saw her shift in her seat as if she was uncomfortable. She seemed to want to say something, but was hesitating.

"Say what you're thinking. If you're having second thoughts about us, don't be afraid to tell me."

"It's not that," Emily blurted out. She gave up her pretense of watching the sitcom and turned so she was facing him, tucking one leg under her as she shifted. "I just…it's perfect. I've been racking my brain to figure out how it was going to work. I mean, I wasn't comfortable with the idea of sneaking down the hallway after Annie fell asleep, like I was in high school, or doing it out here on the couch while she was upstairs. I know you said you wanted to do it in your bed, but I figured we'd have to resort to your truck after all."

Relieved more than he could put into words, Fletch relaxed. "There's no way I want us to feel any anxiety over this, Em. The thought of Annie walking in on us is something I don't think I'll ever get over, even after we've been together for years, but our first time should be fun and exciting. I don't want you to think about anything other than how I'm making you feel." Fletch purposely threw in the line about being together years in the future, and was pleased as hell when it didn't seem to bother Emily at all.

"Should I pencil this into my calendar?"

Fletch read the snark loud and clear and chuckled. "Doesn't matter if you do or don't…it's happening regardless."

Emily smiled at him, happily. "Thank you. I swear I feel like I spend half my life thanking you for something or other, but seriously. I'd love to spend the day with you. Even if all we did was sit around like this. There's just something…calming about being around you. As if I don't have to worry about anything, that you'll take care of everything. Of me."

"I will on both counts. And Annie. You're my responsibility now. One I take very seriously."

"I don't want to be a responsibility, Fletch," Emily protested, frowning at him.

"That came out wrong. I don't mean it in a bad way at all. It feels good, here," Fletch told her, putting a fist to his chest. "I like knowing you'll be here in my house when I get home from work. When Annie yells my name and runs to the door when I come in? You'll never know how much that means to me. The thought of anything happening to either of you makes me crazy. But the fear that I'll do or say something that will hurt you also tears at me. That kind of responsibility. The kind that makes me want to be a better man. A better male figure in Annie's life. A better lover."

"Oh." The word came out on a breath of air and Emily stared at him from across the couch.

"I'm looking forward to Saturday." His words were the understatement of the century, but it seemed Emily was on the same wavelength.

"Me too. But now I'm nervous."

"Don't be."

"Fletch, you can't just tell a girl that you're going to spend the day rocking her world and not expect her to be a bit freaked out about it."

He chuckled at that. "I'm not nervous in the least."

Emily snorted. "Well yeah, because you're built like a real-live Ken doll. Perfect abs, perfect legs, not an ounce of—"

Fletch cut off Emily's words by leaning over and grabbing her under the arms and laying back, hauling her over him in the process.

"Fletch! What are you doing?" Emily chided, laughing.

"You have nothing to worry about, woman," he growled, holding Emily against him, letting her feel how hard he was and how much he wanted her. "We haven't discussed this…I didn't want to bring it up because I knew you'd be embarrassed, but I've seen you mostly naked, Em." He ignored her gasp and continued on. "That night you were sick we had to get your temperature down. The fastest way was to put you in the tub. I held you in my arms as you shivered against me."

"But…that…" Emily sputtered, looking everywhere but at him.

"Even though you'd been starving yourself, I liked what I saw. But it definitely wasn't the time or place. You're perfect for me, Em."

"I'm too skinny," she protested.

"Maybe, but I'm doing my best to fix that."

Emily looked at him for the first time and wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, I noticed. You're constantly making me food. Delicious food that I can't turn down."

Fletch brought the conversation back around to what he wanted her to understand. "I like your body, Em. Every inch. I love how you're so much smaller than I am, it makes me feel good to be so much bigger and stronger than you. That might make me a Neanderthal, but I can't help it."

"What if I gain a hundred pounds?" Emily asked with a hint of sass.

"I'll still be bigger than you, won't matter." When she opened her mouth to say something asinine again, Fletch pulled her hips against his. She gasped and he made his point. "Feel that? That's me loving what I see each night as we eat dinner. As we sit here and watch TV. As I see you tucking Annie into bed. I can't control it, my dick has a mind of its own, and it wants to be right here. In you. And starting this weekend, I'll make it my mission for you to love your body as much as I do."

He felt it as Emily relaxed in his hold, squirming until his hard cock nestled into the sweet spot between her legs. He knew it was his imagination, but Fletch swore he could feel her heat through both of their jeans.

"Are you going to kiss me?"

Fletch smiled up at her. "Nope."

"But don't you think this has gone well past the kissing stage?"

"Maybe so, but I told you the other night that I wouldn't kiss you again until I could take you immediately to my bed, and I'm holding to that."

"Bummer," Emily pouted.

"Thank you for giving me Saturday," Fletch told her seriously.

"Thank you for giving Annie Saturday," Emily returned. "She's going to be in heaven. Not only will she get to spend some time on base where there will be ‘real live soldiers,' but she'll get to be with your friends."

"They're taking her to the obstacle course," Fletch informed Emily with a smile.

She dropped her head onto his chest and groaned. "Great. She talked about the course her gym teacher set up for weeks, that's how much she loved it. If they take her to a real one, she'll never shut up about it. They're gonna make her GI Jane."

Fletch heard the smile in her voice. Even though she was complaining, she wasn't really. "She'll love it."

"I know." Emily picked up her head and licked her lips, unknowingly taunting him to break his promise about kissing her. "Am I going to have to worry about you jumping me the second the door closes behind her?"

"Probably," Fletch asserted in a completely serious tone.

"Good."

Fletch sat up suddenly, holding onto Emily so she didn't pitch off him and onto the floor. "And on that note, it's time for you to go to your room."

"Reached your limit?"

"You have no idea, Em. Please, have pity on a poor soldier man, would ya?"

Emily laughed and got up off the couch and took a step away from him, blowing him a kiss and turning to the hallway. "See you in the morning."

"Yes you will, Emily. Yes you will."

Fletch groaned and reached down to adjust himself as soon as Emily was out of sight, flopping back onto the couch. He wasn't sure he would make it another few days, but what sweet agony it was. He smiled as he settled back to watch the end of the show. Somehow he knew the rest of his life would start on Saturday, and he couldn't wait.