Lina :Nemesis Inc. Alpha Team

Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

“Do you, Dalton Jameson Michael, take…”

Lina zoned out from the words Noble’s friend spoke. She was not really getting married. This could not be legal.

“I do.”

Oh shit, he said I do. Oh. My. God. What did she say when they asked her?

“Lina?”

“Um?” She jumped when she heard her name. “Yes?”

“Fabulous.” The magistrate smiled widely. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Dalton, you may kiss your bride.”

Kiss your bride? Oh! They were married. Did she miss it? Standing in a kitchen over a bar dressed in jeans and cowboy boots was not how she ever saw her wedding day going. Marrying a stranger… also hadn’t been on her goal list.

“Lina?” Dalton whispered. He dipped his head to whisper softly in her ear, “may I kiss you?”

Kiss him? Weddings ended in kisses. She blew out a soft breath and shored up her defenses. She would not embarrass either of them by jumping away from him. She could and would do this. Unable to say the word, she nodded instead.

This close to Dalton’s face, she could see his smile went to his eyes. His thumb stroking her cheek made her want to lean into him. “Mm.” She sighed as he tiled up her chin with his thumb.

“We’ll figure this out,” Dalton promised. “I swear we will.”

“Kiss her already dude,” one of the twins called from behind them, his voice slightly deeper than the one who had wanted her to speak to the cops. It was a weird thing to think when Dalton’s lips were getting closer to hers.

Her breath hitched when his lips finally descended on hers. Her hands reached to rest on his chest. His fingers wrapped around her neck lightly. Emotions crashed into her—exhilarated her—terrified her, as he stroked his mouth firmly over her lips, once, twice, and finally a third time, before pulling away.

“Wow,” she said.

He blinked, the word obviously not registering for a moment before he threaded his fingers through hers. “Yeah, wow.”

* * *

Two hours later, Dalton watched his wife sleeping on the bed. Wife? It blew his mind. He was fucking married. No matter how crazy it was. Or how much of a mistake it might turn out to be. He would do it again in a heartbeat to protect this woman. He thumbed through the numbers on his cell. It was time to bite the bullet. He had to call his mother and tell them. She’d kill him. Not only had he denied her the huge, glamorous affair she’d probably been dreaming of, but he’d failed to invite her.

Invite her? Dude, you didn’t even tell her it was happening.

He snorted in his head. If he’d told her, then he wouldn’t be married right now. They had so much shit to do today. Get back to base, get Lina installed in base housing, where she would be safe. Oh, he could well afford to buy her a house wherever she wanted. But they’d agreed, housing at the base offered more security and would prevent her stepfather from reaching her.

He took one last look at Lina, spent a couple of seconds wondering at the satisfaction of having her sleeping in his t-shirt in a bed that was his for the night, before he left the room to call his mother.

He pressed his thumb on the number and put his cell to his ear. “Hi Mom.”

“Dalton!” The surprise and pleasure filtered down the phone to him, making him smile. “Are you okay?” his mom asked first as she always did.

“Mom?” Dalton could almost preempt every single question popping out of her mouth.

And off she went. She had a list. “Are you home?”

He needed to get her to listen. “Mom, I got married.”

“Do we get to see—what?” His mother stumbled over her words. In his mind’s eye, he could see her waving her hand frantically to get his father’s attention, as she always did when something caught her off guard. “Say that again, Son.”

“I got married.” Ah fuck, he’d made her cry. He could hear the hitch in her voice.

“Oh, my. I?—”

“Son?”

He winced. This could either go really badly or his dad would understand. “Hi Dad.”

“Why is your mother crying? Are you hurt?”

Fuck, he was making a mess of this. It hadn’t occurred to him that his father would think he was hurt. He should have. With the job he did, he knew it was hard on his parents. “No, I got married.”

“You got what?”

A hand nudged him, and he looked up to see Rexar holding out a glass of what looked like whiskey. This right here was why they were friends and not just teammates. Rex got it and knew he would need the fortification for the conversation he had going on. He mouthed thanks and took the glass. “Married.”

“You didn’t invite us.”

“It was kinda rushed.”

“She’s pregnant.”

“What?” Dalton choked on the mouthful of whiskey and coughed to clear his throat before he could speak. “No she’s not pregnant.” Crap, he should have thought of that. “But she is in trouble, and I wanted to help her out.”

“Did you sign a prenup?”

“Of course, I did.” His fingers tightened around the glass. “For both of us.”

“She has money?”

Disappointment slammed into him out of nowhere. That was the last question he’d expected from his dad. Were his folks really that shallow? He growled into the phone, “does it matter?”

“Sorry, Son, I didn’t mean that like it sounded.” His father sounded contrite. But damn, it still stung.

“I know.” Dalton scrubbed his fingers across his eyes. “Can you do something for me?”

“Of course?” The question was obvious in his father’s tone.

“I need you to send our legal team to the governor of North Carolina tomorrow with a copy of my marriage license.” Dalton ignored his father’s questioning sound and pushed on. “Tell that fucker if he comes after my wife again, then he will feel the full weight of Knight Oil’s power.”

“Consider it done.” His dad didn’t hesitate, he rarely did if Dalton asked for something. “I will want to know the reason why.”

“Can it wait until I see you?”

“Yes, I suppose it can,” his father allowed. “You will bring her here to meet us?”

“Yes, I’ll bring Lina to meet you.”

A startled gasp from the other side of the phone told him his father had put him on speaker. “You married Lina Maxwell?”

How the hell did his mother know Lina? “You know her?” He knew his tone was wary. His dad probably picked up on it.

“I was friends with her mother before she died. Her stepfather said she disappeared. That’s why you want the lawyers sent to him, isn’t it?”

“She did disappear,” Dalton said. “She married me.” There was no way he was giving them all the details over the phone. Hell, he didn’t know all the details to give them. But Lina was now his wife, her stepfather could get the fuck out of her life, stat.

A noise alerted him that he was no longer alone on the balcony. Glancing at the French doors showed him Lina watching from the shadows. “Mom, Dad, I gotta go.”

“You’ll bring her here soon?” his mother asked.

“I promise.” He could do his best to reassure her, but until his mother met Lina, he wasn’t entirely sure she would let it go. “I have to go out in a few days. But when I get back, we’ll come visit.”

“That’s wonderful.” His mother clapped her hands together, either that or the sound he heard was her smacking his father in excitement, but as his dad didn’t grumble at her, he was going to go with hand clapping. “I’ll make the announcement.”

“Don’t go crazy, mom, and no pictures in the papers.”

“Nobody knows you are a SEAL, silly boy. They won’t be able to put two and two together.”

“Mom.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll clear everything with you first.”

“M’kay.” He didn’t believe that for a second. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you, Mom.”

“We love you too.”

He pressed end on the call and beckoned Lina to come closer.

“Are they mad?”

“Shocked, kinda pissy with me,” He offered her the glass and smiled when she accepted it.

Lina took a sip of the Jack Daniels and handed back the glass.

“My father is sending our legal team to the governor’s office today.” He swallowed down the last of the Jack. “By tonight, you are free of him.”

“We’re still married though.”

Well, that kinda stung. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that how it sounded.” Lina turned to lean against the railing of the balcony. “So a SEAL, huh?”

“You heard that?”

“Yes.”

There was a strange infliction in her voice that he didn’t understand. “Does it bother you?”

“It’s dangerous?”

“It can be.” He wouldn’t blow smoke up her ass, but didn’t want to worry her either. “But we are good at what we do.”

She tilted her head to one side as if considering his words for a heartbeat or two, before she nodded. “So, what happens now?”

“Now we get you settled in base housing, and I deploy at the end of the week.”

“And it’s safe there?”

“Safer than here or at your place, that’s for sure.”

“Okay.”

He frowned at her. Was that it? She hadn’t more questions? Did this mean she trusted him a little? Gah, if he knew her better, maybe he would have those answers. “That’s all you have to say, okay?”

“Is there anything else I can say?” Lina worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “I’m tired of looking over my shoulder. So tired of worrying if this is the day he gets me to go back. So, if your base gives me the protection to sleep at night, then I am going to be selfish and take it.”

“And you’re okay with moving to California?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s a deal.” He offered his hand to her. When she placed hers in it, his stomach clenched. It was a damn good thing he was deploying soon, or he’d never survive not touching her.

“Deal.”