19. Carolyn
19
CAROLYN
I backed away, bumping into the remains of a display case. I held my hands away from my body while my mind plotted possible actions. Running wouldn’t work. He held the gun, and it was a tight space. A bullet would hit me before I could get down the hall to the office. Talking him down didn’t seem like an option either, since his hatred appeared boundless.
My only choice was to fight. I’d spent hours in martial arts classes growing up, working my way up through the gradings until I received a black belt at seventeen. I’d been trained never to attack except in self-defense, but that described this situation precisely. The gun he held on me was the first thing I had to deal with. And then him.
“Maybe we can find some other way,” I said as I subtly moved my feet to improve my stance. Thank goodness I’d worn flats and my dress had a full skirt. I’d have the freedom of movement I needed. “I could pay you compensation.”
“With what?” He chuckled maniacally. “Your business is on the ropes.”
“The safe’s full of jewels,” I countered. “I could open it, and you could take your pick. Take it all.” I’d tempted him. I could see that by the greedy gleam in his eyes, but he didn’t look away toward the safe as I’d hoped he might, giving me the opportunity to strike.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Watching me get picked up by the police when I tried to pawn some fat diamond. No, there’s only one way this is going to end. You’re going to die here in the store your family stole from mine. The ultimate revenge. I wish my mother could see this moment, see the destruction I’ve caused. The fire was so beautiful. Even the smell of the ashes”—he drew in a breath—“is sweet. She’d be so proud of me. I got revenge for all the wrongs your family caused.” He stared straight at me as he spoke. The gruesome satisfaction I saw in his eyes terrified me, but I fought to stay calm.
“Our mothers were friends,” I said. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
“Yeah, it means your mother’s a bitch. She backstabbed a friend. I think I’ll go after her next. Too bad I wasn’t able to get your sister in the fire, but her time will come.” He inched even closer, within range of a strike. Any second now, I’d take my chance. “I’ll save your little boy for last, to make sure the family name can’t continue.”
The mention of my son filled me with a fierce determination. When a noise to his left distracted Dale for a split second, I went into action, targeting his weak left leg with a powerful kick and knocking him off balance. The gun dropped from his hand and I kicked it away, but I wasn’t finished. With all the force in me, I drove an open hand up and into his nose, feeling the bone crunch. He screamed in pain but still came at me, landing a punch on my jaw and sending me back into the cabinet. Before I could right myself, he was on me, grabbing my hair.
“That’s it, you bitch. I’m going to kill you with my bare hands.” He raised a fist to punch me again. Before he could, he was yanked backward and thrown to the floor.
Zach was on him, landing blow after blow to his face and body. Oh, God, he was going to kill him. Enough violence had already occurred without that. I rushed forward, risking a hit to put my hand on Zach’s shoulder.
“Stop, Zach,” I pleaded. “He’s not worth killing.”
Another punch connected with the man’s face before Zach stood up. Dale Huntly was out cold.
“He would have killed you,” Zach said, turning to me. His arms went around me, pulling me against his chest. I could feel his hammering heart and knew mine was going just as fast from fear and adrenaline—but in that moment, all that mattered to me was that I’d survived.
“You stopped him,” I said. I’d hurt Dale, but I had no illusions about what would have happened if Zach hadn’t come in at that moment. I owed him my life.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” Zach whispered into my hair, “for last night and this morning.”
“Shhh, we’ll talk later. Just hold me.” His arms tightened around me, and we stood together until brakes squealed on the street and a man ran into the store.
“Shit, you got all the fun.” Alex assessed the situation, looking from us to the prone man.
“Call the police,” Zach said to Alex, “and let Colin know he can stand down.” He loosened his hold on me, touching my face before stepping away. “I’m coming home with you tonight.”
“I’m not arguing,” I said, not wanting it any other way.
Hours passed as I retold my story to the police, filling in the details of what Dale Huntly had done to my business. My mother and sister arrived to comfort me and corroborate details of the story. Through it all, Zach stayed by me. Finally, we were home, with Austin in bed, thanks again to Zach’s family.
“Let me,” Zach said, taking the ice pack from me and holding it to my jaw. He sat on the coffee table, facing me. “It’s still going to hurt in the morning.”
“It’s okay. The satisfaction of taking him down was worth one punch.” Not to mention, an aching jaw was way better than what I would have gotten if Zach hadn’t arrived when he did.
“Not to me. I should never have let you get in that situation.”
“You couldn’t have stopped it, Zach.” I’d replayed the scenario, recognizing that I should have been more aware of my surroundings but knowing that Huntly was going to come at me no matter what.
“I could have, by sticking with you when we knew you were in danger,” he argued.
“No one knew he’d pick today to attack.”
“After the fire…I should have?—”
“Stop blaming yourself,” I declared.
“I’m so sorry about our fight. I shouldn’t have pulled away from you like that. I was so scared for you…but that’s no excuse.”
“No, it’s not,” I agreed, “but I do understand where you were coming from. You were right to remind me that my first priority should have been to come home to Austin, not to go chasing after someone who wanted to kill me. I just…” I struggled for the words to say what I needed to say. “I’ve been trying so hard to be strong, ever since I found out I was pregnant. I needed to be tough enough to handle being a single mom, running a business, keeping everything on track. And then you came back and said that we could handle things together , that I didn’t have to do everything on my own—and that was everything I wanted to hear, but…”
“But?”
“I couldn’t bring myself to trust it. I was too afraid, just like when I broke our engagement. I let you down because of my fears. Back then, I was so scared you wouldn’t come back from a mission that I felt I needed to put distance between us. I guess I preempted the risk of you abandoning me—even if it wasn’t your fault—by breaking it off with you. It seems so silly now. We could have had that time together.”
I remembered how I’d felt then, so justified in my actions and not thinking about what it did to him. When he didn’t respond to my messages about the coming baby, I’d been sure I’d done the right thing. How wrong I’d been.
“We can’t change what happened,” Zach said, taking my hand, “and I’m done being controlled by the past.”
Dale Huntly had been all the proof I’d ever need of the danger of letting the past rule your life. The past could be toxic. “We have to let it go and be in the present.”
“The present isn’t enough,” Zach said quickly. “I love you, Carolyn. I never stopped in all the time I was away. I was angry with you, but I couldn’t help loving you. Now, though, the love I feel…when I thought I might lose you today…I never want to spend another day without you in my life.”
If I could have planned what I wanted to hear from him, it would have been those words. I smiled at him and scooted forward on the couch until our knees were touching. “I love you, too. I tried hard not to when I thought you were ignoring your son and me. Now, I know you’d never do that. You’d never let your family down.”
“I’ll never let you or Austin down.” He said it as though it were a pledge, and I believed him.
“Let’s go to bed, Zach.” More quickly than I would have thought possible, he stood and lifted me in his arms.
“Are you going to carry me up the stairs?” I asked, delighted by his actions.
“Are you objecting?” He walked toward the steps. “I don’t want to get on your bad side. I’ve seen what you can do to a man,” he teased.
“No objection.” I put my arms around his neck and kissed him, not stopping until we reached my bedroom. “You are one talented man to kiss me and still be able to climb the stairs.”
“It’s my superior training.” He lay me on the bed and knelt between my legs.
“I didn’t know that carrying women off was part of SEAL training.” I sat up to let him remove my dress, his fingers trailing up my torso and lighting little fires wherever they touched.
“We have to be prepared for any contingency.” He touched my jaw gently, first with his fingers and then his lips, slowly coasting over the injured part before moving on to my temple, my cheeks, and finally my lips.
I grabbed hold of his shoulders, taking him down with me to the mattress and kissing him deeply. I never wanted to stop. His hands moved over mine, removing my bra and panties, but he continued the kiss.
“You’re talented,” I murmured against his lips. “I can’t figure out how to get you undressed.” I’d untucked his shirt, letting my hands play with his taut muscles, and managed to unbutton his jeans. But removing them in this position was a challenge.
“Do you want help?”
“I want you.” I nipped at his lips. “So I think I’m going to have to accept help. Roll over.”
He did as I asked, looking up at me with a grin when I straddled him.
“Arms overhead,” I ordered and whisked his shirt off. I placed my hands on his bare chest, feeling the ridges of muscles on his lean form. He was mine. That message beat in my brain as he stretched upward and put his hands behind his head, seemingly relaxed. All mine to play with. I traced the recent scar on his left pec, giving him a curious look.
“Shrapnel. No big deal,” he said in answer to my unspoken question.
“I doubt that’s true, but I’ll let it go.” I kissed the scar and flicked my tongue over his flat nipple, making him suck in a breath. I felt empowered and moved my lips over his stomach toward his open fly. I thought he’d like where I was headed.
“Christ,” he muttered when I pushed his jeans and boxers down and took his dick in my mouth. His exclamation only encouraged me to take him in deeper. I sucked him, moving my mouth up and down on his hard length. His breathing was labored, uneven, as I twirled my tongue over his tip before plunging back down on him.
“Ride me, sweetheart,” he gasped.
“If that’s what you want.” I looked up, meeting his blue gaze. His eyes were hooded with desire, telling me I had him exactly where I wanted him. I dragged his clothes the rest of the way down so we could come together with no barriers—aside from the condom I grabbed from the drawer. Maybe someday soon, after we had a chance to talk about it, we wouldn’t need that barrier anymore either. I certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea of having more children with him. But now definitely wasn’t the time for a serious talk.
I crawled up his body, kissing him as I moved, loving the way his skin seemed to ripple beneath each touch of my lips and nip of my teeth.
"Now would be good,” he blurted out, making me smile. He called my name on a moan, and I relented, sliding the rest of the way up to straddle his hips. I positioned myself so his dick rubbed against me, and we both groaned. I raised myself up and came down on him in one swift movement, almost falling forward onto his chest. God, I loved the way he filled me.
I placed my hands on his sides, squeezing as I rocked back and forth chasing my own pleasure. His hands went to my breasts, kneading and teasing, as I controlled my movements, enjoying the feel as he rubbed against me. I tried to prolong the moment, enjoy the ride, but he had other ideas. Bending his knees, he pushed me up before locking his hands on my hips. With sure thrusts, he began to plunge in and out, faster and faster, forcing me to hold on as my climax neared. He put one finger between us, stroking my clit, and the tightness in me began to unfurl.
The orgasm slammed into me, leaving me breathless. He gripped my hips, continuing to drive up into me until he shuddered in ecstasy. I collapsed onto his chest, our bodies still connected, and I knew nothing would ever be better than this.