Chapter 8
Alana held her pose for as long as she could, determined not to give in and tell the truth.
She had remembered why she’d married Chase.
The night was coming back to her in bits and pieces.
The kiss at the wedding chapel had been the catalyst that had opened the door to get her memories flowing.
Hearing the bartender and Chase describe the scene at La Casa Loca had brought those memories to life, crowding back into her mind in a jumble of sights, sounds and sensations.
Making love with Chase in the wee hours of the morning had been icing on the wedding cake. She’d loved every minute of it and wished she could relive it all—except for the altercation with Raul Delgado of the Jalisco cartel.
The man had sidled up to her as soon as Chase had ducked out to find a restroom.
She’d ignored Delgado’s approach and concentrated her attention on the drink in her hand.
When Delgado had grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him, she’d been shocked by the strength in his grip and his insistence that she go with him.
She’d struggled to free her arm from his grip, but the wiry man was strong, and he hadn’t been willing to take no for an answer.
Then Chase had swept in to rescue her, jerking Delgado back by the collar.
The fight that ensued had been a nightmare of flying fists, with every one of Delgado’s men wanting a bit of the action.
Chase had pummeled Delgado while fighting off Delgado’s minions. He’d stopped one guy from pulling a handgun by knocking it free of his hand with a well-placed sidekick, sending it flying across the floor. Thankfully, the gun had been impossible to find in the darkness of the dimly lit bar.
When he’d subdued eight cartel thugs, including Delgado, Chase had grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar. They’d jumped into the first cab they could flag down on the street and had him drop them a couple of blocks from their resort.
From there, they’d walked the three blocks to the rear entrance of the hotel, keeping to the shadows until they were safely inside and on their way to the third floor, laughing all the way up the staircase.
When they’d reached Chase’s room, he’d lifted her in his arms and carried her across the threshold, kicking the door closed behind them.
Yeah, she remembered.
Everything.
Down to the number of times she’d called out his name and the way he’d brought her body alive with one orgasm after another.
She’d loved everything about his lovemaking.
He’d been concerned about her wants and needs before slaking his own desires.
The man had been absolutely right about knowing what a woman wanted.
He’d known exactly where to touch her, how much pressure to apply and how long to extend that pleasure before seeking his own.
All these thoughts and feelings rushed back at her like a tsunami, threatening to overwhelm her and drag her under. The depth of her longing for this man scared the living daylights out of her.
So, she did the only thing she could. She pushed him away. Maybe, if he didn’t feel obligated to defend her, he would give up on the idea of meeting Delgado on his own, unarmed.
“I’ll fix this for both of us,” she said. “I’ll go back to the States on the next plane out. Then you won’t have to meet Delgado and his thugs. They won’t be able to use the threat of hurting me to make sure you show up. No one gets hurt, and you can go on with your vacation.”
Chase gripped her arm. “Whether or not you leave, I’ll still have to deal with the cartel leader. He’ll come after me unless I leave.”
“Then leave.” Alana touched a hand to his chest. “Leave with me. We can take the next plane out of Cabo San Lucas. The two of us. Together.”
“You’d do that?” He stared down at her, his hands cupping her elbows. “You’d come with me?”
She nodded. “You bet. Let’s pack our bags and get the hell out of Cabo.”
“What about getting that annulment?” he asked.
“What annulment?” Trevor asked. “You can’t be serious about annulling your marriage already, can you? Damn, Chase, you moved fast. I told you that you needed to get a life, marry and settle down, but I thought you’d take a little more time than one day to find and marry someone.”
Chase stared down into Alana’s eyes. “Maybe the heart knows more than the head sometimes.” He couldn’t believe he’d said those words, but once they’d left his mouth, he knew the truth of them.
Alana stared up into his eyes, without blinking. And she didn’t refute his statement. She’d come a long way in her thinking about their insane marriage since that morning. Something had changed in her attitude and demeanor at the wedding chapel. Had it been the kiss?
For Chase, it had definitely been the kiss.
Their connection had loosened the hold the alcohol had placed on his memories and let them run free again, flooding back into his mind to relive the magic of the evening before.
And it had been magical. From dancing a sexy salsa, to saying I do at the little wedding chapel, to making love to his new wife until nearly dawn.
“We’d hate to see you leave and miss the beach and fishing,” Trevor said. “But it might be for the best if you both got the hell out of here.”
Alana nodded.
“Okay then.” Chase clapped his hands together. “Let’s get our stuff and get to the airport. We can make flight arrangements there.”
Alana spun and headed for her room.
Chase followed.
Alana stuffed her red dress into the suitcase and hurried into the bathroom for her toiletries.
“You okay with this?” Chase asked.
“I wouldn’t have offered to leave with you if I weren’t,” she called out from the bathroom and then emerged with her toiletries kit in hand. She jammed it into her suitcase and zipped it.
Chase stuffed his shaving kit into his duffel bag and hefted it onto his shoulder. “Ready?”
She nodded. “I am.”
They headed back into the living room.
“I think it’s the right thing to do,” Gina said. “I hate that you’re leaving me so soon. Are you sure you’re up to facing your father?”
“I wasn’t the one to walk out on the wedding,” Alana said. “If my father doesn’t understand that, I’ll keep moving. It’s about time I left his house and his corporation and went out on my own.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he busted a gasket when you left the church before he realized what you were going to do,” Gina said. “I’m sure he was hot when the best man read Vance’s note out loud to all the guests.”
“I just couldn’t stay and face all of them again. It was too humiliating retreating down the aisle in full white tulle and satin,” Alana said.
“Wait,” Trevor said, shaking his head. “What church? The one you two got married in last night?”
“No, the one she didn’t get married in back in Hawaii,” Chase said. “I’ll fill you in another time. Right now, we need to get to the airport before it’s too late to book a flight out today.”
Trevor chuckled. “Like I said, I can’t take you anywhere without you causing some kind of trouble.”
Chase frowned at his friend. “I don’t cause the trouble.”
“The bar in San Diego two years ago?” Trevor reminded him.
“I didn’t know the woman was married,” Chase said. “She didn’t wear a ring, and she didn’t tell me that little detail.”
“What woman?” Alana asked, her eyes narrowed.
“A woman whose name I don’t remember.” He slipped his hand around her elbow and guided her toward the door, anxious to get her out of the resort before Delgado showed up, and before Trevor spilled all the sordid details of his past romantic escapades.
“She doesn’t matter. What matters is getting you to the airport and out of Mexico before Delgado has a chance to figure out we’re making a run for it. ”
Stopping short of the door, Alana looked up into Chase’s eyes. “Do you think he’ll follow us there and shoot up the airplane? I couldn’t live with myself if other people were caught in the crossfire.”
The concern in Alana’s gaze made Chase’s heart squeeze tightly.
He’d do anything to keep her safe. He hoped he could do just that.
Cartel members could be all over Cabo San Lucas.
For all they knew, Delgado already had people stationed at the international airport.
They’d have to go in wearing disguises, much like they had when they’d visited La Casa Loca.
“I wouldn’t put it past Delgado to start a war at the airport,” Carson said. “He’s really bad news. Only last week, he hung five members of an opposing gang from a bridge at the southern end of Cabo.”
Alana shivered. “Now, I’m even more convinced I wasn’t meant to come to Cabo. I should’ve known it was tempting fate to go on a honeymoon without a groom. I’ve had nothing but bad luck since Vance ran out on me.”
“I hope you don’t think everything that’s happened was bad luck,” Chase said.
He, for one, was glad she’d come to Cabo.
For a die-hard bachelor, meeting Alana had been nothing short of a miracle.
She liked to dance, was fun at a party, cared about people and kissed like nobody’s business.
Making love with her had been unforgettable once he’d remembered every detail of the night before.
“He’s right, Alana.” Gina reached for Carson’s hand. “If you hadn’t come to Cabo, you wouldn’t have met Chase, had the party of your life, gotten married and had sex with one hunky SEAL. And I wouldn’t have met Carson.” She lifted her face to the man and batted her eyes.
Carson growled hungrily and dropped a kiss on her lips.
“That’s right. We wouldn’t have crossed paths if you hadn’t come to Cabo when you did.
I’ve been considering moving back to the States for a while.
Had you and Gina waited much longer, we wouldn’t have met.
Now, Hawaii’s looking really tempting to me. ”
Gina kissed Carson. “Alana, I think Chase is much better for you than Vanishing Vance.”