Chapter 20 #2
Her lips were soft, warm, and she melted against me, not struggling as I rolled on top of her.
She didn’t understand how much I needed to protect her from something.
I couldn’t help her with the pain, but I could, and would, protect her from bullets.
Speaking of, no one was going to put her life in danger again.
I stretched my mind to find those in the dark, out of close range. It took a lot of effort to find the snipers, to reach inside their minds, and push, rendering them unconscious. Three snipers positioned around the camp. Three unconscious bodies the second I found them.
I mentally scanned the rest of the camp.
Trixie was in the shadows closest to our position, laying waste with a tire wrench to anyone stupid enough to come close to the circle of firelight.
Dirk and Daniela were knives in the dark, leaving blood and bodies in their wake.
This was a fun date for them. Jezebel was barely a shadow against my awareness, hunting down the greatest threats and ripping them apart.
Good. That meant I could focus on the important things.
I let the rest of the world fade away and kissed my wife. My sweet, beauty, riding a flying board into battle like a Sunshine Ray Death-Hammer.
I pulled away to stare down at her.
She blinked and then scowled up at me, pushing on my chest. “You distracted me with the kissing so you’d get to be the one saving me. Not fair.”
“How can I possibly fight fair against the ultimate weapon? Sunshine Ray Death-Hammer. With a name like that, how could I possibly win?” I brushed my nose over hers.
“You’re really here. You smell so good. And taste even better.
Why are you so beautiful? You’re so much more than the prize.
I would fight every day for you, but I’d also give it all up.
What do you want? Do you want this life or do you want to settle into some peace and quiet? ”
She rolled me, somehow slipping out of my grasp until she was in a crouch. “I want to ride in the races with you.”
I stared at her while my heart pounded along with my head. She’d be in danger. I wanted to wrap her up in wool and keep her in a nest, far from every other possible threat.
Dirk appeared like a phantom. “I set up a park along the route a few months ago, just in case Sunshine was feeling better and wanted to join us.”
I scowled at him. “You set up a park?” A skate park in the middle of the desert would be a ridiculous display of wealth. Then again, we were dealing with billionaires who did this out of boredom.
Pinkie showed up behind his shoulder, idly flipping her knives around. “You should pay more attention to your team if you don’t want to be surprised. It’s like you were distracted or something.”
“You didn’t know about that?” Trixie said, walking into our circle, holding her tire iron. It was spattered in blood. “It was in the budget sheet Pinkie sent around. Also, do you know who sent that attack?” she asked, focusing on my wife.
Sunshine beamed back at Trixie. “You have blood on your cheek.”
“Sorry,” Trix grumbled and wiped it with the back of her hand.
“Let me help.” Sunshine stood and helped Trixie with the blood while my friend stood very carefully, like she might hurt my wife if she breathed too hard.
“There. Now we can all do the campfire scene, right? I want to be in matching shirts with Nix so no one thinks he’s available.
” She glanced at me with a frown. “You aren’t available, at least for another few months if you still want to annul—”
I swept her into my arms, cuddling her close while I glowered at the rest of the world who might challenge me.
“I’m not annulling anything. Unless you want to.
” I closed my eyes tight, body tensed while I waited for her answer.
If she wanted to annul the marriage, what then?
Would I have to let her go? Also, she’d avoided answering Trixie about who had attacked like the talented liar she was.
She snuggled into me. “You’re mine. My prize. And no one gets to take you away from me. I’m the Ultimate Weapon, you know. Who can challenge that?”
I exhaled the breath I was holding and sprinkled a million kisses on her soft head. I was her prize. No. Absolutely no one was going to challenge that if she didn’t. My whole body ached with happiness. Sunshine was cured, and she wanted me. And she would keep me on my toes for the rest of my life.
“No one’s challenging anything, other than the fact that maybe you two could save the PDA for your tent so no one else has to suffer nausea in the glow of your marital bliss,” Jezabel drawled.
“The area is clear, secured, and Flowers is enjoying himself immensely along with the overkill he brought. Makes my own efforts feel superfluous.”
“And we need to do the campfire scene after you take care of the attackers,” Pinkie said, turning and heading back towards the fire, making her knives disappear. Dirk headed after her, like the lovestruck fool he was. I could relate. And I would, every day for the rest of my life.