Chapter 21
Pid ran his thumb back and forth over Monica’s hand as Kenna walked down the sandy swatch of beach toward her soon-to-be husband.
The last few days had been hectic. Between meetings on the base about Bull and what had happened the other night, and meetings with the team about what was happening in Tajikistan and making plans to deploy, Pid rarely had a moment to relax.
But today was for Kenna and Aleck. Both sets of their parents were there, and everyone had met up at Duke’s last night for a dinner party. The only person who hadn’t attended was Carly. Kenna had been disappointed, as had Jag, but at least she showed up today for the actual wedding.
Robert, the concierge at Coral Springs, had outdone himself.
There was a pig roasting in the ground not too far from the ceremony for the wedding feast afterward, hula dancers were at the ready to entertain the guests, and there was enough food to feed five hundred people, which was far more than were actually attending the ceremony.
But any uneaten food wouldn’t go to waste.
The caterers were going to package it up and Lexie and Elodie would bring it to Food For All on Sunday to share with their patrons.
Looking over at Monica, Pid grinned. Theo was sitting on her other side, holding her right hand and smiling excitedly. He guessed the man had probably never been to a wedding. He’d been thrilled to be invited to this one, and even more happy when he spotted Monica.
All things considered, they’d been lucky.
Bull could’ve assaulted and killed Monica before he called Baker.
He could’ve shot her when Baker showed up.
Hell, Baker could’ve been killed as well.
Bull had been seriously unstable and disturbed.
Pid wasn’t upset the man had died a horrific death.
He was just relieved he was gone and wouldn’t be a problem any longer.
Baker hadn’t shown up for the ceremony, but no one was too surprised. He wasn’t exactly social, even though he’d bent over backward to help the SEAL team’s women time and again.
Kenna and Aleck had decided not to have a wedding party, so they stood in front of the rows of chairs by themselves. Monica squeezed his hand when Kenna reached Aleck and their friend wasn’t able to keep from pulling his almost-wife into an embrace and kissing her. Hard.
“The kissing’s supposed to happen after I pronounce you man and wife,” the officiant said with a chuckle.
Without missing a beat, Aleck said, “I haven’t seen her all day, and to see her looking like this? So damn beautiful she makes my eyes hurt? No way I wasn’t kissing her.”
Everyone chuckled.
“Right, so let’s get on with this so you don’t make any other faux pas.”
Pid tuned out the ceremony and looked over at Monica yet again. Yes, Kenna looked pretty today—of course she did, it was her wedding day. But in Pid’s mind, she didn’t hold a candle to his woman.
She’d spent the morning in Aleck and Kenna’s penthouse with the other women, getting ready for the ceremony.
A stylist had swept her blonde hair into a dramatic updo, which the ocean breeze was slowly and steadily destroying.
Wisps of hair blew across her face, and because both her hands were occupied, Pid gladly helped her out by reaching over and smoothing the strands behind her ear.
Monica wore a simple blue sundress with spaghetti straps. It came down to her knees and had some sort of built-in bra that showed off some impressive cleavage. She had on a bit more makeup than usual, but neither was the reason Pid’s gaze kept straying back to her.
It was the smile that had been plastered on her face since he’d arrived to escort her to the beach.
She smiled all the time now, her dimple regularly making him weak in the knees.
It was hard to even remember how closed off she’d been when they’d first met.
Serious and wary of anyone and everyone she came into contact with.
Before leaving that morning to meet the other women at Aleck’s, she’d woken him by taking his cock into her mouth and giving him the most memorable blowjob he’d ever received. It was obvious she didn’t have a lot of experience sucking cock, which just turned him on even more.
And when she’d looked up, attempting to smile with her lips stretched around him, that adorable dimple in full view, he’d almost lost it right then and there.
He wasn’t proud that he’d grabbed her way more roughly than he’d ever wanted to touch her and thrown her on her back.
He’d rolled a condom down his length in record time and was balls deep inside her before he’d even realized what he’d done.
And throughout it all, no matter how rough he was, Monica’s smile never dimmed. Her dimple winked at him, letting him know she loved his rough touch. He’d fucked her hard and fast, like always, and she’d taken every inch of his length, grinning the entire time.
“You’re supposed to be looking at them, not me,” Monica whispered.
Pid wasn’t ashamed in the least to have been caught staring. He couldn’t help but lean in and kiss the dimple that he loved so much. “I love you,” he whispered.
Before she could respond, Theo shushed him.
Nodding to the other man apologetically, Pid squeezed Monica’s hand. She smiled and mouthed “I love you” back to him.
Sitting back, Pid realized he’d never felt as relaxed as he did at that moment. His adult life had been spent mostly on his toes. Watching for trouble everywhere he went. It was ingrained in him…thanks to the Navy.
Normally right before a mission, he was even more hyper alert. But even knowing the team would be heading overseas soon, he was calm. And it was all because of the woman at his side. Knowing she loved and trusted him was enough to ease his soul.
Tonight was a night to celebrate that love. And the love Aleck and Kenna had for each other. They’d stay up late on the beach, laughing and having the time of their lives. Deployment would come soon enough. For now, they would enjoy all the good things they had in their lives.
“Stay,” Jag urged Carly after Aleck and Kenna had been pronounced man and wife.
The Coral Springs staff was moving the chairs from the ceremony, placing them around the tables that had been brought in for the Hawaiian luau feast. A stage had been erected a little farther down the beach for the dancers’ performance scheduled after dinner.
It had been extremely difficult to convince Carly to come to the wedding. The longer it took to find Luke Keyes, the son of her abusive ex-boyfriend, the more Carly became a shell of the woman she once was.
When Jag had first met her, she still smiled, was friendly and outgoing. But now her shoulders were constantly hunched, as if that might protect her from anyone who wanted to hurt her. Her eyes continually scanned her surroundings, probably looking for Luke.
Jag hated seeing her this way. She should be laughing and joking with her friends, not scared out of her mind every time she was out of her apartment.
“I need to go home,” Carly insisted.
“No, you need to stop letting your ex and his son win,” Jag couldn’t help saying.
He’d been supportive. He’d been patient. He hadn’t pushed her in any way. But it was time for her to begin taking her life back. She could remain cautious. But she couldn’t stay holed up in her apartment forever. She needed to live.
Carly looked up at him, and Jag was fucking thrilled to see anger in her eyes.
She’d been going through the motions of living since the night her ex had gone to Duke’s to confront her with a bomb strapped to his chest. He’d planned on making her suffer, but she’d gone home early that night because she hadn’t been feeling well. Instead, he’d grabbed Kenna.
“You don’t understand,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Don’t understand what?” he asked, not backing down.
She stared at him for a long moment before blurting, “How it feels to be vulnerable! You’re a SEAL. You’re the best of the best. You run toward bullets instead of away from them. You have no idea what I’m feeling!”
She was so wrong, it wasn’t even funny. But this wasn’t the time or place to get into his past and what he’d survived. Jag took a step closer, reaching out and tugging her toward him with a hand at the back of her neck.
Her eyes widened in surprise, her hands landing on his chest as she stared up at him.
“I know you’re scared out of your mind,” Jag said quietly.
“You’re terrified of what Luke will do if he catches you unaware.
But what you don’t understand is, I’ve got your back.
I can’t guarantee that asshole won’t try something—in fact, he probably will, especially since he was willing to drive the getaway boat your ex was going to use to kidnap you.
But I’m telling you here and now, there’s nowhere he can take you that I won’t find you, Carly.
And do you think for one second Kenna’s husband will sit back and do nothing if he comes after you?
Or Mustang? Or Midas? Hell, Pid or Slate as well? Not to mention Baker Rawlins.
“You’re forgetting you have an entire SEAL team on your side. Hiding isn’t going to make your problem go away. Facing it, facing him, would probably be more effective. I’m thinking Luke is getting off on seeing how scared you are. You need to start living your life again.”
She snorted, but wasn’t struggling to get out of his hold. “You think me prancing around as if I didn’t have a care in the world is gonna keep him from coming for me?”
“No,” Jag told her honestly. “Which is my point. If he’s going to try to get revenge for the death of his father, he’s going to do it whether you’re cowering in your apartment or not.”
She glared at him. “I’m not cowering in my apartment.”
Jag didn’t dignify her denial with a response.
“I just…” Carly sighed. “Kenna almost died because of me,” she whispered.
“But she didn’t,” Jag replied. “You can’t think about the what-ifs. If you do, they’ll drive you crazy.”
Neither spoke for a long moment, simply stared at each other.
Then Carly’s eyes dropped and she said softly, “I need to go home.”
He sighed. He’d thought for a moment he’d gotten through.
That Carly would take a chance and actually attempt to relax for the first time in months.
But even though she’d ultimately fallen back on the routine she thought was working for her—namely, hiding out in her apartment—he’d seen a spark of…
something…in her eyes. She didn’t like missing out on her friends’ activities.
She didn’t like sitting at home being scared.
After his mission to Tajikistan, once he was back home, he was done letting her hide away.
Jag brushed a thumb along the side of her neck and was rewarded with a small shiver.
This woman had gotten under his skin, and he was conceited enough to think he’d gotten under hers too.
But if he wanted what his teammates had, clearly he was going to have to fight for it.
And he was more than ready to do just that.
Carly’s gonna be stubborn…