Chapter Three
CURRENT DAY
HARLOW Springs Ranch
Near Claremore, OK
Jax
Tossing my keys on the island that separates the kitchen from the living room in my new condo, I lean against the counter and pull up the app that has become the most used app I have installed on my phone. That little red dot is blinking exactly where it is supposed to be.
I watch it blink a few times, the deep-seated need to know where that dot is at all times is appeased.
Some might call it an obsession and some could even go so far as to call me a crazy stalker, but I don’t give a fuck.
Leaving things to chance hasn’t been my way since I was young, and I won’t take chances with those I care about again.
Walking into the bathroom, I turn on the shower to get ready for my best friend’s wedding.
The trees lining the quarter-mile gravel driveway to Mason’s family ranch are covered in pink and white blooms. Some curve over the drive to create a sort of tunnel to lead the way.
The blooms remind me of a garden from my childhood I dream about sometimes. Something that was warm and safe, but I can never make out the faces or details. They never fail to slip quietly behind the veil of sleep to be quickly forgotten when I wake up.
The sun is out, and the soft breeze is keeping the June Oklahoma heat away. I’ve left my windows down and the pleasant smell of the blooms on the trees is blowing through the cab.
The gravel crunches under my tires as I get closer to the house and the scene opens up to trees, bushes, and all the buildings decorated with ribbons and flowers. A banner hanging high between a couple of trees reads ‘Congratulations Mason and Sloane’.
Mason is my best friend and Sloane is the only woman who has ever been able to catch him, though many have tried. Before he met Sloane, we fucked our way around the globe without a care in the world, depending on where our off-the-books black ops team took us.
At first, I was pissed. I wanted to hold a grudge against her for taking my wingman. Until I met her. I don’t blame him. Not only is she beautiful, she has a kick-ass personality. I could tell I fucking lost him after he met her.
Now, eight months later, I’m the best man at his wedding.
After finding a parking space for my rented truck, I grab my garment bag off the hook in the back seat and walk into the house. There are people everywhere, and I have to bob and weave while turning sideways to find Mason.
Caterers are setting up tables of food, there is a table with a large cake, the all-important drink table, and decorators hanging flowers and ribbons everywhere. Down the incline, close to the stables, the band is setting up their small stage and next to that is a small wooden dance floor.
I distinctly remember Sloane saying that she wanted small and simple, but I think Mason’s sisters may have taken made their own arrangements.
Speaking of sisters, I glance around to look for the one I’m most concerned with, who is also the maid of honor and will be standing across from me during the ceremony.
“Finally!” Mason’s voice booms as he walks through the crowd of people as soon as I get through the front door. “I thought I was going to have to send someone to fucking get you.”
“You know I wouldn’t miss seeing my best friend getting the ball and chain hung around his neck.
” With a smile, I wink at him before I hold my garment bag up.
“I even remembered my clothes.” He claps his hand on my shoulder and pulls me in for a one arm hug and I ask, “Is the rest of the team here?”
He steps to my side and pulls on the cuffs of his cream-colored button down to straighten the sleeves. “Yeah, they’re milling around here and there, and I think Grace is in the kitchen with the girls.
Grace is our boss, Callum’s wife. He’s the only one on our team who is already married, well, until today. He plucked Mason from Delta Force about four years ago and poached me from DEVGRU shortly after.
Mason’s sniper skills rank with the best in the world, and my knack for languages and technological recon in the SEALS and then DEVGRU drew Callum’s attention. When he formed his own black ops team, Mason and I were among the first names he had on his list.
Holding my garment bag up by the hanger looped over my finger, I ask, “Where do you want me to change?”
“You can have the library or the office, they both have locks on the doors. Sloane is still doing last-minute touch-ups in our room, so that is off limits, even to me.”
I wink at him with a shit-eating grin. “I’ll bet I could get in there with a knock and a smile.”
“Then I would have to kick your ass.” He turns to me with a cocked brow.
“You wish, you can’t even best me in training exercises.”
“I may not be some kind of knife whisperer like you, but I can definitely take you down MMA style. But if I get you bloody, Sloane will kick both our asses.” He laughs and tilts his head toward the stairs in her direction.
“Can’t have that, especially with all the horror stories you’ve been telling me about pregnancy hormones.”
“A pregnant woman will rip your balls off and stuff them down your throat while telling you to go get her ice cream in the middle of the night. The sad part is that they have no regret or guilt. It’s like they’re possessed.
” Callum steps up behind us with a beer in hand and we both turn while laughing.
He speaks from experience. He’s the only man on our team who has children, he and his wife have two kids, a boy and a girl.
“I’m definitely learning all about that,” Mason says and tips his head to the kitchen. “Let’s go get a beer.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice.” I say and we walk through the people milling around, talking in every room of the house.
When I step out of the office after changing, I almost bump into a five-foot-six, blond-haired vision in a pretty sundress. The soft scent of coconuts wraps around me. Mason’s twin, Marley, jumps back with a gasp like someone threw a firebomb at her. I grasp her arms to make sure she doesn’t fall.
The flash of fear that crosses her face sends white-hot anger through me. Every time I think about what happened to her when she was in high school, I feel the claws of rage scratching under my skin.
I don’t know details. Mason gave me the cliff notes version, which is all I really need, since it’s Marley’s story to tell. I’ll never ask, but if she ever wants to tell me, I’ll listen.
From the first moment I laid eyes on her eight months ago, I knew I was fucked. She has been a permanent part of my thoughts, and no woman has evoked any kind of feelings from me since. Several have tried, but my mind always drifts back to those ocean blue eyes that light up when she smiles.
Marley doesn’t like strangers or crowds, and she sure as fuck doesn’t like being around men she doesn’t know. I hate it every time I see the split second of panic cross her face.
Being around all these people probably has her on edge.
“Hey, hey, it’s just me.” I croon softly with a smile.
She tips her head back and those beautiful blue eyes meet mine. Relief replaces the fear as she slaps her hand over her chest and lets out a nervous laugh. “Jax, you scared me.”
Right above her hand is the delicate white gold chain with the tiny hammered horseshoe pendant she wears all the time. I love that she always wears it for two reasons: one; she doesn’t know it, but I sent her that necklace anonymously a few months ago.
She almost returned it because she didn’t know who sent it, but decided to keep it because she loved it so much.
Two; it has a tracking device in it so I can always know she is safe.
The relief, and the smile, that replaces the fear when she sees it’s me, sends a rush of happiness through me. But when I let go of her and reluctantly take a step back, I’m speechless as I look at her in her maid of honor dress.
She’s absolutely fucking stunning.
My eyes move down the peach sundress that is form-fitting on the top, but flares at the hips to her knees, down to the flat ballet shoes and back up.
The thin straps of the dress expose her golden tan shoulders and her long blond hair is half up and hanging in big, wavy curls down her back.
Her big blue eyes look away and she squirms under my stare.
“Tako lepa.” I whisper. [So beautiful.]
Her eyes snap back to me and her eyebrows pull together, forming that cute little line over her nose. “What?”
Reaching out, being careful not to move too fast, I touch her elbow with the tips of my fingers. “It means beautiful.” Her face softens and a beautiful shyness turns her cheeks pink as she looks down. “You look beautiful, Marley.”
Just eight months ago, she wouldn’t even look at me, and every time I attempted to stand next to her, she moved away. It’s taken me six visits to the ranch and innumerable, brutal attempts to communicate with her just to get her to give me the gift of those beautiful blue eyes.
The soft rosy pink on her face enhances her beauty even more and makes her blue eyes the color of the deepest ocean. My heart flips in my chest when she looks back up and sheepishly asks, “What language is that?”
“Serbian. But if you like, I can say it in French. ‘Si beau’.” Yes, I’m showing off a little, but it’s rare that she talks to me and I’m basking in her attention.
Her eyes drop to my lips, her head tilting to the side in thought before she barely shakes her head. “No, it sounded more natural the first time. It matches you. I like it better.” She shrugs her shoulder a little and looks away while rolling her full, pink lips together.
She’s embarrassed and uncomfortable. I’ve spent hours watching this woman and learning all her tells, so I joke and say, “Sta ti se svida, meni se svida” [Whatever you like, I like]
The smile is back and her eyes volley between mine as her shoulders relax and she links her fingers together in front of her. “What does it mean?”