Dolby(45)
Author: Maryann Jordan

 

He nodded. “We followed the car that took you and discovered you were at the docks. But by the time that happened and we had the dock security pulled up, the ship had left the port and was out to sea.”

 

She pressed her lips together tightly, and he wanted to ease her distress, but they had much to cover. Continuing gently, he said, “We’ve… the whole Lighthouse Security team has been on this. Since the moment Angela called us, and she did that as soon as she got home.”

 

After another moment of silence, she whispered, “Why?”

 

“LSI would have taken the case even if I didn’t know you, Marcia. But we were starting out… you and me. When Angela called, it was like I’d been punched in the heart. I know I’d told you that we were an us, but I didn’t realize until that moment that I already considered you mine. Mine to hold. Mine to have. Mine to protect.”

 

She dropped her gaze, and he gave her that moment of privacy, then, with his knuckle under her chin, he lifted so he could see her eyes again.

 

She swallowed, then nodded. “I was brought into this room and left. But before they closed the door, they threatened me. Told me that I could stay here and be alone, but if I called out or tried to get someone to help me, then I’d be used to service the crew—”

 

“Fuck!” he growled, his hands tightening around her.

 

“I didn’t know I was in the clinic until the door opened the first day, and Tudora brought me food. But I wasn’t about to try anything. Not with the threat he made.” Her breath hitched, and she shuddered. “I was so scared. I know you think I must be crazy, jumping you like I did, demanding sex. But…” Her face crumpled. “I was just so glad… so relieved. I’ve thought of you. Oh, Jonathan… thinking of you is what kept me sane. And when you walked in, it was as though my skewed world had righted again.”

 

He pulled her close. “Oh, babe, I’ve done the same. You’ve been on my mind continuously. I just wanted our first time to be somewhere worthy of you. Not here. Not when you’ve been traumatized.”

 

Blowing out a breath, she glanced around the room. “I had no idea why I’d been taken. I tried to think it through, like one of my plots. I know it might sound crazy, but Inspector Marley helped me muddle through a few things. I came up with that they’d meant to take Angela. And that would make it Roger who set it up.”

 

Nodding, he agreed. “You’re right. Exactly right, babe.”

 

“But I had no idea where we were going.”

 

“Roger has a place in the Marshall Islands where he hides money for some of his less savory clients. Angela was to be brought there, where, probably drugged, he would have made it look like they were very happily vacationing, and then she would have had an accident.”

 

“Oh my God,” she gasped, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

 

“I got on the ship in Hawaii and have been watching the halls until I saw the woman bring a tray of food to the clinic.”

 

Lifting her head, she bit her quivering lip. “And you slipped the dove onto the plate.”

 

“It was to let you know I was here. I couldn’t get to you right away, but I wanted you to know you weren’t alone.”

 

She pressed her lips to his, and this time, he took the kiss slow and gentle, soft and sweet. It wasn’t a kiss of desperation or a precursor to sex. It was just the simple human connection of his heart to hers.

 

As they separated, he resettled her over his lap, shifting her so that his arms could band tightly around her.

 

“Can you stay all night?” she asked. “No one comes in until Tudora brings breakfast.”

 

“I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

 

She nodded and melted closer to him. He hated to bring up more trauma but didn’t want there to be secrets. “I want full disclosure between us, babe. Angela told us who you were as far as your childhood. I read what I could about you so I’d know how this experience might affect you.”

 

“Oh.” She sighed heavily, looking down.

 

“But I only know what the articles said.”

 

Lifting her gaze, she stared at him, her eyes searching. “Do you want more?”

 

“I want to know everything about you, baby. What makes you happy, and what keeps you up at night. What gives you joy, and what gives you nightmares. I want us to be together, and that means wanting to take care of you in all ways. To answer your question… if you’re willing to give me more, then yes, I want it all.”

 

After a moment of silence, she whispered, “Okay.”

 

Heart pounding, he waited.

 

 

 

 

 

21

 

 

 

 

 

Marcia’s body was still sated from their lovemaking, but now her mind began to churn with the past. It was a place she tried not to visit often, but being a part of her, it was never very far away. What was the saying? You can’t escape your past. She understood that sentiment because our past is always part of us. The experiences, good and bad, are what make us individual and unique. Pretending something didn’t happen doesn’t make it go away. Refusing to look under the bed doesn’t mean there aren’t monsters.

 

Years of counseling had taught her that it was only by facing the past that she could learn to live with it and move forward. Maybe the same words applied to the relationship she was starting with Jonathan.

 

“I’ve never done this before… not everything… not even with Angela.” She dragged in a rough breath. “I don’t know where to start.”

 

He lifted his hand, his knuckles gently gliding over her cheek, and she leaned her head into his hand. Holding his gaze, she waited.

 

“Start at the place that makes you happy,” he said.

 

Nodding, she said, “That’s a perfect place.” With another cleansing breath, she began. “Daddy was such a funny man. Larger than life, with a booming laugh and a sparkle in his eyes. He came from old money in Texas. He married the woman he fell in love with after seeing her riding over the fields. Momma didn’t come from money. Her parents worked with horses on other ranches, but once he’d seen her on the back of a horse, he declared that was the woman for him.”

 

She smiled softly, her memories coming to the forefront of her mind. “Growing up, I didn’t realize how wealthy we were. I just knew I was happy. While our house was large, it wasn’t pretentious. It was just a big ranch house. Our spread had a lot of acreage, but I had friends whose parents had oil fields much larger than ours. My father didn’t walk around with a pompous air that said, “I’m rich.” Most days, I saw him in jeans and a work shirt as he would handle business on the ranch, and then he’d wear a suit only when needed. My mother was as down to earth as the day he met her. She helped anyone who needed it, gave her time and energy to charities, and, like my father, was often found in jeans while taking care of the horses we raised. I know to many people it sounds like a charmed life, but my parents worked hard.”