He hangs up.
That’s a good response. It means that’s what he wanted. And now he’s gone.
I turn to face Candace and she’s already closing the space between us, her hands catching my waist, urgency in her words as she says, “What just happened?”
My hands close down on her arms and I pull her to me. “It’s over,” I say, and I mean those words, despite the fact that they don’t quite sit right on my tongue. “And now the past is the past. And we are the future.”
And before she can ask another question, I scoop her up and get her naked and in the bed with me, where she belongs. Forever.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Savage
Candace and I order takeout from our favorite sub shop, and while we’re waiting on the delivery, she heads to the bathroom to do all her nightly girl stuff. I head downstairs to wait for the food and use the opportunity to dial Asher.
“Savage, man,” he answers. “Hold tight. I’m at Blake’s place. Let me put him on speaker.”
Ten seconds later, I hear, “What the fuck trouble are you getting yourself into right before your wedding, asshole?”
One thing I’ve always respected about Blake is his eloquent way with words, but I’ll compliment him another day. Right now, I get to the point. “Max called,” I begin before I proceed to deliver a quick rundown of the conversation.
There’re a few beats of silence when I finish and some murmurs between Blake and Asher, before Asher says, “His explanation sounds reasonable, but we both agree it all sits uneasy, like about half a pizza too much. Let us do some digging around. Can you come by the office at lunchtime tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” I say. “I’ll be there.”
And right when I would hang up, Blake adds, “We’ve got your back. If this has to be handled, we’ll handle it for you. You are going to let it go and get married and then go on that honeymoon in Sonoma your wife-to-be has been ranting on and on about. That’s an order from all of us here at Walker Security. Another order, this one from me. Get some rest.”
He hangs up.
I let his message sink in and come to the obvious conclusion. Once again, and over and over, the Walker team teaches me the meaning of family.
For the first time in my life, I’m ready to hand over the shit-show rather than deal with it myself. I want to enjoy our wedding. And he’s right. Candace is so damn excited about the California wine country and whale watching for our honeymoon. Hell, so am I.
The doorbell rings and I set aside all the bullshit, determined to unwind. A few minutes later, Candace and I are on the bed, opening the takeout bags. She’s delectable in a red silk gown with just enough cleavage to bring me to my knees.
“I need you to put on a robe, my little bombshell babe. I can’t eat the sandwich and you at the same time.”
“Stop, Rick,” she chides, “You’re crazy.”
“I’m as serious as a Jedi with a blue lightsaber. Robe. You need a robe.”
She scowls and sets her sandwich down. “I cannot believe you are making me do this,” she says, standing and walking toward the bathroom.
Her ass looks just as good as her breasts in that gown. I stand up and follow her. She has the robe in her hand when I catch her to me and toss it to the ground. “Our food,” she objects, but her laughter weakens the objection.
I’m not laughing. I’m serious as fuck about getting her out of that gown. I pull it over her head, toss it to the ground, and lift her to the counter, her pretty pink nipples puckering with the cold air. I catch them with my fingers and she gasps, her lips parting and lifting in invitation. An invitation happily accepted. This is the point when she stops fighting and goes all-in on the idea of me inside her, right here and now. I know this because she tells me.
“Can you be inside me already?” she whispers.
“What about the food?” I tease.
“Rick, damn it.” She tugs at my shirt.
I kiss her hard and fast and then I pull it over my head and by the time it’s on the floor, she’s unzipped my pants.
I shove them down, cup her backside with one hand, and slide my fingers along the slick seam of her sex with the other. She is wet and ready, and damn, I missed this part of us when we were apart, but then, I missed everything about us. I slide inside her and she arches her hips, her sex squeezing me, her lashes lowering, unbridled pleasure sliding over her beautiful face. She says I’m crazy. She’s driving me crazy. And so, I drive into her and pick her up at the same time, and then we’re rocking together, all fast and furious, but none of it is enough. It never is with Candace. My hand splays between her shoulder blades. “Lean back,” I order, and she does. She trusts me to hold onto her when some might say I don’t deserve her trust. I left her. I hurt her. I didn’t hold onto her. I’ll never make that mistake again.
I thrust hard and she presses into me, her beautiful breasts bouncing with every move. Just like they did in my fantasies all those years I couldn’t let her go, I couldn’t even begin to replace her. I have no hope of lasting. I don’t even try. She moans loudly, this soft, sexy sound, and her sex clenches me hard and fast. I’m done. I thrust one more wicked time, and shudder into release.
When my body settles and she leans forward, into me, I set her on the counter. “Wear the robe.”
She laughs and I pull out of her, then hand her a towel, followed by the robe. “I’ll wear the robe.”
I lift her off the counter and I’m glad I told her everything about the Max situation.
We’re good.
We’re better than good.
I’m not fucking that up.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Savage
Candace and I end up back on the bed, eating our sandwiches and talking about the wedding and the honeymoon while we eat.
Afterward, exhaustion wins.
With Candace pressed against me, the shade covering up that magic moon, I fall asleep, and I sleep hard. I wake with Candace still close, the room dark, the clock reading six AM. With the cobwebs of exhaustion now gone, I replay the conversation with Max. Why couldn’t he just have given the location of the drive to the person he was handing it over to? Maybe he didn’t want the owner of the cabin to get hurt, I decide. Why didn’t he pick it up himself? Maybe he knew they were onto him. He was afraid to make a move and endanger his wife. But where the hell is his wife? Was she with him at the cabin?
With all these things bothering me, I slip out of the bed, pull the blankets over Candace, and watch her snuggle into my pillow. She’s content. She feels safe with me, because of me. I’m never letting that change. What I will do is let her sleep, and I do. I head into the bathroom to shower, shave, and dress. By the time I exit the bathroom, it’s only seven and Candace is still sound asleep. Once I’m downstairs, I start the coffee. Then I grab some egg whites and mix up a couple of omelets to throw on when Candace wakes up.
In the meantime, I think.