Kincade's Rose (Megalodon Team) (16 page)

He scoffed as if he couldn’t believe she
was that stupid.  “To take care of her.”

“What about her husband?  Or her children? 
Or y’all?  You live in the same town; I am across the country,” Jayde snapped,
losing her patience.

“We have jobs.  Look, Mama told me to call
you and tell you to come home.”  His voice had become condescending.

Jayde sat down on the chair.  “When did you
become such an ass, Ron?  You know as well as everyone else that I
do
have a job.  And while I am sorry for what happened to Kinden, I can’t see any
reason why I should be the one to quit my job when anyone of the rest of you
could easily take shifts and rotate to take care of her.  I will come for a
visit when I can that would be for Grandma and Grandpa’s anniversary, but I am
not a nurse.  Her husband is rich; hire one.  Goodbye, Ron.”  She quietly set
the receiver back down and just began to cry.

For the next two weeks, Jayde painted and
sold more of her works.  The paintings she’d done of jungle scenes had gone
really fast; people said they could feel their wild beat when they looked at
them.  When she wasn’t busy working her mind was on Tyson—where he was and if
he were safe.

Her new friends from the gallery had all
teased her about her ring, saying it was a good ploy for keeping the men at
bay.  Jayde just smiled and went about her business.

Friday morning, a friend dropped Jayde off
at the SeaTac Airprort so she could catch her flight to Savannah, Georgia.  The
flight was smooth enough and uneventful.

When the plane landed, Jayde disembarked
and headed for the rental car counter.  Jayde hadn’t told her family she was
coming a day early and had booked a nearby hotel room for her stay.  So intent
she was on getting to the counter on time that she ran into someone.

“Ah, hell,” she mumbled as the bag she’d
been carrying dropped to the floor.

The resulting grip on her arm that kept her
from falling as well was strong and familiar.  So was the chuckle she heard. 
“I believe, little rose, those are the same words you said the day we met.”

Jayde couldn’t believe it.  Tyson stood
directly in front of her looking just as handsome as he had the day he walked
into her life.  “Tyson,” she breathed.  He was also uninjured.  Squealing like
a small child, she jumped into his arms.  “You’re okay!”

“Oh, Jayde, I told you I would be back. 
I’m fine, better now, but fine.”  His strong arms secured her body against
his.  “Glad this is the reception I am getting from you.”  He kissed her,
totally oblivious to the looks they were receiving—some amused and some
downright disgusted.

By the time Jayde touched the floor again,
her body quivered like jelly.  Then as she realized what she’d just done, she
began to blush.  “I’m glad you are all right,” she said trying to reclaim some
dignity.

Tyson leaned in and whispered in her ear as
he nipped it.  “I’m glad you are still wearing your ring.”  He picked up her
bag and slung it on his shoulder with ease.  “Well, let’s get going.”

Without thinking, Jayde fell into step
beside him.  It took her a few feet before she stopped and stared at him,
contemplating something before she spoke.  “Tyson?”

“Yes, Jayde?”  His tall body stopped as
well and faced her, directly laying those hazel eyes on her.

“What are you doing here?  I thought you
lived in Georgetown,” she said.

One side of his tremendously kissable mouth
quirked.  “I do.  But you are here.”  He touched the end of her nose gently. 
“So I came.”

“How did you know where I was?”  At his
incredulous look she just shook her head.  “Never mind.”  Of course he’d know
where she was.  “But why are you here?  I know you said we needed to talk, but
why come here?”

“I think it’s time I meet my in-laws…don’t
you?” Tyson asked, holding her gaze.

“No.”  She began walking again.  As she
found her rental place and began to approach the counter he stopped her.

“Why don’t you think it’s time for that?”
he demanded.

“Can we discuss this later?  I need to get
my car.”  She shook him off and took care of the paperwork, receiving her keys.

As she exited the place, he picked up right
where he left off.  “Why don’t you think it’s time?”

Jayde stopped and placed her hand on his
arm.  “Tyson, this is new to me.  All of it.  Can we just go somewhere and talk
first?  I have to deal with my family tomorrow, but tonight, I am all yours.”

His eyes grew dark gold at her words. 
“I’ll hold you to that.  That’s a promise.”

Her entire body was on alert as she
realized what she’d said and how he’d taken it.  God, she had missed everything
about this man.  Everything.  Unable to say a word, Jayde kept walking, trying
hard to ignore his arrogant smirk.

As if it were so natural for him to do so,
Tyson walked her all the way to the rental car.  He nodded at her choice, a
two-door green Mercedes convertible.  “Nice ride, Jayde.”  Waiting until she
unlocked it, he put her bag in the trunk and took the one she carried and added
it also.

“I decided to spoil myself since Lord knows
the rest of this is going to be hell,” she said smiling as her hands moved over
the sleek car.

“Why are you down here?” he asked as he
climbed into the passenger side, as if he had every right to do just that.

“My grandparents are celebrating their
sixtieth wedding anniversary.”  She smiled softly thinking about them.  “Their
anniversaries are a huge thing; we pretty much fill the whole park.  Lots of
music, games, laughter, and drinking.  But the down side is my family is
there.”  With a sideways glance at him, Jayde didn’t ask why he was in her car;
she just started the engine and drove to her hotel.  Even despite his calming
presence, the closer they arrived to her hotel, the tenser she became.

“So, how are your grandparents?” Tyson
questioned.

She chuckled, relieved for the reprieve he
granted her, and looked over to him with a smile in her eyes, “Sometimes I
think they are even more energetic than I am!  I love them very much and they
are the only reason I am coming back down here.”  Jayde turned her attention
back to the road.  “My sister had an accident a while ago and my brother called
to tell me that I needed to come home and take care of her.”  Her voice grew
heavy with disgust.  “Me…the one who lives across the flippin’ country…as
opposed to the rest of the family who lives here in town.  Not to mention they
are wealthy and could easily hire in-home care if they so desired.” She shook
her head and changed lanes with ease.

“If I didn’t know how much my grandparents
were looking forward to seeing me, I wouldn’t have come down.  I can’t handle
the drama.  That and I don’t even want to be around them.  I have finally
reached the limit with my family,” Jayde declared.

“Good.  You deserve so much better.  They
should treat you like a member of the family as opposed to the hired help.”

Jayde heard the threat in his voice.  “No,
Tyson.  I don’t need you to save me.”  She pulled into the hotel parking lot
and shut off her car after putting up the top.   Her brown eyes turned to him
and she reiterated, “I mean it.”

He remained silent as he turned away and
got out of the car.  Her eyes were still direct as she got out and glanced at
him over the black top of the car.

“Let’s get to our room and we can discuss
this more,” He finally said.

Our room?
  Jayde took her bags and
entered the hotel after reluctantly relinquishing one of them to Tyson.  At the
front desk, the woman smiled provocatively at Tyson while she typed in Jayde’s
information.  The woman was a tall brunette with vivid green eyes.  “Good afternoon,
Mr. Kincade,” she said. Her round eyes grew larger as she noticed something on
the screen.  They briefly narrowed as she looked at Jayde before regaining her
professionalism.  “Is something wrong with my room?” Jayde asked the woman who
seemed to have suddenly obtained a coldly hostile attitude towards her.

“No,” she mumbled.  “I just didn’t realize
that he was sharing it with you.”  Her emerald gaze flickered to Tyson and back
to Jayde’s brown face.

Sharing my room with me?
  Jayde
snuck a peek at Tyson and saw that same arrogant smirk on his handsome face. 
“Is there a problem with that?” Jayde suddenly found her own attitude.

“N-no,” the woman stammered.

“Good, ’cause last time I checked, a
husband and wife were allowed to share a room.”  Jayde felt Tyson move behind
her and slide one tanned arm around her waist.  That simple action made Jayde
feel like she
could
take on the world.  It seemed that with Tyson beside
her, nothing was impossible.

The woman slid the key across the mahogany
counter without another word.  Jayde took it and picked up her bag, heading for
the elevator with Tyson right behind her.

As the elevator’s wooden doors slid silently
shut, Tyson dropped his bag and grabbed Jayde in his arms.  Her own bag fell to
the floor and her brown arms slid up around his neck.  Their tongues met in an
old mating dance.  Time ceased to exist as their world shrank to only them. 
There were no problems, no issues, not one single bad thing.  Just them, two
halves of the same whole.  As it should be.

When the elevator stopped on the tenth
floor, Jayde slid her softer body down his hard length.  Tyson still took her
breath away.  His hair was cut short and he wore a red T-shirt that hugged his
chest along with his bi- and triceps, blue jeans with a hole in the knee, and white
tennis shoes.  With his ring settled comfortably on his finger, Jayde knew
there wasn’t a day on this earth she would grow tired of looking at him.  He
was a work of art.  Red, white, and blue—a true American hero.

Yes
! her body screamed.  But her
ever-practical mind said no.  So instead, she picked up her bag and walked down
the hall towards her…their room.

She slid the keycard in the door and
entered her room.  Not too shabby as far as hotel rooms went.  Right away her
mind found and focused on the king-sized bed that seemed to dominate the room.

Jayde also noticed two bags on the floor
beside the closet.  Slanting a glare at the man with whom she’d just shared a
soul-shattering kiss she demanded, “Why are you in this room?”

Tyson kicked the door shut behind him with
his foot.  “Why?  ’Cause last time I checked, a husband and wife were allowed
to share a room.” He placed her bag down beside his as he tossed her own words
back at her.

“Do I even want to know how you figured out
where I was staying?” Jayde asked.

“No,” he stated simply.

“Of course not.”  She placed her smaller
bag and purse down beside his things.  Then, she stretched and rolled her
neck.  It had been a long flight, five hours, and she was tired, both
physically and emotionally, especially now that Tyson was here.  “So, Tyson,
why do you think you should meet my family?”

“Because we are married.”  She grimaced
slightly.  “Does being married to me cause you that much distress?”

Jayde shook her head and sighed.  “Tyson,
it’s not that.  I am just not really excited about seeing my family.  They
stress me out so much.”

She began to unpack her bags.  He moved
closer as she went to the dresser.  As she put in her bras and underwear he
pulled them out, holding the delicate fabric up high.

“You wear these?” he asked stunned.  The
one he currently held was pale peach silk and slip-like. “It should be a sin.”

She snatched it away from him and put it in
the drawer with a sharp, “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” He picked up another one, a
full-length, deep-necked, rich chocolate color with a slit up one side.  The
silk ran through his fingers like water, it was so smooth.

“Tyson!” she snapped.  “Leave my things
alone!”

“How come I never got to see you in things
like this?” he asked as he gave, albeit reluctantly, the seductive garment back
to her.

Jayde threw the garment in the drawer.  “I
don’t know; shall we review our time together?”  Her eyes crackled with fire as
she glared at him.

Tyson shook his head. “Okay, I get it.  How
about
do
I get to see you in any of these?”  His eyes sparkled with a
mixture of seduction and playfulness.

How she didn’t manage to hold onto her
anger, no matter how slight it was, never ceased to amaze her.  Even when
they’d been in the jungle, Jayde couldn’t stay mad at him.  There was just
something in his eyes that made her smile despite the situation.  And she did
so now.

“Maybe.  I suppose I could wear one of them
for you later.”  Jayde ran her eyes over his military-honed physique.  “But if
I do that for you…” She paused and swayed towards him.  “What will you do for
me?”

Not even two seconds fell between the time
Jayde’s words crossed her lips and the time she was pressed tightly against
Tyson.  “What do you want?”  His mouth was millimeters away from her full lips.

Unlike the last time he’d asked on the
boardwalk in Belize, when she hadn’t given her true answer, this time she
would.  “I want you.”  She touched his clean-shaven face.  “I want you to make
love to me, like you did that night in Belize.”

His eyes darkened with passion.  “What else
do you want, because
that
, my little rose, is not going to be a problem?
Do you have something else you wish to ask of me?”  Tyson cupped her face as
well. “You are so beautiful.  I love you, Jayde.”

Tears welled up in her eyes and she looked
into the soul of the man who would forever be a part of her.  Blinking them
back, a trembling smile crossed her face. “A date.  I want a date.”

“A date?”  He nodded as his head lowered to
capture her full lips with his firm ones.

“Uhh-huhh,” she mumbled from beneath his
passionate kiss.

He pulled back and looked down at her,
taking in her dark beauty and lingering on the simple filigree gold chain and
karabiner pendant.  All of a sudden the perfect idea came to him.  “A date.” 
Tyson nodded and moved away from her picking up the room phone and calling the
front desk.  Meanwhile Jayde went into the bathroom to freshen up.

After completing his call, Tyson went to
get Jayde. “Ready to go?”

Laying the towel on the countertop, she met
his stare in the mirror.  “Go where?”

“On our date,” he said, boldly moving his
eyes over her body.

“Shouldn’t I change first?” she asked as
she looked down at her black shorts and green shirt.

“No, that’s just fine.  Come on.”  He
reached out a hand and winked at her as she took it.

Heading out of the hotel room, Tyson kept
hold of her hand and led her to the car. He took the keys and slid behind the
wheel of her rental car.

“You know, I think I should be offended you
just assumed you could use my rental car.  Don’t you have one?”

He tweaked her nose.  “Of course I do; how
do you think I got to our hotel?  But I like yours better.”  Soon he was
driving through the city towards their destination.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise,” he said easily.

“What kind of surprise?”

“The kind that if I tell you, it won’t be
one anymore.”

Jayde took the hint and fell silent for
about ten seconds.  “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“What was the one thing that you wished for
when we were in the jungle?”

Tyson took a second to answer. “I wished I
could always make you as peaceful as you’d looked when you were swimming in
that water.”  He turned the car onto another street.

“What look?  You weren’t there when I was
swimming,” she denied.

“Yes, I was.  I was watching you the whole
time.” A smile crossed his face as he said that.

“That means you saw me when…” she trailed
off not needing to say it.

“Sure did.  And I thought you were never
more beautiful.” Tyson assured her.

Jayde covered her face with her hands. “I’m
mortified!”

“Don’t be.  What about you?  What did you
wish for?” Tyson asked.

“A shower.  I think that was the one thing
I kept wishing for.”

“Don’t you ever camp?” he wondered.

She nodded. “Well, sure.”

“You don’t shower everyday out there, do
you?”

“No, but at least I have deodorant and not
scared or running for my life!”

Tyson swore.  “I am so sorry I put that on
you.”

“No,” Jayde said.  “Tyson, please don’t
keep apologizing for something that wasn’t your fault.”

“It was my fault.  I was supposed to
protect you and I couldn’t.”  His voice was full of shame and disgust at
himself.

“How did you know they were going to blow
up the plane, or any of it?  And you did protect me.  Everything I was able to
do was because you were with me.”  Jayde reached across the small car and put
her hand over his.  “I would be lying if I said there were times I wasn’t
scared, but I never,
ever
, lost faith in your ability to protect me.”

“And after I got shot?  You had to haul me
up that last hill.” His words were full of pride at her accomplishment.

“You would have done the same for me,”
Jayde said immediately.

Tyson pulled the car into a parking lot,
shut off the engine, and turned to Jayde.  “I was…no…I am so proud of you.  You
did things most wouldn’t have been able to do.  You were just as tough as the
situation warranted you to be.”

“That means a lot coming from you.”  She
blushed and looked away from his mesmerizing eyes.  A wide grin grew on her
face as she saw they were at an outdoor supply store with a huge indoor
rock-climbing facility.

Jayde got out of the car, her bottom lip
between her teeth.  “Come on, let’s go.”

Tyson followed her inside.  Soon they were
climbing up side by side on a wall set up for racing.  As he glanced over at
her, Tyson just about lost his grip.  His wife was stunning.

Her sleeves had been rolled up so he could
see the muscles moving in her arms as she pulled herself up.  That entire body
of hers was covered in a faint sheen of sweat as she climbed.

Tyson beat her, but barely.  She was good. 
As she hauled herself up to the top and sat next to him to catch her breath she
swore, “Damn, you won.”  There was a sparkle in her eyes that made him feel awesome.

“Only barely.”  His own body was beginning
to sweat as well.  “You are really good at this.”  He gestured over to the
repelling wall.  “Do you repel as well?”

“Sure, not the Aussie way, though.  I
haven’t learned how to do that yet,” she said with a shrug.

“Would you like to learn?” Tyson offered.

“Will you teach me?”  She sounded like a
kid at Christmas.

“If you’re up to it.  We can do it right
now.”
I will teach you whatever you wish to learn, my little rose, just as
long as you never leave me.

Before the words were fully out his mouth,
Jayde was repelling back down to the ground.  That time she did beat him.  As
his feet hit the ground, she was already unbuckling her safety harness and
going to the repelling tower.

Tyson strode over to the tower slowly, his
eyes on his wife as she spoke to one of the men there.  When she laughed and
hugged the good-looking man, he quickened his pace.

“Jayde?”  Tyson’s tone caused her to pull
back from the man and smile at him.

“Tyson.”  She stepped out of the other
man’s arms and moved back beside him.

Tyson did his best to swallow the intense
jealousy he felt.  “Who is this?”  He nodded in the direction of the tall,
muscular black man she’d been hugging.

“Tyson, I would like you to meet Cole
Grant.  We went to school together.”  She turned back to the man named Cole. 
“Cole, I’d like you to meet Tyson Kincade.”

“Her husband,” Tyson added, shaking the
hand of a very surprised Cole.

“Husband?” Cole asked.

“Yep, husband,” Tyson reiterated.

“We are here to repel, Cole,” Jayde said
quickly, giving Tyson a reproachful look.

Cole turned his dark eyes onto his friend. 
“Cool.  Congratulations.  I have to ask, though, what do your parents think?” 
Jayde avoided his gaze.  “They don’t know yet?”  He let loose a loud laugh. 
“Damn, I don’t envy being in your shoes.  Well, come on, then, might as well
let you get one more bit of fun before you tell them.”  Cole looked at Tyson
and just laughed again.

“Something you want to tell me?”  Tyson
asked as they walked to the tower.

“Man,” Cole said, “there ain’t nothing I
can tell you that will prepare you for her family.  Jayde and I were forbidden
to see each other when I first introduced her to rock climbing and repelling
back in middle school.”

Jayde laughed.  “And we have been rebelling
and repelling together against them ever since!”

“Ah, yes,” Cole said.  “You don’t find true
friends like Jayde every day, and so when you do, you keep ’em.”  He hugged her
and placed a kiss on her cheek.  At Tyson’s glare, he laughed again.  “Man,
don’t worry.  I’m not after your woman!”

Tyson looked at Jayde and she kissed him
full on the lips.  “Don’t worry so much.  He is happily married.  Cole is the
brother I never had but always wanted.”

Tyson relaxed as Jayde placed her head on
his chest while Cole went through the safety spiel.  When he finished Tyson
asked, “Can I climb up and then repel back down?”

“Military man?” Cole asked in response.

“Yes, sir.” Tyson said, still holding onto
his wife.

“Go on wit’ your bad self, man!” Cole
granted.

“Thanks.”  Tyson kissed Jayde once more,
and then began the climb to the top using solely a rope.  When he reached the top,
people erupted in applause.  He had gotten to the top in a very short amount of
time.  He gave them a short, yet slightly embarrassed, grateful nod.

For the rest of the afternoon, Tyson spent
teaching his wife the Australian way of repelling—going down face first.  A
quick study, Jayde grasped the concept in an impressively short amount of
time.  Tyson even got her to climb the rope up to reach the top of the tower. 
He showed her how to use her feet on the rope so she didn’t have to use so much
arm strength.

It was seven at night when Jayde finally
called it quits.  “I can’t do anymore.  I’m exhausted.”

Tyson agreed; besides, they still had to
have dinner.  “Okay.  Let’s go then.” They said goodbye to Cole and headed out
into the warm evening.

When they reached the car Jayde went to the
driver’s side and waited.  “What?” Tyson asked as he kissed her.

“I want to drive.  There’s somewhere I want
to take you.” Jayde said as she trailed one hand down his hard chest.