Lock and Load (6 page)

Then it occurred to him she probably had to work the next day. He had no idea what she did. She’d never given him even the tiniest hint. Should he ask her? He sure didn’t want her going into work looking as if she’d been run over by a tractor, but he also wanted to maximize every moment with her.

Shit. He’d never been so conflicted about anything. What the hell was going on with him? He’d always considered himself prime material for a sniper because he never allowed his emotions out to play, but with Megan it seemed he didn’t have much choice. It both worried and excited him.

Beau shifted in his seat and eased his arm across the back of Megan’s chair, taking a moment to look around. Slade and Kari had chosen a venue called Mission Hills Gardens for the event and they’d been blessed with perfect weather for the five o’clock ceremony. Chairs had been set up in a grassy area surrounded by colorful gardens and a white runner led from the Spanish style building to the arbor where the couple would exchange their vows. The couple would each have one attendant, he knew, and to avoid hurt feelings among the team by choosing one over the others, Slade had tapped Teo to be his best man.

Now the members of Team Charlie, spit and polished in their uniforms, waited for the bride to walk down the aisle and for the ceremony to begin.

Slade married! What a concept. It wasn’t until the team had begun taking their down time at the ranch that any of them could even see their leader in a permanent relationship, planning for the future. Operating in the dangerous situations they did, they were usually just happy to get to the end of a week.

Not that Beau was complaining. He was totally dedicated to being a part of Delta Force and Team Charlie. But he’d begun to realize that the things that made him a good sniper also closed him off from personal relationships. But like Slade, he realized he wasn’t getting any younger. And the instant, unexplainable connection with Megan had lit something inside him. Maybe that explained why just the word ‘wedding’ let alone the ceremony itself wasn’t making him break out in hives.

Kari had chosen a violinist and a harpist to play the wedding music, and while Beau had a hard time putting that with Slade, he had to agree that the sound set the right tone. They played through an entire composition as late arrivals seated themselves. Then at a signal from one of Kari’s friends, the music changed and everyone turned to face the building. A woman he didn’t know walked slowly down the white runner, in cadence with the music, before taking her place opposite Teo at the arbor.

And finally, the music changed to the traditional wedding march and Kari appeared in the doorway. She stood there by herself, yet she looked anything but alone. Beau watched her eyes track to Slade and when he glanced at his team leader he saw Slade’s hungry gaze fixed on her.

Lucky bastard!

But he was glad for him. It was obvious the look on Slade’s face was so different from that of the tough soldier he was used to. And he wished them both all the happiness in the world.

Almost without thinking, he tightened his arm around Megan’s shoulders, his fingers tracing a light pattern on her shoulder. He relaxed slightly when she didn’t pull away from him. Damn, but she smelled so good, her light scent reminding him of a garden. He captured a few strands of her hair between his thumb and forefinger, rubbing them lightly.
Like silk
, he thought. Finely spun. He shifted closer to her just a fraction, wishing they were someplace where he could pull her tightly against his body.

Oh, wait. Who was he kidding? He wanted to be where he could rip off her clothes.

Behave!

Kari moved slowly past them in time to the rhythm of the music. The smile on her face as she looked at Slade bright enough to compete with the sun. Then she was standing next to him and the pastor began the ceremony.

Beau barely heard a word spoken by anyone. All he could focus on was the woman sitting next to him. The more time he spent with her, the more she was in his blood. Last night at The Edge had been even more unbelievable than the night before. He was torn between getting in too deep and reaching out for what he was beginning to believe the two of them could have together.

Before he realized it, the ceremony was over and Slade and Kari were smiling their way down the runner and into the building. People began to rise from their chairs and make their way inside. Beau made sure to keep his arm around Megan as they moved with the crowd.

Megan leaned against Beau as they moved slowly to the music on the dance floor. His body warmth seeped into her, his breath a soft almost non-existent breeze on her hair. He was incredibly handsome in his uniform. Ruggedly masculine. She was sure the single women in attendance were salivating over him, but he’d paid no attention to anyone but her. Except for when he joined his teammates in toasting the bridal couple, he’d focused on no one but her.

Although the gathering was fairly small—about fifty people, Megan figured—Slade and Kari had wanted a memorable event. The deejay Kari had hired to play after dinner was served knew exactly what music to select and how to mix the slow and the fast. She was surprised at what a fluid dancer Beau was, regardless of the tempo. It wasn’t a talent she’d expected him to have, but he had moves that amazed even her.

The slow dances were what she liked best, though. He had no qualms about wrapping both arms around her and molding her to his body as they swayed in time to the songs. Megan had danced with a lot of men, but none of them had ever affected her this way. For those moments on the dance floor, she almost felt as if they were one person.

Don’t get too carried away, missy. His life is with Delta Force.

But Slade and Kari managed to cross that bridge.

Oh, so you’re thinking of marrying him? Where did that come from?

She had to stop having the conversation with herself and just enjoy the moment. Only there was something different about him today. Something not so—remote. Not that he wasn’t totally involved in their sessions at The Edge. The last two nights had been beyond anything she could have imagined. Each time she’d thought he’d taken her to a new level of sensation, a new edge of pleasure/pain, he pushed her just a little higher. And while he demanded everything from her she had to give, he returned it tenfold. She’d never been with a Dom like him.

Yet from the beginning she’d sensed a certain remoteness, a distance, despite his enthusiasm for their sexual activities. When she’d learned he was a sniper, she’d done some online research and discovered that it was a part of what made them good, that ability to be detached. Ordinarily she’d be good with that, but Beau Williams had inched his way beneath her skin to a place she wasn’t sure she wanted him to be. She’d worked too hard for years at not letting down her guard.

She sighed, confused and not happy about it.

His arm tightened around her. “Sounds like some heavy thoughts you’re carrying around.”

She leaned into him, his body warmth seeping into her. The beat of his heart thumped rhythmically against her ear. How could she tell him what was on her mind? He’d probably run screaming into the night.

“Just enjoying the music and the event. Kari is a beautiful bride.”

“That she is.” He kissed the top of her head.

She felt the imprint of his lips on her scalp. “And the wedding was just right for them. I don’t know her very well, but they look like they’re so much in love.”

Keep babbling, Megan. That’s just what he wants for a topic of conversation.

He chuckled softly, his body vibrating against hers. “I have to say, none of us ever thought he’d actually do it. He’s always been such a loner, focused only on the team.”

“Sort of like you, right?”

Why on earth did I say that? I should learn to keep my mouth shut.

“Snipers are loners by design. Remember I told you that?” He tightened his arm around her. “But that doesn’t mean we want to be lonely.”

Now what did that mean?

“I enjoyed meeting the other guys on the team. I don’t remember seeing them at The Edge, but I’m guessing they were there, too?”

A long moment passed before he answered her. “We’re all Doms, Megan. Have been for years. It’s one of the things that binds us together, makes us such a tight unit. We understand each other so well.” The music stopped and he slid two fingers beneath her chin to tilt her face up to him. “And I’m just as happy if you never notice them. Or anyone else.”

“I, um—Oh, look! Kari’s getting ready to throw her bouquet. It must be almost time for them to leave.”

“I can’t believe they stayed around this long. Come on.” He folded her hand in his and tugged her over to where the small crowd was gathering.”

Slade brought a chair into the center of the floor and helped Kari to stand on it.

“We want to thank all of you for coming here today and sharing this wonderful moment with us.” Her eyes were shining as she gazed over everyone standing in front of her. “I wish for all of you the same happiness Slade and I have found with each other. Ladies, this is a good luck bouquet so get ready to catch it and follow in my footsteps.”

She turned around carefully on the chair, counted to three and tossed the bouquet over her shoulder. Megan had taken a step back, but the flowers headed in their direction and bounced off Beau’s chest. Without thinking she reached out to keep them from falling to the floor. With her fingers closed around them she stared up at Beau, not sure how he would react. There was a look in his eyes that she wasn’t sure how to interpret. Heat and something else. For a long moment they stood there just looking at each other.

Finally, Beau cleared his throat.

“We should take those someplace and put them in water so they’ll last, don’t you think?”

“Um, yes. Of course.” Still she just stood there like an idiot.

He brushed his lips over her cheek. “Then let’s get you home and take care of it.”

And then what?
she wondered. She never, ever brought a man to her place. For one thing, she hadn’t met anyone she wanted to share that space—or her bed—with. For another, she got all the sex she wanted at The Edge. She was sure if she ever mentioned her real desires to the guys she dated they’d either consider her a weirdo, abuse the privilege of her body or spread the word with a lot of dirty jokes peppered into the telling.

But she felt safe with Beau. She couldn’t even say why. It was all wrapped up in that invisible unexpected connection between them, one she wasn’t sure she knew how to handle.

“I can hear you thinking again.”

Beau’s deep raspy voice, this time tinged with a little humor, broke into her mental wanderings.

“I’ve been known to do that a time or two,” she joked, trying for a light tone.

The SUV came to a stop and she realized they were already in her driveway. She reached for the handle to open the door, but Beau stopped her.

“Everything okay, Megan?” His face was deadly serious, a questioning look in his eyes.

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Despite her dithering, she’d made up her mind at the wedding to invite Beau inside. To see if he fit in her personal space. If he’d demand more of her outside The Edge, more than she wanted to give. There was that trust thing again, but she wanted so badly to take this chance with him. Her nerves tingled with a delicious mixture of trepidation and desire.

And just in case things worked out, she’d managed to clear her schedule for Monday so she wasn’t expected at the newspaper.

She smiled at him. “Everything’s fine. Would you like to come in for a while?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

She had to juggle her purse and the flowers while trying to unlock the door. Beau finally took the keys from her, fit the right one in the lock and pushed open the door. She flipped the light switch that turned on two lamps in the living room before heading for the kitchen. He was right behind her when she placed her purse and the flowers on the counter and opened cupboards looking for a vase. When she pulled one off a shelf and moved to fill it at the sink, he was right there, so close his body was touching hers.

“I, uh, need to take care of this,” she stammered.

“In a minute.”

He took the vase from her and set it aside then cupped her face in both of his warm palms. The fire blazing in his eyes was so hot it stole her breath. Then his mouth came down on hers, soft at first, brushing against her like the kiss of a bird’s wing followed by a gentle swipe of his tongue over her bottom lip. When she parted her lips for him, his tongue danced inside, licking the inner surface before retreating. When he lifted his head, she was breathless and the kiss had hardly been anything at all.

But he knew what he was doing. Oh, yes. He’d controlled it all, teasing her just enough so her nipples hardened beneath the silk of her dress and the crotch of her thong dampened with her juices. One touch and her liquid gushed, so much so she was sure he could smell her musk. The wicked smile that curved his lips was a good indication of that.

“Let’s take care of those flowers now.”

The low deep timbre of his voice resonated through her and his look immobilized her. Still grinning, he lifted the vase from the counter, filled it partway with water and carefully placed the bouquet in it. He was such a macho guy, no soft edges, that Megan was amazed he even knew how to do that. War and sex seemed to comprise his life.

“I am a man of many talents,” he told her, and winked. “Where would you like this?”

She gave herself a mental shake. “By the window in the living room. This way.”

As he followed her out of the kitchen, she wondered what he thought of her townhouse. She’d taken a long time to find just the right place and to decorate it the way she wanted. She loved the ten-foot ceilings and the big picture windows, giving the place a clean airy feel. It was the one place she completely allowed her feminine side to emerge. Not that she didn’t remember at all times she was a woman. But at work she had to be careful to walk a fine line between seeming too masculine and too feminine. Men in the sports world didn’t take eye candy very seriously and she was dead serious about her job.