Chapter Ten
Athena walked back into her boutique and saw everything put to rights—glass cleaned up, blood vanished and even every single camera hole patched.
She turned in a circle. “My God.” How had they done this in a day’s time?
They’re the freakin’ government, that’s how. They have every string to pull at their fingertips.
Looking toward her office, her heart gave a heavy thump. For days Dylan had been found sitting there, monitoring her universe. When she walked through the door, she braced herself for what she’d see but it still struck like a blow.
She gripped the doorframe and stared at the neat, cleared desk. Not a technical device in sight.
Oh God. Tears bit at the backs of her eyes but she pushed them down, unwilling to cry. She’d done enough of that the previous night after Dylan had walked out of her life. After the first hour of shock, she’d felt more alone than she ever had in her life. And for a woman without family or many friends, that was a huge deal.
Then her emotions had slowly shifted to anger, and she didn’t even have the man nearby to let him have it. Unfortunately, her final drop on this roller coaster was sadness, which was obviously still controlling her.
She turned from the office and walked back out into the showroom. Going through the motions of opening the shop took no brainpower at least. As Mardi Gras week began to close, she would be less busy and hopefully by the end of the day, go home to that soaker tub.
But that brought visions of Dylan at her apartment and his comments about how beautiful her bathroom was. The man’s intelligence and knowledge of the world rocked her in a way she’d never known before, and that had nothing to do with the fear and adrenaline of the past week.
She understood his reason for giving her space, but dammit, what if she didn’t want it?
The first customer took all the energy Athena had to give, and each one after sapped a bit more life from her. By lunchtime, she felt like a wilted flower. So when Elise breezed in looking elegant and glowing, Athena hurriedly grabbed a set of chignon sticks and wound her hair into a twist on the back of her head.
Elise gave her a small smile, looking too closely at her face and probably making out the hollows under her eyes or the redness from lack of sleep and crying.
“You okay, hon? What am I saying? I can see you aren’t.”
Athena bit her lower lip. “I’m not quite myself yet.”
She nodded. “Understandable. Things like this would shake you up.”
“I don’t know how you and the Knight Ops live it daily.”
She flashed a white smile. “I don’t know how you work with these customers all day! That one blonde who wanted you to custom embroider a parade float on her pants in one day?” Elise raised her brows and opened her eyes wide.
Athena laughed, and it felt good but not exactly real either. “It happens. Given another few days, I could have done the job.”
“See? That’s amazing to me.”
They stared at each other. Athena’s eyes flooded with tears again. Hopeless, stupid tears. One dribbled down her cheek, and she gave a big sniff. “I don’t even know why I’m crying.”
“Don’t you?” Elise placed a hand on hers.
“It can’t be because of Dylan. I hardly know him. He was just… just…” Everything.
Elise’s eyes burned with sympathy. “The Knight boys know how to sweep a woman off her feet and alter her life forever. Believe me.” She patted her still flat stomach.
Athena shook her head. “What I was feeling can’t be real.”
“That’s why Dylan took some time away, right?”
She sniffled. “It’s the right thing to do. I just need a few more days to recover. Last week was like being really sick and shuttled around to doctors and hospitals, enduring fear and worry. Then it’s all over and I’m suddenly better, but I’m still feeling the aftereffects of the time.”
Elise busted out laughing. “Oh I love it! You’re comparing Dylan to a disease.”
Athena giggled. “I guess I am.”
Elise’s expression grew more serious though the twinkle still lit her eyes. “What you need to decide is if you want to live with that disease every day of your life.”
She bit into her lip again, an action she’d done so many times today that the flesh was getting sore. “What I’m not sure about is if I can live without it.”
“I know the feeling. Sean has scared me so many times I’ve lost count. When I don’t know where he is or if he’s okay. I wouldn’t know if something happened to him until it was too late.” She trailed off, staring across the showroom. After a few seconds, she shook herself and looked directly into Athena’s eyes. “That is a real concern you need to consider, Athena. You can even ask Ben’s wife Dahlia. Living with a military man has its ups and downs. Question is, can you live with the low points?”
Athena rubbed away the wetness on her cheeks and reached for a tissue. She didn’t have any answers to that right now. Changing her entire life to allow a man like Dylan into it wasn’t something she could decide right away.
And he was a damn genius for knowing that before even she could realize it.
“I guess I have a lot of thinking to do.”
“Thinking goes better over coffee and donuts. Why don’t I run down the street to that bakery and see if they have anything left?”
“Knowing your powers of persuasion, you’ll have them whipping up a fresh batch of donuts and heating the oil.” Athena gave her a watery smile. “Go on—we could use some snacks to go with our girl talk.”
Already at the door, Elise tossed a look back at Athena. “I’m here for you.”
When she walked out again, Athena smiled through her tears at this new friendship found in the strangest of places. But she couldn’t help but think that Elise was a Knight also and if things worked out between her and Dylan—if she chose him and all the baggage he brought along in the package deal—that they’d be sisters-in-law.
She realized she wasn’t just in love with Dylan. She was in love with his family too.
* * * * *
Dylan peered through the sights, held his breath and squeezed of the shot. Followed by three more perfect placements on the moving targets at the gun range. A whoop went up behind him from one of his brothers.
When Dylan lowered the rifle, he swung around to look at the group gathered behind him.
“When did you get here?” He checked the chamber and fed it a few more shells.
“Right after you started tearing up the course, bro.” Chaz folded his arms and studied him. Dylan ignored it—and the other four sets of eyes trained on him—and resumed his shooting practice.
Pretty soon the guys got in on it too and bets were placed. Ben and Sean were deep in conversation about who was going to kick whose ass. When Ben won by literally a hair’s width on the center ring of the target, Sean turned the bet to catfishing.
Roades snorted. “Pretty easy to call that one—Sean’s the best.”
Sean braced his legs wide and folded his arms, a smug expression on his face. “That’s right, boys. Start forking over the cash now.”
“Nobody agreed to a fishing tournament,” Rocko added, as laid back as always.
“Jackson is entering the one you won last year, Sean. Better not enter this time,” Ben warned.
“Colonel Jackson fishes? I thought all he did was barbecue and polish his medals.” Chaz’s words got a laugh from everybody but Dylan.
He didn’t have much to laugh about right now. Feeling as low as the belly of a slug, he was only living moment to moment, trying like hell to keep his mind off Athena. Two weeks had passed and he’d vacillated from resignation that he’d already lost her to determination to win her back. But so far, he’d kept his word by staying away from her. Giving her space and time was essential.
What was that shitty saying about loving something and setting it free, and if it came back to you it was really yours?
He popped off another shot, right between Ben’s and Sean’s bullet holes.
“Good thing fishin’ is only a hobby to Dylan. If he set his hand to it, we’d all be at the bottom of the list,” Roades drawled.
Ben took a chair and stared at Dylan until he arched a brow in question. “You got somethin’ to say, just say it.”
“Fine, I will,” Ben said. “How long are you going to go on being a dick? I shoulda let Jackson punish you for that stunt at the fair.”
Dylan might have roused to that accusation if he had the energy for anything but dwelling on his own pain. He gazed back. “What am I being a dick about? Haven’t I done my job? Hell, I had all of your backs in Mississippi two days ago and the day before that when we raided that dump of a bar.”
“Fuckin’ Mississippi,” three of the guys echoed.
“Your performance is fine, even if there’s a lack of heart,” Ben said.
“Lack of heart? What’s heart gotta do with defusing bombs and rounding up assholes with too many guns and not enough brains?”
“We all know what’s eating at you, man. Just go get your woman and tell her that you want it all so we can get back on track. One guy’s attitude throws us all off.” Sean’s advice slammed Dylan. But it wasn’t anything he hadn’t already thought a million times the past two weeks.
“Look,” Ben said, “you have to know what Athena will say sometime. Putting it off for longer isn’t going to make her decision any different. By now, she’s figured out what she wants.”
Sean nodded. “Elise says so too.”
Dylan jerked his head around to pierce his brother in his gaze. “Elise has been talking to Athena about us?”
“Girl talk.”
He didn’t know if that made him feel better or worse. Nobody was more on the Knights’ side than Elise, but she would share all the cons of loving a man like him. But that wasn’t why he’d walked away from her. He needed her to think on things, to know what was in her heart, truly.
“I guess it’s good that Elise is telling her all the bad stuff about being in a relationship with me so she can make informed decisions.” He pushed out a sigh. He didn’t sound convinced and wasn’t going to pretend he felt it either.
“Elise thinks she’s lonely.”
“Athena said that?” His gut churned.
“No, but think about it. She doesn’t have siblings or family. She’s pretty much devoted to that boutique and lives vicariously through her customers and the events they attend.” Sean cleared his throat. “Speaking of clients, the woman who requisitioned the shoes from Athena was finally found.” The Landrenaus had given her name and location the same day of their arrest but it had taken the FBI much longer to track her down.
But now that all the players on the chess board had fallen, Athena was completely safe.
Dylan found his breath trickling out and his mind running forward, to driving to her apartment and finally setting eyes on the woman who owned his heart.
He stood and handed his rifle to Chaz. “Your turn. I’ve gotta run into the city.”
He took two steps before Chaz called out, “You wouldn’t be visiting a certain clothing boutique, would you?”
Dylan kept walking without looking back. “Yep. Going to find my heart like you guys said.”
At times like this, he wished he wasn’t so damn practical-minded in driving a compact car. Because right about now, he could use a vehicle with some speed.
In the parking lot, he scanned his brother’s rides—Chaz’s Jeep, Sean’s El Camino and Roades’ Ninja.
A grin split his face as he took the keys to his car from his pocket and placed them above the visor. Then he swung his leg over the bike, settled the helmet in place and leaned forward to fiddle with the wiring. The engine started in seconds, and he kicked off at the same moment he hit the gas.
The bike zoomed through the lot and when he got to the highway leading back to New Orleans, he really opened it up. His brother would be pissed but he’d get over it. Someday Roades would have a woman of his own to go crazy over and understand.
By the time he reached the city streets, Dylan had thought of every scenario possible when he walked up to Athena’s door. The good, the bad and the ugly were all present in his mind. He only hoped for one outcome, and the little sassy boutique owner had no clue she held his fate so tightly gripped in her hands.
Drawing up next to the curb, he cut the engine and removed his helmet. When he dismounted from the bike, he didn’t want to admit his legs felt a bit wobbly from the fear surging through him.
If she turned him away…
He had to be prepared for that. Sean hadn’t told him where Athena’s thoughts lay, but probably because Elise hadn’t been told either.
It was down to him and Athena.
He approached the door.
* * * * *
Athena answered the knock on her door, heart pounding a bit too fast. Each time she heard her backdoor buzzer, she thought of Knight Ops breaking into her boutique and upending her world. And when a pizza was delivered, her palms felt clammy with fear that it could be someone besides the delivery person.
So when she spotted Dylan outside her door, she sucked in a sharp gasp.
A thrill hit her chest, and the quake in her limbs was undeniable. She backed up, rattled, just staring at the man she had wanted nothing more than to set eyes on for weeks.
Her throat closed off on a cry that was never emitted.
His gaze lit on her, touching her like a brand. “Can I come in?”
She stepped back, words jumbled in her mind, and he entered. He seemed to take up so much more space than she remembered. The distance between them had made him shrink and swell in her mind depending on the day, but now that he was standing in front of her, he was larger than life.
Pressing her fingertips to her lips, she tried to breathe.
“I couldn’t stay away anymore,” he said quietly.
She made an involuntary noise in her throat.
“And I hope you don’t want me to stay away anymore, Athena.”
She simply shook her head.
“Cher, the past few weeks have killed me. I know how I feel about you, more than ever. It’s stronger than ever.” He held her stare. “Are you ready to make a decision about us too?”
“Dylan… God, it’s so good to see you!” She threw herself at his chest, and he caught her around the middle, lifting her and swinging her in a half circle as he crushed his mouth over hers. Claiming her completely.
She locked her arms around his neck and kissed him back with everything inside her. “I know you’ll go away from me again and again to do your job, but Dylan, don’t ever walk away like that. Promise me.”
Between biting kisses that were quickly steamrollering them toward the bedroom, he said, “Never. Mon Dieu, does this mean you’re mine? That you share my feelings?”
“I love you,” she cried as he found her throat and nibbled down the column.
Stilling, he lifted his head and met her gaze. Heat rippled through them, an electricity so tangible it felt like she’d touched a bolt of lightning. “I love you too, cher.” He let her go and sank to one knee.
Her mind fluttered over what was happening, like a hummingbird’s wings beating too fast to see.
“Dylan…”
He pulled something from his pocket and opened his palm. In the center were the wedding rings—simple bands that had been tarnished from sitting in the safe the last time she’d seen them.
“Ou se flè mwen ki fleri nan kè mwen.” The words fell from his lips as if they were his native tongue. Then he repeated them in English, “You are the flowers that bloom in my heart.”
She fought for breath that wasn’t thick with tears.
“And I love you. We haven’t known each other long, but I don’t need more time to figure out how I feel. You’re it for me, cher. I want to hold on to you for the rest of my life.”
“Oh Dylan.” She dropped to her knees with him. “I don’t think this is just a passing thing, something born from the situation.”
“It isn’t. I’m not lying when I say you’re the flowers that bloom in my heart.” He placed the ring on her finger and folded her fingers around it. “I want to marry you. I want to take care of you always and protect you forever.”
A rough giggle burst from her, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. His eyes were bright as he studied her. “I hope it doesn’t come to more protection. I’ve had enough for a lifetime.” She took the other wedding band from him and slipped it over his pinky finger, the only one it would fit.
He flashed a grin—that crooked one that melted her every single time.
She slipped her arms around his neck and he lowered his mouth to hers even as he gained his feet. Lifting her into his arms, he carried her to her bedroom. He already knew the way.
* * * * *
“You didn’t say yes to my proposal yet,” he said between deep kisses that had his body enflamed with need. “If you need more time—”
“I know the perfect dress.”
The air punched from him, followed by a wallop of joy so huge that he felt he was soaring through the sky. “Is that a yes?”
She pushed on his chest, forcing him to roll onto his back. Then she settled atop him, straddling his hips, and started tearing at his belt. “Definitely a yes.”
Her silky fingers breached his underwear and he sucked in sharply. “Hell yeah. Take out my cock, bride to be.”
Eyes flashing, she wiggled down his body as she drew his shaft from the folds of his clothing. Hot breath washed over the mushroomed tip, and his eyes slipped shut on a prayer for control.
As soon as her sweet lips wrapped around the head of his cock, he bucked upward. Sinking deeper into her mouth at the same time she sucked him right to the root. He felt the tip bump the back of her throat and groaned.
He sank his fingers into her hair and guided her up and down, to work his cock with her hot mouth until his fist was balled and he was shaking.
“Fuck, no more. Come up here.”
She moved upward, and he tossed her into the bed, ripping off her clothes. He had to sit up to untie the laces of his combat boots—precious seconds that he wasn’t pleasuring her lost.
She giggled.
He paused to stare into her eyes. “What is it?”
“I think we just got the speed record for getting naked.”
“Cher, we’re going to work on that time. Every. Chance. We. Get.” He slipped his hand between her legs, and she parted her thighs. Tossing her head back as he reached her soaking pussy.
Need spiked in his core, and he ground his teeth against the need to take, take, take the way his body was demanding him to.
But the passion darkening her eyes made his heart flip again, and he slowed down. Riding one finger up along her seam to the bundle of nerves at the top. She cried out as he drew a circle around it and then depressed it softly into her body.
She dragged her nails over his shoulders. “Dylan!”
“How many times can I do this before you come for me?” He circled again. And again. Her clit swelled under his touch, giving him a power he’d only felt in battle.
Juices slicked his fingers, and he teased her more. Splaying his hand, he stroked her clit with his thumb, sank one finger into her pussy and then hesitated.
They’d never had ass play or even discussed it, but he wanted to give her the trifecta of pleasure, and that could only happen by…
He coated his pinky in her juices and then watching her face, eased it into her ass.
She tensed and cried out, thrashing against his hand.
“Jesus, have you been fucked here before?”
She shook her head wildly, mouth open on an O of ecstasy. “No, but whatever you’re doing, I feel like I’m going to shatter. Don’t stop, babe. Don’t stop!”
Warmth licked through his arm and all through his body. He withdrew both fingers and she mewled. Then he slid them back in. She was so soaking wet, noises of arousal filling the room and her scents like a brain block to him. He could only feel and react.
She lifted her hips off the bed to meet his thrust, and he thumbed her clit over and over. Her inner walls clutched at his fingers, forcing a growl from his throat.
“Hell, you’re squeezing me so tight.”
“I need to take your cock.”
A rough noise erupted from him, more animal than human. “Not until you come apart for me.” He doubled his efforts, his hand soaked with her need. When her stomach dipped on a gasp, he knew she was close.
“Dylan. Oh my God.” She arched her neck, and he sucked her nipples into his mouth as she started coming. The waves seemed to last forever. She rose and fell on his hand, and he didn’t stop until the final shudder left her.
Before the fog cleared from her eyes, he flipped her atop him. “Fuck, I love seeing you right here.”
“I don’t care about a condom, Dylan. I’m clean.”
His mouth fell open. “Cher, are you sure?”
She nodded.
“You could be carrying my baby by the time you pass out with pleasured exhaustion.”
She ran her hands up her torso to her breasts, cupping them. “I don’t mind. Do you?”
His answer was to take her by the shoulders and seat her on his cock. She slid over him, and he found his hands shaking again as he wrapped them around her waist and urged her to move.
* * * * *
Call her reckless, but ever since Elise had talked to Athena about the Knights being so virile, she wondered what would happen if she took that chance with Dylan. And since they were marrying soon anyway, birth control didn’t seem to matter.
Besides, now that she’d felt him without barriers, she was never, ever going back.
He moved her up and down on his cock. Each downstroke had her insides squeezing his head as he stretched her. And his fingers working her nipples was something she never wanted to end.
The passion inside her for this man tripled until she lost herself in watching the pleasure cross his rugged features. He bucked upward, and she rocked her hips.
“Dammit, I’m gonna blow. I’m gonna come in you so deep, cher.”
She flattened her palms on his broad chest and road him faster, pushing him to the same end he’d given her over and over again.
A low groan burst from his lips, and she felt him shudder. The first splash of hot cum soaked her insides, driving her to her own orgasm. She peaked fast and hard.
“God, yes. Fuck me harder,” she cried out.
He jerked up into her, his cum mingling with her juices. Five more pulsations and she fell forward, hair hanging around them.
He grabbed her by the nape and yanked her mouth to his. The kiss was wild but soon their releases ebbed, and they slowed. Tangling tongues.
“I fucking love you so damn hard,” he grated out.
“I can’t believe how fast it all happened.”
“I can. I know what I want when I see it.”
She nibbled his lower lip, pulling another growl from him. Damn, she loved that sound and vowed to get him to make it every day.
“Since we met, it feels like I’ve been in a whirlwind.”
“It’ll only get worse from here, cher.”
“Which will be worse, meeting your family or telling them we’re getting married?”
He flashed that crooked grin that melted her all over again. “Or telling them you’re carrying my child.”
“You don’t know that.”
He nodded. “If you aren’t right now, you will be by the time the sun comes up.”
“I’m not in a rush to start a family, but I don’t regret feeling you—all of you.” She moved slowly, and his still-hard cock slid through her inner walls.
They shared a moan.
He eased into her and withdrew twice before she leaned into kiss him. With her lips brushing his, she said, “That thing you did with your fingers… do you think you can do it again first?”
“Oh hell yeah.” He tossed her off him and into the mattress, following her down. Kissing her until she was gasping and then easing his hand right where she wanted it. Dizzy with desire, she gave herself up to sensation.