Maggie held her pose for as long as she could, determined not to give in and tell the truth. She remembered why she’d married Chase. The night was coming back to her in bits and pieces. The kiss at the wedding chapel had been the catalyst that had opened the door to get her memories flowing. Hearing the bartender and Chase describe the scene at La Casa Loca brought those memories to life and crowding back into her mind in a jumble of sights, sounds and sensations.

Making love with Chase in the wee hours of the morning had been icing on the wedding cake. She’d loved every minute of it and wished she could relive it all—except for the altercation with Raul Delgado of the Jalisco cartel.

The man had sidled up to her as soon as Chase had ducked out to find a restroom.

She’d ignored Delgado’s approach and concentrated her attention on the drink in her hand.

When Delgado had grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him, she’d been shocked by the strength in his grip and his insistence she go with him.

She’d struggled to free her arm from his grip, but the wiry man was strong, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

Then Chase had swept in to the rescue, jerking Delgado back by the collar.

The fight that ensued had been a nightmare of flying fists, with every one of Delgado’s men wanting a bit of the action.

Chase pummeled Delgado in between fighting off Delgado’s minions. He’d stopped one guy from pulling a handgun by knocking it free of his hand with a well-placed sidekick, sending it flying across the floor. Thankfully, the gun had been impossible to find in the darkness of the dimly lit bar.

When he’d subdued eight cartel thugs, including Delgado, Chase grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar. They jumped into the first cab they could flag down on the street and had him drop them a couple blocks from their resort.

From there, they’d walked the three blocks to the rear entrance of the hotel, keeping to the shadows until they were safely inside and on their way to the third floor, laughing all the way up the staircase. When they’d reached Chase’s room, he’d lifted her in his arms and carried her across the threshold, kicking the door closed behind them.

Yeah, she remembered.

Everything.

Down to the number of times she’d called out his name and the way he’d brought her body alive with one orgasm after another.

She’d loved everything about his lovemaking. He’d been concerned about her wants and needs before slaking his own desires. The man had been absolutely right about knowing what a woman wanted. He’d known exactly where to touch her, how much pressure to apply and how long to extend that pleasure before seeking his own.

All these thoughts and feelings rushed back at her like a tsunami, threatening to overwhelm her and drag her under. The depth of her longing for this man scared the living daylights out of her.

So, she did the only thing she could. She pushed him away. Maybe, if he didn’t feel obligated to defend her, he would give up on the idea of meeting Delgado on his own, unarmed.

“I’ll fix this for both of us,” she said. “I’ll go back to the States on the next plane out. Then you won’t have to meet Delgado and his thugs. They won’t be able to use the threat of hurting me to make sure you show up. No one gets hurt, and you can go on with your vacation.”

Chase gripped her arm. “Whether or not you leave, I’ll still have to deal with the cartel leader. He’ll come after me unless I leave.”

“Then leave.” Maggie touched a hand to his chest. “Leave with me. We can take the next plane out of Cabo San Lucas. The two of us. Together.”

“You’d do that?” He stared down at her, his hands cupping her elbows. “You’d come with me?”

She nodded. “You bet. Let’s pack our bags and get the hell out of Cabo.”

“What about getting that annulment?” he asked.

“What annulment?” Trevor asked. “You can’t be serious about annulling your marriage already, can you? Damn, Chase, you moved fast. I told you that you needed to get a life, marry and settle down, but I thought you’d take a little more time than one day.”

Chase stared down into Maggie’s eyes. “Maybe the heart knows more than the head sometimes.” He couldn’t believe he said those words, but once they left his mouth, he knew the truth of them.

Maggie stared up into his eyes, without blinking. And she didn’t refute his statement. She’d come a long way in her thinking about their insane marriage since that morning. Something had changed in her attitude and demeanor at the wedding chapel. Had it been the kiss?

For Chase, it had definitely been the kiss. Their connection had loosened the hold the alcohol had placed on his memories and let them run free again, flooding back into his mind to relive the magic of the evening before. And it had been magical. From dancing a sexy salsa, to saying I do at the little wedding chapel, to making love to his new wife until nearly dawn.

“We’d hate to see you leave and miss the beach and fishing,” Trevor said. “But it might be for the best if you both got the hell out of here.”

Maggie nodded.

“Okay then.” Chase clapped his hands together. “Let’s get our stuff and get to the airport. We can make flight arrangements there.”

Maggie spun and headed for her room.

Chase followed.

Maggie stuffed her red dress into the suitcase and hurried into the bathroom for her toiletries.

“You okay with this?” Chase asked.

“I wouldn’t have offered to leave with you, if I weren’t,” she called out from the bathroom, and then emerged with her toiletries kit in hand. She jammed it into her suitcase and zipped it.

Chase stuffed his shaving kit into his duffel bag and hefted it onto his shoulder. “Ready?”

She nodded. “I am.”

They headed back into the living room.

“I think it’s the right thing to do,” Gina said. “I hate that you’re leaving me so soon. Are you sure you’re up to facing your father?”

“I wasn’t the one to walk out on the wedding,” Maggie said. “If my father doesn’t understand that, I’ll keep moving. It’s about time I left his house and his corporation and went out on my own.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he busted a gasket when you left the church before he arrived,” Gina said. “I’m sure he was hot when he had to tell all the guests you’d left.”

“I just couldn’t stay and face all of them. It was too humiliating,” Maggie said.

“Wait,” Trevor said, shaking his head. “What church? The one you two got married in last night?”

“No, the one she didn’t get married in back in the States,” Chase said. “I’ll fill you in another time. Right now, we need to get to the airport before it’s too late to book a flight out today.”

Trevor chuckled. “Like I said, I can’t take you anywhere without you causing some kind of trouble.”

Chase frowned at his friend. “I don’t cause the trouble.”

“The bar in San Diego two years ago?” Trevor reminded him.

“I didn’t know the woman was married. She didn’t wear a ring, and she didn’t tell me that little detail.”

“What woman?” Maggie asked, her eyes narrowed.

“A woman whose name I don’t remember.” He slipped his hand around her elbow and guided her toward the door, anxious to get her out of the resort before Delgado showed up, and before Trevor spilled all the sordid details of his past romantic escapades. “She doesn’t matter. What matters is getting you to the airport and out of Mexico before Delgado has a chance to figure out we’re making a run for it.”

Stopping short of the door, Maggie looked up into Chase’s eyes. “Do you think he’ll follow us there and shoot up the airplane? I couldn’t live with myself if other people were caught in the crossfire.”

The concern in Maggie’s gaze made Chase’s heart squeeze tightly. He’d do anything to keep her safe. He hoped he could do just that. Cartel members could be all over Cabo San Lucas. For all they knew, Delgado already had people stationed at the international airport. They’d have to go in wearing disguises, much like they had when they’d visited La Casa Loca.

“I wouldn’t put it past Delgado to start a war at the airport,” Carson said. “He’s really bad news. Only last week, he hung five members of an opposing gang from a bridge at the southern end of Cabo.”

Maggie shivered. “Now, I’m even more convinced I wasn’t meant to come to Cabo. I should have known it was tempting fate to go on a honeymoon without a groom. I’ve had nothing but bad luck since Lloyd ran out on me.”

“I hope you don’t think everything that’s happened was bad luck,” Chase said. He, for one, was glad she’d come to Cabo. For a die-hard bachelor, meeting Maggie had been nothing short of a miracle. She liked to dance, was fun at a party, cared about people and kissed like nobody’s business.

“He’s right, Maggie.” Gina reached for Carson’s hand. “If you hadn’t come to Cabo, you wouldn’t have met Chase, had the party of your life, gotten married and had sex with one hunky SEAL. And I wouldn’t have met Carson.” She lifted her face to the man.

Carson growled hungrily and dropped a kiss on her lips. “That’s right. We wouldn’t have crossed paths if you hadn’t come to Cabo when you did. I’ve been considering moving back to the States for a while. Had you and Gina waited much longer, we wouldn’t have met.”

Gina kissed Carson. “I think Chase is much better for Maggie than Loser Lloyd.”

“I’m not looking forward to going back to the States and facing my father,” Maggie said. “He’ll find a way to make this all my fault. He thought Lloyd hung the moon.”

Gina snorted. “You’ll just have to convince him that Chase is the right man for you.”

Maggie tilted her head, frowning. “Why would I do that? We’re getting an annulment.”

“That might take longer if you don’t stay in Mexico to take care of it,” Gina pointed out.

Maggie grimaced. “On the other hand, I won’t need an annulment, if I’m dead.”

Chase frowned. “We’re not giving Delgado that option. Ready?”

Maggie nodded and stood back while Chase opened the door.

“Maggie, girl!” a deep familiar voice boomed from the hallway. “You don’t know how hard you were to find.” An older man with a shock of graying-blond hair and a shadow of a beard stepped through the doorframe.

Maggie ground to a halt, and her jaw dropped. Her father wrapped her in a giant bear hug.

“Daddy?” she said when she could breathe again. “What are you doing here?”

The older man paused inside the suite and stared around at the guests with one eyebrow cocked. Then he turned to face Maggie. “I came to bring you back to the States. I’ve spoken to Lloyd. He sends his regrets and is ready to go through with the wedding.”

“Are you kidding me?” Maggie crossed her arms over her chest. “I wouldn’t marry Lloyd if he were the last man on earth. He cheated on me, Daddy. Did he tell you that?”

“All men can be led astray at different points in their lives,” her father said. “Lloyd just got an earlier start than most.”

“I’m not going back to San Diego.” Maggie scooted closer to Chase. “And I’m not marrying Loser Lloyd. That’s over. I never should have agreed to marry him in the first place. We weren’t meant to be together.”

“You agreed to marry him. He’s ready to go through with the ceremony to live up to his side of the promise.”

Anger burned in Maggie. She loved her father, but he could be obtuse and obstinate at the same time. “He broke that promise for good when he didn’t show up for the wedding, because he was too tired from boinking the wedding planner.”

“That’s over. He’s waiting for you to come back. We can hire a JP to perform the ceremony and have you off on the honeymoon of your choice by the end of the day.”

“Daddy…” Maggie cupped her father’s cheeks between her palms. “I love you, but I’m not marrying Lloyd. In fact, I’m already married.”

“What?” Her father’s cheeks burned a bright red, the color extending all the way out to the tips of his ears. “What the hell?” He glanced at the occupants of the room. “Will someone tell me what she’s talking about?”

Maggie held up her left hand. The one with the plain wedding band on her ring finger. “I got married last night. It’s too late for me to marry Lloyd, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t. He’s not the man for me.”

“But how?” Her father looked around at the faces in the room. “How did you know this person you married? You were set to marry Lloyd yesterday. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“It made sense to me. Didn’t you marry mama after knowing her for only three days?”

Her father’s frown deepened. “That was different. We didn’t have two nickels to rub together.”

“I don’t have much more than that,” Maggie said. “And what difference does it make? Sometimes your heart knows what your head is afraid to admit.” She hooked her arm through Chase’s. “Daddy, this is my…husband…Chase Flannigan.”

Her father glared at Chase, and then shot an equally wilting glance at his daughter. “Please tell me this is some kind of joke.”

Maggie lifted her chin and met her father’s glare head-on. “No, this is not a joke. We have the marriage certificate to prove it.”

“How can you be married to this man when you were engaged to marry Lloyd?” her father demanded.

“Daddy, you aren’t listening. My engagement to Lloyd ended the moment he decided to run off with the wedding planner and leave me waiting at the altar.”

“I was there, shortly after you left. You weren’t standing at the altar either. And Lloyd has since come to his senses and agreed to fulfill the promise he made to marry you.”

Maggie snorted. “I wouldn’t marry Lloyd now if he were the last man on earth. Besides, like I said, I’m already married.” She tightened her hold on Chase’s arm. “To this man. Chase, this is my father, Dwayne Neal.”

“Nice to meet you, sir.” Chase held out his hand.

Maggie’s father ignored the hand and addressed her. “Do you even know this man?”

“I do. He’s a former Navy SEAL. He’s going to work in Montana for a protection service. He loves to dance, and so do I. And he’s great in bed.” She squared her shoulders. “And he would never skip out on me with a wedding planner. He’s an honorable man, who has vowed to protect me with his own life, unlike Lloyd. What more do I need to know?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You cannot have married a man in less than twenty-four hours after meeting him. He’s a fortune hunter. A gold-digger. Well, I won’t have it.” Her father even stomped his patent leather-clad foot in his anger. “My attorneys will have the marriage annulled”

“We’ve already consummated the marriage,” Maggie said, her cheeks heating slightly.

“Then my lawyers will draw up the papers for your divorce. I will not have you married to someone I don’t approve of.”

“And how can you disapprove of a man you don’t know, Daddy?” Maggie planted her hands on her hips. “Everything I’ve learned about Chase is good. He served our country, defended our way of life and left the military honorably. He’s a good man. What has Lloyd done to prove his worth, other than have a high-paying job? A job his father gave him in the business that his father built. Lloyd never had to work hard for what he had. How does that make him a better man than Chase?” Maggie gave her father one of his own looks, staring down her nose at him. “It doesn’t. Chase is a better man than Lloyd could ever hope to be.”

“You go, sister,” Gina said, and received a killer look from Maggie’s father. “Really, Mr. Neal, Maggie wouldn’t have been happy with Lloyd. You don’t want your daughter to marry a man who doesn’t make her happy, do you?”

Maggie’s father didn’t look at Gina. His gaze remained locked on his daughter. “I don’t want any man to marry my daughter for my money.” His gaze shifted to Chase, and his eyes narrowed. “I’ll give my money to charity before I let it go to someone who marries my daughter to get to my fortune.”

Chase’s body stiffened next to Maggie. “Is that what this is all about? You think I married your daughter to get to your money?” He laughed, the sound jarring on Maggie’s ears. “I don’t know who you are, or how much money you’re worth. Nor do I care. I have enough of my own. Money I saved while on active duty, defending your right to make as much money as you want. Defending your way of life. I put my life on the line for you, Maggie and every American because it’s what I believe in. I don’t want your money. I have my own. Money I earned with my blood, sweat and a few tears along the way. I hope to use that money to buy a small ranch in Montana. It won’t be much, but it’ll be enough. Enough to live on, to raise a few horses and cows and, maybe, a family. I have an honorable job awaiting me in Montana. One that will allow me to provide for your daughter and any children that might come along. What more do I need?”

Maggie smiled, her eyes glistening. “Nothing.” She’d only ever wanted a place to call her own. A place she could get to know the neighbors and establish relationships with people who didn’t work for her.

“Hell, Chase,” Gina said. “You make me wish you’d chosen me.”

“Hey,” Carson cut in. “He’s married.”

“Right.” Gina grinned. “He’s married to my best friend, and I couldn’t be happier for them.”

“And right now, Chase and I are headed to the airport to return to the States,” Maggie said. “If you’ll excuse us, we’ll be on our way.”

“Why are you headed to the States?” her father asked, his expression sour. “If you just married, I would have thought you’d stick around here to enjoy your honeymoon.”

Maggie scrambled for an excuse that didn’t involve telling her father she had a death threat out on her, and Chase was certain to be killed if he met with the cartel leader. “Uh. We’ve decided we’d prefer to spend our honeymoon in Montana. I much prefer the mountains to getting sand in my shorts.”

“I’m not done with you, young lady.” Her father stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

“Daddy, I’m twenty-eight years old. I don’t need your permission to do what I want. If I want pepperoni on my pizza, I’ll have pepperoni on my pizza.”

Her father stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “What in the fool-darn-hell are you talking about?”

“I’m going. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” Dragging her suitcase behind her, Maggie dodged her father and headed for the elevator. For the first time in her life, she’d stood up to her father and walked away with the last word.

Maggie had never felt more empowered.

Chase started to pass Mr. Neal, when the man shifted to stand in front of him. This wasn’t the best first impression a man could make on his father-in-law, but he couldn’t worry about it now. Not when Maggie was still in danger.

Mr. Neal poked a finger into Chase’s chest. “If you so much as make my daughter cry, I’ll hire a hit man and put you out of her misery. Do you understand?”

Chase didn’t bother to tell Mr. Neal that all of Maggie’s protestations were bogus, and that she planned to ditch him as soon as it was humanly possible. Annulment, divorce, whatever it took, she planned to untie the knot they’d forged with tequila and good times on the beaches of Cabo.

He couldn’t blame her or her father for their skepticism. If he had a daughter, he’d be livid if she married a guy after knowing him for only a few hours. He’d be worried like Maggie’s father that he’d married her for other than honorable reasons.

“Sir, I can assure you I’m not after your money. Your daughter is special. She’s a beautiful woman who deserves to love whomever she wants. But she also deserves someone who respects her and treats her right. I can promise you, I would never hurt your daughter. I only want to protect her. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going with my wife.” He pushed past Mr. Neal and joined Maggie at the elevator just as the bell rang and the doors slid open. He’d just promised Maggie’s father he’d protect her. Hell, he’d already promised himself that he would. Now, he had to live up to that promise.

As he stepped into the elevator, he heard a shout from the hallway. “Hey, wait up.”

When the doors started to close, Chase pushed the button to keep them open long enough for Trevor to slide through. Then he turned and held the doors for Carson.

Trevor let go of the door and grinned. “We thought you might need backup getting to the airport.”

Carson grimaced as he punched the button for the ground level. “I feel kind of sorry for the ladies we left with Maggie’s father.”

“Me, too,” Maggie said. “He’ll be grilling Gina about now.” Her lips curled upward at the corners. “She’ll give him hell. She loves pushing all of his buttons.”

“I love when she pushes all of mine,” Carson said. “That’s one sassy female.” He clapped his hands together. “Just the way I like them.”

Maggie frowned. “Don’t you hurt my friend.”

Carson held up his hands. “I wouldn’t dare. Besides, she scares me.” He chuckled. “I haven’t felt this alive since I came down to Cabo San Lucas. I didn’t realize how much I missed all the action and danger associated with being a Navy SEAL.” He turned to Chase. “I don’t suppose your boss in Montana could use another SEAL on his team, could he?”

“It doesn’t hurt to ask. All he could say is no.” Chase slipped an arm around Maggie’s waist and pulled her close. “Remind me to give you his phone number.”

Carson nodded. “Will do.”

When they reached the ground floor, the doors slid open, and the three men escorted Maggie to the concierge’s desk where she requested a taxi cab to take them to the airport.

As they waited inside the lobby for the taxi to arrive, Chase kept a vigilant eye on the people coming and going. If anyone looked the least bit suspicious, he’d be ready to throw himself in front of Maggie to protect her from harm.

Nothing happened, and soon one of the hotel valets came through the door and motioned for them to come. “Your taxi has arrived.”

Chase slipped his arm around Maggie again and pressed his body close to hers, providing a shield of flesh and bone to protect her against bullets, knives or other forms of attack.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention as he walked out of the lobby. Carson and Trevor were his wingmen, also providing a human shield to protect Maggie.

A taxi cab stood at the curb. The valet hurried forward to open the door for her.

Chase motioned for Maggie to slide in first.

Trevor rounded the back of the vehicle to the other side.

Carson stood at the trunk, ready to toss the luggage inside as soon as the driver popped the latch.

Just as Chase lifted his foot to slide into the vehicle beside Maggie, the driver punched the accelerator.

The car shot forward so fast, Chase couldn’t get inside. Trevor, who’d rounded the back of the vehicle, couldn’t get to the door fast enough to yank it open and jump in.

The cab, with Maggie inside, whipped away from them, barreling down the street.

Chase ran after the cab but couldn’t catch up. Finally, he ground to a halt, whirled and ran back to where his buddies stood. He bent over, breathing hard for several seconds before he straightened and stared after the disappearing taxi cab with his wife inside. This was not the plan he’d envisioned.

“What do we do now?” Trevor asked.

Chase squared his shoulders, his jaw tight, his fists clenched. “Looks like I’ll meet with Delgado at midnight, unless we can come up with a better plan.”