Page 24

Maggie stood in Aces Bar and Grill a week later and marveled at all the people who were there. She had a huge circle of friends now, and it still felt almost surreal.

The investigation into Roman was ongoing, and would be for years, considering how many special forces missions the rear admiral was involved in, and every afternoon when Shawn came home, he had another instance to share of how her ex had fucked with someone. SEAL teams, other Navy personnel, former girlfriends…his reign of terror wasn’t limited to just her. Which made Maggie a little sad.

Tex’s computer genius friend—whose name was Ryleigh, and she lived at what sounded like a kickass resort in New Mexico called The Refuge, for people who suffered from PTSD—had finally found Roman’s wife. She’d combed through NamUs, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and used her skills to narrow down the possibilities to five bodies. She was identified as being found in West Virginia. A hunter had come across her body years ago, but her hands had been cut off, and with no tattoos or other distinguishing features, she hadn’t been able to be identified…until now.

She’d been murdered. Strangled. While Maggie wasn’t happy in the least that the poor woman had ended up dead, she was relieved she’d finally been identified and could be returned to her family.

With all the horrible things Roman had done coming to light, Maggie and everyone else had been relieved to discover the rear admiral hadn’t been the one to send Blink’s team on that ill-fated mission. So while he had a lot of things to answer for, the deaths and injuries of Blink’s teammates wasn’t among them.

How one man had been able to pull the wool over so many people’s eyes was confusing. How had he gotten so much power in the Navy? He seemed to have no soul, took delight in tormenting others, and his favorite thing to do was blackmailing those he considered beneath him.

Tex’s friend Ryleigh had also found Maggie a new lawyer, who was doing her best to get the felony conviction overturned. The phone call Maggie had recorded—where Roman had threatened to put “another” stash in her car—was clear proof that her ex had set her up, as far as her lawyer was concerned.

It wasn’t an easy or quick process to get the charges dismissed. But while her case was churning through the courts, and because of the extenuating circumstances, her probation had been knocked down from one year to six months. So she only had a couple more months left to meet with her PO, then she was done.

Even if the felony conviction was overturned, Maggie didn’t think she’d go back to being a pharmacist, but strangely, she was all right with that. She felt like a completely different person than who she’d been a few years ago. She didn’t want to go back to her before life. Maggie wanted to move on. Put her past behind her.

“You look like you’re thinking really hard over here,” Shawn said as he came up beside her. He handed her a glass of water and wrapped an arm around her waist. “You good?”

Maggie nodded and took a sip of the water. In the last week, Shawn had hovered. Constantly asking if she was all right, offering to take her to a psychologist if she felt she needed it, driving her to work and picking her up…generally being a perfect partner. Of course, she’d reciprocated. After all, she hadn’t been the one to kill Roman. Even though Shawn said it didn’t bother him in the least, she still worried about the long-term ramifications on his psyche.

She’d pretty much moved into his apartment at Jane Hillman’s house, but since most of her things were still in storage, she didn’t have a lot to move in. Adina would be coming back from her deployment in a couple months, and Maggie was happy her friend would have her apartment all to herself when she returned.

Things were going surprisingly well in Maggie’s life…bu t she needed to talk to Shawn about something. And she couldn’t do that in the busy bar, where they were surrounded by their friends and would likely be interrupted every few minutes.

As if her thoughts conjured her, Caroline walked toward them.

“You look happy,” the older woman said as she approached.

Shawn took a step back, reaching out and plucking the glass of water out of her hand but not walking away entirely. He was giving her space, but still hovering nearby in case she needed anything. Maggie loved him all the more for it.

She hugged Caroline and said, “I am.”

“Good. You also look like you wouldn’t mind leaving.”

“Oh, but?—”

Caroline chuckled and held up a hand. “I remember the days after Matthew and I first got together. All I wanted was to be alone with him, and yet we were constantly hanging out with his team here at Aces. Don’t get me wrong, I love this bar and I love the guys, but after everything I went through, being alone with my man fed my soul in a way nothing else could. Go on…sneak out the back. I’ll cover for you.”

“I shouldn’t leave without saying something,” Maggie argued, wanting more than anything to take Caroline up on her offer. She did want to be alone with Shawn, and not simply because she loved him. They needed to have a serious discussion. “I don’t want anyone to think I disappeared again.”

“They won’t. They know Preacher is stuck to your side. Go. I’ll talk to Remi, Josie, and Wren, and will make sure no one else freaks and heads out on a rescue mission.”

Maggie chuckled. “Caroline?”

“Yeah, hon?”

“Thank you.” There was more Maggie wanted to say, but she wasn’t sure where to start. Everyone had been so great in the aftermath of her near-death experience…well, her second near-death experience. But Caroline had picked her up at My Sister’s Closet a couple days ago and driven her to a busy beach, not too far from the naval base. Not the one she and Shawn had visited, and not the one Roman had tried to kill her on. Just a busy, apparently popular stretch of sand full of people enjoying the warm weather and calm water. She’d encouraged Maggie to take a walk on the shore. Somehow, she’d known how uncomfortable she’d become with beaches.

They’d walked together, not saying a word. And by the time they’d gotten back to her huge SUV, Maggie felt ten times better.

“The water and sand aren’t your enemy,” Caroline had said once they were back in her car. “I’ve been where you are. I almost died in the ocean, and I had a hard time getting anywhere near it for the longest time. But after a while, I realized that it’s not the beach that tried to kill me. It was a man. That’s who I should project my negative energy toward, not the beautiful water. Not that it’s good to have negative energy at all, but…shoot, you know what I mean.”

Caroline had been wise and funny at the same time, and Maggie was grateful for her insight and help.

They hugged again, then Caroline turned Maggie around and gently pushed her toward Shawn, who was standing patiently not too far away. “Get,” Caroline ordered. “That’s an order.”

Maggie rolled her eyes but didn’t hesitate to walk into Shawn’s arms.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

“If you are,” he told her. He placed the glass of water on a nearby table, then steered Maggie toward the front door.

“Caroline said we should go out the back,” Maggie said.

“No way in hell. The last thing I want is a SEAL contingent breaking into the house because they think you disappeared again,” Shawn said with a chuckle.

“We’re never going to get out of here anytime soon,” Maggie moaned, as people began to notice them heading for the exit.

“Sure we are,” he said. Then he brought two fingers to his mouth and let out a shrill whistle. Everyone stopped talking and turned toward the two of them.

Maggie could feel her cheeks heating up with a blush at the attention now focused on her and Shawn.

“We’re heading out!” he yelled. “Talk to you all later!” He gave the room in general a chin lift, then turned and walked with Maggie toward the door .

“I can’t believe that worked!” she exclaimed as they headed to his car in the parking lot.

Shawn chuckled. “You were right, we would’ve been there forever saying bye to everyone, I figured that was a lot more expedient.”

Maggie loved this man. So damn much. She felt like a new person around him. She wasn’t the shell of a woman she’d been when released from prison. She wasn’t the carefree, almost na?ve one she’d been before meeting Roman. With Shawn, she felt free to be whoever she wanted to be. And sitting with him in the evenings and sharing about their days, cooking together, watching TV, and laying in his arms at night was exactly what she’d been looking for all her life.

It had only been a week since she’d almost been drowned, but it felt as if it had been years. The freedom she felt thanks to Roman’s death made her feel a little bad…but she was moving on.

The conversation she needed to have with Shawn would decide if the happiness she was feeling right now would continue. Nerves hit as they drove toward his house, but she couldn’t and wouldn’t put this off anymore. Shawn deserved to know what was going on with her.

He parked, and they walked into the house hand-in-hand. Instead of going in the front door, Shawn took her around the back to the stairs Jane had installed so her renters could come and go without feeling as if they were bothering her in the main house .

He led her into his room and shut the door behind them.

Maggie spun and blurted, “Can we talk?”

“Of course,” Shawn said, not looking or sounding worried about what was on her mind. He went to the small kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and handed it to her, before putting his hand on the small of her back and leading her into the sitting area. He sat with her on the couch and pulled her feet into his lap, then took off her shoes and started rubbing her arches.

Maggie moaned a little. She loved having her feet massaged. Ever since he’d learned that little fact about her, Shawn took every opportunity to do so.

“Was tonight too much?” he asked.

Maggie shook her head. She didn’t want to get into a guessing game with him. She just needed to come straight out with what was on her mind. “How attached are you to this place?” she asked.

Shawn’s hands froze on her feet. “ This place meaning…?” he asked.

“This room.”

He resumed his massage. “Not at all. I mean, I like Jane, and this place is close to the base and convenient. But I can honestly live anywhere.” Shawn leaned toward her. “Why? Do you not like it? I don’t care where I live as long as you’re there.”

Maggie swallowed. This was harder than she’d thought it would be. “I love this place. It’s cozy and fits you really well. I just…when I was first released, the only thought I ha d was to get the hell out of California. I hated everything about this state.”

“I can’t leave,” Shawn said quietly. “I go where the Navy sends me. And right now we’re in a long-term contract here in Riverton.”

“I know!” she said quickly. “I’m not saying this very well. But…I don’t want to leave anymore. That’s what I was getting at.”

“Thank fuck,” Shawn breathed.

Maggie smiled. He was adorable, but the hard part of this conversation wasn’t over yet. “I was asking because, well…this apartment isn’t the ideal setup for a baby.”

There. She’d said it.

Shawn stared at her for a moment with no expression on his face. “You want to have kids with me?” he finally asked with a small smile. “I’m all right with that. I want them too. We’ve got plenty of time to find the perfect place. Maybe a small house. It’ll be farther from the base, but that won’t be an issue. Maybe we can ask Caroline for advice and help. She’s been here a while and?—”

Maggie reached out and put her hand on Shawn’s. He immediately stopped talking.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” he returned immediately.

“But we don’t have plenty of time to find the perfect place,” she told him. Then she took a deep breath and said what she’d been beating around the bush about. “Because…I’m pregnant.”

Shawn stared at her again .

“I mean, it’s early. Probably too early to really get excited, but I was feeling weird and for some reason, the thought that I might be pregnant hit me, I don’t know why, and so I peed on one of those sticks and it came back positive. I haven’t seen a doctor or anything, and I swear I thought it wasn’t the right time of the month when we had sex but…I guess I was wrong. And if you don’t want this right now, a baby, I understand. The last thing I want is for you to feel trapped into anything. I’m not doing that—trapping you, I mean. I just… I want this baby. So much. It feels as if it’s a new start for me, and I’m terrified, because what do I know about being a mother? But I already love it so much.”

Shawn surprised her by suddenly lifting her feet off his lap, and for a second, Maggie froze in panic. Was he pissed? Going to tell her to get the hell out? She had no idea. He walked over to the table where he’d put his phone when they’d arrived home and picked it up. He clicked on the screen then brought it up to his ear. His gaze bore into hers as he spoke.

“Hey, Caroline, it’s Preacher. Yeah, she’s fine. I need your help though. Maggie and I need a house. Preferably one with three bedrooms. Two baths would be nice. If possible, if we could be near you guys, I’d love that…Because Maggie’s pregnant, and we’re going to need more space than I have here.”

Maggie’s lips twitched when she heard Caroline’s excited screech all the way across the room.

“I just figured you’ve been here for years, you might have some connections…okay. Thanks. Gotta go. Talk to you soon.”

Shawn clicked off the phone, threw it on the table, then walked back to where Maggie was sitting on the couch. He got down on his knees in front of her, shuffled forward between her legs, then wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her lap.

Maggie’s hands came up and cradled his head.

After a long moment, Shawn lifted his head. “A baby,” he whispered.

Maggie nodded.

“You’re a gift. A miracle. I was happy—no, thrilled having you by my side. But this? You giving me a child? I can’t…I have no words.”

“But…you aren’t upset?” Maggie asked tentatively.

“I’m the opposite of upset,” Shawn said, his smile growing. “I’m ecstatic! So fucking happy…er… freaking happy.” Then he frowned. “Wait—is it okay? You were without oxygen for a while last week! Shit, we need to go to the doctor!”

“It’s eight-thirty at night. We can call tomorrow. I don’t even know who to call though,” Maggie said.

“We’ll call Jessyka. Or one of the other girls. They’ll give us the name of a good obstetrician. I love you, Maggie. So damn much.”

Relief swept through her. She’d been so worried about telling Shawn about the baby. As she’d said, it was still very early. But she didn’t want to hide anything from him. And…a part of her thought if he didn’t want a child, it would be ea sier to make the break from him now rather than months down the line.

“A baby,” he breathed, then leaned down and kissed her flat belly. “We’ll get married as soon as I can arrange it. What kind of wedding do you want?”

Maggie’s breath caught in her throat. “What?”

“Wedding. Do you want something big and fancy? Or maybe something more low-key, like at Aces? Or we could just go to the courthouse…maybe that would be best. The sooner I officially get you added as my dependent, the better?—”

“Shawn,” Maggie said, stopping his babbling. “Married?”

His gaze flew to hers, and he went up on his knees and scooted forward a little more. “Yeah. Married. To me. Do you not want that?” he asked with a frown.

“I do. More than you’ll ever know. But things have moved crazy fast for us. Are you sure you don’t want to wait?”

“I was sure after knowing you a week. No, I think I was sure that first night, when the guys and I crashed your ride share.”

Maggie could only stare at him.

“Marry me, Maggie. Make an honest man out of me.”

She could only nod.

“Yes?”

“Yes,” she confirmed.

Shawn smiled huge, then stood. He reached down and picked her up off the couch, and Maggie let out a girly screech.

It wasn’t a long walk to the bed, considering it was right behind the couch. Shawn dropped her on the mattress and immediately began to undress her.

“What’s the rush?” Maggie asked with a laugh as she did her best to help him with her clothes.

It wasn’t until they were both naked and he was braced over her that Shawn said, “I can’t wait to get inside you. I want at least three.”

“Three?”

“Kids. Maybe more. I can’t wait to see you round with our child. To get up in the middle of the night with them. To watch you breastfeed. To experience Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. To trip over toys and step on Legos. I wish we could have this baby tomorrow, that’s how excited I am.”

He was being adorable, and that wasn’t a word Maggie usually associated with her SEAL. “Well, he or she will need to marinate for quite a bit longer before coming out,” she told him.

Shawn’s hand eased down her body, stopping between her legs. He began to play with her clit as he spoke. “So…what kind of ceremony do you want? Big and lavish?”

Maggie’s hips pushed upward into Shawn’s hand. It was ridiculous how easily he could arouse her. How fast she got wet when he stroked her clit, just as he was doing right now. “Courthouse. Then a party at Aces. ”

“Done,” Shawn said with satisfaction. “I love you, Maggie. You have no idea how much.”

“I do, because I love you the same way.”

Then he moved, pressing his cock into her. She wasn’t quite as wet as she usually was, but he managed to bury himself inside her to the hilt.

“A baby,” he breathed. “At least we don’t have to worry about birth control anymore.”

Maggie chuckled. “True.”

“Thank you,” he whispered. “For being strong enough to withstand that asshole’s attempts to silence you. For not giving up when shit got real. For loving me. For giving me a baby.”

“I think you were the one who gave me the kid,” Maggie joked. It was getting harder to concentrate on what he was saying as he made love to her.

“We did it together. The way we’ll do everything from here on out.”

“Uh-huh. Shawn?”

“Yeah, love?”

“Less talking and more moving,” she ordered.

Shawn barked out a laugh but nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

Their lovemaking was deeper in that moment. Maybe it was the commitment they’d just made to each other, maybe it was the knowledge that within her body, a new life was forming. Whatever it was, Maggie knew she’d never forget this night. Being arrested and sent to prison had felt like the end of her life. But in actuality, it was the start of something beautiful.

Bree Haynes crouched behind a dumpster and peered out into the dark parking lot. He’d found her again. She’d thought this time she’d finally been able to evade her ex. The asshole who’d fucking sold her. If asked just a few months ago, she would’ve scoffed at the very notion of someone selling a person in this day and age. And yet, here she was.

She had to get out of Vegas. But she had a feeling that wouldn’t stop her ex. He’d been given a lot of money for her, and since whatever asshole he’d sold her to hadn’t actually received their purchase, they were threatening Carl. Saying he either gave back the money they’d paid him, or find their property.

She knew all this because Carl had told her the last time he’d found her. She’d managed to get away, but Bree knew she’d just gotten lucky. She wouldn’t be able to get away the next time. Carl would hog-tie, gag, blindfold her, and cart her ass to the sex trafficker before she could even think about escaping again.

His car drove slowly around the casino parking lot as he searched the dark nooks and crannies for her. Easing back behind the dumpster and ignoring the stench coming from it, Bree pressed her lips together and tried to think about her next steps. She had money, but that wouldn’t protect her from Carl.

Even leaving Vegas wouldn’t necessarily guarantee her safety. Carl wouldn’t give up—ever. He felt as if he owned her. He’d track her down. And she couldn’t go to her sister’s place in Washington. That would be the first place he’d look.

She needed a protector. Someone who wasn’t afraid of standing up to Carl and his criminal friends.

A face flashed in her brain.

Jude Stark. She didn’t remember a lot about the night Carl had sold her, or the scary ape who’d beaten and tied her up and shoved her into his car. He’d told her as he drove away from Carl’s apartment that he had one more pickup to make, then he was going to deliver both women to an underground brothel.

Then Jude Stark had shown up. Gotten her out of the man’s car and taken her to safety. But she hadn’t stayed where he’d put her. She was too scared. Too freaked out. Just wanted to get away.

And yet, Jude’s face was burned in her memory. As was everything he’d told her. He was a Navy SEAL stationed in Riverton, California.

That’s where she needed to go. Jude would help her. Maybe. He had once, maybe he’d do it again.

Bree had no idea how she’d find the man. The possibility that he’d been moved to another naval base, or was deployed, or hell, was even married to someone who’d be less than thrilled to find a random woman on their doorstep…all those thoughts flitted through her brain. But she ignored them.

Jude Stark was associated with safety in her mind, and that’s who she needed to find .

Peeking out from behind the dumpster, Bree saw that Carl was nowhere in sight. But she knew he wasn’t gone. No, the asshole was always lurking. Him or one of his cronies. She couldn’t use her identification to stay in a hotel, but she could use her money to at least get to Riverton. She’d play things by ear once she arrived.

Scared, dirty, and freaked out, Bree stood cautiously. She might be making another mistake—Lord knew she’d made plenty recently—but she didn’t think so. Jude Stark would either be her salvation or another colossal fuck-up. Either way, she’d be better off in Riverton than here in Vegas, where Carl’s minions were everywhere.

“Just once, I need a break,” Bree whispered, before blending into the shadows and disappearing into the night.

Addison Wentz looked down at her hands, currently being held by Ricardo “MacGyver” Douglas, and wondered what the hell she was doing.

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Looking up, she caught a glimpse of hazel eyes and a very serious expression on Ricky’s face before his lips were suddenly on hers.

She hadn’t regretted making the decision to marry the man until this exact moment.

Electricity shot down her arms and legs, making her feel almost light-headed .

She’d always liked Ricky, thought he was funny and kind, but also gruff and grouchy at the same time. She’d met him at the car repair shop. Her VW Bug was acting up, and he was getting new tires on his Ford Explorer.

Surprisingly, they’d kept running into each other. At a gas station, coffee shop, diner, and one time, they even ended up next to each other at a stoplight. Ricky eventually insisted they exchange numbers, and they’d actually gotten together quite often since then. She’d watched over his house when he was deployed with the Navy, and he’d even pretended to be her boyfriend once when her parents were giving her a hard time for being thirty-six and still single.

Ricky was one of the few people she’d met in her lifetime who didn’t make jokes about her height. She was six feet tall and had absolutely no athletic ability whatsoever. So she’d spent her life laughing off questions about whether she was a basketball player, or how the weather was “up there.” Ricky was the same height as her, and he’d never, not once, made her feel as if she wasn’t pretty simply because she was tall. And yes, plenty of other men had done just that. They’d obviously felt their masculinity was threatened because she was taller than them, and while intellectually, she knew it was their problem, not hers, she’d been teased her entire life because of her height, so it always hurt.

Then there was Ellory. She was twelve going on twenty-six. Her daughter was Addison’s life. Wise beyond her years, introverted and shy. Somehow, Ricky had broken through her thick shields and made her smile the first time they’d met. Addison didn’t talk about Ellory much. About her chronic illness and how many nights they’d spent in various hospitals. But Ricky knew. Ellory herself had opened up to him, told him all about how much she hated being sick.

What her daughter didn’t know was that Addison was struggling with money. And if Ellory got sick again, and had to go back into the hospital, it would start a cascade of financial issues that would most likely result in them losing their apartment. Addison had no idea what to do, she’d never not give Ellory the medicine she needed, never not take her to the doctor.

When Ricky had called and said he needed to ask her something, Addison had immediately driven out to his house to meet him. He was one of her best friends, and anything he wanted or needed, she’d be happy to help him with. The house he lived in, he’d bought on a whim, and he was currently working on fixing it up. He was amazing with his hands, and Addison had always been impressed with how he could turn something old and rundown into something new and beautiful. It was usually a mess, however, filled with gadgets and wires and other things he used to “tinker.”

He was a genius, and Addison thought he was adorable.

She hadn’t been prepared for his question though. Never in a million years did she expect to walk into his house and see three children. One boy was sitting on his couch with a blanket over him, a younger girl was sitting next to him, playing with a Barbie doll as if it was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen. And a second, older boy was watching TV as if it held all the answers in the world…not that she herself didn’t love Mythbusters , but the boy was so entranced, he didn’t even look up when she entered.

Ricky had brought her into his kitchen, and without fanfare or even much emotion, had asked her to marry him.

And here she was.

Saying yes had been out of necessity. For both of them. Ricky needed her so he could keep the kids, and she needed him for his health insurance. Addison had initially thought it wouldn’t be a big deal. That she was doing her friend a favor, and in a year or so, they’d quietly get a divorce and go their separate ways.

But the second his lips touched hers in that room in the courthouse, it hit home just how much of an idiot she was.

Addison loved Ricky. Had since the moment they’d locked eyes in that waiting room at the repair shop.

He’d married her because he needed a nanny for the kids he hoped to adopt one day, and she’d married him …well, there were many reasons. But first and foremost—she was head over heels for the man.

And he saw her as a friend. Someone who’d done him a massive favor.

He pulled back and stared at her with a look Addison couldn’t interpret. Then he licked his lips and turned to Artem, Borysko, and Yana, the three children he’d rescued in Ukraine, as well as Ellory, and asked, “Anyone want to stop and get some ice cream on the way home?”

As the kids enthusiastically said yes, Addison tried to pull her hand out of Ricky’s, but he didn’t let go. In fact, his fingers tightened around hers. He looked at her with that funny expression again, then turned to answer a question Borysko had asked him.

Licking her own lips, Addison could taste Ricky on her skin. Lust shot through her, and she almost moaned.

She couldn’t do this. Wouldn’t survive living with this man and acting like his wife for a whole year.

But it was too late. She’d said yes, and from now until an undetermined date in the future, she was Mrs. Addison Douglas.

If she survived with her heart intact, it would be a miracle.

A marriage of convenience? Two strangers, four children, and a whole lot of shenanigans. Find out how it all plays out in the next book in the SEAL of Protection: Alliance series… Protecting Addison !