A Soldier's Return (16 page)

“I know, and that’s why I left the table. Better not to push it today. We’ve got time.”

Time? The word struck terror in her heart. Time meant more nights in that den of iniquity, otherwise known as the honeymoon suite. And after today’s little escapade on the bed, time was the one thing Carrie didn’t have much of.

A
FTER SEEING
the Cirque du Soleil show, they visited the casino again before going up to their room. Riley was at the tables and showed no signs of leaving.

When they reached the room, Carrie stepped away from Jim’s touch. “I think I’ll watch a little television,” she said, switching on the set and sitting down on the couch.

“What’s on?” Jim asked, as if the programming was terribly important to him. Without waiting for an answer, he settled beside her on the couch.

He sat close enough that their shoulders almost touched. Truth to tell, Carrie had enjoyed the evening with Jim holding her, being solicitous, acting like her husband. Withdrawal now was difficult.

Jim extended his arm along the back of the couch, behind her. “We worked well together today,” he said.

“We didn’t get the proof we needed.”

“Maybe not. But we will. It’s clear Riley thinks he’s
in the clear here. There’s been no sign of his wheelchair since he left the airport.”

Carrie frowned. “He must’ve arranged to leave it in the limo. Maybe we should contact the limo driver and find out for sure.”

“We could do that, but it’s still not the proof we need in a picture.”

“I guess so.” Carrie sighed.

“You tired? My shoulder’s available,” Jim offered.

“No, I’m fine.”

After another half hour of mindless comedy on television, Jim said, “Don’t you think it’s time to turn in?”

“I’m sure Riley won’t be up early in the morning.”

“Probably not, but I need my sleep.”

“Go ahead. I like to watch the late-night shows.” She hoped he’d go to sleep. Then she could snatch a pillow and a blanket and sleep on the sofa.

“So you’ll come to bed later?” Jim asked, pushing her for an answer.

She didn’t look at him. “I might sleep here on the sofa. It’s quite comfortable.”

“Go ahead and go to bed, Carrie. I’ll take the sofa,” he said with a sigh.

“No. I’m smaller than you. This will be fine for me. If you don’t mind, I’ll take a pillow and a blanket from the bed.”

“Of course,” he agreed, getting up and going to the bedroom.

Carrie followed, glad to have everything settled. She took the pillow and blanket from Jim and returned
to the couch. Jim closed the door and she heaved a sigh of relief that she wouldn’t see him again until morning.

T
HE NEXT MORNING
she woke in Jim’s arms as he carried her to the bedroom.

“Jim! What—”

“The hotel is bringing us breakfast as part of the service to the bridal suite. I thought it would look odd if they noticed you spent the night on the sofa.”

“Oh yes, of course. My pillow?”

“I’ll get it,” he said, putting her on her feet in the bedroom. “Get in bed.”

Carrie kicked off her shoes, and suddenly realized she was still wearing her clothes from last night. She hopped onto the high bed and brought the covers up to her neck.

Jim was shirtless when he returned with the pillow, but Carrie barely caught a glimpse of his naked chest before there was a knock at the door and he went to answer it.

Carrie heard him tell the room-service waiter to bring their breakfast to the dining table at one end of the living room.

“No, my wife will be out in a minute,” Jim assured the waiter just before Carrie heard the outer door close. She got out of bed and peeked into the living room.

“Is it safe?” she asked.

He nodded. “I’ll go put on a shirt. You go ahead and start eating.”

She did no such thing, of course. Instead, she uncov
ered the dishes and filled their plates. Then she poured him a cup of coffee and made herself a cup of tea. “Ready?” she asked as he entered the room.

Jim looked at what she’d done. “Absolutely. I hope you have an appetite.”

“I do.” She waited until he was seated to begin eating.

Jim poured syrup on his pancakes and took a forkful. “This is even better than Betty’s breakfasts, but I’ll never tell her that.”

Carrie agreed, though she hardly tasted anything she ate. She was still too preoccupied by the glimpse she’d caught of Jim’s naked chest….

As they left their suite, Jim wrapped his arm around Carrie and pulled her close for a kiss. A kiss that stirred her all the way to her toes.

Then he whispered in her ear, “We have an audience.”

Carrie’s heart sank. For a moment she had forgotten their pretense.

With his arm around her, Jim led her to the elevators where another couple was waiting. They exchanged smiles and Jim said, “We’re on our honeymoon.”

“How wonderful,” the woman said.

Her husband just nodded. Then he began talking about his gambling and Jim compared notes with him.

Carrie had already decided Vegas would be a terrible place for a honeymoon. Gambling seemed to be of prime importance to most of the people there. She thought an island in the sun where there was little in the way of organized activities would be her choice for a real honeymoon spot.

Jim gave her a squeeze, bringing her attention back
to their new friends. “Sorry, I was, uh, thinking. Did I miss something?”

“Mrs. Langford asked if you had done any shopping, honey.”

“No, not really,” she told the woman as they entered the elevator. “Jim likes to gamble and I’ve stayed close to him.”

Mrs. Langford smiled at her. “Spoken like a true newlywed. Well, you two enjoy yourselves.”

When Carrie and Jim made their way into the casino, they noticed Riley’s wife at the slot machines. Carrie lingered in the area, until the woman gave up her place and headed toward the restaurants. Then she went to find Jim at the roulette table. Riley was sitting there, as well.

Coming up behind Jim, she slid her arms around his neck. “Miss me?” she whispered.

He turned and encircled her with his arms. “Sure did,” he said, and added a kiss.

“Place your bet,” the croupier called, and Jim hurriedly moved a stack of chips onto the table. When the ball settled, he discovered he’d doubled his bet.

“You bring me luck, babe.” Jim patted her cheek.

The next few spins had the same results, and Jim’s stack of chips grew, attracting Riley’s attention from across the table.

“Your little lady is one good-luck charm,” he called out.

Carrie smiled at him, then leaned down to hug Jim. “I have an idea. Go with it,” she whispered in his ear. Then she said aloud, “I’ve got to go to the ladies’ room. I’ll be back soon, honey.”

As she strode away from the table, Riley called her back, but Carrie ignored him. She went out to the lobby, picked up the house phone and dialed the front desk. Then she asked that they page her husband. He was in the casino and she had an emergency.

“And your husband’s name, ma’am?”

“Richard Riley.”

J
IM PLACED
another bet, but Riley went against him this time since his last bet, after Carrie’s departure, had been a loser.

“Not betting with me anymore?” he asked with a grin.

“Naw. You start losing, I bet opposite of you. Keeps me on a win streak.”

About that time, they heard a page for a Richard Riley to come to the lobby for an emergency phone call.

“Wonder who that poor guy is,” Jim said.

“It’s me. But I don’t want to go. I might lose my place.”

“But they said it was an emergency,” Jim pointed out.

Riley grumbled, then gathered up his chips and reluctantly left the table. Walking.

Jim waited a couple of minutes before he followed him. When he reached the lobby, Carrie was putting away her camera and Riley was hurrying to her, anger on his face. Jim ran, but he still had some distance to make up. Before he could reach them, Riley grabbed Carrie’s purse. Carrie immediately leaped from her chair and jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. Then she landed a karate chop on his neck, knocking Riley to the floor, where he lay in a heap.

Several hotel personnel rushed to Carrie.

“What’s going on?” one of them who’d identified himself as the manager asked.

“This man tried to get my purse,” Carrie said in angry tones. “He thought he’d just pull it out of my hands and run.”

“Security is on its way,” the manager said just as Jim reached the group surrounding Carrie.

“What happened, honey?” Jim asked.

Carrie broke through the group and hugged Jim’s neck, repeating what she’d already told the others.

“This is the man who sat with me in the casino. I guess he thought you took my winnings when you left,” Jim said. “Are you all right?”

“I feel a little weak. Can we go to our room?” Carrie asked.

The manager took down their room number and agreed to send them a complimentary fruit basket to make her feel better.

When they reached their hotel room, Carrie immediately called Will and sent the pictures to their office via Jim’s laptop so Will could forward the pictures on to the insurance company.

“I feel a little guilty about causing Riley so much trouble, but he has no right to bilk the insurance company,” Carrie said.

“You handled everything beautifully. I was following, afraid you’d need some protection. Instead, you had the man on the floor in no time.”

“I told you I could take care of myself, Jim. I don’t need your protection like Vanessa does.” She sat down
on the sofa, now that she’d sent the pictures. “What do we do now?”

“I need to talk to the limo driver. Why don’t you start packing? Oh, and you could call and switch our tickets to an evening flight.”

She agreed to his requests. After he left, she picked up the phone to call the airline, but five minutes later she hung up the phone, frustrated. They couldn’t fly out tonight. In fact, she got the last two tickets for an early-morning flight. So they had no choice but to stay in Vegas for one more night.

She immediately called Will to tell him they’d be back in the morning. He seemed cheerful enough, not worrying about the expense of another night in the hotel. “You and Jim have a good time, honey. You deserve it with those pictures you got. The insurance company was ecstatic.”

After hanging up the phone, she bowed her head and prayed for strength to resist Jim’s charms just another twelve or fifteen hours. At least until she was back at home. Then she could judge her abilities to resist him in normal circumstances.

A knock on the door brought her to her feet. Through the peephole, she saw one of the security guards standing there alone. She swung open the door. “Yes?”

“Ma’am, we’ve escorted Mr. Riley to his room and requested that he leave.”

“Good. Thank you,” she said, and began to close the door.

The guard reached out and stopped her, and she gave him a curious look.

He coughed and then said, “I think everything would
be fine if you erased the pictures in your camera. That seems to be the problem with Mr. Riley. Seems as you were snapping your photos in the lobby, you got him.” He shrugged. “Some people are funny about their privacy. Anyway, he was just trying to get your camera away from you, not steal your purse.”

“I see,” she said calmly. “I could do that,” she added after a moment.

“It might be better if you let me do it. Then I can assure Mr. Riley he has nothing to worry about.”

“No, I’ll erase them, but you can watch,” she said with an innocent smile.

Jim arrived at the door. “What’s going on?”

Carrie explained the situation to him as she got the camera.

“And you’re willing to do that?” Jim asked cautiously.

“Of course, dear. Pictures of an unknown man aren’t that exciting,” she assured him with a smile. Then she turned to the security guard. “See? Here is my delete button. I just push it and…you can see the pictures are gone.”

“Thanks, ma’am.”

“No problem…” She read the name on his badge. “Mr. Boswell” Then she closed the door after him, a smile on her lips.

“I assume you’re not upset?” Jim asked.

“No. I sent the pictures to Will, remember?”

“Yes, but what if the transmission didn’t go through? It could be—”

“I talked to Will. He’s already spoken to someone at the insurance company who received the pictures and was ecstatic about them.”

“So I guess the only thing left to do is to get the hell out of Dodge.”

“Not if you intend to fly,” she said softly. “The airlines are booked. I couldn’t get us any tickets until tomorrow morning. The flight leaves at eight.” She turned away when she saw the disappointment on his face.

With what sounded like forced cheerfulness to Carrie, Jim said, “Well, I guess we’ll just have to enjoy ourselves for a few more hours.”

“Yes,” she said, and sat down on the sofa. “Did you talk to the limo driver?”

“Yeah. Riley paid him an extra hundred to keep his wheelchair ready for the return ride and not to talk to anyone about it.”

“How much did it cost you?”

Jim grinned. “Just a threat or two. You know, accessory to a felony. He already has a record. He didn’t want to be sent back to jail.”

“How fortunate,” she said with a smile.

An awkward silence fell. Finally Jim said, “How about dinner? It’s a little early, but we’ll avoid the crowds. Then we can go to another show tonight. Maybe the Celine Dion show.”

“That’s a strange choice for a guy,” Carrie said, distracted by his choice.

“Would you rather I suggest a burlesque show?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. “Actually, I was just trying to think of a show that you would enjoy.”

“I think I know one that we’d both enjoy if we can get tickets.”

“What’s that?”

“George Strait. He’s performing at one of the hotels.”

“Perfect, Carrie. Good thinking. I’ll go see if I can get tickets.”

“All right.”

Half an hour later, Jim returned with two tickets. Their excitement carried them through dinner, and the show was as terrific as they’d anticipated. When Jim caught Carrie’s hand as they walked back to the Bellagio, she didn’t even protest.

She tensed up when they entered their suite, however.

Jim could see the difference. He’d enjoyed their evening together, sharing an interest, going on an actual date for the first time. “What’s wrong?”

She tugged her hand from his and turned away. “Nothing. I guess I’m tired.”

Since they had gone to the early show and it was now only a little after ten, he didn’t really believe that. “Want me to take the sofa tonight?”

“No. I like to watch late-night television.”

“Because you’re so tired? Be honest with me, Carrie.”

“Fine! I don’t like sharing a room with you. It—it makes me nervous!”

“You don’t trust me?” he asked softly.

“Of course I do!”

“Now that doesn’t make sense, either. If you trust me not to do anything you don’t want me to do, then what’s the problem?”

Carrie backed toward the wall, as if she was being cornered. After licking her lips, which got Jim’s attention, she said quietly, “I don’t trust myself.”

Jim took a step closer. “What are you talking about?”

“Just go in the other room and leave me alone,” she insisted.

“I don’t think so,” he said, moving closer. “I think I might like what you might like. I’ve been struggling to hold back all the time we’ve been here. Tonight…well, it was our first date. Did you realize that?”

“No, we had dinner together several times.”

“Those were pity dates,” Jim said ruefully.

She jerked her head up, anger in her eyes. “I don’t need any pity dates!”

“Not you, sweetheart. Me. Those were pity dates for me. You felt sorry for me being so lonely, so you agreed to go out with me. I knew what they were, but I wanted to spend time with you. So I took what you offered.”

“You—you wanted to spend time with me?” Carrie asked, her voice wavering.

“Yeah. I thought you’d figured that out.”

“No. When you winked for me to rescue you, you…you didn’t really need rescuing?”

Jim grinned. “Now that encouraged me. You thought you had to protect
me.
I figured I was giving the marines a bad name.”

“I know you could handle yourself in a fight, but you certainly couldn’t go one on one with Stella like you did with Trevor.”

“Stella wouldn’t have objected,” he teased.

Carrie reached out and slapped his arm. “You’re being very bad.”

“Naw, honey, I’ve been very, very good. But I’d like to be better…with you. I’m going out of my mind wondering if you want a friend…or a lover.”

When she kept her gaze down and didn’t answer, he hurriedly said, “It’s all right, Carrie. I know it’s too soon for you to have figured that out. But when you’re ready, just let me know,” he said, his voice taut with frustration.

Carrie lifted her blue gaze to his face and said softly, “I’m ready.”

“You’re ready to let me know?” he asked, frowning.

“No, I’m ready to be your lover,” she said firmly, leaving no doubt.

He stared at her. “Are you sure?”

“What’s the matter? Do you think the marines are the only ones who can make up their minds?” she teased. “I fell for you long before I met you.”

“Because of my picture?” he asked.

“You know about that?” She looked horrified.

“I saw it on your desk the first time I came to the office. It’s all right, I understand that’s how you work.” His words seemed to soothe her because her expression relaxed.

“The more I learned about you, though,” she admitted, “the more I fell for you. You’re a complicated man. Able to do the hard things that most people can’t do. Yet you have such love and caring in you, beyond anyone’s definition of love, I would be honored to be your friend.” She paused. “But I would prefer to love you in every way possible.”

Carrie knew marines were men of action. Jim proved it by scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to bed. Every step of the way he kissed her, the deep kisses she’d dreamed about for so long. The kisses she’d thought would never happen in real life.

By the time he slid her down his body in the bedroom, she’d begun to undo the buttons on his shirt. She wanted to see that massive chest she’d only glimpsed earlier. As the shirt came off, she stroked him, feeling his muscles, hard and firm, knowing he had the strength to protect her if she needed it.

Jim had been doing his own exploration, releasing her bra with an expertise that had her wondering about his past.