Finally Home (Home Series) (19 page)

"I do know him better...in combat situations.  In everyday life
, not so much.  But, you'd do better to ask Riley.  I've never seen him with a woman.  He..." Whit shook his head.  "I don't know.  He said once that when he found the right one, we would all know it."  He gave her a pointed look.  "We all do."

They heard the elevator buzz and both looked toward it.

Lainey sighed.  "Well, Whit, if I'm the one for him, he has a funny way of showing it."

The elevator opened before he could reply. 
Colt stepped in, a pretty brunette on his arm, though she looked a little pale.  Mike came in behind them, his icy gaze settling on her a moment.  She felt her heart accelerate under the weight of his gaze, then looked away when Colt said her name.

"Going stir crazy yet?" he asked.

"Just a wee bit."

"Sarah, this is Riley's cousin, Lainey.  Lainey, my wife, Sarah."

Lainey smiled at Sarah and stepped forward to shake her hand.

"Why don't you come in here and curl up on the couch," she said, putting her arm around Sarah's waist and frowning at Colt behind Sarah's head.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Lainey replied, but her tone was short and Mike and Colt both bristled at it.

Sarah laughed softly as they headed into the living area.

"Colt said you were something.  I don't think they quite know what to make of you."

"He's lucky I don't go tear into him.  He should have stayed home with you."

"It's fine, really.  The doctor cleared me to travel.  I'm just pale because I don't like flying much, and I really don't like flying when I'm nauseous."

"How far along are you?"

"Almost five months.  I've made some improvement in the last couple of weeks.  I'm actually not throwing up all the time, now.  I just feel like I'm going to throw up."

Lainey smiled.  "I worked as a massage therapist in college.  I know a few tricks that may help, if you'll allow me."

"At this point, I'm willing to try anything," Sarah said.

Lainey got up and went around to the back of the couch, placing her fingertips on Sarah's temples, starting a slow, easy massage.

"How was Colt when he got back to you when you were in the hospital?"

A soft smile touched Sarah's lips.  "Terrified and so incredibly sweet.  He's faced down all kinds of bad guys in his life, but when he walked into that hospital room, he looked white as a ghost."

"That's pretty much how
Mike said he looked when he left.  He obviously loves you very much."

Sarah smiled.  "He does.  It took me a long time to accept that.  I kept thinking that he was too good for me.  Colt doesn't give up so easily, though."

"Hmm...well, good to know at least one of them doesn't.  Well, two of them.  Riley didn't give up on Jenna, either."

"Colt told me about you and Mike," Sarah said.  "You know he was shot trying to help me, right?"

"Yes."

"He terrified me when I first met him.  His eyes...and he seemed so cold...
but I saw the effect he had on Colt.  Just Mike's presence in the room calmed him down.  When I was kidnapped, he and Riley were the ones who came into the room to find me.  Riley cut me loose and handed me to Mike and Mike carried me out.  The day he was shot, I'd heard the voice of the one kidnapper who'd gotten away at my parents' foundation offices.  Colt was across the room and talking to someone and I couldn't get his attention.  I'd decided to go into the restroom and splash some water on my face and calm down.  Mike followed me.  He'd seen that I was upset.  To this day, I don't know how he didn't see Lewis approaching."

Lainey glanced up from Sarah and caught Mike's eye as his eyes were drawn to her as soon as she raised her head.

"He saw him," she told Sarah.

Sarah glanced up at Lainey, a puzzled expression on her face.  "But, if he did, then..." Sarah's eyes widened and filled with tears.  "Oh, my God!  He knew he would be shot!  He..."

"Sarah?" Colt asked, coming to her side. 

Lainey shook her head as she stepped back from
Sarah to give them some semblance of privacy.  These guys were so attuned to their surroundings, Mike had known when she looked up and Colt had known when Sarah got upset.  They were pretty amazing, actually.

She went into the kitchen, looking up when Mike came to her side.

"Everything all right?" he asked quietly.

She took a deep breath and touched his stomach, right above where his gunshot scar was.  He glanced down at her hand and then looked into her eyes.

"Sarah just figured out that this was meant for her.  Not you."

He held her gaze a moment and Lainey wasn't sure what all passed through his eyes, but she thought surprise might have been one of the things she saw.

"What's the matter, Mike?  Thought your secret was safe?  I'm sure Colt knows what you did."

"He does."

Her hand tightened momentarily on his stomach and then she withdrew it, turning to open the refrigerator.  Mike stepped closer to her, shutting the door before she could reach what she wanted.

"God, what?" she hissed.  "You practically ignore me for days and now that we have a full house you want to pay attention to me?"

"I always pay attention to you,
cara
."

She gave him a raised brow look.  "Really?  Could have fooled me."

"Hop down off your high horse.  Things have come up that needed my attention."

"Fine," she said, trying to step past him.

"Don't walk away from me," he warned, his voice low.

"Or what?  You'll ignore me again?"

"I haven't..." he began but stopped when the elevator buzzed.  She took advantage of his distraction to step away from him, seeing that Colt was watching them.  She had almost made it out of the kitchen before Mike grabbed her arm, keeping her anchored to his side. 

The elevator arrived and Riley and Jenna stepped out. 
Lainey again tried to step away but Mike tightened his hold on her arm.  She glanced up at him, scowling.  He was looking toward Riley, not acknowledging her and it really ticked her off.

"Hey, Blondie," Colt said, shaking hands with Riley.  "Where's the kid?"

"Staying the night with a buddy," Riley answered, his eyes on Mike and Lainey.

Lainey watched while Riley and Colt introduced Jenna and Sarah to each other.  Jenna settled down next to Sarah, motioning for Lainey to join them.  Again, Mike's hold on her arm tightened.

"Good grief, Commander, I'm just going to be across the room," she seethed.

"You're going to be sitting here with us discussing the security plan for the Founders Day Ball," Mike told her, escorting her to the desk and planting her in a chair.

Oh, how she wanted to tear into him!  He was treating her like a child and she didn't care for that at all.  She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him as she'd done that first night when he'd refused to stay in bed. Riley came and sat next to her, putting his hand on her shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze.  She turned her glare on him momentarily and he pulled her close so he could whisper in her ear.

"Stop provoking him," he told her.

"Me?!?" she hissed.  "What have I done?"

Riley sat back when Mike began briefing everyone and asking for thoughts and suggestions.  Lainey could have cared less about what they were discussing.
  She tried to go back through the last few days and figure out what had changed between them from the day he'd gone to check her house when he'd kissed her before he left, to now where all they could do was glare at each other.  She hadn't done anything different.  He just began pulling back and shutting her out, and she didn't get it.

"Lainey!" Mike snapped, drawing her gaze to him.

"What?"

"Could you pay attention, please?  This is important."

She sighed.  "Fine."

She focused on what he was saying for about two sentences, then let her mind drift.  Mike was furious.  She got that.  What bothered her was that it was a cold, controlled fury.  His eyes had gone stone cold.  There was not an ounce of warmth or humor lingering in their icy depths.  When he spoke, it was the short, clipped tones she'd heard him use to direct the team in the field. 

She sighed again.  She couldn't help what she was feeling, and more importantly, she didn't want to help what she was feeling.  It had been so long since anyone had caught her interest she'd begun to think that maybe something was wrong with her.  Face it, she'd had Kevin Adtkisson in her grasp and when he'd cheated on her, it hadn't really even upset her.  The only thing about that whole situation that did upset her was wondering what was wrong with her that she hadn't been enough for him. 

As she looked up into Mike's angry face, she wondered again what was wrong with her that he didn't seem to want her the way she wanted him.  And that just made her mad, too.  She knew she wasn't statuesque like Kacee but she knew she wasn't ugly, either.  Why wouldn't he be attracted to her?  What more would she
have to...

"Lainey!" he snapped once more, jerking her from her thoughts.  "Pay attention!"

She glared at him.  "Why?  So you can tell me more things I can't do?  No, thanks."  She stood.  "You just work out your little plan with the boys and fill me in later."  Across from her, Colt and Whit stifled laughter behind coughs.  Next to her, Riley was shaking his head.  She didn't care.  She was tired of being ordered around.  Tired of having her life turned upside down because a former patient decided he wanted her all to himself.

"Don't walk away from me," Mike growled again when she turned to leave.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not one of your men to be ordered around," she tossed over her shoulder as she headed toward the stairs, well aware that all eyes in the room were on her. 

"If you leave this room you will not be going to the Founders Day Ball," he said.

At that, she laughed.  "Try and stop me."

"Don't push me on this, Lainey.  You'll lose."

"I've already lost, Commander," she threw back at him, going upstairs. 

For a moment, there was nothing but stunned silence in the room behind her.  Then, just as she expected, she heard the sound of his footsteps pounding up the stairs as he followed her.  Ignoring him, she kept going into the bedroom, not at all surprised when he was right there to slam the door behind them.

"What is your problem, Ms. Riley?"

"I believe I have made that abundantly clear, Commander."

"How am I supposed to keep you safe if you continually fight me on every little thing?"

"Seems to me that the safest place for me to be is with you.  But you insist on pushing me away.  So, I'm tired of fighting.  I get the hint: you don't want me."

He stepped closer to her, backing her against the wall. 

"I never once said I didn't want you,
cara
," he said, his voice menacingly low.

Lainey shoved him as hard as she could, not that it even budged him
, but it made her feel better.

"Then why don't you act like it?  You kissed me last week and now you act as if nothing happened.  I'm tired of the roller coaster ride, and I'm tired of you using my protection as your excuse."

He leaned in even closer and she felt the evidence of his arousal pressed against her belly.  She sucked in a harsh breath as he pushed his hips even farther into her.

"Don't think for one minute that I don't want you.  Sometimes I have to close my eyes or look away because I want you entirely too much.  But, there is more here to consider than just you and me and raging hormones.  Riley has been my best friend for several years.  There is nothing I wouldn't do for him.  He asked me to keep you safe; I will not let him down.  And when I claim you, there won't be a house full of my men and their wives downstairs, am I clear?"

She blinked up at him, her hands on his biceps, all coherent thought having left her the instant he pushed his hips into her.  He cursed under his breath in Italian and crushed her to him, sealing his lips over hers in a kiss so hot she felt she would combust at any moment.  His tongue dove so deep she could barely breathe and found she really didn't care.  All that mattered was that Mike was finally holding her and kissing her...and kissing her like no one else ever had; as if his life depended on it.

She clung to his arms and felt tears pricking the backs of her eyes.  Why was he doing this?  Why was he playing with her emotions the way he was?  Would he give her these stolen moments of passion now and tomorrow go back to ignoring her?  Was he only kissing her now because they did have a house full downstairs and he knew it couldn't go anywhere?

On a strangled sob, she tore her mouth from his, turning her head away, even as his lips descended on her neck.

"Let me go," she whispered.

"Is that really what you want,
cara mia
?"

"I don't know what I want any more.  I just know that I can't take this.  Let me go, Mike, please," she cried.