SEALed With Love (DiCarlo Brides book 2) (The DiCarlo Brides) (19 page)

Joel didn’t believe the words, though. He’d made a commitment to keep her safe, and he never went back on his commitments. “I’ll be home tonight. Wade’s doing better. It’ll be fine.” He felt torn. He really did want to stay another day or two, but there was no way he could leave her alone if the stalker had upped his game. “I’ll let you know when I get my flight scheduled.”

Joel felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned to find Greg standing behind him. “It’s your turn to go in to Wade if you’re done sweet talkin’ your girl. You know, the one you said you don’t have.”

“Thanks.” Joel turned toward the hospital room. “Sage, I’m going in to talk to Wade now. I’ll call you in a little while.” They said goodbye and he slid his phone back into his pocket before heading through the double doors.

He found Trudy beside Wade’s bed again—of course. “Hey, Trudy, you look terrific. All of that time you spend nagging your husband must be good for you.”

“You know it is.” She looked worn out and a little disheveled—like a woman who’d stayed by her man’s side all night, but her eyes were happy.

Joel slapped hands with Wade in their special handshake. “You look okay, too. The doctors say you’re going to live.”

“Yeah, you know you can’t keep a good SEAL down.” Wade gestured for Joel to sit. “Tell me how you like ski country.”

“I haven’t been through the winter yet, but so far it’s growing on me. Gorgeous area, plenty of hunting.” Vince had invited him along on the elk hunt, but Joel hadn’t dared to leave Sage. Maybe next year. “No ocean though—that really bites.”

“But you’ve got access to the pool at that hotel, don’t you.”

“Yeah, if I only want to swim thirty-foot laps, it’s just right.” Joel leaned back in the chair, kicking his legs out in front of him. He’d missed swimming more than he could say, but Sage was more important.

Wade smiled in understanding. “I’m guessing you must have gone there for the woman. How’d you meet her?”

Joel shot him a withering look. “I’m her bodyguard. Her dad set it up. She’s a job, Wade.”

Wade looked unconvinced, then lifted Trudy’s hand and kissed it gingerly—as if even that slight movement hurt him. “Why don’t you stretch your legs and grab some food, honey. I’ll be okay for a few minutes. Joel will watch my back.”

Her eyes flitted to Joel and she smiled. “That’s a good idea. I won’t be long.”

As soon as the door shut behind her, Wade gave Joel a piercing stare. “Dude, I’ve known you too long for you to lie to me without me knowing it. Tell me about her, for real.”

Joel had confided more in Wade than any other living person, so he gave him the quick rundown from the first time she spotted him following her on the street, to his worries about her accident.

“But you’re not involved with her?” Wade asked, his brows lifted.

“I can’t be. She’s... she’s special.” He rubbed his thumb along the side of his opposing index finger, tracing a scar from one of his first SEAL missions. “She’s like this light glowing all the time, filling the room.” He tipped his head to the side, uncomfortable with the subject. “There’s not a lot of light in me. You know how I grew up, the killer inside me. I want to hunt this bastard down and kill him for the terror he’s caused her, and she’s a born pacifist. She thinks it makes her weak, but she’s one of the strongest women I know. Gutsy as all get out. She could have run again, gone somewhere without all the fanfare where she might get away from her stalker, but she didn’t. She stuck because her family and her word are important to her. And she faces that danger every day.”

“Okay, hold on. You can’t seriously be telling me you’re not good enough for her.” Wade shook his head when he didn’t get a response. “Joel, you’re an idiot. If she really sees
you
—sees what you
are
and still cares about you—you should snatch her up. There aren’t enough women like that out there.”

Joel rubbed a finger over his goatee barely aware of the action and thought of all the reasons it would never work. “I don’t know if I can tell her the truth about me. About who I am, where I really came from. I can’t hold back something like that if we’re going to have a real relationship. And you know my history with women.”

“It sounds to me like you already have a real relationship, but you’re acting like a wuss instead of facing it—and you’re no wuss.” Wade’s eyes seemed to harden in challenge. “Maybe she’s not the one. Maybe she’s just a nice piece you can enjoy yourself with—”

He stopped when Joel hooked a finger into the bandages wrapped around his chest and tugged, making him wince in pain. “Say that again and you’ll see what it really means to hurt.” He was more than half serious, though he was mostly sure the friend in him would edge out the protective instinct that wouldn’t stand to hear anyone talk about to Sage that way. So long as Wade was in the hospital, anyway.

He pushed Joel’s hand away easily. “Then tell her how you feel, you idiot. You wouldn’t have reacted like that about the other women you’ve dated. If she matters, give it a chance.” He relaxed his head back against the pillow, looking far more tired than he had when Joel entered. “Now get out of here and go home to her. I’ll be fine, and I want an invitation to the wedding.”

“You’re getting way ahead of yourself.” Joel stood up, then clasped hands with Wade again, the previous comment already forgiven. “I’m glad you’re doing better. You know I would fly to the end of the earth for you.”

Wade’s mouth crooked in a smile. “Ditto. Now scram.”

Joel walked out, finding Trudy in the hall. “You better go fuss over him some more, he’s getting weepy-eyed and romantic.”

She laughed. “You give your girl an extra hug from me.” She pulled him into her embrace. “Thanks for coming. It really means a lot that you’ve been here. I know it’s bad timing for you.” She eased back and touched his face. “One of the guys said it sounded like something was wrong in Colorado.”

“Yeah, I have to get back. But everything’s going to be okay.” He wrapped Trudy in a hug goodbye, while trying to convince himself that what he said was true.

Sage was waiting when Joel knocked on the door that evening. It was getting late but she was still tied up in knots about the accident and couldn’t sleep until she saw him. “Hey, come in.”

He did, his eyes glued on her. “You feeling okay?” He reached to brush the curls back from her face, studying it.

“Yes.” She grabbed his hand before he could drop it and gave it a squeeze. “I’m fine. Jonquil’s the one who was really hurt. She broke her tibia and has to wear a cast for the next month, at least, probably more.”

“Is she in bed, then?” He shut the door behind him and locked it without releasing her hand. “Blake said it would heal okay. So she’ll be fine if she takes it easy?”

She snorted. “
If
she would take it easy. She’s so stubborn—we have that wedding tomorrow, and she still had arrangements and bouquets that had to be put together. She refused to let her staff take care of it, and went back to the hotel to finish her work after we were released from the hospital.”

He smiled—a rare sight. “Tough lady. I can just see her hobbling around her flower shop.”

“That, at least, we managed to prevent. We set her up at a table with someone to play fetch for her. One of the girls who works banquets was happy to have the extra hours even if Jonquil did snap and growl all afternoon and into the evening. When we ask how she is, she puts on a bright smile and says she’s fine, but I can see the exhaustion in her eyes.” Sage leaned into him, burying her face in his broad chest, soaking in the comfort his presence always gave her. “I got her hurt, Joel. If I hadn’t insisted we take my car—”

“Hey, none of that. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.” He rubbed his cheek over her curls and his slid his hands along her spine. “We don’t know what caused the accident yet. In any case, it wasn’t something you could stop.”

She turned her dark eyes up at him, keeping her cheek pressed against his chest. “We both know this was the stalker, Joel. This wasn’t an accident. Not really. I wanted to believe it was an accident, but I couldn’t convince myself. What if I get someone else hurt? Or worse, killed? I don’t know if I can stay here. He’s not going to give up.” Desperation rose inside her, worry layering on itself over and over as she thought of everything that could go wrong.

“Whoa, hold on.” He set his hands on Sage’s shoulders and shifted her away from him, looking into her face. “What are you saying?”

“If I stay here, eventually he’s going to try to come at me in my home. My sisters will be in the way. I can’t let one of them—another one of them—get hurt because of me.” She’d spent most of the afternoon and evening thinking about it. Her gut churned. If the car had hit the tree a couple of feet closer to the front Jonquil could be dealing with something much worse than a broken tibia. She saw it again, only worse, every time she closed her eyes.

“You want to run away? Is that it?” He his gaze bored into her. “Because I could swear you were happy here, in this job, getting to know your sisters, in this town.” His faced went blank, but there was fear in his eyes.

“I am!” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t want to go anywhere.” Especially if it meant leaving his side. He’d been her strength and walking away from him would tear her in two.

“Then don’t. We can stay here, we’ll find another way. Come on, let’s sit down.” He led her to the sofa and sat beside her. “What do you want to do?”

She was so tired she could hardly think and her muscles ached. “I just want to be safe, and for everyone else to be safe, too.”
And not to have to leave you.

“Do you feel safe with me? Do you trust me?” His expression softened and his eyes held concern and maybe a hint of something more, or was that her imagination?

She didn’t look away from him. “Yes. I always trust you.”

He pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her brow, his lips lingering for a long moment. “Good. Tonight I’m going to sleep down here.” He held up a finger to stop her when she opened her mouth to argue. “You’re still shaken up from the accident. Tonight you sleep in your own bed, knowing I’m down here where I can protect all of you, okay? Tomorrow we’ll discuss other options.”

It took her a moment to think it through. It wasn’t perfect, but it would work for the short term. “Okay, I can do that.”

“Okay.” He touched her face, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone, making her skin break out in goose bumps. “I’m going to take care of you. Trust me.”

Her hands lifted to grip his arms, tightening as she tipped her face up for better access. “I trust you.”

“Good.” His voice had dropped to little more than a whisper, gone husky but finally, after months of pulling back, he didn’t. He leaned in and kissed her.

Sage sighed as his lips brushed across hers—a barely there touch that made her push closer, seeking more. His mouth was warm and firm, his touch gentle, a tender caress. She soaked in the feel, the taste of him, allowing her mind and heart to open as his arms closed around her, pulling her closer to his hard chest.

She melted against him and tipped her head to the side, and he molded his mouth over hers, showing complete control, his kiss warm and comforting, not seeking anything more. She reveled in it, loving the scent of his cologne as it swirled into her brain, and the feel of the light hair on his arms soft under her hands. She could keep this up forever.

She lifted her arms up around his shoulders, and felt the pull of muscles that were sore from the day’s accident, but ignored them. Reluctance in every muscle shift, Joel pulled away, making her sigh with regret. He stood, helping her to rise as well. “I’ll get my overnight bag.”

She nodded, feeling like she would burst with happiness. Finally! “I’ll find you some blankets.”

He cocked a grin at her and headed for the front door.

A kiss was such a small step, but right now it felt like she’d reached a mountain peak.