Wait for Morning (Sniper 1 Security #1) (39 page)

Trace moved to Marissa but didn’t touch
her. He couldn’t. Not until he cleaned himself up. But knowing she was safe… That
was enough for now. When she grabbed his arm and held on tight, his heart swelled
in his chest. Leading her, Trace fell into step behind RT, Conner, and Colby,
who were all following Courtney. Z and Clay then followed behind Marissa.

Courtney merely lifted her hand, waving it
behind her head without turning back. “Good to see you, Max. Let’s not do this
again sometime.”

Trace laughed; he couldn’t help himself.
His sister had always been a terror, there was no questioning that. And it
seemed she knew just how to push Max Adorite’s buttons. Although he was sure
there was some truth to her statement, Trace got the distinct impression that
whatever was brewing between those two hadn’t been extinguished quite yet.

Which meant they were all likely to see
more of Max Adorite in the future.

Great.

Just what Trace
needed.
More assholes to contend with.

“What about me?” Barry asked as they
passed.

“Oh, we’re gonna have us a little chat,”
Max told him. “Don’t you
worry.
”

“What about that one?” one of the gunmen
asked, nodding toward the back of the room.

Trace glanced over his shoulder to see Max
pause and turn to look at Isaac.

RT called out, “We’re done with him. If
you don’t mind, we’ll let you take out the trash.”

“My pleasure,” Max said, turning back to
face them as he followed them to the door.

Trace laughed.

And the last thing he heard as they were
stepping out of the room was Max saying, “But not tonight. I’ve got a party to
get back to. Y’all find those two shitheads some accommodations for the night.”

Marissa sat on the edge of the chair in
Trace’s living room, her sweaty hands clasped in her lap as she waited not so
patiently for Trace to finish with his shower. She’d been tempted to join him
but found herself too shaken up to ask. So, while he had gone to clean himself
up, she’d sat on the chair and rehashed the events of the night.

The only break she’d had from her
overwhelming thoughts was when she had talked to her mother and father on the
phone. Hearing their voices had started the tears flowing.

It was still hard to believe it was all
over.

Dan Duchein was dead. Max had killed him.

As for Barry Thompson, who, yes, was the
same guy from the mall and also the man who’d tried to kidnap her from the
motel, and Isaac Rhames, the mole who’d planted himself in Sniper 1 to get to
Marissa … well, Ryan had told her not to worry about them. He had assured her,
right before they’d dropped her off with
Trace, that
she had nothing to worry about ever again.

She knew that was only partially true.

No, she didn’t believe her life was in
danger anymore. The threat to her had been eliminated, and no, she hadn’t shed
one single tear over that man’s death, either.

But she did have one more thing to worry
about…

Where she stood with Trace.

“Hey.”

The sound of his voice had her looking up
to see him approaching her. He was once again wearing sweat pants and no shirt
and he looked… A tear escaped before she could stop it. Unable to hold her
emotions back, Marissa jumped to her feet and ran into his arms, throwing her
arms around his neck. When he hugged her to him, kissing her forehead, the dam
burst, and she couldn’t stop the tears that followed.

Wanting to apologize for her breakdown,
Marissa didn’t get a chance before Trace lifted her into his arms and carried
her back to his bedroom. Expecting him to lower her to her feet, she was
surprised when he placed her on the bed and immediately crawled over her.

His warm hands cupped her face, and she
stared through blurry eyes up at his beautiful face. God, she loved him. She
loved every little thing about him, and she wanted him to know just how she
felt.

“I love you, Marissa,” he said before she
could get a single word out.

She touched his face and smiled through
her tears, her heart untwisting, filling her chest with so much emotion she
wondered whether she would choke on it.

“I’ve been holdin’ that back for a long
time,” he continued. “I’ve wanted to tell you a million times over, but I
couldn’t. Not until I could prove to you that I could keep you safe. I never
meant to let you down.”

Marissa placed her fingers over Trace’s
mouth, silencing him.

“You’ve never let me down,” she whispered,
her voice broken from the emotion clogging her throat. “Never. And I love you,
too. I’ve loved you since I was fourteen years old. And that feeling has only
intensified over the years.” She smiled up at him. “Sometimes it’s so powerful
I’m not sure I can contain it all.”

He smiled, but she could sense the sadness
in the gesture.

“I’m not perfect, Marissa. I need you to
understand that. But I promise to love you and protect you for as long as
you’ll have me,” he said softly.

“Forever?”

Trace’s eyebrows lifted in question.

“Will you love me forever?”

She watched his throat work as he
swallowed. “Forever, baby.”

Still cupping his jaw, Marissa leaned up
and kissed his lips gently. “Then prove it. Love me right now,” she told him
firmly. “However you need to, I just need to feel you inside me.”

Marissa wasn’t surprised when he didn’t
say another word, his mouth finding hers, his lips firm and warm yet soft and
reassuring. She kissed him back, showing him without words how much she loved
him, too.

“I still think this is the sexiest dress
I’ve ever seen you wear,” he whispered as his mouth trailed down her neck. “But
I want to see it on the floor.”

Marissa grinned, shifting to her side so
that he could lower the zipper in the back.

She felt him fumble briefly, but the next
thing she knew, the dress was on the floor, as were her panties and bra, along
with his sweat pants.

When he reached for a condom, Marissa
stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Just you and me tonight,” she said. “No
barriers.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m on the pill.”

The corners of his mouth quirked and
Marissa’s insides swirled. “For now.”

She nodded in agreement. “For now.”

With her eyes wide open, Marissa watched
as he eased between her thighs, his thick cock slowly penetrating her, filling
her completely while their eyes remained locked together.

“Oh, God, Marissa.”

She knew exactly what he was feeling. They
fit together perfectly, two people who were made for one another. And she knew
in that moment, all the danger to her had been eliminated. Including the danger
to her heart.

Trace Kogan loved her.

But no matter what, if Trace was the only
danger she encountered for the rest of her life, she’d willingly run to him
every single time.

□«»□«»□«»□

Marissa’s body pulled him in, holding him
to her as he fought the emotions that consumed him. What he felt for her far
surpassed love. It was something greater than that, more powerful, more potent
than anything he’d ever known before.

And she belonged to him.

“Trace, please,” she cried out as he
withdrew, then slowly pushed back into the exquisite warmth of her body.

“Please what?” he teased her.

“I need more. I need all of you,” she
said, her hands gripping his biceps as he hovered over her.

“You’ve got all of me, baby. Every single
piece.”

With that, he leaned down and claimed her
mouth once again, continuing to make love to her. The way
she
deserved. The way
he
wanted. Because it didn’t matter how he took this woman, being inside her was
better than anything he’d ever known. Loving her, being loved by her, it had
irrevocably changed him.

And he wanted to show her just how much.

He smiled down at her when she wrapped her
legs around his hips, her ankles digging into his ass as she tried to pull him
closer. He thrust his hips forward, impaling her.

“Oh, yes!” she moaned. “Don’t stop.”

“Darlin’, you don’t have to worry about
that,” he whispered, brushing his lips against hers. “I plan to do this every
single day for the rest of my life.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that,” she
muttered.

“I hope you do,” he told her honestly.

Marissa’s fingernails dug into his back,
and what little control he had left snapped, causing him to drive himself into
her hard before pulling back and driving home once again. When he was buried to
the hilt once again, he didn’t pull out immediately. Instead, he looked at her,
brushing her hair back from her face.

“I want to have babies with you, Marissa.
A family. I want it all with you.” He saw tears form in her eyes, and he wanted
to kiss them away, but he didn’t. He wasn’t finished yet. “Marry me, Marissa.”

She nodded, and when a smile tipped the
corners of her mouth, he saw that wild child once again. The one that kept
everyone on their toes, the one he’d missed for so long. “Under one condition,”
she finally said.

“Anything. Name it.”

Her fingernails dug deeper, her ankles
pulled him closer as she said, “You make me come. Right now.”

“My pleasure.”

And with that, Trace succumbed to her one
condition.

At least five times.

Two months later

Bryce sat in the wooden seat alongside
Emily, holding her hand as he watched. Emily was softly crying, and truth was,
Bryce was doing his best not to.

His baby girl was getting married.

Marissa looked beautiful as she said her
vows and exchanged rings with Trace, the two of them not looking at anyone
other than one another. That was exactly how it should be. His little girl
finding her happily ever after. She’d been through so much, and finally,
finally
she was able to move forward
with her life.

The day Trace had come to him and asked
for his permission to marry Marissa, Bryce had been shocked and pleased. Trace
was honorable and loyal and so in love with Marissa it was hard to miss. Of
course, Bryce had given his permission. There’d never been an ounce of doubt in
his mind.

And as Marissa slipped the ring on Trace’s
finger, Bryce’s heart swelled in his chest. He couldn’t ask for much more than
this. For his children to be happy.

Squeezing Emily’s hand tightly, Bryce sent
up a silent thank-you. He truly was a blessed man.

□«»□«»□«»□

Ryan smiled and clapped along with the
rest of the people in attendance as Trace kissed Marissa after the preacher
announced the husband could now kiss the bride. The noise level rose, the sound
carrying on the warm afternoon breeze.

Everyone stood, cheering for the bride and
groom as they made their way back down the aisle, smiles lighting up both of
their faces, as they headed into the lodge where the reception would follow.
He’d never seen the two of them look happier than they did right then.

Ryan didn’t move from his spot in the hard
wooden chair as he glanced from one face to another until his gaze landed on Z,
talking to Ryan’s brother Clay, who’d just stood in as Trace’s best man. Ryan
had known that Trace would choose Clay as his best man because they’d grown up
together, but there’d never been any doubt that Z would be a groomsman, someone
else who would stand up for Trace.

As he watched Z and Clay talk, Ryan didn’t
mean to stare, but he couldn’t seem to look away. For the last couple of
months, ever since they’d taken down Duchein, the man who’d spent a solid year
trying to get to Marissa, Ryan had thought about Z more and more. Completely
asinine, he knew, but something that couldn’t seem to be helped. No matter how
hard he tried.

A hand clapped him on the back,
effectively pulling him from the trance he had found himself in.

He turned to see his mother and father,
both of them standing behind him. Emily was wiping her eyes with a tissue,
sniffling as she gave him a watery grin. Ryan hugged his mother, then took a
step back and smiled at them both.

“You comin’ inside?” Bryce asked, his eyes
sliding in the same direction Ryan’s had been moments before.

“Yeah. I’ll be in in a minute.”

His father nodded and then followed Ryan’s
mother inside.

“Hey, you got a sec?”

Ryan swallowed hard, the familiar voice
pulling him up short. Turning slowly, he came face-to-face with Z, and he
worked to mask his body’s automatic reaction to the man. “What’s up?”

“Somethin’s come up. Somethin’ I need to
take care of.”

Yeah? Well, Ryan hoped like hell Z wasn’t
referring to a part of Ryan’s anatomy, because… Yeah. Shit. That was definitely
not what Z wanted to talk about.

Z smirked, as though reading Ryan’s mind.
But then that sexy grin disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. “I’ve got
somethin’ to take care of. Back home.”

“Coyote Ridge?” Ryan asked, referring to
the small central Texas town that Z had grown up in.

“Yep. Buddy of mine called. His name’s
Brendon Walker. Seems he’s got an issue. Asked me to help him look into it.”

“And you’re askin’ my permission?” Ryan
asked, confused.

“Not exactly. I thought maybe you could
help out. Head down there with me.”

Ryan ignored his body’s demand to
instantly agree. Going anywhere with Z was not a good idea. It was enough that
he found himself fascinated with the guy. It wasn’t like anything could happen
between them. He had a business to run, a team to lead. And Z was part of that
team. It’d be highly unprofessional for Ryan to…

“I think we can clear the case up in about
a week. Maybe less.”

“A case?”

“Yeah. Stalker or somethin’. Can’t talk
about it here. It’s one of those need-to-know kinda deals.”

“Yeah, I’ll … help you with your case.”

“Thanks, man. I figure if anyone can pull
some strings, it’ll be you.”

Ryan hoped like hell his disappointment
didn’t show. The last thing he needed was for Z to know that he’d been hoping
for an invite of a different kind.

Damn it.

“Brendon Walker, huh?” Ryan asked, masking
his disappointment. “I assume he’s one of those Walker brothers you’ve
mentioned. The ones who own Alluring Indulgence resort?”

“The sex resort,” Z offered with a grin. “One
and the same.”

“When do you leave?”

“I’m doin’ a little diggin’ first. But
once I’ve got more detail, I’ll let you know.”

“Sure,” Ryan replied, turning to see that
they were the only two still outside. “Well, we better get in there.”

Z smiled, and Ryan was pretty sure there
was something in the grin. Something that he honestly did not want to think
about.

Unfortunately, he knew he would because it
seemed to be a major problem for him these days.

□«»□«»□«»□

Trace looked up from where he was standing
with his wife—God, he loved the sound of that—by his side in time to see
Hunter’s face. The man looked … pissed.

Following his line of sight, Trace tried
to find what his brother was looking at, and that’s when he saw her.

Danielle Davidson.

Well, holy fucking shit.

This wasn’t going to be good.

Of all the weddings in all the world, she
just happened to show up at theirs.

Not that Trace was all that surprised.
They’d been expecting Dani to show up—not necessarily at the wedding, however,
she had been expected back home at some point—but those rumors had started several
months ago.

“Is that … Dani?” Marissa asked, sounding
as shocked as Trace had been.

“Looks like it,” Trace replied. “I didn’t
know you invited her.”

“I didn’t. I mean, I would have, but she
didn’t come back. I guess she’s back now?”

“Seems that way,” Trace said. “And so is
Hunter.”

Trace’s brother had disappeared on an
overseas op for two solid months but had reappeared just last week, a few days
before Trace’s impending nuptials. His whereabouts had been kept secret. Casper
had claimed it was a black op that he’d gone out on. Trace figured it had more to
do with the guy running from the inevitable. And inevitable’s name was Danielle
Davidson.

“You think we should do somethin’?”
Marissa asked, peering up at him.

“Probably,” he told her.

“Like what?”

Looking down at the most beautiful woman
in the world, Trace grinned. “We’ll start by dancing. Then, we’ll follow that
with”—
Trace
leaned down close to her ear—“getting you
naked.”

Marissa gently slapped him on the arm,
laughing. “You’re incorrigible. You know that?”

“So I’ve been told.” Pulling her along with
him, he made his way to the dance floor.

“Remember that red dress you wore to Max’s
party?” he asked as he dragged her close.

“Yeah.”

“I told you it was the sexiest dress I’d
ever seen you wear.”

“You did,” she confirmed, smiling up at
him.

“I lied.” Allowing one finger to trail
down her collarbone, barely sliding beneath the edge of the beaded bodice, he
met her gaze once again. “This one is by far the sexiest dress I’ve ever seen
you in.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you. Doesn’t mean I don’t plan
to take it off of you later.”

“I’m hoping for it,” she said sweetly,
then lowered her voice. “And I’ll even let you use your teeth.”

Trace growled in response, pulling her
closer and holding her tight as he smiled. God, he loved this woman.

He knew he’d probably get in trouble for
veering from the plan that the wedding coordinator had set out for them, but he
honestly didn’t give a shit. This was his wedding. He could do what he wanted.
And right then, he wanted to dance with his wife.

And if the wedding planner had something
to say about it … well, she could just wait. He had more important things to
deal with at the moment.

□«»□«»□«»□

Max released Ashlynn’s arm, allowing his
sister to step away from him as he approached Courtney. Ashlynn had already
given him a hard time, informing him that this was not a good idea—at least not
here—but Max hadn’t listened to her.

Not that she hadn’t been speaking the
truth. Even he knew that showing up at this wedding, with the sole intention of
speaking to one woman in particular, wasn’t the smartest move he’d ever made.
But that hadn’t stopped him from accepting the invite when he’d received it,
surprising as it had been.

“Courtney,” he said softly as he
approached the dark-haired beauty.

He fought the urge to smile when she slowly
turned on her heels and glared at him.

“Why did you come?” she asked softly,
reaching for his arm and grabbing his jacket, pulling him away from the group
she’d been speaking with.

Max offered them a polite smile as he
allowed Courtney to drag him away.

“I was invited,” he told her when she
finally stopped in a dark hallway.

Damn, the things he wanted to do to her
right there in that alcove, hidden away from the rest of the people celebrating
Trace and Marissa’s nuptials. It would be so easy, too.

“I know that,” she snapped, her voice low.
“That didn’t mean you had to accept.”

“Of course I did. It would’ve been rude
not to,” he countered.

“I’m not doing this with you,” Courtney
stated bitterly. “You and me… That ain’t happenin’.”

Max grinned. He knew the flash of teeth
was probably predatory, but he couldn’t help himself.

“See,” he said softly, leaning closer,
trapping her between his body and the wall behind her. “That’s where you’re
wrong.”

“Damn it, Max.”

Courtney’s eyes widened as she looked up
at him. She might not like him, and Max could accept that, but that didn’t mean
she didn’t want him. She did. It was written plain as day on her beautiful
face.

“Tell me you miss me,” he ordered, keeping
his voice low, his mouth hovering close to her ear.

“I don’t miss you,” she argued.

Max pulled back enough to look into her
eyes. “Liar.”

Neither of them moved; neither of them
said a word. Max continued to breathe her in, to study her face, waiting for
that sign, the one he’d seen before. The one that told him just how hard it was
for her to resist him, no matter what she wanted to tell herself.

“We can’t do this, Max,” she finally said in
a harsh whisper.

“Wrong again,” he informed her.

“Why, Max? Tell me why.”

Trailing his finger down her smooth cheek,
he kept his gaze locked with hers. “Because you and me … we’ve got some
unfinished business.”