Marrying Caroline (SEAL of Protection) (7 page)

“Wow,” was all Caroline could say at seeing the picture. “I definitely need a copy of that.”

Wolf just leaned down and kissed Caroline’s temple gently.

Fiona gave the phone back to Alabama, and sat on the bed next to Hunter. She put her hand over his and Caroline watched as Hunter turned his hand over immediately to grasp Fiona’s hand tightly.

“So, is it time for the first dance yet?” Hunter asked with a tone just short of being snarky.

Caroline knew he was still irritated with her. It didn’t matter how many times she reassured him that she had the song all picked out and had consulted with the DJ. The fact that Caroline refused to tell Hunter what song she’d chosen, really irritated him. He’d asked and demanded, then tried to guilt her into telling him, but Caroline had held firm. She’d wanted one thing to be a surprise.

“As a matter of fact, I think it is,” Caroline told Hunter agreeably. She turned to Faulkner and held out her hand. “Thanks for holding my phone.”

Dude pulled Caroline’s phone out of his pocket and handed it over.

While Caroline was searching for the correct song on her music app, Cookie turned to Fiona. “Did you know what song she was gonna choose?”

“Don’t bring me into this, Hunter,” Fiona told him sternly, brushing her thumb over the back of his hand lovingly. It was obvious that she couldn’t muster up any strength to be truly irritated with him. “She didn’t tell any of us.”

Caroline handed the phone back to Faulkner. “Okay, I’m ready. Hit play in just a second.”

Caroline turned back to Matthew and walked straight into his arms. She looked up at him. “It’s not a conventional song.”

Wolf interrupted her, “I’d expect nothing different from you, Ice.”

Caroline smiled up at him and started again. “I mean, it’s not a conventional wedding song. Hell, it’s not really even a good song to dance to, but the first time I heard it, I thought of us. I looked up the lyrics and knew it’d be perfect. It reminds me of you and me every time I hear it now.”

The music started behind them and Caroline smiled as the Goo Goo Dolls song,
Come to Me
played tinnily out of her little phone’s speaker.

They swayed back and forth listening to the lyrics of a love that started with friendship. Caroline didn’t look away from Matthew’s eyes as they swayed back and forth, but she knew everyone was watching them with smiles on their faces.

Caroline was floored when the song came to its crescendo, and Matthew sang the words to her, but changed them to fit their own current circumstances.

“Today’s the day I made you mine, I didn’t get to the church on time. Take my hand in this hospital room, you’re my wife and I’m your groom. Come to me my dearest love, this is where we’ll start again.”

“Oh my God.”

Caroline heard the exclamation, didn’t recognize the voice, but ignored it anyway. She had eyes only for her husband. “You know this song?”

“Yeah, Ice, I know this song.”

He didn’t expound.

“How?” Caroline demanded.

“Honestly? You left your phone out one night and I saw you’d been listening to it. I looked it up and downloaded it. I figured if you liked it, I should listen to it. It’s a good fucking song. And now it’s
our
song.” He continued to surprise Caroline and semi-quoted the song again. “This is now our favorite song.”

“Wow.” The words had come from the nurse standing in the doorway. It was her voice that Caroline had heard after Matthew had sung to her.

“I think that’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Caroline smiled. She couldn’t disagree with the woman.

When the song was over, Caroline turned to Hunter. “So? How’d I do?”

Cookie smiled at Caroline. “Good, Ice. You did good. I couldn’t have picked a better song for the two of you.”

Caroline grinned at the compliment and turned back to her husband.

“I love you, Matthew.”

“I love you, Caroline.”

Wolf settled back against the headboard and smiled down at his wife. He’d kept their honeymoon destination a secret from everyone, and so far it’d been perfect. Caroline thought they were headed to a beach somewhere. As much as he wanted to see her in a bikini, Wolf had a different destination in mind. Caroline had dropped enough hints about hoping he was taking her to Maui that he vowed to take her there on vacation before too much longer.

His teammates had also tried to guess, and had thrown out ideas from Paris, France to San Francisco. Wolf had kept mum about where he was taking Caroline and he couldn’t be more pleased with the results of his sneakery.

The only person he’d told was Fiona. Wolf needed Fiona to pack Caroline’s bags with appropriate clothing and girly stuff. Wolf didn’t expect Caroline would
need
many clothes. But he knew Caroline would want some of her own fripperies with her, so he’d told Fiona, and Fiona had sworn that she wouldn’t tell anyone, even Cookie.

They actually hadn’t gone far from home. Wolf had taken them to Sedona, Arizona and checked them into a cabin high in the mountains. Wolf had researched it online and booked the most isolated room he could. He had plans to keep Caroline naked and in his bed for the entire week. The resort had room service, and that was all he needed. A bed, food, and his wife.

Wolf smiled. His wife. Jesus he loved the way that sounded. He stroked the hair back from Caroline’s face and smiled as she snuggled further into him. She was exhausted, and Wolf knew it was all his fault. He’d apologize, but he wasn’t sorry in the least.

Wolf thought back to that morning when Caroline had checked her email. He didn’t want her to do it, but knew she worried about her friends. Fiona and Alabama had compiled all the pictures they’d taken of their wedding and emailed the link to the online album to Caroline. The pictures would certainly never make someone looking at them think it was a very good wedding, but Wolf fucking loved them.

Caroline’s hair was mussed in every picture. Her dress had some random black stains around the bottom of it. It drug on the ground because she was wearing flip-flops instead of heels. Her shoes were now a part of their history, because in one of the pictures he had her draped over his arm backwards and her leg had come up and hooked around his waist. Her unconventional shoes were clearly visible.

Caroline’s dress was also wrinkled and had some random red stains on it. Wolf knew he’d warned her, but thanked God she hadn’t cared. Her makeup was nonexistent, but again, it was how Wolf saw her most of the time, and he loved that she looked like “her” in their wedding photos.

Fiona and Alabama looked just as disheveled as Caroline did, but they were also beautiful in their rumpledness. There was one picture of Fiona lying on the bed next to Cookie, with her left hand, wedding ring prominently displayed, lying on Cookie’s chest. Her eyes were closed, but Cookie had been looking down at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him, which she was.

Alabama had also included a picture of her and Abe. Abe was standing behind her with one arm slung around her chest diagonally, and the other was around her waist pulling her back into him. Alabama was looking up at him and laughing at whatever he’d just said to her. Even with her lilac dress mussed and with a pair of sneakers on her feet, she was beautiful in her man’s arms.

Caroline’s friends had done a wonderful job in catching every moment of their impromptu wedding. From the guys kissing her, to them signing their marriage license. Hell, Alabama had even snuck a picture of Wolf handing the pastor a wad of cash to thank her for the inconvenience of having to spend all afternoon in the hospital. Of course the pastor had said it was no big deal and brushed off his thanks, but Wolf smiled, remembering how she’d pocketed the check mumbling about how it would go toward expanding the playground at the church for the children.

After they’d gotten married, Wolf had called his parents and explained what had gone on that afternoon. Caroline had been worried they’d be upset over missing their son’s wedding, but Wolf knew they’d be okay with it. And they were. They were pleased as hell their son was happy, and it was more than obvious he was happy. They wrung a promise out of Wolf to bring Caroline over for dinner as soon as they could after they got back from their honeymoon.

Wolf’s thoughts came back to Caroline. As much as he loved the pictures, he’d soon tired of looking at them and had shoved the computer out of the way and introduced Caroline to honeymoon-kitchen-table sex. She’d taken to it enthusiastically.

Neither of them shied away from showing each other how much they loved each other through sex. Caroline and Wolf had done a lot over the time they’d lived together, but they’d never had the luxury to completely let go and not have to worry about anything other than each other. There had always been work, or some sort of drama. First it’d been with Alabama and Abe, then it had been Fiona. Neither of them would ever begrudge their friends for what had happened, but it was heaven to not have to worry about anything other than being together.

Caroline tightened her grip on Wolf and then slowly opened her eyes and looked up. “Can’t sleep?” she murmured drowsily.

Wolf laughed to himself. It was the middle of the afternoon. He was wide awake and nowhere near tired enough for a nap. “No, go back to sleep, Ice. You’re gonna need it later.”

Not intending his words to excite her, Wolf was pleasantly surprised when they did just that. Caroline shifted until she straddled him. They were eye to eye as he’d been leaning up against the headboard of the bed.

“You’re not tired?” Caroline asked again, this time running her hands over his hard chest as she spoke. Her fingers teased his nipples for a moment before they slipped further down until she could hold him in her hand.

Wolf could feel himself grow hard at the first touch of her soft fingers against him. “Jesus Ice, you’re gonna kill me.”

“But what a way to go, yeah?”

Caroline shifted until she could take Wolf inside, and sunk down on him. Or at least she tried to. Wolf held her hips tight and wouldn’t let her take him fully inside. “Are you ready for me, Ice? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I don’t want to be crude here, Matthew,” Caroline panted, gripping Matthew’s shoulders tightly as she looked him in the eyes as she spoke, “but I’ve still got your last orgasm inside me. You arouse me just by looking at me with those ‘fuck-me’ eyes of yours. So to answer your question, yeah, I’m ready for you. I’m
always
ready for you. I’m wet, you won’t hurt me.”

Wolf relaxed his grip and let Caroline drop down on him. She was right. She was soaked. Hot, wet, and tight. “How does this keep getting better and better?”

Caroline treated his question as rhetorical and ignored it. She started moving, not taking her eyes away from her husband’s. “I love you, Matthew.”

Wolf smiled. He’d never get tired of those words. “I love you too, Caroline. Now shut up and take me.”

Twenty minutes later, Wolf smiled again. It seemed he couldn’t stop smiling. They were lying sideways on the bed, the covers were nowhere to be seen, and Caroline was once again snuggled in his arms.

Wolf moved his leg, which had been propped up on the side of the bedframe and shifted higher onto the bed. Caroline groaned. “Hang on, Ice.” Wolf straightened and shifted both himself and Caroline until they were both, once again, lying lengthwise on the bed. Wolf leaned over and snagged a pillow from the floor, where it’d lain forgotten in the midst of their lovemaking. He settled both of them again and sighed.

Wolf heard Caroline breathing deeply and kissed her temple. Her legs were tangled up with his and he could feel the heat of her body seeping into his own. The wet spot under his ass was annoying, but at the thought of what had made that wet spot, he knew he’d suffer though lying there for as long as it took for Caroline to wake up and for them to make another.

Wolf, finally feeling sleepy, thought about what he’d order them for dinner. He wanted to make sure they kept their strength up. They had four more days hidden away from the world. Wolf picked up Caroline’s left hand and admired the rings on her fingers. It made him a caveman, but he loved having his mark on her.

Wolf closed his eyes thinking about his wife. His wife. He never thought he could be so lucky in his life. Before falling asleep, Wolf thought once more about the words to their wedding song. Truer words had never been sung. Caroline was sweet, and he sure as hell was grateful.

Read on for an exclusive excerpt from the first book in Susan’s exciting new series:

Justice for Mackenzie

Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes, Book 1

…Mackenzie walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. Damn. The man standing at her door was so good looking, she felt a zing shoot through her body, ending between her legs. It was the same reaction she’d gotten the night of the charity event. He was staring right at the peephole as if he knew she was on the other side looking at him. Mackenzie took a deep breath and opened the door until the chain stopped it from opening any further.

“Daxton?”

“Yup. That’s me.”

Mackenzie shoved her hand through the small opening of the door and said, “ID please.”

Dax chuckled, not offended in the least. “Good girl.” He reached behind him and took his wallet out from his pocket and pulled out his driver’s license and put it into Mackenzie’s outstretched hand. “There you go.”

Mackenzie looked down at the plastic card in her hand. Daxton Chambers. Forty six years old. Six foot one and two hundred thirty pounds. She gulped. Damn, almost a hundred pounds heavier than she was. She went to hand it back and dropped it.

“Shit, sorry.”

Dax just laughed quietly and kneeled down to pick up the dropped license. “No problem.”

Mackenzie held out her hand again. “Ranger ID now please.”

Dax smiled even more broadly. “Damn, woman.”

Mackenzie faltered a bit, but bravely said, “IDs are easy to fake nowadays, I just want to make sure.”

“Oh, I wasn’t complaining. No fucking way. I’m pleased as hell you don’t trust me. I’d be more worried if you did. Here you go.” Dax held out his Texas Ranger badge that he’d pulled from his other pocket. “I don’t go anywhere without it, just in case. Good thinking.” She took it from his hand and Dax could see her hands shaking.

“If it’s okay . . . I’ll just . . .” Mackenzie gestured back inside her apartment.

“Take your time, Mackenzie. I’ll be right here.”

Mackenzie shut and locked her apartment door and quickly walked over to her phone. She snapped a picture of Daxton’s Ranger badge and texted it to Matthew, Mark, and Laine. Laine knew she was going out with Daxton, but she wanted to inform her brothers as well. She told them she was going to dinner with Daxton, who was a Texas Ranger, and she’d be home later. She trusted Daxton was who he said he was, but she’d be an idiot to take him at his word. She wanted her brothers to know who it was she was going out with and what time she expected to be home. Even though she was thirty seven years old, she wanted to be safe. She’d call Laine when she got back home. It was their ritual whenever one of them went out.

Mackenzie thought hard about calling the local Ranger Station and checking on Daxton that way as well, but then decided she was being an idiot. She’d seen him at the charity event with a table full of other officers. Hell, he’d been with the Highway Patrolman when she’d been pulled over. If Daxton was lying, he was an expert. Mackenzie went back to the door, took off the chain and opened it all the way.

“Hi, Daxton.” Her smile was bright and welcoming, as if this was the first time she’d opened the door that night and she hadn’t demanded he show his IDs to her and treated him like a criminal.

Dax chuckled. Damn, she was adorable. She pulled him out of his bad mood easily. “Hey.”

“Here’s your ID back. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be sorry. You have no idea how hot that was.”

“Uh, what?”

“Yeah, hot. I see all sorts of shit in my line of work. I love knowing you’re cautious. I just wish more people were like you.”

“Oh, well, okay.” Mackenzie handed Daxton his Ranger ID back.

“What’d you do with it when you were in there?”

“Uh . . .” Mackenzie was unsure if she should tell him. “I don’t know . . . um . . . I’ve never dated a cop before.”

Dax stood there watching Mackenzie with an amused glint in his eye. “Okay.”

“And I’ve never been in trouble before. I mean, really in trouble. I got detention in high school once, but it wasn’t my fault. Stupid Darci Birchfield decided to pick on one of the guys on the chess team and I told her if she didn’t lay off him she’d answer to me, and she didn’t lay off him, so she answered to me and I got a full week of detention for it. But she never messed with him again. I had to endure Bobby telling me for the rest of our high school years thank you, and shit, he 
still
 sends me a Christmas card every year, but still . . . it was totally worth it.”

Daxton leaned against the wall next to the door, loving how fucking cute she was. He crossed his arms over his chest, holding his cowboy hat in one hand and settled in to listen to Mackenzie babble.