Neil, Louisa - One Queen with Two Kings (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (8 page)

“Dex, the plane, what did you find?”

“The hydraulic hoses had been pierced, Thea. Five perfect punctures in each of the two main hoses. They were done on purpose, in a spot hidden from the preflight check. Then we worked off anger.” Dex moved from beside her, but she didn’t follow him to the window. “I knew, Thea, I just knew
,
and so did Russ
,
that Lloyd was behind it somehow. I’d always known he had a crush on you, but I never thought he’d become obsessed to that degree.”

“Dex?”

He didn’t turn back to her
,
but he knew she watched his naked back from the bed. His shoulders had become muscle laden
,
and he was deeply tanned all over. The muscles in his thighs had become strong and defined from running around the island. He wondered if she noticed the changes in him but didn’t ask. He wanted to finish the gory details so they could relax.

“What made it worse was realizing if he was willing to chance sabotaging my plane
,
he wouldn’t stop there. I knew he’d go after you, Thea. And every day it almost killed me to think he’d get you, and he almost did.”

“Almost, but he didn’t. Dexter, I never let him do more than kiss me. Even then it was revolting. You said you listened to the tapes. I wasn’t in good shape for the first year. I couldn’t believe you were really gone. I’d sit with your mother and we’d look at your pictures and talk about you. After the first anniversary of your going
-
down passed, everyone around us told us we had to move on. Like a calendar could tell my heart when it had healed. Then
,
very slowly, Lloyd started to drop hints about Dad not being as healthy as he seemed to be. That Alex was in over his head trying to keep up. What I didn’t know was that it was his entire careful plan to turn me.”

“Don’t, Thea, let it go.”

“Not yet, not until I see him punished. For all of it, Dex, you and Russ and the plane. For slowly putting a wedge between Dad and me, and then with Alex. He even tried to get me to send Grace away. He told me she and the baby were a daily reminder of my loss because we were so close. Thank God I didn’t let him do that. Remind me later to tell you about Grace and Alex.”

“The tape from before the wedding, he thought you found out about us, but it was your dad’s health you were talking about, wasn’t it? You kept your head there, my aqua queen. How did you go on once you realized?”

Thea was quiet for a long time before answering him. So long that he moved back to the bed, slipping beside her. It wasn’t lost on him what a magnificent sight she was. Her belly was flat and her legs defined. She’d lost weight—was a bit too slim—but they’d fix that. As he moved beside her, she reached for his penis. Not for a sexual moment, rather he knew it was for the closeness of holding him to her again. A way of making sure he was truly with her.

“It was like a switch went off inside my head. When he start
ed
boasting, told me their search would have been more productive if it had been on the correct side of the Pacific, suddenly I knew there was still a chance for us. And I knew he was a means to the end. Even if you had died in the crash, I’d know for sure.”

“What made you call it off in the first place?” His hand drifted through her long chestnut strands, the texture like silk against his fingers.

“I was standing there, all dressed and ready, and I couldn’t stop holding your ring in my hands. I knew when I couldn’t take it off my neck that I couldn’t marry him. I only took it off my hand two weeks before the wedding.” Thea increased her hand movements against his cock and lost her train of thought for a while. Dex didn’t care, her soft hand against him was a reassurance he’d longed for.

“I never realized I became a
‘
drug addict,
’
either. You heard that part of the tape?” Dex moved his hand to her breast and felt her nipple harden at his touch. “You’re married to one stupid woman, Dexter Norden. I should have seen through him. I felt something wasn’t right, but I didn’t fight hard enough for you. I’ll always be sorry I let you down.”

He straightened up, pulling her up beside him. “Listen to me, Thea. You didn’t let me down. Not you, or your father, or my parents, not even the rescue team that didn’t find us. Lloyd was very careful with his plans, and we’ll be careful with ours to let him know how it feels to be a pawn in someone else’s game.”

“Revenge?”

“For a long time, yes. Even now, still a little. But mainly it’s to pay the price for what he did to us, to all of us. Russ and I decided long ago if given the chance, we’d rough him up a bit, but ultimately let the law run its course. We had long psychological talks about it and decided we were both still too human to kill him ourselves. It would turn us into him. Instead, we knew we’d have proof to send him away for a long time.”

“Dexter, promise me that will happen. That last telephone call when he tried to cut a deal, his voice, it was menacing. He told me he’d get me when I least expected it. I don’t want to spend the rest of our days looking over my shoulder. Our kids, Dex, I can’t be afraid for them every day. I’d drive them insane never letting them out of my sight.”

“It will be all right, I promise. Now that I’m back, we’re sticking together, and I mean that. Where I go you go
,
and vice versa.” His smile warmed her.

“That might get a little embarrassing in public restrooms,” she teased.

“We’ll work something out. What I’m saying is that our lives started the day we saw that plane fly over and tilt his wings to us. I knew then I couldn’t go back to the corporation, Thea. I hope you understand that.”

“I don’t care what you do or where you do it, Dex, as long as I’m with you.”

“Well, Russ and I figured we might open our own company down the line. There are a lot of improvements we talked about that could be made on the plane we flew. We’ll take some time, get up to speed with new technology and current events, but I couldn’t go back to a nine-to-five job, not anymore. Thea, I don’t want to work for Wainwright Industrial. I want us to have a different future.”

“No problem. I’ve got the nursery and day care up and running at the company. My support staff is wonderful.”

“Nursery?”

Thea smiled at him and pulled him to her for a long renewing kiss.

“Yes, well
,
day
-
care center, really. When we realized Grace was pregnant, we decided it was time for the company to have its own facility. It was the only way I could see to keep her working and not leave the baby with a nanny. Neither of us wanted that. So, she and I teamed up, and we had the atrium built beside the headquarters and set it up as a nursery, preschool and day
-
care center. The day we opened the doors we had forty-seven kids, all of whom had a parent working at the company in some capacity.”

Thea looked at him with a shy smile before continuing, “The studies proved the parents who used the center were more productive in their daily jobs
,
and the number of sick days had drastically reduced. They come and visit the kids on their breaks or at lunch. It saved them time going to different locations to drop off and pick up each day. We kept the charges reasonable. We did a lot of research about child
-
care fees before we opened. By the time Grace had Lucas, she was able to come back to work six weeks later
,
and he’s never been left at home. Most of the parents tell us when their kids get to kindergarten they’re ahead in reading and math skills
as
well as computer knowledge, and that’s with only one full year of operation.”

“You’ve been busy, Mrs. Norden. I’m proud of you.”

“I had to keep moving, Dex. When I slowed down, I thought too much, and then it hurt too much.”

“What will you do now that your husband is home?”

“Whatever he wants.” She fell back onto the pillows, pulling him with her. As he settled on top of her, she wound her arms around his waist. “Dex, do you still want…Are there any other changes I should know about?”

He laughed openly with her. “Only that we’ve two years to catch up on, Thea. That’s why I don’t want you away from me. There is that promise I made you before I left.”

“You still want a family with me, Dex, even after everything that’s happened?”

“After everything and because of it, too. I want my aqua prince and princesses to keep their aqua queen happy. And I want them two years ago!” he told her with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

She woke with a start and couldn’t hold back the small scream that escaped from her throat when she realized the bed next to her was empty. By the time Dex reached her, she had flung back the covers and was staring at his side of the bed, sleep still clinging to her. He moved quietly beside her, taking her into his arms, holding her as she cried.

“It’s all right, Queenie, I’m here. Really, I am.”

“Oh, God, Dex, I woke and thought it was another dream.” She held him to her as if her life depended upon his strength and warmth. Slowly she regained her composure, pulling back, slightly embarrassed. Her fingers ran through the top of her hair, dragging it from her eyes. “I’m sorry, it’s just that so many times I had the same dream and you were always gone when I woke.”

“No more, Thea. I’m home and I’m going to stay home.”

“Couldn’t you sleep?” she managed, hoping to take the attention away from herself. Thea couldn’t help but reach out and touch the dark beard that covered most of his face.

“I’m not used to a bed,” he joked. Knowing it fell flat, he pulled her against him. “Actually, I was raiding the refrigerator, a luxury I’ve dreamed of. Want to join me?” His brown eyes comforted her, and she relaxed against him. “Chocolate cake?”

“Of course, with a gallon of fresh cold milk.”

He didn’t wait for an answer. Instead he moved from beside her, extending his hand. She slipped hers against his and followed him to the kitchen. In the dark of night, with only the moonlight reflecting over the lake, they took forkfuls of the rich, creamy cake. Standing side by side at the counter, it was so natural for them to be doing this.

“I’m sorry I screamed.”

“I’m sorry you spent two years in agony thinking I was dead.”

“But that wasn’t your fault, Dex.”

“And it wasn’t yours. We both know whose it was and we’ll take care of it.”

She understood he had let the anger go as much as she had to. He managed to change the subject by taking a finger full of icing and spreading it across her mouth. Instinctively, she slipped her tongue against the sweet, capturing his finger between her lips as she did. Dex repeated the process, but the second time she didn’t let it go, sucking it deep into her mouth. His groan was a good sign, and she let her hand slip down to capture his growing interest.

“Take me back to bed, Dex. We can eat later.”

Dex reached his hand to Thea, guiding her over the rocks. They had taken the path down to the lake and wandered the empty shoreline to watch the sunrise together. Having never gotten back to sleep after she awoke in a fright, it was simple enough to dress after their shower and head outside. Sleep would come later, much later, after they’d reconnected.

Thea felt small differences in both of them. Dex was hesitant at times, and she was quick to pull back a reference to something that happened while he was gone. They both recognized the failed attempts to cover their insecurities. Finally, he admitted to her he hadn’t considered how the world around him had changed while he and Russ wasted away on the bug
-
infested island. Beyond missing Thea and being angry with the sabotage, he never let himself truly think about what else they were missing in their everyday life.