No Reservations (Special Ops: Tribute Book 1) (19 page)

He smiled at her. “You know, there might just be a bunch of Dunkin’
Donuts coupons in there.”

The giggle that escaped her felt good, healing,
real
.
But then her smile faded. “It’s not. It’s like—I can feel it. Just
knowing that it even exists explains so much to me, like why my parents didn’t
like me coming here. Why they never seemed to like Lydia. Why they didn’t want
me getting close to her. Why they’ve kept me as far out of the probate process
as they possibly could. I feel like whatever is in that envelope is going to
explain it. And maybe I don’t really want the explanations. Not now.”

She shifted, and let her hands slip beneath her hair, raising
it off her neck to let the breeze cool her.

“Do you want me to keep it for you? I’d never open it. Just
keep it on hand in case you change your mind?”

She shook her head. “Thanks, but it would be the same as
having it in the house. If I knew you had it, then it might as well stay
sitting on my desk.”

Glancing his way, she saw him nod in response, then turn his
face toward the glimmer of water in the distance as though lost in his own
train of thought.

“I might regret it,” she continued. “Hell, I’m sure I will
some day. But right now, I just want to get back to that place I was the other
night, when I was enjoying the fact that reservations were coming in. I want to
enjoy this, Maddox,” she said, resting her hand on his. “That’s all I want
now.”

Leaning in toward her, he gave another brief nod, before his
lips touched hers, lightly at first, like a whisper against her skin. He lifted
his hand to the back of her head and slid his fingers into her tresses, angling
his mouth so that he could taste more of her.

Yes, this is what I want.

No more lies or half-truths. No more wallowing in her past
or letting her father’s sins shadow her very bright here and now. She wanted
this—this feeling of being thoroughly enraptured by this man—and
this feeling of being in control of her own future.

She traced the line of his wide jaw to his ear, and then to
the back of his neck. Easing him closer, she needed more of him, so much more
than could be attained here on the roof.

“Let’s go inside.” Her voice was breathy with need and his
eyes, cloaked in desire, answered her.

The ladder that once had intimidated her only annoyed her
now, coming between her and where she needed to be before she wrapped her legs
around him. She was in his embrace again when they were on the ground, and just
as she knew he would, he lifted her into his arms and carried her through the
back door, as he had that first time they’d made love.

And it
was
love, she realized as he fumbled to shut
the door behind them. God help her, she was lost to him completely, loving him
with everything she was, everything she ever would be. When he set her down in
the kitchen, the need to feel his skin against her was so urgent she couldn’t
wait, so she tugged at her shorts till they and her panties dropped.

His eyes flashed with hunger as she stripped off her shirt
and bra.

“I’m feeling a little naked here,” she confessed. “Don’t you
think you should even the playing field?”

Humor sparked in his eyes as he tugged off his shirt. “More
than happy to oblige.”

She traced her fingernails up his abs, counting them along
the way, till her palms fanned out on his pecs. “You are a specimen, Maddox
Kerry.”

Sliding her hands downward now, she popped open a button and
tugged at his zipper till her eyes could feast on that V of muscles that
pointed downward to his cock. Her lips kissed his pecs first, and then his abs,
till she found herself on her knees, letting the delicate touch of her lips on
his erection make him moan with pleasure. She smiled at the control she felt
over him, feeling his rigidity against her tongue as she licked from his base
all the way up the length of him. She sucked in a dab of moisture on the tip,
letting the salty taste of him fire her from the inside out.

Taking him in her mouth as deeply as she could, she reveled
in the feel of him so vulnerable to her. For once, she was the one in control
of him, not the other way around. He groaned, low and menacing, and his hands
grabbed the hair on the back of her head as she moved him in and out of her
mouth. Fisting his hand in her hair, he pulled her back from him and coaxed her
onto her feet.

“I need to feel you come around my cock, baby,” he growled
as he pulled a condom from the shorts on the floor and sheathed himself. “Let
me feel that. Let me feel your muscles tighten up around me till all your heat
pours out of you.”

His words fueled her desire as he lifted her, settling each
of her legs on either of his hips until he entered her in one swift thrust.

Whimpering from the depth of the invasion, she still craved
more, moving her hips in unison with him as their skin glided against one
another’s. His strong arms held her up from the ground, as he pounded inside of
her in a desperate rhythm that she struggled to match. Exhaustion overtook her,
and she let her body go limp in his arms, allowing herself to savor the
intensity of each thrust, each nip of his teeth against her neck, each scratch
of his fingers against her back.

This was passion, she thought. Nothing tame about it. No
sweet, soft words, no gentle slide of his hands over her skin. Just raw, naked
urgency. And it was what she needed right now.

As he thrust into her, she felt it—every worry, every
burden, every question falling away from her, far away, till they were out of
reach.

His mouth consumed her, tongue intermingling with his, the
taste of him so erotic that it intensified her need, making her body shiver.

One of his hands skimmed upward on her back to her neck,
kneading the skin gently. Her arousal heightened, and as though he sensed her
need to climax, his rhythm slowed, letting his body grind against her core for
longer stretches, making her nerves crackle with sensation. Liquid fire pooled
between her legs as he took her, and her fingers curled into his back. He
thrust again, and held himself deep inside of her while her channel seized up
around him, savoring the feel of his cock pulsating against her womb.

Pulling her mouth briefly from his, she wanted to see the
passion she felt reflected in his eyes. Lost in his gaze on her, she felt her
soul surrender to him. She was so close to the precipice, and she wanted him to
come along with her, so her fingers dug into the thick muscles of his back
pulling him closer, harder, faster. He followed her lead, but still with marked
control.

The silky feel of his length in her shot her upwards on a
sensual spiral, never wanting to return to Earth.

She was his now. Completely his. And as the climax splintered
through her, she knew that her present with Maddox eclipsed anything and
everything in her past, and illuminated her future.

***

It couldn’t be hard to find the envelope.

Maddox stood in the pitch-black backyard next to the garbage
can, making a mental note to change the bulb in the back porch light.

It would have to be later, though. It was nearly ten and
Bridget was taking a shower, after having made the tempting offer for him to
join her. She hadn’t suspected anything when he said he needed to call Becca
about the latest design plans.

He didn’t like lying to her, so would tack on a quick call
to Becca after this just to alleviate his guilt.

But Bridget’s words from earlier tonight haunted him, as
well as the hesitation he’d seen in her eyes.

If I knew you had it, then it might as
well stay sitting on my desk
,
she’d told him.

If she
knew
he had it.

She didn’t want to deal with it now. He could understand
that.

She didn’t want to think about it, have to make the
conscious decision every day to not open or open it.

And he wouldn’t mess with that for anything.

But there was something in her eyes when she’d said that. It
had sounded too much like… a hint… or a request or...

His thoughts trailed as his hand rested on the small trash
bag that had been in the living room. She’d tossed the envelope in, tied up the
bag, and handed it to Maddox to pile in with the rest of the week’s trash
before the pick-up tomorrow morning. The look on her face had been regretful as
she handed it over. Just dismal enough that Maddox had decided to stoop to an
all-time low by pilfering through the trash tonight.

Tearing open the bag, his fingers touched the envelope and
he frowned, justifying this act in his head by remembering the look on
Bridget’s face.

He’d lived enough years of his life with unanswered
questions of his own. He couldn’t—
wouldn’t
—let her go
through the same if he had a way to fix it. He’d keep the envelope for her,
tuck it away where she’d never find it. And if she ever reached the point of
expressing that she regretted throwing it away, he’d give it to her.

And if she was pissed off at him, he’d hopefully find some
way to make it up to her.

Easing through the back door, he made sure it didn’t slam
behind him. Listening, he heard the shower still running. Feeling lucky, he
raced back into her room where his duffel bag rested on the floor of her closet.

He slid the envelope to the bottom of his duffel and then
felt the urge to wash his hands before calling Becca. Maybe it was because he’d
just picked through trash. But he figured it had more to do with guilt than
anything else.

Taking his cell from the nightstand, he dialed his friend.

“Hey, Becca.”

“Hey, Maddox. How’s it going out there?”

“Good, good,” Maddox replied, opting to not share what he’d
just been doing. “I’ve got some designs I’m going to forward you and Aidan. I
think you’ll like them.”

“Great.”

“I, uh, finally went to Arlington, too,” he decided to
share.

“Good, Maddox. Was it a good visit?”

“It was,” he said, telling her the only thing that would get
her off his back. “Thanks for kicking me in the rear about it.”

“I’m glad. Did Bridget go with you?”

“Uh, no. She’s got enough of her own problems to deal with
right now.”

“Oh, no. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing I can share,” he said, knowing Becca would
understand. “But I think she could use a good friend like you when you get down
here.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

“I think I’m going to get her out on the Bay later this
week. Nothing clears the mind like a little spray in your face.”

“Are you taking one of those boat tours?”

“I’ve actually got a better idea,” he started, and then told
Becca about his plans to purchase a sailboat.

It seemed redundant to him somehow—getting an
apartment or condo. If Maddox was going to spend the night on land, then he’d
rather be with Bridget. But still, he knew he needed to find a place of his
own. Staying here, even though he continued to insist on paying her nightly
rate, he was starting to feel like one of those loser boyfriends who never
knows when to leave.

Besides, he had some ideas for a boat that might actually
help her business.

He heard the water turn off in the next room over and the
thought of Bridget’s naked body emerging from the shower had him rock-hard
within five seconds.

“Hey, I gotta go, Bec. Just take a look at those designs
when I send them tomorrow and let me know what you think.”

 “I will. You kids have fun tonight,” she added with a
laugh.

Believe me, I will.

The spray of seawater reflecting the morning sun looked like
tiny sparks flying up from the Chesapeake Bay as Bridget dangled her feet over
the side of the 35-foot sailboat. The boom swung portside as Maddox adjusted
the sails, catching the breeze as it gusted over the water.

From the bow of the boat, Bridget’s eyes moved alternately from
the vast expanse of the Bay in front of her to watching Maddox at the helm
behind her. The sun kissed his tanned skin, which was what she wished she could
do right now.

“Having fun up there?” Maddox called out to her when he
caught her looking over her shoulder at him.

Grinning, she responded with the thumbs-up sign.

It had been fun these past few days, journeying to the local
yacht brokerages and looking at sailboats. She hadn’t really imagined he was
serious about buying one in lieu of getting a condo until today when he called
the broker to arrange a test sail.

She watched him talk to the broker at his side and the other
man nudged a chin in Bridget’s direction. She couldn’t hear what they were
saying with the wind pummeling her eardrums. But she was happy when she saw
Maddox pass control to the broker and make his way along the side to sit next
to her.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“Yes. It’s incredible out here,” she answered, her gaze
drifting from him to the Bay Bridge as they approached it. “So peaceful. Thanks
for letting me tag along.”

“I wouldn’t have come without you. I don’t want to buy a
place where you wouldn’t be comfortable sleeping when you don’t have guests at
the inn.”

Liking the sound of that, she smiled, thinking about how
wonderful it would be to let the waves beneath her lull her to sleep at night.

“Have you been sailing before?” he asked.

“Just once. Some friends and I took a schooner tour. But
there wasn’t any wind that day, so they had to motor the entire time.”

“Yeah, it’s not quite the same, is it? There’s something
about cutting that motor and relying on Mother Nature to take you where you
want to go.”

She leaned into the crook of his shoulder and stole his
heat. In town, the weather was hot and humid. But on the Bay, the air was cool
and deliciously crisp. It was like they were in another world—though that
was always the way she felt with Maddox, as if his presence in her life
transported her to a place where all things were possible, where her heart took
the lead and her mind relinquished control.

Bridget tugged at the arms wrapped around her, making him
squeeze her a little tighter. “Do you think you’re going to get it?”

“I’m sold. But don’t tell the broker that or I’ll be paying a
lot more for this beauty.” His laugh vibrated against her back as she settled
into him as though he were the best lounge chair imaginable.

“How is it that you can afford to start a business and buy a
boat in the same year?”

“I’m not doing the business on my own. I’ve got a good team backing
me up.”

She felt the frown touch her lips, still longing to feel
that same way about her inn sometimes. Maddox was such a help, and she was
grateful for him in more ways than she could count. But he’d be busy with his
own business before she knew it, sleeping on a boat apart from her side. This
feeling of support would be fleeting. She wished she had the constancy that
Maddox must feel, starting a business with his friends, knowing that any
challenges they faced, they would face together.

He pulled his head back slightly, spotting her expression
before she could manage to conceal it. “And I’m your team,” he added, giving
her a reassuring squeeze. “Besides, I have to live somewhere and this is no
more expensive than the condos I’ve been looking at downtown.”

“You’re going to freeze in the winter.”

“Didn’t you see that heater he pointed out? Besides, I’m
hoping maybe you might come be my bed warmer from time to time.”

“Only if you take me out for a sail.”

“Deal. And you know, I was thinking that if you wanted to
advertise that you have access to a sailboat, that might help your business. Maybe
offer some kind of a deal where if they stay four nights or more, they get a
sunset sail.”

Her face turned to his, her eyes softening. “Really?”

“Sure. I figure I’ll be going out plenty anyway. I’m always
happy to have company. And all the better if it brings you some business.”

“I’ll pay you for that,” she offered quickly, her eyes still
lit. “We can work something out. To cover your expenses and compensate you for
your—”

“Absolutely not, Bridget.” His eyes stayed locked on hers
for a moment before they broke away. “You really aren’t grasping the
team
part of this, are you?”

“I’ve never been part of a team in my life.”

“You didn’t play lacrosse or soccer or anything?”

“No. I loved swimming, but my parents never pushed me to
join a team. I don’t think they liked the idea of hanging out with crowds of
other parents at all the meets. I was a good SCUBA diver, though.”

“I’ll bet you were.”

She smiled as she gazed at the water around her, lost in
memory, and wondering what it was like beneath the waves here. “I haven’t been
in so long. There’s something about it, being under there. It’s so solitary,
yet I felt more a part of the world there than I ever did doing anything else.”

“I know what you mean.”

“You dive?”

Behind her, she felt him cock his head to the side.

“Bridget, I was a SEAL.”

She laughed. “Of course. I forget sometimes. To me, you’re
just my hero. I forget you were a hero to other people, too.” A blush touched
her cheeks, and she glanced away, not having meant to say that out loud.

Leaning in, his lips grazed against her neck as he
whispered, “I like being your hero best.”

Her chest rose, feeling the pressure of his arms wrapped
around her as she sighed, and her body softened, yielding to him.

“You know, there’s a lot of oyster diving around here,” he
told her.

“Oyster diving?”

“Yeah. I went to a place over on the Eastern Shore last time
I was TDY in DC. I’ll take you one day.”

“I’d like that.”

She enjoyed making plans with him. They always fell so
easily off of his tongue, as though there was never any question about whether or
not his future would have her in it.

Craving that certainty right now, she relished in it for the
rest of the afternoon, and enjoyed the moment when he looked to her eyes for
approval before he wrote a check for a deposit for the sailboat.

It was as though he wanted to make the decision together. Never
had she known a man who was so ready to welcome her completely into his life,
fuse his plans with hers.

Once on firm ground again, Bridget’s knees wobbled as they
walked from the dock back to her inn. Maddox was now the proud owner of a
sailboat, and while Bridget was happy for him, she didn’t like the idea of him
leaving the inn.

“I think I’ll dock it at a yacht club near downtown. I’d
like to be walking distance.”

She squeezed his hand as they walked. “I hope I’m one of the
reasons.”

“You are the best reason.”

Stopping, he pulled her close, and she let his mouth take
hers, consuming her soul in a burst of waves that rivaled anything they’d
experienced on the Bay that day. Her lips parted and she tasted him, his skin
hinting of the salt from the brackish spray they’d felt on their faces all
afternoon. Savoring it, she grew more addicted to the taste by the second.

They grabbed the mail in the box, and strolled up her
walkway to the inn. She didn’t have a guest now, but two were coming tomorrow
and she’d been pleasantly surprised by how easy taking care of their needs was
to her. She enjoyed it, probably the same way her aunt had.

Setting down the mail in front of her computer, she clicked
on her favorite travel website, her newest daily routine. She forbade Maddox
from giving her inn a five-star review, telling him that she didn’t want to
remember that she’d slept with her first guest—not exactly something to
boast about, in her opinion. And he’d been true to his word. But she still
hoped that her recent guest might have written one.

When she saw it—the five stars posted next to her
inn’s name—her heart was suddenly tap-dancing behind her ribcage.

She had a five-star review.

No
, she thought, shaking her head. It was probably just
Maddox, ignoring her request. It had to be.

She clicked on the review and recognized the first name of
the man who had stayed at her inn with his son.

“What can we say?” it read. “ Such hospitality. Beautifully
updated inn. You have to remind yourself that you’re in a historic building
just because everything looks so fresh and new. Breakfasts were excellent and
the innkeeper bent over backwards to ensure we had a pleasant stay. Loved the
‘man cave’ in the basement. All the Space Invaders I can play and no quarters
needed? Felt like I was thirteen again! Will definitely return.”

Her chin gaping, Bridget’s eyes bugged out.

I got a review. I got a five-star review.

She didn’t realize she’d said the words aloud until Maddox
emerged from the kitchen, Sam Adams in hand.

“What?” he asked.

“I got a five-star review online!” she practically trilled.

“Congratulations!” he exclaimed as he pulled an extra chair
over to her computer desk and read it. “He loved the man cave. Damn, you’re a
genius, Bridget. This is the kind of review that brings in more business.”

“It is. It really is, isn’t it?” She gloried in it for a few
minutes, enjoying a celebratory sip of the beer Maddox retrieved for himself.

“I feel like I should run out and get champagne.”

“I’d rather have a Sam Adams, if you’re offering.”

He pressed his lips to hers. “Be right back with it.”

Her vision blurred from the huge smile that had overtaken
her face, shrinking her eyes down to tiny slits.

For the first time, she felt like a legitimate innkeeper,
not a lawyer struggling in some newfound business venture. For the first time,
she felt like she was going to make it.

Still grinning, she reached for the pile of mail she’d
deposited on the desk earlier. Seeing something from a bank, she ripped it open
first without a second thought.

And then time stood still.

She gazed at the ominous-looking paper with a staggering
number printed on it.

It appeared to be a quarterly statement for a loan from a
bank she’d never even known her aunt had dealt with. The number at the bottom
of the page tore a lungful of air from her body.

$250,000?

Even more menacing was the date the loan would mature, barely
over a month from today.

“What the hell?” Her question flew out of her like a hot
breath just as Maddox came into the room and handed her a beer.

“What’s wrong?”

“This.” Her voice trembled. “This came in the mail. It looks
like some kind of a loan document.”

“Is it her mortgage?”

“No. Those come from a different bank. It’s definitely not a
mortgage.”

Sitting down, he took it from her and glanced over it. “It
looks like some kind of interest-only balloon loan.”

“Yeah, and from the date on there, I’m thinking the
balloon’s about to pop.” She dropped the paper to the desk. “Did she take out
some kind of loan using this place as collateral?”

“Don’t panic. Is this the first thing you’ve ever gotten
from them?”

“Yeah.” She reached for the phone. “I need to call them.”

“Call them. But don’t do anything till you talk to the
probate lawyer. He might know more about this.”

***

Hours later, Bridget set down the phone. She’d been talking
nonstop, trying to find answers.

Or rather, trying to find answers that were more palatable
than the one she found out within five minutes.

The smell of barbeque ribs wafted in her direction after Maddox
came in the front door. He’d picked up carryout, obviously not realizing that
Bridget didn’t think she’d have an appetite again for the next five years.

“Any answers?” he asked, setting the bag down on the coffee
table in front of the fireplace and placing his hand on her shoulder.

“Nothing good. There’s a loan that I need to pay off.
Period.”

“Shit. And the lawyer didn’t know anything about it?”

Bridget’s eyes narrowed at the memory of her conversation. “He
quickly blamed the fact that probate isn’t over yet and if I’d waited to move
into this place till afterward, then we would have known.”

“If you waited, you probably would have watched the place
depreciate by about fifty grand.”