Redemption (Bennett Sisters Book 5) (10 page)

Lydia
narrowed her eyes at the man she’d once thought as attractive and a flirt. “It was just a dream. Besides…”
Lydia
glanced around. “This isn’t the place.”

The general gently took her elbow and started steering her back to the vehicles. “Tell me what you remember.”

Lydia
swallowed around the lump in her throat. She knew it was important that she share everything, but what if she shared and it changed the outcome? There was only one thing about her vision that concerned her more than the rest. When they were back in the Hummer, she decided to take a chance and trust these guys. They were on her side after all.

Rick sat on one side of her and Briggs on the other with Brody and Marlaina riding shotgun in the front with the general behind the wheel. “I know it wasn’t the same place because the building was different. The building from my vision wasn’t brick like that one. It was more like a metal warehouse. There were men guarding the perimeter with guns.”

The general glanced in the rearview mirror. “Could you pick it out from a picture?”

Lydia
nodded.

“Is that all you remember?” he asked.

Lydia
twisted her fingers together. It wasn’t the building that had stuck out in her mind. It was the fact that Rick hadn’t been with her. She didn’t remember him in the dream at all. “There was one other thing that was off.”

“Well?”

“Rick wasn’t with me.”

All eyes turned toward Rick.
Lydia
’s heart beat faster. She knew that one day he wouldn’t be around, but if her dream was supposed to be a vision, then that confirmed it for her.

Brody broke the tension. “Planning on taking a trip anytime soon, Romeo? Maybe we can pinpoint it to a specific day.”

Lydia
noticed the general glance in the mirror at Rick and nod.

Rick cleared his throat. “I’m leaving tomorrow.” Rick took
Lydia
’s hand in his own. “That’s what General Lister wanted to talk to me about when we got back from town. I have to go back to testify against Winters.”

“You were just going to leave?”
Lydia
asked. Her heart fell into her stomach. Granted, she’d known the day would come, but she wasn’t expecting it so soon. They’d just begun to figure things out between them. Well, sort of.

Rick shook his head. “I was going to tell you tonight. I’ll only be gone a week at most, and then I’ll be back.”

Lydia
nodded her understanding and placed a fake smile on her face.

Winters was the man who’d killed her father all of those years ago, and he deserved to be dead, not rotting in a jail cell. Had she been able to control her gift a month ago, he’d be dead and they’d all be better off.

Her visions had been one of the main reasons she’d felt compelled to see if the characters she’d seen in her head for all of her life had been real. Finding out they were family had been an unexpected bonus.

Lydia
was aware of the hand clasping hers. The close proximity always sent tingles through her body. It dawned on her right then that if she hadn’t felt compelled to go to Southall then she would have never met Rick.

The Hummer hit a bump and pulled her back from her memories and the new realization.

That news wasn’t good for whatever relationship they were building, but that wasn’t what mattered now. She needed to stay focused. Sharing the pieces of information had given them an edge. They could take Floyd by surprise if she could find the building first.

She leaned forward in her seat, only held back by her loose seatbelt. “This is good news, right? We can find the guy, and he won’t even see us coming.”

Brody chuckled. “That’s my girl. Take them by surprise. We’ll need to find the building and whatever schematics we can find on the place to prepare, and hopefully, we’ll be able to catch this asshole before he does any more damage and more people get hurt.”

Rick shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere; she’ll be in danger.”

Lydia
sat back in her seat and laid her head on his shoulder. “It’s too important for you not to go. My family isn’t safe if that man isn’t kept behind bars where he belongs. They need your testimony and I need you to go and give it.”

“No, they can do it without me.”

Lydia
lifted her gaze to meet Rick’s. “No, they can’t. You were the one who was after that jerk for years. You know him better than anyone else and what he’s capable of. You need to go.”
Lydia
lifted her head and glanced around the Hummer. “They’ll keep me safe, and if I get in trouble, I’ll just start tossing people around the room and blow crap up. I can do this. Isn’t that right, Brody?”

Brody turned his head. “Man, we’ll keep her safe. We’ll all be with her and Briggs too, since I know you don’t trust me. But I swear on my word of honor, I’ll keep her safe.”

Rick’s eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at Brody.

“Dude, I’m not screwing with you.”

Lydia
was saved from anymore of the embarrassing conversation when they pulled up at the compound. Rick needed to go as much as she needed to stay if her visions could be trusted. She could no more make him do anything than he could make her. The choice was his; all she wanted to do was get him to believe that she would be okay without him. At least physically she would be okay, even if her heart might break. 

Lydia’s mouth parted as it dawned on her that in a month’s time
since she’d met Rick
she’d come to care for her overbearing protector. When the hell had she let that happen? She berated herself. Damn, she needed to call her sisters. It couldn’t be natural to fall that hard so quickly.

Chapter 11

Lydia
reheated the coffee that she had made before the “fake” mission that she’d so miserably failed. No matter how hard she tried to keep her mind busy on the task at hand, it kept straying to the man next door. She believed Rick when he’d said he would’ve told her about his trip, but it still sucked.

Lydia
took a shower to ease her aching muscles. She’d had a long day, first shopping with Rick, then training with Brody, and then traipsing through the forest. This wasn’t how she was used to spending her days. She’d always been a loner after the death of her friend at a young age; unable to use her gifts to stop the assholes that had killed him. She’d always kept people at arm’s length, never letting anyone get close enough to earn her trust. She couldn’t help but think she might screw up now that she had all of these people
relying on her
.

Lydia
slipped into her new green nightgown and sipped her cup of coffee.  The silky material felt good against her skin. She should have purchased more than five of the slinky sheaths. Falling asleep tonight wouldn’t take long.

Lydia
hit the off switch on the coffee pot and turned off the lights, settling on her couch in front of the television. She needed a night just to veg out, and it appeared her next few nights were going to be busy. Training and locating the mastermind who threatened her security were her only priorities.

A knock on her door had her swearing. She wasn’t in the mood for company. Not tonight, not after everything that had happened. She yelled through the closed door, “Go away. I’m sleeping.”

“
Lydia
, open up, it’s me, Rick, and I need to talk to you.”

Lydia
dragged herself off the comfortable couch and hit the mute button on the television. She unlocked and pulled her door open. “Shouldn’t you be packing?”

Rick put his hands on her waist, walked her backwards into her suite, and kicked the door closed with his foot. “I’m already packed. I needed to see you.”

Lydia
put her hands on her hips. “I’m beat and don’t have the energy to fight with you tonight.”

Rick pulled her into a hug. “I didn’t come here to fight.”

His muscular arms surrounded her. His body pressed flush with hers. He rested his head on top of hers. She let him hold her, enjoying the security she felt in his arms. She normally didn’t allow herself to get this close to anyone. Getting comfortable and caring about someone usually ended up with her getting hurt, but she couldn’t help herself where Rick was concerned. So tonight she lingered and enjoyed the comfort of his arms encasing her.

Rick leaned back and smiled down at her; his thoughts unreadable from his features.

“Feel better?” She asked.

He shook his head. “Not yet.”

Rick leaned into her, pulling her body closer and pressed his lips to hers. His tongue licked at the seam of her lips leisurely, demanding entrance.
Lydia
opened for him and tangled her tongue with his. She moaned as she explored every crevice of his mouth. His masculine scent drifted to her nose as his palms slid sensuously up and down her back. There was no denying she wanted this man. She wouldn’t stop him; no, she couldn’t.  Her palms pressed against his chest, exploring the dips and crevices of the man she’d admired from afar. She slid her palms up around his neck.

If this was some test, another lesson that he was trying to teach her, she was going to kill him.
Lydia
pulled him closer and let her fingers tangle in his hair. She pressed her breasts against his chest. A new feeling came over her, a need that was as raw as her nerves had been the last few days. He wasn’t leaving tonight if she had anything to say about it. She wanted him with a desire she’d never felt.

Rick inched his palm between them and up to her breast and gave a gentle squeeze. A pleasure ran through her from her breast down to her core, making her moan louder. She whispered, “Yes.”

“God, you’re beautiful.” Rick removed his hand, swept her up in his steely arms, and carried her to the bed. He pushed the covers aside and laid her in the middle with him by her side. He propped his cheek in his hand. His other hand made little circles on her stomach. “
Lydia
, I need you to know that I will be back.”

Lydia
didn’t want to talk about it or tell him she believed him. All thoughts were centered on his fingers running over her silky nightgown. The same one she wished she didn’t have on. She wanted to feel his hand on her flesh, revel in it.

His hand stilled against her stomach. “You do believe me, don’t you?”

Lydia
pushed herself up on her elbows. “Does it matter what I believe?”

Rick’s mouth parted. It was obvious that she’d stunned him, not that she meant to. She didn’t want to have this conversation with him. She didn’t want to hold him to a promise she didn’t expect him to keep.

He resumed the circles on her stomach and slid his palm just underneath her breast. “It matters to me.”

Lydia
closed her eyes. Trusting him meant opening herself up. It was going to be a leap of faith, one that she hadn’t given anyone in a mighty long time. “I believe you.” She pulled his head down to hers. “Now shut up and kiss me.”

Rick grinned against her lips.

He devoured her mouth. Their tongues twined together. She tilted her head to deepen his kiss. Her hands reached for him, rubbing everywhere she could reach. She tugged at the bottom of his shirt, wanting to feel his skin against hers. A need came over her, overwhelming her. She needed this.

Rick leaned back and tugged his shirt over his head. “Is this what you want, Red?”

She lifted her palm and rubbed it over his smooth, hard chest. His tanned toned muscles begged to be touched, caressed, and kissed as he’d done to her. “Yes.”

His hand traveled down her nightgown until he reached the hem. He slid his fingers underneath and ran his hand back up the same path, pulling the cloth with him. His fingers sent a fire traveling through her, every nerve ending vying for his atten
tion.  Her heart beat quickened
. She wanted more than his fingers caressing her skin. She wanted him. All of him.

Lydia
reached for the hem and pulled it over her head, letting the material drop off the side of the bed and to the floor.

“Damn, you’re beautiful.” Rick pushed up from the bed, kicked off his shoes, and pulled his jeans off.
Lydia
’s gaze held steady on his jutting erection. He was magnificent, huge. She wasn’t sure that he would fit. She’d been with men before, but none as big as him.
Lydia
let her gaze rove over the rest of his body. Pure perfection stood in front of her. Why he wanted to be with her she had no idea, but there was no way she was going to bring it up on the mere chance he might realize she was right.

Lydia
lifted her hand to him. “I need you.”

Rick lifted a brow. His gaze roamed over her body caressing her, drinking up her awaiting body. A sheepish grin took form on his face. “I wouldn’t dare deny you anything.”

Rick crawled up the bed, positioning himself between her thighs. His hands rubbed up and down her legs, stopping just short of where she needed his touch. He leaned down and kissed the inside of her thigh as he slid her panties down and off of her. “That’s better.”