Sanctuary (Family Justice Book 3) (48 page)

What an ass. An adorable, charming, melt-my-panties-and-take-me-you-fool ass. “Is that so?”

“Yup.” He sounded mighty pleased with his bad self. Life with an alpha in the wild was certainly an adventure. She couldn’t wait to get him on the ground in Boston. See how all that badassery translated when they were out in polite society.

“Soooo …” She snickered. “Does that mean your new talent will reveal when I’m most fertile?”

His good-natured chuckle was pure Alex. “Once I peel you away from all distraction and drop your sexy-as-fuck ass in the middle of a foreign country for an entire summer, I intend to become intimately acquainted with every cycle and each of your need. No extraneous bullshit. Just you, me, a stream, and all the privacy we could ever dream of.”

“Oh, I see,” she choked out in a strangled laugh. “Are you planning to impregnate your wife, sir? Is that the diabolical plan you’ve made for our honeymoon?”

“You got it, babe. Get used to being naked most of the time. Taking your clothes off takes too much time and-”

“Being fully dressed didn’t stop you in the limo.”

His sexy hiss at her taunt fueled the fire inside.

“You were upset. What did you want me to do? Nothing? You know I can’t stand that shit. So I made it better. With my dick.”

He made it better with his dick. Wow. Guys were so simple when it came to these things.

“And I thank you for that, um … sir.” She heard him chuckle. “May I inquire what your dick is doing right now?”

“Right now, as in right, right now?”

“Right this very second. From your time zone to mine … how’s it hanging?”

“Meghan Elizabeth O’Brien Valleja-Marquez,” he gritted out. She fucking loved when he used all her names. “You are a naughty fuck goddess tonight, aren’t you, love?”

“Answer the question, half-husband.”

“Half-husband? You bitch.” He laughed. “For that, you get a full update and then we’ll see who’s breathing heavy. Right this actual very second, my very hard dick is resting comfortably in my hand. I’m sitting in our chairs and the French doors are open. The breeze is soft on my balls. As we talked, every so often it would twitch from hearing your voice. Knowing you wouldn’t want me to suffer, I’d squeeze just a bit. We’ve been on the phone for a while now, and I’m so hard and want to fuck you so bad that the head is huge and red. You’re really missing it, half-wife.”

The appeal of taking this naughty phone call to its alluring conclusion almost led Meghan to touch herself. They’d done it once before. Phone sex. When she’d gone to Sedona overnight on a getaway with Angie. And the result was spectacularly sexy.

But then she remembered where they were and what they were doing. She had to stick to her agenda. He’d grumble and try to get her to change her mind, but he’d be glad she stuck to her guns in the end.

“Well, lovely visual, baby. Thanks. But I have a special request.”

He was quick to answer. She knew he would too. Alex would give her anything she asked for. Anything. And then deal with the consequences later.

“Whatever you want, Meghan. Just ask and it’s yours.”

She smiled. This was going to be a challenge for both of them. “I want us, BOTH of us, to abstain. Until the wedding. And I mean totally abstain. No self-pleasuring allowed.”

“Where is my Irish fuck goddess and what have you done with her? Are you insane, woman? I could come at any moment just talking to you. And what about you? How do you plan to keep your talented fingers away from an aching pussy? Thought about that part, have we? Hmm?”

This was what they called the money shot. That moment when all became clear. “Baby. You just said it. I’m getting my period. Do the math. By the time our wedding night rolls around, I’ll be into my cycle, primed, ready, and desperate for you. Think about, my love. Legally wed and no barriers at all.

He said absolutely nothing for the longest time. She couldn’t detect the sound of his breathing, but she sure as shit was aware of his brain ticking through the facts to weigh every point she made.

Meghan smiled. Loving her absentminded Major any more than she did at this second just wasn’t possible. Not with the whole universe crammed into her heart, pulsating with emotion and hope—helping shape a future that promised so much.

“You’ve given this a lot of thought.”

It was a statement. Not a question. She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Actually, I haven’t. Let’s call it a bolt of inspiration.”

Why is it that laughter and uncontrollable giggles, the kind that come out of nowhere, seemed to happen at the oddest moments? Throwing the covers off, Meghan sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Oh, my god, baby.” She whooped. “All kinds of wrong, I know …” The giggles were in full force now. “But think of it like this.” She tried to compose herself, but the laughter making her fall over and smack the mattress with her hand had her by the short hairs. “A little abstinence and ol’ Thunder Cock will be hurling thunderbolts at my baby maker.”

Alex’s full-throated laugh was just what the doctor ordered. They did many things really well together and laughing was at the top of the list.

“Now, that was more like the wanton ginger I lust after. Thunderbolts, you say? Man, I really like that imagery. Boom! Boom!” He guffawed, and then, with just the right amount of alpha attitude, added, “Okay, Ms. O’Brien. It’s the bride’s prerogative to call the shots, so as you wish. We’re officially in the hands-free zone.”

“Oh, goody!”

With a sultry snicker, her sexy beast drawled, “Will you be working on a plan to make this worth our while? Some scenario worthy of putting our bad selves on lockdown?”

“Ah ha ha ha ha!” Sliding off the bed, she walked into the bathroom and stopped before a full-length mirror. Fully naked, she slapped her palm against her stomach and took in the rumpled but fetching picture she made. Then, turning around and looking over her shoulder, she spied the tattoo on her ass that declared her the property of an oversexed thunder cock. Not a bad deal for her at all.

“Baby, no scene planning required. Or allowed,” she added vehemently. “We’re gonna let nature take over. That’s important, Alex. We won’t be having playtime.”

“Love of my life … you didn’t have to say that. I know we were kidding around for a moment, but honestly, Meghan. I hear what you’re saying about no barriers. This is our moment. You’re getting more than a ring in the deal. I come to the altar with my heart and soul in my hands. All that I am and everything that’s in my power to give to you will be laid at your feet. There won’t be anything between us once Uncle Ed does all that sacred mumbo jumbo stuff, and I can’t imagine any other way to live my life than as one with you.”

Awww! “So … what you’re saying is we’re not about to have a Carrie and Mr. Big moment with me in a fancy dress and you playing the pussy card and not getting out of the limo.”

“Are you kidding? And risk that Boston beat down your dad and brothers keep on a short leash? Nah. I’ll be there. Bringing those Justice douche nozzles as backup too. Told Drae in no uncertain terms that he absolutely may not wear a holster under his tux. Got my entire motley crew on standby, woman.”

“I adore you, Mr. Marquez.”

“I love you, Ms. O’Brien.”

Yeah. Period cramps or not, her life was fucking awesome.

R
IFLING THROUGH THE
papers in her big tote yet again, Heather pulled out the itinerary she’d printed last night and looked it over. There were a lot of details and things to consider, so she double-checked to make sure everything was in order.

She was also totally aware on a cellular level that the man seated next to her, the one who was infuriatingly man-spread wide like he owned the backseat of the car ferrying them to the airport, was analyzing her every move. Didn’t he know that overtaking her personal space and the intense scrutiny would only make her more manic?

Shoving the carefully detailed bullet list back into the bag, she took a series of calming breaths and tried to relax.

“You look beautiful.”

Not expecting the quiet compliment, Heather blinked at him, and went still. He had such beautiful eyes. And those lashes.
Pooh.
What woman wouldn’t look at the lush fringe and be envious? So much for relaxing. When he looked at her like that, it was all she could do not to jump him.

Some unseen vibe in the air shifted and his eyes turned smoky and intense. Was he reading her thoughts? Probably. Letting him in came with a shit-ton of complications. His uncanny ability to see into her mind left Heather little room to close off or hide her feelings. He just wasn’t having any of that shit from her. Those days were over. Brody wasn’t about to let them fall back to their earlier pattern. The one where she used their thundering sex encounters as an avoidance tool in her arsenal of denial. He’d done more to anchor her sometimes-messy emotions in the present than years of therapy just by demanding they make love and not just engage in wild animal sex.

“Relax,” he encouraged with a warm smile. Taking her hand, she felt it tremble as he raised it to his lips. He did this a lot. Kiss her hand. And she liked it. Very much. The manly gesture silenced the roar in her head.

For the briefest second, she got lost in his eyes and ended up blurting out her secret fear. “What if they don’t like me?”

His expression softened, and he shook his head. His signature Brody Jensen grin melted her bones.

“Everyone likes you, Heather. Everyone. You’re the most popular faculty on campus, and I think the slide-rule squad secretly voted you Most Likely to Date a Nerd. That has to count for something!”

“You’re just trying to make me feel better.” She chuckled. What he said about the nerd love coming her way really was funny.

“Honey. All I ask is that you keep an open mind, okay?”

She looked at him with an expression somewhere between a frown and an ‘Are you kidding?’ sneer.

“Look, I know these people, so to me, this is all normal.”

He was referring to the private plane. She’d been pinching herself for days. A private fucking plane. Holy shit. Who were these people?

“But.” He shrugged. “I can see how it looks. You have to trust me on this.”

There it was again. The trust thing. The man was like a broken record on the subject. She was trying. Really, she was.

Trying not to reveal how vulnerable she felt, Heather leaned into his side. “Don’t leave me alone, okay?”

Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her in and kissed her forehead. “Told you before—I won’t let you fall.”

When they arrived at the airport complex used by the private planes flying in and out of D.C., excited curiosity replaced her nervousness. With no idea what to expect, she was surprised by the comfortable, laid-back atmosphere. Apparently, flying private was the new black. Everyone looked good in it.

After getting her settled in the huge lounge, Brody dashed off to see about the luggage and find someone named Sawyer. Alone with her thoughts, Heather looked around and tried to take it all in.

This had to be air travel heaven, she thought. Everything you could possibly want or need was available. An impressive spread of hot and cold food in a dining area had more attendants buzzing around than patrons. A business center looked rather busy, and in a small side area by some windows, a guy in a white medical shirt was doing a neck massage on a hulking man in a business suit while a woman on a cell phone stood nearby.

A big screen TV tucked away in a large alcove was showing the latest business report and political coverage coming out of the Capitol and all around her were groups of people milling about.

Brody approached wearing a huge smile. He was dressed in his new fashion statement. Casual cowboy, she called it. A leather belt with an impressive silver buckle held up jeans—nice ones—that looked suspiciously like they might have been starched. Instead of the leather he normally wore, today, he added a dark sports jacket and a white button-down shirt neatly tucked into the black denim. His natural swagger and the shaggy dirty blond hair looked even sexier than usual, The man was dripping with sexual promise. She hurriedly looked around pinpointing every female eyeing him up and quite a few guys as well.