Sins and Scarlet Lace

chapter TWELVE

Declan felt a sense of peace come over him as they passed the Welcome to Surrender, Montana sign just at the top of the last hill. They’d driven straight through the rest of the way, not stopping for another night of rest, even though he knew they both needed it.

Sophia had been subdued and quiet since they’d left Wisconsin, and he knew she was thinking too hard about everything that had happened between them. It had been powerful, more so than when they’d been together before, and they hadn’t done more than pleasure each other with their mouths. He knew he was pulling her in, trying to make her remember the times they’d had before so she could remember that they had been happy together at one point. He knew what he was doing wasn’t fair to her or her need to protect herself, but he couldn’t let her get away this time, and if he had to fight dirty to keep her then so be it.

He stopped the car at the top of the hill and put on the emergency brake.

“Come on,” he said, opening the door. “It’s not everyday you get to see a view like this.”

She unbuckled her seatbelt and followed his lead until they were both leaning against the front hood looking down on Surrender. She wore a pair of black capris, a tank top in pink, and casual black sandals. The cameo necklace was her only accessory and she’d foregone makeup, but she was one of those women who didn’t need it. Her hair was piled up on top of her head, and loose curls broke free as the wind blew, gentle and hot.

The two-lane road went straight into the town that sat nestled at the base of the hill. Bricked buildings with low flat roofs lined each side of the street like soldiers, and black awnings covered the wooden sidewalks. A white tin building with open garage bays claiming it was Charlie’s Automotive sat off to the side. Charlotte MacKenzie, or Charlie as most people called her, was his cousin Dane’s wife, and she was the best mechanic in this part of the country, and apparently in high demand. The bays and parking lot were full, and it looked like she was doing a brisk business.

Miles and miles of scenery could be seen from where they stood, and he was almost positive there wasn’t a better view anywhere else on Earth. Lush green hills of grass rolled like waves as the wind blew, and red barns and clapboard houses dotted the countryside. White fences lined the roads and kept cattle and horses contained.

“It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” she said.

“It’s easy to forget what it’s like when you live here everyday. All you think about is the next haying season, or finding lost cattle when it floods, or weathering the next blizzard and trying not to go stir crazy as you’re trapped indoors for days on end. But when you’ve been away awhile it’s always a nice place to come home to.”

“You seem like you miss it.”

“I miss my family. I’ve been trying to work out a way to get everyone back together again. We’re too spread out. Cade lives in Texas with his family and works at our office there. Darcy lives close to me, up in Cherry Hill in Pennsylvania, but she’s teaching at Columbia two days a week and the kids keep her busy. Shane technically still lives here, but he’s on assignment so often he’s hardly ever home. My younger brother Grant is the only one who stayed. He’s married and has a couple kids.” He pointed to the small area of water several miles in the distance. “See the lake over there?”

“I see it.”

“Grant and Annabeth’s house is just on the other side of the lake, through all the trees. Then there’s another larger lake just past the trees, right in the middle of about 150 acres. That’s all MacKenzie land. I bought another hundred acres that sits adjacent to it several years back.”

He’d bought it back when he’d been thinking of marriage and family. When he’d thought about bringing Sophia home just like this and watching the wonder fill her eyes as she saw what could be their future.

But then he’d been damaged and thoughts of a home and a family of his own deserted him only to be replaced with the best way to keep the family he had as safe as possible. So his brothers and sister and cousins all had a stake in their ancestral land, and he had the land next to it that had been under development for the last ten years just in case things turned to shit.

He’d cleared a good portion of the trees, only leaving a thick perimeter to surround the area. His one goal in mind had been to protect his family, so the twelve-foot concrete wall and iron entry gates were the first things that had been built. He’d done background checks on his workers and had overseen it from the ground up, including his own house and the command center that had been built toward the back of the property, and his security rivaled Fort Knox. Two other cabins had already been built, and Shane’s team would be making themselves at home.

His hope was that his brothers and sister would build homes behind the walls just in case they ever needed a safe haven. And eventually MacKenzie Security would be run from one command center on location instead of two in different parts of the country.

“Why’d you buy it if you aren’t going to live on it?” she asked.

“Someday.” He realized that someday might be never. He was thirty-seven years old and he felt like he’d lived three lifetimes. “Things get busy. Especially when you’re working for the government on occasion, and it irritates them if you can’t be in some senator’s office immediately to explain your actions if they want you to. It’s why I set up the D.C. offices where they are. But I’d like to move both operations here eventually and have everyone under one roof. The longer we all work in this business, the more frequently our names are thrown out. It makes my neck itch for everyone to be so far apart.”

“It’s a good plan,” she said softly. “Good that you want to take care of your family.”

“I’ve been dying to kiss you,” he said, surprising her with his bluntness. “I realized last night that I haven’t really kissed you in ten years and a handful of months, and it didn’t really count when I kissed you in the car. That kiss was partly from frustration and partly from anger and not the kind of kiss you deserved. Will you let me kiss you?”

She took a step closer and his heartbeat raced as her hands pressed against his chest. “I won’t let you break my heart again, Dec. I don’t know what’s happening here between us or if either of us has the power to stop it, but the longer I stay with you the harder it’s going to make things for me. I decided the day I asked Kane for a divorce that I was only going to do what was in my best interest in the future, and then I ended up not going through with it out of fear.”

“I’m not afraid anymore. Not of whoever wants that money or that look in your eyes that tells me I’m not going to escape whatever’s happening between us unscathed. I no longer have illusions of marriage or children. I just want to settle down in a normal life with a job, if I still have one after this. And when it comes down to it, I’m not sure that you’re in my best interest.”

“What about friends? Lovers? Will being alone make you happy?”

“I can’t say as having friends or lovers has really made me very happy up till now. Maybe I’ll meet a few friends along the way. Maybe I’ll have lovers. But it’ll be my choice either way. Choice is something I’ve had very little of over the years.”

Declan brought his hands up slowly, giving her plenty of time to back away. He wanted to touch her so badly, to spend hours caressing every inch of her body before burying himself inside her. His hands rested on her hips and he brought her closer, so she had to move her hands to his shoulders as her breasts pressed against his chest.

“I guess as long as you choose me we won’t have a problem,” he said, the corner of his mouth tipping up in a smile. “I’m not going to let you go this time without a fight. And I know I’ve got a long way to go for you to trust me as you once did. Sending you away was the hardest thing I’ve ever done—and I’ve made a lot of hard decisions over the years—the kind of decisions that cost lives if I wasn’t careful.”

She sighed and he felt her regret whisper across his lips. Her mouth was just too tempting to ignore any longer, and his head dipped down. His mouth skimmed over hers, as soft as air. Even their first kiss hadn’t been so gentle. Maybe it should have been.

Her lips trembled and he drank in her sigh just before his tongue slipped inside—a slow sinuous mating that had her nails biting into his shoulders. The pain had never felt so sweet. He didn’t know how long they kissed or if anyone noticed they were there. He didn’t care. He just knew he had to make this woman love him again. She’d done it before, so it was possible she could do it again.

When he backed away her eyes fluttered open, dazed, and she trembled beneath his fingers. He didn’t know if the thudding in his chest was from her heart or his, and he didn’t suppose it mattered. He hadn’t realized until just now how meaningless his life had been without having her to share it with.

The crunch of tires over the gravel in the road had him reaching for the gun at his back and had him pushing Sophia behind him so she was protected. He held the weapon down at his side until the car came into view, and the he let out a groan as a black Bronco came into view and the sirens were flipped on in earsplitting woops.

The door opened and black boots stepped out onto the road, and Dec sighed and put his gun away, as the man stood and faced them with hands on hips and a scowl dark enough to frighten anyone who didn’t know his bark was worse than his bite.

“Well, well, well,” he said. “Looks like I’ve found a troublemaker. Do you know what the fine is for public indecency?”

“You should remember well enough,” Dec said. “I believe that was you who got the ticket for that misdemeanor when you were nineteen and caught out by the lake skinny dipping with Jenny Johnson.”

Cooper MacKenzie grinned rakishly and ran fingers through his black hair. “Don’t tell my wife about that one. I don’t think she’s heard that story.”

Dec let out an amused laugh. “Are you kidding me? You made the newspaper, of course she knows. But she somehow decided to marry you anyway.”

“I have other qualities.”

“I’m sure you really think that.” Dec reached out for Sophia’s hand and pulled her closer to his side. “Why are you here busting my balls instead of rescuing kittens from trees and helping old ladies cross the road?”

“I’m just thorough like that, I guess. But maybe you want to tell me why I have active duty Navy SEALS setting up a perimeter around my town?”

“Damn, I’m going to have to tell Shane he’s losing his touch if you spotted them that easily.”

Cooper narrowed his eyes. “I was a Ranger, a*shole. I can spot a SEAL trying to move in on my territory from a mile away. So why don’t you follow me to the house and tell me what the hell is going on? You’re probably just in time for dinner. It’s Thomas and Cat’s night to host, thank God, so you know you’ll be getting an excellent meal.”

Dec nodded and let go of Sophia’s hand so she could go back to her side of the car. “If Cat is cooking then we accept the invitation. Will there be room at the table? If you guys don’t stop having kids you’re going to have to buy a cafeteria so everyone can sit down in one room.”

“Don’t blame me. I only have two, and that’s more than enough to keep us busy.” Cooper finally looked over at Sophia and smiled. “I’m glad to see my cousin has stopped being a dumbass. It’s good to see you again, Sophia, though I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Cooper MacKenzie.”

“I remember now,” she said, giving him a small smile back. “Your mother called you the troublemaker.”

“It’s because I’m her favorite,” he laughed. “You should hear what she calls my brothers. See you two at the house. Try not to get sidetracked in each others’ mouths on the way.”

Declan flipped him the bird, but he was smiling as he drove the rest of the way down the hill into Surrender. It was good to be home.