Rhett sat next to Boone in the van, with Asher on the other side, wearing full tactical gear. They’d joined the Whitby Falls SWAT team after getting a location from King. This was their fight, and luckily the Whitby Falls chief understood that and allowed them to assist. Rhett had to give it to the Whitby Falls PD—they got their SWAT team assembled and in the van in thirty minutes. But those thirty minutes had felt like hours, and every minute was more daunting than the last. He needed Kinsley safe in his arms, nothing but that. And while the address that King gave Rhett could still have been fictitious, Rhett oddly believed him. The last thing King needed was word that he’d taken out a biker gang to clear away the competition. King appeared to want money, not a war, and Rhett hoped his instincts to push King had set them on the right path.
“We’re going to get her back.”
Rhett glanced up, finding Boone’s determined gaze on him.
“And when we do,” Boone added, “I think you’re gonna need this.” He offered him a card in a brown envelope.
Rhett took the card. “What is it?”
Boone gave a soft smile. “To be honest, I don’t really know. It wasn’t mine to open when I received it. You’ll have to tell me once you open it.”
Rhett glanced down at the envelope, which was slightly weighted. The van hit a pothole, and Rhett hurried to slip the envelope into his cargo pants, zipping up the pocket.
The men across from Rhett suddenly sat up a little straighter, shifting their clothes and bulletproof vests and righting their helmets. They were close.
Not even a second later, the van pulled up to a large square warehouse. On the outside, there were no distinguishing features, nothing telling anyone what lay inside. Probably just how the Wild Dogs wanted it. Rhett let the Whitby team exit first and lead the way inside. They moved as a highly trained unit, and Rhett didn’t want to interfere with that.
In seconds, they blew out the door and triggered the alarm. The team rushed forward, and mere moments after that, the flash grenades were launched and immediately followed by rapid gunfire. With Boone behind Rhett and Asher at the rear, guarding the back, Rhett took the hallway on the left lined with offices. Each one he passed was empty. They’d studied the building’s layout, and Rhett wanted this hallway. Logic told him they’d keep Kinsley as far away from the main entrance as possible.
The gunfire got louder and closer together as Rhett closed in on a doorway at the end of the hall, which led into the open space at the back of the warehouse. Rhett burst into the room, his assault weapon trained forward. He scanned the room in a quick sweep. No one noticed their arrival, every man there focused on the SWAT team putting them under heavy fire.
Rhett moved then and said a silent prayer for their safety as he looked for Kinsley. A pulsating energy filled the room, like a beacon, calling him forward. She was there; all he had to do was find her.
A man suddenly jumped out from behind a cement post, and Rhett fired, the threat immediately removed. The gunfire became nearly deafening, but he kept on, needing to get to her. To keep her safe—to keep them both safe—like he’d promised.
Two more men stormed from the back, their guns spitting bullets. Rhett stayed behind the beam, keeping cover. He caught sight of Boone, hiding behind a large metal barrel. He held up his fingers and counted down: 3, 2, 1. Rhett spun and fired, taking out the first threat while Boone took out the other.
Rhett moved quickly, his gaze trained ahead of him, knowing that he had Boone and Asher at his back.
As he passed a sports car, his gaze flicked left. There, in the corner, Kinsley sat with her head down, her hands covering her ears. Everything stopped for him then. Rhett wasn’t thinking at that point. He sprinted for her then slid on his knees until he had his hands on her. Alive…She was alive.
She jerked her head up, teary eyes wide with surprise and fear.
“Hold on to me,” he told her.
“I can’t,” she gasped.
He began to pull her away when he caught sight of the rope binding her wrists. He grabbed his knife from his leg and cut her free then helped her to her feet. “Stay close.”
“Yes, yes,” she cried, her legs barely supporting her.
Boone was there a second later. Once he was by their side, Boone spun around quickly, taking the front, his weapon ready to keep her safe. Rhett positioned himself beside Kinsley, keeping his attention on their left, and Asher closed in and took the back. He fired off two rounds, and Rhett knew that whatever threat was coming for them was now gone.
With a quick look ahead, Rhett saw three SWAT officers taking up position near the door they’d entered, clearing a path out. With a guy now on Rhett’s other side providing cover, Rhett grabbed Kinsley’s arm, keeping her close, and placed a hand on her head, covering her body with his as much as possible. Bullets rained down, and the noise ricocheted, making it impossible to identify where the gunfire came from.
On the way to the door, his foot slipped on blood, and he held Kinsley tighter, hoping she hadn’t seen the river of death on the floor. Boone went out the door first, with a SWAT officer in front. The door was right there, so damn close. Gunfire burst into the hallway. Instinctively, Rhett pushed Kinsley down and shielded her with his body.
When the noise silenced, he had her up again and moving swiftly toward the door. She didn’t belong in the middle of a gunfight. She was too pure. And this was too raw. Too real. His two worlds were meshing, and he fought to pull them apart.
Once outside, Rhett squinted against the sunny day, quickly guiding Kinsley toward safety. The van doors were still open. Boone stopped just before the doors, providing more cover. Rhett picked her up by the hips and hoisted her into the van, blocking her body with his. He lay over her until Asher and Boone jumped in the van, and the SWAT officer yelled, “Go!” He slammed the doors shut.
The van took off, squealing out of the parking lot. Rhett knew another van would arrive any minute to replace this one. But nothing else mattered except the woman lying next to him.
“Kinsley,” he said, helping her to sit. Her ashen face and dull eyes made his chest ache, and she shook violently. “Blanket,” he said to no one in particular, rubbing her arms, knowing exactly what she needed right now.
He wasn’t even sure who handed him the blanket. He simply wrapped it around her and brought her into his arms, holding her against his chest. Shock was a very real thing that happened to a body. Rhett had seen people take hours to come out of it. Boone’s hand came down on her shoulder, and Rhett dropped his head into her neck on the other side.
Safe. He’d almost lost her. He held on tighter, feeling her trembles get harder as a sob broke free.
“That’s it. Don’t hold it in,” he told her.
“Rhett,” she finally cried.
He dropped a kiss on her neck, feeling her fierce shudders beneath his mouth. “Yeah, darlin’, I’m here.”
“Don’t let go.”
He locked his arms around her. “I never will.”
* * *
Four hours later, Kinsley felt a little more like herself again. She had given her report, cried enough not to have any tears left, and hugged everyone as much as she could. All her family and friends had been at Rhett’s house, and no one left until she finally believed she was safe. Her captor, their leader, and everyone else was dead. The SWAT team came out a little bloodied, a couple with gunshot wounds, but alive, and they’d all go home tonight, and from what she learned, so would Cameron.
She thought she should feel happy now, but she couldn’t find happiness anywhere, only sadness that any of this had happened at all. She had seen her life flash before her eyes. Had Rhett, Boone, and the others stormed the warehouse even two seconds later, she would have been dead. Now, with life giving her this second chance, she realized she couldn’t waste it. She couldn’t simply wait and wait and wait, because in a snap, it could all be over, just like that.
She had to live. Fully. Authentically.
And that’s why when Rhett asked her if she wanted to go home, she asked him to bring her somewhere else instead. Now, in her favorite place on top of the summit, staring up at the stars above, with a blanket resting on her lap, she couldn’t hold off any longer. “Rhett, I…”
He glanced sideways and took her hand. “Can’t keep loving me the way you’ve been loving me.”
Surprised he got that so right, she drew in a long breath, emotion tightening her throat. “No, I can’t, and I’m sorry for that.” She wanted a commitment, and she wanted forever with someone.
“Damn, Kinsley, never be sorry. Not for anything.” He slowly shook his head, his mouth thinning before he addressed her. “You’ve been so loyal and good to me. More than anyone ever has.”
Her heart leapt up in her throat; tears welled in her eyes. “No matter what, even if there isn’t an us, we’re going to be okay. Our baby will be okay. We’re going to make all this work.”
He hesitated then leveled those warm eyes at her. “What do you need for there to be an us?”
“I need to hear that I’m loved,” she said, a tear slipping down her cheek before she wiped it away with her mitten-covered hand. “I want a house for my family to grow in. I want to grow old with someone. I want a husband. I want forever. I want it all.”
Unfamiliar softness reached his expression and his voice. “You deserve all those things. Every single one of them.” His gaze bore into hers, the world fading away, the cold wind on her cheeks barely there now. “I don’t know why you love me the way you do,” he added gently. “Why you see the good in me and reach to bring it out. I never thought I needed anyone, but when I thought I was going to lose you, I realized my world cannot exist without you.”
“Rhett,” she barely managed.
A long pause. “I think you need to see this.” He reached into his jacket pocket then and pulled out a card. She immediately knew what it was, had seen similar ones many times in her life. It was one of her grandmother’s handmade cards.
With shaky hands, she opened it, and her breath hitched at the familiar handwriting.
Dear Kinsley’s future husband,
I’m guessing you must be a spectacular man if my Kinsley has picked you. But as her grandmother, I thought I should tell you something you should know about her. You’ll never meet anyone more loyal, but if you break that loyalty, you’ll lose her forever. Don’t mess this up! She needs hugs even if she tells you she doesn’t want one. Please hug her all the time, real tight. Those are her favorite. She’s got really soft spots on her soul, even if she doesn’t show them often. Protect those soft spots. Always! Sometimes, she’ll need you to love her extra hard when she remembers her mother and gets sad about that. Remind her the best people are here with her, and that’s all that matters. Nothing and no one else but that. She loves without restraint, without fear, and is brave enough to fight for what her heart wants. Since you’re her guy, the man her heart wants, always remember that she needs that love back.
Take care of my girl,
Margie
Kinsley choked on a sob, blurry eyed. “I had no idea that my grandma wrote this letter.”
Rhett took the letter back, setting it beside him. “I’m glad she did. Sometimes”—he chuckled—“most times, it’s good to hear it straight. It also only confirmed that this is exactly what I should do…”
She felt something in her hand and she looked down, slowly opening it. Her vision suddenly became even blurrier as she stared at her grandmother’s engagement ring. “Is this…”
“Your grandmother’s ring.”
She blinked. “I don’t understand. I thought the ring was buried with her.” Only now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen her grandmother wear the ring in her later years.
“Your grandmother gave the ring and the card to Boone for safekeeping.” Rhett hesitated then added, “Well, I’m not exactly sure he even knew what was in the envelope. Only that he was supposed to give it to the man who wanted to marry you.”
“Wait…are you…” Her heart exploding, words just gone.
He took the ring then turned her hand around. “Yes, Kinsley. I want us. A family. I want you forever.”
Her breath hitched, tears falling.
“I love you, Kinsley. Will you marry me?”
She stared at him, her fingers and feet tingling, her voice absent.
Silence settled in for so long that his mouth twitched. “I know I’m not great at all of this,” he said, “but usually there’s a response at this point, isn’t there?”
She forced her voice to work. “I have envisioned this moment so many times. Dreamed of it, really. But now I’m actually wondering if maybe I died in that chop shop and I’ve gone to heaven. Everything you just said is too good, too perfect. It can’t be real.”
He took her finger and slid the ring on. It was a perfect fit. Whenever her grandmother let her try on this ring, it hung off her finger. She both laughed and cried when the ring settled into place. “Does that feel real?” he asked.
“Yes, but still too perfect,” she said. “I need something…something more to show me this is real.” She wanted him—no, needed him—but Rhett had been worried and scared, and she knew he’d be too gentle, too soft. She didn’t want that. Not now. Not when she needed to believe that all this was actually happening.
A frown tugged on his mouth. “You’re hurt.”
She shook her head. “My hip is tender from landing on it, but otherwise, I’m fine.”
He pulled back. “Today was traumatic.” He jumped off the truck, reaching for her waist. “I’ll take you home, and we can discuss this more there.”
She grabbed his arms, stopping him. “Rhett. Today was traumatic. Horrible for the both of us, but I won’t let myself change because of what they did.” She cupped his face. “I want this. I want you. Show me that what you’re telling me, that I have all of you, is real. I don’t want to be sad. Make me feel better in the way that only you do.”
His warm smile was like a hot bath washing over her. “All right, Kinsley.” He stroked her tears away. “And this, does this feel real?”
“Definitely too sweet for Rhett West,” she whispered. “I’m still not convinced.”
A sexy smile crossed his face. “Hmm, is that so? Then how about this?” He closed the distance between them, and with his hands on her face, he sealed his mouth across hers in a kiss that seemed to never end. “Does that feel real?” he asked when he broke away.
She saw the glint in his eyes. “Too damn good…I’ve got to still be dreaming, better keep trying.”
“I better do better then.” He scooped her up in his arms. In seconds, he had them in his truck, sliding her against the bench seating in the back. Standing by the door, he grabbed her boots and yanked them off, careful of her hip and the bruise already there. In the next moment, her maternity jeggings were also off. His coat followed, and he quickly unzipped his jeans. With that sexy grin in place, he climbed in while she scooted to the other side. He shut the door behind him and locked it before hovering over her. “How about now? You’re half naked in the back seat with your teenage crush. Real enough?”
“No,” she managed, wildfire spreading through her veins. “You’re far too hot. I must be dreaming.”
He chuckled then dropped his head to hers. He kissed her long and slow, savoring every part of her mouth. Nothing lay between them; she felt that now. The barriers separating them had blown apart. Something had changed when she was missing. Something in Rhett. The very thing she’d hoped would happen…he let her in, past the guarded soldier to the young guy she remembered. And for the very first time, Rhett kissed her without restraint and with pure love. His hand slowly dipped between her legs and he groaned when he found her wet and ready for him.
His head lifted to watch her as the tip of his cock found her slick heat. “How about now, Kinsley?” he asked huskily, his pupils dark with lust.
Before she could answer him, he entered her in one swift stroke. Her chin angled as hot pleasure swept over her. “Real,” she rasped. “God, yes, so real.” She slid her hands over his corded neck as he began pumping his hips, slow and long, just how she liked it.
“Look at me.”
She hadn’t realized she’d shut her eyes. When she opened them and gazed into his eyes, she instantly lost herself in their depths. Once dark and guarded, his eyes were now soft and welcoming, showing her something he’d never shown anyone. His vulnerable spots.
His hand slid down to her uninjured hip, pinning her, while he rocked harder into her, never looking away. He gave her something he hadn’t given anyone—intimacy—and she felt every wall she’d put up to protect herself suddenly fall.
She loved him. He loved her. End of story.
But their story would continue, and she relished that knowledge. Dreams came true with Rhett, and as his throaty moans brushed over her, with every thrust, the pleasure grew higher and higher until there was no controlling where he took her.
She came in a powerful hot rush of pleasure, and he followed her.
A long moment passed while she slowly returned to her body and her mind, feeling like, tonight, they’d won. When she opened her eyes, she found Rhett staring at her openly, adoringly. “I love you, Kinsley. Will you marry me?”
“I love you, too.” The words she’d longed to say left her mouth in a hurried whisper. She cupped his face, breathless. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
And the smile he gave her, that smile right there, so blinding and true, was better than any fantasy she’d ever had.