Bane (4 page)

“Are you involved with someone who’s causing you problems?”

Three

T
hat question set Crystal off. She took the final step to completely close the distance between them. “Involved with someone? Are you accusing me of being unfaithful?”

“Not accusing you of anything,” he said in a tone that let her know her outrage had fueled his. “But I find it odd you won’t answer my question. Why are you acting so secretive? You’ve never acted that way with me before.”

No, she hadn’t. But then the Bane she used to know, the one she’d loved more than life itself, would not have forgotten her for five years. He would have moved heaven, hell and any place in between to have her with him so the two of them could be together.

“You’re not the only one who’s changed. Just like you’re not the same, I’m not the same.”

They faced off. She didn’t see him move, but suddenly his body brushed against hers and she drew in a sharp breath. The touch had been electric, sending a sizzle through her. Suddenly, her mind was filled with memories of the last time they’d touched. Really touched. All over. Naked. Those memories were enough to ignite a fire in the pit of her stomach.

“You may not be the same,” he said, breaking into the silence between them, speaking in a low tone, “but you kept your wedding vows.”

He spoke with such absolute certainty, she wondered how he could be so sure. But of course he was right. “Yes, I kept them.”

He nodded. “And before doubt starts clouding that pretty little head of yours, let me go on record to say that I might not be the same, but I kept my wedding vows, as well.”

There was no way. Not that she didn’t think he would have tried, but she knew when it came to sex, some men classified it as a
must have
. She of all people knew how much the old Bane had enjoyed it. There was no reason to think the new and different Bane wouldn’t like it just as much. Just look at him. He was more masculine, more virile—so macho. Even if he hadn’t targeted women, they would definitely have targeted him.

“Now that we have that cleared up...”

Did they?
“Not so fast,” she said, trying to ignore it when his body brushed against hers again. Had it been intentional? And why hadn’t one of them taken a step back? “What kept you sane?”

“Sane?”

“Yes. You know. From climbing the walls and stuff. I heard men need sex every so often.”

He smiled and the force of it sent her senses reeling. “Remind me to give you all the details one day. Now, back to our earlier topic, why did you come to the door with a gun and why the packed bags?”

They were back to that?

But then maybe they should be. She needed to call a cab and get to the airport. And just like she didn’t want to involve her mother and Aunt Rachel in whatever was going on, she definitely didn’t want to involve Bane. Maybe she should have lied and said she was involved with someone else. Then he would have gotten angry and left, and she would be free to do as the note advised and disappear. Whatever was going on was her issue and not his.

She nibbled her lips as she tried coming up with something that would sound reasonable. Something that wasn’t too much of a lie. So she said, “The reason for the packed luggage is because I’m taking a trip.”

He looked at her as if to say
duh
. Instead, he held her gaze and asked, “Business or pleasure?”

“Business.”

“Where are you headed?”

If she told him the Bahamas, he would question if it really was a business trip, so she said, “Chicago.”

“Fine. I’ll go with you.”

She blinked, suddenly feeling anxiety closing in on her. “Go with me?”

“Yes. I’m on leave so I can do that,” he said calmly. “Besides, it’s time I got to know you again, and I want you to get to know me.”

She drew in a breath, feeling her control deteriorating. Those hazel eyes had always been her weakness.

She knew she was a goner when he asked in a husky voice, “You do want to get to know me all over again, don’t you, Crystal Gayle?”

Getting to know Brisbane Westmoreland the first time around had been like a roller coaster, and she’d definitely enjoyed the ride. There was no doubt that getting to know the new Bane would be even more exhilarating. Now she could enjoy the ride as a woman in control of her own destiny and not as a girl whose life was dictated by her parents. A woman who was older, mature and could appreciate the explosiveness of a relationship with him.

As if he knew what she was thinking and wanted to drive that point home, he caressed the side of her face with the tip of his finger. “I definitely want to get to know you again, Crystal.”

Then he brought her body closer to his. She felt his erection pressing hard against her middle and a craving she’d tried to put to rest years ago reared its greedy head, making her force back a moan. When his finger left her face to tug on a section of her hair, sensations she hadn’t felt in years ran rampant through her womb.

She stared into his eyes. Hazel eyes that had literally branded her the first time she’d gazed into them. Eyes belonging to Bane.
Her
Bane. And he had admitted just moments ago to keeping their vows all this time. That meant he had five years of need and hunger stored inside him. The thought sent heated blood racing through her veins.

Then he shifted. The movement nudged his knees between hers so she could feel his hard bulge even more. Intentional or not, she wasn’t sure. The only thing she was certain about was that if she didn’t get her self-control back, she would jump his bones without a second thought. And that wasn’t good. She didn’t even know him anymore.

He leaned in slowly—too slowly, which let her know this side of Bane wasn’t different...at least when it came to this. He’d always let her establish the pace, so as not to take advantage of the difference in their ages and experience levels. She’d always known she hadn’t been Bane’s first girl, but he’d been her first guy. And he’d always handled her with tenderness.

Bane was letting her take the lead now, and she intended to take it to a whole other level. At that moment, she didn’t care that they’d both changed; she wanted his hands on her and his tongue in her mouth. To be totally honest, she needed more but she would settle for those two things now...even if she knew there probably wouldn’t be a later.

He bent his head closer, and she refused to consider anything other than what she wanted, needed and had gone five years without. She clutched tight to his shoulders and leaned up on tiptoes to cover his mouth with hers.

* * *

Bane wasn’t sure what was more dangerous. Storming an extremist stronghold in the middle of the night, or having his way with Crystal’s mouth after all these years of going without her taste. But now was not the time to dwell on it. It was time to act.

The way their mouths mated seemed as natural as breathing, and he was glad time had not diminished the desire they’d always shared.

When she slid her tongue inside his mouth, memories of the last time they’d kissed flooded his mind. It had been on their wedding day, during their honeymoon in a small hotel in Utah. He recalled very little about the room itself, only what they’d done within those four walls. And they’d done plenty.

But now, this very minute, they were making new memories. He had dreamed about, thought about and wished for this moment for so long. She took the kiss deeper and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, loving the feel of her body plastered against his.

He loved her taste. Always had and always would. When she sucked on his tongue, his heartbeat thundered in his chest and his erection throbbed mercilessly behind his zipper. He was tempted to devour her and tried like hell to keep his self-control in check. But it became too much. Five years without her had taken its toll.

Suddenly he became the aggressor, taking her mouth with a hunger he felt all the way to the soles of his feet. He wanted her to feel him in every part of her body. And when he finally caught her wriggling tongue, he feasted on it.

The one thing that had consumed his mind on their wedding day was the same thing consuming his mind right now. Crystal was his. Undeniably, unquestionably and indisputably his.

He thrust his tongue even deeper into her mouth. He knew he had to pull back; otherwise he would consume her whole. Especially now, when he was filled with the need to do the one thing he shouldn’t do, which was to sweep her off her feet and head for the nearest bedroom. He had wanted this moment for so long... Kissing her filled him with sensations so deliciously intoxicating that he could barely think straight.

Bane knew he was embarking on a mission more dangerous than any he’d gone on as a SEAL. Crystal had always been both his weakness and his strength. She was an ache he’d always had to ease. Some way, somehow, he had to show her, prove to her, that any changes he’d made over the past five years were all good and would benefit both of them. Otherwise, the time they’d spent apart would have been for nothing. He refused to accept that.

Reluctant to do so but knowing he should, Bane ended the kiss. But he wasn’t ready to release her yet and his hands moved from her waist to boldly cup her backside. And while she was snuggled so close to him, his hands moved up and down the length of her spine before returning to cup her backside again. Now that she was back in his life, he couldn’t imagine her being out of it again.

That thought drove him to reiterate something he’d said earlier. “I’m going to Chicago with you.”

* * *

Slowly recovering from their kiss, Crystal tilted her head back and gazed up at Bane. Her lips had ground against his. Her tongue had initiated a dance inside his mouth that had been as perfect as anything she’d ever known. And he had reciprocated by kissing her back with equal need. Waves of passion had consumed her, nearly drowning her.

But now she had reclaimed her senses and the words he’d spoken infiltrated her mind. She knew there was no way he could go anywhere with her. She was about to open her mouth to tell him so when her cell phone rang. She tensed. Who could be contacting her? She seldom got calls.

“You plan on getting that?” Bane murmured the question while placing a kiss on the side of her neck.

She swallowed. Should she? It could be the airline calling her for some reason. She had left them her number in case her flight was delayed or canceled. “Yes,” she said, quickly moving away from him to grab the phone off the table, right next to where she had laid the gun. Seeing the weapon was a reminder of what she had to do and why she couldn’t let Bane sidetrack her.

She clicked on her cell phone. “Hello?”

“Don’t try getting away, Ms. Newsome. We will find you.” And then she heard a click ending the call.

Crystal’s heart thumped painfully in her chest. Who was the caller? How did the person get her private number? How did the person know she was trying to get away? She turned toward Bane. Something in her eyes must have told him the call had troubled her because he quickly crossed the room to her. “Crystal, what’s wrong?”

She took a deep breath, not knowing what to do or say. She stared up at him as she nervously bit her lip. Should she level with Bane and tell him everything that was going on? The note had said not to trust anyone, but how could she not trust the one and only person she’d always trusted?

“I don’t know what’s wrong,” she said quietly.

She pulled away to reach for her purse and retrieve the note. “I got this note at work today,” she said, handing it to him. “And I don’t know who sent it.”

She waited while he read it and when he glanced back up at her, she said, “Yesterday someone broke into my locker at work, and I noticed someone following me home today.”

“Following you?”

“Yes. I thought maybe I was imagining things at first, but when the driver stayed discreetly behind me, I knew that I wasn’t. I deliberately lost the car in all the holiday shoppers at one of the busiest malls.”

“What about that phone call just now?” he asked, studying her.

She told him what the caller had said. “I don’t know who it was or how they got my number.”

Bane didn’t say anything for a minute. “Is that the reason for the packed bags? You’re doing what the note said and disappearing?”

“Yes. Those guys said craziness might start happening and—”

Bane frowned. “What guys?”

“Last month while I was eating lunch at a restaurant near work, I was approached by two government men. They showed me credentials to prove it. They knew about the project I’m working on at Seton and said Homeland Security was concerned about my research getting into the wrong hands. They offered me a chance to work for the government at some lab in DC, along with two other chemists who’re working on similar research.”

“And?”

“I turned them down. They accepted my answer, but warned me that there were people out there with criminal intent who would do just about anything to get their hands on my research. They gave me their business card and told me to call them if any craziness happened.”

“Have you called them?”

“No. After reading the note I wasn’t sure who I could trust. At this point that includes Homeland Security.”

“Do you still have the business card those guys gave you?”

“Yes.”

“May I see it?”

“Yes.” She reached for her purse again. She handed the card to him and watched him study it before snapping several pictures of it with his mobile phone.

“What are you doing?”

He glanced over at her. “Verifying those guys are who they say they are. I’m sending this to someone who can do that for me.” He then handed her back the card. “Just what kind of research are you working on?”

She paused a moment before saying. “Obscured Reality, or OR as it’s most often called.”

“Obscured Reality?”

She nodded. “Yes. It’s the ability to make objects invisible.”

Four

B
ane lifted a brow. “Did you say your research was finding a way to make objects invisible?”

“Yes. Although it hasn’t been perfected yet, it won’t be long before I perform the first test.”

Because he was a SEAL, Bane was aware of advances in technology that most people didn’t know about, especially when it came to advanced weapons technology. But he’d never considered that objects could become invisible to the naked eye. He could imagine the chaos it would cause if such a thing fell into the wrong hands.

“And you think this note is legit?” he asked.

“If I doubted it before, that phone call pretty much proved otherwise. That’s why I’m leaving.”

He nodded. “And that’s why I’m going with you.”

She shook her head. “You can’t go with me, Bane, and I don’t have time to argue with you about it. I need to get to the airport.”

Argue?

It suddenly dawned on him that in all the years he and Crystal had been together, mostly sneaking around to do so, they’d never argued. They had always been of one accord, always in sync with their thoughts, plans and ideas. The very concept of them not agreeing about something just couldn’t compute with him. Of course it would be logical not to be in complete harmony since they were different people now.

Even so, him going with her was not up for discussion.

“How were you planning to get to the airport? Drive?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “No. I was going to call a cab and leave my car here.”

“Then, I will take you. We can talk some more on the way.”

“Okay, let me close up everything. Won’t take but a second.”

His gaze followed her movements as she went from room to room turning off lights and unplugging electrical items. Her movements were swift, yet sexy as hell and his body responded to them. She’d always had a cute shape, but this grown-up Crystal was rocking curves like he couldn’t believe.

Earlier she had asked how he’d maintained his sanity without sex. He wondered how she’d maintained hers. They had enjoyed each other and he was convinced the only reason she hadn’t gotten pregnant was because when it came to her, he’d always been responsible. A teenage pregnancy was something neither of them had needed to deal with.

She leaned down to pick up something off the floor and the way the denim stretched across her shapely backside sent heat rushing through him. He drew in a deep breath. Now was not the time to think about how hot his wife was. What should be consuming his mind was finding out the identity of the person responsible for her fleeing her home. Whoever was messing with her would definitely have to deal with him.

“At least I’m going where there’s plenty of sunshine.”

His brow furrowed. Did she honestly think there was sunshine in Chicago this time of the year? She met his gaze and he knew from the uh-oh look on her face that she’d unintentionally let that slip.

He was reminded now that although they’d never argued, they had lied quite a few times. But never to each other. Mainly the fibs had been for their families. They’d gotten good at it, although Dillon would catch Bane in his lies more often than not.

Crossing the room, Bane stopped in front of her. “You lied to me about where you’re going, didn’t you?”

She took a deep breath and he could hear the beats of her heart. They were coming fast and furious. Bane wasn’t sure whether her heart was pounding because he was confronting her about the lie or because his nearness unnerved her like hers did him. Even when he should be upset about her lying to him, all he wanted to do was lean in closer and taste her again.

“Yes, I lied. I’m not going to Chicago but to the Bahamas. But when I lied about it, it was for your own good.”

“For my own good?” he repeated as if making sure he’d heard her right.

“Yes. In the past I was the reason you got into trouble. Now you’re a SEAL and I won’t be responsible for you getting into more trouble on my account.”

He stared at her. Didn’t she know whatever he’d done in the past had been of his own free will? During those days he would have done anything to be with her. There was no way he could have stayed away as her father had demanded. Her parents hadn’t even given them a chance just because Bane’s last name was Westmoreland. Although Carl Newsome had claimed Bane’s age had been the major factor, Bane often wondered if that was true.

Everyone knew how much he’d loved Crystal. Members of his family had thought he was insane, and in a way he had been. Insanely in love. Hadn’t his brother Riley even told him once that no man should love any female that much? Bane wondered if Riley was singing that same tune now that he was married to Alpha. Bane doubted it. All it took was to see his brother and Alpha together to know Riley now understood how deeply a man could love a woman.

“Crystal?” he said, trying to keep his voice on a serious note because he knew she actually believed what she’d said. “Stop thinking you’re the reason I was such a badass back in the day. When I met you I was already getting into trouble with the law. After I hooked up with you, I actually got in less trouble.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s not the way I remember it.”

“You remember it the way your parents wanted you to remember it. Yes, I deliberately defied your father whenever he tried keeping us apart, but it wasn’t as if I was a gangster or anything.”

A smile curved his lips as he continued, “At least not after meeting you. With you I was on my best behavior. You even nailed the reason I behaved that way. You’re the one who pointed out it had everything to do with the loss of my parents and aunt and uncle in that plane crash. The depth of our grief overpowered me, Bailey and the twins, and getting into trouble was our outlet. That just goes to show how smart you were even back then, and your theory made sense. Remember all those long talks we used to have?”

She nodded. “Yes, by the side of the road or in our private place. Our family thought all those times the sheriff found us that we were making out in your truck or something. And all we’d been doing was talking. I tried telling my parents that but they wouldn’t listen. You were a Westmoreland and they wanted to think the worst. They believed I was sexually active when I wasn’t.”

He recalled those times. Yes, they had been caught parking, and cutting school had become almost the norm, but all they’d done was spend time together talking. He’d refused to go all the way with her until she was older. The first time they’d had sex was when she’d turned seventeen. By then they’d been together almost two years.

At least Dillon had believed Bane when he’d told his brother he hadn’t touched her. However, given their relationship, it would have been crazy to think they wouldn’t get around to making love one day, and Dillon had had the common sense to know that. Instead of giving Bane grief about it, his older brother had lectured him about being responsible and taking precautions.

Bane would never forget the night they’d finally made love. And it hadn’t been in the backseat of his truck. He had taken her to the cabin he’d built as a gift for her seventeenth birthday. He’d constructed it on the land he was to inherit, Bane’s Ponderosa.

It was a night he would never forget. Waiting had almost done them in, but in the end they’d known they’d done the right thing. That night had been so unbelievably special and he’d known she would be his forever. He knew on that night that one day he would make her his wife.

In fact it had been that night when he’d asked her to marry him once she finished school, and she’d agreed. And that had been the plan until her parents made things even worse for them after she’d turned seventeen.

Crystal had retaliated by refusing to go to school. And when her parents had threatened to have him put in jail if he came on their property, he and Crystal had eloped. He hadn’t counted on her parents sending her away the moment Sheriff Harper found them.

Bane had come close to telling everyone they’d gotten married; no one had the right to separate them. But something Dillon had said about the future had given him pause.

Once he’d revealed they were married, he’d known Crystal would not go back to school. And he of all people had known just how smart she was.

That was when he’d decided to make the sacrifice and let her go. That had been the hardest decision he’d ever made. Lucky for him, Bailey had put her pickpocketing skills to work and swiped old man Newsome’s cell phone to get Crystal’s aunt’s phone number.

“I need to go, Bane,” Crystal said, intruding into his memories. “I’ll give you my number and we can talk when I get to where I’m going.”

Then in a rush, she added, “I’ll call to let you know when I arrive in the Bahamas so you’ll know I’m okay.”

He stared at her. Evidently she didn’t get it and it was about time that she did. “Crystal,” he said in what he hoped was a tone that grabbed her absolute attention. When she stared at him he knew it had. “If you think I’m going to let you disappear on your own, then you really don’t know me. The old Bane did let you disappear when your father sent you away. But at the time I figured it was for your own good. But those days are over. There’s no way in hell you’re disappearing on me again.”

From her blistering scowl he could tell she didn’t appreciate what he’d said. When she opened her mouth to reply, he quickly held up his hand. “I know it’s been five years and that we have changed. But there’s something with us that hasn’t changed.”

“What?” she asked in an annoyed tone.

“No matter what happens, we’re in this together. That’s how things have always been with us, right?”

“Yes, but that was then, Bane.”

“And that’s how it is now. We’re married,” he said, touching the locket he’d given her on their wedding day. Just knowing she was still wearing it meant everything to him. “We’re in this together, Crystal. Got that?”

* * *

For a minute Crystal didn’t say anything and then through clenched teeth, she snapped, “Yes, I got it.”

There was no way she could
not
get it when he’d spoken so matter-of-factly. She’d never liked being bossed around and he knew that, which was why he’d never done it before. They had understood each other so well. And in the past they’d made decisions together, especially those that defied anyone trying to keep them apart, whether it was her family or his.

But this Bane was difficult to deal with. Didn’t he understand it was not in his best interest to go anywhere with her?

Without saying anything else she walked away, leaving him standing in the middle of her living room while she went into the kitchen to check the locks on the back door. She needed time alone. Time away from him. His unexpected arrival had torpedoed her world.

As soon as she was out of his view, she leaned against the kitchen counter and released a sigh as blood pounded through her body. The man she’d loved was back after five years. One moment she’d been rushing around, trying to disappear, and the next she was opening the door for Bane. They had been separated for so long she’d thought... What?

That he wasn’t going to come for her. But if she’d really thought that then why hadn’t she gotten on with her life?

There were a lot of other whys she needed answered. Why had he decided to become a SEAL? Placing his life at risk with each mission? Better yet, why had he wanted to be involved in something that would keep him from her longer? And why had he shown up today of all days, when her normal life was turned upside down?

On top of everything else, he wanted to take over, as if he’d been here all the time. As if she didn’t know what she was doing. As if she hadn’t taken care of her own business for the past five years without him.

“Need help in there?” he called out.

Crystal gritted her teeth. “No, I’ve got this.” She crossed the kitchen floor to check the locks on the back door.

What did he expect of her? Of them?

And of all things, within ten minutes of being inside her house they had kissed. A kiss she’d initiated. He might have made the first move by lowering his head, but she had been the one to make the connection. The memory of their mouths locking and tongues tasting had her feeling all hot inside. It had definitely proved they were still attracted to each other. That kiss had snatched all her senses and made her weak in the knees. She was certain she could still taste him on her lips.

She pushed a strand of hair back from her face and walked out of the kitchen and stopped in the living room. Bane’s back was to her as he stood in front of her fireplace, staring at the framed photographs on her mantel. Except for one picture of her parents, all the rest were of him or of her and him. Most had been taken when they’d dated and the others when they’d eloped.

He turned around and their gazes met. She almost forgot to breathe. Was that heat in her stomach? And why was her heart beating a mile a minute? She drew in a deep breath wondering what he was thinking. Had he remembered each and every moment in those pictures? Did he remember how in love they’d been? Did he realize, married or not, they were different people now and needed to get to know each other all over again?

Should they?

Could they?

She broke eye contact to look at where her luggage had been. Then she glanced back at him. “You’ve taken my bags out already?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t hear anything. Not even the door open.”

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “That’s the way a SEAL operates.”

Oh, God. That smile was turning her insides to mush.

A part of her wanted to race across the room and throw herself in his arms like she used to do. But she couldn’t. As far as she was concerned, too much stood in the way, keeping them apart.