Las Vegas Sidewinders: Drake (Book 2) (11 page)

She rolled her eyes and
raised her phone. “One button and security comes and removes your ass.”

“Jesus Christ, Erin,
what is the problem? It’s Christmas Eve. I thought we could talk. I didn’t
handle Shay’s death very well so I thought maybe we could talk through that,
bury the hatchet.”

“Bury the hatchet?” She
gaped at him. “You’re suing me for the money he left me, even though your
family has more money than I’ll ever have. You took everything in the house
when we divorced—and lied to your mother about it, no less! And you abandoned
me when I was injured, scared and traumatized. You weren’t the only one who
lost someone; I lost my best friend and a man I loved.”

For a moment he stared
at her, something hard and cold in his face. “You always loved him, didn’t
you?!” he spat out, glaring at her.

“He was my friend.” Her
gaze never wavered. “He was kind and gentle. Things you know nothing about.”

“I know about you
fucking your husband’s brother! Does that make you Mother Teresa?”

“Shay and I were never
together while you and I were married.”

“You were banging him
in Afghanistan! Don’t fuck with me.”

She shook her head. “If
I could go back and do it again, I would have been. I’ve regretted that we
didn’t get together every single day since he died. I wish we had, but there
are people in this world who actually respect rules and boundaries. We would
never have slept together while I was still married.”

“If you wanted him so
damn much, why did you marry me?”

“If you never really
loved me, why did you marry
me
?!” she countered, glaring at him.

“Because he always got
the pretty girls!” he spat out, his lips thinning with displeasure.

“There were a zillion
pretty girls out there who wanted to go out with you! Why did you have to have
me
?!”

“Because you’re the one
he loved, and for once, I wanted him to know what it was like to be second
best.” He stared at her hatefully. “Just once, I wanted to be the golden
boy—mom and dad’s favorite—and for him to understand what it felt like to lose.
Because he never lost at anything! Ever! And I was going to have you one way or
another.” He spit on the ground as if to emphasize his point.

“You should leave,” she
said, fighting to remain calm even though her hands were shaking and she felt
like she might faint.

“I will never leave you
alone,” he whispered raggedly. “I will spend the rest of my life doing
everything I can to make you suffer. If he isn’t here to suffer, then I’ll take
it out on you. That way, even if he’s in heaven, he’ll be miserable knowing
you’re miserable.”

She laughed bitterly.
“Shay was an atheist. He’s not in heaven—he’s buried in Arlington Cemetery
becoming one with nature.” Though she had never mocked anyone’s religion before,
she couldn’t help but spew the words in his face, knowing he was a devout
Christian.

“Then he’s in hell and
he’s going to suffer twice!” Spinning on his heel, he headed towards his
Mercedes. “Don’t turn your back, Erin—I’ll be waiting.”

Getting into her car,
she locked the door and then struggled to dig out her keys with shaking
fingers. Closing her eyes, she used a technique her therapist had taught her to
help with panic attacks and nightmares. Unfortunately, Clay was a living
nightmare and very, very real. She managed to send Drake a text telling him she
would be a few minutes late and then laid her head against the steering wheel.

A knock on her window
made her jump and her new boss, Colonel Jack Nicoletti, made an apologetic
gesture. She hit the button for the power windows and he leaned in.

“Sorry I scared you,
but I didn’t like the way he was looking at you while you were talking, so I
jogged down. Are you okay?”

Her shaking hands
belied her calm voice. “Not really, but I will be. My boyfriend is at the
airport waiting for me and once I’m with him, I’ll feel better.”

“Did he threaten you?”
His eyes narrowed. “You want me to put a notice at the gate that he’s not
allowed entry?”

“Would you mind?” She
glanced at him gratefully. “I’m a little overwhelmed by the conversation we
just had.”

“I’ll make sure he
can’t get on base anymore.”

“He’s a pretty powerful
D.C. attorney—he has a bit of pull.”

“Not on this base, he
doesn’t.” He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. “You sure you’re okay
to drive? I’d be happy to drive you to the airport and then you can bring me
back here after we pick up your boyfriend.”

“I don’t know.” Erin
realized her hands were still shaking badly and her stomach was churning.

“Come on, Marine.” He
held out his hand. “Give me the keys. I’ll drive. Just let me make a call.” He
called someone in the building, told them he was running an errand and hung up.

She handed him her keys
and then got out and moved into the passenger seat of the car. He got in,
started it up and pulled out of the lot. Leaning back in the seat, she closed
her eyes, willing the nausea to go away.

“I realize it’s none of
my business, but I’m your commanding officer now—if he threatened you, I need
to know.”

She sighed. “It was
more of a ‘I’m going to make your life miserable just because I can’ kind of
threat, not the ‘I’m going to kill you’ kind of threat.”

“Ugly divorce?”

“I’m the one who got
screwed in the divorce—not to mention coming back from Afghanistan a mess!” She
shook her head. “I’m sorry, sir. I had no idea he would come on base. I’ll make
sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“
I’ll
make sure
it doesn’t happen again,” he said quietly.

For a while they didn’t
speak and finally, he said, “I knew your brother-in-law.”

“You knew Shay?” She
glanced at him in surprise.

“We were in theater
together his first deployment.” He looked over at her. “He was a mess. He’d
just let the love of his life marry another man. Took me weeks to get his head
out of his ass. That woman wouldn’t have been you, would it?”

“He never said a name?”

“No, but I saw a
picture.”

Erin looked away.
“Shay’s brother fell in love with me during freshman year of college, and asked
Shay to
not
get involved with me so that he would have a chance.
Apparently, Shay always got all the girls. What neither of them knew was that I
was already in love with Shay, but he basically rejected me, over and over, so
when his brother started sniffing around, I figured why not. I don’t know why
neither one of us said or did anything to stop the madness, but at the end of
the day, Shay died, I lived through it, and the person who lost both of us
needs someone to take it out on. But I never cheated on my husband, and the
only time Shay ever told me he loved me was as he was dying on the side of that
damn road in Afghanistan. That’s the God’s honest truth.”

“And now his brother
wants to make you suffer? To what end?”

“I have no idea, sir.”
She took a deep breath and blew it out. “I just know that he’s fought me on
everything. He kept the house, the wedding gifts, everything—and I traded
alimony in exchange for him taking care of my father, who’s in a nursing home
with Alzheimer’s. I don’t care about the money, but I’d really like my sanity
back.”

“Are you planning on
staying in the military, Erin?” He looked over at her.

“Yes, sir. I love the
Marines. It’s all I’ve got left.”

“What about your
boyfriend?”

She smiled faintly.
“He’s a great guy, but he’s a professional hockey player. Not sure we can make
this work with me being here, him being out west, and both of us destined to be
moved at any time.”

“You love the guy?”

“It’s only been two
months,” she said. “I’m starting to think so, but I have no idea. The last two
years of my life have been a disaster and then this amazing guy appears out of
nowhere and I don’t know if I’m coming or going with him.”

“Well, take it from a
Marine married to a Broadway star,” he grinned. “When there’s love, you can do
almost anything. We spent a lot of time apart in the beginning, then we had
kids and she stayed home for a bit, but now that they’re school age, she’s back
in New York and I’m here in D.C. It’s not perfect, but I wouldn’t trade her for
the world. I knew the minute I met her.”

For the first time,
Erin grinned. “Yeah, I guess I’ve felt that way twice in my life and I fucked
it up the first time. This time, I’m not letting go so easily.”

“That’s what a Marine
sounds like.” He nodded. “Now, I’m going to make sure that dickhead never sets
foot on base—” He paused as she burst out laughing.

“I’m sorry.” She shook
her head. “But everyone winds up calling him that! It’s apparently his official
nickname.”

“Damn skippy.” The
commander laughed too. “He better pray he never sets foot on base while I’m
there.”

“I’d like to see that,
sir.”

“Just Jack when we’re
off base,” he rolled his shoulders. “It’s Christmas Eve and it’s been a rough
week.”

“Thanks.” She felt her
nerves finally beginning to calm as they pulled into the airport. She told him
which airline and he headed towards the terminal.

Drake was already
outside, standing on the curb in a long grey overcoat.

“He’s right there, with
the grey coat,” she said excitedly. She jumped out of the car as soon as it
stopped and Drake looked at her in surprise as she threw herself into his arms.

“Hey!” He kissed her
deeply. “What’s wrong? Who’s driving your car?”

“Get in and I’ll
explain. I’m so happy you’re here!” She got back in and he got in the back seat
of her sedan, putting his carry-on bag on the seat next to him.

“Colonel Jack
Nicoletti, this is Drake Riser. Drake, this is my new commanding officer.”

“Nice to meet you!”
Drake stuck his hand over the seat and Jack shook it quickly before putting the
car in gear and easing back into traffic.

“Likewise,” Jack said
as he drove out of the airport. “Our girl here had a run-in with her ex today.
Got a little shaken up, so I thought I’d drive her out here and give her a
chance to calm down.” Jack spoke casually but Drake sensed an underlying fury
that worried him.

“What the hell, Erin?”
He reached over the seat to rub her shoulders. “What happened?”

She told him everything
and kept her head down as he cursed a blue streak. “Are you fucking kidding me?
I will beat the living shit out of that little prick!” He leaned back in the
seat in a huff.

“Drake, he’s a lawyer,
and he plays dirty. You need to stay away from him. Please.” Erin turned back
to look at him. “I’m serious. He’ll find ways to hurt you that aren’t
physical.”

“I’m not afraid of
him,” Drake growled.

“You should be,” Jack
interjected. “He’s apparently unstable and feels he’s been wronged. When he
finds out that Erin is happy again? He could very well lose it.”

“So we’re just going to
let him harass Erin? Not on my watch.” Drake spoke flatly.

“
We
aren’t going
to do anything,” Jack said. “I’m handling her protection on base, and you and
she are going to have to handle it the rest of the time. And I’m not talking
about alarm systems and self-defense classes. I’m talking about making sure you
keep your noses clean and don’t give him any ammunition.”

“What does that mean
exactly?” Erin frowned. “We’re consenting adults—are we supposed to not have
sex in case it sets him off? Not go out on dates in case we’re seen? I mean,
what?”

“I don’t know,” Jack
admitted. “But he said you need to watch your back and I’m thinking he means
business.”

In the back, Drake said
nothing, but he was seething. For the first time, he understood his friend
Dom’s problem controlling his anger when someone he cared about was in trouble.

It was after 3:00 by
the time they got to Erin’s condo. She and Kate had decorated a tree and there
were candles, stockings and other decorations all over the house. Drake hadn’t
said a word since they’d dropped off the Colonel, and Erin wasn’t sure who he
was mad at. Now that they were home, she hung her coat on the coatrack, and he
followed suit. He followed her into the comfortable living room and she sat on
the couch, tucking her legs under her. She looked up hesitantly.

“I’m sorry,” she said
softly.

“For what?” He gazed at
her in confusion. “You don’t think I’m mad at you, do you?”

“You haven’t said a
word in 45 minutes.”

“I’m ready to kill
Clay,” he said evenly. “It’s taking every ounce of self-control I have not to
call a private detective and find out everything there is to know about that
guy, and then use it to destroy him.”

“He can and will fight
back,” she said. “Jan told me he is bipolar but medicated now and supposedly
doing well. After today, I’m not so sure, but provoking him isn’t going to
help.”

“I’m not going to
provoke him—I’m going to stop him.” Drake looked at her meaningfully. “I’m not
playing around, Erin. I’m not going to let this man—or anyone else—hurt you as
long as I’m around. This has nothing to do with our relationship—this has to do
with you as a human being and a soldier who put her life at risk for her
country. Protecting a soldier who’s in trouble here in the U.S. is the least I
can do since I didn’t go out there myself.”

“You’re such a good
guy,” she smiled at him as she crawled across the couch and into his lap. “I’m
lucky I found you.”

“I’m the lucky one.” He
bent his head to kiss her. “I guess I owe my sister a really nice gift for
playing matchmaker.”

“Did she set us up on
purpose?”

“Well, she knows I like
tall brunettes, and you fit the bill physically. I also like a woman I can talk
to, so while I don’t expect Einstein, I need a woman with a good head on her
shoulders, which you obviously have. Mack saw something in you that she knew I
would like—she’s always been more like a mom to me than a sister. She was 17
when I was born and she was the one who got up and rocked me in the middle of
the night. She and my older brother Mike are the ones who started me playing
hockey. By the time I came along, my parents were kind of done and it was Mack
and Mike who really raised me. Even though she went away to college when I was
a year old, Mike kind of picked up where she left off and he went to community
college the first two years, so I’m much closer to them than I am my parents.”

“My mom died when I was
14 and Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s my sophomore year of college. But he
took the meds and his sister lived nearby to check on him, so they made me stay
in school. When I graduated, of course, I owed the Marines four years for my
education, and I had no choice but to go. Luckily, he was pretty good until
just before I deployed. And I was getting combat pay, so we used my pay to put
him in a care facility.” She sighed heavily. “That’s my biggest fear—that Clay
will stop paying. It’s in the divorce decree, but it’s $5,200 a month and I
don’t have that kind of money. If he decides to be a jerk, it’ll be months
before the court system catches up to him…”

“That’s not going to
happen,” Drake said softly. “If he does something like that, you let me know
and I’ll take care of it.” She started to protest but he put a finger on her
lips. “A loan, just until you get the life insurance money. Then you can pay me
back every penny. Okay? We’re not going to let your dad go without care.”

Tears slipped down her
cheeks as she hugged him. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.” He
wiped her tears with his thumbs and then leaned in to kiss her. “So, what’s the
plan?”

“No plan,” she said
softly. “Just you and me for about 36 hours. Is that okay?”

“As long as there’s
food in the house, I don’t need to go anywhere.”

“Lots of food in the
house!” she laughed. “Kate and I even did some baking.”

“When does she get
back?” he asked.

“Saturday.”

“So you’ll only be
alone a couple of days.”

“I’ll be okay,” she
said. “I’ll be working and most nights I go to the gym after work. I’m getting
in shape to pass my physical.”

“I don’t know exactly
what the physical entails,” he said, looking her up and down, “but you look
pretty good to me. I’ve seen the way you move and can feel the strength in your
arms and legs.”

“My right arm and leg
are a bit weaker than the left, so I have to work on evening them out, bringing
them back to the same level. We’re not sure that’s possible, because more than
just the skin was affected. Some of the muscles were burned as well, and
there’s no way to know for sure I can get that back, although I
feel
strong again.”

“We can,” he said,
nodding. “We definitely can. If you’re not progressing to your satisfaction,
I’ll talk to the team trainers. If you were in Vegas, we could work out
together…” His voice trailed off. “I’m sorry—that wasn’t a dig. I was thinking
about you being able to work out at the level of a bunch of professional
athletes. I know one guy on the Capitals, but not really well enough to ask him
to train with you. Besides, he’s single and you’re hot!” He chuckled.

Laughing, she allowed
him to pull her by the hand. “Where are we going?”

“Where’s your bedroom?”

With another laugh,
they ran up the stairs. She led him into the master bedroom and he was
pleasantly surprised by her taste. While the living room had been comfortable
and casual, her room was more elegant. The off-white four-poster bed was
king-sized, but had no frills. Her walls were painted a light aqua-blue color,
and the furniture was all a creamy white that warmed everything up. Her
comforter was the same aqua-blue as the walls, with swirls of brown and gold.
She had big fluffy pillows and lamps with fringed shades, but that was all.
Everything else was practical—a mirror that matched the furniture over her
dresser, photographs on some of the walls and the nightstands, and a
flat-screen TV on the wall facing her bed.

“What do you think?”
she asked as he took in the room.

“It’s nice. Not too
Spartan, but not fussy either. Kind of like my room,” he admitted. “Since we
rent the place, we couldn’t paint, but the walls are a nice light taupe color
and my bed is cherrywood, with a comforter set Mack got for me in different
shades of beige with splashes of red and brown. I think I have the exact same
TV, too!” They laughed.

She began to undress as
they talked. “I didn’t have much money to decorate because I used everything
for the down payment in order to keep my mortgage affordable. I had to charge
all the appliances, but I’ll be done paying those off in March, which means I
can spend a little money on the downstairs. Everything down there came from
thrift shops or garage sales.”

“The house looks
great,” he said. “Besides, they’re just things.”

“I know, but I’m a
Captain in the Marines—I shouldn’t be in this position. I let Clay screw me out
of what I should have gotten because I was so traumatized from Afghanistan. If
I was getting divorced
now
, it would be a totally different thing!” She
tossed her uniform into the hamper in the bathroom and came out wearing her
favorite shirt. It had been in Shay’s bunk when Liv cleaned it out, and now she
slept in it. It had
U.S. Marines
printed on the front and was at least
four sizes too big for her, but it seemed to keep her calmer at night, feeling
his shirt against her skin.

“You’re getting there,”
Drake said, pulling off his jeans and T-shirt. He looked her up and down
appreciatively. “You look pretty great in someone else’s old T-shirt too.”

She felt herself flush.
“Sorry—I always sleep in one of these. I can take it off if it bothers you…”

“Nope. Just hang on a
second.” He disappeared and she could hear him running down the stairs and
coming back up. He held a small wrapped package in his hand. “You can open this
one tonight.”

“There’s more than
one?!” she cried in dismay. “I only got you one! No fair!”

“I have more money than
you do!” he laughed. “Just open it!”

She did as she was told
and was delighted to find a big, oversized T-shirt with the name and logo of
the Las Vegas Sidewinders on the front. “Oh, this is perfect!” She immediately
pulled off Shay’s shirt and gently placed it on her dresser before pulling on
the new one. She wrapped her arms around herself. “This will keep you close
when you’re not here. How did you know to get one so big?”

“I asked Kate if I
should get you one that would fit you or one that you would sleep in—I noticed
you slept in big T-shirts. Kate told me a big one would probably be your
preference.”

“It’s perfect. Thank
you.” She reached up on her toes so she could kiss him.

He pulled her onto the
bed. “So, what would you like to do first?”

“Is this a trick
question?”

“I don’t know where the
remote is,” he deadpanned.

She blinked and then
reached behind her to the nightstand. She presented the remote to him. “There
you go.” Her phone rang and she reached behind her to turn off the volume.

“Kate,” she murmured.
“I’ll call her later.” She laid the phone back on the nightstand as she felt
him pulling off her panties.

“Are you going to let
me really fuck you tonight?” he whispered in a sultry voice that made her
blush.

“Didn’t you say
something about the remote?” she teased.

He snorted before
pulling her on top of him and kissing her until she was sure she was going to
melt into a puddle of molten heated desire all over the bed. His hands were
everywhere, caressing her skin as he pulled off the T-shirt she’d just put on.
She melted against him, loving the feel of their bare chests touching. His
torso was so muscular and toned, she couldn’t deny she enjoyed his body as much
as she enjoyed when he touched her. It wasn’t just sexual either; she felt
comfortable with him, which was so important to her.

“I have to taste you,”
he murmured, nibbling the soft area inside the curve of her collarbone. His
lips were warm on her skin and she could only nod, desire pulsing through her.

He was eager to show
her all the ways he could make her feel good, but he sensed he had to take his
time, so he went slowly. Flipping their positions, he kissed and licked a trail
down her chest, palming her breasts. They were already hard, tight peaks and he
paused to nuzzle them, his two-day growth of beard taunting her senses. He
stroked and caressed, hands lingering on her naked skin until she made a sound
like a mewling kitten. Taking his cues from her shuddery breaths, he moved
down. Pressing light kisses across her stomach, he paused and fingered the
feast of curls between her legs. She was gloriously sexy, and he chuckled as
she instinctively tried to close her legs.

“Now why would you do
that?” he asked softly, nudging between her thighs with his massive shoulders.
“I’ve been wanting to do this since we met.”

She was flushed, her
face turning pink at the very idea of him being eye level with her most
intimate parts. “Drake, I…”

“Shh.” He slid down off
the bed and tugged her legs until her bottom was at the edge. Pushing her legs
apart, he held them where he wanted them with his chest and used two callused
fingers to spread her open. A whimper escaped her and he just smiled, bending
his head to kiss the inside of her thigh. Then he moved closer, attacking the
swollen bundles of nerves with his lips. He used his tongue, gliding between
her tender folds, and firmly held her down by the hips when she tried to move
away.

“Drake…” Her voice was
hollow, her body moving against his of its own volition.

He growled against her
clit, sucking the little pearl between his lips as the nectar dripping out of
her coated his face. She was already thrashing on the bed, aching for more, and
he sped up. His tongue moved faster, matching the grind of her hips against his
mouth. Her fingers dug into his hair as her breath started to come faster. He
swirled the honey-like liquid coming out of her around and then penetrated her
with his finger, his tongue still tantalizing her clit. When he added a second
finger, she shrieked, begging for more.

His tongue and fingers
continued to move, driving her closer and closer to a climax that was building
deep inside of her. Her fingers curled in his long hair, pulling him closer,
and he bit down on her clit, just hard enough to make her cry out. Then he
soothed the little nub with his tongue, swirling round and round until she
shattered completely. Her cries filled the room and he held her firmly, forcing
her to endure more of his tongue. Finally, as she started to settle down, he
backed off, removing his fingers and replacing his tongue with gentle swishes
of his lips.

She was limp, soaked
with sweat, and he was sure he’d never seen any woman more beautiful than she
was right now. Her eyes were closed, her breasts rising and falling as she tried
to get her heart rate back to normal. Her dark hair was a tangled halo around
her head and she was still shuddering slightly. Without hesitation, he crawled
over her, tugging her back so they could rest on the pillows.