Make Mine a Ranger (Special Ops: Homefront Book 4) (16 page)

Their eyes met immediately, which Tyler
thought was a miracle in this crowd, but the pull between them was impossible
to deny. He felt it, as sure as he felt his heart rate quickening in his chest.

He saw her in that moment. Really saw
her. Not as a mother. Not as a friend. Only as a woman. A woman he loved.

That shouldn’t actually be a surprise to
him. How couldn’t he love her? How couldn’t he love the woman who had brought
Abby into the world?

But this was different, he realized. He
was
in
love with her.

As she passed his pew, it was all he
could do not to reach out to her, just to reassure himself that she was real.

That this feeling was real.

A string of other bridesmaids followed,
none holding a candle to how gorgeous his Bess looked. His Bess, he confirmed,
feeling proud to be the one who got to go home with her that night. Lacey
entered last as the Maid of Honor. She sent him a playful wink as she passed,
till she joined her friends at the front of the aisle.

Maeve’s daughter came next, the little
girl looking especially proud in her junior bridesmaid dress. She joined her
little brother who stood next to the groom as the ring bearer at the front of
the aisle.

How complete Maeve and Jack’s family was
now. One minute, they were still barely shaking off their newlywed status. The
next, they were a family of four.

Abby appeared next at the start of the
aisle and Tyler held his breath as she walked toward the altar in her billowing
white flower girl dress carrying a bouquet. She gave him a wave as she
approached him, and he felt his chest burst with pride from her
acknowledgement.

One day, she’d be the bride, he suddenly
realized. Her first three years of life had gone by so quickly. He could
imagine turning around one day, and seeing Abby as a young woman. Suddenly,
wanting to be there for all the moments in between now and then, he felt his
palms sweating.

He stood as the bride arrived. Vi looked spectacular,
and Tyler glanced quickly to the groom that awaited her at the end of the
aisle. It was kind of funny, seeing a tough SEAL CO look like the wind had just
been knocked out of him by the sight of his bride approaching.

Tyler cracked a smile and whispered to Edith,
“He’s got it bad for her, doesn’t he?”

“Head over heels,” she concurred.

Tyler knew how he felt.

Bess’s eyes fluttered open to a sight she
would never tire of. Tyler lay next to her in a solid slumber. Obviously she
had exhausted the poor guy the night before. How could she not? An overnight
babysitter wasn’t a common occurrence and she had to make the best use of the
time she had alone with him.

Glancing at the clock, she calculated how
much time they had left together alone. She could probably postpone picking up
Abby till after breakfast. Edith wouldn’t mind. And Abby was never anxious to
leave her Grandma Edie’s.

She should feel exhausted right now. But
somehow, she felt exhilarated. Last night had been magical, as though Vi and
Joe’s wedding had been ripped from the pages of a fairy tale. The reception was
practically a star-studded affair by Annapolis’s standards. There were at least
three Admirals present, and a ton of newscasters and on-air financial analysts.
Even Bess had recognized a lot of their faces from TV, and she tended to watch
more
Sesame Street
than anything else these days.

Lazily stretching, she weighed the
possibility of getting out of bed and making some coffee. She imagined they
both would need some ASAP before they’d be up to anything else.

Careful not to let the floorboards squeak
beneath her feet, she slipped on her panties and padded over to his dresser to
pull out one of his PT shirts. Sure, she could just go to her room and get her
own t-shirt, but she had always heard men found it a turn-on when women wore
their clothes. And that could only work to her benefit, considering what she’d
like to do with him after he got out of bed.

Tiptoeing downstairs, she noticed how
quiet everything seemed. How strange it was to not have Abby in the house. She
felt a little tug at her heart, missing her girl, even after only being apart a
matter of hours. Watching Abby walk down that aisle as a flower girl had made
her so proud.

Flicking on the kitchen light, the sight
of the Bay through the kitchen window beckoned her near. She answered the call,
opening the door to the back porch and stepping outside. The sounds of the Chesapeake
greeted her with waves lapping against the dock, and a seagull crying in the
distance.

The morning sun cast its light on a sugar
maple in the back yard showcasing its blazing red leaves, signaling the peak of
autumn colors in Maryland. It was the tree planted by Maeve and Jack at the
party they had thrown to celebrate their marriage, not twenty feet from the
crepe myrtle Lacey and Mick had planted on their wedding night to symbolize
their growing love.

In a couple weeks, when Joe and Vi
returned from their honeymoon, they’d plant a tree in this yard, too. An oak,
Vi had chosen, calling it “a solid investment tree with slow but steady growth
potential.”

Cracking a smile at the thought, Bess
went back inside.

 Pouring water into the coffeemaker,
she listened to it sizzle in response, sort of the same way her blood sizzled
every time Tyler came close.

Like now.
Even with her back turned, she could feel
his presence in the room even before he touched her.

He slid his hands around her waist and
touched his lips to her neck. “How did I manage to let you slip out of my bed?”
he pondered in between the kisses that he planted along a path from her neck up
to her ear.

“You were out like a light.”

“Well, I’m not anymore.” He rubbed a specific
part of him against her. “No, I’m wide awake. Every part of me.”

She purred in response, feeling arousal
building inside of her. Coffee before anything, was her usual mantra. But right
now, she didn’t quite feel the need for anything but him.

Turning to him, her breasts brushed
against his bare chest, making her nipples tighten into hard nubs from the
sensation, even through his PT shirt. Apparently, he noticed, easing his hands
underneath the shirt and taking them both in his grasp. “Do you have any idea
how I suffered at that reception last night?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice
breathless as he moved the shirt upward and sucked on a breast.

He removed his mouth, letting the
moisture he left on her nipple evaporate under his warm breath as he spoke. “Watching
you all night in that dress. Dancing so close to you without being able to toss
you on one of those tables and have my way with you.”

“Yeah, that probably wouldn’t have gone
over well.”

She felt the hard ridge of him beneath his
PT shorts that hung low on his waist revealing a six-pack and tight V of
muscles that disappeared below the elastic. Unable to resist, her hand moved
there, slipping beneath the waistband and finding him ready for her.

He sucked in a breath as she gripped him.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice husky. “When you slipped into the ladies’ room, I
was seriously tempted to follow you in and lock the door behind me.”

“Oh, really? And what would you have done
to me in there? Laid me down on the hard floor?” She teased, not about to mention
that there had actually been a comfortable sofa in the powder room, and Bess
had been sorely tempted to invite him in there herself.

“I wouldn’t need to get you horizontal to
make you come for me.” He growled low in her ear as he turned her around so that
her back was toward him and dipped his hand inside her panties.

“You certainly boast a lot, Ranger. But I
hear you Soldiers are all talk, no action.”

“Is that what your Navy friends are
telling you, Ma’am? Well, it’s my duty to set you straight,” he responded, bending
her slightly at the waist, as his finger slipped inside her moisture. She
gripped the counter in front of her, instinctively leaning forward to allow him
to move deeper inside her.

“Take me upstairs, Tyler,” she demanded.

“Oh, no,” he answered, pulling her
panties down. “I’ll take you right here. You presented me with a challenge.” From
the corner of her eye, she watched him pull a condom from his shorts’ pocket
and unwrap it. He only pulled his shorts down halfway before sheathing himself.
“Open your legs for me, Bess.” His voice was raw with need as he kissed the
tender skin at the top of her spine. She did as she was told, feeling his hands
gripping her hips, molding her into the form he needed. She ached for his
penetration, till she felt her wet folds yielding to him as he slid inside her.

Her breath caught from the sensation, the
angle of his arousal inside her while standing something new and unexpected.
She could feel the tip of him pounding against her womb with each thrust and she
cried out.

“You okay, baby?” his voice crackled as
his hands reached around to her front and fondled the center of her need. “I’m
not hurting you, am I?”

She bent lower over the counter, wanting
him even deeper. “No. You feel amazing.”

His mouth was against her neck again and
she could feel him smile. He shifted slightly, thrusting harder as he did. “Tell
me if it’s too much, baby.”

“No, don’t stop.”
Please, don’t stop.
Whatever you do, don’t stop, the voice in her head demanded as she felt the
climax taking hold of her, wrapping its sensual claws around her, gripping her
tight till she could barely breathe.

Pulling his hand away from her clit, she
nearly screamed from its departure. But then he licked his fingers and brought
the moisture back down to her.

“You feel so good, Bess,” he murmured as
his fingers toyed with her, and he thrust harder. Her body rocked against the
counter as he moved inside her.

“Don’t stop. Oh, please. I’m so close,”
she begged and his fingers quickened their massage in response. He was so deep,
so hard, and yet still she wanted more, bending further over the granite
counter. Feeling as though her consciousness was rising outside of herself
momentarily, a wave of dizziness overtook her as her body quaked. The fire
pooled at her center, till the spasms crushed inside her, making her tighten up
around him even harder. She cried out from her own body’s eruption of desire,
just as he shattered along with her.

Breathing hard, he wrapped his arms
around her protectively.

“Oh my,” she whispered, feeling him slide
out from her.

“You okay, there?”

“Mmmm,” was all she could respond.

Still leaning over the counter, she could
hear him pull off the condom and toss it in the trash, then pulling his shorts
back up. “Come here,” he said, lifting her into his arms. “You look like you
might collapse.”

He took her to the couch in the living
room and stretched her out. Shaking his head momentarily, his gaze on her naked
form made her shiver.

“You’re beautiful, Bess,” he said, easing
himself over her to kiss her as his hands slid across her body. “Do you know
that?”

Bess smirked, gazing up at him. “I’m not
entirely sure. Care to convince me further?”

He grinned as his lips met hers, giving a
playful nip. “Coffee first?”

She feigned a look of disappointment. “I
guess, if you need recovery time,” she said, reaching down for him. She toyed
with him lightly, uncertain whether her touch would even be welcome before he
was able to recover.

His arousal began to build in her hand,
and he grinned at her.

“Damn, Bess. How do you do that to me? Maybe
I can skip the coffee,” he said, then crushing his mouth against hers.

It was almost scary to Bess how
comfortable things had become after Vi’s wedding was behind them, and Maeve, Jack,
and their kids had returned to Little Creek. Lacey and Mick were back in DC,
and Joe and Vi had taken off on their honeymoon, so life in Annapolis had
fallen into an easy, comfortable routine for Bess, Tyler, and Abby.

The weeks were filled with work, the gym,
and plenty of dinners out at Abby’s favorite kid-friendly restaurants. On the
weekends, they were rarely in the house, always headed out to DC to explore the
ample selection of Smithsonian museums.

Coming home one evening, Bess glanced
behind her at Abby dozing in her car seat. Her daughter was flourishing with
all the outings and attention. Bess couldn’t help wonder how she’d ever manage
to keep up this pace after Tyler left next summer.

The sun dipped below the horizon just as
they pulled into the driveway. Tyler scooped Abby into his arms and carried her
into the house.

Bess would never tire of it—seeing
this man holding her little girl.

After settling Abby into her bed and
shutting the door, she walked back downstairs. The phone rang and Bess picked
it up before even looking at the caller ID so that it wouldn’t wake Abby.

“Hello?”

“Well, Bess, looks like you’ve found
yourself some rich friends. Haven’t you?”

Bess paled at the voice on the other end.
Dan
.

“First I find out you’re living in some
waterfront house. And now I see those wedding pictures of you with your rich,
famous friends online. You and your little girl.” He paused. “Or should I say
our
little girl? She has my eyes, don’t you think? Wonder if that boyfriend of
yours noticed that? Wouldn’t that mess up your pretty little life there if he
found out? I’m not so sure I’ll keep my mouth shut about that.”

Fury surged inside of Bess, and her fist
clenched around the phone.

She wasn’t the Bess Dan had knocked
around four years ago. She wouldn’t cower. She wouldn’t quake in fear. Not any more.
Her voice was low and deliberate. “You listen to me, you son of a bitch, if you
come anywhere near my girl, I will blow a hole in you the size of Montana.”

It must have not been the response he had
expected, because the phone went dead on the other end.

Her body vibrating, Bess stood frozen,
balancing her weight against the kitchen counter as Tyler walked into the room.

“Who was that on the phone?”

She couldn’t reply for a moment, still
gathering her wits about her. He came up behind her and touched his hand to her
back. “Bess?”

“It was Dan,” she finally said. “He knows
about Abby. He saw some pictures online of the wedding.” She shook her head. “Dammit.
I should have known this would happen with so much press there. I just thought
they couldn’t print pictures of a minor without some kind of consent from me.”

“I don’t think they can. But one of the
guests probably posted something on their damn Facebook page. It’s impossible
keeping anything off the web these days.”

Panic ripped through Bess. “What am I
going to do? What if he wants some kind of custody of Abby?”

“I won’t let it happen. Understand? The
guy’s got a police record. No way they’d pass Abby off to him after you put it
on record that he beat you. Besides, if he even tried to get some kind of DNA
proof, I doubt he’d have much luck. I’ve got someone I know in JAG. He should
be able to help. We’ll call him tomorrow morning.” He pulled her over to a
kitchen chair and sat her down. “Tell me exactly what he said.”

It was a blur, recalling his exact words
even though the conversation was so brief. It had been hard to hear him over
the pounding in her brain at the sound of his voice. “Umm, he just said
something about me hanging out with rich friends. And that he saw Abby’s photo.
And something like, ‘what if your boyfriend found out she’s mine?’ and how that
would mess up my life. That’s the best I can remember.”

Tyler leaned back in his chair. “Well,
shit. He’s not even after Abby. He wants money.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Shut-up money. Think about it. Did
he say anything about wanting her? Wanting to meet her? The only thing he did
say was basically a threat to tell your boyfriend. He thinks
I
think
Abby is mine. He wants money from you to keep him from telling me otherwise.”
He scoffed. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. You think a guy like him wants
to pay child support?”

Bess stared at him. “No. No, I guess not.
I don’t know, though.”

Tyler’s eyes were daggers. “Well, there’s
one way to find out. I’ve got some calls to make.”

***

Crossing his arms, Tyler eased back on
the hood of the sports car and waited for Dan to come to the parking lot. Glancing
at his watch, he noted it was seventeen hundred hours. Dan didn’t strike him as
the type to work overtime, so his wait shouldn’t be too long.

The internet, for all its failings, was
at least helpful in finding the location of Dan’s employer, which was
conveniently located in a half-vacated office building. Not many people around
to notice a guy in an Army uniform sitting comfortably on the hood of a Lotus.

Just fifteen minutes later, Dan exited
the building, casually at first, oblivious to Tyler’s presence as a hood
ornament on his car. When he spotted him, he picked up his pace. “Hey!” he
shouted. “What the fuck are you doing sitting on my car?”

Tyler peeled off his sunglasses, and saw
the moment when Dan recognized him as the man who had plastered his fist
against his face. Tyler gave his head a little shake. The fool should have known
he’d be paying him a visit after contacting Bess.

Dan squared his shoulders as he
approached, probably trying to look bigger than he was. Failed at that, too,
Tyler noted.

“I said, get the fuck off my car,” Dan
shouted, looking to both his sides, obviously with the hope someone might be a
witness.

“
Your
car?” Tyler said, still
leaning against the hood. “You sure about that?”

“Yeah, asshole. Says so on the title.”

Tyler cocked his head. “’Cause the way I see
it, it’s really my car now.”

“What are you, on crack or something?”

“Bess told me you called her last night
claiming you think you’re Abigail’s father.”

Dan grinned, but his eyes were uneasy. Clearly,
he hadn’t expected Bess to actually tell Tyler. “Must piss you off to find out
you’ve been sleeping with a whore, huh?” he said. “She was probably banging me
the same time as you.”

This guy was really asking for it. “Highly
unlikely. But here’s the way I see it. If you think you are, then you sure as
shit owe us a lot of money.”

“
What?
”

“Child support dating back four years. That’s
a lot of money I could use.” He uncrossed his arms and pressed his palms
against the hood. “And I see this nice car you drive, and I think, ‘What the
fuck? Why should you be driving this when I’m squandering my money to buy food
for a kid you
claim
is yours?’”

“You aren’t getting my car.”

“Like hell I’m not. The courts will love
to stick it to a guy like you. I’ll get your car, and a whole lot more if I can
prove you’re Abby’s dad and not me. But today, and today only, I’ll make you a
deal.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ll just take your car.”

“Like hell.”

“Here’s the thing. I know I’m Abby’s dad.
Hell, I’ve got the photos of me in the delivery room to prove it. But hey man,
if there’s even a slim chance you could be the dad, then I only stand to gain. So
let’s make a deal.” He stroked the car, making his hand squeak against the
steel just to annoy the guy. “I won’t get a court order demanding a DNA sample
from you, if you hand over the keys right now. What do you say?”

“I say your fucking crazy.”

“Hell, yeah, and there’s a whole
battalion of Rangers who agree with you on that.” He extended his hand. “Keys? Or
do I get Abby and you tested and gamble on a lifetime income from you?”

“You can’t do that.”

“Funny, there’s a JAG officer on base who
seems to think I can.”

Dan just stood there, mouth half-open,
panic growing slowly on his face. Obviously he hadn’t thought his plan through.
He took a step back and tossed up his hands. “Fuck you, man. I’m not the kid’s
dad. Ask Bess. The timing’s not even right. The kid’s too young.”

“Oh, I’m not sure I believe you. Why else
would you call Bess up and risk my fist in your face again?”

“She pissed me off, man. Her living in
that waterfront house. Hanging out with her rich friends. I saw those pictures
of her and the kid at that wedding. Figured I might get her to give me
something to keep my mouth shut about us. You might like my damn car, but you
wouldn’t like the payments that go with it. Thought I might get something out
of her for a change.” He paused, adding, “Even though she’s not my kid, you
know?”

“I’m not convinced.” Tyler narrowed his
eyes.

“Dumb bitch probably wouldn’t even know the
kid wasn’t mine. She never was good for doing the math.”

Tyler’s fingers itched to implant
themselves in this guy’s jaw. Not the right time. Not yet.
Hold on, Ranger.

Dan shifted on his feet nervously, no
doubt watching Tyler’s eyes grow more lethal by the second. “You can have your
brat ’cause you’re not getting a dime out of me, test or no test. If the kid’s
not yours, she’s someone else’s because she sure as shit isn’t mine. You can’t
prove she’s mine.”

“I can get a warrant for a blood sample. I
can have it by the end of the week.”

“Fuck you, man. She’s not mine. If she’s
not yours, she’s someone else’s. Not mine.”

“We’ll see about that.” Tyler stood up,
stepping toward him, and then walked past him, knowing Dan would try to
coldcock him again when he wasn’t looking. Tyler spun around to grab his fist
mid-air and twisted it, throwing his own shoulder into Dan’s gut, hurling him
over his back and onto the concrete.

“Seriously? Dude, do you ever learn?”
Tyler scoffed down at Dan’s limp body.

“You okay over there, bud?” Mick called
out, getting out of his car with Jack a few cars over, pretending they didn’t
know Tyler.

Right on cue, Tyler thought.

“I saw that guy try to hit you,” Jack added.
“Want me to call the cops?”

“Thanks, no. Just some misguided fool.”

Another voice came from a jogger on the
sidewalk. Joe stood there, shirtless in his jogging shorts, looking more like
an MMA fighter waiting for his next brawl than a Navy Captain. “You sure? I saw
it, too. He came after you when you were turned. I’ll be your witness. I hate
assholes like that.”

Tyler looked down at Dan, and spoke in a
quiet, deadly tone. “I don’t know. Am I sure? I’d love to bring the cops in on
this. You’ve already got a police record. Why not bulk it up even more? Forget
the fact that you’re not my kid’s dad. If I could somehow manage to convince
the court you
were
, you’d never get within a mile of her anyway with
your record and the way you beat Bess. Then I’d walk away with Bess,
my
kid, and
your
money. Sweet fucking deal for me.”

Still disoriented and catching his breath
after being thrown on the ground, Dan blinked hard, focusing on Tyler’s gaze. “She’s
not my kid. I swear it.”

“You sure you’re all right over there?” Joe
called casually from the sidewalk, while Mick and Jack also stood at the ready
by their car.

Tyler nearly grinned. Just another Joint
Operations mission. He didn’t move his gaze from Dan as he called back to Joe.
“Yeah, man. Thanks. I’m sure he won’t do it again.” He glared down at the pile
of human trash on the concrete, and gave Dan a slight shove with his foot just
to remind him how vulnerable he was. “If Bess or I hear one more word from
you—ever—I will pull your blood out with a turkey baster to get
your DNA if I have to. And if she is your kid, I will take you for everything
you’re worth, right before I make you disappear from this earth. You hear me?”

“Yeah, I hear you.”

“Asshole,” Tyler closed, putting his foot
right next to Dan’s throat as a threat, sorely tempted to kick him in the face
with him flat on the ground.

But it just wasn’t his style.

***

Bess sat on the dock, staring emptily out
at the water.

“Bess.”

A feeling of relief washed over her at
the sound of his voice. But her heart was still gripped in fear. She turned to
him. “Tyler. What happened?”

“Is Abby inside?” he asked, glancing back
at the house.

She shook her head. “At Edith’s. I was
having a hard time keeping it together. I didn’t want her to see me that way.”

He sat beside her on the dock, resting
his arm over her shoulder and squeezing. “He’s as good as gone, Bess. When I
told him I was after him for child support if Abby turned out to be his kid, he
nearly shit his pants.”