SLEEPER (Crossfire Series) (36 page)

“Are you nuts, man? See this keg? We want the meatballs with the wings, right here, because we’re going to be standing close to the target,” Cucumber said. “Prime space, you know?”

“Come on, move that bird shit there. We have to get to the back soon, dudes, or we’ll miss Jazz putting the ring on Vivi,” Dirk said.

Mink slashed his throat with his forefinger. “Man’s dead meat,” he announced. “Wings clipped. Balls chained up. No longer able to think for himself.”

At the sight of their commander decked out in his best man’s clothes, Cucumber, Mink and Dirk, the “Stooges,” whistled in unison and put on their Hollywood shades. Reed grinned. It was good to see his teammates relaxed. He looked around, trying to see whether Lily was close by. They had to join the guests soon, too.

“You look good enough to eat, sir,” Cucumber said.

“The shiny white’s hurting my eyes, sir,” Dirk chipped in.

“The best man always looks his best,” Hawk told them, a corner of his lips lifting. “And I don’t want any of you harassing Amber about her ring. Get it?”

“Ring? What ring? Did you guys see any ring on Amber?” Cucumber boomed out, pulling off his sunglasses to reveal wide, innocent eyes.

“No, I didn’t see any diamond ring on Amber,” Dirk replied, acting surprised.

“Nor I. Have you, Zone?” Mink asked.

“You mean, the big shiny thing that has God knows how many carats on Miss Hutchens’s finger? Nope, not me,” Zone answered, nudging Reed.

Reed didn’t miss the slight edge in Hawk’s voice. He nodded and watched as his commander made his way out toward the entrance. He had an idea what they were going to be discussing.

Someone tugged at his elbow. He turned and smiled at Lily. “Guys, I want you to meet Lily Noretski.” He gave his friends quick eye contact. Most of them knew her background already. “Lily, these are my teammates. The big guy is Luke. The other two with sunglasses are Dirk and Marcus. The one on a crutch is Jason. And that’s Zodenko, but we all call him Zone because he won’t talk to you if you call him anything else.”

“Hi,” Lily said, shaking hands. As they all followed the crowd out into the backyard, she whispered to Reed, “I hope I can remember their names. I’m not used to meeting so many people.”

Reed slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. “You’ll get to know my teammates,” he said. “They’re great people.”

She eyed him solemnly. “I’m thinking they might not be comfortable around me because of what I’ve done.”

He thought of Hawk’s and Amber’s injuries. His friends were a loyal group and fiercely protective. Because they didn’t have all the facts, he knew his friends were going to be reserved for a while. He also knew they would be looking at Hawk, to see how he and Amber treated Lily.

“I’ll take care of it,” he said.

Lily pinched him. “Stop playing macho with me. I do know how to take care of hostile men, you know.”

“Yes, and all of them have seen you in action, so I’m not going to worry about that,” he said, a small smile playing on his lips. But he was still worried about Hawk. He gestured to two seats in the back. “Here all right with you?”

“Yes.” Lily sat down, looking around. “Am I the only one around here not confused by all the Steves in this crowd?”

Reed laughed. “I was wondering when you’d get to that. All the McMillan men are named Steve or variations of that name.”

“All of them?” Lily asked, a fascinated, horrified look on her face as she searched the crowd again. “
All
of them? Hawk too?”

“Yup, even Hawk. He’s Steve too, and so is that man standing by him with the woman with the white leather jacket.”

“They look alike from here, except Hawk’s a bit shorter,” Lily said, craning her neck. “It’s even more difficult when some of them are wearing similar uniforms. Now that I think about it, those guys did all look kind of cute, like Hawk. Are they all Navy SEALs too? Ow!”

“Wretched Wench,” he whispered in her ear.

She rubbed her arm where he’d pinched her and made a face at him. “Well, at least I can’t go too wrong if I start addressing every handsome man here as Steve, right? Except you, love, so stop pinching me.”

Their lips met briefly. Reed loved these moments best of all, when they teased and shared a private moment, like lovers did. He wanted more moments like this.

The wedding march began and everyone stopped talking, looking back eagerly. Reed held Lily’s hand as Vivi Verreau, in a simple white gown sewn with lace and pearls, walked past them down the aisle. Her lace veil was long, hiding her face, and she held a simple bouquet of lilies and roses. He suddenly had an image of Lily in a long white veil…and not much else.

Vincenzio, pay attention.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”

But once that fantasy started, it was tough to get her out of his mind. He happily smiled at the image of Lily in a white bikini in a white veil on the beach. Now Arch would love that.

She would be tanned and her hair streaked from the sun. Her eyes would have that naughty sparkle they always had when she was turned on. He would lift the veil away so he could nestle against her sun-kissed body. She would lift her face to him so he could taste the sea, and his hands would explore the soft skin, molding her smooth, almost bare, ass. Then he would slowly ease his way up her back. A string bikini…because that’s the easiest to come off….

He heard “I do,” and blinked. He’d missed the exchange of nuptials. He smiled ruefully as he watched Jazz lift the veil from his bride’s face. He’d never seen his commander look happier. The ladies around him sighed as the handsome groom bent his head and ravished his wife with a kiss. The men snickered as the kiss went on. And on.

“I have this fantasy of you wearing nothing but a long veil,” Reed whispered in Lily’s ear, knowing it would make her giggle. “And I slowly reveal each part of you and start kissing—”

She poked him in the ribs, her eyes still on the happy couple. “Shhh…” she ordered softly, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

“You know, like when I bathed you? Only this time I’ll use my mouth. You know, where you go all crazy when I lick you—”

Lily quickly stood up, following the rest of the crowd as everyone clapped and cheered. Reed grinned as he joined her. Her eyes had that sparkle. He didn’t see why he should be the only one turned on by his fantasy.

* * *

Eight sisters. Watching Jazz’s family made Lily think of her own. She wondered where they were and what they were doing now. She watched Amber hugging Vivi.

Amber had been like a sister to her for four years. There was that painful pang in her gut every time she thought about what she’d done. She still couldn’t believe her friend had forgiven her, had, in fact, insisted she wasn’t killed right off the bat.

Everyone was hugging and shaking hands. She lost sight of Amber as Jazz’s mother and sisters crowded around the couples near the front.

Lily sighed. It was good to see so many happy faces. She glanced up at Reed. Every time she looked at him, her heart went pitter-pat. The man was just too damn cute in military dress whites.

“That was a beautiful wedding,” she said, smiling. “And no, I don’t want to hear any more about your dirty little fantasy about a white veil.”

He winked at her. “I have others.”

“I bet.”

They moved with the crowd slowly, heading back to the house for the reception. She could already hear Reed’s teammates squabbling about beer and food.

“Yo, Zippy-do-da, shouldn’t you be up on stage playing the guitar and directing the band so your brother and his bride can dance, man?”

“Why don’t you join your team while I go freshen up?” she said to Reed. She didn’t want to take him away from his buddies. “They sound really hungry.”

Reed shrugged. “Okay, but I’ll wait for you before we eat.”

“Okay.”

She made her way through the side door. The Zeringues had rented some portable toilets outside to accommodate the wedding guests. She bumped into someone coming in and froze at the sight of Hawk McMillan.

He was alone, and they hadn’t talked since that night he and his men had stormed the building in which her girls had been captives. His eyes narrowed at the sight of her.

Lily took in a deep breath. “Hello, Hawk,” she said.

“Lily,” he said.

She waited a beat. When it was obvious he wasn’t going to say anything else, she took a side step to walk around him. “Excuse me,” she murmured.

His hand snaked out and stopped her. “While we have a private moment, I’d like to talk to you,” he said.

She looked into his tawny eyes. There was no warmth in them. “I’m listening,” she said quietly.

“If you put Amber in that kind of danger and hurt her again, I’ll make damn sure you’re locked up behind bars for a long time. I know all about your illegal dealings, and I’ll use everything I know to put you away. Do you understand?” His voice was lethally soft and flat.

She didn’t blink. “If I hurt Amber again,” she said, “I’ll give you the keys to lock me away.”

Hawk nodded. “I just wanted to make that very clear. I don’t care whether you had neuro-implants or you were under hypnosis. You gave her to Dilaver, and if she had been killed—”

She covered his hand, which was gripping her arm hard. She understood his nightmare that he could have lost Amber that night. She’d had the same one too, except she would have been the one responsible for her friend’s pain.

“Hawk, I know. I live with the guilt every time I look at her. I’ll always live with the guilt. I love Amber, and I’ll stay away from her if that’s what you want.”

The door behind her opened. She and Hawk let go of each other.

“Is everything okay?” Reed asked, stepping into the cool night air. He studied them and slipped an arm around Lily. “Is there anything you’d like to say to me, sir?”

Hawk didn’t look away from Reed. “We won’t be friends for a while, Lily,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t talk to Amber. She loves you, in spite of what you’ve done. So she’ll probably look for you inside.” He finally returned his gaze to Lily and his voice was a little warmer. “Friendships are important. Jazz and I are as close as brothers. Maybe in time, I’ll see that between you and Amber again.”

He nodded at them both and went inside.

“What did he say to you?” Reed asked as he walked her further away.

“Nothing I haven’t said to myself,” Lily said. “It’s okay. He wasn’t nasty or anything. Just wanted to make sure I know where I stand in his eyes.”

Reed glanced back. “He had to spoil your mood, didn’t he?” he asked angrily.

“No, really, it didn’t spoil anything. It was good to have it out in the open. Now we’re equals. I can look him in the eye and know even though he’s still angry with me, he’s making an attempt to forgive me. So don’t be mad. I wouldn’t have liked him so much either if he’d hurt you like I did Amber. You told me yourself it’ll take time, right? I’m going to make it, don’t worry.”

He pulled her in his arms, and she hugged him back desperately. Did he know how much she needed him?

“We’re going to make it, you mean,” he said. “I’m going to take you away from here after GEM says you’re okay, and we’ll spend time together. I want to show you the beach where Arch lived. I’ll even teach you how to swim and surf.”

Lily smiled. She’d heard all about how Arch always talked to him at the most unexpected times. She’d even bought herself a copy of The Little Prince because Reed quoted from it so much.