Claiming Felicity Read online

  Without another word, Ryder took her hand and led her off the dance floor. He ignored the catcalls and good-natured ribbing from his friends and brothers.

  Later that night, Ryder held his new wife in his arms and sighed. His life was so much better with Felicity by his side. His eyes roved over her hair. It was sticking up in all directions after their enthusiastic lovemaking. A week ago she’d been to a hairdresser and had gotten her hair dyed back to what she said was close to her natural color. It had been a little tough to get used to her blonde locks, but now he loved it. It was her, and it matched her new life. Lighter. Freer.

  “Do you think you got enough new pictures for the house today, love?”

  Felicity chuckled at his side. “Yeah, Ryder, I think the three thousand and forty-three pictures the photographer took should be enough.”

  He smiled. Felicity had filled their new house with photos. Since she didn’t have to worry about having to pack up and run, or about anyone finding out who she really was, she’d gone whole hog in decorating. Every room in their house had pictures in it. On the walls. In frames on tables. Stuffed into every nook and cranny. Ryder couldn’t look anywhere without seeing reminders of his wife’s love for her friends.

  One of his favorites was the one of her holding her acceptance letter to the University of Denver. He’d encouraged her to contact the university and see about transferring her credits and finishing her degree. Even though she wasn’t planning on trying to get an engineering job, he was so proud of her for deciding to finish her degree. The grin on her face in the photo showed exactly how pleased she was with her decision as well. Joseph Waters might’ve tried to break his woman, but her strength and intelligence had won out in the end.

  Felicity had even included pictures of both their mothers in her decorating frenzy. He loved seeing his mom’s face, but he loved seeing the photos of Felicity and her mother even more. The women might not’ve been at their wedding today, but he still felt their love . . . and knew Felicity did too.

  The other addition to their walls was the new signed agreement between Cole and her in regard to Rock Hard Gym. Apparently, Cole had seen his lawyer and had gotten Felicity’s name added as soon as he heard about Ryder getting her name changed. He’d had it framed and had given it to her as a present. Cole had told her to put it on her wall so she’d never forget that he refused to let her leave all those months ago.

  “I love you, Felicity Sinclair,” Ryder whispered to his wife.

  “I love you, Ryder Sinclair.”

  He felt his dick stir at her words, but didn’t make a move to do anything about it. They had the rest of their lives together. He could give her an hour break.

  As if she could read his mind, Felicity mumbled, “Give me a bit . . . then I’ll be ready to go again.”

  He chuckled, knowing he wouldn’t have the heart to wake her up later. She’d had an exciting few days. She deserved her sleep. Without responding verbally, Ryder leaned down, kissed Felicity’s forehead, and held her tighter against his side.

  He fell asleep almost as fast as his new wife did, content in the knowledge that his woman was safe . . . and finally legally his.

  Nathan kissed Joel’s forehead and stood up. He tiptoed to the doorway and paused to look back at the boy he considered his son. He closed the door and almost ran right into Bailey.

  He pulled her into his arms and walked her backward down the hall toward their room. Smiling down at her, he said, “Something about weddings makes me super horny.”

  Bailey rolled her eyes up at him. “Everything makes you horny,” she mock-complained.

  He laughed and agreed. “True.” Then he leaned down and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder.

  Careful not to screech too loud and wake up her brother, Bailey pretended to pound on his back as he carried her into their bedroom. He shut the door quietly and went to the bed. He leaned over, dropped Bailey on her back, and immediately climbed over her. They re-situated themselves until they were lying in the middle of the mattress.

  Nathan got serious. “Are you sure you don’t mind us not being married legally?”

  She immediately shook her head. “We’ve been over this. You know I don’t really believe in marriage. Besides, we’ve been living together, you took my name, we share a bank account. According to the state, we’re married even though we don’t have the signed paper.”

  “I just wanted to make sure today didn’t make you sad in any way.”

  “Sad? No way. The ceremony was beautiful, and I’m happier than you know that Felicity and Alexis are satisfied and happy with their relationships. Are you okay with it?”

  “Absolutely. I couldn’t care less what anyone else thinks. You’re mine. I’m yours. Joel is ours. I’m happy.”

  “What would you think about giving Joel a niece or nephew?”

  Nathan’s breath caught in his throat, and he placed a hand on her flat belly. “Are you . . . What are you saying?”

  “I’m not pregnant,” Bailey told him, putting her hand over his on her stomach. “But I wouldn’t be opposed to it either. I’ve spent enough time with Nate and Ace to realize that I’d love to have your baby. I’d love for us to teach a child what true love is all about.”

  “Yes,” Nathan said immediately. “I’m ready when you are.”

  “How about now?” Bailey asked, batting her eyes at the man hovering above her.

  “Now’s perfect,” Nathan told her, immediately getting up on his knees and stripping his shirt over his head.

  He smiled as Bailey giggled. Once upon a time, he’d thought of himself as the nerdy Anderson. But being with Bailey had changed him . . . for the better. He still loved numbers and math, but when he saw the envious looks men shot his way when he was out with Bailey, it felt good. She was his.

  When he felt Bailey’s hands begin to work the belt on his pants, he grinned. Yeah, his woman knew exactly what she wanted, and thank Christ that seemed to be him.

  Blake Anderson slowly worked on unfastening the back of his wife’s dress. Earlier she’d insisted they didn’t have time to get undressed, and he’d been so ready to officially make her his in body as well as on paper that he would’ve agreed to anything she asked for.

  But now he could take his time.

  Worship her.

  Show her how lucky he was to be her husband.

  “Bradford looked content tonight, don’t you think?” Alexis asked.

  Blake mentally rolled his eyes. He was not going to talk about her family right now.

  “And Felicity and Ryder were really happy.”

  He grunted in response, concentrating on what seemed like thousands of little buttons that went from her ass up to her neck. They were way too tiny for his large hands, but he diligently kept working, trying to be careful not to rip her wedding gown as he went.

  “My mom and dad told me tonight that they’ve planned a huge after-wedding party for us at their house up in Denver. They’ve invited all their friends. Expect it to be over-the-top lavish.” When Blake didn’t say anything, Alexis asked, “Are you listening to me?”

  “No,” Blake answered honestly.

  “Blake!” Alexis exclaimed, sounding very put out.

  Finally getting the last button undone, Blake spun his wife around and dropped his mouth to hers. He pushed her beautiful dress over her shoulders roughly. Lifting her, leaving the dress pooled on the floor, he took the few steps over to their huge four-poster bed. Turning her, he bent her over the mattress, which happened to be the perfect height for him to take her from behind. He pulled a stool they kept handy for just this reason over with his foot, even as he unhooked her lacy bra. At almost a foot shorter than he was, Alexis needed the extra height so Blake could take her the way they both wanted. Without a word, Alexis stepped up and spread her legs. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked back at Blake.

  “Fuck me, husband.”

  “With pleasure, wife,” Blake returned. Instead of re
moving the ivory panties, he simply pulled the gusset to the side. He made sure she was ready for him before plunging inside with one quick thrust. They both moaned.

  Their coupling was quick. Both reached their peak within minutes.

  Later, after he’d taken her twice more and they were both almost asleep, Blake said, “The next time you try to talk about your family in our bed, I’m going to take you over my knee.”

  “Like that’s a deterrent,” Alexis mumbled.

  Chuckling, Blake turned on his side, moving Alexis until they were spooning. One hand cupped one of her breasts, and the other arm was under her neck. She curled both hands around the forearm at her chest and sighed happily.

  “Love you.”

  “Love you too, Alexis.”

  Logan Anderson watched as his wife fussed over their children. They were still sleeping in a crib next to their king-size bed, but he didn’t care. He knew it would be a while before Grace would be able to sleep somewhere other than where her children were. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t want to be separated from Ace and Nate either.

  The week his son had been missing had been the worst in his life. Worse than the abuse he’d suffered growing up. Worse than some of the missions he’d been on overseas when he’d been in the Army. He hadn’t ever known pain like wondering if his son was dead or alive.

  And almost worse than that was watching Grace struggle with the same knowledge. She had been hurting, and there was nothing he could do for her except be by her side, loving her.

  Grace leaned down and kissed both babies once more, then turned to the bed. She took off the T-shirt she’d been wearing and climbed in next to her husband.

  Logan opened his arms and sighed in relief when Grace cuddled right into him. It seemed as if the trauma they’d been through had brought them closer together. Logan knew it could’ve easily done the opposite. He swore right then and there never to take his wife for granted. Not that he had in the past, but not knowing where their son was, if he was hurt, or dead, just made him all the more determined to make sure Grace and their children had the best lives possible.

  “Where do you think he was?”

  Logan knew what Grace was talking about. They hadn’t really discussed this yet. He was happy she was opening up about it, finally. “I don’t know, Smarty. But I believe with all my heart that whoever had him treated him as well as they could.”

  “Detective Baker said that the fireman who found him thought a woman dropped him off.”

  Logan nodded against Grace. “Yeah, I think so too. The writing on the note was pretty ornate.”

  “Do you think she’s okay?” Grace asked, lifting her head and looking him in the eyes as she asked.

  Logan’s heart melted a little more at her question. His Grace worried about other people more than she did herself at times. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly.

  “If Joseph knew her, it couldn’t have been good.”

  Logan had thought the same thing. He knew more about Joseph Waters than his wife or any of his brothers’ women did. Joseph had a network of sexual slaves he’d kept around the country. He apparently bought them from human traffickers and kept them locked up in crappy apartments in different cities. He had contacts who were allowed to use the women how they wished in return for their loyalty. It was sickening, and Ryder had said that his handler, the mysterious Rex, had made it his mission to track down and free every single woman Joseph had enslaved.

  “I think if she was brave enough to leave Nate at that fire station, she had to have escaped.”

  “I hope so.” Grace moved then. Getting on her knees over him, she straddled Logan’s waist and looked down at him. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Smarty.”

  And with that, she began to scoot down his body.

  “Grace,” Logan managed to get out, but the rest of his words were lost as his wife leaned over and took him into her mouth. It had been a while since she’d done this for him. It had been a rough stretch of time for their love life. Between the worry for their son, and then her paranoia that making love in the same room would somehow scar their children for life, they hadn’t been intimate for quite a while.

  Logan didn’t mind. Whatever Grace needed, he’d gladly give her. Even if that meant not making love.

  But lately, his wife had been getting her confidence back. He loved watching her blossom once more. “Grace,” he moaned again as she enthusiastically showed him how much she loved him. “If I’d known the effect a wedding would have on you, I would’ve taken you to one way before now.”

  He felt her chuckle, and the reverberations rocketed through his dick. He had to concentrate not to prematurely go off in her mouth.

  “In fact, I think I’ll find a ceremony to take you to every weekend from here on out. I’ll check the church’s schedule.”

  Then he couldn’t think or talk anymore. His wife shifted and took him inside her hot, wet body, and rode him as if her life depended on it. Looking up at her, lost in the exquisite feelings coursing through her, Logan thought to himself what a lucky bastard he was.

  It was late, but Cole couldn’t sleep. Being at his best friend’s wedding and seeing her finally break free of the hold Joseph Waters had on her for years was a miracle. Felicity deserved all the happiness in the world.

  Leaning back against the back of the chair in his home office, Cole reread the e-mail he’d received from Logan earlier. Ace Security was working on a particularly nasty case involving a woman named Sarah Butler. She lived in Castle Rock, and her ex-husband was a grade A asshole. Instead of moving on with his life after their divorce, as Sarah was apparently trying to do, he was showing up at her work and outside her apartment to harass her. Logan had e-mailed, wanting to know if Cole had any spaces in the self-defense-for-women class he’d started.

  He didn’t, but after reading the restraining order Logan had sent along with his request, Cole’s decision to help Sarah was an easy one.

  Cole clicked “Reply” and typed out a short response to Logan.

  Logan,

  Honestly, there isn’t any room in my current SD class, but I’m happy to work with Sarah one-on-one. People like her are why I started the classes in the first place. Shoot me her contact info and I’ll reach out and make arrangements.

  Cole

  Miles away, at the Women’s Correctional Facility in Denver, Margaret Mason lay bleeding and dying on the dirty kitchen floor of the prison. She’d been tasked to work the morning shift, which meant she had to get up at four in the morning to start preparing breakfast for the hundreds of inmates. She hated mornings.

  Life for the former socialite hadn’t been easy behind bars. She’d done what she always did and what had worked in the past—tried to boss everyone around. She might’ve been able to order her husband and daughter around, but the hardened criminals around her didn’t take kindly to her attitude.

  She’d been in the infirmary more than half a dozen times in the last six months with wounds she’d received from being beaten by the other prisoners. The staff had finally given her her own cell, even though overcrowding was rampant in the prison.

  The day she’d been questioned about her missing grandson had been a highlight in her otherwise miserable existence behind bars. When the detective started talking about her son-in-law’s half brother, Margaret wanted to laugh and tell the asshole cop that she already knew. Wanted to gloat that she’d known about Logan’s half brother long before anyone else in the miserable town of Castle Rock had—including Rose Anderson. Margaret been shopping in Colorado Springs one day and had seen Ryder. She’d known with one glance he looked way too much like Ace Anderson for it to be a coincidence.

  And since she always liked to have something to hold over other people’s heads, she’d spent a considerable amount of money to have a private investigator check him out. The man had gotten a DNA sample from Ace after he’d thrown away a bottle of water that confirmed Ryder was his. She’d lov
ed keeping that secret from them. Knowing something they didn’t. That Logan boy thought he was better than she was. That he was smarter. Well, he wasn’t. When the detective had told her Logan’s son was missing, Margaret couldn’t help but laugh. She’d had everything taken from her, and now karma had come full circle and taken what meant the most from him too.

  But unfortunately, Margaret Mason hadn’t thought about karma affecting her. Not too long after she’d learned Nate Anderson had been found and returned to his family, her luck finally ran out.

  The homemade knife had been thrust into her back, hitting her kidney without a sound. By the time Margaret had turned around to see who had shanked her, no one was there.

  Whoever had done it knew exactly what they were doing. All it had taken was one thrust, and she was bleeding out internally.

  Margaret first fell to her knees, then to her stomach. She lay on the filthy floor, facedown, watching as the other women simply walked around her as they continued to prepare the morning meal. No one cared that she was dying.

  Margaret Mason’s last thoughts swam through her head. This is all Grace’s fault. If I’d only had that abortion when I found out I was pregnant, I wouldn’t be lying here right now. My husband wouldn’t be in a prison hospital somewhere, comatose after having a heart attack behind bars, and I would still be living in my beautiful home ordering my servants around. Grace’s fault. Everything was Grace’s fault.

  It wasn’t until the morning head count at breakfast that Margaret Mason was discovered to be missing. And it wasn’t until an hour later that her cold, dead body was found in the kitchen. Lying amid the grease and food droppings from the preparation of breakfast that morning.

  The man who ran Mountain Mercenaries drummed his fingers against the hard wood of his desk. Rex had done what he could to rescue the women Joseph Waters had held captive, but it still didn’t feel as if it was enough. Garrick Watson had gotten an earful from Rex, and the man had sworn up and down he didn’t have any idea what his son had been doing.