One to leave, p.1
One to Leave, page 1
part #5 of One to Hold Series
One to Leave
By Tia Louise
~ Stuart + Mariska ~
Some demons can't be shaken off.
Some wounds won't heal.
Until a pair of hazel eyes knocks you on your ass, and you realize it's time to stop running.
A STAND-ALONE, ONE TO HOLD NOVEL. Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
Copyright
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
One to Leave
Copyright © Tia Louise, 2014
Printed in the United States of America.
Cover design by Steven Novak
Novak Illustration
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
One to Leave (One to Hold, #5)
Prologue
Chapter 1: Homecoming
Chapter 2: Leaving
Chapter 3: Big Sky Country
Chapter 4: Where the Wind Blows
Chapter 5: New Best Friend
Chapter 6: Chinook
Chapter 7: Massage Therapy
Chapter 8: The Cabin
Chapter 9: Layers Deep
Chapter 10: Change of Plans
Chapter 11: House Guests
Chapter 12: Worst Case Scenario
Chapter 13: Aftermath
Chapter 14: Change of Plans
Chapter 15: Fire in the Desert
Epilogue: A Wedding
A Little Later...
Bonus Content
Books by Tia Louise
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Exclusive Sneak Peek
Exclusive Sneak Peek
Further Reading: One to Love
All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, photocopying, mechanical, or otherwise—without prior permission of the publisher and author.
To Mr. TL, my only cowboy.
To all my faithful readers,
and to Ilona and Candice for your love and support.
Prologue
Years ago, behind enemy lines.
The gun felt right in my hand. Heavy and tight. My back pressed against the dusty wall of the stone shelter where we waited, watching.
We were pulling out. It was our last day in the camp, our last day in country. Conflict hadn’t ended, but we were handing over the fight to the local military. Still, we were Marines. First in, last out. Our final job was to provide support, watch for any sign of ambush, before we made our way to the airfield.
The majority of our men had gone ahead with the convoy, but I stayed back with our CO. He was a good leader, and we’d been together since the beginning. While I sat on the gritty floor, he stood by the square window staring out at the miles of tan desert. I was pretty sure I knew where his mind was.
Bending my outstretched leg, I rested an arm on top of my knee. “Thinking about home?”
Derek blinked once and looked down before turning steel blue eyes on me. “Eighteen months is a long time with only a week at Christmas.”
“Women make you soft, soldier.”
His mouth tightened, and I had to laugh at his reaction. I was pretty happy to be headed home myself, even if I didn’t have a girl waiting on me.
“You’re the only shithead I’d let get away with a crack like that.”
Calling each other “soldier” was an ongoing joke between us.
“It’s because I’m your best man. You’d have lost an arm without me.”
He exhaled a laugh, and I put the butt of my rifle on the floor, wrapping the shoulder strap around my wrist.
“Keep talking, fucknut.” His elbow bent, and he pinched his top lip. “I’ll be waiting to laugh when a sweet pair of baby blues knocks you on your ass.”
“Not happening.” Using my gun, I pushed myself to standing. “I’m more of a hazel guy.”
Derek’s arm dropped, and he smirked. If I was happy, he was three times as glad to be pulling out. Only I’d be back. Being stateside was just a break for me.
I walked over to stand by the window. “This is my life, and it’s no kind of life to share.”
“Are you questioning my loyalty, Corporal Knight?”
“Not at all, Lieutenant Alexander. You’re a great Marine. But guys like you do your time and retire. Go home, get married, have kids.”
“You’re a lifer.”
“Damn straight.” I straightened my back to stretch my tired muscles. “Only way I can give one hundred and ten percent is not to have somebody waiting on me.”
A shadow moved around the corner of the bungalow across from us, catching my eye.
“My dad was a lifer, and he had a family.”
“Mine too. And we both know how shitty it was growing up with them leaving, Moms crying.”
Long nights, sitting against the wall staring into darkness, we’d shared just about everything to pass the time, to keep from going insane from the monotony combined with the stress of knowing at any time we could be blown up or shot. We were walking targets, and we’d been lucky.
“You’re right,” he exhaled, looking away again, out at the sea of beige. “I’m proud of my service, but when the time comes, I’ll walk away.”
“You’ve got another road ahead of you.” I didn’t think any less of him. Some guys in this outfit didn’t have the right stuff, the right attitude or the honor, but that could never be said of this guy. “I’m glad we served together.”
“Now who’s getting soft?” His deep laugh was the last sound I heard before the staccato clank! of a grenade dropped into the space with us.
We had seconds, if that long. No time to speak, only time to act. Reaching down, I grabbed it, and threw it as fast and hard as I could. It was just out the window when the BLAST! threw us both against the opposite wall.
My back had been curved from the throw, and I hit a bare space. I was winded, but not hurt. Derek was out cold. White smoke filled the room. Our luck had run out, and we were under attack.
Shots fired outside as I made my way through the blindness to where his dark body was slumped on the stone floor.
“Fuck!” I shouted. He was as big as me and twice as heavy, but I’d be damned if I left him. With a deep grunt, I hauled him onto my shoulders.
His voice was a groan in my ear. “Stuart. Go on. Go.”
“You’re not dying today, soldier,” I shouted back.
Months of working out and not much else between the explosions and the darkness had me strong as a damn mule. I went up the short flight of steps to the exit. I had no idea what I’d be stepping into when I went through that door, but they knew we were in here. We couldn’t stay.
I held Derek steady on my back as I peered into the smoke and dust filling the air. Two bodies in robes right ahead of us. Not Americans. We couldn’t do anything for them, but I would do something for us.
A convoy had been preparing to transport the last of us two houses down. If I could make it that far, it was possible we’d be safe. I couldn’t see a damned thing as I made a break for it. My thighs burned with the exertion and the extra weight, and my lungs seized from the smoke. Derek was a fucking dead weight on my back, but I barely noticed with the adrenaline pumping in my veins. I was born for this.
Blinking hard, I could just make out the hulking shapes of the armored trucks waiting to take us away.
“We’re almost there,” I shouted, even though I was pretty sure he was out again.
Taking the first step, I dug in with my heel, trying to gain speed with traction. Combat boots, thirty-seven pounds of weaponry, ordnance, spying shit, and my commanding officer. I ran as fast as I could to the symbol of safety. I was just there when my feet went out from under me. My ears rang with the noise of the explosion, and pain shot like fire through the lower half of my body. I flew forward and landed on my chest in the dirt.
I couldn’t stop shaking. It wasn’t fear—it was adrenaline combined with the effort I’d been pushing to get us to safety faster. My brain tilted on its side. The trucks were near, but they couldn’t see us in all the smoke and confusion. Bodies were running all around us. I needed to get up, but I was dazed.
God dammit! I was made for this. I tried to force myself to get up, but my body didn’t respond. I was above myself looking down. Derek lay on my back exposed, unprotected. What the fuck was happening to me? I fought against this pansy-assed flake-out. I had to get back down there. I had to carry my brother to safety. I was stronger than this.
Somebody had to see us, but the whole place was in confusion. Another whistling rocket, another explosion. I struggled to open my mouth and yell for backup. Nothing came out. I saw a truck jolt and fly back. It was hit.
Then, like an old-fashioned television switching off, everything blinked to black. I didn’t see anything anymore.
Chapter 1: Homecoming
Nikki
The thread hanging from the hem of my blouse taunted me. I licked my thumb and first finger and twisted it back inside the wrap of my top. I’d tried to have everything perfect. My hair was freshly highlighted, my nails were done, I was waxed everywhere... and this one little thread wanted to ruin it all.
Sitting in the terminal, I stared down the long hallway he’d walk up after getting off the plane. I remembered a time when you could wait for friends and loved ones right at the gate, and to be honest, I was a little glad those days were over. I’d need a moment to catch my breath when I saw him again.
Derek and Patrick had both moved to Wilmington a year ago, and the Princeton office of Alexander-Knight¸ LLC, was set to close. Until now. After six years of steady employment, I was sending out resumes when Stuart asked if he still had a place here. I got the email from Derek to prep his old office right after I got the message asking if I’d be willing to stay on as Stuart’s secretary. I couldn’t say yes fast enough.
Meeting him at the airport was my idea.
Again my eyes strained down the long hallway leading to the concourse. It was eleven o’clock, and I was one of a small handful of people waiting in the lobby. A woman and a little boy appeared, walking toward me. The boy excitedly skipped and ran ahead. The tired woman tried to keep up with him. Behind them a businessman held a phone and texted as he walked. A break between them, and... No one.
My mind drifted to the last time I’d seen Stuart, three years ago, the night he’d left to go back to Saudi. We’d gone out for a farewell dinner. Derek as usual called it an early night, but the two of us stayed a little later.
Stuart was eager to leave, and it made him uncharacteristically open and chatty. We laughed and shared a few drinks. I could tell he felt good by the way his hazel eyes sparkled. I was in heaven. Three years of working in the same office, dressing up every day, and he’d never shown me this much attention. It washed over me like warm water.
I’d done my best not to look like I was slugging my drink before I asked if he might drive me home. My excuse was I’d drunk too much, and I didn’t like cabs. I never dreamed it would work.
That memory made my eyes slide closed as I sat alone on the bench. Stuart was amazing in bed, and his body was unbelievable, lean and lined. Strong—he carried me through the door all the way to the bedroom! His shirt was off in one swipe, and a little squeak escaped my throat at the sight of his lined torso. I couldn’t get my dress off fast enough. I sat on the bed in front of him in my underwear, trailing my fingers down the ridges of his stomach.
My bra was off with a flick, and large hands cupped my breasts. He tweaked my nipples into hard little pebbles, rolling them between his fingers... Oh, god! I’d quickly lowered his zipper and slid his jeans down.
Heat flared between my thighs when I thought of the lump straining inside his boxer briefs. Delicately, I’d traced the outline of it before lowering the fabric and taking the large, mushroom head into my mouth. He only let me taste him a moment before lifting me and sinking deep inside.
He fucked me hard, and I guess I always suspected Stuart would be rough. It matched his controlled persona. He didn’t take shit, and he expected his orders to be followed. I’d walked around feeling it for two days. It was the best fuck of my life.
Mr. Alexander, of course, had no idea I’d slept with Mr. Knight his last night in Jersey. If he had, I was pretty sure I’d have gotten my marching orders the next day. Derek didn’t tolerate in-office romances. Patrick, who took his older brother’s place at the private investigative firm nearly pushed him to his limit.
A little smile curled my lips. I loved having the younger Mr. Knight in the office. Patrick was flirty and fun, and he changed the mood of everything. When he said he was moving to Wilmington to be with his fiancée Elaine, I nearly cried. Derek was such a slave driver. Six months later, Derek was gone, too. He wanted to be with Melissa. Why those ladies couldn’t move to Princeton...
Then I saw him.
My stomach flew to my throat at the image striding in my direction. He still had that confidence, shoulders back, perfect posture. A pack was on his back, and he carried a faded brown-leather jacket across his arm. His jeans were loose on his slim hips, but the olive-drab tee he wore stretched tight over his broad shoulders. I could see the cut of his muscles through the fabric, and sheer lust pooled low in my pelvis. I wasn’t sure I could stand.
He was almost in front of me, close enough that I could make out the hazel of his eyes, when I pushed to my feet and cleared my throat. “Need a lift, soldier?”
I’d been scolded for calling them that when I’d first started working in the office. At first I was confused. Derek and Stuart called each other “soldier” all the time, but I later found out it was an inside joke. You never called a Marine “soldier.”
Tonight it made my new boss stop in his tracks. He saw me and at first he seemed confused. I guess he was surprised to see me, although I couldn’t tell if he was glad.
“Nikki?” His deep voice hit me like an avalanche. “Derek didn’t say you’d be here.”
“I figured you could use a friendly face after that long flight.” I caught him in a brief hug that filled the air around me with the scent of soap and cedar. Stuart’s scent. “I brought the keys and everything you need to get into the office and Derek’s old place. Let’s get your bags.”
“Thanks.” A brief smile appeared and disappeared from his face, but it was enough for that damn sexy dimple to pierce his cheek. “I wish I’d known. It’s late.”
“I don’t mind.” My voice was soft, and I couldn’t bring myself to say I’d help him get readjusted in every way if he wanted. I had to let him call the shots. It was how he liked it.
We waited in silence as the baggage claim cycled, as one after another rectangular black pilot-case slowly passed us. I knew we were looking for his standard-issue roll. He always used it.
“So how have you been?” he finally asked.
The jacket was still slung over his arm, the backpack still in place on his shoulder. One hand was in his pocket. He could’ve been a fucking model, he was so perfect.
Managing a little smile, I nodded. “Good. You?”
He shrugged. “Same.”
I tried to think of something more to say. When he left, he’d said he couldn’t take sitting in an office all the time. He was born for combat. He missed the desert.
“I was surprised when Derek said you were coming back. How long do you think you’ll stay?”
“Haven’t decided.”
Silence again.
It was always how it was with Stuart, thousands of words left unsaid. His pack rolled around, and he lifted it in one easy sweep off the conveyer. My lip caught in my teeth as his biceps flexed, stretching his shirtsleeves. What I wouldn’t give to see that body naked again.
“Ready?” I managed to ask.
“Lead the way.”
I’d dressed for just such an order. The jeans I wore hugged my ass tight, and my top ended just high enough to give him a good view. A pair of stack heels did the rest of the work for me. Eat your heart out, Mr. Knight.
No comment.
We got to my car, and he walked around to the back to toss his stuff in the trunk. I waited inside until he joined me. Before we backed out, I handed him an envelope containing a set of keys, a door card, and the passcode for the building.
He only glanced inside. “Is Derek’s place still the penthouse he had back in the day?”
“One and the same, and he rented you a Lexus until you’ve had a chance to buy or lease something. It’s parked in his space in the garage.”
Stuart exhaled a laugh. “I never could tell if he was showing off with all that shit or if he was really that soft.”
“You could afford the same or more if you wanted.”
Family money combined with his years of active duty, being single, and what he made in private security had left Stuart with quite the net worth. In the millions the last time I’d snooped, which was three years ago.
“I don’t give a shit about glamour.”
His lips pressed into a frown, and I let it go. It wasn’t much of a conversation anyway. I tried to catch as many red lights as possible on my way into the downtown area, but at this time of night, most of the signals were blinking yellow. We reached our destination far too soon.
“Let me out at the front.” He leaned forward to retrieve his jacket, and my brow fell.
