Guardian Angel (24 page)

He’d always thought Rebecca was a beautiful woman, but in the light of the brilliant full moon she was breathtaking.  Her honeyed hair glowed an iridescent silver; her skin captured the light and intensified it, making it appear as if it was radiating from within.  In the silken sheath she wore, she could have been a goddess.  A goddess who, in this moment of perceived solitude, had the saddest eyes he had ever seen.

How had he ever thought he could let her go?  How could he have allowed himself to believe she would be better off without him?  She was too kind, too afraid to hurt other’s feelings, even when she was miserable.  And she
was
miserable.  Beneath the tranquil smiles and soft words, she was hurting as much as he was.

The thought gave him courage.  She
needed
him, to care for her when she would not do it for herself.  To protect her from all this bullshit.  And he could do that.  He could definitely devote the rest of his life to caring for Rebecca, to loving her more than anyone else ever would.  And if he had to change his ways, somehow, he would find a way to do the impossible.  For her.

* * *

O
nly when she had reached the edge of the balcony, out of the spill of lights from the inside, did Rebecca allow her shoulders to slump.  She stared out upon the valley below, taking deep, cleansing breaths.  Thankfully, she would be leaving soon.  She’d spoken with everyone; she had the memories of their smiling faces to take with her.  She was glad she’d told Aidan to keep it a birthday party and not a going away party.  There would have been too much sadness, and she simply couldn’t bear any more of that.

Rebecca might not have allowed herself to get too close to any of them, but that was just the way she was.  She did like them.  And she would cherish her memories of them when she was gone.  She’d even had a chance to dance with Kane, something she never would have imagined.  He’d actually held her close against him.  On purpose.  While he was awake.  And it had been better than anything she could have dreamt of. 

For those few minutes, her entire world had consisted only of him.  Against her better judgment, she’d melted into him, letting him take control, just one last time. 

Because when she was in Kane’s arms, everything was right with her world.

Rebecca sighed.  It had only been a dance, but it was one she would never forget.  It had been heavenly.  She closed her eyes and shivered in the icy air.  Even out here she could sense his presence...

“Nice party.”

She started at his voice.  She tried to turn around, but his large hands on her shoulders prevented her from doing so.  Rebecca tried to contain the trembles that ran through her at his touch, at the warmth she felt at her back.  “Yes, it is.”

Kane chuckled softly, the sound like the chuffing of a great big bear.  “And you hate every minute of it.”

She thought about refuting him for a moment, then sighed.  She couldn’t pretend with Kane.  Didn’t want to.  It seemed pointless.  He’d always been able to see right through her.  “Yes.”

With only the slightest pressure from his fingers he leaned her back against him, so that her back rested against his chest.  She could feel his heart beating.  It was, predictably, like the rest of him.  Strong.  Steady.  Demanding and purposeful.   His arms slid beneath hers; his hands clasped around her waist. 

She allowed her hands to cover his, melting backward into all that hard, living marble.  Her mind told her she should not be doing this, surrendering to him like this.  It would only hurt more later.  But her heart had always had more of a say in what she did than her head.  If this was all he could offer, she’d take it, for as long as she could get it.  She’d lock away the memory of it, keep it for those times she questioned what she really wanted in life. Because this –
this
was the best birthday present of all.  To be with him, if only for a little while. 

The seconds stretched into minutes.  It was just the two of them upon the balcony, the lights of the valley stretched out far below. The band had returned and was playing again, a sweet, romantic song that drifted out through the glass panels. Rebecca had no desire to move away from him.  In his arms, not even the wintry air could chill her.  He was strong and warm and solid, and when he was near, nothing else could touch her.  He was Kane.  And whether he knew it or not, he held her heart and her soul.

“I got you something,” he said finally.

“A present?” she asked softly. 

“Sort of.”

“What is it?” she asked, trying to keep her voice casual. 

Another chuff.  “Close your eyes.”

“Kane –“

“
Close your eyes.
”

He spoke softly, as gently as a man like Kane could, but the command in his voice was unmistakable.  And Rebecca had very little hope of being able to deny him.  Not now.  Not when she was barely hanging on by the last shred of her remaining dignity.  Not when the warmth of his chest and the feel of his hands clung to her.

So she closed her eyes, just as he’d commanded.  She felt him slipping away and fought the urge to spin around and grab onto him for all she was worth.

“Okay.  You can open them now.”

His voice came from somewhere much lower than it had before.  Rebecca opened her eyes and looked down to where Kane appeared before her on bended knee.  He took one of her small hands in his big one, looking up at her with those clear blue eyes.  Eyes that she once thought were cold, but now appeared to be simply fathoms deep.  Her heart stuttered in her chest; she fought for breath.  Surely he wasn’t going to –

“Rebecca Harrison, will you marry me?”

Her lips parted, the softest of whimpers escaped.  “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I am in love with you.  Letting you walk away from me had to be the stupidest, most ill-conceived thing I’ve ever done.  And between the two of us, I’ve done some pretty stupid, ill-conceived things.”

Her eyes filled with tears.  Even now, with him kneeling before her, she was afraid to hope.  If she had somehow misunderstood, it would devastate her beyond any hope of recovery.  “You’re sure?”

“Sweetheart, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.  Say yes.”

“Yes.”  She said it quickly before he had a chance to change his mind.  The tears spilled over her lashes.  Kane slipped the ring on her finger and stood, drawing her to him.  He kissed her then, a searing kiss that stole her breath away.  It was everything she had dreamed of and so much more.  His kiss, like the man himself, was potent, demanding, and wholly possessive.  And addicting.  She would deny him nothing if he would only promise to do it again.

After several moments, the sound of applause finally reached them.  Kane ended the kiss, but kept her close.  Rebecca kept her eyes closed for a few minutes more, afraid that if she opened them, Kane would be gone and she would have to admit this was all a dream.

When she did finally open them, it was very slowly.  He was watching her, amusement and something else – something powerful and possessive – dancing in his beautiful eyes.

“Do that again,” she whispered.

“We have an audience,” he warned quietly.

“Who cares?”

H
e could kiss her forever, he decided as she straddled his lap, facing him, threading her fingers through his hair.  For a man who had avoided personal contact as much as possible, he now found himself addicted to Rebecca’s touch.  He needed it.  Craved it.   

After her acceptance of his proposal a week earlier, he’d whisked her up to his cabin, unwilling to share her any longer.  Despite the fact that they had spent nearly every moment since in each other’s presence, he still couldn’t get enough. 

“Make love to me, Kane.”

“No,” he whispered softly, letting his fingers trail over her skin.  It was so soft beneath his rough hands, it never failed to amaze him.  “I want to do this right.  I want us to be married first.”

“But Kane,” she murmured against his neck, her body pressed close against his, “it will take months to plan a proper wedding.” 

She accentuated her plea with hot, moist kisses.  Her eagerness sent shivers up and down his spine; she was nearly impossible to resist.  His cock pulsed against his jeans, reaching for her through their clothing.  She would submit to him easily, do whatever he asked.  But Rebecca was everything to him and he wanted to give her everything in return. 

And he had very specific ideas on how to do it right.

Their wedding wouldn’t be garish, but it
would
involve a church and a priest, flowers and music and family.  He
would
see her walking down the aisle in a flowing white gown.  He
would
stand with his brothers by his side and swear his oaths to her before God and the rest of them.  And then he would devote the rest of his life to making her happy.

“You have waited this long,” he teased lightly, though his voice was already husky with desire.  The truth was, he had no idea how he was going to keep himself from possessing her; his need grew with every passing minute.  For as innocent as she was, she sure as hell knew how to tempt a man. 

“That is because I have never been faced with such temptation,” she countered, nipping at his ear and making him growl.  “If you had been around, I doubt I would have made it far past puberty.”

“Jesus, woman, you are making this hard.”

She grinned, shifting her bottom provocatively on his lap.  “I may be new to this sort of thing, but that is the general idea, isn’t it?”

He growled again, louder this time.  His hands locked her hips in place.  No matter how hard she tried, she could not move to apply her specific brand of exquisite torture.  She laughed. 

“Growl all you want,” she told him.  “and get all dominant on me.”  Her eyes sparkled as she licked a line across his jaw, feeling his entire body tense.  “I
love
it, and I have to tell you - it just makes me want you all that much more.”

Another growl rumbled deep in his chest.  He managed to mute it somewhat by taking total possession of her mouth.  By the time he released her, they were both breathless.

She leaned her forehead against his.  “I don’t want to wait, Kane.  Can’t we just exchange vows quietly now,” she asked, panting softly, “and have the big family wedding later?”

Kane stilled.  Could they?  Why not?  He kissed her soundly, leaving her quite breathless and unfocused for a few minutes as he praised her for being so clever.

“Sean,” he barked into his cell phone.  “Got plans for this weekend?  Good.  Cancel them.  Tell Nicki to pack an overnight bag and fuel up the plane.  We’re going to Vegas.”

* * *

O
f all the times she had been on a plane, this was the best by far.  Admittedly, Rebecca did not count herself among the best of flyers.  ‘Air’ time for her was synonymous with ‘sick’ time more often than not, and the smaller the plane, the bigger the problem.  But she’d never experienced anything quite like this before.  The small private number was surprisingly roomy and comfortable, and Sean was piloting it with exceptional skill.  She’d been on jets that hadn’t been handled so smoothly, she told him honestly.

Kane was beside her the whole time, holding her hand.  And Rebecca knew, with absolute certainty, that whenever Kane was with her everything would always be alright.  If she started feeling  queasy, or they hit a pocket of turbulence, all she had to do was look into his eyes and she forgot about everything else.

They were on their way to Las Vegas.  To get married.  Rebecca had to keep pinching the back of her hand to ensure that it wasn’t just some bizarre dream.  At least until Kane started kissing her hand to take away the sting, then she found herself doing it just so he would kiss it some more.  Eventually, though, he caught on, and his tender kisses became delicate swirls with his tongue, at which point she was forced to stop for the sake of her own sanity.

The whole thing was surreal; beyond exciting.  The only negatives were that her brother was not with them and the fact that Angus had been left behind. 

Though Aidan would probably be upset that she had eloped, he would understand.  She just wished she’d had a chance to tell him in person; instead she’d been forced to leave him a voicemail because he was away on business.  He would still walk her down the aisle and “officially” give her away at the church wedding in three months.  She would remind him of that if he seemed overly bothered by the elopement.

Angus, however, was a different story.  The dog had placed his huge head between his paws and looked at her with such big, sad eyes when she sat on the floor and explained things to him (for she fully believed that Angus understood most, if not all, that she said to him) that she had almost reconsidered, electing to wait the three months rather than disappoint him.  The poor guy had already been abandoned at least once; it nearly killed her to think that he might believe she had done that to him as well.

Maggie assured her that Angus would be just fine.  He loved the farm and little Ryan, and Rebecca knew for a fact that Maggie slipped him goodies all the time.  Plus there was George, Maggie’s aging Bassett.  He and Angus had become fast friends.  Maggie had even messaged Rebecca a picture of Angus curled by the fire with George and Ryan snuggled up against Angus’ side, each of them sleeping peacefully.  The thoughtful gesture had gone a long way in alleviating some of the guilt she felt at leaving him behind.

Once they had landed, it didn’t take too long to find an appropriate chapel.  The challenge was finding one with an actual, mainstream Christian minister; they skipped over those boasting claims such as ‘a reverend of the church of the divine cosmos’ and the like.  Even more difficult was finding one that was not completely bedecked in neon.  Not an easy thing to do in Vegas.

Finally they settled on a very plain, very simple little place only slightly off the beaten path (thanks to help from Ian back home; the man could locate anything anywhere).  In less time than it took to rent a car, Rebecca officially became Mrs. Kane Callaghan.  As a concession to the folks back home, Sean recorded the whole thing on his iPhone and broadcast it to the Pub, to the Celtic Goddess, and to Michael’s house so they could all be a part of it, too.