Alana heldher pose for as long as she could, determined not to give in and tell the truth.Shehadremembered why she’d married Chase.The night was coming back to her in bits and pieces.The kiss at the wedding chapel had been the catalyst that had opened the door to get her memories flowing.Hearing the bartender and Chase describe the scene at La Casa Loca had brought those memories to life, crowding back into her mind in a jumble of sights, sounds and sensations.
Making love with Chase in the wee hours of the morning had been icing on the wedding cake.She’d loved every minute of it and wished she could relive it all—except for the altercation with Raul Delgado of the Jalisco cartel.
The man had sidled up to her as soon as Chase had ducked out to find a restroom.
She’d ignored Delgado’s approach and concentrated her attention on the drink in her hand.
When Delgado had grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him, she’d been shocked by the strength in his grip and his insistence that she go with him.
She’d struggled to free her arm from his grip, but the wiry man was strong, and he hadn’t been willing to take no for an answer.
Then Chase had swept in to rescue her, jerking Delgado back by the collar.
The fight that ensued had been a nightmare of flying fists, with every one of Delgado’s men wanting a bit of the action.
Chase had pummeled Delgado while fighting off Delgado’s minions.He’d stopped one guy from pulling a handgun by knocking it free of his hand with a well-placed sidekick, sending it flying across the floor.Thankfully, the gun had been impossible to find in the darkness of the dimly lit bar.
When he’d subdued eight cartel thugs, including Delgado, Chase had grabbed her hand and led her out of the bar.They’d jumped into the first cab they could flag down on the street and had him drop them a couple of blocks from their resort.
From there, they’d walked the three blocks to the rear entrance of the hotel, keeping to the shadows until they were safely inside and on their way to the third floor, laughing all the way up the staircase.When they’d reached Chase’s room, he’d lifted her in his arms and carried her across the threshold, kicking the door closed behind them.
Yeah, she remembered.
Everything.
Down to the number of times she’d called out his name and the way he’d brought her body alive with one orgasm after another.
She’d loved everything about his lovemaking.He’d been concerned about her wants and needs before slaking his own desires.The man had been absolutely right about knowing what a woman wanted.He’d known exactly where to touch her, how much pressure to apply and how long to extend that pleasure before seeking his own.
All these thoughts and feelings rushed back at her like a tsunami, threatening to overwhelm her and drag her under.The depth of her longing for this man scared the living daylights out of her.
So, she did the only thing she could.She pushed him away.Maybe, if he didn’t feel obligated to defend her, he would give up on the idea of meeting Delgado on his own, unarmed.
“I’ll fix this for both of us,” she said.“I’ll go back to the States on the next plane out.Then you won’t have to meet Delgado and his thugs.They won’t be able to use the threat of hurting me to make sure you show up.No one gets hurt, and you can go on with your vacation.”
Chase gripped her arm.“Whether or not you leave, I’ll still have to deal with the cartel leader.He’ll come after me unless I leave.”
“Then leave.”Alana touched a hand to his chest.“Leave with me.We can take the next plane out of Cabo San Lucas.The two of us.Together.”
“You’d do that?”He stared down at her, his hands cupping her elbows.“You’d come with me?”
She nodded.“You bet.Let’s pack our bags and get the hell out of Cabo.”
“What about getting that annulment?”he asked.
“What annulment?”Trevor asked.“You can’t be serious about annulling your marriage already, can you?Damn, Chase, you moved fast.I told you that you needed to get a life, marry and settle down, but I thought you’d take a little more time than one day to find and marry someone.”
Chase stared down into Alana’s eyes.“Maybe the heart knows more than the head sometimes.”He couldn’t believe he’d said those words, but once they’d left his mouth, he knew the truth of them.
Alana stared up into his eyes, without blinking.And she didn’t refute his statement.She’d come a long way in her thinking about their insane marriage since that morning.Something had changed in her attitude and demeanor at the wedding chapel.Had it been the kiss?
For Chase, it had definitely been the kiss.Their connection had loosened the hold the alcohol had placed on his memories and let them run free again, flooding back into his mind to relive the magic of the evening before.And it had been magical.From dancing a sexy salsa, to saying I do at the little wedding chapel, to making love to his new wife until nearly dawn.
“We’d hate to see you leave and miss the beach and fishing,” Trevor said.“But it might be for the best if you both got the hell out of here.”
Alana nodded.
“Okay then.”Chase clapped his hands together.“Let’s get our stuff and get to the airport.We can make flight arrangements there.”
