For You I Do (3 page)

pregnant, Danica was sexier than ever. Slowly, she sashayed over to her husband and pressed her hand to his bare chest. Jaden immediately wrapped his arms around her waist.

Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed Jaden’s lips then leaned back and put her hand on his cheek. “Quit worrying so much. At least give the guy a chance.” She raised her mouth to his again and gave him a searing kiss.

Jaden pushed thoughts of Bianca and her fiancé to the back of his mind. He would deal with that issue tomorrow. In the
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meantime, he scooped Danica into his arms and carried her back to bed. The only thing he was concerned about was properly making love to his wife.

Chapter 3

London looked over the renovation plans for the new restaurant and smiled. It was finally coming true. Clarence’s Infamous Chicken and Fish House was finally expanding.

He scowled, then scolded himself for being so excited, because if his father hadn’t gotten sick none of this would be happening.

Rising from his chair, he walked into the kitchen and took a beer from the refrigerator, then stepped out onto the deck and stared out over the Atlantic Ocean.

Two years ago his father had suffered a stroke. London had been days away from reenlistment as a technical sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, but after six years decided it was time to come home. After weeks of prayer by London and his sisters, his father, who made a full recovery, decided it was time to enjoy the rest of his life and gladly handed over the family business to his only son. The first things London did were renovate the restaurant, expand the menu to include more down-home cooking and start catering events. In the last year, business had been so good that he and his father decided it was time to open a second restaurant. They found a prime piece of property in New Castle. The
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former Chinese restaurant had been out of business for almost three years, yet almost all the equipment inside was salvageable.

After adding a few improvements to the building and the decor, he would be opening for business in less than two months.
My
dream is finally coming true,
he thought with a proud smile. He had dreamed about expanding the business since grade school.

Life definitely couldn’t get any better, or could it?

London took a moment to think about that question as he stared out at the night and brought the bottle to his lips. Last week he had had a long phone conversation with his father. As usual, Clarence B. Brown wanted to know when he would settle down and start a family.

London took another sip as his thoughts raced. If he had his way, he would die a bachelor. He took women out, had a good time and rarely gave them a second thought. While he took another swallow, he had to admit that that wasn’t entirely true.

There was one woman he had known for years who still made his pulse race.

Bianca Beaumont.

The petite beauty was breathtaking. Ever since he’d returned to Sheraton Beach and laid eyes on her as a grown-up, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He remembered her standing beside her brother as he chatted with Jaden. Her short trendy haircut had been perfect for her small oval-shaped face. And when her eyes had fixed on him, the dark walnut coloring was so compelling he couldn’t help wondering what color they were when they glowed with passion. And then there was the fullness of her lips and the way they begged to be kissed. Countless nights he found himself thinking about the taste of her on his tongue and fantasizing about burying himself deep inside her welcoming warmth. Unfortunately, Bianca was his best friend’s sister, and bedding her was against the rules. Besides, considering the way her brothers acted when a man even looked in her direction, it just wasn’t worth the drama. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop him from looking.

They had grown up in the same town and even though they didn’t move in the same social circles, he hung out with her brother Jaden. Together they graduated high school and enlisted in the military.

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For You I Do

Since his return to Sheraton Beach two years ago, he’d run into Bianca off and on, but last year he had the pleasure of dancing with her at Jaden’s wedding. He definitely had not expected the rush of pleasure that hit him square in the middle when he had taken Bianca’s hand and led her out onto the dance floor. Just moments with her in his arms and London knew that was where she belonged forever. After that night, they had gone out on a couple of occasions, but their evenings had always ended with nothing more than brotherly kisses.

He sighed and wondered why he was even thinking about Bianca. Maybe because he hadn’t had a date in weeks. While sipping his beer, London tried to remember the last time he had been intimate with a woman, and after several moments decided it had been way too long. Managing the restaurant and trying to open a second one had kept him too busy for a personal life. At the age of thirty, he loved sex just as much as most men his age did, and would love to someday have a serious relationship with the right woman. But now the timing was wrong. Besides, finding a woman to take him seriously might not be easy. Unfortunately, he had developed a reputation as something of a playboy.

London scowled at the thought. He had never been one to play with a woman’s emotions. He made it a habit of letting anyone he became involved with know upfront where she stood with him. Yet few were taken on more than two dates.

Hearing the doorbell, London took a final swig then pushed off from the deck, dropped the bottle in the trash and strolled through the house. He swung the door open just as Jaden was about to ring the doorbell a second time.

“What took you so long?” he barked.

“Hello to you, too,” London said as Jaden stepped into his house without waiting for an invitation. “What brings you over?”

Without answering, Jaden moved into the kitchen, looked inside the refrigerator and retrieved a beer. London followed.

“Do I have to have a reason to drop by to see my boy?”

“On a Friday night at nine o’clock when you have a beautiful pregnant wife at home? Of course not.” London paused and leaned against the doorway. “I was just getting ready to change clothes and go check out this new club on Birch Drive.You want to hang?”

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Jaden paused, screwed off the top on the bottle then shook his head. “Nah.”

Laughing, London gave him a knowing smile. “I didn’t think so.”

Moving away from the refrigerator, Jaden walked over to the table and took a seat opposite his best friend. “Bianca’s getting married,” he announced without preamble.

London pushed away from the wall and barked, “What?”

louder than he’d intended. He felt as if he’d been sucker punched.

“Yep,” Jaden said after giving London a weird look. He then shrugged and took a long, thirsty swallow. “She announced it at dinner yesterday.”

He struggled to keep his voice steady. “Who’s the lucky man?”

Jaden shrugged again as he brought the bottle back to his lips.

“Some cat we have yet to meet,” he said, frowning.

London rubbed a hand across his head as he gave a strangled laugh. Again he tried to regain his composure. “She’s marrying a total stranger?” he asked and stepped farther into the room.

“It seems that way. She refuses to give us any information about him—except that he’s in the Air Force.”

London nodded and almost sympathized with her decision.

He knew Jabarie, Jace and Jaden well enough to understand Bianca’s need for secrecy. If Jaden had even thought for a moment anything more had been going on between him and Bianca other than friendship—not that there was—he would have acted like a plumb fool. Unfortunately for him, other than a few goodnight kisses, nothing more had happened.

While Jaden finished his beer, London moved over and straddled the chair across from him and listened while Jaden told him everything about Bianca’s announcement at dinner the night before. “Well, I guess congratulations are in order.” He didn’t know what else to say.

Jaden gave him a cutting look. “Over my dead body. I plan to find out whatever I can about the dude and put a stop to this madness.” The venom in his voice matched the expression on his face.

London was pleased to know that he wasn’t the only one unhappy about Bianca getting married. “You think he’s after her money?” he asked after a long, intense pause.

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For You I Do

“Maybe. She says it’s love, but I don’t buy it,” Jaden grumbled, then tilted the bottle again.

It bothered London to even think of Bianca being in love with another man. It was selfish of him, especially since he had no intention of marrying. He just didn’t like knowing that she was happy with someone else.

London tamped down the sizzle of jealousy. Bianca was nothing more than a friend to him. “You said he’s in the military?” he asked, then watched as Jaden took another sip of beer before putting the bottle down.

He nodded. “That’s what she said.”

“That should make it easier.”

Jaden gave him a sidelong glance. “You think you can find out who he is?”

Jaden knew London was a former security forces investiga-tor. He had ways of finding out things if he needed to know.

“I’ll watch her house for her fiancé or his vehicle, then talk to one of my guys at Dover Air Force Base and see what I can find out about him.”

“Yo, I’d appreciate whatever information you can find.”

London arched his brow. “I’m going to do better than that. If that cat ever got a speeding ticket, I’ll know about it before the week is over.”

Chapter 4

“You sure you like it?”

Bianca looked up at her fiancé and smiled, warmed by the uncertainty that registered in Collin’s liquid-brown eyes. He was always trying to go out of his way to please her. It was one of the qualities she loved most about him. Although, recently it was starting to get on her nerves.

“It’s beautiful, really,” she said reassuringly, then looked down at the two-carat solitaire surrounded by baguettes. The ring wouldn’t have been her first choice, and she would have preferred if he had taken her along to pick it out, but she wasn’t complaining. Gazing down her finger once more, she sucked in a deep, shaky breath.

She was now officially engaged to Collin Clark.

“I’m glad.” He leaned across the seat of his car and pressed his lips to hers. Bianca closed her eyes and, as the kiss deepened, she waited for the fireworks, the wild flutter in her chest.

Nothing. Absolutely positively nothing.

When the kiss finally ended, Bianca leaned back against the seat and released a heavy sigh.

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For You I Do

“Is everything okay?” Collin asked and stared at her with those big, round eyes that she loved so much.

“Yes,” she lied and pasted on a smile.

“You sure?” he asked with annoying uncertainty. “I’m not pushing you to marry too soon, am I?”

Under normal circumstances, yes, but not in her case. The sooner they married the better off she would be.

“No, four weeks from now is perfect.” Now all she had to do was find a way to keep her family from snooping around in her personal life for that long.

Collin laced her fingers with his. “I don’t mean to rush you, but I love you so much and can’t wait to make you my wife. I’m just afraid my unit is deploying and I don’t want to leave for a year without knowing I have you in my life.”

“Sweetheart, really, it’s okay.” He’d been trying to justify his reasons for rushing their marriage for the last week and it was starting to drive her nuts.

“That’s what I love about you most. Your understanding that I have a military obligation.” He gave her another kiss, then climbed out of the car, and came around to her side and opened the door. Taking her hand, he helped her out of the car then led her up the walkway toward her door. Bianca noticed that she had forgotten to turn on the light. The porch was dark.

She looked over at him. “You want to go to New York for the weekend? We can check out a Broadway play.”

Collin dropped his eyes to the ground then cleared his throat.

“I was going to talk to you about that. My unit is sending me to Virginia next Friday to do some training.”

Her brow rose.
Why was this the first time he was mention-ing this,
she wondered. She looked over at him. The moonlight was obscured by clouds, so she was unable to read the expression on his face to tell if he was as upset as she was. “How long are you going to be gone?”

“Three days,” he answered crisply, taking the keys from her hand and leaning around her to unlock the front door. “I should be home by Monday.”

Her eyebrows knitted with disapproval. It seemed as if every month his unit was sending him somewhere else.

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Sensing her irritation, Collin pulled her into the circle of his arms and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Don’t be mad at me.

I know this is last minute, but that’s the way it is in the military.”

He paused and released a frustrated breath. “That’s one of the reasons I’m getting out as soon as my enlistment contract is up.”

Bianca was relieved to hear that. Since they had begun dating, Collin’s unit had him flying all over the country on numerous assignments.

Releasing her, Collin turned the knob and opened the door.

Light spilled out from the foyer. “We’ll spend some quality time together when I get back.”

“I’m not liking this one bit. How about I go with you?”

Bianca asked.

Collin gave her an innocent smile. “Baby, you know you can’t go with me. I’m an airman. I took an oath to serve my country and that’s just the way it is. These are solo missions.”

“It doesn’t mean I have to like it,” she said, pouting.

He pulled her tighter in his arms, pressed his lips to her forehead then pulled back and gazed lovingly down into her eyes. “I know, baby, and we’re going to do something special when I get back.”