He stood just inside the hanger, holding a cardboard tray with four steaming cups of something from Starbucks. His other arm was tucked protectively against his side, the only outward sign of the wound he’d received. With the bright sun at his back, she couldn’t make out his features, but she’d recognize those shoulders and that voice from a crowd of thousands. Her heart jump-started into double time.
“At least I hope I’m why you’re going.” He took a few steps toward her but halted a dozen feet away.
* * * *
MacGyver heard Kellie talking and stopped just outside the hanger to listen. Music to his ears. He hadn’t realized how uptight he was until the vise that pinched his gut suddenly let go.
Blake was inside with her, and the unfamiliar voice must be Christian’s, which meant it was Blake’s brother who’d just invited her to visit him in San Francisco. Hell no, that wasn’t happening. MacGyver didn’t care if the guydidhave a girlfriend.
He nearly dropped the carrier full of coffee when she said she was going to San Diego.Hishometown. His alter ego immediately raised the idea she was making the trip to see him. Why else? Jeremy’s uncle also had a home in San Diego, which meant Anna could be there. His emotions yo-yoed up and down so fast they were making him dizzy. By the time Christian posed his question about why she was going, MacGyver had already stepped inside the hanger with no recollection of moving.
He must have spoken the words out loud that he’d been thinking, because everyone turned at the same time to stare in his direction. MacGyver smiled and let his perusal roam over her, assuring himself she was all right. Aside from her lack of a smile, everything was where it was supposed to be.
Dressed in baggy coveralls, the sleeves and legs rolled up, she was covered with streaks of grease. She even had a smudge on her cheek. Despite that, she’d never looked more beautiful. Her silky blonde hair, pulled back in a low ponytail, framed her perfect face. The incredible green of her eyes, wide with surprise, filled the empty places in his heart with an ache he’d never felt before.
“Kellie? Can we talk, baby? I need to explain something I said that you might have misunderstood.”
MacGyver felt as though he’d been cut off at the knees when Kellie turned her head toward Blake and frowned. “You told him, didn’t you?”
Blake nodded once and shrugged. “Somebody needed to.”
Christian laughed until Kellie directed her raised brows at him. He choked, coughed and lifted his palms as though he could ward off her irritation. “Sorry, but hell, Kellie, a lot can be hashed out when you talk things over. Didn’t our conversation teach you anything?”
She regarded the wheelchair-bound man for a moment with what could only be considered affection before she turned back to MacGyver. Moisture shone in her eyes. “You don’t have to explain.”
“Yes, he does.” Blake went into action, striding toward MacGyver, and grabbed the coffee tray he’d forgotten he was carrying. “Chris and I are going to get some air. Right, Chris? You two kids feel free to use my office if you need some privacy.”
Christian followed his brother, accepting one of the coffee cups, and they disappeared around the edge of the doorway.
When MacGyver looked back to Kellie, a slight smile illuminated her features, and big teardrops welled behind lids that couldn’t blink them away fast enough. With superhuman effort, he stayed where he was. “It’s really good to see you, Kellie. I’ve been worried.” That was an understatement. He searched her face, but she wasn’t giving away anything.
“Charlie wouldn’t tell me where you were. I thought I’d come apart at the seams, missing you.” God, he needed to hold her. “I want you to know I totally respect you for stepping up to help that Iraqi girl. I’m sorry if something I said to Blake made you think otherwise. You did the right thing, and anyone who doesn’t believe that is a douche bag.”
Kellie looked toward the heavens as she shook her head. “It’s hard…now that I’ve met Christian and see what kind of a man he is. War is horrendous on a good day. Sometimes a person just needs a little help to forget for a while. Drug abuse and war go hand in hand. Drinking and shooting up made Christian forget who he was—what he believed in. One bad decision almost destroyed three people’s lives. But, you know what? If I’d known him then like I know him now, I’d have probably gone to bat for him too. Does that make me a bad person?” Tears rolled down her face and she swiped them away.
“No, Champ. It makes you the most compassionate person I’ve ever known.” MacGyver fisted his hands and forced his feet to stay planted where they were.
She laughed through a sob. “I’ve done a lot of forgiving in the past twenty-four hours.”
“You didn’t happen to include me, did you?”
Kellie tilted her head, the move giving her a look of confusion. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead. What is it you think you need forgiveness for?”
“I can be an ass sometimes. I told you I wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship. Thatusedto be true but not anymore. Not since you flashed those gorgeous eyes at me and then threw up on my shoes.” Actually, she’d missed his shoes, but he was making a point. “Not since I fell in love with a stubborn, sexy Marine.”
Her eyes widened and her hand flew to her throat as her mouth dropped open. “Really?”
“Really, baby.” He started toward her, and she met him halfway.
Leaping into his arms, she wrapped her legs around his waist and hugged his neck.
MacGyver’s wince made her freeze and then scramble to break all contact. “Oh crap! I hurt you. I’m so sorry.”
He clasped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him, ignoring the ache in his side. It was worth it to have her back where she belonged—as close to him as a second skin. He buried his face in her hair, enjoying her scent of honeysuckle with a hint of orange spice. His lips moved against the silky smoothness of her throat. “I may never let you go again.”
Her laugh was half sob as she drew back and looked in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to—I tried to respect your rules, but you had me athands off my wife. What I’m trying to say is…I love you too, and I don’t know how to make it work, but I want you in my life.” She rained kisses on his face and neck, pressing her body to his in a way that gave him all kinds of ideas.
Thank God. That was exactly what MacGyver wanted too…forever and ever. The feel of that word was new and a little strange, but he liked it, and he’d definitely add it to his vocabulary where she was concerned. MacGyver crushed her to him, his heart content for the first time in a very long while. Finding her lips with his, he devoured her, demanding entrance, and when she opened for him, he flicked his tongue to every corner of her mouth. Greedily, he took what she offered and gave all of himself in return.