Page 23 of Lacey's Fight

He’d loved his wife, he really had, and would have done anything for her. When he’d pledged his life to her in front of their family and friends, he had wanted to give her the world. A nice home, stability, security, and a family of their own.

But there had always been something lacking.

Passion.

Their young, innocent love had grown into something that could have lasted a lifetime if fate hadn’t intervened so cruelly, but there had been no spark.

At the time Ben hadn’t cared, the relationship had been comfortable, and he’d known that Jemima was the kind of woman he would never have to worry about cheating on him when he was away for long months at a time with his team. At the back of his mind, he’d always worried though. About the effect that his job would have on her. On them.

Could Jemima truly handle being a SEAL wife?

He’d been twenty-four when she was murdered, he’d been with the SEALs only six months. There had been a couple of deployments in that time, and Jemima seemed to cope, but he’d seen the toll it was taking on her, having to keep up a front so he didn’t worry during their video calls.

What would have happened to them after several years if a few months had already started to take their toll on his wife?

Guilt that he was having doubts about the wife he had loved while kissing another woman stole any fire the kiss had ignited inside him.

Ben very well might have ruined their cover before they even really started this mission by throwing Lacey as far away from him as he could, but before he could react someone cleared their throat.

“Oh, sorry. Forgot we had an audience.” Lacey gave a delightfully adorable giggle as she released her hold on him, and he set her on her feet.

Knowing she must have felt him stiffen again just before they ended their kiss, he half expected her to move away from him. Instead, she moved into him, taking one of his hands and lacing their fingers together as she tucked herself into his side and rested her cheek against his chest.

“Sometimes we get a little carried away.” Another little giggle, and he knew she had everyone in the vicinity eating out of the palm of her hand. She was good at this. As if he needed another reason to respect this woman.

“Totally understandable. Your husband is breathtaking,” the woman said. Amelia Kutcher was herself a breathtaking woman. Delicate features, long, silky dark blond hair, large crystal blue eyes, she was slim and dressed in a simple white skirt suit. Pearls adorned the slender column of her neck, and diamonds sparkled in her ears and on her fingers.

“He is, but I don’t share.” Lacey winked and then giggled again before walking toward the other woman, holding her hand out. “Thank you so much for having us, we’re so excited to be here. Well, I am. He just tags along on anything that makes me happy.” More sweet giggling and Amelia was smiling when she shook Lacey’s hand.

“It is a pleasure to have such a lovely couple attending our auction,” Amelia said.

“We’re hoping the merchandise is to our liking,” Lacey said. Like magic her voice took on a darker quality. She was a thing to behold, playing her role to perfection. She was an enigmatic mixture of sweet and dark, someone who could believably have come to purchase people, and yet someone no one would ever suspect of having an evil side.

“As I am sure you are aware, anything you are unable to find in our catalog you’ll be able to special order. Of course, that is substantially more expensive,” Amelia added.

“Oh, money isn’t a concern.” Lacey waved her hand dismissively.

Even though he knew his role was just to play Diana Harper’s quiet, cold, protective husband, he felt like he wasn’t pulling his own weight. He didn’t have to do much but observe and keep Lacey safe, and it didn’t feel like enough when she was going all out with her part.

“My husband loves to make me happy, and I’ve made my mind up,” Lacey said firmly.

“Well, the auction is the day after tomorrow. The catalogs will be available tomorrow, and we have people you can talk to if you need to put in a special request. So you are aware, there are cameras in all common areas for everybody’s protection, but the bedrooms are all private areas, so you two are free to enjoy yourselves,” Amelia told them.

“Oh, we’ll be enjoying ourselves.” Lacey moved back to his side and ran a hand across his abs.

“I don’t doubt it. If I had a man like him, I doubt I’d ever leave the bedroom.” Amelia gave a wistful sigh. The woman looked so demure and put together that you would never suspect she was involved in such an evil business.

“It is hard.” Lacey giggled again then touched a kiss to his jaw.

“Anything else we need to know?” he asked, voice hard. He could not spend another second with prying eyes watching him, expecting him to be an attentive, devoted husband to a woman who stirred up feelings he had no interest in. It would be much easier if his damn body would stop betraying him and reacting to this sassy woman.

“I think that’s it. An information folder is in your room that should answer any questions you have. If there’s something you need to know that isn’t in the folder, feel free to give me a call. There’s a phone in your room, dial 001 to be connected directly to me. I am here to be available for anything you need for the duration of your stay,” Amelia told them.

“We appreciate it, and we’ll definitely call if we need anything,” Lacey said.

“We want your stay here to be enjoyable so don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s anything we can do to make it better. Meal times are listed in the brochure. If you have a special request let the kitchen staff know. And you can make full use of all the facilities here. Pool, spa, gym, it’s all here for your enjoyment. Would you like to be shown to your room?”

“We can find our own way,” he growled, needing to get to the privacy of the room as quickly as possible.

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