The day of the Navy Ball, Meredith arrived home to find AJ talking to two women in her living room. He smiled and led her to her room, where the two women had set up everything they needed to do her hair and makeup. When they left, she slipped into the blue-black silk sheath dress she had chosen. The material clung to her body, and the slit up her right leg revealed shimmery black hose. She peered into the mirror at her reflection. Her hair had been swept up on top of her head in an elegant twist, with small diamond pins accenting the auburn curls. Her makeup was understated, drawing attention to her blue eyes and the generous curve of her mouth painted in a berry color. Her only jewelry was a pair of pear-shaped, diamond-drop earrings.
She slipped into sling-back pumps and stepped into the hall to walk down to the living room. AJ had gotten dressed in the spare room Howie had used, and he was staring out the window when she entered.
He had chosen a traditional black tuxedo, his tie and brocade vest matching her dress. When she cleared her throat, he turned around and stopped dead in his tracks. They both looked each other over, admiring the beauty in front of them. AJ stepped close, taking her hand and kissing her palm.
“You look exquisitely beautiful.”
Meredith smiled at him, brushing her fingers across his lips. “It’s a reflection of the man who loves me.”
He blushed at her words, unable to respond to the love in her voice with anything other than a kiss against the pulse beating at the base of her throat.
“Are you ready?”
She grabbed her wrap, and he draped it across her shoulders. They walked out the front door, and Meredith stopped when she saw the limo. AJ just smiled as he urged her forward, and the chauffeur opened to the door for them. They didn’t talk on the way to the hotel where the ball was being held, simply holding hands as they watched the scenery pass by. They walked up the red carpet, stopping by the coat room to leave Meredith’s wrap, and walked to the opening of the ballroom.
Meredith handed the card to young man waiting to announce them.
“Commander Meredith Davenport and Mr. Alexander McLean.”
Squeezing his arm, Meredith smiled as they walked down the stairs and onto the dance floor. They ended up sitting with some of Team 2 and some of the other training officers. The group laughed a lot as they talked about the training session and some of the other adventures that had occurred after the trainees left the base. When Curran asked about the group’s plans, AJ told them about the three-week promo tour that was due to begin in a couple of weeks.
***Backstreet Boys***
Serenity unlocked her apartment door and walked inside, dropping her bag on the floor. She rifled through the mail before leaving it on the table and heading down the hall. Making her way through the darkened apartment, she stopped in the doorway to her bedroom and just stared.
Brian was stretched out on his belly, arms and legs spread out on the queen-sized bed. The moonlight danced across his skin, giving it a beautiful glow, and she wanted to touch him. Shedding her clothes as she walked, she carefully climbed onto the mattress and laid on top of him.
He turned his head and slowly opened his eyes. “Hey, babe.”
“Hi.” She kissed his shoulder, stretching her arm out along his so that their fingers could entwine.
“What time is it?”
“Almost three.”
“Bad night?” He squeezed her fingers and enjoyed the feel of her body pressed against his.
“Not anymore.” She sighed and let the warmth of his skin relax and lull her into sleep.
***Backstreet Boys***
Brian slapped the alarm clock as it rang then rolled over to snuggle up behind Serenity.
“What time is it?”
“A little after 8. I have to be in the studio at 9.” He squeezed her gently before he pulled away.
Serenity heard him moving around in the bathroom, then heard the shower start. Rolling over, she stretched out and waited for him to return. When he walked back into the bedroom toweling off his body, she whistled.
He grinned and leaned down to kiss her. “Wanna join me for lunch?”
“What time?” She brushed her fingers over his damp skin, lingering at the nape of his neck to play with the curls.
“Around 1:30. Nick will probably join us.”
“Sounds good. Call and let me know where.” Serenity closed her eyes.
“I will. Go back to sleep.”
“Mmm.”
Before he left the room, she was asleep again.
***Backstreet Boys***
Brian whistled cheerfully as he walked into the studio, carefully balancing a cup of coffee and one of the muffins Serenity had made the day before.
“Someone’s in a good mood. Get lucky last night, Rok?” AJ looked over his glasses at his friend.
“Actually, I did.” He grinned at the other man before sitting down on the sofa.
Howie and Nick both turned to look at him, their mouths dropping open in surprise.
“What?” Nick moved to sit beside his friend. “Care to explain that comment, Frack?”
“No.” Brian smiled again, finished his coffee and muffin, and headed into the booth when the sound engineer motioned for him.
The other three just watched him go.
:Any clue what he’s talking about?” Howie took a sip of his coffee.
“Not a one.” AJ rubbed his chin.
“Guess he’s still seeing Serenity.” Nick leaned back against the sofa.
“Who’s Serenity?” Howie was suspicious of someone they had never heard of before.
“Met her at the grocery story. She’s a computer programmer. I overheard him talking to her on the phone when Mom was down visiting.”
“Nick, that was two months ago. Why hasn’t he introduced her? The whole not-knowing thing is kind of weird, and it bothers me.” The older man set his cup down and rubbed his forehead.
“Bothers you?!?! He knew her for a whole month before he told me, and the only reason he did that was because I overheard the phone call.” Nick crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.
“Guys, chill. Rok’s a smart man. I think we need to trust him. I’m sure he’ll introduce us when the time’s right.” AJ turned a chair around and sat down on it, resting his arms on the back.
“When did you get so logical?” Nick stared at his friend.
“Must be Merry’s influence.” Howie looked at his best friend.
AJ flipped them off, ignoring their laughter.
***Backstreet Boys***
“Quarter to two at Joe’s. Yep. Bye.” Brian hung up his phone. Catching sight of his best friend, he walked over to join him on the sofa.
“Wanna join me for lunch?”
“I can’t. Angel is supposed to call at two, and I need to be here to get it. She’s sneaking over to her friend’s house to call.”
“I’m sorry everything’s turned out this way, Nick. You love those kids so much, and they love you—it’s gotta be tearing y’all apart.”
Nick leaned back against the sofa cushions and closed his eyes. “Yeah, it is. But I’ll take any contact I can get, ya know?”
“I know.” Brian laid his hand on the young man’s shoulder and gently patted it. “Want me to bring you something back?”
“Could you? I’d appreciate it.” Nick smiled at the offer.
“Sure. I’m meeting Serenity at Joe’s, so I’ll bring you back one of their cheeseburger platters. They’re pretty awesome.”
“You’re meeting Serenity?” The blond looked at his friend. “And you were going to invite me?”
“Well, yeah. She finally got finished with her application, so she won’t be working so much anymore. She seemed excited about meeting you.”
‘Damn. I wish I could be there.”
“Angel’s more important. There’ll be other chances to meet Serenity.” Brian grinned.
“More chances, huh? I’m guessing this is pretty serious from the look on your face.” Nick studied his friend, realizing that Brian had a content gleam in his eyes.
“It is.”
The two simple words held a wealth of information for the young man, and Nick nodded slowly. “I can’t wait to meet her, then.”
Brian looked at his watch and stood. “I gotta go if I’m going to meet her on time. I’ll be back around three or so.”
“Careful, man.”
“I will.” Brian waved and walked out of the lounge.
***Backstreet Boys***
Pulling into the parking lot, Brian spotted Serenity’s Jeep and smiled. Walking into the diner, he grinned at Helen, their usual waitress, and wandered over to their booth.
“Hey, babe.” He slid into the booth beside her and kissed her.
“Hey, darlin’. How’d recording go this morning?” She smiled at him, dropping her hand to rest on his thigh.
“Good. I think I surprised the guys, though.”
Serenity smiled at Helen when she brought their lunches. Brian smiled, too.
“Helen, I’m going to need a cheeseburger platter to go, with onion rings, and a cherry coke.”
“Sure thing, Brian. I’ll hold on the order until you’re close to being finished so it stays hot.” The older woman grinned at the couple.
“Thanks.”
They arranged their food the way they liked it, each of them stealing a French fry or an onion ring off the other’s plate.
“So how did you surprise them?”
Brian took a sip of his Dr. Pepper after he chewed. “Bone asked me if I’d gotten lucky last night because I came in whistling this morning.”
“And you said?” Serenity looked at him, quirking an eyebrow.
“Yes.” He laughed at the expression on her face before leaning in to lick away the ketchup at the corner of her mouth. “Any night I get to spend with you in my arms, I’ve gotten lucky.”
Leaning close, she kissed him gently. “You are such a romantic.”
“Yeah, I am.” He gave her an Eskimo kiss before they turned back to their lunch.
“Nobody else could make it today?” She bit into her burger and licked the ketchup and mustard off her fingers.
“Nick was waiting on a call from his little sister, the others had plans they couldn’t get out of.”
“Next time, then.” She smiled as she watched him eat.
Their lunch came to an end all too soon. Brian picked up Nick’s lunch, including a slice of apple pie. Serenity paid their bill, and the couple walked outside with their own slices of pie firmly secured in plastic containers.
As he opened the door for her, Brian was captured by the sunlight that streamed over her hair and illuminated her face. He took a deep breath, feeling the ache in his heart grow as he watched her. Reaching out, he cupped her cheek and drew her to him. As he kissed her, he felt everything shift as it settled into place.
When he pulled back, he smiled at her. “I love you, Serenity.”
Her eyes grew wide and her fingers trembled as she pressed them against his lips. The tremulous smile on her lips widened as her hand slid down to rest against his heart.
“I love you, Brian.”
Although he had thought this declaration would be shared in grander circumstances, he realized that this moment—this simple moment—was perfect. He pulled her close for another kiss, their tongues sweeping against each other as they shuddered with the emotions that swept over them.
“I wish I didn’t have to go back to the studio.” Brian rested his forehead against Serenity’s, his hands buried in her hair.
“I wish I didn’t have to go to work.” She stared into his eyes, a slight grin on her face as she hooked her fingers through the belt loops of his jeans.
“Got anything planned for this weekend?” He slid his hands down to grasp her fingers.
“Nope. Ideas?” She leaned back a bit, squeezing his fingers.
“Yep. You, me, locked in a bedroom all weekend long.” Grinning, Brian bobbed his eyebrows as he reluctantly let her go.
“Sounds like fun. I’ll bring the massage oil if you’ll bring the batteries.” Serenity clicked the remote on her key chain and unlocked her door, placing the pie inside on the console.
“Deal.” He grabbed her chin for a hard kiss then released her. “Bye, babe.”
“Bye, darlin’. Don’t work too hard. I want you ready for this weekend.” She winked at him as she climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
Glancing into the rearview mirror, Serenity shook her head at the mess Brian had made of her braid. Grinning, she pulled out of the parking space and waved as she drove off. Brian climbed into his BMW, set his bag on the floorboard, and headed back to the studio. When he walked inside, he found Nick stretched out on the sofa, phone pressed to his ear.
“Yeah, kiddo, I know. If you need me, just call, okay? I love you, Angel. Bye.” Sighing, Nick hung up the phone and sat up.
Brian pulled out his slice of piece and handed Nick the bag. The young man opened his lunch and arranged his sandwich, eating an onion ring as he squished the bun down on the sandwich.
“Bad?” Brian took a bite of his pie, watching his friend’s expression.
“More of the same old shit. I was doing okay until Angel started crying. Apparently, there are a lot of angry words being spoken.” He took a sip of his drink after eating a bite of the sandwich.
“Hey, this is really good.”
“Told ya.” The older man smiled. “I wish I could do something, Nick. I really do.”
Nick sighed, munching on a ring. “Well, when they come to see Dad, I’m going down there. *She’s* just gonna have to deal with it.”
“If you or the kids need anything, just let me know, okay?”
“I will. Thanks, Frack.”
The two men smiled at each other as they continued to eat. Brian finished his dessert and leaned back in his chair, watching as Nick finished the cheeseburger. The young man found the apple pie and stared at it, a grin lighting his face. Digging in, he groaned in delight.
“Oh, God, that’s good.”
“Made fresh every day.” Brian smiled.
“What’s made fresh every day?” Kevin walked into the room, closely followed by Howie and AJ.
“What smells so good?” AJ sniffed the air, his eyes landing on the container held in Nick’s hand.
The young man pulled it close to his chest. “Touch it and die.”
AJ held up his hands. “Easy there, Nicky. I was just looking.”
“Don’t call me Nicky.” He stared at his friend, even as he continued to eat the pie.
“Next time, bring enough for everyone, okay?” Howie looked at the dessert, trying to keep the peace.
“I’ll remember that next time.” Brian laughed as he threw away his container.
The five men went back to work putting the final touches on the album.
***Backstreet Boys***
On Thursday morning, Meredith’s hands shook as she parked her car. The news report said no one had been hurt, just that a few fans had gotten a little exuberant and jumped all over Howie and Brian as they were leaving an interview in New York the day before. Making her way into her office with a minimum of fuss, she dropped into her chair and pulled out her cell phone. Pressing a number, she waited for an answer.
[Hello.]
“What kind of fucking security do you guys have? How fucking difficult is it to keep the fans from doing this?”
[Good morning, love.]
“Don’t ‘love’ me, McLean. I want to talk about the clusterfuck that is your security team.” She leaned back in the chair and booted up her computer.
As it hummed, Becky popped her head in the door and then brought in a cup of coffee. After hearing the news this morning, she knew her boss would be upset that her boys had been in trouble. Meredith waved her in and smiled her thanks for the coffee. As Becky disappeared through the door, she heard Meredith snort.
“You guys need better security, you know that?”
***Backstreet Boys***
AJ hung up his phone, smiling and shaking his head. Brian walked into the living room of their suite and stared at his friend.
“What so funny?” He dropped onto the sofa, rubbing his arm where one of the fans had punched him in her excitement.
“Meredith is pissed at security. She wanted to, and I quote, ‘talk about the clusterfuck that is your security team’.” He grinned as remembered listening to her.
“Did you tell her we’re wondering the same thing?” Brian closed his eyes.
AJ looked over and noticed the scratch marks on Brian’s face. “No. You okay, man? They didn’t get you too bad, did they?”
He opened his eyes to stare at AJ. “I’m okay, but she’s right. We’ve got to do something about this.”
A wicked smile graced AJ’s face, and Brian was immediately wary. “What have you got planned, Bone?”
“The solution to all of our problems.”
***Backstreet Boys***
Friday morning was pretty boring for Meredith. She looked up from the stack of reports in front of her as Becky placed an envelope on her desk. The young woman shrugged as she turned to leave, indicating she had no idea of the contents.
Once alone, Meredith pulled the tab to open the FedEx package and found a plane ticket inside. The scrawl on the note clipped to it was pure AJ.
Love, please come to New York. We need you.
The ticket was dated for Saturday. Meredith picked up the phone and made arrangements for someone to take care of Stasi, then sat back and contemplated her upcoming trip.
***Backstreet Boys***
As she stepped off the plane, Meredith straightened the backpack on her shoulder and headed for baggage claim. Pulling off her suitcase, she started toward the exit and was surprised to find a chauffer there, her name on a large sign.
“I’m Meredith Davenport.”
“Please come with me, Commander.”
She smiled as she realized someone had clued the man in to her rate because she wasn’t wearing anything that could have given her away. She halted at the limousine, waiting until he finished opening the door. She wasn’t surprised to feel a hand grab hers and pull her into the car, but she was delighted to find that all five men were waiting for her.
“Gentlemen, I understand you have a slight dilemma.” She grinned at four of them before turning to the fifth.
“Hi.” He breathed against her lips when their kiss ended.
“Hi.” She stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. He pressed his cheek against her hand and smiled at her.
She looked over at Howie. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay” He nodded at Meredith, glad she was there.
She smiled back before turning to Brian. Gently cupping his chin in her hand, she turned his face from side to side, studying the scratches there. “Any other injuries?”
“Just some scrapes and bruises.” Brian felt safer with her around.
She tapped him on his nose and leaned back against AJ. “Who is the head of your security team?”
“The Firm hired a new guy. Doesn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground as far as I’m concerned. No firm plans or contingencies; no organization. I mean, the man couldn’t lay down a clear line of fire if his life depended on it.” Nick breathed the words out in a rush, still angry over what happened.
Meredith grinned at the young man, amused that he still remembered what she taught him. “Guess it’s a good thing I left my new HK 9 mil at home.”
Howie laughed. “Meredith, you’re here, and that’s dangerous enough.”
She leaned over AJ and patted the other man’s knee. “Thank you, D.”
AJ covered one of her hands with both of his. “So how was last week?”
The other four were confused by the question.
“Very hard. I knew it would be tough, but I don’t think the people in the war room expected to see me cry as I directed the last mission.”
He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “It’ll be okay, you know.”
She sighed as she leaned against him. “Yeah, I know.”
Kevin looked at her as he remembered what was supposed to happen during the past week. He understood that saying goodbye to a way of life was difficult. Irene had told him that Meredith’s tour was about to end, and she was feeling a bit disconcerted about it. The other three were confused.
“What happened?” Nick looked between AJ and Meredith.
She smiled at him. “I’m now, officially, a civilian. My tour ended yesterday, although I can still be called as a reservist for three years.”
“Wow.” He leaned back against his seat and tried to wrap his brain around the thought that Meredith wasn’t in the Navy anymore. As he looked at the couple, his thoughts began to gel, and he slowly raised an eyebrow at the man in front of him. AJ grinned and shook his head, letting Nick know that he shouldn’t say anything.
Meredith turned to look at AJ again. He had been wondering when she would comment on the piercing.
“So, this is new.” She gently brushed her fingers against his chin.
“Yeah, well, I was…”
“bored!” Four other voices loudly finished the sentence, and she laughed.
“Did it hurt?”
AJ shrugged. “A little. I think it’s cool.”
“If you had to pierce something, why couldn’t it have been your tongue? I hear that can be quite enjoyable.” Meredith leaned close to AJ, resting her hand on his thigh.
He stared at her then slowly raised an eyebrow. “Are you complaining?”
“Never. It was just a thought.” She winked at him.
“Eeeeuuuwww.” Nick’s voice echoed through the back seat as his mind finally caught up with the conversation. He covered his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear the mental image.
The rest of them laughed at his antics, and he finally joined in after a few minutes of shuddering in disgust.
The limo pulled up to the service entrance, and all six of them got out. Meredith looked around, studying the environment as she followed them into the hotel. They took her up to their floor and into their suite of rooms. AJ put her suitcase in his room, and she dropped her backpack on the floor. Kevin handed her a pass that would allow her access to wherever they were and a room key. She looked at them and tucked them into her back pocket, then went over to the window to look out at the mass of fans in front of the hotel.
“You guys got a spare concert t-shirt laying around?” The question caught them off guard.
“Uh, I think we can find one.” Howie disappeared from the room, returning a few moments later with a t-shirt.
Meredith took off her button-down to reveal a tank top and pulled the shirt over it. She unbraided her hair, fluffing out the curls, and smiled at the guys. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
As she passed AJ, she gave him a hard kiss and patted his butt.
“Where’s she going?” Brian’s eyes followed her out of the room.
“I’m not sure I want to know.”
They waited around the suite, curious to find out what she was up to. Nick looked out the window, staring at the fans, and did a double take. “What the hell is she doing?”
Four faces joined him at the window as they watched a familiar head of auburn curls make its way through the crowd. They watched as she worked her way through and disappeared into the front of the hotel. Twenty minutes later, she appeared on the balcony outside their room, startling Nick.
“How’d you get out there?” He opened the door to let her in.
“Persistence and a piss-poor security setup. I wanted to see how easy it was to get to you.” Meredith flopped down on the sofa, stretching out her arms as she did.
“You guys realize you could be dead before you even called out for help?”
Hearing her say it only confirmed what they knew. “He’s got to go.”
AJ dropped down next to Meredith, and Nick claimed the spot on her other side. Brian and Howie grabbed the other chairs and pulled them close. Kevin sat down in a chair near the sofa.
“What do you suggest?”
As she looked at their faces, she realized that she felt like she was home again. Grinning at them, she began to lay out what she needed to know before she could make any suggestions.
Table of Contents
Chapter Seventeen