Smooth Moves

by Marie Harte

  “Huh?”

  She blushed. “Never mind. Oh good. You’re next.” She pushed him none too gently toward the front counter. “He’s got a head wound.”

  The lady behind the window frowned. “Let’s get you in, fella. You don’t look so good.”

  Chapter 11

  An hour and a half later, Jordan felt torn. She sat in Cash’s living room, waiting while he cleaned up and changed into something comfortable. As she’d suspected, the doctor at the clinic had determined he had a concussion. Since he seemed coherent and hadn’t slurred any words or acted in any way incapacitated, they’d sent him home on the condition someone look after him.

  He’d filled her in on the confrontation with the bullies at the gym. Once again, Cash had taken care to protect someone and gotten hurt because of it. How could she fault him for doing the right thing?

  She couldn’t. Truthfully, she felt so proud of him. Which was stupid. He wasn’t hers, yet she wanted to hug him and take care of him all the same.

  And thinking of hers… She called her brother to check in. “Sorry it’s late. I’ll be home in a little bit. I took Cash to the clinic, and like we suspected, he has a concussion. I’ll stay with him until his brother gets back. You good?”

  “I’m not a baby.” Rafael didn’t sound surly tonight. Thank God. Just his usual snarky self. “Glad Cash isn’t going to get any more stupid than he already is. Big guy needs all those brain cells.”

  “Rafi.” She laughed. “Not nice.”

  He chuckled. “He’s not so bad for a Marine, I guess. I think he likes you.”

  “We’re just friends.”

  “Whatever. You’re taking care of him at eleven on a weeknight. At his house. That’s not exactly in your job description, is it?”

  “Shut up.”

  A snicker. “Just don’t do too much ‘overtime,’ if you get my meaning.”

  “Rafael Younger, you’re not too big to spank.”

  He laughed some more. “I’m going to bed. Don’t wake me when you get in. If you get in.” He hung up. The punk.

  She smiled, relieved that he seemed to be acting like the old Rafael again. They could come and go, his moods. But at least tonight he sounded upbeat. Probably because they had the day off tomorrow and would be going to their parents’ for a Fourth of July picnic. With any luck, her folks would do their best to make it a nice day and not jump on her brother’s case. Of course, if Leanne came, Jordan would be the one struggling to deal with an attitude.

  But that was for tomorrow. Tonight she had a cranky Marine to deal with. A glance around his house showed he had nice taste, a surprise she’d attribute to Reid. She just couldn’t see Cash picking colored throw pillows and accented floral prints on the walls. The furniture was comfortable, a brown-leather couch and matching side chairs centered around an oak table, all facing a large-screen TV mounted to the wall over a stone fireplace. A side table and mirror stood sentry in the hallway just inside the entrance. Farther in, a large space had been designated the dining area with a Craftsman-style table and four chairs.

  The place was homey, comfy, and tastefully decorated with cream-colored walls, honey-blond built-ins on either side of the fireplace, and a darker hardwood floor. The kitchen, newly renovated with stainless-steel appliances and a black-quartz counter that also covered the center kitchen island, had invited her to take a closer look—which she’d done while he was dressing. The cabinets had the same light-colored finish as the built-ins in the living room.

  Overall, the house had a polished finish she envied. It also didn’t seem to fit Cash at all. Reid, sure. But not the hulking Marine addicted to reality TV, beer, and “chicks who dig muscle.”

  Shuffling drew her attention to the lumbering slab of injured male entering the living area. She turned her head to say something smart and gaped instead. Cash wore a pair of loose gray jersey pants and carried a T-shirt with him. He yawned and put it on as he neared, but the sight of his half-naked body stole her ability to think. That he didn’t appear to be trying to impress her made it worse. God, the man was Built. With a capital B.

  “Thanks again, Jordan.” His gruff, deep voice had her taking a second look. A stubbled jaw and tousled hair added to his tired appearance but didn’t detract a bit from his sex appeal. If anything, it made it worse because he looked as if he’d just rolled out of bed. Good Lord, stop thinking about his bed!

  “How’s the head?” she asked when she could form words again.

  With care, he touched the side where he’d been hit. “Sore but otherwise fine. It was a superficial cut that bled a lot. Like I said, he rang my bell. But I’ll be okay. You should go home to Rafi.”

  She nodded and rose from the couch, stepping toward him. “I will. First, sit down and let me look at you.”

  He sat on a stool in the kitchen, and she approached him, now at eye level with the man. She looked at his head and saw a still-oozing cut on his scalp under his hair. “They put a sealer on it?”

  “Yeah. The cut wasn’t deep enough for major stitches.”

  So close, she felt his body heat surround her. She stroked the hair around the cut, taken by his softness. “Good. I bet it hurts though.” She spoke in a soft voice, petting him, offering what little comfort she could.

  “Yeah,” he responded in a tone as quiet. “Feels better now.”

  “You took some ibuprofen?” He’d mentioned he had some at home and hadn’t needed any medication from the clinic. Not that she could blame him at ten bucks a bottle.

  “Yeah. But I feel better because of you. You help just by being here.” A whisper of a confession.

  He wouldn’t look at her, and in that moment, he just seemed so alone. Reid obviously wasn’t at home, not that Cash had wanted her to call him. Cash had no one to take care of him.

  Jordan did what felt right. She took a step closer and hugged him. At first he tensed, but then he eased into her hold and sighed, resting his head on her shoulder. She stroked his arms and his back and massaged his neck, smiling when he gave a soft groan.

  Cash didn’t make any sarcastic comments or try to turn the embrace into a sexual hold. He was off his game, and not having a familiar, sarcastic Cash to deal with bothered her. She didn’t like him hurt because his pain felt personal. That level of attachment to the man should have bothered her more than it did. Instead, she felt it her responsibility to get him on the mend. To care for him.

  “How about some tea or something to drink?”

  He shrugged but didn’t move away from her. “Tea would be good, I guess. We have some in the cabinet.” He paused. “Reid got it for Naomi.”

  She reluctantly pulled away and saw him watching her. But she didn’t have a clue what he was thinking.

  He pointed her to a cabinet, and she grabbed the tea then turned on an electric kettle. “Nice place. How long have you lived here?”

  “A year now. A buddy of ours from the Corps owns it and rents it for cheap. But with Reid moving out, I’ll probably end up leaving too.” He sighed. “Too bad, really. Because all the nice furniture stays with the house.”

  “But you inherited your mom’s place. You could move in there.” In an ideal location, his mother’s house wasn’t too far from this one. “It might take a little work to get it livable, but the house has good bones.”

  He sighed again. “I guess.”

  She fixed him tea and grabbed a cup for herself. “You want anything in it?”

  He nodded. “I like it sweet.”

  “Me too. Milk and honey okay?”

  “Perfect.”

  She smiled.

  His smile, when it came, stole her breath. Because she saw Cash unguarded, simply taking joy in the act of sharing the moment.

  They drank their tea at the kitchen island, staring at each other, until she broke the silence. “So, tell me. What’s with you a
nd Reid?”

  His eyes narrowed, shuttering his expression, and she regretted the loss of his earlier joy. “It’s a family thing.”

  “Uh-huh. I don’t care. Tell me what’s going on. You can talk to me, you know. I’m no narc.”

  He gave a ghost of a grin. “That’s what your brother said about himself.”

  “Well, we Flemings—and Youngers—are good like that.”

  “Youngers?”

  “Rafi’s technically my half-brother. My sister and I are from my mom’s marriage to my dad, Jeff Fleming. My dad died when I was little. Car accident. Mom remarried Carl Younger, my stepdad. He’s Rafi’s father, but we all call him Dad. He’s a good man.” She wished she knew why he thought distancing himself from his son was the right thing to do. “It’s just, he and my mother, they—No. We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you and Reid.”

  Cash scowled. “Are we?”

  “Yes.” She moved around the island to sit next to him. “What’s going on between you guys? Why didn’t you call Reid for help? Or Evan? You’re tight with your cousin, aren’t you?”

  “Huh. Hadn’t even thought about Evan.” He cupped his huge hands around the tea, and the mug disappeared. “You sure you want to hear this? I don’t want to lay all my crap on you.”

  She put a hand over his, taken with the strength that could pummel a bully or caress her with such gentleness. “Sometimes laying it out makes you feel better. And, hey, you listened to me about my brother.”

  “I guess.” He turned to face her, and she did the same, their knees brushing. “Reid and me, we’ve always been close. Even after I moved out of the house at sixteen, I waited for him before joining the Corps.”

  “You joined together. Did you serve together too?”

  “Some. But, you know, you get assigned a duty station, you have to go. The little shit went and got a different MOS, was in a different unit for a while. Radio Recon is okay, I guess.” He grinned, pride in his eyes. From what she knew about Radio Recon, the guys were pretty high-speed. “He’s hell on wheels and knows it. Anyway, we’ve always been tight. But he’s constantly bailing me out of trouble, which is ridiculous. I’m older. I should look out for him.”

  Yet she could understand, knowing the two men. Reid, the levelheaded, responsible one, always there to lend a hand to the brash but brave brother who leaped before looking.

  “So what? He looks out for you because he’s your brother and he loves you.”

  “I guess.” He glanced at his knees. “I don’t do well without focus. It’s no big secret that I have a tendency to find trouble. Not my fault, it just happens.”

  “Like the burglars you stopped over a month ago and the fight in the parking lot tonight.”

  He nodded. “I don’t go looking for it. But I deal with shit when it comes at me.”

  “Right.”

  “I did pretty good in the Marine Corps. Would have stayed in to retire too, but I didn’t like the way some stuff went down overseas. Some assholes in our company were stealing and selling U.S. gear. Weapons too, but no one believed me on that one ’cause they covered their tracks in time. I called them on it, but they had contacts higher up.” If he ever saw Jim Sanders again, he’d give the guy a beating he wouldn’t walk away from. “One of them had a dad who was a general. So it got hushed up, but I wasn’t having it. Somehow a fight started. I, ah, well, I punched a few officers. In self-defense, but who would take my word for it? I would have been court-martialed, except they knew I’d tell everyone the truth in court about what I saw. So it was either get out with an honorable discharge and keep my mouth shut or rot in the brig and serve out the rest of my time on shit duty. I got out.”

  “That sucks.” She could totally see it all going down, his situation similar to the way hers had happened. “They suckered you into a fight, and you took the bait. Then they used it against you.”

  “Yeah.” He took a sip of tea. “Reid wouldn’t have fallen for it. He’d have been smart and quiet and gotten word to someone higher up about what was happening. I saw something wrong and tried to fix it—my way. My way never seems to work for me.”

  A big old pity party for Cash, but she felt for the guy. And after the beating he’d taken tonight, he’d earned some compassion. “So how does this relate to you and Reid not getting along?”

  Cash sat glumly regarding his mug. He glanced back up at her, his frustration evident. “He and Naomi are a total couple. I saw it happening, but then it was just there. The two of them together all the time. I’m glad for him.” She saw that, but she saw something else as well. “But I miss my brother sometimes. He’s always with her. I feel like a loser for not being happier for him, but, shit, we never hang out anymore.”

  “That’s gotta be hard.”

  He nodded. “It is. I’m trying to be mature”—he glared at the half-cough/chuckle she couldn’t keep inside—“about it, but I can’t help feeling like she’s stealing him. Happy now?”

  “Hey.” She put a hand on his knee, and his gaze shot to hers. “I get it. It’s totally understandable. You’re not a loser for feeling jealous.”

  “I’m not jealous exactly. I’m… Hell. I’m jealous.”

  “I’ve gone through what you’re feeling.”

  He blinked. “You have?”

  “With some friends when I was in the Army. You have a tight group, then someone hooks up, and suddenly you never see them again. But none of them were my sister.”

  “Yeah, you have a sister too, don’t you? Are you guys close?” He put a hand over hers then lifted it from his knee and just held it.

  “No. I used to wish we were, but we have a funny family dynamic.” She stopped herself from spilling her guts.

  “We have a lot in common, don’t we?”

  She nodded. “It’s weird. The way you left the Marines? That’s kind of what happened to me. A friend of mine was assaulted by her CO. She didn’t want to report it, because it always ends up falling back on the woman. As if she should be blamed for that asshole forcing himself on her.” Poor Sharon. That prick captain had been a jerk from the beginning of their deployment. The one and only time he’d tried to get closer to Jordan than he should have, Jordan had “accidentally” kneed him in the balls. He’d never come near her again. Sharon had been a lot cuter and nicer. Unfortunately, he’d also gone after her.

  Cash squeezed her hand, and she looked up into his eyes, not surprised at his anger. He let loose a string of colorful swear words. “I hate scumbags who do that. We had our share of female Marines. Not in the infantry so much but the support staff. You could always tell the assholes by the way they treated the WMs.” WMs—Women Marines.

  She nodded. “No one much liked Bowers, but he was in charge. Problem was we didn’t have any decent staff NCOs in our unit once Staff Sergeant Keen left. Sharon got raped—because, yeah, that’s what it was—by Captain Dickhead, who couldn’t keep it in his pants. She told me about it, in tears, and I reported it.”

  He stroked her fingers in his large hand. “I bet that went over well,” he said with derision.

  “Oh yeah. I got so much shit from everyone. It surprised me how few of my friends stuck by me. Even Sharon bitched me out because she hadn’t wanted me to tell. Then a few other females came forward to corroborate what had happened. My so-called friends gradually apologized, but it was too little too late for not believing in me. Almost everyone disliked the guy, but as soon as one woman said he was a no-good rapist, it was as if I’d targeted all of them. A big old man-hater hose attached to my mouth.” She huffed. “The worst thing is they shipped him home. Quietly. I heard he got assigned a crappy duty station, suffered a slap on the wrist. Fucker is still in the Army.”

  “Man. Want me to go kick his ass? Or better yet, hold him down while you tag him?”

  She grinned, her anger fading at Cash’s enthusiasm for
violence. “I wish. I’m a firm believer in karma. You get what you give.” She looked down at their joined hands. “I was all set to have a career in the Army, you know. I was good at it. When I was a kid, I was like Rafi. I had no idea what I wanted to do or be. The Army saved me.” Her eyes burned, and she held tears back with sheer grit. She would not cry in front of Cash. “Now I’m starting over. And I have no clue what I’m supposed to do with my life.” She forced a laugh and met his gaze. “But so far so good. Without me organizing Vets on the Go!, you all would be hopeless.”

  “You got that right. But you think you have it bad—”

  “What, is this a contest?”

  “Yes, it is, so shut up.” He stood and pulled her into his arms. “I got out of the only thing I was good at. Couldn’t hold a civilian job for more than a few weeks at most. Kept arguing with my bosses, getting in fights. I was so mad all the time.”

  She loved looking up at him, feeling all that strength so close.

  He continued, “Once again, Reid saved the day. He started Vets on the Go! for me. Hell, he was fine working in some fancy office, making big money. Instead he quit, went in with Evan and the five bucks I could scrounge up.”

  “Five bucks? That’s all?” Her breath hitched when he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm.

  “Yeah. But it’s the best five bucks I ever invested.” He leaned down and whispered a kiss over her lips. “I’ve kept my job for over a year and a half. We’re finally no longer broke as hell. Now we’re muddling through.”

  “M-me too.”

  He kissed her again, lingering this time. “And I get to work with the best people.” He drew her in to his body, letting her feel all of him. Such heat, such firm, glorious strength. “Now if I have a problem, I know this certain snarky Army chick will have my back. And she’s so fuckin’ hot. I was lucky enough to slide inside her sexy little body the other night.”

  “Lucky, hmm?”

  He kissed her again, and she turned into a molten mess.