by Jade Alters
“Oh.” She blinked, glancing at me. “You aren’t kidding…?”
“No, ma’am.” I ruffled my hair, teasing my fingers through the longer bits on top. I kept my voice serious to make sure she could tell the difference; it was easy to forget that strangers couldn’t immediately detect when I was and wasn’t joking. “I mean… don’t be scared, you know? We wouldn’t have you here if it was unsafe. You want to go out and get some fresh air, you’re more than welcome. I just wouldn’t stray too far, just in case.”
“Got it.”
I could see I’d unnerved her. It made me feel bad, but even stronger than that it made me want to make her feel safe again. It’d probably be weird to put my arm around her this early on, wouldn’t it? Instead I shifted between my feet, opening the door to take a few steps outside. Hopefully that would prove the situation wasn’t too dire. “Nice out here, actually. Looks like somebody had a vegetable garden here once.”
“Shame we don’t have time to restart it,” she said. “Bet you guys would love eating fresh.”
“Oh, ‘cos of this?” I tapped my bicep, wrinkling my nose. “Nah. That’s all Taco Bell.”
“Jessica, your bag is in your room,” Blake called. “Just in case you want it.”
“Thank you!” she called back. “And honestly, really — Jess is fine…”
I watched her go, fighting the instinct to let my eyes drift down to her ass. Maybe something could happen between us further down the line, but I really didn’t want to push it. She seemed like a cool person in general, and we had three whole months to spend here. I didn’t want to make things awkward or uncomfortable for her, or for anybody else on the team.
But she’d definitely noticed my arms…
Jessica
This whole endeavor was still definitely the biggest risk I’d ever taken in my professional life, but I felt more certain about it as time went by. The drive to the cabin was long, but it gave me a chance to get to know my new employers — or colleagues, really. They treated me more like an equal than as a subordinate, and I appreciated that.
Blake seemed pretty insistent on calling me by my full name, but I hoped to be able to persuade him out of that before long.
The first day after we arrived, things were pretty calm. The boys still had some unpacking to do, and I got up early to get breakfast going. The smell of cooking bacon soon tempted four hungry Norths out of their rooms, just in time to have it served up fresh and crackling onto their plates.
“I knew this was a good idea,” said Hale, ruffling a bit of life into his hair. “I think you just earned every cent we’re going to pay you with this one meal.”
“You haven’t eaten it yet,” I warned. “You remember my training is in finance, right?”
“The culinary courses missed out,” said Stone, already halfway through his plate. “You’re amazing. Thank you for this.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. North. That’s why I’m here!” As they carried on digging in, I remembered another question I had. It was a slightly awkward one, so I figured it was better to get it out of the way early. “Hey, uh… listen. I have to ask. You’re all Norths. So, are you… brothers…?”
They certainly didn’t look like it.
Stone and Hale glanced at one another, and Blake sat up a little straighter to answer my question. “It’s a long story,” he said, “but no, we’re not technically related. We consider each other family, but we’re not connected up that way.”
I nodded, but that hadn’t really clarified things.
“More like cousins,” said Stone, trying to be helpful. “Think of it that way. We grew up together. Our families are so close they’re basically all the same thing.”
That didn’t explain the shared surname, but I decided to give up on asking before things got even more awkward. “I see. And now you all work together.”
“We make a good team,” said Hale. “The kind of work we do, you need to be able to communicate quick and fast. You need to be able to trust each other. Just kind of makes sense.”
“Plus,” said Stone, “we each have different skills that complement each other. I’ve studied a lot of first-response medicine, so I’m our unofficial medic.”
“Weapons and communication,” said Preston, holding up a hand. It was one of the only times he’d spoken directly to me so far, and it surprised me to see him meeting my eyes. I’d already decided that he was deathly shy — either that, or he didn’t like me.
Blake pushed his plate away from himself, finally finished. “I take the lead.”
“And I back him up,” said Hale. “Blake’s a pretty strategic thinker. Very methodical. Great ideas. I’m more of a people person.”
I looked at each of them, impressed by the wide array of skills. I still didn’t really know what they were here for, but I’d heard ‘military’ and ‘classified’. I’d signed a non-disclosure agreement — and now the word ‘weapons’ had been thrown into the mix. They were so capable that I felt a little intimidated simply to be in their presence. Trying to make light of that, I held up my hands. “And I… make a mean breakfast.”
“Let’s not undervalue that,” said Stone. “I’d take breakfast over Hale’s supposed people skills any day.”
“You see what I put up with?” said Hale. “Every day!”
“Not every day,” said Blake. “Because this is the part of the conversation where I remind you that I am working with Stone on shift this time, and you’ll be teamed up with Preston.”
“You’re not all working together?” I asked, then pulled a face and covered my mouth. “Sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“It’s fine,” Blake insisted. “It’s like Hale told you before. The fact that you’re here at all proves that we trust you. If we need to keep something from you, we’ll let you know; otherwise, ask away.”
His eyes were so intense that I couldn’t help but blush and avert my gaze. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll bear that in mind. Thank you.”
“No,” Blake continued. “You’re right. We’re not all working together. To make sure we’re covering as much ground as possible in these initial stages, we’ll be operating in shifts. We won’t be sleeping or eating at the same time so that there’s somebody out working almost at all times.”
That’s intense. What are they really working on here?
“That doesn’t mean you need to make every meal twice,” Stone added. “We can reheat stuff. We’re not trying to work you twice as hard as we agreed.”
“You’re not eating reheated food if I can help it,” I insisted. Now that we actually had discussed pay, I knew that I was going to be compensated for every single hour I spent here, even while asleep. There was no way I was going to slack off on those terms. “You’re going to be working so hard; I’m sure you’ll be exhausted. The least I can do is make sure you have something good to eat when you get back.”
“Just don’t feel pressured,” said Stone. “That’s all we ask.”
As it turned out, however, I didn’t think I could feel pressured if I tried. As the boys began working in shifts, we started to settle into a routine. Even with two sets of meals to prepare, I didn’t have much work to do. It felt like the greatest part of my day was spent relaxing, with very little to occupy my time except reading and messing around with the hand-weights that the Norths had brought to the cabin with them.
If the off-shift men were awake, we could spend a little time talking and hanging out. The more time I got with them, the more I grew to like their company. Before long, I knew I’d be hoping to spend even more time together. I just hoped that sometime soon, we’d get to a point where I didn’t feel butterflies in my stomach every time one of them made direct eye contact with me. ‘Cos this, right now, with all the blushing? This wasn’t me at all.
Stone
The first few weeks of the mission went by without any incident. It was easy to forget that we were here to hunt down an extremist sleeper cell that the government had identifie
d as a national security threat. So far, we had seen neither head nor tail of their gun-toting selves — and every time we came in out of the cold, we either had a hot meal waiting for us, or just about to be served.
Even better than the meal was the company. Jess was already proving to be exactly the kind of company we needed. She had a great sense of humor, even if it veered a little too self-deprecating for my liking. She seemed to feel inadequate around us sometimes, as though we were some kind of superhero force and she was just our backup. I hoped she’d soon realize that we were just a bunch of goofballs who happened to have some pretty useful skills.
Well. A bunch of goofballs and Blake.
I loved the leader of our pride just like the others, but he had such a serious outlook that I couldn’t accurately call him a goofball. He seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I often wondered whether he got enough sleep at night. Even now, as he could hear Jess asking us a question, his eyes were so intense and serious that I figured something else must be on his mind — right up until the moment he answered her.
“It’s because Hale is my second in command,” Blake explained; she had asked, maybe just to make polite conversation, why we always went out in the same pairs. “We have to keep separate in case something should happen to one of us.”
“You’re in that much danger?” she asked.
I gave Blake a look, hoping that he wouldn’t alarm her. Luckily, he seemed to be thinking along the same lines. “It’s mostly a precaution,” he said, pouring himself another glass of water from the pitcher. “A military habit, I guess. They’re hard to kick.”
“Are you all military-trained?”
He nodded, but as he’d just taken a mouthful of water, I stepped up to answer.
“We are now. When the team was formed, Blake, Hale and Preston were all Marines. I wasn’t. I’d just been working on my medical studies, and I had to go through basic training before I could officially be considered a part of this. ‘Course, we already worked together as a team pretty well, since we’d grown up together, but… training made it official.”
“Wow,” she said. “All pretty hardcore, huh?”
“I’m going to assume you’re not teasing me,” I said. “For your own safety. That’s how hardcore I am.” I grinned at her laughter, turning to follow her progress around the table as she carried her own plate to eat with us. “Laughing to stave off the fear,” I said. “I see how it is.”
“I’ll make sure I don’t turn my back on you,” she said.
“That’s right.”
Blake glanced up from his maps, giving both of us a crooked smile. “The day Stone keeps his mouth shut for long enough to sneak up on anyone with their back turned, I’ll be shocked.”
“Hey,” I said, pretending to be wounded. “I’m not Hale.”
“You’re the next best thing, while he’s out,” Blake insisted. “Or next worst, I guess.”
“So, as I was saying,” I said, turning to Jess. “We work very well together.”
Our eyes met. She gave me a wicked smile, chin propped up on her hand. The blonde hair she hadn’t gathered into a loose bun was falling into her eyes — and so was I. Maybe I was imagining things, but it felt like she felt closer to me than any of the others. That kind of made sense. I was the youngest, and acted like it; of the four North men, I was probably least intimidating to an outsider. Besides, Blake teasing me about being a mini-Hale wasn’t far off the mark. I was pretty good with people too and liked to think I’d done a good job of making Jess feel at home here in the cabin.
Whether that would lead to more, I wasn’t sure — but I had gained a friend I liked very much either way. It just remained to be seen whether I’d be pining over her in secret.
Well, it probably wouldn’t be a secret for very long. Hale would pick up on it the second he sees us together. For as much as we messed with each other, he was my best friend, and the other two members of the pride weren’t far behind. They’d be able to see my attraction to Jess written all over my face. I could only hope that she wouldn’t be able to read me so easily — or that if she could, she liked what she saw.
“Alright,” said Blake, folding up his maps. “I’m going to hit the shower, and then hit the hay. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”
“Okay, boss. See you in the morning.”
“Night, Blake!” said Jess, waving him off.
And with that, it was just us. I felt even more drawn to her now that we were alone, but I knew it wasn’t right to push it. I didn’t even want to. We had plenty of time to get to know each other better at our own pace — even if she made my stomach flip when she looked at me.
“Well,” she said. “I better get started on these dishes.”
“I can handle those. You cooked.”
“Absolutely not,” said Jess, snatching my plate away before I could carry it up to the sink. “This is what you’re paying me for, and it’s about all I can do for you.”
I pressed my hands together, giving her a sheepish smile. “Doesn’t feel right to sit here and watch you, though. You’ve got to at least let me help.”
“You’re providing company,” she said. “That’s how you can help. If you just- ah!”
My ears pricked at the sharp intake of breath, and I stood from the table to go to her immediately. She lifted her hands out of the sink, her left hand gripping her right. There was a nasty cut in her palm.
“Whoa,” I said. “What happened?”
“Sharp knife in the water,” she said, through gritted teeth. “Must’ve landed upright when I dropped it in the bowl.”
I reached across to drain the sink. Sure enough, a small, sharp cutting knife stood upright, wedged between a bowl and a pan.
“Clearly, I’m an idiot,” she said.
“No, no. Could’ve happened to anyone. You keep hold of your hand, okay? I’ll be back in a beat.”
“I can manage,” she called after me. “Honestly, I don’t need any fuss.”
“Listen,” I said, returning with my basic first aid kit. “I’m the medic, and the last time this team saw bloodshed it was because Preston got a paper-cut. Let me be useful.”
I was half-teasing, but the wound in her hand did actually look pretty nasty. If untreated, it could easily get infected — and it was definitely going to hurt tomorrow, especially if I didn’t bandage it up correctly.
“Here,” I said, guiding her to the table. “Come sit down. I’ll clean and wrap it.”
“Do I have to?”
“And here I was thinking you’d be a model patient,” I said, taking a seat beside her. I opened the kit and dabbed a little cleaning solution onto a cotton pad. “Fair warning. This is going to sting a little.”
“I can take it.”
She winced as I applied the solution, dabbing it carefully around the wounded area. There was a lot of blood, but thankfully the cut wasn’t as deep as it looked. The blade had gone into her hand at an angle, and thankfully missed anything that could have caused real damage — her tendons or her muscles, for example.
“Almost done,” I said, giving it one last wipe. “Alright. Sorry about that.”
“You’ll notice I didn’t complain,” she said. “I’m a big girl.”
“I did notice. You could’ve been forgiven for cursing like a sailor,” I said, laying some gauze over the cut. “I know what that stuff feels like.”
“Maybe you’re just a big baby.”
I grinned at her. “Probably, yeah.” Though she smiled back at me, I could see that a little color had faded out of her cheeks. Jess was strong, but clearly it hurt more than she was willing to show. I made sure to keep my touch gentle as I bandaged her up.
“There we go. My medic skills aren’t a waste after all.”
A few moments later, I realized that I hadn’t let go of her hand. Nor had she pulled it away. Not thinking, I traced my thumb gently over the top of the bandage. Had it been skin to skin, it’d have been a feather-
light touch — probably ticklish.
She swallowed, and the color returned to her cheeks.
God, was she ever beautiful!
I let go of her hand, fighting off the urge to lean closer and kiss her. This was too much, too fast. I didn’t want to overwhelm her or make things awkward for the rest of her time here. I scratched the back of my neck, smiling down at the table.
“Anyway, you’re welcome. And now you’re going to have to let me take care of the dishes.”
“Oh, come on!”
I gave a big exaggerated shrug and stood up from the table, picking up the rest of the plates. “For all I know, this was your plan all along. I’m onto you, Dorsey.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she said. She was looking at her hand. I made my way to the sink. When I looked back at her, I could see that the back of her neck and the tips of her ears were all a bright, bashful pink.
Jessica
I could still feel Stone’s touch on my hand, both under and around the bandage. It was more pronounced than the pain — the dancing, electric tingles that reminded me exactly where our skin had come into contact. My heart was pounding, and I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious as I said my goodnight and headed to my own room.
Had he noticed, I wondered, what effect he had on me?
As I settled into bed for the night, setting my alarm ready to wake up and make breakfast, I could still feel my heart going at hummingbird pace in my chest. I couldn’t settle down. Was it normal to feel this way about somebody you’d only just met? I’d never been a head-over-heels kind of girl. Even worse, I had to be honest with myself.
It wasn’t just Stone that set my pulse racing.
Blake’s ‘oh-so-serious’ persona sometimes cracked into a soft smile, and I could feel myself melting every time I saw it. Preston still didn’t speak much, but there was something intriguing and appealing in his dark eyes. Hale was so charming that it intimidated me, and I could feel my tongue tying up around him.
