by Leslie North
She felt a twitch in her legs. Yeah, they wanted the run: the pounding, the buildup of lactic acid, the satisfaction of covering miles. It had been so long since she’d had that. With another check on the sleeping baby, she returned to the bedroom where Alex still slumbered. She could be out and back before either of her men woke. Quietly, she dug in her drawer for running shorts and a tank top before creeping down the stairs. She waited until she was just inside the front door before putting her shoes on. Sticking her phone in a pocket, she disarmed the security system and stepped outside, gently tugging the door closed behind her.
When she stood on the front walk, she stretched her arms upward, taking in a deep breath that filled her lungs. She lowered her hands to her heart, centering herself before taking off. She’d learned that trick from a coach in college and always found it soothing and energizing at the same time.
She started off slow, setting little goals for herself. She’d jog to the next light post and then sprint to the stop sign. As her breathing became heavier and her muscles burned, she remembered the sheer joy of moving that had sustained her as a teenager and college student. This was a unique kind of freedom, one that she’d been without for too long. When Luke got a little bigger, she’d buy a jogging stroller and get back to running daily.
After about two miles—hardly a warm-up, back in the day, but it would take her a while to regain her stamina—she slowed to a walk, happy that she’d avoided getting a cramp in her side. She was near the downtown area of Sheridan Falls, and she looked in the windows of stores and restaurants as she went past. Distracted, she turned a corner and nearly collided with two women she recognized from the department store where she had worked.
“Hi,” she said as she came to a stop, still a little breathless.
“Soledad,” they exclaimed in unison. They all exchanged hugs and greetings, excited to see each other for the first time in several months.
“You look fabulous,” Caitlyn said. The chic older woman had worked in the store’s bridal salon and wedding registry.
“Walk with us a bit so we can catch up,” Lauren suggested. She was in her early thirties and had managed the better women’s dresses section. Soledad had always admired her sense of style and eye for detail.
“I’d love to.” Soledad turned to head in the direction they’d been going, glad to have other women to talk with. Alex’s sisters-in-law were welcoming and kind, but her former coworkers knew her so much better.
“I want to see baby pictures,” Caitlyn asked as they walked.
“You need to get Facebook,” Lauren said, laughing. “You can see tons of them there.”
Soledad had posted several photos after assuring Alex that she had her privacy settings adjusted so only her friends could see the images. “I’m happy to show you on my phone.” Soledad pulled it from her pocket, but the sunlight was too bright for them to see the screen.
“Let’s duck in there.” Caitlyn gestured across the street to a café with a blue awning. “We can get a cup of coffee and look at pictures. I’ll treat.”
Soledad hesitated for just a second before following the other women into the café. She couldn’t be away too long, but a few minutes couldn’t hurt. Before ordering, she checked her phone. No texts from Alex. Most likely he and Luke were still sleeping. She could take some time to catch up with her friends.
Soledad ordered a cappuccino, and the three of them sat at a table in the café’s front window. Holding her phone so Caitlyn could see, Soledad scrolled through images of Luke, beginning with when he was just a few hours old and going all the way to the day before, when Alex was playing with the baby.
“Is this Daddy?” Caitlyn asked, her eyes on Alex. “He’s a handsome one.”
“He is,” Soledad agreed. She could tell that Caitlyn wanted to ask questions about her relationship with Alex, but she didn’t. Soledad wasn’t sure how she’d have answered, but she knew her friends could tell she was happy. She supposed that said plenty about her and Alex.
“Are you ready to go back to work?” Lauren asked after they’d chatted about what their former coworkers were up to now.
“Not really,” Soledad admitted, disliking the idea of leaving Luke, “but I’ve started to look around.” She had to.
“I might know of an opening where I’m at. I think it’s part time for now, but it might become full time soon, and it’s a good place to work.” Lauren had taken a job at an upscale women’s boutique a couple of blocks from the café where they sat.
“At LaForce’s?” Soledad asked. The shop was known for excellent customer service and the best quality clothing. She’d shopped there for special gifts and the occasional treat item for herself.
“We’re starting to carry men’s clothing. Beautiful pieces. We got in this cashmere sweater from Scotland that you’d love,” Lauren gushed.
Soledad had worked in the men’s department, selling both casual and designer items, for the three years until she was laid off. She leaned forward, eager to hear the details of LaForce’s new offerings. Lauren filled her in on more of the products, such as Italian suits and shoes and designer sportswear.
“Sounds great,” Soledad said, taking a sip of her drink. It was the kind of work she had loved at the department store, but she felt conflicted about looking into it. She should, of course, but was she willing to leave Luke and now Alex, too?
Willing? Earning a living wasn’t optional, she chided herself. She couldn’t live off of Alex’s generosity forever, no matter how much she enjoyed being with him and Luke. With some additional work, her blog might bring in extra income, but she wasn’t silly enough to ignore a great possibility when it landed in her lap.
“I can put in a good word for you,” Lauren suggested, “but you’ll want to apply in person.”
“Men like to buy clothing from attractive women,” Caitlyn added with a smile. “It’s a fact.”
Soledad laughed. She’d been a good salesperson because she knew the product and was personable, but she admitted that an occasional flirtatious smile didn’t hurt sales.
“You’re getting checked out right now,” Lauren said nodding toward the café’s front window, which reflected the interior. “Guy in the back corner, blue baseball cap. He can’t take his eyes off you.”
Soledad took a casual glance in that direction and saw an attractive, athletic-looking man dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. He caught her gaze and gave her a half smile and nod. A shiver went down her spine. There was something about his expression she didn’t like. He gave off a bit of a creeper vibe.
“Not my type,” she said to Caitlyn and Lauren. “He seems a bit… I don’t know. He’s making me uncomfortable.” She was rarely put off by anyone, so when her senses warned her about someone, she’d learned to listen.
Soledad took LaForce’s hiring manager’s name and number from Lauren and stored it in her phone. Maybe later she’d make a call or get dressed up and head to the store to complete an application. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. While she was keying the information into her phone, she noticed the guy in the baseball cap get up and head for the door. He paused with his hand on the handle, eyeing her before tipping his head at her.
“A bit obvious,” Lauren commented as they watched him walk to a black Mustang convertible. He put the top down and drove away, but Soledad couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling he’d given her.
“I should get home,” she said a few minutes later. “Luke will wake up soon and want to be fed.”
“We’ll walk with you part of the way,” Lauren said without being asked. Soledad understood that her friends had her back.
They walked at a brisk pace until they were just two blocks from Alex’s house. After giving her more hugs and encouragement to apply for the job at LaForce’s, Caitlyn and Lauren turned in the opposite direction. Soledad considered sprinting home but fought the irrational fear that the guy had left her feeling. But she wasn’t foolish, either. She kept an eye on her sur
roundings as she continued toward Alex’s townhouse. She was in front of Gina’s place when she noticed a black Mustang parked at the curb several houses up the street.
Quickening her strides, Soledad hustled inside, locked the door, and set the alarm, feeling strangely vulnerable. It was probably nothing, she rationalized. Someone on the street happened to own the same car. She didn’t remember seeing it before, but she wasn’t overly observant about vehicles either. Alex likely knew the make, model, and license plate of every car on the street. That was who he was. She could ask him about the car, but what would she say? “I think some guy from the coffee shop followed me home”? No way.
She went up the stairs, listening for any sounds from Luke. When she heard nothing, she jumped in the shower and filed away her worry. She’d had a great run and a wonderful, unexpected reunion with her coworkers. That’s what mattered about the morning.
Alex sat at the little desk in the den to review alerts from the security system and footage from the cameras that covered the front and rear of the townhouse. He’d gotten in the habit of analyzing the data several times a day, looking for any clue that Bruce was out there. He’d done it more often when he’d used the den as his bedroom, especially late at night when he couldn’t sleep. He wasn’t having that problem anymore. Sleeping with Soledad took away some of his restlessness. Probably because he could hold her and make love to her whenever he wanted. Doing that soothed him in ways he hadn’t expected.
Being with her was even better than he remembered. She was as sexy as ever, but there was something else, too. He skimmed through security data even as he thought about Soledad and their relationship. The trust between them was greater and more meaningful than it had been. It must be sharing a child that drew them together—which seemed natural, but parenting had done nothing for his parents’ interactions. Kids had been an inconvenience to them, a problem they blamed each other for. But it didn’t have to be that way if both adults took responsibility.
And he was trying to do that. He stepped up whenever he could, like last night. Soledad had seemed tired, and since Alex was used to missions that required hours of wakefulness, he’d been glad to take Luke and let her sleep.
Whoa. What was that? He backtracked through the report he was viewing. The security system had been disarmed for over an hour earlier that morning. He looked at the information. The keypad sequence had been entered to disengage the alarm at 0615 and reset at 0759. He ran a quick diagnostic to make sure it wasn’t an error. When no problems showed, he went to find Soledad. Only the two of them had the code to shut the system off.
“Hi. Do you want some lunch?” she asked when he located her in the kitchen. “Luke’s snoozing again, so we can eat at the same time for a change.” She finished slicing tomatoes and moved on to a cucumber. A salad bowl already sat on the counter, half full of lettuce.
“That’s be nice,” he said, taking a stool at the island. “Sol—”
“Thanks again for staying up with him last night,” she added before he could ask about the alarm.
“He’s my kid, too. You don’t need to thank me.” They’d had this conversation before, but less often since they’d become a couple again. “Did you go out this morning?”
“Yeah, you were both still asleep and I felt like running.” She grabbed sliced turkey and cheese from the refrigerator. When she turned back, her forehead was wrinkled as if she was worried about something.
“Did something happen?” he asked, concerned.
“What? No. Nothing,” she said, but there was a note of uncertainty to her words. She wasn’t telling him something. He felt sure of that. “I just ran a couple miles.”
“You were gone nearly two hours.” He kept his tone light, hoping she’d open up to him and not wanting to give her the impression that she was caged.
“Hey.” She pointed the salad tongs at him in a playful gesture. “I’m just getting back into running. I had a baby, so my pace is off.”
“Fifty-minute miles?” He raised an eyebrow at her. She had easily run seven-minute miles in the past—and, in any case, she could crawl a mile in less than fifty minutes.
“I ran into some friends, and we got a cup of coffee,” she said, giving him a smile. Maybe that’s what had her worried—the fact that she’d been gone so long. “Time got away from me and I was gone longer than I realized, but it was nice being out for a bit.”
He understood that and didn’t want to burst her bubble of happiness, but he was nervous about her going out alone, especially when he was completely unaware of her movements. He didn’t want her to make it a habit. Bruce could come at her anytime—and would, without compunction.
“You should take Frankie with you.” he suggested lightly.
“She was sleeping in this morning, too.”
“No surprise. She was up with Luke and me.” The little dog had paced with him in the night, unable to settle as long as he was up. She was a faithful and smart animal, making her a fortunate addition to their home. Frankie also had a protective temperament.
Soledad sliced a hard-boiled egg onto the salad before grabbing silverware and plates and coming to sit next to him. They bumped shoulders as they ate, while she told him about the job opportunity at the upscale store.
“Are you going to apply?” he asked, recognizing that it might be the perfect thing for her. His feelings about it, though, were mixed. He liked things as they were, even with the issue with Bruce hanging over his head. But he recognized that it couldn’t stay that way forever, and she seemed excited about this possibility as she talked about brands and styles he didn’t recognize the names of.
“Yes,” she said after a moment, her fork paused in the air. “I need to.”
“They’d be lucky to get you,” he said, trying to put his feelings aside. He had expected to be disappointed by Soledad. No relationship in his life had avoided that emotion in the end. What he feared more now, though, was disappointing her. He was doing his best to be a good father and lover, but his best had never been enough when it came to those close to him.
“I’d have to find childcare for Luke,” she said.
“I’m around,” he volunteered. “And I’ll bet Lily would take him part time if needed, though of course she’ll have her hands full when the baby comes.” His sister-in-law was great with kids and had been a nanny.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Soledad said. “I’d want something consistent for him. I hate seeing kids bounced around to different sitters.”
“Sure,” he agreed, but he wondered if she was also trying to feel him out about his future plans. They’d avoided any direct discussion of his possible deployment, and he hadn’t shared his thoughts about retirement or the job Colin had mentioned to him. He should. He owed her that, but trusting her—or anyone—was a big step for him. They’d have to talk about their relationship soon, though. But not yet, not with Bruce’s threats hanging over them.
10
Soledad stepped onto the back porch with Luke in her arms, craving the sunlight and warmth of a glorious Saturday morning. Alex had risen early and was already hard at work in the yard. As she settled into a chair, he stopped, eyed one of the potted plants, and turned as if evaluating where best to place it. She hadn’t questioned him when he put the magnolias and azaleas he’d purchased in colorful clay pots, but something had happened to change his mind. Two of the pots were already empty, and the others were lined up like soldiers waiting for their orders.
Gardening seemed an odd interest for a man like Alex. It was the last hobby she would have expected from him. He seemed more the type to pursue white-water kayaking or bungee jumping. Something that involved more of an adrenaline rush than putting his hands in the soil, which was what he was doing at that moment. He was bent over a hole he’d dug, letting the dirt run through his fingers as if it was telling him something.
Funny how that made Alex happy, but he was tough to read sometimes. Tough to understand. Over the past several days she�
��d become more attuned to him than ever before, a thought that made her smile, but she didn’t fool herself into thinking she knew everything about him. That would be a mistake. Instead, she’d committed herself to enjoying what they had, because when it was good with Alex, it was amazing.
She settled Luke more comfortably against her so he faced his daddy, too. She couldn’t be sure what her baby saw, but she knew what she did. Alex’s thigh muscles bulged. She followed the muscles up to where they disappeared under the navy shorts, and from there to his tight glutes. Even under the fabric she could see the power there. As if he suspected she was watching, he pulled off his T-shirt, casually tossing it aside and giving her an opportunity to admire his pecs, the width of his shoulders, the muscles of his back, and the narrow line of his hips.
She’d spent years on track teams in high school and college exposed to great male bodies, but Alex’s was the best. Runners were lean and lanky, good in their own way. But Alex…
“Yum,” she said softly, forgetting how good his hearing was. He swung his gaze to her. Uh-oh. Busted.
“Something I can do for you?” he asked with the devil-may-care grin she loved so much.
“Don’t mind me,” she called, giving him an innocent smile, eyes wide. “Just enjoying being outside.”
“Yeah, right,” he countered. “You’re checking me out.”
“Nonsense. Why would I do that?” Why would she, when she knew every inch of his physique? She’d run her hands and her mouth over much of it just that morning. Luke slept a little longer each night, and she was grateful for that extra time. Not that she was using it to sleep.
“Because you can’t get enough of me.” He stalked toward her. His tanned skin was highlighted by a thin layer of perspiration, making him even sexier. So sexy that if she didn’t have a baby on her lap, she’d do something about the hormones pinging through her system. Right there in the backyard.
