Taking It Slow (Code of Honor Book 4)

by Reese Knightley

His brother’s voice was so excited, he didn’t have the heart to suggest the mac and cheese in the cupboard. He could eat on base as much as possible this month and save the cash.

  “Pizza it is.”

  “I’ll be out in a few.”

  “Take your time.” He finally smiled and left the room.

  Entering the small kitchen, he ordered the pizza and pulled down some paper plates.

  His phone buzzed.

  “Hey, Mad, what’s up?” He grinned, catching the phone between his chin and shoulder as he searched for a new roll of paper towels.

  “Not much. Why didn’t you make it to the party?”

  Shit. He felt a bit guilty he hadn’t gone to the general’s retirement party after finding out that Liam was going to be there.

  “I was busy.”

  “Cut the bullshit,” Maddox razzed him. “You didn’t go because the colonel was going to be there.”

  “So?” He frowned. “He wants something I don’t.”

  “Wait… I thought you told me he sent you an email apologizing for misunderstanding things and asking to be friends?”

  Spencer clutched the phone in one hand and rubbed his mouth with the other. “He did.”

  “And you haven’t given him a response?”

  His chest tightened. “Not yet.”

  “So, what don’t you want? You don’t want to be his friend?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “This is not like you, bro. Liam’s a good guy.”

  “I know,” he said tightly. Fuck. He knew Liam was a good guy, that wasn’t the problem.

  After a moment of silence, Maddox continued. “Okay, I just wanted to touch base because you didn’t show up.”

  “Honestly? I was out of the state. I planned on talking to him but I got called away.” He really had, and when the assignment came up, it had given him an excuse to put it off.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, when are you coming over for dinner?” Maddox changed the subject and Spencer let out a sigh of relief.

  “Who’s that?” his brother asked, emerging from the hallway.

  “It’s Maddox,” he told his brother and punched the speaker.

  “Hi, Mad!” Wesley shouted just as the doorbell rang, signaling the pizza had arrived.

  “Hey, Wesley.”

  “We’re having pizza!” Wesley sang out on his way to the door.

  “Sounds good. All right, I’ll let you both go. Have a good one.”

  Spencer took the phone off of speaker.

  “You too, Mad, and thanks.”

  “For?”

  “Reminding me to be a human being?”

  “Yeah. People have more than one friend, Spencer.” Maddox’s laughter rang in his hear as he hung up the phone.

  Could he and the colonel really be friends? That was a question that remained to be answered, but he couldn’t dwell on it today. Rubbing a hand down his face, he tossed the phone aside and dropped down on the sofa next to Wesley.

  Reaching for a slice of pizza, he picked up the remote.

  “Action?” Wesley asked around a mouthful of food.

  Spencer snorted. “Is there any other kind?”

  Wesley laughed and shook his head.

  A lightness swept over his chest and he turned on the television with a soft chuckle.

  Liam

  “Come in,” Liam shouted when a knock sounded.

  His office door opened, but he couldn’t see who it was as he finished shaving in the small bathroom that sat off to the right of the main room. Lifting a towel, he rubbed it along his lips, chin, and neck as he left the small room.

  “Captain,” Liam greeted, and returned the salute from Maddox Stone.

  “Colonel.”

  “At ease. Have a seat.” Liam gestured to one of the two chairs that sat in front of his desk. Liam settled behind his desk before Maddox took a seat.

  “Did you get my report?” Maddox asked.

  “I did. The mission was a success. You did well in Elijah’s absence.”

  “We did okay. It’s nice to have Elijah back, though.”

  “Only for a limited time. My brother assures me he’ll be retiring once his reenlistment comes up.”

  “So I heard. I wanted to talk to you about that. You wanted me to run my own unit. Any chance I can stick around until Elijah retires?”

  It wasn’t normal per army channels, but Liam had enough leeway to pull some strings.

  “I think I can make it happen.”

  “That’s great.” Maddox grinned. “I know River will be relieved we’ll be together.” River was Maddox’s fiancé and both men were in the same unit.

  “River’s close to earning his captain’s rank,” he pointed out.

  “I know. We’ll figure out which of us will ask for the position at that point,” Maddox huffed with a grin.

  He cleared his throat and toyed with a pen on his desk. “Have you talked to Spencer?”

  “I have.”

  “Oh?” he said, curious when Maddox frowned at him.

  “Two minutes ago.”

  His heart thumped in his chest. “He’s here?”

  “Yeah, he was grabbing something from his locker.”

  He kept his face expressionless.

  The corner of Maddox’s lips twitched. “I’ll get out of your hair.”

  “You’re not-” His words were cut off by Maddox standing.

  “It’s cool. I need to get going, River and I are heading to dinner.”

  “Thanks.”

  He locked his office and walked with Maddox down the hallway.

  Instead of the locker room, Liam and Maddox passed Spencer standing outside of the medical examiner’s door. He let his gaze devour the tall, muscled soldier.

  Sometime between the last time he’d seen him, Spencer had shaved his head, but still looked like a fucking rock star with sharp, crystal blue eyes, tattoos on his arms, and muscles.

  The leather jacket Spencer wore hugged broad shoulders and rippling arms, ending at the waistline of faded jeans. A silver chain and leather band fought with each other around his wrist.

  He’d seen Spencer a very brief handful of times since Christmas in Crumpet and it seemed that the words they’d exchanged in Bailey’s Café stood between them.

  “Hey,” Spencer said gruffly, shoving his hands into his front pockets.

  “What’s wrong?” Liam frowned at the empty medical room.

  “Nothing,” Spencer said.

  “Well… I’ll leave you two. Don’t forget to stop by the apartment when you get a chance,” Maddox said to Spencer with a wink.

  Liam felt a bit bewildered, gazing after Maddox before turning to Spencer.

  He didn’t have time to formulate a thought before Spencer yanked him inside the medical office and slammed the door.

  He stumbled against a chair just as Spencer put his back to the door, preventing him from leaving.

  “Roughing up an officer?” he teased. He couldn’t help it. It was the first time Spencer’s hands had been on him since Christmas.

  And in all honesty, Spencer could manhandle him anytime, it was much better than wanting him from afar.

  Spencer squinted. “Hardly.”

  “Then what?”

  “I got your message,” Spencer said gruffly, not looking at him, but rather staring out the window of the small medical room.

  “And?” His heart jerked. Fuck. If they could get back on even ground, then maybe, just maybe he had a shot.

  “You really think this will work?” Spencer murmured, still not looking at him.

  Liam approached cautiously. Apparently, Spencer had received his personal email about their situation, and even though the soldier hadn’t bothered to reply, at least he’d read it.

  “I hope so. Fuck, I hope so. I’m sorry Spencer, for everything. I crossed a line with you and I hope like hell you’ll let me make things right.”

  A long moment of si
lence filled the room.

  “By being friends?” Spencer’s voice was a low, deep rasp.

  “Yeah,” he husked. “Like we would have been.” If he hadn’t fucked it up, but he left that part unsaid, he’d said it enough.

  Spencer was silent so long, dread filled his gut.

  “I read the signs wrong,” he continued, desperate for any response. “This is totally on me.”

  “No.”

  Hurt like he’d never felt before crushed his chest.

  “I’m sorry,” he said woodenly, turning away and toward the far side of the room, desperate to find a place to lick his wounds.

  “Wait.”

  He froze.

  “I mean no, this wasn’t all you.”

  Liam turned, barely daring to breathe. “What do you mean?”

  “You didn’t read the signs wrong.” Spencer shoved his hands into his pockets.

  “Okay.” Liam stayed where he was, his gut telling him that to approach now would be the wrong thing to do.

  “I’m…attracted to you,” Spencer admitted. “But we can never be anything more than friends.”

  “Is it because of the military?”

  Spencer started to say something, then stopped.

  “We can keep it on the down low until we retire, Spencer,” Liam urged.

  “It’s not only that. We come from completely different backgrounds.”

  “Is that why you didn’t show up?” He’d thrown a party and had invited Spencer to his estate.

  Spencer nodded.

  “If I told you that money was inherited would that change your mind?”

  “No. We’re too different,” Spencer said so quickly, Liam knew there was a story there.

  “Then, can we at least be friends?” He waited.

  “Yeah.” Spencer gave a long sigh.

  Liam smirked. “Are you sure?”

  Spencer squinted, but Liam saw the humor in the other man’s eyes.

  “When have I ever lied to you?”

  Liam chuckled. “Let’s see, in the two years we’ve known each other?” Liam lifted his hand and ticked off one finger. “When you said you didn’t eat my burger in the mess hall when I got that phone call.”

  “Hey, I was starving and it was only that one time,” Spencer protested.

  “When you and Maddox ate my hand delivered box of chocolates and lied about it.” Liam ticked off another finger.

  “Bah, we were saving you from getting fat,” Spencer grinned.

  “When you didn’t show up to my birthday party,” and told me you would. Liam tried to keep the hurt out of his voice with a laugh, but he could tell the moment Spencer noticed. In the couple of years they’d known each other, Spencer had not once been to his home and it had taken him months to work up the nerve to ask Spencer to stop by for the occasion.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Liam nodded and turned away; it still stung.

  “Liam, I’m sorry,” Spencer said again urgently. “Friends don’t do that to friends.”

  “If I invited you over for a barbecue this weekend, would you come?” he huffed, milking Spencer’s sympathy for all it was worth.

  The skin around Spencer’s eyes crinkled and Liam tried to forget the way his lips had felt against Spencer’s in Bailey’s Café. He smiled and thanked God that Spencer had forgiven him for making that botched attempt at a pass. He’d do whatever it took to keep Spencer in his life in whatever capacity.

  “You got root beer?” Spencer squinted.

  That caught him off guard. “Yes, of course,” he told him, a small white lie. He’d buy stock in A&W for life if it kept Spencer happy.

  “Yeah. I’ll come.” Spencer smiled. “Can I bring someone?”

  His heart just about stopped and he swallowed hard. Spencer had a significant other. How come he didn’t know that?

  “Yeah, sure.”

  He clapped Spencer on the shoulder and turned away to hide his heartache.

  Spencer

  “What an asshole!” Wesley shouted, grabbing the “oh shit” handle above the door.

  “Language,” Spencer muttered, but agreed when he was forced to break hard and whip his truck to the side of the road when a black SUV blew through a stop sign on Liam’s street.

  Easing his pickup back on the road, he drove down the street until he reached a gate.

  The words Cobalt Estates were etched elegantly into the metal sign positioned on one of the concrete pillars that bookended the black iron gate in the affluent Bel Air, California, neighborhood. The man at the guard shack opened the small sliding window when he pulled up.

  “Captain Turner,” he told the guy.

  “Go right in, sir. The colonel is expecting you.”

  Pulling his truck through the gate, it opened up into another street. Three houses lined the street. Two smaller, if you could call them that, were nestled on the left, but the house at the end was a massive structure that boggled the mind.

  Christ, the place was even bigger than he’d remembered.

  See, Liam had been wrong. Spencer had shown up to the guy’s party. Only Spencer hadn’t stayed. In fact, last time, he hadn’t even gotten out of his truck.

  He’d seen the line of expensive vehicles parked in the circular driveway at the entrance to the massive structure of the estate-type home and had become intimidated. He’d even put on his best jeans and shirt, but he knew he would pale in comparison to the expensively dressed people heading inside with brightly wrapped gifts. He’d made a U-turn and booked it out of there, much like he wanted to do today, but he worked on keeping the truck idling.

  Thank God there wasn’t another party. Instead of expensive cars and limo’s filling the driveway, it stood empty save Liam’s truck and now his.

  “Holy shit,” Wesley gulped.

  “Language.”

  “Um, yeah. So says the guy who says the F word every other phrase,” Wesley snorted.

  “I mean it. And you only heard me use the F word when I was talking to a buddy on the phone. Of which, you shouldn’t have been listening.”

  “Sorry.” Wesley looked down sheepishly.

  “It’s cool.” He gripped his brother on the shoulder.

  “Have you ever been here before?”

  “Once, but I never went inside.”

  “Why not?”

  “I got called away.”

  Wesley stared at him.

  “What?” he mumbled, avoiding his brother’s probing gaze.

  “Okay. Well, I’m starved. Are we going in or are we driving away?”

  “Going in.” He pulled the truck up a bit farther.

  Liam opened the door and stepped out onto the porch and Spencer’s heart did a double tap. It wasn’t new, his pulse always seemed to quicken around the guy. The colonel stood tall and confident in blue jeans, a dress shirt, and bare feet, waiting patiently for them to get out of his old, rusty truck. The stupid thing backfired when Spencer turned off the engine.

  Great. Rich boy, meet beyond poor boy.

  Stop it, he berated himself. He put an end to anything between him and Liam, so this was nothing but friends getting together. Friends, my ass. He’d never reacted to a friend like he did to Liam Cobalt.

  Their financial differences were huge. He was barely squeaking by and as soon as Wesley turned eighteen, his brother was coming to live with him. That way, Spencer could stop paying for his mom’s house and rent an apartment for him and Wesley. That was the end goal and he needed to keep his eye on the prize. So what if he lived on Top Ramen and potatoes. It filled the gut.

  Spencer shoved his shoulder against the truck door and lifted the handle at the same time and it groaned when it opened. He stepped out and tried to ignore the way the metal screeched when he shoved it shut. Wesley jumped out and met him on the driver’s side.

  His phone rang and the number soured his stomach. “Go on. I’ve got to take this. I’ll be there in one minute.” He smiled at his brother.

  “Hell
o?”

  “Turner.”

  “Mayer.” He let out a hard breath.

  “I came to do a welfare check on Wesley, but he’s not here.”

  “He’s with me.”

  “You knew I was coming.”

  “I forgot.”

  “This is your one freebie. I’ll send you an email with another date. Don’t put me off again.”

  The phone went dead and he tucked it away. Motherfucker. He squeezed his fists, wishing they were gripping Mayer’s neck.

  Taking a deep breath, he turned toward the porch and spotted both Wesley and Liam waiting. Mayer’s threat was quickly forgotten when his gaze met Liam’s.

  Liam’s eyes were the color of the grass in the summertime. Light touches of barely there silver threaded the colonel’s hair. A smile lit up the man’s handsome face, lines crinkled at the edge of his eyes and mouth, but that only gave him a maturity that tightened Spencer’s stomach.

  “Liam, this is my kid brother, Wesley. Wes, this is Colonel Liam Cobalt,” he said, shaking off his fixation on Liam’s good looks as he crossed the distance between them.

  “A colonel? Cool.” Wesley grinned and gripped the man’s hand.

  “Nice to meet you.” Muscles flexed when Liam held out a hand to Wesley. “Come on in, I was just about ready to toss on some burgers.”

  “Hell yeah, I’m starving.” Wesley skirted around them.

  “Language,” he murmured, but Wesley was already out of earshot down the hallway.

  If you could call it a hallway. It was more of a grand entrance. Black and white marble tile extended into a large, wide room with white walls. At the far end was a staircase leading upward. Three wide arches leading to various rooms graced the entry.

  He suddenly felt out of his depth and it fucking sucked. He was a captain in the Army for fuck’s sake, gave orders to men, owned his mistakes, and killed bad guys, but standing in Liam’s entryway made him aware of every stress tear in his leather jacket, the frayed knees of his jeans, and his threadbare t-shirt. Wesley’s clothes were in the same shitty condition.

  “Come on.” Liam jerked his head as if sensing his increasing desire to get the hell out of there.

  Slowly, he followed Liam through the first archway and across a massive living room with thick white carpet and black leather couches.

  Liam waved a hand. “I had the couches changed out, but the carpet was my ex-wife’s idea.”