He eyed the massive oaks in front of the old brick house. A shade tree or two wouldn't be unwelcome. The heat this past summer was a bitch. More than a handful of days reaching one hundred degrees and the humidity was almost as high. The air conditioners on his roof had buzzed constantly.
“Dylan on his way?” David asked.
“Yep. Probably just tied up with Reya.”
David snorted. “Tying up Reya's more like it.”
Teo's punch was fast and furious. “That's my sister you're talking about.”
David rubbed his arm. “Am I wrong?”
Teo's jaw worked back and forth. “No.”
“He's a good guy.”
“I know.” The muscle in Teo's jaw relaxed a little.
“He'd never hurt her.”
Teo nodded. Dylan Harper could give Teo a run for his money in the love department. Both of them were head over heels and it'd been fun to see the two relationships develop over the last ten months.
“Besides, he knows we'd kick his ass in a New York minute.”
“No shit.”
Boomer decided to change the subject.
“Where’s this shed we’re tearing down?”
When Teo’d called earlier in the week, Boomer had been at a loose end with his free time. Not that he had much of it, but his brain couldn’t seem to stop thinking about his night wrapped in Sabrina’s arms.
His dick got hard at the most inopportune times. Like last night at the burger joint when she’d been sitting so close, leaning in for a picture, wafting her unique scent his way.
Coconut and vanilla.
He’d woken up hard as a rock, sweating, that scent filling his nose. It was about damned time he washed his sheets.
But he hadn’t. Instead, he’d showered, dressed, and driven around the city until it was time to help Teo. And when he got home tonight, there’d still be a faint, tropical fragrance waiting, taunting and haunting him.
His supervisor was still driving him crazy.
And he kept rubbing his chest, trying to ease an ache that was getting worse by the day.
Pitiful. So, he’d leapt at the chance to rip something apart with his bare hands. A little exertion with the boys was just what the doctor ordered. And if helping Teo clean up his property and prepare to raise guard dogs would help, all the better.
Teo nodded toward the line of dense evergreens bisecting the yard. “Back there.”
Boomer pulled out a pair of gloves. “Lead the way.”
They were piling up the old tin panels when Dylan showed up.
“How come he didn’t have trouble with Elvis?” Boomer asked, wondering where the rooster was.
Dylan raised a brow as he approached.
“Let’s just say Elvis knows a bigger cock when he sees one.” Teo laughed.
Dylan reached him first and had him in a headlock. Boomer gave a few faux jabs to Teo’s gut. A split second later, Dylan was flying through the air, landing on his ass in the dirt.
Boomer helped him up and they shared a laugh. Dylan dusted off his jeans and turned back to the remnants of the shed.
“I still think you outta let me blow it up,” Boomer said.
“We’ll still have to pick up the pieces,” Teo replied.
“True.”
They took a sledge hammer to the walls and piled debris in the back of Teo’s truck.
“Termites did a number on this place,” Dylan said as a board crumbled in his hands.
“No kidding. Termite bait traps are definitely on my list,” Teo agreed.
Boomer took a deep breath of the cool autumn air and wiped the sweat from his forehead. It’d been well over a decade since he’d lived in a place long enough to worry about something like termites.
What would it be like to put down roots? To stay in one spot? To go to the same grocery store or become a regular at a restaurant?
Once, that’d been the dream.
Dreams didn’t always come true, no matter how many stars you wished on.
His chest tightened as he remembered laying in the park with Samuel, staring up at the stars. His little boy had had a limitless imagination, just like his daddy. But that was ancient history. Better left buried.
Moving on was the right choice. If he kept moving, kept busy, he could forget Sabrina. Eventually.
Teo waved a hand in front of Boomer’s face. “Where’d you go?”
Boomer lifted a shoulder. “Just thinking.”
“You had lunch?”
“Not yet.” And his stomach was reminding him of that fact with a ferocious snarl.
“Let's stop by the house. Jill made an amazing lasagna,” Teo said with the smile of a man in love.
Boomer'd been around the love birds long enough to see the stars in their eyes. Between Teo and Dylan, the bachelors in his circle were dwindling. His parents reminded him of his age about once a month but after Samuel, they hadn't been after him to supply them with grandbabies.
Thank goodness his sister had gotten busy in that department. Triplets. Who'd have thought?
He couldn't wait to be an uncle.
Did Sabrina want kids?
Where the hell had that thought come from?
What she wanted wasn’t his concern. It’d been over a week since she’d high tailed it out of his rig. She needed to stay out of it if he was going to keep his sanity.
When he headed to New Orleans he was going to do a deep clean of the place. Top to bottom. Maybe he’d invest in air freshener or one of those air purifier things.
That wouldn’t stop him from seeing her in his bed or leaning against the kitchen counter as if she belonged there.
Screw it.
He’d just buy a new rig.
No. What she thought of kids didn’t matter.
Even as he thought it, he imagined a little boy running through this field with her gorgeous blue eyes.
He reached up and rubbed the thick wall of muscle and told his heart to buck up. He’d done that before. The family thing. Home life. Sweet little boys who looked at him with worshiping eyes and giggled uncontrollably.
The pain was still sharp enough to double him over if he let it.
Boomer swallowed at the lump in his throat and glanced up at the thick branches of the massive old oak tree. He wasn’t going to let the pain get to him. He wasn’t going to let Sabrina under his skin.
This was why he was here. Good, hard, manual labor to clear everything from his mind. Too bad it didn’t seem to be working. Maybe Dylan and Teo would talk enough during lunch to keep his mind from wandering.
“Sounds great.”
“You alright? You’re looking a little green?”
“I’m fine. Let’s eat.”
“I'm gonna be a blimp soon. That woman can cook,” Teo said, starting for the wretched fence. The sleek and highly trained dog hopped up from his spot at the base of the tree and trotted along next to them without being asked. “I'm starving.”
Boomer'd just bet he was. And probably not for food either. Who could blame the man though? Jill Moore was friendly, a great cook and easy on the eyes.
Teo rolled his shoulders and then slipped through the blasted barbed wire fence. The dog did a belly crawl and popped up on the other side, obviously waiting for further instructions from his master. Boomer envied Teo's ability to make it through the fence unscathed.
He put his hand on the hip high fence post and gave it a little push. He half expected it to crumble like the boards in the shed. The wood held firm and he figured it was safe to hop over. On the other hand, he wasn't as young as he used to be, and things could go terribly wrong for his ass. Or his nuts.
Boomer gulped.
At least he had his tetanus shot.
A squawk filled the air and he saw a flurry of dark feathers from the corner of his eye. Muscles coiled, he sucked in a breath and launched himself over the fence. As his feet crunched the leaves on the other side, a wave of relief washed through him.
But his r
elief was short lived as Elvis ducked beneath the bottom wire and aimed his talons at Boomer’s shins. “Damn—”
He leapt backward and tripped in the culvert. Arms flailing, his boots got purchase on the uneven ground.
“Get,” Teo thundered and took a menacing step toward the bird, stopping the rooster in his tracks.
The bird stopped and gave Teo’s big black boot a second look before shaking its head.
“That fucker's starting to look tasty,” Boomer said, giving the chicken a hard look. Meanwhile, Dylan laughed his ass off.
Elvis stretched his neck and puffed out his chest as he crowed.
“Back at ya.”
The menace pecked at Teo’s boot before turning and tucking tail. The brilliantly colored feathers seemed to shimmy with disdain as the little beast strutted away.
“Jackass. Come on. There's a cold one in the fridge.”
“Man, you need a gate,” Boomer said.
“It's on the list. Right after 'champion bitch.'“
* * *
While Teo warmed up the lasagna, Boomer put out plates and Dylan handed out beer. “Women are crazy. You guys know that, right?”
“Yep,” Teo and David said in unison.
Dylan pulled up short and shot Boomer a pained look. “Sorry, man.”
“No apology necessary. I'm well verse in the theatrics that is womankind.” Vanessa had given the world’s best drama queens a run for their money on occasion.
“Then why can't we live without 'em?” Dylan mused as he turned a chair around and straddled it. Popping the top off his beer he drained half the bottle.
“Boobs,” Boomer declared.
“Pussy,” Teo said with a sigh.
“Ass,” Dylan added.
“So, what'd my sister do this time?”
“Wedding shit's gonna kill me. Fuck, I'd rather plan an extraction outta the hot zone at this point. Coral and gold or pearl and gold. Who cares? I just want to marry her. I couldn't care less what color the napkins are.”
“Have you told her that?” Boomer asked.
“Not in so many words.”
“Man-up already,” Teo said.
Dylan rolled his eyes. “You like making Jilly cry?” he asked. Teo shook his head. “I don't like to see Reya unhappy. She's having fun with all this stuff and I want her to be happy. But at the end of the day, it's all just details.”
“Devil's in the details, man. You know that,” Boomer said. “Remember what Warner drilled into our heads in BUD/S?”
“Details make or break a mission, I know. But this isn't a mission. It's a marriage.”
“Isn't it both?” Teo asked.
Dylan finished his beer and plopped the empty on the old table. “Probably.”
“So, what's really eatin' you?” Teo asked, snagging a piece of garlic bread.
Dylan glanced out the window and was quiet for so long, Boomer didn't think the other man was going to answer. He didn't blame him. There was way too much touchy-feely talk going on in the kitchen.
And all the talk of marriage and settling down was like wet sand rubbing raw skin. A constant, uncomfortable reminder of everything he'd lost. Not that he'd ever begrudge either man the love of a good woman.
Teo plopped an enormous slice of lasagna on each of the three plates. Boomer was happily working on his third piece of garlicy goodness and nodded his thanks.
“I don't want her to change her mind,” Dylan admitted at last. He looked pained to say the words and unsure of himself. Almost as if he expected them to laugh at him.
Teo paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. “You think Reya's gonna change her mind? No way, bro.”
Dylan shrugged and glanced out the window, his gaze far off.
Teo let the fork drop. “You guys are made for each other. That's why I got you two together. She's not going anywhere. And a marriage license isn't gonna change that.”
Dylan's chest rose, stretching his t-shirt and then the corners of his lips turned up. “You're right.”
“Damn straight I am.”
Boomer laughed. “Spoken like a man who has everything figured out.”
“Nah man. I just know love when I see it.”
“Speaking of, whatever happened with that pretty little number you left the party with last week?” Dylan asked.
Boomer choked on a hunk of bread. Teo gave him a solid whack in the middle of the back. Hacking and coughing bought him a few extra seconds.
“Never thought you’d go for a chick with purple hair, but to each his own,” Dylan continued.
Purple hair? Sabrina didn’t have purple—
Oh. “That’s Celita. A makeup artist I know from work. She’s the one who did the green body makeup.”
“Oh.” Dylan sounded disappointed. “So, you didn’t go home with her?”
“No. She’s not my type.” And image of Sabrina, naked and willing in his bed flashed before his eyes. She was definitely his type. But he wasn’t interested.
Too bad his dick wasn’t listening.
“Fine and flirty?” Dylan said.
“Well, let’s just say I’m not her type. Ain’t got a pussy.”
“Huh? Oh.”
Teo sat back and laughed. “You’ve got this all wrong, D. He went home with the other one. Sabrina. The pussy cat.”
Realization lit Dylan’s eyes. He snapped his fingers. “You guys did seem really close at dinner last night,” Dylan added.
“Cozy,” Teo supplied. “Not to sound like one of the girls, but we want to hear everything,” Teo said and shoved a forkful into his mouth.
Didn’t they have better things to do than hound him about his love life?
Or lack thereof.
“What about her?” Boomer pushed away from the table and cleared his dishes.
Teo shrugged. “I was just thinking that the way you guys were looking at each other…”
Dylan nodded. “Definitely something there.”
“Whatever dude. You gonna eat that bread stick?” He nodded toward the golden bun of buttery goodness on Teo’s plate.
“Yeah. Stop changing the subject.”
“You’re as bad as a woman, besides I'm outta here next month.” God willing, the project would be wrapped up and he’d be on his way to his next job.
Toby had delayed them again. They’d missed their deadline. Again.
Problem was, deep down, he felt zero enthusiasm for moving on. While he normally looked forward to heading to a new place, working on a new project, he found himself wanting to stay in Georgia a little longer.
It was probably because he’d reconnected with Dylan and Teo and he couldn’t help but admire the roots they were putting down. Dylan and Reya would be married in the spring and he had no doubt they’d start popping out kids soon after.
Boomer’s sister was over in Charleston. Somehow, everyone was settling back in the South East.
Hell, even Sabrina had moved back here. And she was looking for a permanent apartment.
“So?” Teo quipped. “Her work isn’t location specific.”
Boomer flipped his chair around and straddled it.
“I think what he’s trying to say, what’s stopping you from hooking up?” Dylan said, popping the top on a fresh beer.
Nothing had stopped him. Not his common sense nor his sense of self preservation.
And now he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Fuck.
“There’s nothing stopping you from letting loose and having fun. As long as you both know that going in,” Teo said, looking to Dylan for agreement.
Dylan nodded.
Problem was, Boomer and Sabrina hadn’t talked it through. Hell, they hadn’t talked. He’d been so mesmerized by her, so enthralled with her energy that he hadn’t asked the questions he needed answers to. But making sure they were on the same page where sex was concerned? No way. Not even close.
Closer. Harder. Faster.
Those were the words they’d said to each other.
&nb
sp; “By the look on his face, they already hooked up. Good for you, man.” Dylan slapped him on the back.
“She’s not a hook up kind of girl,” Boomer muttered and took a long drink from his bottle.
“She shot you down?”
Bless Teo and his incredulity.
Boomer shook his head. “Didn’t say that.”
“Okay,” Teo leaned forward. “What’s the deal with you two?”
Boomer shrugged, not sure he was ready to talk about Sabrina and their history.
Both men stared him down.
Boomer sighed. “I’ve known her since we were five.”
“Holy shit.”
“How come you never mentioned her?” Dylan asked.
“Wasn’t worth mentioning.”
“That’s bullshit. Obvious.” Dylan glanced at Teo.
“She’s the one who broke your heart, isn’t she?” Teo asked.
Boomer gave him a long look that said it all.
Teo let out a long, soft curse.
“Did you know she was in Roseville?” Dylan asked.
Boomer shook his head. That’d been the shock of a lifetime.
“Dude. You need to stay away from her.”
Didn’t he know it. “I’m trying. She’s persistent.”
“What does she want?” Teo asked, getting them another beer.
“A second date.” Boomer stared out the window, his mind replaying their first date.
“Seriously?”
“So, you guys dated in the past…” Teo left the question open ended.
Boomer took a deep breath.
“We’d been best friends, next door neighbors since we were five. Eventually my mom remarried, and we moved across town. Sabrina and I didn’t talk as often and we started hanging out with different people.” He took a sip. “That’s not entirely true. She was so shy back then. Like a one eighty from who she is now. She didn’t have many friends. I guess it was me who changed. But I always saw her as the sweet, funny girl I’d known my whole life. And I kept seeing her alone in the halls and it was killing me. So, I took her out and that night, something… happened.”
It was hard to explain. How did one put words to such a feeling? Rightness, completion, it’d been like coming home.
“It was like all the space was gone and I had my friend back. Only, now she was a woman and when she smiled up at me, I felt ten feet tall. I’d always loved her, as a friend. But that night…”
Second Chance with Her SEAL Page 9
