My teeth sank into my lower lip. “I was wondering actually. Is he okay?”
Jordan didn’t answer me immediately. He dragged in a deep breath before giving me a curt nod. “He’ll be fine. The new job is a lot of pressure and it’s been a long time since he’s been able to relax and cut loose a little.”
“Right.” I nodded. It made sense, and if Jordan said Kole was okay, he would be. He knew my brother much better than I did at this point. “Give me a minute for the door and to grab a blanket. I don’t have an extra bed for him, but the couch should be big enough.”
I grabbed the bar above my head and swung out of the Jeep, digging into my purse for my keys as I walked. I got the door unlocked, turned on only the kitchen light so Jordan would be able to see where he was going, and headed to my room to get some spare bedding.
Jordan got Kole woken up, then helped him inside and got him laid down on the couch after I hastily made it up. Kole passed out right away, leaving me and Jordan alone for the first time all day.
We stared at each other for a beat in the darkness. His forest-green eyes looked almost black, so intense and more guarded than I’d seen them in a long time.
He inclined his head toward the door, then took my hand when I slipped it into his once we were walking away from the couch. I clicked the front door shut behind us, then suddenly found my back pushed up against it with Jordan’s hard body pressed tightly to mine. His hands grabbed both of mine and pressed them to the door next to my head while his mouth crashed into mine.
He kissed me long and deep and slow, a slight groan coming from the back of his throat as he pulled away. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day.”
“Same,” I admitted, slightly breathless from the raw desire in his kiss. I let go of his hands to tangle mine into his hair, playing with the soft, short strands as I looked into his eyes. “Thank you for taking care of Kole tonight. I’m not sure what I would have done if you hadn’t been there.”
“If I hadn’t been there, he’d never have gone that far,” he said, his tone assured. “Don’t be too hard on him in the morning, okay?”
“You got it.” I felt a smile creep up on my lips. “It’s nice to feel like I’m not alone anymore. I’ve got you and Kole and Alice, and you to help me with Kole. I know I haven’t been here for a very long time, but I feel like I missed this somehow. This togetherness.”
His eyes stayed on mine, searing and searching at the same time. “I’ve missed you for a long time too, Ellie. Get some sleep, okay?”
“Okay.” I was pretty tired, but I’d check on Kole before going to bed anyway. If he was lucky, I might even leave some water and a few pills for his inevitable headache. “Is it bad that I kind of wish you were staying over instead of him?”
He groaned, bringing his forehead down to rest against mine. “If it’s bad, then we’re in that boat together. I have to go, though. I can’t stay too.”
“I know.” I closed my eyes and breathed him in just a little longer. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Call me whenever you’re ready,” he said, his own eyes closed and his chest rising and falling with mine. “I’m here whenever you need me. All you need to do is call.”
“I will,” I promised, already wondering how long I had to wait before I took him up on his offer. “You get some sleep, too. When you get into your bed, know that I’ll be dreaming about you.”
He sucked in a sharp breath and took a step away from me, a playful smirk on his lips. “I didn’t need to know that. It’s going to be hard getting to sleep now, so thanks for that.”
I winked and reached behind my back for the doorjamb. “Maybe that was exactly what I was going for. Good night, Jordan. Sweet dreams.”
“Oh, they will be,” he grumbled, planting a final, chaste kiss on my lips before he pivoted and headed back to the Jeep.
I’d been serious when I’d said I wished he could have stayed, and as I watched him walk away, there was a pang in my gut over the fact that he had to leave. Jordan and I would always have to hide in the shadows, always settle for secretive, momentary touches in the light of day.
So why did being with him feel so damn right?
Chapter 23
Jordan
Persistent knocking at my door woke me up the morning after drinks with Elyse and Kole. Groaning as I rolled over in bed, I threw my legs off the edge and pulled on a pair of shorts before heading to the door.
Yanking it open, ready to tear whoever had woken me up a new one, my resolve vanished when I saw Kole standing on the other side. “Hey, man. What’s up?”
He flashed me a sheepish smile and handed over a takeout cup of coffee, pushing his sunglasses onto the top of his head. “Nothing much. Can I come in?”
I stepped aside and nodded as I brought the bitter liquid to my lips. “Sure. You okay?”
“Yeah.” He sighed as he walked in, shutting the door behind him. Dragging a hand through his hair, he surprised me by stopping in the entrance hall and not heading straight to the couch. “I wanted to apologize.”
“What for?” I frowned, leaning with my shoulder against the wall.
Another sigh spilled from his lips as he shook his head, remorse flashing darkly in his eyes. “I shouldn’t have gotten that fucked up last night. I don’t even really know how it happened. One minute, I was feeling fine, and the next, I woke up on Elyse’s couch.”
Chuckling as I straightened up, I moved over to him and patted him once on the shoulder. “It’s called cocktails, man. Those things are lethal. They might taste like berries and sunshine, but there’s always a buttload of booze in them that creeps up on you.”
“True, but I still should have known better.” He closed his eyes, his throat moving as he swallowed. “I hope I didn’t embarrass you guys too much.”
“You didn’t.” I took a sip of my coffee, taking in his tired, red-rimmed eyes and slumped shoulders. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. It’s okay to let loose every now and then. Hell, it’s good for you even. With everything you have on your shoulders these days, you’d go crazy if you couldn’t just set it all aside and have some fun once in a while.”
“Maybe, but having fun doesn’t need to mean getting shitfaced.” He shook his head again. “Regardless, I wanted to make it up to you both.”
“What do you mean?” My gut clenched. I had a feeling he was going to propose another day out with his sister, and I didn’t know if I had it in me to hide my feelings for her yet again. Our situation sucked balls. That was for sure.
But I had known what I was getting into before I even really got into it, so I couldn’t complain about it now. I simply wished it wouldn’t have been getting harder and harder for me to keep my hands off her.
Kole confirmed my suspicions with his reply. “Elyse is waiting in my car. I wanted to come in to apologize to you alone, but I thought we could all go to the Pearl Harbor museum after. Elyse hasn’t been and I told her I’d show her around. Figured the museum was as good a place as any to continue her introduction to the island. What do say? You in?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to spend some time with her alone?” I didn’t quite understand why he kept asking me to hang out with them. Sure, I loved spending time with both of them. I just didn’t know why he kept insisting on it.
Plus, if I were being honest with myself—since I sure as shit couldn’t be honest about it with Kole—I was at the point where I’d have preferred spending the time with each of them individually. I seriously needed a break from the clandestine bullshit.
Kole waved me off, scoffing as he motioned to the door. “It’s fun when we all do stuff together. I promised Elyse I’d help her make friends on the island, and honestly, there’s no one else I’m comfortable with introducing her to. I told you what some of the other guys on the base said about her and you know as well as I do that I don’t know many people outside of the service.”
I rubbed the back of my neck and nodded. “Yeah, su
re. I get that. Give me a few minutes to grab a shower and get dressed. Then we can go.”
“Okay. Let me go grab Elyse from the car. We’ll finish our coffee while we wait.” He turned and marched out the door, leaving me to shake my head at myself before going back to my bedroom.
Obviously, I knew that Kole wanted Elyse and me to be friends. He’d mentioned it to me enough that I also knew he was serious about it. I just hadn’t expected him to push us together this hard.
Be that as it may, it would look suspicious if I suddenly started refusing to spend time with them and word somehow got back to him that Elyse and I had been spotted alone together. Since I couldn’t stay away from her, I’d just have to resign myself to tag along on whatever field trips he planned with her and hope like hell we didn’t do or say anything that tipped him off to the true nature of our relationship.
Or I had to revisit the idea of telling Kole the truth. Mauli had made some valid points, and I had decided not to say anything, but the lying was eating me up on the inside. I wasn’t this guy, the one who hid shit and blatantly lied to his best friend’s face. On the other hand, maybe I was. I had been doing it for so goddamn long when it came to his sister that it was almost part of my fucking DNA by now.
After I showered and pulled on a blue T-shirt and shorts, I heard laughter coming from my kitchen and found the Dennis siblings sitting on the stools at my counter. My heart skipped and squeezed when Elyse’s eyes found mine, her hand coming up to toss me a friendly wave.
“Good morning, sunshine.” A knowing gleam lit up her gaze. “Sleep well?”
Was she really going there right in front of her brother? My eyes narrowed for a split second. Then I realized that asking the question to someone you’d been with just before going to sleep only hours ago wasn’t necessarily suspicious.
Sure, I knew it was a loaded question. But that didn’t mean that Kole knew it. “Yeah, pretty well. You?”
The corners of her lips twitched, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I slept great, thanks. I had the most awesome dream, so I really can’t complain.”
Kole rolled his eyes at her, getting to his feet. “I doubt Jordan wants to hear about your idea of an awesome dream. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dream about riding unicorns among the clouds, unlike you.”
“I was eight when I had that dream,” she argued, hopping off her seat at the same time. I tuned them out, taking in a deep breath.
Actually, I was very fucking interested in hearing the details of her awesome dream. As was my cock after what she’d said just before I’d left her last night. But since he wasn’t invited to this morning’s party, we were just going to have to wait.
“Jordan? Are you coming?” Kole’s voice sliced into my thoughts, tearing my mind right out of the gutter it had been begging to climb into. “Dude, I think we need to get some more coffee in you. You look seriously dazed.”
“Sorry.” I brought my hands up to slap both of my cheeks a few times. “Still waking up, but yeah, I’m coming. Let’s go.”
Walking through the museum, Kole assumed the role of tour guide while I tried my best to keep my eyes off Elyse’s ass and my mind from wandering back to possible scenarios for her awesome dream. Thankfully, I did actually like the museum and eventually managed to immerse myself in history instead of the gorgeous girl beside me.
About an hour after we got there, Kole’s phone buzzed. He fished it out of his pocket and cursed when he read whatever was on his screen. His jaw tightened and his shoulders came up. “I’m really sorry to do this, but I’ve been called to come in. I have to go.”
“We’ll leave with you,” I said, but Kole immediately shook his head.
“Not necessary. Stay. Just make sure you take care of my sister and get her home safely later.” He pulled Elyse into a quick hug and pressed a kiss to the top her head. “I’m really sorry about this, kiddo. I’ll make it up to you, okay?”
Her blue eyes rolled as he released her, a hand coming up to his shoulder to give him a playful shove. “First of all, stop calling me kiddo. Secondly, you don’t have anything to make up to me. You didn’t even have to bring me to the museum in the first place. I could have come here by myself, or with Alice. You really don’t have to babysit or arrange for a chaperone every day.”
He laughed and pointed at her with the hand already holding his sunglasses to slide them into place when he left the building. “Never going to happen. I have way too many years of being overprotective to make up for, so I suggest you get used to it.”
She gave an exasperated sigh and crossed her arms, but there was laughter in her eyes. “I have a suggestion of my own. At least try to remember that I’m not a kid anymore.”
“I can’t make any promises.” He shrugged, his playfulness disappearing when his phone buzzed again. “I’ve really got to get going. Have fun, guys. See you later.”
He walked away from us backward for the first few steps, giving us a wave before turning and practically jogging out of the building. Whatever was going on, it was obviously urgent.
A familiar prickle crept up my spine. I was still getting used to being out of the loop, and although I was happy, old habits died hard. My fingers twitched as I held myself back from jumping into action, following him and helping him out with whatever crisis he was facing.
As soon as he pushed through the doors, Elyse’s delicate fingers closed around mine, her palm sliding into place against my own. “Hey, are you okay?”
I gave myself a mental shake and looked down to meet her concerned gaze, a tiny crease between her brows. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just still an adjustment sometimes, you know.”
She squeezed my hand and gave me a sympathetic smile. “I guess I forget sometimes that you used to be right there with him all the time. I’m glad you’re not now, for what it’s worth. I know it’s selfish, but I’m happy to have you all to myself for a couple of hours.”
I brought a hand to her face, stroking my thumb across her cheekbone as I nodded. “I’m happy about that too.”
Sighing as I held her gaze, I wondered how much longer we could hold hands or touch one another in public. People were getting to know Elyse as Kole’s sister. Some time or another, we were going to be seen by someone we knew and the jig would be up.
“Do you think we should just tell him about us?” I asked. “Maybe it’s time he knew.”
She cocked her head, releasing my hand and taking a small step back. “What is there for us to tell him? It’s not like we’re in a relationship or anything.”
Her words were like a spear through my gut, but she was right. We weren’t in a relationship, and even though I was thinking about getting into one with her, she clearly wasn’t on the same page.
As much as it stung, there really wasn’t anything to tell him except that we were fucking. And as Mauli had pointed out, Kole wouldn’t want to know about that. I cleared my throat and ignored the stabbing feeling in my gut.
“True. Sorry. I got a little carried away.”
A smile formed on her lips, her eyes soft. “Don’t worry about it. So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day? If you even want to spend it with me now that Kole is gone. If you’d rather go, that’s fine too.”
Yeah, she was definitely feeling a lot more casual about what was going on between us than I was. But since casual was all we could ever be, I supposed there was no point making a big deal about it by trying to talk to her.
“No, I don’t have anything I desperately need to get done today, so I’m good to spend it with you,” I said, forcing the heavy emotions rumbling through me to shut the hell up. Elyse and I were having fun, so I was damn well going to have some fucking fun. “What do you want to do?”
“Parasailing,” she said without a moment’s hesitation. Her entire being lit up as soon as she said the word, her eyes bright and her back suddenly straighter. “You up for it?”
I couldn’t help but grin. Among so many other things, she was also still
the same thrill-seeker I remembered. “Hell yeah. I’m always up for parasailing.”
Chapter 24
Elyse
“God, it’s beautiful up here,” I called out, hopefully loud enough that Jordan heard me above the roar of the wind in our ears. I was strapped with my back to his front, parasailing in tandem with him since he was experienced enough not to need an instructor.
There was a manic grin on my face as I surveyed the view below us. Floating high behind the speedboat over the azure blue ocean. Golden beaches and swaying green trees as far as the eye could see on one side of us, the expanse of the ocean on the other.
Tourists dotted the sand, and other recreational watercraft were all around us, keeping a safe distance while offering a whole host of other activities. There were bursts of color everywhere, whether from the buildings and people on shore or the boats and sails all around.
I freaking loved every second of it. The feeling of Jordan’s big, hard body behind mine didn’t hurt matters either.
I felt so safe with him, so protected, that I could simply enjoy the experience while trusting that he would do whatever needed to be done to get us back to the ground safely when the time came. I wished I was able to see his face, but at least I could feel his hand gripping my hip, and I imagined he was smiling too.
“Yeah, it’s gorgeous,” he replied, his deep voice reaching my ears just fine despite the wind. “I really don’t know why I haven’t done this for so long.”
“Me either,” I called back. “I’d do it every day if I could.”
“You can,” he said, a definite grin in his tone. “That’s part of the beauty of living here. We really can do shit like this every day.”
Laughter bubbled out of me because he was right. “It’s fucking awesome. I should have moved here a long time ago.”
Have Your Way With Me Page 15
