“Hollywood,” Risk said with a chuckle. “The resident ass. Meaning donkey.”
Sax shook his head. “Guess you’d know that, being the farm boy and all.”
“The only ass on our farm was my dad.” Those were memories he definitely didn’t want to revisit. “Addie’s got a whole farm right here. Pigs, goats, horses, llamas. And she loves every one of them.”
Knox settled back in the chair. “Everyone should have that thing that gets them out of bed every day.”
“Isn’t that why we joined The Justiss Alliance?” Saxby asked. “It was too hard to transition from fighting and strategizing to running a company.”
Risk nodded. It was damned hard to fit back into the normal world. “Addie’s as focused on her organization as we were in the SEALs. Everything else takes a backseat. Family. Relationships.”
Sax shrugged. “Didn’t interfere with my relationships.”
“I don’t count banging some woman you met in a bar as a relationship,” Risk said. He turned to Knox. “Would you say being on the teams factored in to your divorce?”
“It didn’t help.” Knox wasn’t elaborating. All he’d ever said was that he hadn’t been the right guy for her. He’d let the cheating bitch off easy, if you asked Risk. But nobody was asking, and he wasn’t probing.
Saxby finished his beer and set it on the railing. “Julian’s coming to the compound tomorrow.”
“Yeah? Is he in now?” Risk asked.
“Says he’s checking it out, that doing nothing is driving him nuts.”
Risk tapped his chest. “Guys like us, we need purpose. Remember how hard it was waiting for the next mission? Or the okay to deploy?” Even though they’d kept busy training, every guy on the team had known they were essentially waiting. They’d lived for the adrenaline rush of getting the word. “So you two must be getting antsy.”
“A bit,” Saxby said. “I can spell you for a couple of days. Must be tough being on duty twenty-four-seven.”
“You’re not horning in on my assignment, buddy.” Or my woman. Risk blinked. Where had that come from?
Sax chuckled. “You definitely got a hard-on for her.”
Damn, how had he figured that? Risk knew better than to out-and-out deny it. “I like her. She has a good heart.”
Saxby gave him an exaggerated nod. “Sure, you like her. For her goodness. ’Cause that’s what you’re after in a woman.”
He was talking about the old Risk. It hit Risk then, that he was referring to an old Risk. Which meant there was a new one. What did the new one want?
One of those bridal posters popped into his mind. The shock of it nearly made him lose his grip on his bottle. But hadn’t he felt a whiff of longing when Knox was video-chatting with his then-wife when things were going well? While the guys had teased him about the “Love you, honeys,” hadn’t they all been hiding a smidgen of jealousy?
Risk had spent a few days with his brother and wife, watching them trade heated looks. Glancing touches. Muffled giggles from their bedroom late at night that had him flopping around in bed like a fish on land. Not just sex but real intimacy.
“Chase says he’s working on assignments for both of us, but he’s not spilling on the details,” Sax said.
“Yeah, he’s a tight-lipped bastard. Watch out for that.”
Knox chuckled. “Like assigning us to guard vegetarian activists? I want something a little meatier than that, no offense.”
Risk shook his head, a smile on his face. “None taken. I thought the same thing—he’s got me on babysitting duty? Hell. But it’s more challenging than I ever could have imagined.” Especially the whole you-can’t-fall-for-a-client thing.
Knox propped his boots up on the railing. “I’m going home to Montana tomorrow to help with the cattle branding. I promised the family I’d be around for that, but hopefully I’ll have an assignment soon.”
“And while the cowboy over there gets to play rodeo, I’ll be hanging with Julian at the estate, shooting in the range, hitting the beach.” Sax’s rubbing-it-in grin faded. “Okay, I’m jonesing to get back to work.”
Addie’s phone rang with the song about getting a little bit closer. Risk’s inclination was to hover outside her window to ascertain if it was something he needed to be in on. That would be an invasion of her privacy, so he waited. He heard her voice but not what she was saying. It had a strange effect on him, like eating a hot meal after living on MREs—meals ready to eat—in the desert for a week.
A few minutes later, she stepped out onto the porch. She wore pajama bottoms and a tank top; he couldn’t see much of her face because of the shadows. He stood, as his mom had taught him to when a woman entered a space. Sax and Knox did the same.
“Hey, guys.” She came to a stop a few feet from Risk, as though she didn’t trust herself to get too close. He could see her tousled hair now, the moonlight on her nose and chin. She seemed to take him in, shirtless, her gaze drifting down to his feet, then back to his face. “Reminiscing?”
“A bit,” he said. About you, doll. “Did you hear from your college informant?”
“Yes. He said there were lights on but the blinds were all drawn. We should check it out.” She took a quick, agitated breath. “Can we check it out?”
He wondered if she could see his grin. He liked having control over her. When would she call in her marker and order him around? Now, that was something to think about. Hell, if it didn’t make him harder. “We’ll head out in the morning,” he said.
“Need any backup?” Sax asked.
“We’re just checking out the facility. If we find something, I’ll call Chase to send you in.”
She gave a nod, wrapped her arms around herself, and headed back to the door. “Good night,” she called before closing the door.
Oh, buddy. He should take a break from her. But he wouldn’t. Couldn’t. It felt like he was sliding down a slippery slope. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to stop.
Chapter 10
Risk was frying eggs when Addie wandered into the kitchen. She looked deliciously sleepy and rumpled, as though the scent of food had drawn her directly from bed, like a sleepwalker. He didn’t need or expect a woman to look all made up first thing in the morning. He knew some who did, sneaking out of bed early to put on their makeup.
“Morning, sunshine,” he said.
She stopped, obviously taken aback.
“What?” he asked.
“That just sounds so … intimate.”
There was that word again.
“Like we just had a night of crazy, hot sex?”
“Yeah, like that.”
Would you like to? Luckily he hadn’t spoken the words. He shrugged. “It’s an innocent morning greeting, nothing more.”
She arched an eyebrow. “There’s nothing innocent about you, Rick Yarbrough.” Her gaze went to the holster at his waist and then skipped away from it. She peered into the pan and inhaled, closing her eyes briefly. “No one’s made me breakfast in I don’t know how long.” She pushed her lower lip out in a pout. “Your eggs look a lot prettier than mine.”
“Yes, they do. But yours tasted just fine.”
“Where are your friends?”
“They headed out first thing this morning.”
She opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice. Then she remained standing by the closed door looking at his new arrangement of magnetic words: MINDLESS CRAVINGS ABOVE AND BEYOND. She shot him a look of mock pique. “You’ve been playing with my words.”
He winked. “I’ve been playing with more than that, doll.”
Her cheeks flushed a lovely shade of pink. “Yeah, we need to talk about that.”
“Finally. I thought you were going to pretend it didn’t happen. It was outrageous, that’s what you’re going to say, right?” He hefted the pan and flipped the eggs, then set them back on the heat.
She pulled down two glasses from the cabinet and leaned her hip against the counter. “It was, yes.”
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“And inappropriate.”
“Definitely and—”
“The best sex you’ve had in a while.”
“Because I haven’t had any in a while.” He killed the heat and moved closer. “And you loved it.”
She stepped back and pulled two plates down from another cabinet. “You’re not letting me talk about it.”
He lowered his chin. “No, I’m not. But that was pretty close, right?”
“Well—”
“And you’re going to say we can’t do it again, that I interfered with your purpose for the evening.”
“Yeah, pretty much. Thank you for putting it so succinctly. I probably would have rambled on until I got to the point.” She held out her plate. “Just one egg for me, please.”
He slipped one egg on her plate, then set a piece of toast beside it. He slid his eggs on his plate and cut his piece of toast into four thin sticks.
“Pretending they’re French toast?” she asked, taking her plate to the table.
“I’m pretending they’re bacon.”
She shook her head as she returned to the kitchen and poured two glasses of orange juice. “What are you, obsessed with bacon?”
“Yes. Why, yes, I am. There’s something about those crispy, wavy strips, fresh out of the grease. Even the fat tastes good. But I can make do with the toast.” Their fingers brushed as he took the glass of orange juice from her.
She sat down, cut into her egg, and dipped the toast into the soft yolk. “I saw a human-interest piece on television about a couple who had a bacon wedding. The men had bacon boutonnieres, and the bride had a bacon bouquet. They had bacon on their cake, and guests threw bacon bits instead of rice.” She gave him an amazing smile that created dimples at the sides of her mouth. “I guess you could say it was love at first pork.”
He groaned even as he grinned. “But I like the idea.” Was he really saying that he liked the idea of a wedding? Any kind of wedding?
She took a couple bites of egg and chased them down with orange juice. “This is great. Thanks for breakfast. And by the way, last night … thanks for—”
“It was my pleasure.” And oh, buddy, he meant that.
She slapped her hands down on the table. “Would you stop interrupting me? Sheesh. I’m not talking about that. I meant not trying to tempt me with your steak. Some people do that, floating it in front of my nose.”
He planted his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his joined hands. “Were you tempted by my steak, Addie?”
Those cheeks flushed again. “Why do I think you’re not talking about what was on your plate?”
“Oh, I am. Thing is, you were eyeing it with a dash of longing. You’ve looked at me like that, too. But back to the steak: I respect your preferences even if I disagree. I respect your wishes, too. If you don’t want me to touch you, I won’t.” Because he shouldn’t. Even so, the question “Do you want me to touch you?” popped out.
Though her mouth worked, nothing came out. Then finally, “No. Yes. No, absolutely not. I can’t go there.”
“Good. I’m glad you said that, because we need to keep this professional.” Even though I know you’re lying.
After taking another bite, she asked, “Where are my panties?” She pressed her fingertips to her forehead and shook her head. “God, that sounded bad. Oh yeah, because it was bad!”
He pulled the bit of fabric out of his pocket and handed it to her. She grabbed it and tucked it away in her lap. “Please tell me you had them in there intending to give them to me and for no other reason.”
“Okay.”
“That did not sound like a definitive answer. It sounded like an ‘I’m going to tell her what she wants to hear’ answer.”
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands over his stomach, giving her a contrite look. “You interrupted me. What I was going to say was okay, I’m a sick puppy. I like running my fingers over the fabric and remembering how you felt beneath it.”
Her mouth dropped open for a moment. “You’re serious.”
He held out his hand in a gimme gesture. “I’ll take them back if you don’t want them anymore.”
She shook her head and finished the last bite of egg. “I don’t even know how to deal with you.”
“I can give you some instruction.” When she looked totally flummoxed, he added, “I’m only teasing you.” The lie relaxed her, and she finished her toast without any further blushing. He leaned his head back and rubbed his hand over his face. “Addie, you do crazy things to me. Provocative stuff just rolls out of my mouth. And clearly I do crazy things to you, too. We’re a dangerous combination. I promise, I’ll be on my best behavior from now on.” He could swear she looked disappointed. It was probably his imagination. “Thing is, I need to focus if I’m going to keep you safe. I don’t want to screw up, and I don’t want to let Chase down. Even though he didn’t expressly forbid sexual relationships between his J-Men—that’s what we’re called—and clients, I’m sure it would be frowned upon.”
She took her plate to the sink, rinsing and setting it in the dishwasher. Her ass jiggled nicely with her scrubbing motion. Risk, you gotta stop noticing that kind of thing.
He brought the glasses to the sink. “I mapped out the route to Callowell, North Carolina, last night. It will take about four hours to reach the college. Maybe a little longer in the van, which I assume you’ll want to take in case the tiger’s there.”
“Definitely. I can store plenty of food and any vitamins and medicines he may immediately require.”
“And I’m driving.”
“But—”
“Remember, I’m in charge. You follow my orders.”
“Control freak.” But she didn’t look all that annoyed.
“Truth is, I can’t stand sitting in the passenger seat, twiddling my thumbs. You take a shower first, then I’ll get mine, and we’ll head out.”
One of the things Chase had taught them was not to take a shower at the same time as your client. Unless, of course, you were taking a shower with your client. But no, that would be a bad idea.
A very bad idea, he told his body, which was responding to the thought.
He cleaned up the kitchen and tried not to imagine Addie naked in the shower. Hell, it hadn’t been that long since he’d had sex. No way should he be this horny. He was twenty-nine, not some oversexed teenage boy.
She emerged a half hour later, smelling clean and fresh, her hair damp. He wanted to run his fingers through the strands to help them dry more. She was in white shorts and a blue-and-white-striped shirt. Nothing overtly sexy, but he wanted to pull her into his arms at the mere sight of her.
“I’ll grab my shower, and then we’re out of here,” he said.
The shower was nice and cool. No cold shower for him. He’d done that enough during his military time—cold water, lukewarm coffee, and tepid food. She’d let him use her bathroom, and the soap and shampoo smelled just like her. Not flowery, but definitely not masculine. She didn’t have a ton of products piled up on her shower shelf or on her bathroom counter. He liked that, too, that she didn’t go to any trouble to be something she wasn’t. Except with her father.
His gun sat on the counter, condition one in the SERPA holster. After digging around in his bag, he pulled on his briefs. “Son of a bitch!”
“What’s wrong?” Addie called from the other side of the door.
He opened the door and turned sideways to show her the big square hole cut into the back of his black boxer shorts. “Sax got me with my own prank. The boys on the team, we were always playing practical jokes on each other. I was the one who cut holes and told them it was air-conditioning.”
She shook her head. “You guys are just weird.”
“It was a way to relieve the tension. Damn, I’m off my game.”
“Is that the scar you were talking about at dinner?”
The question made him realize he was standing in his skivvies with half his ass showing. He faced
her. “Yeah.”
Her soft gaze was on his chest. She walked closer, touching a scar just south of his nipple. “Is this from the war?” Her gentle touch rippled through him.
“Just a graze from a bullet.”
She drew her finger down to an old scar across his right ab. “And this?”
“Jumped from the barn roof into a stack of hay when I was a kid. Didn’t know there was a rake buried in it.”
She was taking in his body, studying every contour. She touched the scar on his arm that he’d shown her at the gas station. “I can’t imagine facing a guy with a knife.”
He shrugged. “You get numbed to people trying to kill you after a while.”
She met his gaze. “Thank you. For your service,” she added when he obviously didn’t understand. “For the time you spent, for every scar you incurred. My father wouldn’t talk about his scars or what he went through when he was in combat. But hearing you, seeing the evidence of what you sacrificed, brings it home to me.”
He’d never heard more heartfelt gratitude, and it stirred him deep inside. “It was my honor.”
She brushed the scar on his chest again with her fingertip. “All those times you almost died for a reason … I’m glad you didn’t.” She seemed to struggle to step back and leave.
He was glad she had, because he had been that close to pulling her up against him and tasting that gratitude firsthand.
* * *
If Addie ever considered going back to college, Callowell would be a great place to go. The downtown bustled with cafés, music shops, and lots of mini-parks where students studied or shared a cup of coffee. Once Risk found a parking spot, she said, “You’re going to stay a few feet away, right?”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” He turned off the engine.
“Gil’s timid, shy. You would totally intimidate him.”
Risk hitched his thumb toward his chest. “Li’l ole me?”
She gave him a playful push, her hand briefly molding to the contours of hard muscle. Which reminded her of how mushy she’d gotten at the sight of the scars on his body. Focus, Addie! “You need to stay a few feet behind and act like you’re not with me when we approach the café.”
Wild on You Page 12
