by Lexi Blake
Charlotte gave him a warm smile. “If you need anything else, Father, please don’t hesitate to ask. I wish I could send you to church. I truly do, but it’s dangerous right now.”
“Don’t tell anyone because I might get fired for saying this, but God doesn’t need us to be in church to hear our prayers,” Ezra replied.
She would have to find some time to ask him about the club later on. Her level of curiosity was high given she was due to go to Sanctum in a few days.
“Well, that’s the basic tour. I’d like to talk to Solo for a couple of minutes before we join Beck in the conference room,” Charlotte said. “Roman, I think they’re about to have a midmorning snack in the kids’ club. And then they’re doing a pretty cool science experiment.”
“Really?” Roman asked.
Charlotte nodded. “Yes. I told the teachers that you love science, and they thought you might help them make volcanoes today.”
“I love volcanoes. Let’s go.” Roman dropped off his uncle’s back.
Ezra took his hand. “I’ll go sign him in and meet you back here.”
She kissed Roman’s forehead. “I’ll be here all day.”
Roman nodded and strode away without looking back.
“He’ll be fine,” Charlotte said, stepping into the hallway. “Come with me for a minute. I want to show you your office.”
That was a surprise. “I have an office?”
“Well, you didn’t think I was going to let you sit at home, did you? You’re Solo. I can use you here. I know you haven’t done Agency work in a long time, but I would bet your instincts are still good.”
“I do have some work to do on Levi.” It would be nice to have an office, to get out of the house every once in a while.
“Yes, I’m sure you’ll do that, but I’d like your thoughts on a couple of open cases we have.”
“I’m not a private eye.”
“No, you’re better,” Charlotte insisted. She stopped in front of an office. “This is you. Beck is across the hall. I don’t have an office with a window right now.”
She was used to working in the shadows. “I don’t need a window. Just a laptop and Internet access.”
Charlotte’s nose wrinkled. “Oh, we do better here. We’ll talk about redecorating to your specifications later. I recently did Beck’s office if you’d like to see it.”
Without waiting for an answer Charlotte opened the door, and she couldn’t contain her curiosity. She walked into the place where Beck had worked for the last seven years. It was funny because she’d never seen him in an office. He’d been in the field most of the time she’d known him. She would have said he would hate being stuck in an office, and any work space he had would be utilitarian because Beck liked the adrenaline of being out in the field. Even after he’d left the Agency, he’d taken the first dangerous job he could find—guarding the Lost Boys.
His home had been fairly utilitarian. Not that it wasn’t nice, but it lacked the comfort of décor and plants and pictures. Not so with his office. His office was beautifully masculine, with a big dark wood desk and elegant bookshelves that contained a combination of fiction and reference books.
“When he takes a break, he tends to read,” Charlotte said. “He always volunteers to work late if we need someone here at the office. I think he spends way more time here than he should, but then he’s been lonely.”
Charlotte could clear up something she’d been thinking about for days. “He really hasn’t dated? He told me he hasn’t…been in a relationship since we were last together.”
Charlotte’s eyes lit up like she loved to gossip, though Kim rather thought she would only do it in the kindest ways. “Beck goes to the club and he’ll scene, but that scene never involves sex. I’ve known some Doms who won’t have sex with subs, but Beck won’t even get one off, if you know what I mean. Sorry. I’m not sure how into the lifestyle you are.”
“I’m not completely ignorant,” she admitted as she strolled around his office. There was a warmth to it she hadn’t expected. As though Beck was at home here and his actual home was merely a place to sleep and eat. “And I’m sure you’ll find out that he’s bringing me on Friday. We have a bargain, he and I.”
Those eyes lit up even brighter. “You have a sex bargain? Because those are the best bargains. It’s harder when you have kids, but trust me, you can make it work.”
She let her eyes roam across the books on his shelves. He still liked reading historical books and thrillers, but it looked like he’d added in a bunch of self-help books, and that didn’t seem like the Beck she knew. A lot of them seemed to deal with anger. “He thinks I’ll forget all the years before if I spend three months with him. But I have to do it quietly because I don’t want to confuse Roman.”
“Like I said, kids are resilient when they’re loved,” Charlotte said.
“Mom?” A teenaged girl stood in the doorway, her hair up in a high ponytail. She held a bejeweled cell phone in one hand.
Charlotte smiled at her daughter. “Hey, sweetie. Come in. I want you to meet someone. This is Kim Solomon. Do you remember I told you how she helped find you when you were a kid?”
Tasha’s smile dimmed a bit, and it almost seemed like she forced herself to come into the room. She held a hand out, but it was a practiced thing, something she knew she had to do. “Hello, Ms. Solomon. It’s lovely to meet you.”
Any accent she’d had as a little girl was gone. There was something about the way Tasha was looking at her that made Kim’s instincts flare. This girl didn’t like her.
Still, she shook Tasha’s hand. “I was very happy to help find you.”
Tasha dropped her hand and turned back to Charlotte. “I wanted to let you know I called the bakery and they’ve set everything up for Dad’s cake. Also, I asked them not to deliver it. I said you would pick it up. You know if we have it in the house for too long we’ll find Travis’s fingerprints on it.”
“Smart girl,” Charlotte said, her arm going around Tasha’s shoulders. “My youngest has his dad’s sweet tooth but none of Ian’s self-control. You’ll have to come to the party, Solo. It’s Ian’s birthday, and we have a big house party planned at the lake house we share with Sean and Grace. Adam’s brother and sister-in-law run this amazing bakery in uptown and they’re making all the sweets. Sean’s catering the whole thing.”
“And we’ll get a bouncy house for the kids,” Tasha said, looking happy for the first time since she’d walked in. “And Dad will decide to jump in it and then he’ll complain bitterly about his back and how old he is and he’ll throw us all in the pool.”
“He probably will,” Charlotte agreed. “Are Kenz and Kala helping in the daycare?”
Tasha started telling her mom about how the morning had gone, but Kim didn’t really hear them anymore because her gaze had stopped on Beck’s desk. It was neat, with pens and pencils in a mug and his paperwork stacked up.
But it was the single framed picture that caught her eye. Their wedding picture. She hadn’t worn a big fluffy dress. She was in a simple emerald green sheath and a strand of Tiffany pearls, her hair around her shoulders because Beck had loved it that way. He was in a dark suit that set off his eyes. It had been taken by the Vegas chapel they’d gotten married in as part of the “package.”
She picked it up and the world seemed a little misty.
“It was the only thing he brought with him when he came to Dallas.” She looked up and she and Charlotte were alone again. “Besides clothes, of course.”
“I can’t believe he has this. This was in my condo in DC. I never thought I would see it again.” She’d kept it all those years. Even after the divorce and selling the place that had been their home, she’d kept this picture on her mantle. “I don’t even know what happened to my place in DC. I owned it but I didn’t pay my property taxes.”
“I think you’ll find Beck did,” Charlotte said. “He worked with a lawyer to make sure you still had a home if you wanted it. I’m surpr
ised he didn’t tell you.”
He hadn’t told her a lot of things.
He’d brought their wedding picture here. It had been sitting on this desk for years.
She took a deep breath and put the picture back down. She wasn’t staying here any longer than the three months she promised Beck. It would give him time to get to know his son and for them to work out how they would parent together.
She might even fuck him out of her system. But she wasn’t falling for this. Not again. “We should get to the meeting. I want to run by the daycare and make sure Roman’s settling in.”
She also needed a moment. She wouldn’t do anything more than look through the big windows and maybe wave his way, but the walk through the building might calm her down.
Charlotte looked her over as though assessing her. “You’re going to be a tough one, aren’t you?”
“I plan on being impossible.” She had to protect herself. Beck was an indulgence her heart couldn’t afford. At some point he would get mad and they would start their cycle all over again. It wouldn’t be only her who got hurt. This time Roman would be involved.
“That’s okay. Ian did, too.” Charlotte stepped out into the hallway. “He lasted three days. I’ll go let Eve know we’re ready, and I’ll meet you in the big conference room.”
She followed Charlotte and prayed she was stronger than Ian.
* * * *
“But I just got used to not using that name. I don’t understand why people don’t stay dead. It’s way easier than this constant ‘he’s dead and some overly emotional asshole is using his name. Then overly emotional asshole gets some much needed therapy and reclaims his own name only to find out the dude he was honoring has been happily quarantining with overly emotional asshole’s ex and the son he didn’t know he had.’ It could have been he’s just dead. See how that’s easier?”
Beck wasn’t in the mood for Tag’s shenanigans. Not in any way. He was horny as hell, and it had been two full days since he’d gotten his hands on his wife. And seven years since she’d put her hands on him. That was probably the part that was really getting to him. “Well, Ezra’s not dead and I need to figure out what Levi was doing with his unit.”
“His Marine unit. They’re all dead, right?” Alex McKay asked.
“Or are they?” Tag offered, a brow climbing over his eyes.
Alex gave him a one shouldered shrug. “Hey, if they’re in hiding after faking their own deaths, I’m all for finding them. It would be easier if we could ask them what they were doing.”
He’d known this wouldn’t be an easy conference, but they were testing his limits. “I’m pretty sure they’re all freaking dead, Tag. So unless you have a medium hanging around the office, you’re going to have to do some actual investigative work.”
The third person in the conference room leaned over toward Taggart, his voice going low. “He’s in a bad mood. Do you think it’s jet lag, now? Because I’m thinking his purity is finally taking a toll on him. You said his brother was a priest, but Beck’s the one who’s been living like a monk.”
The Americans weren’t the only ones well acquainted with the art of sarcasm. Liam O’Donnell’s Irish accent had softened a bit over the years, but he could lay it on thick when he wanted to.
When he’d gotten Kim to agree to his devil’s bargain, he’d expected the sex to come hot and heavy. Hell, he’d thought he’d be able to revisit the mile-high club with her. What he hadn’t counted on was how many damn people had been on the plane and how tired she’d been. He’d spent the majority of the ridiculously long flight watching her and Roman sleep. Then he’d had jet lag and he’d slept.
He didn’t want to live like a monk anymore. He wanted to sin and hard.
The object of his affection took that moment to walk in front of the conference room. Through the glass, he could see that she wore a simple pair of slacks and a chic silk blouse, and those sky-high heels she seemed to have been born to wear. Her long blonde hair was down, and she tucked a wave behind her ear, revealing a half smile she was giving the other woman she walked with. Charlotte was showing her around the office.
Then he saw his brother walking behind the two women. He hadn’t seen Ezra since they’d landed in Dallas and Tag had whisked him away to a secret site where Levi hopefully wouldn’t figure out he was alive.
He watched as Ezra walked by with Kim and Roman and Charlotte for their tour of the office. Roman was on Ezra’s back, treating his uncle like the free ride he was.
Then Roman looked Beck’s way and a big grin came over his face and he waved like this was the greatest adventure in the world.
He waved to his son as Ezra started toward the back of the office, following after Kim.
“And then vampires attacked and took back the world from the evil werebunnies,” Tag was saying.
“What?” Beck forced himself to focus.
Tag’s eyes rolled. “I was repeating the end of the bedtime story I heard Kala telling her youngest brother. She’s not a good babysitter. But she is cheap.”
“Only until you get the therapy bill for Seth and Travis.” Li sat back with a frown.
Tag waved that off. “The boys don’t need therapy. They’re going to shoot things and then they’ll feel better. That’s manly therapy.”
Tag was such a fucking liar since Beck happened to know a whole lot of men who’d gotten the help they needed because Tag eased them into therapy. He’d literally funded Kai Ferguson’s practice for years. “Sure. I’ll get them both BB guns for their next birthday.”
Tag actually paled. “I was joking. Dear god. Don’t arm my children. They’re too good at it themselves. I keep the gun locker double locked because once Kala started…” Tag winced. “Once she started with the hormones and stuff, my house got way more dangerous.”
Li chuckled. “Ah, sweet, sweet karma. Tag’s girls got their periods and Kenzie uses it like a baseball bat. If she wants to get out of anything, she announces she’s got her period and Tag goes and hides. It’s funny. Daisy is never doing that, by the way.”
Alex rolled his eyes. “Sure. You stay in that sweet delusion, my friend. But he’s right about Kenz. Does she have to announce that? It’s disturbing.”
“It’s nothing compared to what Kala can do,” Tag said with a shudder. “What were we talking about?”
He was really happy Roman had a penis.
“I believe you were pointing out that Beck’s distracted,” Alex explained. “Not that you shouldn’t be. When Tag’s wife came back from the dead he was all sorts of distracted.”
Tag snorted. “Was not. I was focused and clear because I never really thought she was dead. Deep down I knew she was alive.”
The door had come open and Charlotte and Eve McKay were standing in the doorway. Charlotte frowned at her husband. “Oh, really? You want to explain all those subs then?”
“I completely believed she was dead and lost to me forever, and I indulged myself in meaningless sex to cover up the fact that my heart was broken utterly,” Tag said with absolutely no sarcasm.
Eve simply shook her head and took the seat next to Alex.
Charlotte’s eyes rolled but she leaned over and kissed her husband. Her voice went low, but not so low he couldn’t hear her. “Obnoxious man. And according to Solo, Beck’s a saint compared to you.”
“Well, we all know that,” Tag said with a grin.
So Kim had been talking. It was one of those things he used to get mad about. Anything about their private life should have been private. Except Kim needed a friend to talk to. She so often in her life had no one. She’d been isolated and it had cost her. It had been one of the things that had gone wrong the first time around. He hadn’t realized he needed someone to talk to so he’d put all of his emotional needs on her. Since he didn’t need anyone else, she shouldn’t have needed anyone else. The trouble had been he was shitty at handling her emotional needs.
He looked to Charlotte as she took a seat across from Ta
g. “Thank you for showing her around. I appreciate it. And I also appreciate everything you’ve done to make her feel welcome.”
“I like her,” Charlotte said with a smile. “And I always love shopping. I brought some of Travis’s clothes. I think they’ll fit Roman. The girls and I did a Target run and bought him all of the basics. Also, if you noticed, there’s now food in your kitchen. I know many men are confused about where food comes from, so I made it easy for you.”
He chuckled because she was right. He ate sad takeout far too often. “I promise I’ll take them both shopping. From what Kim’s told me she’s become quite good at cooking. I’m looking forward to some home-cooked meals.” He saw Charlotte’s eyes narrow and immediately moved to block the inevitable lecture on household duties and emotional work. “And the dishes and cleanup that I will do after our lovely meal.”
“Well played, Kent,” Eve said. “You want to keep those meals coming, you have a bottle of wine chilling for your lady after dinner and you let her relax while you deal with the dishes and the kiddos.”
Li huffed. “Kiddos? He’s got it easy. His is six. He missed all those terrible toddler years. Not that mine were bad. Daisy takes after her mother, and she’s practically a saint.”
“Sure she is,” Tag said while shaking his head. “All our kids are.”
“Mine aren’t,” Alex admitted with a sigh. “How did I go from we probably can’t have kids to having three? And don’t let Li overemphasize the toddler years. Yes, they suck, but I would take all the stinky diapers in the world to not have to answer questions about what is lube and why is there so much of it in your bathroom, Dad?”
Eve groaned. “I have to admit, I ran. I left him standing there to answer that one.”
“You don’t hide it well enough,” Tag replied.
“I hide it fine. Who do you think put Coop up to asking that question? I’ll give you three chances, and the first two don’t count,” Alex shot back.
“See, my Daisy doesn’t know anything about that. An angel of a girl that one is.” Li looked perfectly satisfied with his self-delusion.
