“Aren’t I going to unlock your door for you when we come back?” He watched her upper teeth bite at her lower lip. Again, he started to ache.
“Yes, I guess you would want to unlock my door.”
“Ergo, I should have your keys.”
“Did you just say, ‘Ergo’?”
He draped his arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the passenger side of the jeep and helped her inside.
“Are you just looking for something to fight about? Save the fighting for after dinner so we can play make-up.”
“You want to play with my make-up?” Her hazel eyes weren’t twinkling. No, they were at half-mast and looking at him like she could eat him up with a spoon.
“Off the chain,” he muttered. “Buckle your seat belt.” When she fumbled, he brushed her hands away and clicked it in place. It wasn’t a hardship getting close to those delectable curves.
“Is off the chain good?”
“According to Darryl, it is.”
He shut the door and got into the driver’s side. After they were on the road, she asked who Darryl was.
“He’s my little brother. He got a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton.”
“I didn’t know you had a little brother. How much younger is he than you?”
Dex realized that he hadn’t explained things correctly. “Darryl is part of the San Diego Big Brothers and Sisters program. He and I got paired up five years ago.”
She didn’t say anything after that, he looked over at her. She was looking off into the traffic.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“That’s a pretty big commitment to make. What made you decide to do it?”
Shit, how did he answer that?
Time to pivot.
“A lot of the guys the teams I work with take on outside projects. Hunter Diaz, who you’re going to meet at my place tomorrow, works with former gang members.” He looked at her again as he took a turn towards Pacific Coast Highway.
“If you don’t want to answer my question, just say so,” she said quietly.
He’d forgotten how smart she was. Nothing got by her.
“Taking on Darryl was, and still is, a commitment that means a great deal to me. I’ll tell you some other time why I decided to do it, okay?”
“Now was that so hard?” she asked with a genuine smile.
He blew out a breath. “No.” And it really wasn’t. She was easy to talk to. He asked her questions about Rosalie, and she answered them. Soon they were at the restaurant. He used the valet, so she wouldn’t have to walk far in her heels.
It was chilly as they walked in, but as soon as they got to the hostess stand, Dex offered to take Kenna’s coat. She gave him a demure smile, and he slipped it off. Seeing her long expanse of bare back that ended just above the swell of her ass had his mouth going dry. He walked behind her as they were led to their seats, but as he noticed all the heads turning, he moved closer, so that he was blocking the view. The show that Kenna was putting on was for him.
He’d asked for a table overlooking the ocean, and that’s what they got. She sucked in her breath when they were seated.
“This place is gorgeous.”
“I hear the food is good too,” Dex said.
“You’ve never been here?”
“Nope, but Aiden has brought Evie.”
She cocked her head, and he explained further. “Aiden is a teammate of mine. Evie’s his fiancée.”
“How many members are on your team?”
“Seven.”
“Can I ask what you do?”
He liked that, she didn’t just start peppering him with questions, she understood that some of what he did was classified.
“We all are multi-functional. But I specialize in communications and technology.”
“That would make sense with your background.”
“But the others are very adept.”
“Have you worked together long?” She glanced up as the waiter handed them menus. They listened to the specials and placed their orders. Before long he found himself telling her about his team. She was fascinated to learn that his friend Griff had been on the Amtrak train that had crashed not far from San Diego.
“You guys lead interesting lives, even when you’re not on assignment,” she said as she took a small sip of wine.
“What about you? You haven’t told me much more than what I’ve read in the profile. I take it your ex is out of the picture?”
Her hazel eyes darkened. “He was my high school boyfriend. I got pregnant when I was a senior. Both of our parents said we needed to get married. He had a partial scholarship in football, so he went to San Diego State. He blew it when he got caught cheating his sophomore year.”
She pushed back her plate and took another delicate sip of wine.
“Then what happened?” he asked.
“He ended up going to a community college, and I needed to work more hours. But they wouldn’t put me on full-time because they didn’t want to pay benefits because I wasn’t an accredited nurse’s assistant, so I had to start picking up shifts at another home as well.”
“Where was he working?”
“He wasn’t.”
“He was taking care of Austin?” Please say he was, Dex thought to himself.
“No, Mom was.”
“What did your parents think of this?”
He watched as she smoothed her fingers over the silverware. “Dad died of a stroke the same year Austin was born. Caring for Austin was the way Mom coped. I was in too much of a daze about Dad’s death and giving birth that I didn’t realize I was in a bad situation.”
Dex moved closer to her in the booth and put his arm around her shoulders. He was gratified when she snuggled closer. “Kenna, how long did this go on?” he asked softly.
“Jaden wasn’t the best student in the world,” she hedged.
“How long?”
“Austin was five when Jaden finally gave up. He got a job selling yellow pages advertising. He got a company car, and he had to go away a lot. The first three months he received a salary, but then it was mostly commission, and he hardly made anything. He’d come home late at night, and I could tell he’d been drinking. He got his first DUI six months after he started the job. He lost his job because he did it in the company car.”
“How was it between the two of you?”
As she had told her story, she had been looking out over the ocean, but when he’d asked the question, she raised her eyes to look at him. “He didn’t like me. Everything I did was wrong. He made me feel ugly and stupid.”
Dex stroked her bare arm with his fingers. “But you got out of there.”
“That’s the pathetic part, Dex. I didn’t. He left me.”
“Thank God.”
“You got that right,” she said wanly. “But how pathetic was that, right?” She tried to shift away, but he was having none of it.
“Cut yourself some slack, you didn’t know if you were coming or going. What would you say to anybody else in your shoes?”
She sighed. “I know. I know.” She gave him a half-hearted grin.
“Now you’re a registered nurse, and you’ve given your son a kick-ass life. I’d say you’re a long way from pathetic. As a matter of fact, you’re someone I admire.”
She sucked in a deep breath and then gave him a brilliant smile. He couldn’t help himself. He bent in for a kiss. It was perfect.
***
“He’s looking like a very happy man,” her mother observed as they watched Dex grill burgers and brats at the grill. “Did he spend the night?” she asked.
“Mother!”
“Damn. Here I cleared the decks and everything. I was sure with that dress that he wouldn’t be able to resist.” Penny giggled.
Kenna thought back to their good-night kiss on her sofa. It had been long and lush. Long and lush and wet. The man could kiss. But he had broken it off.
“Poppy, I so want more. I not only admi
re you; I desire you.”
She was lying on top of him on the couch, and it was pretty damned obvious that he desired her.
“I’m a nurse, I’m trained to notice these things, Mr. Evans.”
“But...I’ve agreed to a slower pace. This is only date number two. So, we’re waiting.”
“Hey! This is date number one,” she said as she pressed up against his chest, grinding her lower half into his lower half. It felt glorious.
“Lunch at Danny’s was date number one. We’re waiting. You need time, and I’m enjoying the torture.” His hand swept down her back and cupped her ass. His palm was warm and big, and she arched into it.
“Daughter, are you listening to me?”
Kenna shook her head and looked around noting Dex’s backyard.
“Well, at least you saw some action.” Her mother grinned. “I knew I could count on a Navy man.” It was great to see her mother’s eyes sparkling as she referred to her dad.
Kenna just raised one eyebrow and refused to comment, grateful when her son walked over, a half-eaten brownie in his hand.
“How many brownies does this make?” she asked.
“Only two. I’m saving room for a couple of cheeseburgers,” he said. “I’ve been talking to Wyatt; did you know he surfs? He said he’d take me out sometime.”
Kenna looked over at the sandy haired man who was standing next to Hunter Diaz. She kept saying their names in her head as she looked at each one of them so that she could memorize them.
“Austin, don’t you think you have enough on your plate?”
Just then Wyatt looked their way and grinned, obviously knowing what Austin was asking. He put his palms together in a praying motion. The man was charming.
“Let me talk to him,” Kenna said. “I’m not promising anything.”
Austin smirked. He knew he’d won.
Damned smart kid.
“Food’s up,” Dex called out.
Kenna watched as Penny and Griff’s wife Miranda uncovered the side dishes and condiments. They were soon sitting at various places around the backyard. Dex and Hunter had brought out the dining room table from inside to accommodate more seating. Rosalie was having a grand time entertaining Evie and Aiden. She saw Buddy and Dex deep in conversation and wondered what was going on and then realized that both of them had technical backgrounds. She wandered over to join them.
“Lyle Gale was less than happy, but he has an appalling reputation, so I didn’t mind using certain methods to acquire the dating website.”
Dex chuckled. “You did this all for Rosalie?”
“My grandmother is a force to be reckoned with.” Buddy looked over at Kenna. “Keeping watch over her protégé was a pleasure. But I wouldn’t have done any of this if it hadn’t made good business sense.”
“Actually, that makes me feel a whole hell of a lot better,” Kenna said with a sigh of relief.
Buddy smiled at her.
“I’m hoping you can do me a favor Kenna, dear.” It was funny how he talked to her like she was his daughter when he was five years younger than her. “I have to go to the office this afternoon. Could you take Grandmother home? I don’t want her to miss any of the festivities, she’s having a great time.”
He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then shook Dex’s hand. “I’m glad she found you, Man. We’d given up hope.” Buddy grinned.
Buddy left through the sliding glass door.
“Let me get you a plate of food,” Dex said. “I think Evie’s starting to tell her stories to Rosalie. This ought to be good.”
***
The night was winding down. Despite the fact that her son had eaten far more brownies and cookies than she wanted to think about, dessert was now being served. Penny had just brought out a Bundt cake, and Kenna was going inside and get something to cut it with. As she opened the sliding glass door, she heard the distinctive ring of her phone and went to her purse.
Austin was getting ice cream of the freezer when she answered the phone.
“I’ve been calling for over an hour, what took you so long?”
She didn’t answer. She was frozen.
“Kenna, did you like the flowers?” he prompted.
“Who is this?” But she knew who it was. She recognized that creepy, raspy voice.
“I’ve e-mailed Mary Poppins many times, but you didn’t reply. I had to get your attention.”
Ice slithered down her spine. “How did you get my number? How did you know where to send me flowers?” Her voice rose.
The phone was taken from her hand, hazel eyes blazed at her.
“Who are you?” Austin demanded of the caller.
“Answer me!”
“Answer me!”
Austin looked at the phone in his hand and turned to Kenna. “What was that about?”
“What do you mean ‘what was that about’?” She snatched the phone back from her son and looked at the number. It said it was unidentified. Dammit. “What the hell were you doing, taking the phone out of my hand?” she demanded.
“You were upset.”
She put it up to her ear again, but the caller had hung up.
She looked up at her son. He had acted like a protector. She got a melty feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Austin slid open the sliding glass door. “Dex!” Austin called out.
All melty feelings faded.
“Yo!”
“Come here,” Austin yelled.
Dex came inside. Austin did a chin tilt, and Dex closed the door. Seriously. What the hell? They were communicating with chin tilts?
“Mom just got a crank call that totally flipped her out. Apparently, he’s even sent her flowers.”
Two sets of eyes turned on her.
“Kenna, what the hell is going on?” Dex asked.
“I’ve been getting hang-ups, and lately they’ve turned to actual calls,” her voice trailed off.
“What’s this about flowers?” Dex questioned, his voice hard.
“I got flowers sent to me at Rosalie’s house.” She bent to her purse and pulled out the card that had come with the flowers. “I’ve been asking around at the hospital, trying to figure out who had sent them. I knew it wasn’t you because you’re not a ‘T.’ Your middle name is Anthony.” She paused and looked at Dex, her eyes widening. “Shit, I didn’t think. You don’t go by Tony, do you?”
“How did you know my middle name was Anthony?” he demanded.
“Buddy ran a report on you.”
There was a long pause as Dex assessed her. “Okay, we’ll table that for a later date. No, I don’t go by Tony. In the meantime, we’ll talk about the fact that you’ve been getting calls and flowers from somebody, and you haven’t told me or the police.”
“Why would I do that?” she asked, confused.
“I don’t know,” he said sarcastically. “Maybe because one of your good friends was just murdered?”
Kenna gulped. Shit. She hadn’t considered that.
“This is probably just some whackjob,” she hedged.
“My point exactly.” Dex’s voice was grim.
She opened her mouth again to disagree and then saw her son’s white face.
Damn. Shit. Fuck.
She bent again to her purse and pawed through it until she found Detective Warren’s card. “I’m going to call the detective who spoke to me about Jean. I’m so sorry I didn’t think to do this before,” she said looking at Austin.
Austin gave a slight nod.
She got the detective’s voice mail. She left a brief message. “It’s Sunday, I’m sure he’ll get back to me tomorrow morning,” she assured the two glowering males.
“Mom, he knows Rosalie’s address,” Austin said quietly. “That means he knows our address.”
It did. It so did.
“Austin, we have no way of knowing if Jean’s murder and these crank calls are connected. We need to chill,” she put her hand out to touch his shoulder, but he jerked away.
“Austin. If there is a connection, this is actually some good news. The police will have some leads to track down with the phone calls and the flowers,” Dex said calmly. She threw him a grateful look for keeping things calm with her son.
“In the meantime, we’ll stay with your grandmother tonight. How about that?” she offered.
She saw the look of intense relief on her son’s face and felt better.
“That sounds good, Mom.”
“Go grab a cheeseburger before Dex’s friends eat them all,” she suggested.
“Do you have this?” Austin asked Dex.
What the hell did that mean?
“Yeah, we’ll get this locked down. You better grab the food before Wyatt nabs everything,” Dex gave her son another reassuring smile.
Austin nodded and picked up the tub of ice cream and headed out.
Kenna turned to Dex. “When did the two of you get so chummy?”
“A common interest made us fast friends.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kenna demanded.
“Since you don’t take your well-being seriously, Austin and I needed to team up.” Why did Dex seem even taller and wider than normal?
“Why would he turn to you?”
“You’re kidding, right? Your son has probably already googled me. He knows which way the wind is blowing.”
“Googled.” That reminded her. “Damn. I need to explain about Buddy’s report. Look, he was just making sure that you were a good guy.”
“I don’t give a shit about that.” He was angry. “What were you thinking not calling the police or at the very least mentioning this to me?”
“Huh? Why would I have mentioned it to you?” Now he was just confusing her.
“Weren’t the calls bothering you? Making you feel uncomfortable?”
“Well sure,” Kenna admitted.
“You should have told me about them.”
“Why on God’s good green earth would I have done something like that?” She put her phone and Detective Warren’s card back in her purse and tucked it back by the chair near the sliding glass door.
“Because I handle problems,” he said. His face had a hard expression.
“We’ve been on two dates. We’ve talked on the phone a few times. I haven’t even told my mom about this. I’m sure as hell not going to tell some guy I barely know about some creepy phone calls.”
Her Devoted HERO (Black Dawn Book 2) Page 10
