I would love that too actually. “What did you do in Morocco?”
His skin blushed red, but he puffed his wide chest out. “Camel racing.”
I cracked up laughing. “No way! Is it as fun as it looks, because I’ve seen it on YouTube and it looks wicked scary.”
“It’s hella scary. They’re not like horses. At all. It’s like a roller coaster, but without all the safety features.”
That got another giggle out of me as we switched spots so he could take care of the steaks. “Sounds terrifying, but it also sounds like you really enjoyed it.”
“I did.” I watched his ass move as he bent to pull the tray out and place the steaks on them. He’d marinated them and I hated that I was impressed. “Even the things that I didn’t enjoy, had their moments. What about you, how’d you get into the all-natural thing and the store?”
“I came home because Gran was sick and needed someone to take care of her. My mother wasn’t going to be that person, so I quit my job at SkinFactor and came home. She’d gotten a bit better for a while, so I figured I needed to find a way to support us here in town.”
“And you thought you’d make natural skin and hair products?”
I shrugged. “That’s what I went to school to do. I have degrees in biology and chemistry for that reason. It’s a natural fit, actually.”
“It definitely is a natural fit. I wasn’t all that surprised to see your store, but I just thought you’d do it in a big city.”
“Make plans and see what life has to say about it.” I’d learnt very early in my life to just roll with the things you couldn’t change. I did it when my mom dropped me off with Gran, every time I couldn’t get something because we didn’t have the money, and every day at school. “What about you, how’d you get into travel writing?”
He sighed, shoulders relaxing with the reprieve offered by the timer as he stood to remove the steaks from the oven. “It’s funny you should ask. Remember that night?”
“We don’t need to talk about that.” I cut that train of thought off immediately, because I didn’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to hear about that night. Not ever again. “Seriously, Chase. We don’t have to go there.”
“We do and we will, sweetheart. All you have to do is listen.” He brought the steaks to the table and took his seat. “We talked about a lot back then, but there was one thing I didn’t tell anyone about. Ever. My writing. I’d applied for this writing gig that I had no chance in hell of getting because I didn’t have any professional experience and an unused passport. I was so giddy about the possibility, even though it was a long shot, that when I saw you that night...I just couldn’t help myself.”
“Clearly,” I snorted.
He rolled his eyes, a smile ghosting around his lips. “Anyway, after that, you were curled in my arms and my phone rang. The writer they’d picked broke her leg and they needed me on an overnight flight. I didn’t want to-,”
I couldn’t hear anymore. “That’s enough.” We finished our meal in a tense silence that made me sick to my stomach. “We can do this together, this fake engagement thing, but we should leave that night where it belongs.”
If you’d like to read the rest of Kenzi and Chase’s story Dear Reader, you can check it out here.
SEAL’d to Her: A Second Chance Military Romance
Colt
“Hey Ma, I’m here.” I used my key to enter the apartment I bought for her on Lake Shore Drive a few years back, looking around with a smile. It didn’t matter how much money I made, how much I gave to her to spend, she had this million-dollar penthouse decorated similarly to the ranch house she’d raised me and my brother Grady in Calumet City, a small town about thirty minutes outside Chicago. Bright colors and rustic furnishings were odd to see in this space, but it always felt like home to me.
“Colt! I’m so glad you’re here.” My mother, Claudia Sharpe, rushed in and wrapped her arms around me like she hadn’t seen me five days ago. “How are you sweetheart?” Head tilted to the side so her brown shoulder length hair shot through with grey swung around her face. Familiar blue eyes stared at me. “I’ve invited some guests for dinner.”
I groaned. “Ma you promised, no more matchmaking.” She’d spent the past year putting women in front of me, hoping to marry me off to give her some grandchildren. Since Grady was still working off book for Uncle Sam, it was up to me in her eyes.
“I’m not matchmaking, and you’re grumpy. Have a beer,” she told me at the same time she set a bottle of IPA in front of me. “Sharon Martinson, well Cavanaugh now, lives in the other apartment on this floor.”
I frowned. “Since when?” That apartment has been rented for nearly a year.
Ma’s blue eyes looked far too innocent. “About a year ago, but we’ve grown close over the past few months, as mothers of children with dangerous jobs,” she gave me a pointed look that was filled with worry and fear. “Anyway Jaya was shot, and she’s had a hard time so we’ve been chatting and I invited her.”
I didn’t hear much else of what she’d said after hearing that Jaya had been shot. Jaya Martinson was the only girl I ever loved, but I’d broken her heart. It was a lifetime ago but hearing her name again, hearing that I could have lost her without knowing it made it feel like yesterday.
“Is Jaya okay?”
Ma sighed and grabbed my beer, taking a long sip. “Her body is healing apparently, but Sharon is worried.”
Damn I was worried too. “How did she get shot?”
The doorbell interrupted her answer and I groaned, standing and glancing at the table set for…four? “Come in, how are you?” The answer was low and muffled but my eyes were glued to the doorway as an uneasy feeling settled over me. Then Miss Martinson was in the doorway, looking just as I remembered her only older. “Miss Martinson, you’re looking more beautiful than ever.”
She smiled, delicate features so similar to Jaya’s it made my heart squeeze.
“Colt what a handsome man you’ve grown into. Big too,” she said and squeezed me into the same hug she had when I was a boy. She pulled back and gave me a sympathetic smile I didn’t understand. “You remember Jaya, don’t you?”
What? I looked up and slammed into green eyes that often invaded my dreams. She was even more beautiful now than the last time I saw her. She’d filled out, her body was now that of a woman, soft and supple but strong.
“Jaya,” I whispered.
She was frozen, shock and anger and hurt flashed before her expression went blank. “Excuse me,” she whispered and turned, skirting around Ma and slamming the door behind her.
“Dammit! I’ll be right back.” Sharon put her hand on my chest to stop me.
“Let her be Colt. We should have told her he’d be here,” she said to Ma. “It was too big of a shock after everything.”
I’d noticed the sling she still wore, the pale set of her skin and the purple crescents under her blank green eyes. “Can you tell me what happened?”
Sharon guided me to the long red sofa that was the centerpiece of the living room and told me all about the murder investigation that had come to a head in the middle of a domestic violence call. “She took two bullets to the shoulder and decided to leave Miami PD. She didn’t give me details but I’m sure there’s more to it than that. She came back a month ago.”
One month, and Ma knew. She’d kept it from me. “I should go after her.”
“Don’t,” Sharon said softly. “She’ll come back, but she’s needs to regroup.”
I wasn’t so sure but plenty of years had passed, and she knew Jaya better than I did.
“I can’t believe we got stuck with dish duty.” I had a feeling the mothers were still trying to play matchmaker, but judging by Jaya’s demeanor since she returned, I didn’t think I’d ever get her to crack a smile.
“Mostly you since I can’t do much right now.” She pointed to the sling with a blank look as she rinsed and put another plate away.
“Jaya I’m sorry ab
out what happened, to you and your partner.”
She stiffened at my touch, and a flash of anger surfaced, but she quickly hid it. “It’s fine. Jeffries won’t be a cop anymore, but at least he’s alive.”
“What will you do now?”
She gave a one shoulder shrug like it was no big deal even though we both knew it was. “No idea. I’ll figure it out though.” Of course she would, there wasn’t a single person I knew stronger or more independent than Jaya.
“I have no doubt about that Jaya. If you’re interested I could use your skills.”
She scoffed, giving me a sideways look that took me back to our childhood. She’d given me that look thousands of times over the years. “Well, as you can see, I’m not capable of doing anything, never mind any kind of security so, no thank you.” My surprise must have shown because she explained, “My mother told me what you were up to before convincing me you wouldn’t be here tonight.”
Ouch. I guess that answered the question of if she still hated me. “Would you have come if you’d known I would be here?”
“No.”
Unequivocal. That stung but I couldn’t believe after all these years she still felt that way. “You still hate me?”
She shook her head, long wheat blond lashes fanned as she blinked, drawing my attention to the freckles she’d always hated, but were now more pronounced from her years in the Miami sun.
“I don’t hate you Colt, but seeing you brings back a lot of memories I’d rather forget.”
Memories. We had a lifetime of memories together starting from first grade and she wanted to forget them. All. Playing kickball in the street, catching lightning bugs in jars. Our first clumsy kiss in the dark movie theater, and our even clumsier attempt at making love for the first time. Memories I treasured, cherished. And she wanted to forget them? I couldn’t let that stand.
“You want to forget a lifetime together because I joined the Navy? That’s real mature Jaya.” It wasn’t just that I left, I knew that. It was how I’d done it.
She sucked in a breath that should have warned me, but I couldn’t have known it would set her off. “You didn’t just leave Colt. You left me without talking about it, without preparing me. In the middle of the semester you tell me you’re leaving in five minutes for recruit training. Then you didn’t call or write like you said you would!” She flung the towel at my feet and took a few steps away as though she couldn’t even stand being near me.
“I was busy,” I tried to explain, but she talked over me.
“Then I sent you an email about six weeks later, to let you know…, it doesn’t even matter Colt, just please spare me your fucking revisionist history!” With one hard shove at my chest as I inched closer, she turned around pushing through the barrier of our stunned mothers. “Thank you for dinner Mrs. Sharpe,” she called out as she continued through the apartment and out the door.
I glared at the older women I’d known nearly all my life, looking shocked at the ferocity of her outburst.
“What the hell was that about?” I may be the obtuse male in the room, but there was more to it than what she told me just now. She’d nearly blurted out whatever it was, but clearly she didn’t care enough to share.
Both women stepped forward and laid a hand on me but Sharon spoke first. “Don’t be upset with Claudia. We knew there had to be a reason you never reached out to her, but Jaya wouldn’t hear of it. She was heartbroken, her trust had been destroyed. She assumed you didn’t care and didn’t love her and she wanted to hear nothing more of you.”
Shit! Jaya hated me so much she didn’t care if anything happened to me while I was off serving our country.
“I never got any emails from her. Not one.” I assumed she’d cut me out for cutting her out of the decision I’d made about my future. Truthfully it was supposed to be our future but in my naiveté, I figured she would eventually get over it.
Apparently she hadn’t.
“We figured that honey,” Sharon soothed while Ma stood frozen with tears in her eyes.
“I’m sorry Colt but I didn’t want to add anything that might distract you. I wanted you safe while you served our country. I never believed you didn’t care but…,” Her shoulders shook with tears and Sharon enveloped Ma in her arms.
“We all did what we thought was best and we can’t change it now.”
I knew they were right, but it didn’t make me feel any damn better about any of it. She wanted nothing to do with me and I felt like everyone knew the full story except me. They were all a little too understanding. A bit too damn sad about high school sweethearts who’d broken up. I figured I owed her for leaving and hurting her the way I had, but she owed me too dammit.
I would give Jaya a few days to cool down but we weren’t done. Not by a longshot.
Jaya
Walking around the city had always soothed me. The sights and sounds of Chicago, the scents and all the different people from all walks of life helped me put things in perspective. Miami had been great, colorful and vibrant and lively. But it would never have the appeal of home. Chicago was my city and being on the streets now made me realize how much I missed this place.
I hadn’t spent much time just walking in years, not since the semester I left University of Chicago after my life had fallen apart and turned to shit. After that, I’d walked around for hours trying to make sense of my life, of losing the things that mattered most to me.
I hadn’t been prepared for either loss, and they had rocked me. Proven to me that I wasn’t as strong as I thought I was. It was these streets, the sounds of Lake Michigan, that soothed me enough to help me figure out my life. To help me forget Colt and the memories we’d made around the city. Today I remembered it all. I remember every detail that had sent me to Louisiana for college, and then Florida for work.
Just because we lived in the same city didn’t mean I had to see him. I could avoid him, and it wasn’t like we traveled in the same circles. He was a well-known, wealthy security specialist and I didn’t have any social circles remaining in Chicago. The first step would be to get my own place so there was less chance of running into him at Mom’s, and I could visit her during the week until I found a job. Somewhere. Hell, anywhere would be great as long as I could pay the bills and forget about my life for a little while.
I refused to go back into police work after what happened in Miami, though everyone assumed it was because the events had scarred me horribly, that wasn’t the truth. Well, the physical scarring did exist, but really it was the emotional damage of being thrown under the bus for shooting the so-called victim who’d charged me to save her abusive asshole husband. Instead of apologizing—to John who’d survived—I submitted my resignation and kept my mouth shut. Before leaving the place that had been my home for most of my adult life, I made sure to square things with Jeffries and started physical therapy. The Miami part of my life was over.
In the past.
Nothing but a goddamn memory.
Had I known what, or rather who was waiting for me back here I might have chosen any other spot on the map. Not that it was too late. Other than Mom, there was nothing tying me to Chicago. I could go to California or Boston and start a new life there.
Hell, I could literally go to Timbuktu. The problem was I missed Mom. Missed seeing her on a regular basis and I wanted to be close to her.
I won’t let him take everything from me again.
My shoulder started to throb again, just as the doctor said it would if I didn’t take those damn pills four times a day. But the damn things made me drowsy so I only took them before bed.
I’d been walking long enough and it would take time to get home even if I hopped on the train, and I had no plans to do that. I wanted to limit my exposure to people, so I waited until the light changed before turning back and retracing my path home, passing over my favorite deep dish pizza joint, the bar I tried sneaking into at least a dozen times when I was underage, and I wasn’t even tempted by the Chicago-style hot
dogs. None of it tempted me as the pain overtook me, blurring my vision and speeding up my heart rate. When I finally pushed through the door of Mom’s swanky new apartment I was exhausted, hurting and ready for bed.
If the murmurs I heard didn’t tell me my plans were about to put on hold, the sight of Mom and Colt having coffee and chocolate chip cookies did. She beamed a smile up at me and patted the sofa between them.
“Honey, come and join us. Colt dropped by to say hello, wasn’t that sweet?”
Yeah sweet like a lemon. “No thanks Mom. I need to rest.” If she and Colt wanted to play old friends, they could have at it. I had no interest in that game.
“All you do is sleep Jaya. You need to start living your life again sweetheart.” I could hear the worry and frustration in her voice but like most civilians, Mom didn’t understand.
I bit my tongue to avoid lashing out at her. She didn’t deserve it, even if her meddling was reaching unbearable proportions. “Sorry Mom if the two bullets in my shoulder prevent me from being a social butterfly. I’ll try to do better.”
“But Colt came all this way…” she began.
“He didn’t come to see me, and I’m not in the mood to socialize Mom.” I sent a glare his way and turned towards the guest room.
“Good.” Colt stood and his eyes were full of amusement and that just pissed me off. “This isn’t a social call. I need your help.”
I looked away. “I doubt that very much.” I knew exactly what this was about. He wanted to assuage his guilt. At least that much hadn’t changed about him.
“Seriously Jaya,” he grabbed my uninjured arm but I yanked it away. He didn’t get to touch me like he had the right. Like we were friends. “I need someone to do tactical training and logistics. We’re growing too fast and I could use someone with your skills. And you need a job.” His expression was fierce, eyes as blue as the sea practically stared through me.
I looked back, taking in everything that had changed since I had known him as a newly minted adult at twenty years old. His body had developed, broader shoulders with more lean muscles, and he held himself with more confidence. He was a man in control of his destiny. There were a few laugh lines around those blue eyes, which didn’t surprise me because Colt had always been quick to laugh, to make others laugh. His facial features were sharper, jawline rugged with a strong chin and high cheekbones. And damn him, those pink lips that had taught me how to kiss. How to laugh. How to love.
His Takeover: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 12
