by Susan Stoker
“Okay.”
Midas blinked at her simple response. “Okay?” he asked.
Lexie lifted her head. “Yes.”
He frowned. “I thought you’d have questions. Or that you’d have more of a response than merely ‘okay.’”
“I have questions,” Lexie said. “But I know you can’t answer them. So there’s no point in asking and stressing us both out. Midas, I know what you do. Do I like not knowing where you’ll be or when you’ll be back? No. Can I do anything about it? Also no. I have to believe that you’ll be careful, and that you’ll come back to me safe and sound. You’ve got your friends with you, and I’ve seen you all in action firsthand. So instead of peppering you with pointless questions and stressing us both out, I’m choosing to be chill about this.”
“Are you chill about this?” Midas asked.
Lexie lay back down against him. “No,” she said quietly.
Midas ran his hand over the back of her head gently. “And that’s why I’m in the mood I’m in,” he admitted. “I never thought twice about leaving before. It was my job. It was just what I did. In fact, I looked forward to missions. But now it feels different. As if there’s more at stake. I guess that’s what happens when you love someone.”
The words had escaped without thought.
Midas tensed. Shit. Had he fucked up?
Lexie sat up again. She stared at him for a long moment. Just when he began to panic and was trying to think of a way he could backpedal and keep her from freaking out, she smiled.
“I love you too,” she admitted softly.
Midas let his breath out with a long whoosh. “Thank fuck,” he muttered.
Lexie chuckled and lay back down.
“Were you seriously worried?” she asked.
Midas shrugged. “I mean, if you weren’t ready to hear that from me, it might not have been good. Especially since I’m about to leave for a while.”
“I’d be stupid not to love you,” Lexie said. “And seriously, what’s not to love? You’re amazing in bed, you make sure I orgasm every time, you have a kick-ass body, you bring me my sweet coffee, you drive me everywhere, and you’ve been to all the tourist traps this island has to offer simply because I wanted to go.”
“Don’t forget that I put that hula dancer thing on my dashboard,” Midas teased.
“Yup. That too. But seriously, I’ve been on my own for a long time. I’ve dated in the past. I’ve seen examples of relationships that I don’t want to be in, and I’ve seen other couples who’ve been together for years and years. I know when I’ve got something good, and you, Pierce Cagle, are the best of the best.”
“I’m just a man,” he countered.
“Yes, you are,” she agreed. “My man.”
He grinned. “Yup.”
The angst that Midas had felt all day since learning they would be deployed soon drained out of him as he lay there with Lexie in his arms. After a while, he said, “You’ll be careful while I’m gone, right?”
“Yes,” she said immediately.
“I’ll leave my car for you to use while I’m away.”
She shook her head. “No need. Ashlyn said she’d take me anywhere I needed to go.”
“You talked about this with Ashlyn?”
“Well, not specifically. I mean, I didn’t know you’d be leaving so soon, but we talked about the fact that you’d be deployed at some point, and she offered. Of course, she assumes you’ll be gone for six months or more, since she doesn’t know you’re a SEAL.”
“You didn’t tell her?”
“Am I allowed to?” she countered.
“It’s not something we advertise, but it’s also not top secret either,” Midas said. “If you trust her, and it’s obvious you do, then you can tell her.”
“Okay.”
“But still, I can leave you my car.”
“Nope. With my luck, I’ll crash it. Besides, I don’t have that big of an interest in doing anything touristy if you aren’t here to go with me.”
“I’m sure Elodie will want to hang out when we leave.”
“I’d already planned to call her. I’m thinking maybe I need a girls’ night with her and Ashlyn.”
“El would like that, I’m sure.”
“Midas?”
“Yeah, love?”
She didn’t say anything for a long moment.
“Lexie? You wanted to ask me something.”
“Sorry, yeah. I was just enjoying you calling me ‘love’ for a second.”
Midas grinned, knowing he’d call her that as often as possible now.
“I just wanted you to know I’m happy. For so long, I was just going through the motions of life. Traveling from one country to another, searching for something that would truly fulfill me. I’m not saying that I need a man to feel as if my life is complete, but I sure am glad I met you.”
Her words meant the world to him. He liked that Lexie was independent. That she wasn’t afraid to try new things. But he was fucking thrilled that he was important to her.
“Same,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
They sat on his deck for a long while after that. Talking about how work had been at Food For All and what she had coming up. He told her about his day, how Pid had tripped over his own feet on their run that morning and scraped the shit out of his knees. The man was a deadly SEAL, but clumsy as hell, which was fucking hilarious.
Eventually, as it always seemed to, their platonic embrace began to change. Lexie’s hands began to roam, sliding under his shirt and stroking his abs. She played with the hair at his nape, as he did the same to her. When she sat up and repositioned herself so she was right over his cock, he grinned.
“You trying to tell me something, love?”
She shrugged, but was grinning as she said, “I just think that since this is such a momentous occasion and all, you know, saying the L word to each other for the first time, that maybe we could celebrate.”
“What’d you have in mind? I might have a bottle of champagne in the back of my pantry.”
“Hmmm, I was thinking that we both need a shower after our long, hard days of work.”
“Yeah?” Midas asked, his cock growing at the thought of a naked and soapy Lexie in his shower.
“Yup. I mean, obviously we don’t smell like we did when we were in Somalia in that hole, but you know…we’re not exactly clean right now.”
“You’re right. I know how much you like being clean.” And he did. That wasn’t an exaggeration. Ever since she’d spent three months in the desert without a shower, she liked to shower both in the morning and the evenings. Which he had absolutely no problem with because he got to see her naked and wet twice each day, rather than just once.
“I do,” she agreed. “So?”
Midas was more than ready to do whatever his woman wanted when it came to sex, but first he needed to say something. He sat up, putting one hand on the small of Lexie’s back to make sure she didn’t fall backward. With the other, he palmed her cheek, gazing into her beautiful hazel eyes, which seemed more green than usual.
“I love you, Lexie Greene. I admire your strength and your bravery. I love how you don’t hesitate to help others without a thought to your own safety. That also freaks me out, but I still love that about you. You are literally the nicest person I’ve ever met, and yes, that’s a compliment. I have no idea why you’re with me, but I will never take you for granted.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she said, “Midas.”
“Don’t cry. You shouldn’t ever cry when someone is complimenting you. Say thank you.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Good. Now, you wanna fuck or what?”
Lexie laughed, which was his goal. He didn’t like it when she cried, even when they were happy tears.
“I love you,” she told him.
And damn if those words didn’t feel good. Midas vowed to tell her he loved her every day. He didn’t want her to ever doubt his feel
ings.
He stood then, holding his woman to his chest as he did. She giggled as he headed for the door.
“The dishes,” she reminded him.
“We’ll get them in the morning,” he said. They had more important things to do. Like she said, they needed to celebrate the first day of the rest of their lives.
Chapter Fourteen
Lexie missed Midas horribly. She’d known his being on a mission would be hard, but she hadn’t understood exactly how difficult it would really be. Especially after seeing or talking to him every day for the last month or so. Going cold turkey and having no idea how he was doing was torture.
She’d been working a lot in the last week, trying to keep her mind off how much she missed him. Natalie was appreciative of the amount of time she’d been spending at Food For All, and she’d gotten to know all of the part-time employees—Courtney, Christine, Stephen, Richard, Aolani, Lopaka, Mandi, Tabitha, Josie, Ramon, and Beth—fairly well. She was also becoming more familiar with the volunteers.
For the most part, her days had been uneventful. She’d begun helping Natalie with some of the paperwork, determining which families they’d assist and talking to businesses on the phone to try to drum up donations.
Theo still came by frequently, and Lexie was keeping a cautious eye on him. He was definitely watching her too, which was a little disconcerting, because she didn’t know his motives. Ashlyn had noticed, and even Jack had said something about it, about how she had an admirer. Lexie wasn’t sure about that, and for her own peace of mind, other than saying hello to him in the mornings, she didn’t talk to him much.
They hadn’t seen any of the four men who had caused the ruckus two weeks ago, though every now and then, there were other visitors who seemed determined to disrupt the peace for whatever reason.
But generally, work was work. Lexie supposed that wasn’t a bad thing. She didn’t need excitement in her life, not like the fight that had broken out when she’d been on the phone with Midas. And he wouldn’t be happy if something else happened while he wasn’t in town. Lexie could take care of herself, but if the shoe was on the other foot, she’d be extremely worried about him, so she understood.
Despite missing Midas, she was looking forward to tonight, which was going to be more fun than her usual evening plans. Instead of going home and listening to an audiobook and going to bed early, she’d invited Elodie and Ashlyn over for dinner. Of course, knowing Elodie was a chef, and anything Lexie made could certainly fall short, she had the idea to have an hors d’oeuvre dinner, where everyone would bring an appetizer. That seemed like a lot less pressure than making some big main dish, especially in her small kitchen.
Lexie had made another batch of pumpkin spice cookies, since she knew Elodie had liked those when she’d had them at the barbeque a while back, and she’d also made some deviled eggs, put together a charcuterie board with meat, cheese, and crackers, and baked some crispy cheese twists. They looked super fancy, but were actually just puff pastries twisted into a rope with shredded cheese.
She’d also gone a little overboard with the drinks, not sure what the other women liked. She’d gotten some bottled water, White Claw, some Smirnoff Ice mimosas, a bottle of red wine a nice lady in the grocery store had suggested when she saw Lexie looking lost standing in the wine section, and some light beer, just in case. Anything she had left over she’d bring to work and let her fellow employees have their pick.
Lexie wasn’t much of a drinker, but she enjoyed the occasional alcoholic beverage. She was more excited about getting to know Elodie and Ashlyn better. Tomorrow was Saturday, so she had two whole days off to recover if she binged. Of course, the weekends weren’t quite as exciting without Midas.
A knock on her door sent Lexie scurrying to look through the peephole, and she saw both of her guests standing on the other side. She quickly opened the door and invited them in.
As they entered, Lexie said, “Welcome! I know it’s not much, but—”
“It’s fine,” Elodie interrupted before Lexie could finish her words. “It reminds me of the room I was renting when I first got here,” she said. “I loved my landlady, Kalani, and my room was just as tiny.”
“My place is a lot like this,” Ashlyn said. “No worries.”
“I should probably introduce you two,” Lexie said.
“No need! We chatted on our way up here. We arrived at the same time. We’re practically besties now.”
Ashlyn smiled at Elodie and nodded.
“Right, great. You can bring your stuff in here and we’ll see what needs to be thrown in the oven for a while to be heated or cooked, then start on the food that doesn’t need to be hot.”
The two women put their bags down on the counter and began to unpack.
“This was such a good idea to have an appetizer dinner,” Elodie said. “Mostly because I freaking love hors d’oeuvres!”
“Right?” Ashlyn said. “My favorite part of going out is all the appetizers.”
“Don’t get me started on the chips and salsa at Mexican restaurants,” Elodie warned with a chuckle.
Lexie smiled. She loved that the other two women were so excited.
“What did you guys make?” Ashlyn asked.
“Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, garbanzo-stuffed mini peppers, and sausage wonton stars,” Elodie said absently, still unpacking.
Ashlyn and Lexie stared at each other for a moment, before they both burst out laughing.
Elodie glanced up. “What?” she asked, obviously wondering what was so funny.
When Lexie got herself under control, she said, “Oh my God, you’re so fancy!”
“No, I’m not! I wanted to bring things that were easy to eat, but also delicious.”
“All that sounds great,” Ashlyn said. “How long did it take to make?”
“Not long at all. I started this morning, prepping, then put it all together around lunchtime. I timed it so I’d be done right before I came over here, so everything would still be warm. It could all probably use a bit of a zap in the oven, but it’ll be good regardless. Why?” The last question was a bit of an afterthought, when she saw both Lexie and Ashlyn trying not to laugh again.
But it was no use trying to hold in their amusement, and both women started to giggle.
“Seriously, what’s up with you guys?”
“Sorry,” Lexie said when she’d composed herself. “It’s just that the stuff I made took like twenty minutes and is nowhere near as complicated or fancy as yours. A cheese and cracker plate, deviled eggs, and bread twists.”
“And I brought Fritos and cheesy sausage dip and Jell-O shots,” Ashlyn added, still giggling.
“Oh shit. I went overboard, didn’t I?” Elodie asked, frowning.
“No!” both Lexie and Ashlyn insisted at the same time.
“Your stuff is probably the most healthy out of everything. And I for one can’t wait to taste it all,” Lexie reassured her.
“I don’t tend to eat all that well because I don’t know the first thing about cooking, not to mention I’m usually too tired and hungry when I get home from work to think about making anything more complicated than a sandwich. I’m super stoked to try those bacon water chestnut things. My mouth is watering just thinking about it,” Ashlyn said.
“I guess I should’ve asked a few more questions about what to bring…” Elodie fretted.
“Nope. And from here on out, I’m always gonna be super vague about things like this, in the hopes that you continue to use your amazing super-chef skills to bring some class to our get-togethers,” Lexie said, reaching out and squeezing her forearm gently.
“What? Jell-O shots aren’t classy?” Ashlyn asked.
This time they all laughed.
“I’ve got the oven set at two hundred, which I know is low, but I figured that should be enough to warm some food?” Lexie asked more than stated.
“It’s perfect,” Elodie said.
“Great. I nominate you to be in charge
of the food,” Lexie said. “I’ve got the drinks handled.”
“And I’ll be in charge of ambiance. This place is dark!” Ashlyn said as she headed across the room toward the window.
“No, don’t!” Lexie warned, but she was too late. Ashlyn had already thrown back the curtains. She was obviously expecting some sort of amazing view, but when all she saw was her elderly neighbor sitting on his couch, eating some sort of chips straight from the bag, wearing nothing but a pair of tighty-whities—again—she screeched as if she’d been prodded with an electric probe.
She frantically tried to grab the curtain to pull it shut again, but it took a few long seconds for her to untangle the material before she could get them closed.
By this time, both Lexie and Elodie were bent over double. They were crying, they were laughing so hard, and within moments, Ashlyn had joined them. It took several minutes for the three women to get control over themselves.
“Oh my God, I know you said he kind of looked like Homer Simpson, and you were so right!” Elodie said with a huge smile.
“I can’t believe you didn’t warn me!” Ashlyn gave an exaggerated shudder. “Seriously, I could’ve had a heart attack or something!”
“Hey, I tried, you were just too fast,” Lexie told her, grinning.
“Right. You said something about drinks? I think I need one,” Ashlyn said.
Within minutes, Ashlyn was drinking one of the bottled mimosas, Elodie had a glass of wine, and Lexie chose a White Claw. They chatted about nothing in particular as Elodie got her appetizers sorted. Twenty minutes later, the countertop was full of plates of food.
The three girls sat on barstools around the bar and dug in.
“These bacon things are so good,” Ashlyn praised with her mouth full, having just eaten another.
“I’m gonna need the recipe for this cheesy dip,” Elodie replied, as she licked some off her lips.
“And this deviled egg is delicious! And I’m kind of a deviled egg connoisseur, so I would know,” Ashlyn told Lexie with a wink.
After they’d stuffed themselves to the point of pain, and made quite a dent in the food, Lexie hopped off her barstool and grabbed the plate that she’d put in the corner, out of the way. She took off the aluminum foil and said, “Ta-da! Dessert!”
