And that was such a better answer than the ones he’d given her before. It didn’t make her want to scream or strangle him. Both good signs. “You said you have to go home. Something about briefings.”
She didn’t remember all the other stuff. Basically he talked about flying out and her brain shut down. Maryland meant going across the country without her. She hated everything about that plan.
“I should, yeah. But I’d rather be here with you. Anywhere with you.” He shrugged. “I mean you can come home with me if you want. So long as we’re in the same house and same bed, I’m good.”
The responses just kept getting better and better. This one shot off the charts.
Here she sat trying to figure out where and how she fit in. Then in a few words he’d made her an offer. Quick and to the point. He wasn’t a guy who lingered over facts and details.
She knew when he put it out there he meant it. She could count on it. And she just might.
But she tried not to get too excited, because he looked more shell-shocked than in love. His skin had an odd dullness to it and he looked as though he should consider sitting down. “Why the change?”
“Cam and Shane basically told me I’m an idiot.”
She smiled as she set the glass down on the porch and out of kicking range. After spending a few days with Shane she could almost hear the conversation. “I like them.”
“Don’t be fooled. They’re idiots, too.” Holt matched her and dropped his bag. Didn’t put it on the ground or near the car. No, he walked up two steps and put it on the porch and then returned to where he was standing below her.
For some reason that struck her as significant. It would be better if he put it in her bedroom or loaded her stuff in his truck to leave. Both worked for her.
She had a home and a life here, but she could shift. She could anchor herself to him. After all these years obsessing over the same thing, it might be good to find a new hobby. Find new work and another passion. Though her passion for him did consume her at the moment.
The warm sun pounded down on them. The temperature had turned and the unseasonably cool weather had moved out, leaving a bright blue sky behind. Summer in Oregon was a beautiful thing. The water close by and the towering trees lining the mountains. Between the fresh air and the good food, she could almost forget all the killing.
Almost.
Neither of them said anything for a minute. She was content to stand there and look at him. The temptation to brush back his hair. All that touching in the bedroom. She wanted that feeling of intimacy no matter where they were together.
The bag and sweet words already told her what she needed to know about his commitment. None of this came easy to him, but he was trying. This was hard for him, but he pushed through and she knew he did it all for her. Maybe because his friends gave him a hard time, but she could accept that.
She was about to take pity on him when he started talking. “When I said I cared for you I meant it.”
“I know.” But the lukewarm phrase made her back teeth slam together. Instinctively, she knew it was a lot for him to say. That it was a big deal. But she wanted more. After a lifetime of settling and helping others, she was ready to grab something for herself. And she wanted it to be him.
He took one of her hands in both of his. Played with her fingers and caressed her palm. The gentle touches had her nerve endings screaming for more. “I will never lie to you.”
“I get that, too.”
“I’m going to mess up.” He peeked up at her. “A lot. This relationship stuff doesn’t come naturally to me, and the strength of my feelings for you scares me. They knock me sideways and that’s never happened before.”
She loved every word.
“I see you and I want to strip your clothes off.” He threw her a lopsided smile. “It was that way from day one. Something very primal and instinctive.”
But she wanted this—no, needed this—to be about more than sex. She had already said the words, and she’d stopped short. He needed to make part of the journey now. “Tell me what you really want from me. I know what I want from you, but what are you looking for?”
“Everything.”
“Holt...”
“I’ve had a messed-up life. A weird relationship with my dad and nearly dying.” He shrugged. “Those aren’t excuses for anything. More like explanations.”
“I get it.” She did. “The past shapes us. I mean, really. Look at my life and my obsession.” So much of who she was and how she reacted to things came from back then. She’d set her entire adult life around a place she professed to hate.
For her, New Foundations and everything that had happened this week were about closure and moving on. For the first time she felt as if she had the power and strength to make it happen.
“Any chance you’re looking for a new one?”
She missed the comment, but she caught the smile. It was infectious. When he opened up and let his feelings shine through, he was even more attractive. She loved the brooding side. The darkness and his need to control and protect. Those were all parts of him and together they made up this beautiful, complex, wonderful man.
His comment finally registered. “Wait, what did you say?”
“Obsession. If you’re looking for one I’d be happy to volunteer.” He started ticking off points on his fingers. “I don’t smoke. Not a big drinker except for a beer with football. I can cut firewood and take you to dinner.”
The words hit her and that hope turned into a raging bonfire. He stood there handing her everything. Stuff she’d always dreamed of and things she didn’t even know she wanted until they came in a package that included him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. The poor thing looked lost and ready to be sent away. But she wouldn’t do that. She hadn’t wanted to do it earlier, but the decision to stay had to be his.
But pushing him out. That was not going to happen again. From now on she’d make him stick around and fight. About work and home and friends and even what was for dinner. If they were going to try this, going to make it work, they had to be a partnership, and sometimes that was a rocky thing.
“Are you volunteering for this obsession position?”
He rubbed his hands up and down her back. “Since I’m half in love with you I thought it might be good if you decided you couldn’t live without me. You know, be tied to me and not want to let me go.”
And there she went. Totally, fully in love with him. No partway. No think about it. No waiting to see. It was right there in front of her and she grabbed it.
But they had to backtrack a bit. They’d jumped over the simple steps like getting to know each other and spending time together. They could circle back to those. For now, she was fine with the rest moving at top speed. They’d fill in the blanks, from simple things like meeting his sister to the more complicated, like where to live.
He sighed into her hair. “I’m not great at this, but—”
“Wrong. You might be a slow starter, but you’re pretty great at it.” She kissed his cheek and then his neck. “At so many things. At most things, actually. Come to think of it, you’re not going to be easy to live with.”
“I already listed the pros.”
She gave in to the temptation and ran a hand through his hair. “All very impressive.”
“Does this mean I can stay?”
She dropped a quick kiss on his mouth. “Just try to leave me again.”
“That’s exactly what a man likes to hear.” He picked her up and her legs wrapped around his. They stood there in the sunshine with the warmth pouring over them. “The debrief can wait. Let’s go check out that bed again. I think I left a bit too early this morning, but we can fix that.”
He was full of great ideas all of a sudden. She didn’t know who she should thank, Cam or Shane or both, for the nudge in the right direction, but she would. Because right now she’d never been happier. Never stood on the cusp of getting everything she wanted. And she
loved the sensation. “Only if you promise we’ll stay in there all day.”
He smiled. “Deal.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Cam read the text from Holt. Read it a second time just so he could enjoy it. Looked as though the big man had found the right words to win Lindsey over. Either that or she’d taken pity on him and let him stay. Either way, Holt won.
Lindsey was a good woman. Right for him. Strong and smart, beautiful and able to handle Holt’s personality. They fit together. Cam had noticed the sparks right away.
Cam knew how it felt. Since he’d been with Julia, everything felt right. The danger worried him. Not for him but for her. He’d lived his entire life on the edge. He didn’t question it, but he’d feared it would drive them apart, but she insisted she went into the relationship knowing about his background and need for danger.
He’d gone from “no, thank you” on commitments to craving one. He even had the ring picked out...not that Julia knew that. Only Joel knew and Connor, since Cam didn’t know a thing about rings and Connor was already married.
Technically, it was too early. Not by Cam’s standards. He’d known after day four that Julia was the one. But he was willing to wait a respectable amount of time, however much she needed. He just hoped that didn’t extend past six months, because a guy could only take so much. When he decided he wanted to see his bride walk down the aisle, he wanted it to happen now.
With Holt partnering up, that left one single guy on the team. Shane wasn’t easy to pin down. Well, for others to pin down. The identity of the right woman was not really a mystery. He just had to get out of his own way long enough to give her a chance. Not make such a big deal of the little problems between them. Let go of his past once and for all.
If the rest of them shunned commitment, Shane was openly hostile to it. Divorce would do that to a guy, and his was of the nasty variety.
But people changed. The rest of the team had. One by one they’d paired up. They’d found stability and women and a home to go to. None of them were ever party types. Their jobs didn’t allow that, because they had to be packed and ready to go on short notice. Being drunk would be a hindrance to that.
Seven down, one to go. As soon as Cam filled the office in on Holt’s chosen vacation destination, the pressure would be on Shane. Good thing the guy could handle it. Could handle anything...except Makena Kingston.
Cam slipped his phone into his back pocket. “It’s just the two of us on this ride. Holt decided to wait here for a few days.”
A stupid grin split across Shane’s face. “A few? I guess that means he’s staying or we’re going to have to move her to him. Either way you know we’ll end up helping, right?”
“Wouldn’t you stay if you were him? Pretty woman he’s falling for and a warm bed.” It was a test and Cam had a feeling Shane was about to fail.
“You’re asking the wrong guy. The staying thing is not for me. Not now and not ever. If you don’t believe me, ask my divorce lawyer. I’m still paying his bill.” Shane loaded the bags into the plane’s cargo area. They had their personal items plus a few boxes of intel about the campground. Another few about the weapons.
Cam decided to ignore the divorce because that was too tough to operate around. “You notice you’re the only one around here not paired up.”
After dropping a few hints about the woman involved in this case and Holt’s interest in her, the Annapolis office decided he was taken. They were already talking about Shane being next, and last, and poor Holt was still in the getting-to-know-you phase.
Shane kept loading. Kept his head down. Ignored most of the conversation and stuck to short answers. In other words, the usual.
After a few minutes of quiet he finally piped up. “You’ve all lost your minds. Never seen guys go from confirmed bachelors to husbands so fast. Half of you are in relationships that are right on the verge of ending with a ring.”
Cam couldn’t argue. “It’s your turn next.”
The reply came fast and sharp. “Nope. No to the serious dating and definitely not to anything that will lead to a ring. I’ve already done that. In fact, I think that means you guys are behind me.”
“You never know who you’ll meet. Maybe it’s someone you already know.” But Cam knew about the panic that set in when the others paired off. He’d been there. Breezed through the dating stages with Julia and hit the denial part pretty hard.
But there’s that one woman. The one who turns your head and gets you thinking about things you never dreamed about.
Cam had found that with Julia. All the guys now had it. All but Shane.
“Again, I’ve been married,” Shane pointed out. “I know all about the realities, and you can’t sell the institution to me.”
Since the topic of Shane’s divorce never led to a good conversation, Cam tried to come at this from another direction. “Looks like we’ll have a few days off.”
“Sounds good to me.” Shane loaded the last box and shut the door. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been home.”
The guy walked right into the trap. “Right about the time Holt’s sister moved down the road.”
Shane’s shoulders froze for a second. Then he went back to work. “Yep.”
Shane had it bad for Makena. It was one of those attractions you could see. Well, everyone but the two people trying hard not to be in the relationship. Makena denied it. Shane denied it. Holt ignored it. It was an interesting trifecta of dysfunction.
But that didn’t change the fact that Shane watched Makena move and eat. They talked in groups and shut down around each other when it was just the two of them. It wasn’t always that way...but then Makena had grown up.
“She’s still around, right?”
Shane snorted. “You know where Makena is. Stop matchmaking.”
Easier said than done when the wives were involved and poking around. “I was wondering if you did.”
“She’s off-limits.”
“Right.” The whole baby sister of Holt thing. Dating the boss’s sister was problematic. Adding in the fact that her brother and Shane were best friends just complicated things.
“I’m serious.” And Shane growled that out as if to make sure Cam got it. “Don’t help me.”
“We’ll see.”
* * * * *
Don’t miss the heart-stopping conclusion of
HelenKay Dimon’s miniseries
CORCORAN TEAM:
BULLETPROOF BACHELORS
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Keep reading for an excerpt from LAWMAN PROTECTION by Cindi Myers.
In Greenway Range, retired marines search for a new profession. The women catch them totally off guard.
CHAIN OF COMMAND
Greenway Range, book one
“Prolific and versatile author HelenKay Dimon doesn’t disappoint in the unpredictable, humorous and clever first novel of her Greenway Range series.”
—USA TODAY, Happy Ever After blog
Retired marine Sawyer Cain can’t forget all he’s seen and lost, but he can try to start over. Opening a gun range with his closest friends is the first step toward a new life—one where he finally buries the guilt he can’t seem to shake. So much depends on the property he needs to buy…and the gorgeous but completely frustrating woman who refuses to sell it.
Hailey Thorne is done—with loss and with anything military, after the closest thing she had to an uncle died in Afghanistan. When Sawyer shows up on her porch he has military written all over him. He’s one more in a long line of people who wants the land she inherited, and suddenly he’s everywhere she goes. Hailey can’t get the broad-shouldered, dirty-talking, dead-serious man out of her head. Or her life.
Sawyer’s not above using his skills in the bedroom to try to convince her to sell, and Hailey is more than willing to let him. Their pleasure-only arrangement works…until emotions g
et in the way. But Sawyer has a secret he’s convinced will have Hailey hating him forever, and Hailey’s not willing to risk loving anyone she could lose.
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Lawman Protection
by Cindi Myers
Chapter One
“Would you rather face down half a dozen reporters at a press conference, or shoot it out with drug runners in the backcountry?”
FBI Captain Graham Ellison gave his questioner, Montrose County sheriff’s deputy Lance Carpenter, a sour look. “Is that a trick question? At least with the drug runners I’ve got a fair chance. It doesn’t matter what I say at these press conferences. The media puts the spin on it they want.”
“If the questions get too tough, just look menacing and tell them the safety of local citizens is your primary concern.” Carpenter clapped Graham on the back. “You’ll do great.”
Graham eyed the crowd of reporters, cameramen and news trucks waiting in the parking lot outside the trailer that served as headquarters for The Ranger Brigade—the nickname given to an interagency task force addressing crime on public lands in southwest Colorado. “The safety of citizens is my primary concern,” he said. “Or one of them. I have a lot of concerns—and I don’t need reporters telling me how to do my job, or wasting my time listing all the ways I’m doing it wrong.”
Sheltered Page 18
