by Hadley Quinn
He surprised her with his next question as he set the sander down and came across the garage. “So are you gonna let me take you out sometime? You know, since you and the boyfriend you alluded to before are apparently just friends?”
She narrowed her eyes at him cautiously, somewhat taken by surprise. “You and Jay have no right to talk about my personal life.”
“No? Well I thought since you and I are seemingly involved, I think that kind of gives me a hand to play with right now.”
She tried not to smile at his wit, but she was also so fucking embarrassed right now. Tate obviously knew she’d lied to her brother about him, and that made her feel like a complete ass.
“Look,” she sighed. “My brother gets really…how do you say it…barbaric? When it comes to people in my life, I mean. Brandon is a good friend of the family and it’s just… The situation is…”
“Hey, you don’t have to explain anything to me,” he held up his hands. “We haven’t actually talked about it—I don’t even know of anyone named Brandon, I’ve just put pieces together on my own—but it’s your business, okay? I’m just asking if I can take you to dinner sometime. If there’s truly a reason that you can’t, then just let me know right now and I’ll leave it alone.”
Kellie didn’t reply right away. Her instinct was to say yes, but this whole situation was just…crazy.
Before she knew it, Tate was walking toward her with an intense, heavily focused gaze locked on her. She couldn’t help but swallow. That was so fucking hot she just…no, she couldn’t even…think… What was happening?
Somehow she’d taken a few steps backward and was pressed against the wall. He was six inches from her body as he placed his hands on the wall to cage her in. Heart pounding, short of breath…it took everything inside of her to maintain eye contact with him.
Without saying a word, he leaned forward and captured her lower lip between his. Whatever this was—this manipulative, seductive, take-control-moment—was completely paralyzing. She couldn’t move any part of her body—not even her lips to kiss him back—until he pressed against her mouth harder and basically commanded her to without words.
She definitely kissed him back after that, but the second she slid her tongue between his lips, he pulled away. Taking a step back, he studied her in silence for a few seconds, even though Kellie was positive he could hear her heart crashing in her chest.
He looked like he was just going to walk away after that, so she asked, “What was that for?”
Tate stopped before he turned away from her, and then shrugged. “Just thought maybe you needed it,” he smirked, totally throwing her own words in her face from the day she’d said that to him.
She pushed herself off the wall, reached for the door, and yanked it open. Jay paused when she came across the garage and he stared at her without saying a word.
“What in the— Just what in the fuck?!” she yelled at him as she stormed out of the shop.
Chapter Five
“So you just left?” Max asked with surprise. His eyebrows were raised and his mouth was slightly open. His reaction made Kellie feel insecure.
“Well yeah,” she retorted defensively. “The ass was being smug and didn’t deserve a second longer of my time.”
“Even though you did the same thing to him first?”
“Whose side are you on!?” she protested with angry eyes, but her laugh was agreeing with him. “Okay, okay, I know. But seriously, what the fuck was he doing in my brother’s shop?”
“You might have found that out if you’d stuck around.”
“Thanks, Captain Obvious.”
“I’m always here to help,” he smiled as he took a drink of his beer.
Kellie released a heavy sigh before she took a drink out of her own bottle. But as she stared across the private lounge in a daze, she couldn’t stop thinking about Tate’s lips on her mouth. There was something about the way he was around her, and the way he kissed her but not really, and then whenever he looked at her—
“Yeah, I can tell this is going to be a solo night for me,” she heard Max mutter.
Looking at him, she automatically asked, “Huh?”
“I asked, what’s the name of this tattoo shop?”
“What shop? You mean Tate’s?”
“Uh, yes, that is who you’ve been silently fantasy fucking for the past fifteen minutes. Yes, which shop is it?”
She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “Why?”
“Because I’m being a good conversationalist. Humor me.”
“I don’t believe that one bit. First Jay and now you? No way.”
She watched Max lean back against the booth and vacantly glance across the room. The restaurant they were in was called Silver Lining, and any time a single McCallan came here, they were automatically placed in the private VIP lounge in the back. Sometimes Kellie would come with Jay and Teague and they would just hang out in the main bar until someone recognized one of them, but Max was never allowed that luxury. His face was rarely ever missed and he always came through the back entry.
Returning his attention to her, Max said, “Admit one thing to me. You like this guy, right?”
“I don’t even know him.”
He studied her intensely for a moment, and it was the same kind of look that Jay possessed—and Teague, and she’d even seen it in Tyse now and then—a classic McCallan ‘don’t bullshit me’ kind of look.
“Put away the act, Kell. Just answer the question.”
“I did answer you,” she replied in a low voice. “I don’t even fucking know him. I spoke to him twice.”
“And you can’t stop thinking about him,” Max chuckled smugly. He took in a deep breath of air and slowly let it out. “I love you, doll. You know that, right?”
He was actually waiting for her to answer him, so she humored him by nodding her head.
“I would never lead you astray, either,” he continued. “If this guy has intrigued you somehow… Maybe you should see what it’s all about. Even if he turns out to be a total douchebag, you’ll be thankful to know. You can sense a douche a mile away. Is that really the vibe you’re getting from him? Because I think if you were, we wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation. And…he’s not Hollywood. Sounds perfect for you.”
She groaned out loud and dropped her head into her hands. “Why are you torturing me?” she whined dramatically. “Shit, you in my face and Jay behind my back… I can’t win.”
“Well I don’t know what the hell Jay is up to,” he stated matter-of-factly. “He’s his own kind of special. But I’m assuming he wanted to get you back for lying to him.”
Kellie rolled her eyes but she knew Max was right. And there was no way she would throw that in Jay’s face because he would never let her get away with it. That ass held his big brother card proudly and waved it in front of her any chance he could get.
“The hard part is already over,” Max added casually.
She took a moment to decipher his meaning, but asked, “And what’s that?”
With a smirk he answered, “Jay already knows about him.”
***
Max’s words—and the run-in with Tate at her brother’s shop—were a constant track meet in Kellie’s head all week long. She spent time with Melanie, Camryn and Sarah—and did other things to pass the time besides just going to work—but resolving whatever this thing was that she had for Tate was driving her batshit crazy.
Finally on Sunday, as she was driving home from spending the afternoon with Tyse and Sarah, something spontaneous came over her as she passed the tattoo parlor in Burbank. She pulled into the business lot without a second thought and stopped in a vacant parking space. She had no idea why she was there or what it was going to accomplish, but there was something about this guy that she needed to figure out.
Stepping out of the car, she realized that the parking lot was completely empty. When she got to the glass entrance door, the ‘closed’ sign was flipped, and re
ading over the business hours posted next to it, Skin Expressions was apparently closed every Sunday.
She let her thoughts mull around in her head. When Tate wanted to do her ink, he had planned for it to be on a Sunday. He was going to work on his day off? Was it just for her, or was there some other reason he was already going to be in that day?
“Gahh,” she groaned to herself as she turned for her car. But a loud crash inside made her jump and her heart began to race.
What the fuck was that?
She tried the door but it was locked, and for some reason she found herself walking around the side of the building to the back. There was a back door that a truck was parked next to, and because she saw it had a USMC sticker in the window, she assumed it was Tate’s.
The windows on the back of the building were closed and she couldn’t see inside, so why she reached for the door handle was beyond her comprehension. It was even unlocked, so she carefully pulled it open and listened for a moment.
Nothing.
Finally she dared to ask, “Tate? Are you in here?”
There was no fucking way she was walking into that building. For one, the hallway was too dark inside. But she also didn’t know what the hell was going on. What if he was fighting an intruder or something? But what if he was doing some stupid repair like changing a light bulb and he fell and broke his neck? Either way she needed to make sure he was okay, even if her life could be in danger too.
“Tate?” she called again. She still hadn’t stepped inside, but just as she was about to, a figure appeared in the hallway and she jumped.
“What are you doing here?” a deep voice asked.
That voice was unmistakable so she knew it was Tate right away, but even though it seemed like his life wasn’t immediately in danger like she feared, he still sounded annoyed.
He came down the hall a little further and she could see him better. “What are you doing?” he asked again, this time a bit softer.
“I-I heard something,” she stammered, now somehow at a loss for words.
When he stopped a few feet in front of her, his eyes completely took her breath away. He went from looking perturbed to…hopeful? Was he happy to see her? He almost looked relieved, but he didn’t say anything as he held the door open for her so she could enter all the way.
“Are you okay?” she asked tentatively.
He flipped on the light switch in the hall and nodded his head. He studied her for several seconds before answering, “Yeah, I’m okay. What about you? How come you’re here?”
Shit, now she felt completely awkward again. She didn’t even know why she was here, so what was she supposed to say?
The truth, apparently. There was nothing more to say.
“I’m not sure, really. I just…felt like I should stop by. Then I saw the parlor was closed and…I was going to leave but heard a crash inside. What happened?”
He seemed reluctant to tell her, but then sighed and motioned for her to follow him around the corner. As she did, she noticed a slight hitch in his gait as he walked. It made her more curious than ever.
They entered his office and Kellie paused at the sight.
The large cherry desk was overturned and there were papers and office items scattered everywhere.
“Um, what exactly happened?” she asked.
Tate walked across the room and righted the big piece of furniture like it weighed nothing. Had she not been standing in the middle of what looked like the aftermath of a tornado, Kellie might have spent more time enjoying how his muscles flexed whenever his body moved. But whatever had happened here was a bit concerning.
“I fell asleep,” he told her as he faced her from across the room.
“You fell asleep?” she repeated with wide eyes. “I mean, when I sleep maybe a pillow or two ends up on the floor but…”
She didn’t finish her teasing because even though there was a tiny smile at the corner of Tate’s mouth, she knew it probably wasn’t something to joke about. Especially because she was recalling his reaction when she woke him up the first time she’d been in this office.
It was beginning to come together now.
“Yeah, I don’t really sleep well,” he replied. Then he began picking things up from the floor, starting with the laptop and a printer. “And that’s putting it mildly.”
Kellie bent down and began helping him clean up. She thought maybe he’d object but he didn’t, so she worked in silence for a minute.
“I’m assuming PTSD?” she finally dared to ask. She could totally be overstepping boundaries here, but it just seemed like the appropriate guess. And even though he seemed like the type that would keep things to himself, she actually believed he would answer her since she asked.
“Yeah, a bit,” he replied as he slid a stack of computer paper back into the printer tray.
Kellie wished she could just be happy with that answer, but there was so much about this guy that she wanted to know. She didn’t expect him to spill his entire life story to her right off the bat, but she truly did want to get to know him better. This moment between them was kind of like ridding their relationship—whatever it actually was—of all the bullshit from before.
“I could pretend that answer is good enough for me, but I can’t,” she finally admitted as she stopped to face him. “I mean I know you’re a Marine and if you suffer from night terrors it must be from something pretty bad, but I’m not going to press for more. I want to know more, but I respect your privacy.”
Those eyes again. God, if she could learn to decipher their meaning, maybe she could actually enjoy how completely gorgeous they were. Truth was, he made her feel insecure. The biggest truth besides that?
He completely turned her on and she could feel the block of ice melting away in her chest.
“I appreciate that,” he finally answered. “The honesty, I mean.”
“I’m always honest.”
“Always?” he seemed to tease.
The entire situation with her brother and having to lie to him washed over her instantly. “Gahh, okay, not always,” she confessed. “I’m not going to justify to anyone why I did it because I know why and that’s all that matters, but don’t think I’m a horrible person for it.”
He barely smiled but seemed completely amused. “Hey, you have your reasons. I respect that. But since it did involve me, I expect an explanation some day.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Fair enough.”
They worked in silence for another minute before their previous conversation kept eating away at her.
“So how long did you serve?” she asked.
“Five years.”
She considered that for a moment. “Did you enlist right when you turned eighteen?”
That little smile at the corner of his mouth returned. “Yeah. Been home for a couple years, so that makes me twenty-five.”
Okay, so he’s definitely good at reading into her hints. “I would have asked straight up, but wanted to know your military history as well.”
“Fair enough,” he smiled. “Medical retirement. Three surgeries later, my left hip is held together by a lot of titanium now. So how old are you?”
She was thinking about what could have caused such an injury but answered, “Twenty-two.”
He nodded.
“So how often does this happen?” she asked, referring to the overturned desk. She figured he was perceptive enough to know what she meant.
He slid a stack of papers into a folder and paused. “Things like this?” he motioned to the desk and sighed. “Maybe once a month it’s something physical like that. I jumped up too quick and my legs caught the edge of the desk, I guess. Usually a few times a week I just wake up from nightmares and night sweats. Sometimes I forget where I’m at.”
Kellie nodded. “I’m sure you prefer to keep your nightmares to yourself, but if you ever want to talk…”
“You mean you want to know what haunts me every time I close my eyes?”
&nbs
p; She swallowed, hoping she hadn’t offended him. There was no telling what he’d seen or been through, and there she was, carelessly making it sound like she’d understand anything he told her. She instantly realized there was no way she could ever feel even an inkling of it like he felt it.
“I’m sorry to make it sound so trivial or superficial,” she apologized. “I didn’t mean to sound like I could make anything better for you. I just meant… I don’t know. I just meant that you can tell me anything you want. Not much fazes me,” she added with a shrug.
He came across the room slowly and stopped in front of her. His eyes were trying to read her again, she could tell. He was searching deep; for what, she didn’t know, but there was no telling if he was disappointed in her for asking, or just testing her resolve.
“I’m sure telling you about it is nothing like actually being there. It’s just a war story to you; to me, it’s my life.”
“I understand,” she nodded, feeling her heart pick up speed because of his close proximity. “I’m sure saying it out loud is nothing compared to what it was actually like for you. You feel like it holds no meaning to anyone else, so why bother sharing if they aren’t going to value it the same? Yeah, I get it.”
His eyes remained locked with hers for several more seconds before he scarcely nodded. “Yeah, maybe you do get it. Looks like someone else might carry around her own demons. Another soul that suffers in silence?” he seemed to add knowingly.
Kellie didn’t know how to respond. How he could open her up like that without actually knowing any real details felt a bit eerie. But she felt small compared to whatever it was he’d been through. He was a fucking soldier, for Christ’s sake. Nothing in her life was even remotely close to anything he’d probably experienced—how could you even compare the two lives? But she’d suffered her own battles, whether he would value them that way or not, and the feelings could perhaps be comparable.
“I know heartache when I see it,” Tate also added as he turned away, almost like he’d just read her mind again.
He picked up the last of the pens and pencils from the floor and dropped them into a mug shaped like a skull. He leaned against the desk facing her but didn’t say anything further. He was obviously waiting for Kellie to respond.
