His Best Friend's Girl: In the Line of Duty, Book 5

by Cathryn Fox

  “Drama or comedy?” he asked, closing the fridge, but she was far too slow to react.

  “What?” Her gaze flew to his, and she could feel heat rushing to her face.

  His brow furrowed and he angled his head. Shoot. Had he figured out that she was checking him out?

  “Drama or comedy?” he asked again.

  “Oh, comedy,” she said. “I’ve had enough drama tonight.”

  His mood shifted so fast it caught her by surprise. He stepped up to her, his body close, and put his hand on the side of her head. Tender yet tough, his thumb stroked her cheek. His face tightened warily. “That will never happen again. I promise.”

  “Okay,” she murmured for lack of anything else, and brought her teacup to her lips to hide the tremble. His gaze moved to her mouth and watched her drink. She hoped her hands didn’t look as shaky as they felt as she tipped the cup and drank from it.

  “Comedy it is,” he said, walking past her. He grabbed the remote, flicked on the TV, then handed it to her. “Find us something. I’ll be right back. I need to get changed.”

  “You don’t have to stay,” she said, even though the thought of him sleeping over gave her a great deal of comfort. Tonight had shaken her up more than she’d realized, but clearly Matt knew. He had been a medic in the army, and had dealt firsthand with shock and the aftereffects. Sky was safe with the security of their building, but knowing Matt was right here and not across the hall put her at ease.

  With her feet tucked under her, she flicked through the channels until she came to a sitcom. Matt came back wearing clean jeans and a shirt. He sat down next to her and stretched out his legs.

  Her glance moved over his face, taking in his hard profile as he took a pull from his bottle. He must have felt her staring because he turned to her and his face softened.

  “How’s Gran?” she asked.

  “Not great.” Worry lines bracketed his mouth. “She has a bad cold.”

  “Oh, sorry to hear that.” Maybe a cold really was going around and Kat had caught it. “I’ll have some chicken soup sent over from work.”

  He reached out and squeezed her hand. “Thanks, she’d probably like that.” The TV blared in the background, and while Matt was staring at it, she could tell he wasn’t really watching. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. His Gran had taken a fall not too long ago and he’d set her up with a medic alert alarm pendant. But that still didn’t stop him from checking on her every day and doing a perimeter check of her house every night.

  “You worry about her a lot, don’t you?”

  “Other than you and Caleb she’s the only family I have.” At the mention of Caleb he turned from her and went back to staring blankly at the TV, but she had the feeling something was wrong. She was about to ask when he said, “I don’t like you working alone at night.”

  “I know, but I can’t afford to hire out for every night shift.”

  “If you sold half the business to Marco, you’d be able to.”

  Realizing this was what had been on his mind, she held her hand up to stop him. “We’ve been through this, Matt.”

  “Marco loves the place. His investment will help with the bills and free up some of your time.”

  “It’s my father’s place. He trusted me with it.”

  “I know, but selling doesn’t mean giving away what your father worked for. And don’t you think he’d want you to follow your dreams?”

  “Yeah, of course, but—”

  “No buts. I just want you to think about it, okay? Promise me you’ll at least do that.”

  She nodded. “Okay.” They both turned toward the TV and she sipped her tea as her mind raced. Maybe Matt was right. The truth was, tonight scared her and as much as she loved her father and wanted to keep his bar going, she wanted more. How could she ever have a family if she was stuck behind the counter serving drinks most nights? How could she ever write the books she had in her head and heart? She mused over it a little longer.

  Who was she kidding? With the current path she was on, she was never going to have the family and career she wanted. Then again, Caleb was beginning to notice her. But what if she sucked at being a writer?

  “What if I never get published?” she asked over the rim of her teacup.

  “Wouldn’t it be worse if you never tried?”

  She went quiet for a moment, because that was the same thing Kat had said to her about Caleb.

  Chapter Seven

  News of what happened at the bar with Simon spread quickly. Matt even received a text from Caleb to find out if he and Sky were okay. Now here it was, Friday night, a week since the incident and he was still hearing rumblings about it. At least that asshole and his friends knew better than to ever step foot in the place again. Regardless, for the next little bit he didn’t plan to let Sky out of his sight.

  Even though she’d protested when he insisted on staying with her that first night, he crashed on her sofa anyway because he knew the signs of shock when he saw it. He wanted to be there for her if she needed him.

  Sky moved past him from the working side of the bar, pulling his attention. His heart squeezed as he looked at her. Over the course of the week, they’d spent almost every waking hour together, hanging out together at work, and even at home. Truthfully though, there was nothing unusual about that. They’d always spent as much time together as they could.

  Over the course of the last week, when they weren’t at work and when he wasn’t in front of his textbook and she wasn’t writing on her laptop, they watched TV, and when nothing good was on, they’d go for a walk and he’d give her a piggyback ride as they stargazed. When they weren’t around their friends, they had no need to put on a show, but that didn’t stop them from touching, carrying on and sharing drinks like they always did—like real couples did. He’d slept on her couch every night, but it wasn’t just because he wanted to watch over her and protect her from Simon, or let their friends believe they were lovers, he liked being close, liked staying up late and carrying her to her bed when she fell asleep on his lap in front of the TV. Jesus, he liked everything about her, always had and always would, and even though they had a bond, a connection they didn’t seem to share with anyone but each other, it seemed to have grown, intensified under their ruse.

  Since he couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything other than her, he closed the book in front of him and pinched the bridge of his nose. Soon enough she’d be turning to Caleb for comfort, not him. His stomach soured but he fought down the jealousy rising in him. Caleb was a good guy, and good for her. That’s what was important.

  His phone pinged and he pulled it from his pocket to read a message from Caleb. I’m here. He grabbed his backpack, shoved his books inside and stood just as Caleb came in through the front door. He headed straight for Sky, and Matt sat back down on his stool as he approached her, arms open.

  “Hey, Skywalker,” Caleb said, pulling her in for a hug. He lifted her off her feet and squeezed. She made a small sound as he lowered her. Hands still braced on the small of her back, he inched back and looked her over. “You okay?”

  She nodded and put her arms around him as he continued to hold her. “I’m fine. Thanks to Matt.”

  Caleb grinned. “You mean Simon’s fine, thanks to Matt.” He gestured toward the bat under the bar. “I’ve seen you swing.” He let her go, made a fist and nudged her chin. “You would have cleaned his clock.”

  Sky’s hands fell to her sides, and Matt didn’t miss the look that came over her when Caleb gave her a bump like she was one of the guys. She opened her mouth and closed it, like she wasn’t sure what to say next.

  “All set?” Matt asked, coming to her rescue.

  “Yeah.”

  Caleb grabbed his keys from his pocket and started swinging them around his finger. Matt walked around the counter and put his mouth close to Sky’s ear. “You going to be okay if I take off for a while?”

  “Sure,” With a nod she gestured toward his friends at the poo
l table. “The place is packed with guys who’d kick Simon’s ass for me.”

  “Okay, if you need me just text and I’ll be here.”

  She put her hand on his chest, and said, “Go. Drink beer with Thor, and stop worrying about me.”

  “Thor?” he asked.

  “I mean Theo.” She laughed and pointed to Kat and a few of her friends sitting at one of the tables. “Kat calls him Thor.”

  Matt grinned and closed his hand over hers as it lingered on his chest. “I think she just might have met her match with that guy.”

  She wet her lips and his gaze fell to her mouth. His pulse kicked up a notch, and if he wasn’t mistaken her breath seemed to come a little quicker.

  “I’ll be back for lock-up,” he said.

  Her tongue darted out to swipe over her bottom lip again, and temptation swamped him. Jesus Christ, the last thing he should be doing was loving the idea of kissing her again.

  He commanded himself to get it together and walk away without taking what he wanted, but when she exhaled a shuddery breath, and he caught her sweetness, all rational thought fled. He dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers. At first her mouth was stiff, but when he angled his head and made a slow pass with his tongue, her entire body softened. A groan caught in his throat as she kissed him back. Jesus, the things this woman did to him without even trying. Her hand pressed against his chest and curled in his shirt. Longing ripped through him as his mind sifted through all the ways he wanted to take her. But when someone from behind cleared their throat, he pulled back.

  A strange wheezing sound rose from her throat. “What…what was that for?”

  He pulled in a fortifying breath. “Audience,” he lied.

  “Oh.” She turned and looked at Caleb, who was standing there blatantly staring at them.

  “I’ll catch up with you later,” he said and brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. Matt stepped out from behind the bar to discover more than just Caleb gawking. Kat and her crew from the hospital were all seated around the table watching, but the look in Kat’s eyes unnerved him. What was that Jack has said? That he wasn’t the only one who knew how much he liked Sky. Did Kat know how he really felt?

  He pushed through the doors and walked with Caleb to his truck. Caleb climbed in and looked at him. He shook his head and started the engine. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to the idea of you two together.”

  “We thought we’d give it a try. See where it led.”

  “And how’s that working out for you?”

  He looked at his friend, who’d given him the perfect opening to set the stage for their breakup. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

  “Yeah, I guess she is.” He put the truck into gear and exited the parking lot. “I never really noticed before.”

  “Sweet too. Any guy would be lucky to have her.” He laughed. “She sends food to Gran all the time.” He shook his head. “Gran thinks it’s time me and Sky settle down.”

  “Ah, so that’s what’s gotten under your skin lately. Gran’s been pushing you to get married. I knew something was up with you.”

  “Sky and I go way back, so I thought…”

  “That she could be the one?”

  “Did you ever think about going out with her?”

  “Not until you did, but I guess I missed my chance, she’s your girl now.”

  Staring straight again, Matt tried to keep his expression blank, tried not to give away the apprehension churning inside him as Caleb drove to Theo’s place. They were good together, he reminded himself.

  You want her to be happy. Caleb makes her happy. But you’re going to lose her.

  He was all kinds of fucked up when Caleb pulled in behind Cole Sullivan and Brad Crosby. All talk of Sky ended as they met Cole and Brad in the driveway and the four made their way inside to play cards and kick back with Theo.

  They let themselves in, and when they reached the kitchen, Theo jumped up from his chair. He balanced on his cane, grabbed four beers from the fridge and handed them out.

  “How’s it going?” Matt asked, glancing downward to take in the battle scars on his friend’s leg. “I hear Kat is doing great things with you.”

  Theo grinned and ran his hand over his face like he was in pure agony. “Great things? She’s a damn masochist. Relentless too.”

  “You’re smitten,” Matt said.

  “Channeling Gran again,” Caleb shot out from the other end of the table.

  The guys all laughed and Matt grabbed a chair and twisted the cap off his beer. He put it between his fingers and snapped them. The cap zipped through the air and caught Caleb on the forehead.

  Caleb winced. “Jesus, man. It’s all fun and games until you put an eye out.”

  “Now who’s channeling Gran.”

  Cole grabbed the cards and stared dealing. “You two are like an old married couple.”

  “Look who’s talking,” Caleb returned. “If anyone should know about being an old married couple it’s you and Gemma.”

  “And never been happier,” he said with a grin. “You should be so lucky.”

  “I hear Matt’s the lucky one,” Brad said, tipping his bottle to his mouth. “About time you got together with Sky.”

  “Yeah,” Matt mumbled and stared at his cards. “That’s what I keep hearing.”

  Caleb shook his head and leaned back in his seat, balancing on the two back legs of the chair. With his hand in front of his neck and fingers outstretched, he swung it back and forth. “Cut it out. All this talk about married couples is giving me a rash.”

  “What do you have against marriage?” Cole asked.

  Caleb gathered his cards and flicked the corner of one against the table. “Nothing.” He smirked at Matt and a thud sounded when he went back down on all four legs. “But now that the sweetest girl I know is taken, looks like I’ll forever be single.” As everyone stared at him—like he had no idea what he was missing out on—he turned to Theo, the only other single guy in the room. Or so everyone thought. “You want to help me out here?” he asked him.

  “Ah…no.”

  Soon enough the ribbing started in on Theo, the guys wanting to hear all about his physical therapy with Kat. Matt shifted his cards around in his hands, happy that the attention was off him and Sky. There were a couple of well-trained soldiers in the room who could read him like an open book and he didn’t want them to know what was really going on inside his head.

  The front door opened and closed, and he turned to see who was joining them. Speaking of well-trained soldiers who could read others. “Hey,” Jack called out as his Shepherd, Colby, came racing into the kitchen. He walked from soldier to soldier, getting his fair share of attention, then plunked himself at Jack’s feet when he grabbed a chair.

  “Sorry I’m late, I got caught up at the compound.”

  “As soon as I get fixed up, I’ll be there to help out,” Theo said, standing to grab Jack a beer from the fridge.

  “You worry about getting that leg better,” Jack said, twisting the top off and taking a long pull. “We have enough help for now.”

  Even though Matt was busy, he always made time to go to the compound to help his comrades train dogs to put them in the hands of soldiers who were working to defuse munitions that had been left over from former training camps during the wars. The whole idea had been Cole’s and the dogs came from his wife’s no-kill shelter. Matt had become particularly fond of Murphy, even though he was an older dog that liked to chase birds and rarely took orders. He laughed as he thought about him. The damn mutt had a mind of his own, and Matt was pretty certain he’d be better off as someone’s pet. If he had the room, he’d take him in himself. Then again, even if he had the room his apartment was pet-free.

  “I’ve been making great progress with Ruby,” Caleb said.

  Cole laughed. “Yeah, I heard she’s kind of sweet on you.”

  “Who isn’t?” Jack said, laughing, as his shrewd gaze drifted to Matt.

  �
�Yeah, I’ll be by too,” Matt said, throwing his cards down for a reshuffle now that Jack was there. “So are we going to play cards or what?”

  All attention turned to the game and Matt nursed his beer as the night progressed. He kept a close eye on his watch, wanting to be back at the bar before Sky closed up. When his phone rang, his heart jumped into his throat. Sky.

  He pulled it from his pocket but didn’t recognize the number. Jumping from his seat he stepped into the other room so he could hear over the guys, and what he heard just about stopped his heart. He listened to the details, then shoved his phone back into his pocket.

  “Caleb, I need your keys.”

  Caleb fished his keys from his pocket and handed them to him. “What’s going on?”

  “That was the hospital. Gran fell again. She fractured her hip.”

  Caleb pushed back from the table. “I’ll drive.”

  “No. I need you to make sure Sky gets home okay. I’ll text you from the hospital when I know more.”

  “Yeah, of course,” Caleb said.

  Matt took off outside and jumped into Caleb’s truck. He sped through the streets and pulled into a parking space in front of the Emergency entrance at the hospital. He jammed the vehicle into Park and rushed inside. He raced to the receptionist, who told him where his Gran was. He walked the long length of the hall, the scent of antiseptic tickling his nostrils. A nurse hurried by with a tray of blood-filled tubes, and when he found Gran’s room, he slowed his steps, not wanting to appear anxious and upset her any more than she was. He stepped in, and glanced at the nurse as she finished prepping Gran for surgery.

  “You’re just in time,” the nurse said quietly.

  He looked at Gran and his throat tightened. He wished she’d go into the nursing home so she’d have around-the-clock care like he wanted, but she refused, insisting she could do everything on her own. While it was true, and she could still get around on her own, he didn’t like the idea of her rattling around in that old house by herself. He thought about moving in with her, but the place held nothing but bad memories.