Pick Me (Wait for Me Series Book 2)

by Walters, Dawne

  “Someone’s got it bad,” Brock chuckled.

  Gabe cracked a smile for the first time since Colette left. “Yeah? Well, too bad,” he shrugged.

  “I was able to transfer everything over. Here is your new phone.” She typed on her computer for a few more minutes. Monies were exchanged and as she handed Gabe his bag, she took a card with her name on it, scribbled something on the back and slid it in the bag. “Let me know if you need anything else.” She practically drooled.

  Gabe was genuinely impressed at her ability to throw herself out there. “Thanks. I’ll do that…” he looked at her name tag and looked into her brown eyes, “…Amy. Have a nice day.”

  She blushed down to her toes and winked at him before he turned around.

  They walked to the food court and decided on Subway sandwiches for lunch. Sitting down, Brock thought now was as good a time as any to ask his question.

  “So, uh…I was thinking.” He tilted his head to the right and left trying to get the kinks out of his neck.

  “Yeah?”

  “Since things with Colette are on the back burner…I was going to extend the offer to…”

  “I appreciate it,” Gabe said, holding a hand up to stop his friend, “I’m just not sure where things stand at this point, and even though it’s been a week, I’m not sure that going into that room with you and June…”

  Brock shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. “Well, the offer is there. And you still owe her punishment for that comment she said on the stairs a few months back.” He smiled now.

  “Noted.” He took a bite of his sandwich, remembering that June had threatened him with telling Colette what he and Brock had done to her in the ‘room’ if he answered Rosa’s call while her friend was sleeping in his bed upstairs. June didn’t take into consideration how much she’d hurt her friend if she said anything to her. He was prepared to call her bluff; he just wanted to know her motivation.

  Talking about the repairs that were due on their helicopter after the last test flight, the friends finished lunch and walked around the mall once and found themselves in the line for Starbucks when Gabe spotted Clair sitting at a table with a couple of the pilots from the company. Making sure that she didn’t spot him in line, he got his latte and made his way back out to the main hallway, fast. Brock got held up for a moment, but Gabe spun on his heel and walked away from their line of site.

  “What the fuck Moreno?” Brock said catching up with him.

  Gabe knew exactly what he was talking about. “You know why I took off like my ass was on fire?” He took a sip of his coffee. “That is Colette’s older sister. She’s a total bitch.”

  “Well, that explains why she asked about you and if you knew why her sister just took off,” Brock explained.

  Gabe stopped in his tracks. “Wait. What do you mean why her sister just took off?”

  “Chief asked why you didn’t say hi. So, I just said that you probably didn’t see them.” Brock shrugged his shoulders. “The sister in there asked if you possibly were the one that made her sister leave without so much as a word to her family. She is worried about her welfare.”

  “That bitch doesn’t give a shit about her sister.” They started walking again. “She’s all about what she can get…Oh fuck. We gotta get out of here,” Gabe said suddenly, elbowing Brock and tilting his head to the right.

  Rosa.

  “Fuck dude. Sorry…but I can’t stand that bitch,” Brock said blocking Gabe’s side from Rosa. “Walk on the other side of that group of girls over there. I’ll walk a mile before I have to talk to that bitch right now.”

  “I’m not really in the mood to talk to her either. Why do you think I wanted to get the fuck out of here?” Gabe almost whispered in the event Rosa had sonic hearing and would hear him over the noise of the mall and the giggle girls that separated them.

  They made their way toward about ten laughing teenage girls, at which point both Brock and Gabe looked over for Rosa. She’d wheeled Little G’s stroller into Baby Gap. They practically ran to the doors that were only ten yards away and out into the parking lot. Gabe breathed in a big sigh of relief once he was safely enclosed in Brock’s blacked out Mustang. After another quiet ride over to their townhouse, they both got out as June was making her way out of the townhouse.

  “Hey babe,” Brock greeted June as he walked up to her. “You’re leaving so soon?”

  June rolled her eyes. “Rosa wouldn’t stop banging on the door until someone answered it.” She pointedly stared at Gabe. “So, I answered it after about ten minutes of incessant banging and she pushed her way in the house to make sure that Gabe wasn’t here.”

  “Seriously?” Brock asked.

  “She left like twenty minutes ago. Said for you to call her when you got home. She needs you to help her with Little G or some shit,” June said in exasperation.

  Gabe just stared at her with a look of shock on his face. Then, he launched his half empty latte at the side of the building and stormed to the door. He turned around in the doorway.

  Brock’s face formed a devious smile. “Now?” he asked Gabe, “as a favor.”

  “Now,” Gabe confirmed as he stormed into the house.

  “Let’s go babe,” Brock said, taking her hand leading her into the house. “You have three minutes to get upstairs and get into position,” Brock told June. “I suggest you hurry. He’s not going to be happy if you make him wait.”

  The smile on June’s face was positively glowing with anticipation. “Yes, Sir.” She kissed his lips briefly and took off up the stairs with him following, making sure that the front door was locked and bolted.

  Upstairs, Gabe looked at himself in the large mirror of his bathroom dressed in just a pair of soft jeans he’d changed into. Not looking at anything in particular, just waiting for June and Brock to go into the room. He didn’t need to reason what he was about to do. He was a Top to June. It wasn’t anything sexual. Oh, she’d get off, but he wouldn’t have sex with her. He was okay. This was okay, he kept telling himself. Only because he and Colette weren’t together, and he was confident that June wasn’t going to say anything. June was a submissive that lived the lifestyle like he and Brock did. If Brock told her not to say anything, she wouldn’t, or there would be dire consequences from her Dominant. June thrived in this lifestyle.

  The sound of the door across from his room being opened and Brock telling June to get into position and discussing her safe words was his cue. He pushed off from the counter and walked past his dresser where his phone sat flashing with unread messages. He hesitated for the first time to pick it up knowing that most would be from Rosa, if not all of the messages. Yes, he wanted to know how his nephew was, but he wasn’t ready to forgive Rosa enough yet to talk to her. She was used to him answering whenever she wanted. She needed to survive on her own for a change.

  He walked across the hall and closed the door.

  Chapter Three

  Colette was sitting on the big swing on the back porch of her grandparent’s lakeside house in Annapolis, Maryland. Leaving Savannah and all of its complexities that engulfed her life there was just what she needed. Gram and Grampa Hughes were all too happy to fly her out to Annapolis for a while.

  Grampa Hughes had her on the next possible flight out, and had told her that if she didn’t have time to pack, he’d take her shopping to get her anything she needed. Her room at the Hughes’ lake house was just like she’d left it almost a year ago, with the warm dark woods, rich burgundy and creams and plush rugs under her feet. Her room had a big window that faced Lake Ogleton.

  Whereas Bunnie’s palatial house was mostly Queen Anne style furniture and stuff you were afraid to sit on, Gram’s house was like the pages out of Pottery Barn, warm colors, soft fabrics, furniture that was comfortable and invited you to sit in it.

  Gram and Grampa had taken good care of Colette while she had to stay with them growing up, and this wasn’t any different. When they’d picked her up at the airport, Gr
am had squeezed her so hard she thought her bones would break. Colette knew it was because she’d just missed her. Grampa had hugged her hard as well, telling her that everything would be okay. They didn’t know just what had happened…yet.

  Gram and Grampa knew very little of the crap that happened under their son’s roof. They didn’t know the lengths that Bunnie would go to, to keep her status untarnished. It was a wonder that with the Colonel’s upcoming retirement that Bunnie didn’t just turn him out, find someone a little more ambitious to marry and become a general’s wife. Everyone that knew Bunnie and the Colonel knew that Bunnie was dedicated to her husband. It was evident that she at least had sex with him because of the birth of the twins, Lannie and Chloe.

  It was left without saying that some of why Colette had called Grampa, had Bunnie involved in some way, shape or form. They knew how Bunnie was, but so far, five days in, she hadn’t said anything to them, and they hadn’t pushed her. She’d go to run errands with her Gram and had met Grampa for lunch on the few times he’d gone into the office. But nine times out of ten, as a senior partner to a prestigious law firm in Annapolis, Grampa just worked from home. Going in on occasion to consult on a case, meet new clients or check up on daily operations was enough.

  Now, it was Friday. She’d felt something was wrong in the pit of her stomach. She’d gotten up, showered and went downstairs to eat a few of Gram’s cinnamon buns. She’d gotten the note that Gram and Grampa had to go to the venue to get ready for a gala tomorrow evening that Colette was attending with them. For lunch, she’d eaten a half of a ham sandwich and taken Gram’s three yorkies, Ouiser, Clairee and Truvy (all named from the Steel Magnolias movie) for a short walk.

  The dogs laid out on the back porch while she stretched out her legs on the big swing. As soon as she sat down, she’d felt like something wasn’t right. She’d checked her email on her phone and saw nothing out of place. She’d spoken with Hamish and Meavy about coming home and picking up her shift on Tuesday. Maybe something was wrong with her sisters or Carter. No, it wasn’t that. It felt like a pull toward Gabe. Maybe after a week of complete silence, he’d given up. She wasn’t sure she wanted to give up, but she did need time to sift through everything.

  It was the pull to Gabe that made Colette take out her phone.

  Colette: Hey. I’m sorry I left. Can we talk?

  After waiting ten minutes and staring at her phone that never alerted her to an incoming message or call, she set it down. Thinking to when she’d come here to her grandparents house, she’d relived that day in her mind so many times in her mind and in her dreams.

  The laughter of a woman and seeing Rosa’s naked body pressed up against Gabe.

  The promise of how Colette would never make him feel like she made him feel.

  A plea for a chance to make love to him…again.

  His erection. His body wanted her in at least a physical way.

  The crash of a bottle breaking on the floor.

  The red wine that spilled, felt like her heart breaking and bleeding.

  Him chasing her to her car begging her not to leave, nuzzling her neck.

  “Cuba!”

  Rosa standing over Gabe as he was on his knees in the street with his head in his hands.

  It happened so fast that she knew she was missing parts of it. She knew she was missing details. Maybe it was her way of dealing with it. She’d driven on post to the Ranger Regiment looking for Carter. She’d run into Harrison, one of Carter’s best friends and fellow medic, coming out of the Company Orderly Room outside to the parking lot.

  “Hey Cole,” Harrison greeted her with a smile that quickly dropped from his face. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

  It took her a few minutes to compose herself. She hadn’t broken down completely yet, because she had to drive. Then, she explained.

  “Carter…where’s Carter?” she finally sobbed, as Harrison took her into his arms.

  “He didn’t tell you?” he asked, soothing her hair down with one hand, as the other held her around her waist.

  She tried to shake her head against his broad chest. Damn, why all of these guys so broad shouldered and tall she thought. “Tell me what?”

  Harrison took a deep breath and hugged Colette tighter to him. “He deployed a month ago.”

  “Noooo!” Colette wailed as her legs gave out beneath her.

  Harrison had a hold of her.

  Again, the events of what happened after that were a little fuzzy. Harrison being one of Carter’s best friends was trusted to take care of Colette if anything happened to Carter while he was deployed. He had specific demands to who he wanted to talk to Colette and how he wanted things to go down. Harrison had scooped Colette up in his arms as she let go of all of the emotion that she had kept up. He got her into the passenger side of his lifted truck and belted her in. He grabbed her purse out of her car and, after a quick call for Hank, another friend, Harrison tossed her keys to Hank with directions to drive her car to his place.

  Hank followed Harrison to his apartment that was similar to Carter’s, only one street over. Harrison got her upstairs to his apartment and got her comfortable in his bedroom, where she’d fallen into an exhausted sleep after she told him what’d happened. Needless to say, both Hank and Harrison were on the warpath after that. The silver lining was that she’d left and came straight to the company where they could take care of her.

  She woke up to hear Harrison talking on the phone.

  “Yeah…she’s asleep. Nah man. I got this. Nothing is gonna happen. She mentioned going to her grandparents. Okay, I got this. Out.” Harrison hung up.

  She sat up realizing that it was either very early the next morning, or reaching dusk that same night. Looking around, she found that it was six thirty-two a.m. on a digital alarm clock. Didn’t Harrison have PT to go to? Getting up, she walked out of the bedroom to the bathroom and saw a woman with disheveled hair and huge red puffy eyes looking back at her. She looked down at the blue t-shirt she was wearing, wondering how she got into it. Using the toilet and washing her face and hands afterward, she walked down the hallway where she smelled fresh brewed coffee and heard Fox News on low.

  “Morning Cole,” Harrison greeted her with a half-smile. “Coffee’s almost ready if you can give it a sec.” He stood from the sofa and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “How’d you sleep?”

  Colette took a seat on one of the barstools at the bar that separated the kitchen and living room areas. “Okay I guess.” She looked down at the oversized t-shirt again, pinched a piece of it and let it go, “Thanks for the loaner.”

  “No problem.” he smiled now. He made his way into the kitchen area, pulled another mug out of the cupboard and set it on the counter, pouring coffee into the mugs. He pulled open the fridge and poured a bit of milk into each mug as well. Then, he set one in front of her and a bowl of sugar with a spoon in it as well. He leaned against the counter and watched her.

  “Don’t you have PT?” she asked, scooping sugar into her mug.

  “Don’t you worry about it. I talked to the first sergeant. He knows how much you mean to Carter and is letting me take the day to make sure you’re okay. I’m on standby if they need me.” He smiled as he raised his mug to her.

  Great, she thought. She’d met their first sergeant. He was a great guy, but, she didn’t want everyone knowing that she was having issues with her boyfriend and couldn’t deal.

  “Ah. Um, Harrison?”

  “What’s up doll? Anything you need, I’m right here.”

  “I need to call my grandfather. I think I have to go home.” She took a sip of her coffee and put the mug down, tracing the handle up and down. “Nobody will be home at the Colonel’s house. Will you help me?” She looked up with those big round hazel eyes.

  Harrison couldn’t say no. She was his Ranger buddy’s girl. He understood Colette and Carter’s dynamic. “Sure honey.” He took a drink from his mug and smiled. “And a ride to the airport?”

 
She only nodded her head.

  Within the hour, she’d showered, dressed in her jeans and shirt from the day before, and was in Harrison’s lifted truck on her way to her house. She had a quick bag packed with clothes and toiletries. As she was upstairs putting a note for her father in his office, Harrison had tossed her bag in his truck and returned to see the picture of Carter in her room. Colette walked back in, went into her closet and came out with a little black backpack, locked her inner door and then followed Harrison out to his truck, locking the outer door. Then, they were on their way to the airport.

  Chapter Four

  Maybe she was getting a summer cold. That’s what this weird feeling was. Colette looked out over the lake and saw the boats floating in the water. Grampa said in the note that they were going to talk when he and Gram got back from the venue. It was time to put everything on the table, pick up and stop moping.