by Aliyah Burke
“I’m keeping you company. Not fair for you to eat and not me.” Guileless brown eyes watched him.
“Somehow, I don’t think your aunt wants you up keeping me company.”
“I’m nice like that.”
The microwave beeped, and he gave a short burst of laughter. “Lucky me. Okay, you can have two”—he whipped back to look at Tyler—“are you allergic?”
“No, sir.”
“Okay, then you can have two cookies.”
Yep, definitely played. Tyler scampered over to the small panty and pulled out a box of cookies and took two, which he set on a paper towel by his milk.
Dale took out the warm plate; the aromatic scent wafting to his nose was divine. Oh, I’m looking forward to this.
He sat opposite Tyler and watched him unscrew the chocolate sandwich cookie and dunk it into his milk. Hefting the fork, Dale put the first bite in his mouth. Flavors erupted as the lamb fell apart upon his tongue.
Sweet heaven, that’s what this is.
αβ
“Thanks for the ride, Vic,” Allie said to the tanned man driving the SUV. She struggled not to yawn, again.
“I wasn’t making you walk home or take the bus after that.”
She’d been picked up outside her place and driven to the scene of the accident. Accident, hell, more like a something out of a post-apocalyptic movie. That had her wondering if that’s what it was like during war in a frontline M.A.S.H. unit.
Thick fog had rolled in swiftly and brought with it death and destruction. Amputations, fires, explosions, and more from the pile up of more than one hundred vehicles.
“It was a nightmare of triage. I can’t even begin to image how things were in the actual hospitals. Or on the roads trying to transport these people.” She’d stayed at the accident, moving from one mangled mode of transportation to the next, helping, bandaging, and assessing damages.
Vic parked in front of her apartment building and cracked his neck before looking over at her. “Get some rest.”
“I hope so, all depends on the little man.”
“How much longer do you have him?”
She grasped one shoulder strap of her bag. “One more week.” Opening the door, she swung her feet to the ground. “Thanks again.”
“Dinner soon?”
“Sure thing.” She closed the door and trudged to the building, weariness owning every inch of her body. Allie rubbed tired eyes and beelined for the elevator. The wall became her support as the doors slid silently closed.
It took her a moment before she opened her eyes, heaving an exasperated sigh. “This would work so much better if I actually pushed a button.” Lifting a leaden arm, she selected her floor and yawned.
Key in the lock of her door, she took a deep breath and hoped Tyler would let her get some sleep. She entered and stopped at the smell of pancakes in the air.
“I’m back,” she called out.
“Hi, Auntie!” Tyler popped his head out of the kitchen briefly. “We’re about to have breakfast.”
Crap, he sounded full of energy. “Lovely.”
She stepped into the kitchen and found Dale standing over her stove, watching the flapjacks on the griddle. Suddenly, she was nervous. She wasn’t used to coming home and finding a grown man under her roof. Hell, even if she went out for a night of partying, she never brought them here, to her place. On the other hand, the only time she’d had a man do what he did now had been with him. Anger swept in low and fast as she recalled having to leave their apartment.
Dale looked all kinds of comfortable there. His powerful arms were covered by a dark mock turtleneck that was tucked into his jeans. Black boots were pressed up against the stove. He turned his head and pinned his gaze on her, and her belly clenched, moisture slamming into her core as quickly as if he’d touched her naked body.
Shit. I don’t need to be horny around him. Especially being this tired. His blondish-brown hair hung to his shoulders and there existed this insane urge to brush it away from his face.
“How was your night?”
That voice—crap on a cracker—was going to give her orgasms in her dreams. It used to and didn’t seem to be something that was changing. “Long.” Her own sounded like a croaking frog.
“Looks that way.”
“Are you eating with us, Auntie?”
Tearing her gaze from the walking sex ad, Allie turned her attention to her nephew and sighed. He’d dressed similarly to Dale. The quirk of his kissable lips told her he knew she just discovered that.
“Yes, just let me clean up a bit.”
Moving through the kitchen, she noticed the blankets were still folded up at the end of the sofa. Doesn’t mean he didn’t sleep there. She entered her room and instantly knew he’d slept in here. To look at the room, nothing gave it away but there was a feeling in here. Surrounding her with a warmth she wasn’t used to having. Not since you two shared a bed before, that is.
She closed the door and began stripping off her uniform. Her body protested each movement, and she stared longingly at the bed. Clad in her bra and panties, she made her way to the double bed and drew back the blankets to expose the pillow. Bending, she inhaled on the pillow, his masculine scent moved through her, tingling places which had been left unattended far too long.
“Get a grip, Allie,” she said, remaking the bed. “We have nothing between us. At all.”
With everything she needed for a shower, she stepped from her room and walked to the bathroom where she took a quick and much appreciated one. The steam surrounded her, and she leaned against the counter, eyes closed, and just tried to find some energy to stay awake.
Wiping a hand across the fogged mirror, she stared at her reflection. A small laugh poured from her lips before she returned to toweling off her hair. Dressed, she departed and ambled up the carpeted area to the living room then the kitchen.
Dale watched her enter, his eyes like a brand as they moved along her skin. She broke the connection and looked away, tucking some wet hair behind her ear.
“How were you, Tyler?” she asked as she moved to kiss his cheek.
“Good.”
Turning to Dale for confirmation, she was pleased to see him nod.
“Sit down, Allie,” he said. “I’ll fix you a plate.”
Moments later, he set one before her and one before Tyler. Pancakes, eggs, and turkey bacon. She ogled him as he poured more on the griddle. How did one person manage to look so damn good? And why hadn’t she noticed him before? If he’d moved in over there, why hadn’t she run into him before?
“Don’t wait for me,” he ordered. “Eat while it’s hot.”
Tyler took the man at his word and dug in. She’d just poured syrup on her stack of three when he joined them at the table, his own plate piled high.
“Thank you so much for last night.”
His brown eyes twinkled as he met her gaze. He ate a bite of the crispy bacon and sent her a wicked grin. “First time I’ve heard that for not doing anything physical.”
She flushed and jerked her attention to Tyler who was lost in a world of eating. There was such a double meaning there, she did her best to ignore it.
“He’s not paying you any mind, Allie.” Dale’s voice, low and smooth, flowed over her like a silken wrap. “How have you been?”
Oh, hell, no, I’m not delving into the past with you, Dale Curtayn. “Well, thank you, anyway.”
“Not a problem. He’s a great kid. Although, I think I got taken.”
She smiled a bit. “He got cookies and milk, did he?”
“How did you know?”
“He’s good at that.”
“Then, I don’t feel so bad falling for it.” He touched the back of her hand with two fingers. “How are you doing after last night?”
“You saw?”
“Had the news on after he finally went to sleep.”
The concern in his voice got to her, and tears pricked her eyes. She shook them away, not willing to give
into them. Hating how emotional she could be at times, Allie took a deep breath.
“Honestly, I’d like to curl up in bed and sleep. It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. Local cops, state patrol, even the National Guard came out to help. All that’s left now is the cleanup, and I can’t help with that or I’d still be out there. But, the shower helped, and I can catch some winks later today.”
He held her gaze. “You’re barely awake now. Go sleep. Oh, wait, let me go strip the bed and remake it, I wasn’t sure where you kept your sheets.”
“You sure you don’t mind, keeping an eye on him for two hours?”
“Sheets?”
“Forget it. I don’t care. I’m going to go lay down.” She ate the last bite of food on her plate. “This was delicious, thank you. Tyler, I’m taking a two-hour nap; keep listening to Mr. Curtayn.”
“Okay, Auntie. He said we were going to build something today. It will be quiet so you can sleep.”
Quiet, wasn’t that a heavenly word? “Great.” She made her way back to her room and shut the door on everything else. The blackout curtains drawn, she kicked off her pants before sliding in between the sheets.
Sandalwood and male surrounded her. Burying deeper into the pillows, she allowed his scent to escort her to the land of slumber.
An orgasm woke her, and Allie sat up, lips parted as she gasped for air. Shit! Her entire body tingled from the power of what she’d just experienced. She stared down her body; it was still how she’d gone to bed, long t-shirt, panties, and she’d not even taken off her bra.
None of it mattered. Her nipples were drawn tight and pressed almost painfully against the satin of her bra. Her clit still throbbed as she continued to ride out the mini aftershocks of the mind-blowing release.
“Sucks to high hell I don’t even know what I was dreaming about.” She cut her eyes to the door. “Although, I have a pretty good idea.”
The clock informed her she’d slept for more than two hours. Closer to five. Getting up, she reached for her pants and pulled them on. While still tired, she was much more focused and alert. This, she could handle much better. Opening her bedroom door, she listened and was met with silence. She went to the bathroom to wake up a bit more.
In the living room, she found the men. Both on the floor with a large wood board between them. On the board, they were assembling a 3-D puzzle. They spoke in low tones to one another. Dale was allowing Tyler to do most of the work.
As if he knew she was thinking about him, he looked up and winked at her. There went the flipping in her gut again.
“How’s it going?” she asked.
Tyler never looked away from the puzzle. “I’m making Big Ben, Auntie. He’s from England, and this is from there.”
Yeah, she was well aware of where he was from. Another thrill shot through her at the mental recreation of his muttering to her as he took her. There is something wrong with me.
“Yes, Big Ben is impressive to see. Maybe you will get there one day, Tyler,” she said.
“Have you seen it?” Dale asked.
“Yes.” She didn’t want to think about one of her exes but visiting him over there had been wonderful. “I’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you so much for keeping an eye on Tyler.”
Dale pushed smoothly to his feet. “Not a problem. He’s a great kid. Can’t wait to see it finished, Tyler.”
“I’ll make sure I come get you.” The boy remained enthralled by the item before him.
She walked with Dale through the kitchen to the door. “Again, thank you. I really appreciate it.”
He placed a hand on the wall beside her head and leaned close. “Stop mentioning it.” His gaze moved from her eyes to her lips and back again. She gulped. “You are intriguing the hell out of me, Allie Sumani. I want to catch up.”
She had no words. His brown eyes were like the richest warm chocolate she’d ever find. And, right now, they were focused on her. He inched in closer still until their noses almost touched and she could feel the heat from his body surrounding her.
“Just you and me.”
Dale left her there, breathless, aroused, and craving. Him.
Chapter Three
Dale drummed his fingers along the edge of the pool table then took his shot, sinking two striped balls. He scoped out the rest of the options and repositioned himself to try again.
“What’s eating you?” Alexander “Sweets” Greene posed the question.
It had been two days since he’d taken care of Tyler and had slept in Allie’s bed. He hadn’t planned on sleeping there, just wanted to see what else he could learn about her. Ended up falling asleep.
Dale looked at one of the other two men in Zulu Spectre who weren’t from America. Sweets had served in the Royal Navy and was their corpsman. The other was their heavy weapons guy, Second Lieutenant Rance “Quint” MacLean. He’d been a commando with the Royal Marines. Then, there was him, Flight Lieutenant Dale “Lights” Curtayn from the RAF. He could fly anything.
He gazed about the dark bar, smiling over the familiar faces. “Just trying to wrap my head around a few things.”
“This isn’t about that bitch, Julie, is it?” Gambit asked.
“No,” he told the Cajun. “Although she won’t take the hint that she needs to back off and not come by again.”
“I still think we should let Jack go handle it. We’re not allowed to hit women but she can.” Sweets referred to the lone woman in their unit. Jacey “Blackjack” Thompson.
“Oh no, that’s not necessary.”
“So who’s the kid you’ve been hanging out with?” Gambit stepped forward to take his shot.
“Tyler?”
“Don’t know, man; that’s why I asked you.” He sank his shot and lined up for another.
“My neighbor’s nephew. Good kid.” He flexed his fingers around the pool cue. “Why?”
“No reason, just when I run there, I usually see you with him. What’s the aunt like?”
Hot as fuck. With hips I want to grip tight while I pound deep inside her. Tits I want to suck, and a mouth I can’t wait to feel once more wrapped around my…
“Nice,” he said. “I know her from before. We…well, we used to date.”
Both men looked at him, and he cleared his throat before taking a long, much-needed drink of his beer.
“So it’s like that, is it?”
“It’s not like anything, Gambit.”
His responding comment wasn’t in English, and Dale ignored him. Sweets looked at him, and he stared at his friend and teammate. “What? It was a long time ago, and I broke it off. Never thought I’d see her again but here she is.”
“Just wondering how you’re going to keep Jack away from her.”
“She doesn’t need to know. There’s nothing there for her to investigate anyway.”
Both guys laughed. “Bon chance.” Gambit gave a short jerk of his head, and Dale turned in that direction.
Jack strode toward them, most men in the place following her with their gazes. She didn’t pay any of them a single bit of attention, and yet, Dale knew she knew exactly where each one was and how much of a fight it would be to get out if it came to that.
She looked hot in her jeans and the sheepskin jacket covering her shirt. Her hair had been confined into one long braid.
“Thought I might find y’all here,” she said.
He smiled over her accent. It only came out when she was truly relaxed. “Hey, Jack.”
She pinned him with her black gaze. “Who is she?” she asked after a few moments of silence.
“How the fuck do you do that, Jack?” he demanded.
“Women’s intuition.”
If it had come from anyone else, he wouldn’t have bought it, but Jack was something else. She nudged Gambit and shrugged out of her coat, tossing it to settle with the pile of theirs before grabbing a pool cue.
She chalked the end and said, “You may as well tell me; you know I’ll find out.”
“It’s true, Lights, she’s like a damn pit bull.” Gambit got punched for that comment.
“Let me help,” Sweets said. “It’s his neighbor.”
“Convenient,” she said. “Are we solids or stripes?”
“Stripes.” Dale had no problem with her jumping into the game. He watched her sink three balls in quick succession and smirked at the grumbling of Gambit and Sweets.
“So, your neighbor,” she prompted.
“She’s an EMT paramedic. I told them we have a history, her and I.”
“Do we get to meet her?”
“No,” he said immediately.
Three pairs of eyes honed in on him.
“Look,” he said in an attempt to placate them. “We’re not even dating. It didn’t exactly end the smoothest between us.”
“So bring her along as a friend.” Gambit pointed the cue at him. “We can behave on occasion. Hell, we can even bring Griz in to make sure we stay behaving. He can bring his wife. If Griz can’t keep us in line we all know Marly will.”
It didn’t look like they weren’t going to let it go, but Dale would hold out hope. Hell, he’d not even kissed the girl, and they were acting as if they should be picking out a color scheme for the house.
“We’re not a couple.”
They held up their hands, and he didn’t buy the act for a second. Nope, they wouldn’t be letting this go. Still, he wasn’t so stupid as not to accept the reprieve they were offering. Talk changed directions and shifted onto the large cookout they were having for Griz, their commanding officer, for upcoming his birthday. Marly had asked for their help in setting up the surprise.
By the time he left the bar, all of his team had shown with the exception of Griz. The final deets had been nailed down, and Dale was in a good mood. A mood that shot south faster than he could take a breath when he spied Allie and Tyler out front of the apartment building with a man he didn’t know. One who continually put his hands on Allie.
A low fire churned in Dale’s gut as he parked his car and continued observing them in his rear view. The man was tall and built. His ball cap shrouded some of his facial features but Dale had seen enough. He didn’t need to know the color of the man’s eyes to know he didn’t want him that close to his Allie.
