by Jett Munroe
“Guess you do like pecan pie, since you had ’em put two pieces on that plate.” Ty grinned around another sip of coffee.
“What’re you? My mother?” Gabe tossed his napkin down and stretched one arm along the back of the bench. His easy smile communicated clearly he wasn’t bothered by his friends’ good-natured ribbing.
“No, I am not, thank God.” Ty finished his coffee. “Man, I do not know how Vivian puts up with you.”
“She loves me.” Gabe’s voice went soft, as did his expression. “And if that’s all, gents, I’d like to head out to the hotel so I can call my wife. We have one more concert tomorrow night; then we can go home.”
“Yeah, I think we’re done for now.” Beck scraped up the last of his pie and washed it down with coffee before he slid out of the booth. While Ty closed out his tablet and Gabe stood, Beck shrugged into his suit coat again, figuring it was easier wearing than carrying it. With a bullet hole in the back, the jacket was ruined, as the shirt was as well, but habit had him putting it on after he’d taken off and stored his protective vest in the company SUV.
A few minutes later he, Gabe, and Ty were in the Suburban on their way to their own hotel. It was nearly three in the morning when Beck pulled into the parking lot. After he shut off the engine, he sighed and hauled his ass out from behind the wheel to grab his small suitcase and garment bag.
He shoved the car keys in his pocket and rode the elevator up with his friends, his brothers-in-arms, and murmured good night as he opened the door to his hotel room. After dropping his suitcase on the floor near the bed and hanging his garment bag in the wardrobe, he started getting undressed. His tie and ruined suit coat went over the back of a plump armchair. He unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged out of it, tossing it over the coat. He yanked his belt free from his trousers and dropped it on top of the low dresser on the wall opposite the bed.
With a sigh, Beck plopped down on the chair. He pulled off his boots and socks, then stood and shoved his pants and underwear down his legs and added them to the clothes pile. He padded into the bathroom and stared at the walk-in shower. He was so tired he’d just as soon crawl into bed, but he could still smell remnants of Marisol Everhard’s perfume on his skin. With another sigh, he spread the bath mat on the floor. He reached in and twisted the knobs, starting the flow of water, then stepped into the cubicle.
The hot water battering his shoulders sent waves of relaxation through him, and he let his head drop so the pounding stream could hit his neck. Not thinking, Beck moved forward to let the water hammer his back. It hit the bullet’s impact site and he winced and turned to angle the spray toward his front.
God, he was beat. He couldn’t wait until the other members of his former squad finished their current jobs as mercenaries and joined Red Eagle Group. Then the work could be distributed a bit more equally. He wouldn’t have to work so hard and would be able to devote more time to other interests.
Mari and the Ever Hard Boys had one more gig that Red Eagle had contracted to cover; then they’d be headed toward the next city, and Beck and his team could go home. The first person he wanted to see was Delaney.
He soaped up his hands and finished bathing. He turned off the shower and stepped out onto the mat, haphazardly drying off before tossing the towel over the rack. Padding into the bedroom, he slid naked between the sheets. Someday soon he’d be sliding into Delaney’s bed. He was going to lose himself in her, let her sweetness lighten some of the darkness in his soul, and remind himself just what she was.
His reward.
* * * * *
At just before five o’clock on Monday afternoon, Delaney walked through the front door of Coffee & Confections. Because she only took a half-hour lunch most of the time, on those days she got to leave work at four thirty instead of being stuck at work until five. And unless she had something else going on right after work, she usually stopped at the coffee shop to see her friends and grab a treat.
Mostly, though, she swung by to see her friends. Lily stood behind the counter, serving up savory muffins and soup du jour to a line of hungry customers. The older guy Edmond was third back from the register and caught her eye, raising his hand in greeting. He was always polite and a little flirty, though she thought maybe that was just his way. He ate. He breathed. He flirted.
He’d never come on strong, so although she was shy, she was friendly and smiled at him then waved at Lily and kept going. She skirted around the counter and headed back to the kitchen to see her other friend Andriana.
She was at one of the workstations, setting muffins on a tray. When she saw Delaney, she gave her a wonky smile. It should have made her face look lopsided, but it was adorable and one of the best things about her. It was a total reflection of the goofiness inside the woman.
“Hola, Andi,” Delaney said with a return smile. “Man, it always smells so freaking good in here.”
“Hola, chica.” Andriana held up a muffin and waggled it. “Want one? Fresh outta the oven.”
“What kind is it?”
“Bacon-cheddar-corn muffins.”
Delaney held out her hand. “You had me at bacon.”
Andriana grinned and plopped the muffin onto her palm.
Delaney immediately pulled the paper away from one side and took a huge bite. “Oh my God,” she said around a mouthful of food, head bent with one hand cupped beneath her chin just in case she lost some of it. “So good.”
“Come back later after I top it with some candied bacon bits and then tell me how good it is.”
Delaney bugged out her eyes at her friend. Andriana’s laughter pealed out and the sound, as always, made Delaney smile.
“So, you have to tell me… How’d the date with Beck go?”
Delaney had known she’d get the third degree from her friends. They all thought Beck was hot and they also felt Delaney deserved some hotness in her life. They were sweet and well-intentioned. She still believed Beck was out of her league. But she’d enjoy it while it lasted.
“It was good. Great,” she amended with a small smile, thinking of the good-night kiss.
“Ooh. That face tells tales,” Andriana said around a big grin. “As soon as my high school helpers get here, I’ll want to hear all about it. For now, though, get outta here.” She made a shooing motion with her hands. “Some of us have work to do.”
“As soon as they get here, you come on out,” she told her friend before taking another big bite of her muffin.
“Will do,” came the response. Andriana was already bent over the mixer, adding ingredients.
By the time Delaney made it back to the small dining area, Edmond had taken a seat at a bistro table for two. He looked up and motioned to the empty chair across from him, wordlessly inviting her to join him.
Just beyond him she saw her friend Rachel Baxter, whom she’d known since grade school, and Colbie Hanna, an admin assistant where she worked. They were sitting at a corner grouping that consisted of a love seat and two armchairs, with a glass-and-chrome coffee table in the middle. The big sofa where they usually sat had four teenagers squeezed on it, all with their noses pointed to their phones.
Three tall cups of coffee sat on the table in front of her friends and each woman held a small plate upon which balanced a frosted cupcake.
Delaney thanked God for friends and gave Edmond a small smile while motioning toward Rachel and Colbie. He tilted his head in acknowledgment and went back to reading the newspaper.
As Delaney reached the women, Colbie hopped up and gave her a hug. “Hey,” the younger woman said in greeting. She wore her medium-length blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, long bangs tucked behind one ear. “We figured you were back in the kitchen with Andi. Whatcha got there?” She retook her seat on the small divan, beside Rachel, whose dark hair swung as she turned toward her.
“Bacon-cheddar-corn muffin.” Delaney popped the last
of the muffin into her mouth. “It’s really good,” she said once she’d swallowed.
“Well, yeah,” Rachel said and grinned up at Delaney. “’Cause…bacon.”
Delaney grinned back. “Andi’s planning on topping them with candied bacon bits,” she shared and laughed at their in-unison moans. She sat in one of the armchairs facing the small sofa and pointed at the coffees. “Which one is mine?”
Rachel leaned forward. “Just like you like it,” she said and scooted one of the cups, filled nearly to the brim with cream-laden coffee, toward Delaney. “Seems hardly worth drinking it if you’re gonna drown the flavor of the coffee with all that milk and sugar.”
“But then I couldn’t drink it,” Delaney defended. “Besides, you don’t have much room to talk, Ms. I’ll-Take-A-Caramel-Cappuccino-With-Extra-Cream.”
Rachel just smiled and took a sip of her drink.
“Oh,” Delaney went on, “I finally got the baby quilt done. I just need to wash it; then I can drop it off at the women’s shelter. Probably after work one day next week.”
“Cool. Have you taken a picture of it yet?” Rachel asked then took another sip of coffee.
“Not yet. I’ll post it to my Facebook page when I do.”
There was silence for a few minutes while Rachel and Colbie enjoyed their cupcakes.
“Soooo…” Colbie finally said, drawing out the word. When Delaney looked at her, Colbie raised her eyebrows and tipped her head to one side. “You haven’t said, so I’m gonna ask. How’d the date with Beck go? Have you seen him since Saturday?”
Well, that didn’t take long at all. Delaney knew her friends were curious about how things were progressing with Beck, and she certainly didn’t begrudge them their curiosity. She’d be the same with them. But she knew the questions would delve into territory she considered private and there probably wasn’t much she could do to stop it.
Best thing would be to just grin and bear it, so to speak.
“He went out of town on a job Sunday afternoon,” she said. “He’s due back tomorrow sometime.”
“Annnnnd?” Colbie’s eyebrows went up even farther. “What about the date? Tell us about the date!”
Delaney held her breath for a moment. Then, unable to keep playing it cool, she said, “It was good. He…well, he was perfect.”
“He gets that you’re shy, right?” Rachel asked. She had what her friends called her Mama Bear face on, looking like she’d take Beck down the next time she saw him if she didn’t get the answer she wanted.
“Mmm hmm.” Delaney took a sip of her latte. “He seems to like it, that I’m shy, I mean. Told me since I’m shy it gives him a chance to make the first move instead of having some pushy chick all up in his space.”
This time it was Rachel’s eyebrows that climbed up. “He actually said that?”
“Well, not like that exactly, but yeah. Close enough.”
“Where did he take you?”
“Monty’s, up in the foothills.” Delaney rubbed two fingers along the outer seam of her jeans. “At first I was embarrassed because I had on my navy pencil skirt and that paisley blouse—you know, the one that’s blue and purple with a tan background?” When her friends nodded, she said, “Anyway, walking through the main part of the restaurant I saw women who were dressed to the nines. But Beck got upset when he saw how I felt. He didn’t take me there to embarrass me, and he was sorry I was.” She waved it off. “Anyway, the rest of the night was spectacular. The food was great and, well, I was with Beck. It wouldn’t have mattered if the meal tasted like crap.”
“I think your man, Beck, might disagree with that,” Rachel said with a laugh. “He seems like a man who enjoys his food.”
Your man, Beck.
Smiling into her coffee, Delaney savored that for a minute.
“And I have to say, I love this for you, honey,” Rachel added softly.
“Me too.” Colbie leaned forward. “Did he kiss you?”
Heat surged into Delaney’s face.
“Ooh, he did, he did!” Colbie clapped her hands once and laughed. “It must’ve been a good one too, going by that look on your face.”
“It was,” Delaney said in a soft voice. As much as she loved her friends, she wasn’t ready to talk about that kiss. She needed to hold it close for a while yet, savor it, get used to the idea that there might be, could be, more. “And that’s all I’m going to say about it. Anything else is between him and me.”
“But—”
“We get that,” Rachel said over Colbie’s protest. “Right, Colb?”
The younger woman huffed a sigh laden with disappointment. “Yeah, right. We get it. We get it.”
Just then two teenage girls walked in, dressed in white jeans with pink-on-gray Coffee & Confections logo T-shirts. One went into the kitchen and the other behind the counter where she immediately got a hug from Lily, who then took off her apron and headed over to where Delaney and the other women were.
She dropped into a rounded armchair and stretched her legs out in front of her. “Woo, it feels good to get off my feet.” She sighed and leaned her head on the back of the chair. “How’s everyone?”
“Good,” Colbie said. With a pout she added, “Except Laney won’t share about her date with Beck.”
“Have you talked to him since?” Lily asked.
Delaney fought back disappointment and shook her head. “He called me this morning, but I was in a meeting with Trigg and didn’t hear my phone ring. He left me a voice mail, said he was fine; the first night had some excitement, but he didn’t specify what happened. He told me he’d call me when he got back in to town. By the time I got the message he was back at work on the protection detail, which is what he’s doing now.”
“That’s so cool.” Colbie’s smile was wide and bright. “Too bad you couldn’t have gone with him. You would’ve been able to meet Mari Everhard. And her band. The drummer is H-O-T hot.”
Only if you had a thing for guys with long hair who didn’t wash it often enough, and Delaney didn’t. Her thing was all about tall, dark, and handsome, with a rough gentleness that set her blood on fire.
“He thinks he and the guys will get on the road sometime tomorrow morning. They won’t be done until really late tonight, so they’ll get a few hours of sleep then hop into the SUV and come home.”
“They drove?” Colbie’s face indicated her confusion over why someone would drive instead of fly.
“It’s only a little over six hours to drive there,” Rachel muttered. “It’s not like they drove across the country.”
“Still.” Colbie shook her head. “I’d rather spend the time in Vegas than in a car.”
“They were going there for work,” Delaney reminded her friend. “They weren’t hanging out in the casinos.”
“You excited for him to get home?” Rachel asked then grinned at what Delaney knew was a sappy expression on her face. “That’s good,” her friend said in a soft, warm voice. “You deserve to be with someone who’ll mess up your lipstick instead of your mascara.”
Her friends abided by the gentle but firm boundaries she’d set and started talking about other things. Delaney participated halfheartedly. After a year of avoiding Beck, all it took was one date to make her miss him like crazy. She couldn’t wait for him to get back to town.
Chapter Four
Somehow Delaney made it through Tuesday. She got a call from Beck around eight in the morning, just as she was putting her stuff on her desk at work. He told her their client had insisted on a breakfast meeting so it looked like the guys wouldn’t be getting out of Vegas until closer to lunchtime. Delaney didn’t bother to try to hide her relief at hearing his voice. She did hide her disappointment and told him she’d look forward to seeing him that evening.
Around three o’clock he texted to let her know they were going to stop by a couple of thei
r Phoenix clients’ offices and he wasn’t sure when they’d hit Tucson, but he wanted to see her before he headed home. She texted him back, asking him to call her when he got to town.
She took time after dinner to wash the quilt she’d made for the women’s shelter. After it was dry she wrestled the ironing board out of the closet, only clonking her klutzy self in the chin once, which was cause for celebration. She took care running the iron over the fabric, admiring again the colors she’d chosen. With the rich blues, purples, and reds, the quilt could be given to a boy or a girl, and the fabric and workmanship, if she did say so herself, were sturdy enough to withstand going through the washer and dryer without shrinkage.
She folded the quilt and put it in a plastic grocery bag that she placed beside the front door so she hopefully wouldn’t forget to grab it on her way out the next morning. She’d leave it in the car while she was at work then drop it off at the shelter on her way home.
Now it was nearing ten at night. She hadn’t heard from Beck since that afternoon text, and she was getting worried. Whenever someone she knew was on I-10, heading up to or down from Phoenix, she got concerned. So many accidents happened around Picacho Peak and the Red Rock area she didn’t rest easy until she knew they’d made it past that point. She’d always figured it was people looking at the cowboy-hat-shaped mountain and then the ostrich farm that caused all the trouble.
She wore her favorite pajamas, a lavender shorts-and-tank set with delicate dark-gray lace around the neckline and at the hem of both pieces, and had her hair braided so it would stay out of her face during the night. She’d just climbed into bed when her cell phone rang. She automatically reached for it on her nightstand, where she usually put it, before she realized she’d left it in her purse, which was halfway across the room on her dresser.
Hoping the caller was Beck, she jumped out of bed. One leg tangled in the sheets and she landed on her hands and knees with a thud. She kicked free and limped to her purse, rubbing her right knee, which had taken the brunt of the fall. She managed to fish her phone out from the depths of her handbag without further mishap, though, and answered with a breathy, “Hello?”
