by Aliyah Burke
“Yes. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, I’ll take a car to the hotel.”
“Nonsense. I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’ll call as I pull up so you can walk out to the car.”
She rubbed her eyes and yawned once more. Mikeyla said a few more things that she grunted in agreement to as she padded to where she’d left her shorts. Bennett continued to sleep as she dressed. Shoving into her flip flops, she went to the door and picked up her keys before waking out.
Windows down and music up, she drove to Honolulu International. When she was five minutes out, she called her. As she parked in the loading/unloading zone, she squinted her gritty eyes for the woman who appeared to be a bit like the image in the picture.
She snorted when Mikeyla strode out the doors. Should have known I wouldn’t have to wonder what she looked like. Identical to the picture, just aged slightly. The woman wore her business attire like a suit of armor. Her brown hair was yanked up into a tight bun and her practical strides ate up the ground as she dragged a wheeled carry-on behind her. Then again, from the stamp of determination on her face, Ellie wasn’t sure the luggage was too scared to fall behind.
She fought the urge to pat her hair and try to be a bit more presentable instead of appearing as though she’d just rolled out of bed and shoved into the first clothes she found. Okay, so that’s exactly what I did. To be fair, it was the normal time for her to be in bed. Didn’t stop that feeling, however, and she nearly sat on her hands before she hopped out and opened the trunk.
“Hi,” she said, holding out her hand. “I’m Ellie.”
Those brown eyes snapped to her and in one second Ellie believed she’d been assessed and marked a failure. From the bottoms of her flip-flops that showed off her mismatched toenail paint up to her bed head that looked as if she’d just come from having some wild, rowdy sex.
Okay, so that part is true as well.
“Mikeyla.” The handshake was brief.
“I can take that.”
“No need.” Mikeyla hefted the bag into the trunk of her second-hand Hyundai and Ellie closed the lid.
“How was the flight?”
“Uneventful.”
All right then. She got it, this woman wasn’t one for small talk. No problem.
Ellie got them on the road and off to the hotel. She pulled up in front of the entrance and put the car in park.
“I was going to see him when visiting hours began if you’d like me to pick you up. Or I can go later, maybe you’d like to see him alone for a bit.”
“I have no wish to be a hassle. If you don’t mind picking me up that will be fine. I’ll be down and waiting.” She was out the door by the trunk in a flash.
Ellie popped the lid so she could get her bag, and the woman took it then headed inside after slamming it shut. Rubbing more sleep from her eyes, Ellie waited until the woman was safely inside the hotel before she pulled away.
“Well, she’s going to be a load of fun. Mainlanders sure are an uptight bunch.”
She smiled despite being one herself. Giving herself a pass as she’d learned to calm and slow down since being here, she no longer lumped herself in that category.
Back at her place, she went to the door and began climbing the stairs to her floor. Halfway up, her stomach began rumbling.
“Why the hell am I so hungry?”
Jason was at the top when she got there and went into the hallway. He sat on the floor playing his dragons. His wide grin had her smiling in return.
“Morning, Jason. How’s the crew today?”
He nodded sagely and held up his favorite one, with its large wings and sharp teeth. “We’re very hungry today. Looking for girls to eat.”
She crouched down beside him, glanced left and right before speaking in a stage whisper. “Why are we looking for girls to eat?”
A faint blush ran up his cheeks. He’s got a crush on someone.
“They’re pretty so they probably taste better.”
“Very logical thinking. We do taste better.” She ruffled his hair. “I’m going to the bookstore again this weekend, so let me know if you think of another book for me to look for.” She got to her feet and left him with a small wave.
Her apartment smelled like waffles when she pushed in. And bacon. Her stomach rumbled again, louder this time.
Bennett was on the phone and she slowed down, taking the opportunity to stare at the man before her. He’d just showered, for his skin still had a few rebellious water droplets that rolled down his muscular back, trailing along that bronzed skin, moving over ridges and valleys before vanishing when they hit the waistband of his jeans.
“I’ll check on it when I get home, Tom. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about but I’ll run another diagnostic for you. Want me to call you with the results or just send them over to you so you can read them when you have some time?”
Dragging her gaze from his ass, she listened a bit more. She didn’t know much about what he did, so this conversation interested her. Even if she was eavesdropping.
Moments later she shook her head as she didn’t understand any of it. Computer talk about codes and blah blah blah made her head hurt. She moved closer to him and splayed her hand along the expanse of his back while she peered around him.
“I’ll be in touch, Tom. Have a good one.” He ended the call and slid the phone along the counter before he turned and kissed her forehead. “Morning.”
“What are you doing awake?”
“I was hungry and figured you would be too when you got back.” He flipped the bacon.
Fuck, it smelled so good she wanted to stick her face in the pan, to hell with how hot the thing was.
“You knew I was gone?”
He chuckled and leaned around her to flip the waffle maker. “I woke the moment your phone rang.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
“Nothing to say. You were going to get his niece and I don’t think I was needed to tag along for that. How is she holding up?”
Ellie snorted and moved to the fridge where she grabbed some fresh fruit juice.
“Uh oh. Do you not like her?”
“I think if I was acting that way when I got here, no wonder people eyed me strange. I swear she’s an icicle. God, I don’t want to talk ill about his niece, but she was cold.”
“Maybe she’s still trying to process all of this. Plus, with the long flight from the East Coast, she’s got to be tired.”
She narrowed her eyes as she poured the drink into two glasses. “I looked like a street urchin next to her. Not even a hair was out of place on that woman, she wouldn’t know how to be tired.”
Bennett took the bacon off the heat and stood next to her. “Okay, there’s a lot of animosity there. Where is this coming from?”
“I don’t want her to upset him and if she treats him like she did me in the car, so help me God, I’m going to make her need a hospital.”
He cupped her shoulders, fingers smoothing along her in a soothing motion. “Calm down here, Smash. Give her a chance.”
“Why are you defending her?”
“Because it’s Dogfish’s niece. We need to make her feel welcome or he’s not going to be happy. We don’t need to upset him right now. We need him to get better and leave the hospital.” He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “I’d like to see the catfight, though, just on principle.”
The laughter came even though she wanted to remain mad at him for taking Mikeyla’s side in this. She smiled and when he responded, her stomach tightened. How had she ended up with a guy like him in her life? His sexy dimples made her want to forget about breakfast and see what other places they could find in her place to make love.
“Of course you would. I don’t get the lure.”
“Of?” He removed the next waffle and put it on the plate staying in a warm oven.
“Seeing two women fight one another.”
“Same thing as women and guns. It’s fucking sexy.”
; She shrugged and carried the juice to the table. “I don’t get it.”
“And that’s fine with me,” he said, transferring the bacon to a plate.
“Why is that?”
“Because if it did the same thing to you it did to me, we wouldn’t be sharing a bed.”
“Which is what it all boils down to, isn’t it? Sex.”
“Sex and surfing. Not sure what else there is in the world.”
She snorted as he winked at her and rolled her eyes. “I’m not having this discussion with you.”
“How about a hands-on demonstration?”
She sucked her lower lip in her mouth, briefly as he stared at her, his eyes getting darker. “I’d really like that.”
He stepped toward her.
“So, when’s my surfing lesson?”
He grumbled and pulled her close. “That was mean, feel how happy he was to hear that?” Bennett bucked his hips pushing his hard cock against her.
Her body responded instantly but, as horny as this man made her, right now, she had to eat, shower, and get to the hospital. Or do I?
Cupping him through his jeans, she purred with pleasure. “I do, I do. And I would hate to disappoint him.” Ellie dropped to her knees and nuzzled his crotch, dragging her teeth along the jean material.
“Ellie.” Her name left his mouth on a growl mixed with a beg.
“Shh,” she said. “I’m about to be very busy.” Ellie undid the button of his jeans and pulled the zipper down, revealing his hard cock. He went commando and she loved it.
αβ
The bar was just as busy as it had been. Bennett nodded at Rachel as she went by, expertly balancing her tray laden with drinks. He wanted to be up where Ellie was, by the bar, but she frowned at that and had told him only employees back there. He got it, truly he did. There was the liability aspect and the fact he was all thumbs behind a bar and only got in the way.
To make himself feel better about it, he had fooled himself into the belief he could better keep an eye on those who came and went from where he sat currently. He toyed with the bottle before him, not really wanting to drink it. His mind had fully sunk into mission mode and he never drank on missions. Nothing to impair him or possibly impede the outcome of his goal.
Tonight, his Ellie had tugged on a pair of tight white shorts that allowed her tan legs to be ogled and drawn on a Guns N’ Roses T-shirt. Somehow the attire made the blonde streaks in her brunette hair stand out even more than usual. He liked it. A lot.
Two more couples strode in and behind them—well, it wasn’t anyone he’d expected to see there. Mikeyla Hamilton came in as if she owned the not just the place but the ground she walked on.
He watched as she walked to the bar and spoke with Larson, who gave her a smile known to make the women pant with hunger. Mikeyla didn’t bat an eye. With an easygoing shrug, Larson pointed back to where Bennett sat. She looked in his direction then headed toward him, parting the crowd before her without a single word.
Like the previous two times he’d seen her, she had her hair pulled back in that bun he figured had to yank the fuck out of her skull, it looked painful and uncomfortable.
“Mr. Harvey.”
He nudged a chair out with his foot and gestured with his head for her to take a seat. “Call me Bennett.”
She sat. Well, more perched on the edge of the chair. “My uncle speaks highly of you and says that if I need anything you’re the one to see.”
Okay, he was intrigued. Past her, he saw Ellie looking over in their direction. But only once, after that she went about her business. For a moment, he wondered if she was jealous that he was sitting with Mikeyla. The woman was attractive, would be more so if she would not look like she’d just sucked on a lemon and was afraid to get a speck of dirt on her.
“What is it you need?”
He rocked back in his chair, fingers curved around the brown glass neck of the bottle.
She shifted slightly before stillness settled over her like a blanket. “I’m going to be here for a while as he recovers. I still have work to accomplish for my firm back in DC. I only have my laptop and it’s not enough for what I need. I’ll be purchasing another computer and was wondering if you’d be able to set it up for me in my uncle’s place. That way all the things I have on here will be on there and I’ll actually have a decent-sized screen to work on. For whatever reason this one is flickering and not wanting to come up. I don’t want to lose all my work.”
He nodded and stole another glance over to where Ellie chatted up a few Marines. “I can do that for you, no problem. When were you needing this done?”
“Now.”
He snapped his focus back to her. “Right now?”
“Is that a problem? He lives above the bar. I was under the impression this was something that you do all the time. Will it take longer than I’m thinking it should?”
“I don’t know your system, so I can’t answer that without looking at it.”
He didn’t want to leave Ellie alone in the bar. She’s not even close to being alone in here, she’s surrounded by people. Be that as it may, they weren’t him. Or wouldn’t be if he wasn’t even in the bar.
“So take a look at it.”
He got the feeling this wasn’t a woman who heard no very often. And he was thrilled that Dogfish suggested she come to him. I didn’t even know the old bastard knew what I did for a job. Should have known better, Dogfish was sharp as they came.
He got to his feet, leaving the beer until he pushed the chair in. Then he swiped it and handed it off to Rachel as she wove through the crowd.
“You leaving?” She arched an eyebrow before cutting her gaze back to where Ellie worked behind the bar.
“I’ll be back.”
She moved her observant gaze between him and Mikeyla. Her warm expression cooled before she walked away without a word. Great, now they were thinking he was off with this woman cheating on Ellie.
They’d not introduced Mikeyla to the staff. She’d turned the offer down, stating she wouldn’t be in the bar enough to need to know their names. So, he got where Ellie got her feathers ruffled from this woman, she had an extremely sharp edge to her that would cut you if you weren’t careful. Hell, probably would even if you were.
“Let’s go,” he said to her, gesturing to the door.
“Isn’t there a back entrance that leads up to his place?”
“There is, but it’s locked and unless you have the key to it we have to go out front then around.”
She sighed and whirled around to smack into a tall built man. He reached out and steadied her so she didn’t fall. Bennett was close and watched the way Mikeyla’s eyes lasered in on his lips before she cleared her throat and yanked herself free of his arms.
“Be more careful.”
He arched a black eyebrow before shaking his head. “You’re welcome.”
The man had a deep southern drawl, Texas if Bennett’s ear was correct on that.
“Excuse me?” Mikeyla brushed off some imaginary dirt from her suit coat.
“You are an uptight thing. I said you’re welcome for me stopping you from falling on your ass. Thank you would have been the proper response for you to give me. Not ‘be more careful’ as that isn’t polite.”
“Who ran into who?”
Bennett cocked his head to the side and realized just who stood before him. Ward Sutton, former hotshot quarterback in the NFL. He’d retired two years ago because of his concern over CTE. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy was a swiftly growing fear in the NFL. The man may have been at the height of his career but he gave it all up because he didn’t want to suffer from the brain degermation.
The man was like Cam Newton or Ben Roethlisberger, who both took massive hits from the opposing players. He hadn’t been protected like that quaterback for the Patriots.
Ignoring the woman between them, he reached out his hand. “Huge fan, Mr. Sutton. Loved watching you play.”
The man flashed a grin, sh
owing off even white teeth against his tan skin. “Thanks. What’s your name?”
“Bennett Harvey.”
“Call me Ward. Nice to know some people around here are friendly.” He flicked his gaze down to the top of Mikeyla’s head that came to his shoulder.
“We’re a friendly group. I have to run an errand but will be back in a few. I’d love to talk if you have the inclination and are still around.”
“I’ll be right here.” He gestured to the table behind Bennett that he’d just vacated.
“Be back.”
The man skirted them and sank his tall form into the chair. “It sure as fuck would take me longer than a short amount of time with that.”
“Mikeyla,” Bennett gripped her arm to stop her from whipping around to face off with the quarterback. “Computer questions, remember?”
She led the way out the door and around the building to the alley leading to the steps to Dogfish’s place. As they walked in, he noticed she’d not added anything to it. In fact, if he didn’t know for a fact she was staying here he would have sworn she was still at the hotel. Not a single sign of her living there.
The only difference was the large computer on his desk. An all in one is what it looked like when he neared.
“Where’s your laptop?”
“I’ll go get it.”
Shortly, she placed it beside him then stepped back once more. He flipped open the lid of her computer and she cleared her throat. Bennett gazed back to where she stood.
“I can give you a list of my passwords.”
“Not necessary.” He noticed the screen flickering as she’d mentioned. “It won’t take me long.”
He got to work then and was careful not to leave any of her files behind. While it took him longer than he wanted, it sure as hell didn’t take as long as it could have. Making sure she knew where everything was, he left saying he’d bring back the laptop after he fixed it for her. Then he returned to the bar, stowed the laptop behind the bar, and went to join Ward for a drink and conversation.
The two of them stayed until closing. And while he didn’t have a chance to speak to Ellie before then, he continually kept an eye on her behind the bar.
