Luca shrugged. “I can’t hold off forever. It could be years before we locate Hylar. I’m not willing to wait that long.”
Their old commander, Hylar, was the final piece of the puzzle. Well, Hylar and his few surviving guards and scientists.
Wyatt crossed his arms. “Got a proposal plan?”
“I’m still working out the finer details. Happy to accept ideas.”
Bodie leaned forward. “Go big. Women love that extravagant stuff. Maybe a hot-air balloon. When you get high enough, she looks down to see ‘Will you marry me’ written in the sand below with a thousand roses.”
As ideas went, Bodie’s didn’t sound terrible. Although, Luca didn’t look so convinced. “I was thinking something more intimate. Evie’s not really into the big public displays of affection.”
Bodie was already shaking his head. “Women say that, but they rarely mean it. In high school, I was dating this girl, and she told me not to plan anything for our anniversary. She said it more than once. So I didn’t. And you know what happened? Huge fight. It was like I’d gone out of my way to end us.”
Wyatt chuckled. “I think some women are more open and upfront than others. In this case, I’m with Rocket. I can see Evie preferring something private.”
The woman was quiet by nature. She’d been through a lot. When she’d arrived in Marble Falls, she’d been running from a dangerous ex. Luca managed to kill the asshole, but internal scars were hard to heal.
“I do like the roses part of your idea, Red,” Luca said. “It might be hard to get a thousand.”
Bodie pointed to Wyatt. “We call this guy Jobs for a reason. What can’t be achieved with the click of a button these days?”
Wyatt shrugged. “I’m sure it can be done. Just say the word.” With technology today, just about anything could be acquired. Wyatt knew that because he had a knack for IT. His whole life, anything to do with coding and technology had come easy to him.
He couldn’t imagine that locating a thousand roses to be delivered would be hard.
Luca smiled. “Thanks. I’ll let you know.”
Bodie frowned. “Well, if you’re not going to use the hot-air balloon idea, keep it to yourselves. I don’t want Hunter, Striker, or Eagle stealing it.”
Wyatt fixed his gaze on his friend. “You need a woman to propose to first.”
Eden, or Hunter to the team, was dating Shylah Kemp. A nurse at Marble Falls Hospital. While Asher, also known as Striker, had just had a baby with Lexie.
Mason, Quinn’s brother—and referred to as Eagle by the team—was dating Sage, the team doctor.
Bodie shrugged. “Eagle said his sister has just moved into his old apartment. Maybe I’ll go introduce myself.”
Wyatt stiffened at the mention of Quinn.
Luca laughed. “If that happens, I want to be there when you tell Eagle you’re making moves on his little sister.”
“You’re right. There’s a strong chance I wouldn’t live long enough to propose. Okay, scratch that. Maybe someone will come to town and fall all over themselves for me.”
Women already fell all over themselves for Bodie. Not that he would be saying that to the guy. His ego was inflated enough.
“Hey, if a woman can come and take you off our hands for a bit, that would be great,” Wyatt joked, dodging a whack on the shoulder from his friend.
Luca chuckled and looked at his watch. “Okay, time for us to get back to work.”
The three men pushed up from the table. Not only had Wyatt remained good friends with his seven Navy SEAL brothers after serving, they also ran a business together. A successful security and self-defense business they’d built from the ground up called Marble Protection.
Not that it felt like work.
The government had paid each of them a large chunk of money as compensation for what had happened after Project Arma. That’s what had allowed them to finance the business.
Wyatt trailed the other two, only to stop once he’d stepped outside.
Walking his way was none other than the woman who occupied way too much of his thoughts.
Quinn.
Her eyes were on her phone, so she hadn’t seen him yet. It gave Wyatt a moment to take her in.
God, she was beautiful. The sun bounced off her tall, curvy figure. And the concentration on her face made her look damn cute.
Wyatt turned back to his friends. “I’m just going to do something. I won’t be long.”
Though he wouldn’t be complaining if he took all day.
Quinn struggled to figure out how to respond to Tanya. They’d been friends for years. Good friends. But her husband was Quinn’s ex-boss. The man who’d fired her for very little reason.
Was it immature for Quinn to let that get in the way of their friendship?
Probably.
Tanya had apologized profusely. Told Quinn she’d begged Darren to reconsider.
It wasn’t Tanya’s fault. Of course it wasn’t. She didn’t control her husband’s actions. At the same time, Quinn couldn’t be quite the friend she used to be. Mostly because of Tanya’s close connection to the man who’d cost Quinn her life in New York.
Tanya had made sure to maintain contact. She’d called and messaged just about every day, checking in.
“Better watch where you’re going, pretty lady, or you might walk right into something.”
Wyatt’s silky-smooth voice pulled Quinn’s attention from the latest message on her phone. He stood a few feet in front of her, wearing the same gray shirt he’d had on that morning. And boy, but it looked just as good now as it had then. It stretched across his huge chest and biceps.
Holy heck, the man was hot. She wouldn’t be surprised if she just melted into a pool of liquid on the ground.
She came to a stop in front of him. “If that something was you, I don’t think it would be so bad.”
“I don’t know, you might find my chest a pretty hard hit.”
Well, if that wasn’t an invitation to touch the man, she didn’t know what was.
Raising her arm, Quinn glided a hand across his firm chest. Muscles rippled beneath his shirt.
Yep. He was right. There wasn’t a single thing that was soft about him.
“Might not be a soft hit, but I can’t imagine I’d be complaining.”
Not. One. Bit.
For a moment, his eyes heated before they quickly cleared. “You here to try some of Mrs. Potter’s cakes?”
Quinn looked up to see she was standing in front of the very place she’d been heading. It was probably lucky Wyatt had stopped her, otherwise there was a good chance she would have walked straight past it.
“I’m here to do something.” Quinn gave him a wink before stepping up to the door. She couldn’t help the smile that touched her lips at Wyatt’s confused expression.
Confusion looked cute on the guy.
When she stepped inside, she was surprised that Wyatt followed her. Not that she minded. The man could follow her around all day if he liked.
The bakery had a small eating area with maybe a dozen tables. There was a display case with a ton of baked treats behind glass. Behind the counter was a small work bench and oven space. The door at the back was open and seemed to lead into a kitchen.
An older lady smiled at her from behind the till. “Hello, dear, what can I do for you today?”
Quinn gave the other woman her best smile. “You must be Mrs. Potter. We spoke on the phone. I’m Quinn.”
“Ah, yes. You’re the young girl looking for the job. Thank you for coming in. I always think it’s better to discuss these things in person. Phone conversations can be so impersonal.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“Do you have any experience in this type of work?”
She felt Wyatt’s gaze burning holes into her.
“None. I’ve never baked a cake or used a coffee machine in my life. But what I lack in experience, I more than make up for in hard work and perseverance. I’m also a fast l
earner. Plus, I happen to love baked treats and coffee. Coffee in particular.”
A look of apprehension crossed Mrs. Potter’s face. “Thank you for your honesty. But if I’m being honest, you being new in town, with no bakery experience, is a bit concerning. I like to know who I’m hiring. Do you have someone to vouch for you, maybe?”
Quinn opened her mouth to respond when Wyatt jumped in first. “I can vouch for her. Quinn’s my neighbor, and we’ve spent a lot of time together since she arrived in Marble Falls.”
Quinn wasn’t quite sure their time together would qualify as a lot, but hell, whatever got her a job. She needed money, and she needed it fast. Every day her funds diminished that much further. Even though she didn’t have to pay rent at the moment, she still needed to feed herself and pay for utilities. Soon she’d be on a bread and water diet.
Mrs. Potter’s face cleared. “Well, then, if Wyatt says you’re a trustworthy person, I’ll take his word.”
Quinn beamed at the other woman. Wyatt was coming in handy more and more every day.
“How does a trial run sound?” Mrs. Potter continued. “I pay a competitive hourly rate, and you’re welcome to help yourself to coffee and food on your breaks. You’re also welcome to take any leftover food home at the end of the day.”
“Mrs. Potter, you had me at free coffee.” And the word “pay,” but she wouldn’t be admitting that out loud. “I won’t let you down.” Besides working at the local bookstore while she was in college, Quinn had never done anything outside of journalism. But there was nothing she enjoyed more than a challenge.
Mrs. Potter dipped her head. “You’re welcome, dear. We’ve become a bit busier of late, and I’m afraid I can’t run the place on my own any longer. It will be nice to have someone to shoulder some of the hours. Does an eight a.m. start tomorrow sound okay?”
It sounded perfect. That would leave just enough time for a coffee with her hunky neighbor first. “Sounds great. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“See you then.”
When Quinn was back on the street, she wanted to punch her fist into the air. The only thing that stopped her was the tower of muscle beside her.
She didn’t need the guy knowing that she could barely afford a weeks’ worth of groceries.
“I thought you were taking a break from working.”
“A break from writing,” Quinn corrected. “Not working.”
“And Mrs. Potter’s Bakehouse is the place to work?”
“I don’t see why not. Free food. Free coffee. A boss who seems absolutely lovely. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve yet to find a negative.”
Apart from the fact she had no idea how to do the job, but how hard could it be?
“That’s very true.” Wyatt glanced down the street, then back at Quinn. “What are your plans now?”
“Well, when I’m not having coffee with you, I spend every other minute of the daydreaming about our next coffee date.”
She expected a laugh from Wyatt. Or at least a chuckle. Instead, his brows lifted. “They’re dates, are they?”
Stepping forward, Quinn rose up to her toes. Wrapping her fingers around his neck, she pulled his head down until his ear was by her lips.
“They’re whatever you want them to be, sexy.”
Then she pressed a kiss to his cheek before turning and walking back the way she’d come.
Chapter 4
Quinn studied the stairs in front of her. She couldn’t for the life of her understand why there was no elevator in the apartment building. It wasn’t an old building. Would it have been so hard for them to install one?
Damn her brother and his beyond-fit body. He probably didn’t think twice about the stairs when choosing the place.
Most days she didn’t mind the stairs herself. Far from it. She loved incidental exercise. But not today. Today, she was carrying two large bags of groceries, which she’d already lugged all the way from the store. And the reason she’d lugged them from the store was because the car was low on gas.
Like, will-barely-make-it-to-the-gas-station low.
And her broke ass needed to be as money savvy as possible. At least until she got her first paycheck from the bakery.
Four floors of stairs. That’s how far she had to lug her groceries. Damn, she hoped her tired arms and legs held out.
Blowing out a long breath, Quinn began the first flight of stairs.
Where was Wyatt when she needed him? That man looked strong enough to carry both her and the groceries without breaking a sweat. Not only would that save her from sweating like a pig, but having his powerful arms around her body sounded pretty damn good.
Better than good, actually. It was the stuff dreams were made of.
For a moment, she wondered what the man would do if she laid another kiss on his lips. She wanted to progress their relationship. Boy, but did she want to. She hadn’t been with a guy in a long time. Too long. She’d let her work utterly consume her life. And it was only now, when she was finally taking a step back from it all, that she was able to recognize that.
Wyatt was the perfect person to break the dry spell. Perfect with a capital P. And from the heated looks he threw her way, it seemed he might just be interested in her, too.
The question was, did she wait for him to make a move, or did she take the initiative?
She didn’t know a whole lot about him, but she spent half an hour with the guy every single morning. He wasn’t a stranger anymore. He made her the best cup of coffee on Earth, then proceeded to make her laugh and smile for the next twenty-five minutes.
Stopping on the second floor, Quinn dropped the bags onto the floor and stretched her tired arms. Studying the next flight of stairs, she cringed.
Jeepers, if she was going to continue walking to the grocery store, she would need to do smaller, more frequent shopping trips. Either that or stop eating altogether.
Quinn almost laughed out loud at the thought. Yeah, right. She loved food. It was probably the third most important thing to her, right behind sleep and journalism. No way would she give that up.
Quinn had just lifted the groceries when her cell started ringing from her back pocket. Switching the bags to one arm, she fished it out.
Tanya.
Quinn was tempted to let it go to voicemail. But she’d already done that…about half a dozen times. The woman had been calling and messaging nonstop.
Reluctantly, Quinn answered the call. She kept moving up the stairs, trying to ignore the bags straining her arm.
“Hey, Tan. How are you?”
“Quinn! I’m so glad I caught you. I’m good. Are you okay? I mean, I know you’re not okay. What with having to move and everything. What I mean is, are you okay right now? You sound out of breath.”
Quinn smiled at her friend’s babbling. That was Tanya. It’s something she’d always loved about her.
“I am out of breath. I’m just walking up a bunch of stairs. The smart thing to do would be to stop. But when have I ever been smart?”
Not recently, that was for damn sure.
Moving the phone to sit between her head and shoulders, she switched the bags so that there was once again a bag in each hand.
“Oh, gosh. Okay. Sorry! I’ll be quick, I promise. I just wanted to ask you something.”
Quick sounded good. “Shoot.”
“Have you seen Darren?”
Darren? As in, Tanya’s-asshole-husband-who-had-fired-her Darren? Why the heck would she have seen him? The man lived in New York.
“No. I’m in Marble Falls, Tanya. You know that. Why would you think I’d seen him?”
There was a brief pause down the line. “Don’t get mad. But Darren’s in Marble Falls. He flew over this morning.”
As Quinn stepped onto the fourth floor, she almost fell over her own feet in surprise. “What? Why is he in Marble Falls?”
Before Tanya had a chance to respond, Quinn looked up to see the man himself, down the hall, standing in front of her apar
tment.
What the heck?
“He’s at my door.” Quinn said the words more to herself than to her friend.
Tanya breathed out a relieved sigh. “Oh, good. He wasn’t answering his phone, and I was worried. Sorry I didn’t warn you. He just wants to talk to you.”
Confusion swirled through her mind. What on Earth would be so important that it needed to be said in person, rather than over the phone?
“Let me know how it goes, okay?”
Quinn had a million questions she could ask her friend, but seeing as all those questions could be answered by the man standing a few feet away, she didn’t voice them.
“Thanks for the heads-up.” The two-second heads-up. “Bye, Tan.”
Quinn walked the few steps down the hall to meet Darren. As she did, she studied him. Most women would describe the man as good-looking. Once upon a time, Quinn would have too.
He stood just over six feet and had shaggy brown hair that he had to push out of his eyes numerous times a day. He had a bit of a prince charming look to him.
Shame he had the personality of a snake.
“Hi, Quinn.”
Stopping in front of him, she dropped a bag to fish the key out of her pocket. “I would like to say this is a pleasant surprise, Darren, but you did fire me.”
After pushing the door open, she wasn’t surprised when he didn’t so much as offer to take one of the bags that she was clearly struggling with.
Heading straight for the kitchen, she lifted both bags onto the counter. When her arms were finally free, she stretched them.
God, it was good to put them down.
Darren closed the door after himself, immediately scanning the apartment. “Nice place.”
Nope. She was not going to stand here and have small talk with the guy. “How did you find me?”
Not that she was surprised he had. Before Darren was the executive editor for The New York Times, he was a damn good investigative journalist. She doubted the information would have been hard to source.
“I went to your old apartment. The building manager told me where your mail was being forwarded.”
Wyatt: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 5) Page 3