Dex (HC Heroes Book 3)

by Donna Michaels

  Things hadn’t gotten much better throughout the day, either. Whenever their paths had crossed, she kept sending him strange looks. It was as if she was seeing him differently.

  It was weird. And dangerous as hell, so he’d hid in the garage like a little pansy.

  “Hey, Dex?” Rylee’s sexy tone hit his ears a second before awareness shot up then down his body.

  He turned his head in time to watch her bare, shapely, gorgeous, long legs approach, with her cute pink-tipped toes leading the way. By the time they stopped a few inches from his face, he had to fight the urge to roll out and lick her skin to see if it was as soft and supple as it appeared.

  Damn, even the woman’s ankles were sexy.

  Closing his eyes, he blew out a breath and hoped it dispelled the unwanted need coursing through him.

  It didn’t.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m not sure how late you’re staying or if you know that it’s five o’clock.”

  “Five o’clock somewhere. It’s margarita time,” Lex said from a large tree, inside an even larger cage.

  Dex, Mac, and Carter had erected it in the far corner for whenever the bird visited. There were too many small spaces in the garage that made it unsafe for Lex to roam free while Dex worked on the car.

  “Lost shaker of salt. Hey…who has the lime?” Lex cackled.

  He opened his eyes—grew a pair—and rolled out from under the SUV. “No, I didn’t know,” he lied. “Thanks.” A joke about Lex’s dinnertime was on his tongue, but he swallowed it down.

  That strange look was back on Rylee’s face. “Did you…”

  It took him a beat to realize she wasn’t going to continue. “Did I what?”

  She shook her head. “Never mind.”

  “Wazzzup? Wazzzup? I need peanuts. Want a carrot?”

  Rylee laughed, and the light sound caught Dex off guard. For years now, she’d only ever been subdued or cross with him. To hear an honest, unfiltered emotion from her was like an electric charge to his pulse.

  “Lex, you sure are a treat,” she said, walking over to the bird.

  Dex headed to the utility sink on the back wall near the cage to scrub the grease from his hands so they could lock up and go home. A smirk tugged his lips as he listened to Rylee talking to Lex about vegetables. It was cute how she tried to get the bird to say, “broccoli.”

  “No broccoli. Want carrots.”

  Rylee turned away from the cage to face him, and damn, there was an eagerness in her green gaze he hadn’t seen before. Her eyes practically sparkled, and his heart careened against his ribs. The beauty was as mesmerizing as she was dangerous. Her dark hair fell in waves past her shoulders and even though her eyes were the same light green as her brother’s, they drew him in and captivated without mercy.

  Yeah, she was dangerous. Damn dangerous. But he knew better. Rylee was not someone he should harbor these thoughts about.

  It was foolish and stupid. And he was neither.

  “So,” she said, walking close to lean back against the sink. “Did Mac give you any indication what kind of jobs he was meeting about today?”

  Her nearness was a problem as well. It messed with his mind. He blinked and refocused. “What do you mean?”

  “Do you know if they are security jobs or investigation ones?”

  He shrugged. “No. He didn’t say.” Dex wondered why it mattered, then figured it must have something to do with billing, and Rylee probably just wanted to be prepared.

  “Want carrots. Gonna die.”

  He groaned. “Oh, no. You’ve created a monster. And if you think you can get out of walking home with us while he chants that over and over, then think again.”

  Laughing, she pushed away from the sink. “Okay. I already powered down and locked and set the front door. I just have to go grab my purse.”

  More than a little surprised she hadn’t shot him straight down, Dex stood there watching the sweet sway of her curves as she walked to the door leading to the offices.

  Lex let out a loud wolf whistle.

  Rylee stopped and whipped around to stare at Dex, her eyes wide with shock.

  He immediately held his hands up. “It wasn’t me. That was ladykiller Lex.” And as if the bird knew he needed to help a brother out, he whistled again.

  She smiled and was still shaking her head as those gorgeous curves of hers disappeared into the hallway.

  He turned to Lex. “You trying to get me in trouble, buddy?”

  “Trouble’s my middle name. Lex-onthebeach. You want some?” the bird spouted as Dex opened the cage and stepped inside. “Get your harness, Lex. Going outside.”

  “Soon.” He quickly threw out the newspaper covering the floor and replaced it with new sheets. “Now, it’s time for your harness. Time to go home.”

  “There’s no place like home.”

  “I wouldn’t know,” he told the bird as he carefully secured the straps around Lex’s torso. History was full of songs and poems about home, though. “You could be right.” He held out an arm and Lex immediately hopped on Dex and climbed up to his shoulder.

  “Wanna go outside, Lex? Going home,” Lex chanted.

  Dex stepped out of the cage and turned to find Rylee staring at him with that strange look on her face again. He didn’t bother to ask what was wrong. She’d probably only blow him off again.

  “Ready?”

  She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it and nodded instead. It was probably for the best. He had the feeling whatever was bothering her had to do with their past and that was a subject best left in the past.

  Dex washed his hands again, set the alarm on the wall panel, and opened the door, motioning for Rylee to precede him outside. As he did all this, Lex sat on his shoulder, spouting off more of his favorite phrases. It broke the silence and killed the need for small talk.

  Once again, he wondered why she’d stuck around to walk home with him. He headed down the block at a pace a little faster than normal, eager to get to their street so he could escape the crazy chemistry pinging through his body. Whatever her reason, he didn’t want to know. He’d managed all these years to keep a lid on this attraction. He wasn’t about to let it get out of control now.

  “You have a hot date or something?” she asked, rushing to keep up with him. “Or is there a fire I don’t know about?”

  Dammit.

  Busted.

  He slowed, but only slightly. “Sorry. Just want to keep to Lex’s feeding routine,” he told her, happy it was mostly true. Dex didn’t like lying to her.

  Unless it was for her own good.

  Like he had in California.

  “Oh, yeah…makes sense,” she said as they rounded the corner to their street.

  Dex was torn between manners and self-preservation. Did he walk her across the street to her door…or run inside Mel’s and hide like a baby?

  Since he knew she hated being coddled—and walking her to her door could fall under the overprotection category—he decided to go with an in-between resolution. He stopped on the sidewalk in front of Mel’s cottage but didn’t step toward the pavers that led to the door, or toward the street to cross over to Rylee’s place.

  “Home sweet home. Want to eat, Lex? Carrots are good. I like carrots.”

  Smiling, he reached up to scratch Lex behind the neck. “I’ll get you a carrot when we go inside. Say goodbye to Rylee first,” he told the bird.

  “Bye, bye, birdie. I like yogurt. Mel’s the best.”

  She reached up to lightly stroke the bird’s feathers. “Goodbye, Lex. See you tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow, the sun will come out.”

  She chuckled and lowered her hand, and when her gaze drifted to his, Dex watched the amusement disappear from her face. He waited a beat…just long enough for his damn pulse to even out before he nodded and turned to walk toward Mel’s door. He needed to get the hell out of Dodge.

  “Wait…before you go in, I have a question,” she s
aid, grabbing his arm to stop him.

  It worked. Not only had his feet stopped, but for a second, his heartbeat halted, too. When it resumed, it pounded at an uneven rate.

  “What’s up?”

  “Waazzup? Waazzup?” Lex repeated, but Dex was only vaguely aware, since Rylee currently held his attention.

  The touch of her hand on his skin intensified that crazy pinging in his body. She must’ve felt it too because she frowned and released him.

  “I…what did you mean when Lex said there’s no place like home and you told him you wouldn’t know?”

  If a horn had spouted out of Lex’s head and picked up transmissions from Mars, Dex wouldn’t have been surprised. He hadn’t known what he expected her to ask, but this certainly wasn’t even on his radar.

  “I can’t recall you ever talking about your family,” she said, that mesmerizing green gaze of hers boring deep.

  Damn. Why the hell had he jokingly goaded her into walking home with him? Had he known the conversation would take this turn, he would’ve kept his stupid mouth shut.

  He shrugged. “I didn’t.”

  And he didn’t want to talk about it now, either. It’d been decades since he had a family. And although he thought about his mother and his uncle on their birthdays, Dex never talked about them. Never met anyone he wanted to share those memories with, so he kept them to himself. His childhood could’ve been better, could’ve been worse. It was what it was.

  “Why not?” she asked.

  He swallowed a sigh. He should’ve known better. Should’ve known Rylee wouldn’t drop it. She was a Bryson. A stubborn lot. Once she bit down, she wouldn’t let go. But to him, the past was the past and unimportant now. “Don’t have a family to talk about.”

  Rylee was also full of surprises. From those strange looks she gave him today, to her almost civil behavior, to her waiting to walk with him, and now this—she was gazing at him with warmth in her eyes.

  What the hell?

  The last time she’d given him a friendly look was when she’d still been engaged to dickhead.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, lifting her hand as if to touch him again, but must’ve changed her mind because she let it slowly drop to her side.

  Thank God. Her behavior today knocked him off his axis. It felt like he was swimming in mud…with his hands tied behind his back. No way did he need her hands on him.

  It was time to move. Time to get going. Lex was still talking about food. Dex needed to feed the poor bird. Too bad his body wasn’t taking orders from his brain.

  “No need to be sorry,” he told her, unable to get his feet to move. “I have a ton of military brothers.”

  She smiled, and dammit, some of the warmth in her eyes flittered into his chest. “Oh, Dex, yes, you sure do. Delta and SEAL.”

  The longer he stood there staring at her, the warmer he felt. Or was it the Texas sun? Even though it was heading toward evening, the temperature was still in the mid-eighties.

  It wasn’t until the warmth of her hands seeped through his shirt and into his chest that Dex realized he must’ve moved toward her. Shock ricocheted through his body for several reasons. One, he couldn’t believe he made such a dumbass move. Two, he couldn’t believe Rylee let him. Three, he couldn’t believe Rylee wasn’t pushing him away. Four, he couldn’t believe how amazing her hands felt on him. They centered him. Grounded him. Brought everything about her into such a sharp focus.

  Like the fact she swayed closer, and…son-of-a-bitch…give him strength, hunger darkened her eyes right before her gaze dropped to his mouth.

  His heart kicked the shit out of his ribs as he contemplated something stupid like dipping down to taste her.

  “Kissy, kissy.” Lex mimicked a loud kissing sound right near Dex’s ear, breaking the spell.

  They both took a step back at the same time.

  “Oh, Carter, yeah more.”

  She blinked and dropped her jaw. “Did he…?”

  Dex chuckled. “Yep.”

  “Oh my God.” She slapped a hand over her grin, then spread her fingers. “Does Mel know?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Mel’s the best. Want carrots? Let’s eat.”

  Taking advantage of the opportunity to escape, Dex tipped his head toward Lex. “I’d better go feed him. See you tomorrow.”

  “Okay. See you,” she said, before turning to cross the deserted street.

  As much as he wanted to stand there and enjoy the sway of her retreating curves, Dex got his dumb ass inside before he did something to live up to that nickname…like follow her home and ask—or beg—for that kissy, kissy.

  ***

  The next evening, Rylee and Abby entered the Tex Pub with plans for Stef and Mel to join them once the latter got back from the airport. A girl’s night out was just what Rylee needed. She stifled a yawn. Too bad she was dragging her butt. Thanks to her conversation with Dex yesterday—and her stupid behavior—she hadn’t slept well.

  Don’t have a family to talk about…

  His words had cut her to the quick and kept her up most of the night. They were almost as tough to deal with as the realization that, during the months before things had gone south between them, she’d never once asked Dex about his family. Rylee wasn’t sure what that said about her, but she was sure she wouldn’t like it.

  Granted, they’d never been good friends, but out of all the military buddies her three brothers had brought to her parents’ house for barbeques and her mother’s delicious home-cooked meals, Dex had stood out. There was something about him that was different than the others. He didn’t hog the spotlight. He preferred to sit back and listen, and when he did talk, whatever he said held merit. She thought he was strong and wise and funny, but the main reason she’d always felt relaxed around him was because he treated her like an adult.

  A capable—whole—adult.

  Not once could she remember him trying to do things for her. If she didn’t ask for help, he didn’t give it, even if he saw her struggling to open a jar of pickles. He always left her to it, and she’d really appreciated that about him. The man didn’t baby her. He let her do things on her own.

  He had faith in her.

  Her heart rocked at that realization a second before she slid into a booth across the table from Abby.

  So what had changed? Why was he keeping secrets from her about Evan? He’d treated her like her family…like she was a porcelain doll that needed protection.

  What she needed was the chance to handle things on her own.

  “Earth to Rylee…” Abby’s voice drifted through the mess in her mind.

  She blinked and her friend’s smiling face came into focus…along with some amazing aromas wafting from the kitchen and nearby tables. Her stomach promptly growled. This was her sixth visit to the restaurant and her second one with a live band playing. The stage was set up on the far side of the pub, so it was still possible to hold a conversation while they ate. It was a great setup. The atmosphere was fun and inviting, and as it seeped in, Rylee immediately relaxed. She’d heard the owners were from her neck of the woods, and she caught the California-meets-Texas vibe in the beachy, rustic décor.

  “Sorry, my mind was a million miles away.” And about three years in the past. Her stomach growled again.

  Abby chuckled. “Your belly is certainly right here.”

  She smiled. “I can’t believe you heard that. I didn’t even realize I was hungry until we walked in. The smell of steak grilling on the open fire pit over there is amazing.” She could hear the sizzle from several yards away.

  “Try living above it.” Abby snorted. “I’m hungry twenty-four-seven.”

  Her friend rented an incredible, spacious apartment upstairs. “I can see it as a blessing and a curse.”

  “Exactly.” Abby sighed.

  Stef and Mel had told them not to wait for them, so when a server came over, they placed their order, and after the guy dropped off their drinks, they sat ba
ck and enjoyed listening to the music until the band took a break. Even though the southern rock had been really good, Rylee’s mind kept straying back to yesterday. She couldn’t believe she’d almost kissed Dex.

  Dex, of all people. That was crazy.

  For one thing, he was Gabe’s friend, which was a huge negatory. For another, he’d jumped ship to the naughty list…and not in a good way. He started to treat her like she needed protection and that damn bubble.

  “Okay, what did Dex do now?” Abby asked.

  Rylee blinked again. “What are you talking about?”

  “You let out a growl, and since we’ve already determined that a growl means Dex, it doesn’t take a genius to hit that conclusion.”

  Shoot. Was she that transparent?

  “It wasn’t Dex,” she lied and felt bad doing it, too, because she hated lies, but she didn’t want to discuss her almost kiss episode. That would lead to a discussion she was too baffled to enter.

  “Then what is it?”

  “I’m just a little frustrated at not being able to investigate.” Which was true.

  Abby’s brows lifted. “Did Mac say no?”

  She sipped her drink and shook her head. “I didn’t ask him yet. The jobs he acquired yesterday were security ones and don’t involve investigation.” The disappointment she’d felt upon hearing this at their morning meeting had stuck with her all day.

  “Hang in there,” Abby said. “You know it’s only a matter of time before Mac catches one.”

  Rylee nodded, twisting her glass to watch the ice twirl, commiserating with the out of control movement.

  “Mac better not catch anything but me.” Stef grinned, appearing out of nowhere to drop into the booth with her while Mel sat next to Abby.

  “Hi. Sorry, didn’t see you arrive,” she said, scooting over to give her friend more room.

  “I know.” Stef grinned. “You were too busy discussing my boyfriend.”

  She laughed. “No, my boss.” She filled them in on her work situation, until the server showed up with food for her and Abby and took the others’ orders. “Enough about work. I want to hear about Cancun.” She glanced across the table at the stunning redhead beaming from ear to ear.