by Elle Kennedy
Bree stared into those gorgeous green depths and said, “I spoke to your mom after you left.”
His strong jaw tensed. “What’d she tell you?”
“Everything.”
Panic skated across his face. “Was Jake there?”
“No, he was outside smoking like a chimney. He got pretty upset, seeing your mother cry like that.”
Now his expression filled with guilt, which made Bree’s heart ache. “I know you didn’t mean to upset her. And I understand why you’re lashing out. Hell, Austin, she understands it. She told me she’s surprised you haven’t said worse to her.”
“She said that?”
Bree nodded. On an impulse, she reached out and took his hand, squeezing it firmly. “Your mother loves you, you know that, right?”
“So much that she’s been lying to me my entire life.”
His bitterness thickened the air, sending a tug of sorrow to her chest. “I know how much that must hurt,” she said gently. “And I want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m a good listener. I won’t judge, I won’t try to tell you how to feel. I’ll just listen.”
Surprise flickered in his eyes. “You don’t even know me.”
“You don’t know me either. That’s why I’m offering—because sometimes talking to a stranger is easier than talking to the people you’re closest to.”
“Oh.” He cleared his throat and slowly removed his hand from her grip. “Are you always this nice?”
Not when I’m in bed with your brother.
“Usually.” She rummaged around in her purse until she found the little notepad and pencil she kept in there. Quickly, she scribbled down her cell and office number, then handed him the paper. “I’m serious. Call me if you ever need to talk, okay?”
After a beat of hesitation, he folded the paper and shoved it in his pocket. “Thanks, Bree.”
“No problem.”
She took a step for the door, but his wry voice stopped her.
“Jake’s an idiot.”
Bree had to smile. “Why is that?”
“Owen told me you two were involved back in the day, and that Jake let you get away.” Austin shook his head. “Now that I’ve met you, I realize my brother is an even bigger fool than I thought.”
“No, he’s not,” she said softly. “He’s just…complicated.”
“You two are involved again, huh?”
“Something like that.”
Austin’s face grew serious. “Well, I probably don’t need to warn you, since you seem to know Jake pretty well, but don’t get too invested in whatever’s going on with you two. I don’t know why he’s still in town, but I can’t imagine it’ll be for much longer. Jake will be moving on soon. He always does.”
Lexie smacked right into Bree Lockhart in front of the drugstore. Bree, who’d just been exiting, squeaked in surprise and dropped the plastic bag in her hands. A bottle of herbal shampoo popped out of the bag, rolled down the sidewalk and collided into a metal newspaper dispenser with a loud clang.
“Crap!” they said in unison, before releasing simultaneous laughs.
“Sorry,” Lexie said. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Neither was I,” Bree admitted.
An awkward pause fell, and then they both darted after the runaway shampoo bottle. Lexie reached it first, bent down to scoop it up, and handed it to Bree.
“Thanks,” Bree said as she tucked the bottle back in the bag.
Awkward pause number two descended.
Lexie shifted her purse to her other shoulder, wondering why she felt so damn uncomfortable around other people. With the exception of her staff at the Post, she sucked when it came to making connections. Funny how she’d had no problem being a bitch to Bree Lockhart back in high school—or at least pretending to be a bitch. These days, she’d given up on acting all tough and superior. It was too exhausting.
Gulping, she tried to come up with something to say, wondering if she should bring up that weird bump-in at Nate’s place yesterday.
But Bree beat her to it. “Sorry if I was acting strange yesterday. I didn’t expect to see you with Jake.”
“And I didn’t expect to see you with Jake,” Lexie answered with a faint smile. “You two are dating now?”
The other woman looked ill at ease. “Not really. Just hanging out while we’re both in town. So, our families are having dinner Saturday night, huh?”
Okay, no Jake talk. Lexie got the hint at the abrupt change of subject. “Yeah, I can’t see how that could possibly go well, but I guess our parents are braver than we are.”
Bree grinned. “Guess so. Are your sisters going to be there?”
“Yep. What about Gabe?”
“No, he’s too busy with work.”
Since neither Bree’s tone nor expression changed, Lexie figured that Gabe Lockhart hadn’t told his sister about his former involvement with her. If you could even call it that. She and Gabe had slept together a few times over the past couple of years, but she’d ended it once she’d started seeing Cooper. Thank God Gabe wouldn’t be in town this weekend. Dinner would already be awkward enough without her and Gabe having to pretend they didn’t know each other as well as they did.
“Alexandra, there you are!”
Miranda Price’s icy voice rivaled the chill in the afternoon air. Suppressing a groan, Lexie turned to see her mother barreling toward her, high-heeled Louboutins clicking against the sidewalk.
“We’re late for our salon appointment,” Miranda said, disapproval ringing in her tone. The second she spotted Bree, her face transformed into a mask of civility. “Bree Lockhart! What a treat it is to see you!”
Bree seemed to be fighting a laugh. “You too, Mrs. Price. My mom just informed me we’re having dinner together Saturday night.”
“Yes. The mayor and I are looking forward to it.”
Lexie tried not to roll her eyes. It annoyed her to no end that her mom referred to her dad as “the mayor”. But Miranda loved reminding people of her husband’s position, pretentious social climber that she was.
“Anyway, it was nice seeing you both,” Bree said, edging away. “I’ve got to run. My mother’s waiting for me at the florist.”
As Bree dashed off, Miranda turned to Lexie with shrewd eyes. “Is Bree’s brother also in town?”
“How would I know?”
“Oh, don’t play coy, Alexandra. I know about you and Gabriel Lockhart.”
She was startled. “You do?”
“You thought you were being so sneaky,” her mother said with a surprisingly playful gleam in her ice-blue eyes. “But Brenda Huntington spotted the two of you last year at a restaurant in Denver. She said you looked very familiar with each other.”
Wonderful. So now her mother’s snooty friends were spying on her.
“We had dinner,” Lexie conceded. “But we’re not seeing each other anymore.”
“Why on earth not?” Miranda made a clucking noise with her tongue. “He’s handsome, wealthy, well-mannered.”
Control freak. Ice cold. Boring.
She kept the not-so-pleasant descriptions to herself. If she were being honest, her mother’s adjectives were what drew her to Gabe in the first place. Gabe was precisely the kind of man her parents would pick for her, and fine, he wasn’t hard on the eyes, that was for sure. But after the night she’d met Cooper outside Bishop’s Corner, she’d realized just what her relationship with Gabe had been missing.
Cooper might not be wealthy or well mannered, but he turned her on like nobody’s business. He also made her laugh, something she didn’t do too often. He challenged her. Called her on her bullshit. Made her feel appreciated, feminine, worthy.
Unfortunately, her parents would never understand that. Cooper lacked the one prerequisite needed to gain her parents’ approval: money. And Lexie lacked the one thing required to stand up to her parents: courage.
“Are you listening to me?”
She lifted her head
. “Sorry, what?”
“I said it’s a shame Gabriel won’t be there for dinner this weekend. I would have liked to see you two rekindle the spark.”
“Gabe and I didn’t have much of a spark,” she admitted.
Her mom waved a dismissive hand. “Successful marriages have been built on less. Now, hurry inside to pick up my prescription so we can make our salon appoint—” Miranda squeaked as someone bumped into her.
“Sorry about that, ma’am. Wasn’t watching where I was going.”
Every muscle in Lexie’s body went rigid.
She shifted her head and her eyes collided with Cooper’s.
“You should learn to be more careful,” Miranda said in a haughty tone.
Cooper offered a humble nod, never taking his gaze off Lexie. “Like I said, I apologize.”
Lexie turned into a mute as she stared at Cooper. He looked like his usual bad boy self—tight black T-shirt, worn jeans, scuffed up boots. It was cold out, so he’d at least bothered to wear a coat, only he’d chosen a black leather jacket that molded to his broad shoulders. Black hair was scruffy as usual, strong jaw covered with perpetual stubble. He was sex and masculinity wrapped up in one rough-and-tough package, and her pulse sped up from his nearness, her breasts tingling beneath her red silk shirt.
To make matters worse, he was staring at her too. Expectant. Waiting for her to acknowledge him.
Frustration bubbled in her stomach. She couldn’t let on that they knew each other, not in front of her judgmental mother, who was glaring at Cooper like he’d ruined her entire day by jostling her delicate frame.
So, choking down a monstrous ball of shame and regret, Lexie wrenched her gaze from him and glanced at her mother. “I’ll run in and get that prescription.”
As she hurried into the drugstore, she caught the defeated sag of Cooper’s shoulders as he slunk away.
Chapter Seven
Jake woke up in a cold sweat. Heart pounding so hard he thought his ribs would crack. Palms cold and tingling. The acrid smell of smoke burned his nose, so strong he had to suck in a few breaths to make sure the damn bedroom wasn’t on fire.
Just a dream.
Breathing hard, he struggled to sit up, eliciting an agitated moan from Bree, who was snuggled up beside him.
“You okay?” she murmured sleepily.
“I’m fine,” he snapped. “Go back to sleep.”
The bedcovers rustled as she rolled over onto her back. “Did you have a nightmare?”
Jake spoke through clenched teeth. “Yeah.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“No.”
Before she could press, he slid out from under the covers and staggered to his feet. The alarm clock on the night table read 7:45 AM, but he was too wired up to stay in bed. Fuck. That dream had been too damn vivid. He could still smell the smoke. The blood.
“Go back to sleep,” he said again, avoiding the big blue eyes that were watching him with unease. “I’m going for a run.”
The covers shifted again and he heard her heavy sigh as she got comfortable. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her, and suddenly he wished to hell he hadn’t insisted she spend the night. He should’ve known the nightmare would come. It had been making an unwelcome appearance every night for the past two months.
He put on a pair of long shorts and a ratty old T-shirt, then rolled socks onto his feet, making a conscious effort to avert his eyes. Guilt trickled through him as he heard Bree’s soft breathing, as he felt her gaze boring into him. He fought the urge to approach the bed and kiss her good morning, stroke her hair or some shit. With the way his body was humming from the anger and frustration sizzling in his blood, he feared he wouldn’t be gentle if he touched her.
Jake was halfway to the bathroom door when she spoke.
“That’s why.”
He turned, wariness flickering inside him. “What?”
“You looked confused yesterday when I shot down your dinner idea.” Her voice was soft, drowsy, but her eyes were alert as they pierced into his face. “But this, right now, is why I did.”
He stared at her in confusion.
“You don’t talk to me, Jake. You never have.”
Before he could question that enigmatic remark, she rolled over on her side and pulled the comforter up to her neck, effectively shutting him out.
Disconcerted as hell, he entered the washroom, where he hit the head and washed up. A few minutes later he left the dark bedroom and headed downstairs.
After shoving his feet into a pair of sneakers, he stepped outside and breathed in the cold morning air. The sky was overcast, a dismal gray sight made worse by the thick, black clouds creeping in from the west. Weather matched his mood, at least.
Jake took off running, sprinting toward the trees lining the edge of Nate’s property. Twigs cracked beneath his sneakers as he moved through the quiet woods. His ragged breaths came out white in the frigid air.
You don’t talk to me, Jake.
Well, duh. He hardly talked to anyone.
So what if he was a private guy? Did that make him a bad person or something?
He shoved all thoughts of Bree from his mind, trying to focus on the workout, the burn in his thighs and the slap of his shoes against the dirt.
That goddamn nightmare. Was it any wonder he couldn’t commit to the instructor position on the base? Every time he thought he was close to forgetting that op in Afghanistan, his subconscious shoved the memories directly into his brain, reminding him that his screw-up had cost a good man his life. How the fuck was he supposed to train other soldiers, teach them to trust their instincts, when his own instincts had failed him so abysmally?
He promptly pushed those thoughts away, too, but that only opened the door for more Bree thoughts to slither into his head.
Damn it. What was wrong with him? Ever since he’d watched Bree with his mother yesterday, he’d been overcome with emotions he had no idea how to decipher, and when Bree had come back later that night, his confusion had only deepened. They’d had yet another round of incredible, body-numbing sex, but when she’d been about to get dressed and go, he’d convinced her to spend the night with him. And not just because he’d wanted to fuck her again—which he had—but because he hadn’t wanted her to leave.
Twelve years ago, he’d done everything in his power to keep shit casual between them. Now, he found himself wanting to get to know Bree. He had plenty of carnal knowledge, but that didn’t seem to be enough anymore. He wanted to know about her life, her job, her favorite movies, what made her laugh, what pissed her off.
What the hell was up with that?
He slowed his pace, steadying his breathing as he neared a familiar clearing. Squinting, he peered through the trees and caught sight of the one-story cabin in the distance. Cooper Grady’s place. Man, he’d run a lot farther than he’d planned.
At the thought of Cooper, Jake was reminded of Lexie Price’s visit the other day, and he found himself moving through the trees toward Cooper’s ramshackle home. Lexie might be his brother’s friend, but her revelation about her relationship with Cooper had rubbed Jake the wrong way. Cooper was a total player, and the guy could be a real asshole when it came to women. Love ’em and leave ’em was the guy’s middle name, for fuck’s sake.
So yeah, maybe Lexie was Nate’s buddy and not Jake’s, but someone had to look out for the ice princess what with her BFF being outta town.
Jake was surprised to find Cooper on the porch when he approached the cabin. The black-haired man was leaning against the railing, holding a steaming mug in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other.
“Did I order a wakeup call?” Cooper drawled when he caught sight of Jake.
Wiping beads of sweat off his forehead, he jogged up to the rickety porch and grinned. “Naah. I was out for a run and figured I’d stop by.” He glanced at Cooper’s hand. “Got one of those for me?”
“The coffee or the cigarette?”
“Both.”
>
Cooper tossed him a smoke. “Hold up. I’ll grab you some coffee.”
Jake lit up as the other man disappeared into the house. While he waited, he studied the exterior of the cabin, his gaze drifting over the weathered logs, the chipped paint on the front door and the uneven slats of the porch. Then he pictured Lexie Price’s place, the big, modern house surrounded by a perfectly manicured lawn, and the difference in accommodations got him all confused again. What was Lexie Price doing with a guy like Coop? And vice versa.
Cooper returned with a second mug and handed it to Jake, then swiped his cigarette from the ashtray he’d left it in. “How’s it going, Bishop?”
“All right. You?”
“Pretty good. Work’s been busy, but that’ll slow down now that winter’s coming.” Cooper shrugged. “I’ll probably pick up some shifts at the lumber mill once that happens. Don’t wanna starve, after all.” He sipped his coffee. “You’ve stuck around in town longer than usual. When you heading overseas again?”
“Not sure yet.” Jake swiftly changed the subject. “So what’s going on with you and Lexie Price?”
Cooper looked taken aback. “What’d you hear?”
“Nothing much. But Lexie was over at my brother’s place yesterday and she let it slip that you two are seeing each other.”
“I doubt that.”
“That’s what she implied…”
“Yeah, well, seeing each other implies a helluva lot more than what she’s giving me. It implies saying a fucking hello in public, don’t ya think?”
Whoa. The bitterness oozing from Cooper’s rough voice was unmistakable.
And the pain in the guy’s coal-black eyes said more than Cooper had probably intended to reveal.
“You really like her,” Jake said, shaking his head in amazement.
“Why do you sound so fucking surprised?” Cooper lifted his cigarette to his lips, the orange tip flaring as he inhaled deeply. “You think I’m incapable of liking a woman? Or is it Lexie you find so unlikable? Because you don’t know shit about her.”