Open Life (Open Skies #5)

by Marysol James

  “Yeah? About fucking time, huh?”

  “No kidding, right? Three years it took the man to make his move. I thought we’d all die of old age before he got with the program.”

  “So you’re saying that Gabi’s still living with Aidan? Staying with him?”

  “Yeah. She’s safe there and of course, she’s safe at Curves when she comes in to work. We’ll keep an eye on her.”

  “Yeah, OK.”

  “So!” Jax said. “This means you can come back now. Escape the boredom of bodyguard duty in the goddamn wilderness.”

  Dillon froze. He’d known this moment was coming, of course, and there had been a time when he’d longed for it. But now, after what had happened with Maria that night? The last fucking thing he wanted was to go back to Denver.

  How the hell is this going to work with her, anyway? I’ll have to find a way, ‘cause I’m not giving her up. Not for anything, not for anyone.

  “Actually, Jax,” Dillon said, trying to sound casual. “I think I’ll stay up here at Open Skies for a few days more.”

  “Yeah?” Jax sounded amused. “And why would that be, pray tell?”

  Dillon paused at his almost-jovial tone. “Uh, no reason. Just… I’m entitled to some vacation time, yeah? I’ll take it now, get some R&R in the mountain air. You know. Kick back a bit.”

  “For how long?”

  “Maybe ten days.”

  “Uh-huh. Is that long enough?”

  “To do what?”

  “To sort things out with her?”

  “With – who?” Dillon faltered.

  “Jesus Christ, man. With Maria.”

  Dillon looked at the closed bedroom door again. “How’d you…”

  “Julie Everett.”

  “Fuck right off.”

  “Nope. She told me and King that you and Maria were getting… close.”

  Dillon tried and failed to imagine how that conversation must have gone. He knew Julie way better now and he suspected that she’d have giggled wildly as she told Jax and King about what their man was up to with her staff member. The men would have been mostly silent on the phone but they’d have had plenty to say to each other after, he knew. Dillon made a mental note to have a word with Julie in the morning.

  “Yeah, well,” he said. “We… uh… we’re…”

  “Stop. I don’t need to know. You want ten days off, you got them.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  “Sure.”

  “And you’ll let me know if anything weird happens over there?”

  “Oh, you know it.” That hard, dangerous edge was back in his boss’ voice now. “Just because we’ve agreed to something with Trigger doesn’t mean that we’ve relaxed or lowered our guard, Dillon. We know who we’re dealing with.”

  “Yeah. I’ll feel better staying closer to Maria for a few days more, anyway.”

  “Well, all of King’s contacts say that nobody in the Fallen Angels has even mentioned her – it really looks like they have no clue that she exists.”

  “Good.”

  “Yeah, I know. So, stay up there with your girl, spend some time, figure some shit out.”

  “I will.”

  “And maybe bring her back to Denver for a visit? I know we’d all love to meet Maria.”

  “Uh, yeah. Maybe.” Dillon tried to envision Maria at Dangerous Curves – among the MC members and ex-cons and people wandering in and out of the fuck rooms – and his gut clenched. What if some trouble started while she was there? Dillon had a hard job, a rough job, one which involved him using his fists and his feet. He didn’t want her to see him beat the crap out of anyone; he wanted to keep that side of himself as far away from her as possible.

  But if you’re serious about trying with her, then you’ll have to be honest about this part of your life. You do know that, right?

  Shoving the thought aside, he resolved to deal with it later. After all, he and Maria had just gotten together for the first time that night, so no rush to bare his entire soul yet. He’d stay up at Open Skies for a few more days, talk to her about things, see where her head was at. And maybe – after a run in to town – he’d make love to her soon. Many, many times.

  He hung up with Jax and crept back in to the bedroom. Maria hadn’t even moved and he climbed in to bed with her, gathered her in his arms again. She made a small sound in her throat and snuggled closer. He gazed down at her and thought he might actually die from the sweetness of being here with her.

  One thing at a time, man. This is your first night in her bed and tomorrow’s the first full day of her being yours. Take it a step at a time and see where you end up.

  Dillon closed his eyes, let sleep take him away. And when he woke up the next morning to see Maria curled up against him, her golden skin glowing in the morning sun, he knew that leaving her just wasn’t an option. He wanted every day to start exactly like this – now he just had to figure out how to make that happen.

  Chapter Eight

  Dillon took Maria to Annabeth and Eric’s cabin, kissed her, then headed to the main building. He nodded at Laura on Reception and headed down the hall to Julie’s office. He knocked and entered, shutting the door behind him. He looked at her, saw that she looked pale and unwell.

  “You OK?” he said.

  “Yeah.” She smiled. “Just a bit nervous about the wedding on Sunday. God, it’s just two days away.”

  “Yeah, I bet you are.” He grinned. “You thinking about making a run for it?”

  Julie laughed. “Not right now, but I’ll let you know if that changes.”

  “Awesome. I’ll keep the truck by the front gate and with a full tank, so you let me know if you need to make a quick escape, darlin’.”

  “Sounds good. OK, so… what’s up?”

  “You talked to Jax yet?”

  “Yeah, he called me last night. So you here to say goodbye?”

  “Uh, no.” He fidgeted a bit in his chair. “I was actually thinking that I’d – I’d stay up here for a couple of weeks more.”

  “Oh, yeah? How come?”

  He looked over at her. “Come on, Julie. You know damn good and well why.”

  “I do know.” She gave him a coy little look. “You guys together now?”

  Dillon thought about what they’d done in the shower that morning, then about how they’d sat together out on the patio after, drinking their coffee and holding hands and talking about Dillon staying for a while longer. “Yes. Most definitely we are.”

  “Good.”

  “So… can we stay in the staff apartment for a bit longer?”

  She looked puzzled. “You guys don’t want to go back to Maria’s place in town?”

  “Ummm… well. We talked about that this morning over coffee, but she pointed out that she has – that her –” His voice trailed off. “That her apartment is small.”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “So. Uh. So her bedroom is small.”

  “Uh-huh.” Julie stared at him, then he watched as the penny dropped and realization spread across her stunning face. “Oh! So… her bed is also small?”

  “A single.”

  Julie looked at his massive frame and tried to imagine Dillon Saunders in a single bed even all by himself. “Aha. I get it.”

  “Right. So can we stay here? Just until we sort some things out?”

  “Sure. It’s no problem.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. That apartment is standing empty, so it’s not like you’d need to make way for anyone else to get in.”

  “Thanks, Julie. I really appreciate it.”

  She waved her hand. “No problem.”

  “So.” He grinned at her. “I guess I’ll be Maria’s plus-one for your wedding.”

  “That sounds great – on one condition.”

>   “Name it.”

  She narrowed those amazing eyes at him in a way that was only half-joking. “Dig up a semi-decent suit from somewhere, tough guy.”

  **

  Maria sat on the sofa and watched Annabeth and Eric in the kitchen making coffee and arranging fruit and croissants on plates. They weren’t talking much, both focused on what they were doing, but they seemed to be linked or connected somehow and Maria smiled to herself. She just knew that they’d managed to work things out between them.

  It was funny, she thought, how you can tell when two people are together even when they’re not touching. It’s like the air between them is super-charged with emotion and attraction, or like an invisible cord links them. Something about the way they move around each other, lean towards each other, stand a bit too close to each other. Like there’s no such thing as close enough.

  She wondered how she and Dillon would look to a casual observer – would they be able to ‘see’ that connection between them that Maria felt so deeply? God knows, she and Dillon had connected on a purely physical level: they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other since he’d caressed her cheek the night before. When they weren’t giving each other mind-melting orgasms, they were holding hands, or she was lying down wrapped in his arms, or he was handing her a coffee and making a point of touching her fingers when he did so.

  But the physical was only a part of what was going on here, at least for her. Dillon Saunders had blown in to her life with his take-no-prisoners honesty and rough tenderness, and she’d been taken aback and unaware by that in all the best possible ways. As a woman who rarely confronted anyone or anything, Dillon had shown her the power and freedom in unflinching honesty and in acting on how she felt. No apologies, no explanations, no shame.

  But it was happening fast – probably too fast – and that worried her. Dillon was obviously not a man who wasted time and he most definitely didn’t play games… but he was also a man who had a life two hours away.

  OK, it wasn’t like he lived on another continent, but still. For anything to continue, it would have to be done semi-long-distance and she doubted he’d be on board with that. In her experience, people gave up on things as soon as they became a hassle and inconvenient – and two hours one-way was a hassle and inconvenient and she knew it. Nobody had ever fought to stay with her or keep her around, and she wasn’t about to get her hopes up that it would start now.

  This is fun and intense and hot. Enjoy it as long as it lasts and then let him go. Because you know he’s going to go, right?

  “OK, hon,” Annabeth said now. “Milk and sugar, right?”

  Shaking off her thoughts about Dillon leaving Open Skies in a few days, Maria smiled. “Yes, please.”

  Eric brought her the coffee and she stood up to accept it. She peered at his face, liking the warmth in his dark eyes. She didn’t know him well at all and she was still a bit shy around him, but when she’d asked for his help with the flowers, he’d jumped to her aid. He’d told her that nothing made him happier than being around plants and flowers, and he’d be delighted to help with Julie’s wedding. He flatly refused a fee, saying that it wasn’t up for discussion beyond his ‘no’.

  “So.” Eric sat down beside Annabeth on the opposite sofa and Maria watched as they automatically shifted to half-face each other; she didn’t think they were even conscious of the fact that they were doing it. “We went out yesterday and I picked some flowers to show you.”

  “OK,” Maria said.

  Eric opened the sealed freezer bag. “I kept them in the fridge overnight so they wouldn’t wilt as fast, and so you can see their colors. These aren’t as glorious as the real thing out on the mountains, of course, but picked flowers never are.”

  Maria nodded.

  “It’s mid-June in the Rockies now, so usually the choice would be pretty limited. Thankfully the spring was incredibly mild and the thaw happened early, so that sped up things remarkably in terms of the flowers’ cycles.” Eric set a few flowers on the coffee table between them and Maria studied the blossoms, relieved and delighted. They were beautiful.

  “OK, this is a pasqueflower,” he said, pointing at the small, pale-violet flower with the brilliant yellow-orange center. “Perfect for the table arrangements, I think, if we combine them with some flame-colored roses from a shop and these.” He picked up some purple flowers with bright yellow antlers waving above the blossoms. “This is called Sky Pilot.”

  Maria blinked. “Why?”

  “Because of the yellow parts and the shape of the purple blossoms,” he explained. “They look like clouds, see? And the yellow bits are shaped a bit like airplanes. They look like small planes flying over a massive cloud formation.”

  “Huh.” Maria stared at them. “Yeah. They do.”

  “So if we combine various shades of purple and yellow and orange, I think it’ll look amazing.”

  “I agree.”

  “And for Julie’s bridal bouquet, we think this would be perfect.” Annabeth picked up the largest flower; it actually looked like two flowers in one. The dark-purple petals were shaped like a star and cradled a smaller, white flower in their heart. “This is a Colorado Columbine.”

  “It’s gorgeous.” Maria reached for it, stroked the rounded edges of the white center. “I love it.”

  “Yeah, we thought it was good,” Eric said. “I’ll mix three Columbines with some roses and baby’s breath and Julie will have a stunning bridal bouquet.”

  “Oh, for sure.” Maria smiled at him and he was taken aback at how it changed Maria’s normally-serious face. “Thank you, Eric. It’s all perfect.”

  “My pleasure,” he said. “I’m going to love every second of arranging them, believe me.”

  “You need some help? I’m happy to come back tomorrow night.”

  “No. Annabeth and I can handle it all.”

  “You sure?” Maria insisted. “I know that any one of the women from Reception or Marketing would be over here in a second to help too.”

  “Nope. Really, we got it.”

  “OK, then. Thank you.”

  “We’ll collect the flowers tomorrow morning,” Annabeth said. “And we’ll have the arrangements assembled and in the restaurant fridge overnight.”

  “Manny knows this?”

  “Yep. He’s already cleared a huge spot for them, away from the perishables.” Eric grinned. “It’s all under control.”

  Maria heaved a huge sigh as the last piece of planning Jake and Julie’s wedding clicked in to place: the flowers were taken care of and she could now focus on other things. Like just what on earth she was going to wear on Sunday now that Dillon Saunders was escorting her to the wedding and the reception after. Somehow her sedate and sober loose navy-blue dress wasn’t going to cut it. Not anymore.

  I’m going shopping. Like… now.

  **

  Dillon left Julie’s office and walked down the hill to the stables. He admired the view as he strolled along: the ranch and hotel were in the most stunning location anyone could imagine. Surrounded by open, gold and green plains and the rugged, looming mountains, the place was an unusual combination of welcoming and protecting, of open and yet watchful.

  His thoughts turned to Maria now and right away, his cock hardened. Jesus Christ, she’d been so amazing last night and this morning: passionate and giving and so fucking responsive. No woman had ever leapt in his arms the way that Maria Torres did; no woman had ever felt so good doing it, either.

  He pondered that, asked himself if this was too much, too intense, too fast. Then he decided that it probably was and fuck it even if it was. He knew that he’d burst in to her life, loud and pushy and demanding, but she’d crept in to his. Quiet and gentle, like a shadow or a melody, Maria had snuck up on him. Her sweetness and kindness were alluring in a way that he’d never experienced before, and there was no
way he was letting her just drift or fade away like mist in a sunrise.

  His biggest fear right now was that she’d find a million excuses for them not to make this work. If he let her start to pull back, then he’d be left grasping at the fading edges of what they had, like the way that you try so hard to remember a dream after you wake up. She’d be gone and he’d be alone again and the thought hurt him in ways and places he hadn’t even known he had. He was going to fight for Maria – even if that meant that Maria herself was his opponent.

  He entered the stables and looked around. He spotted Mathilda Velasquez saddling up a horse and he grinned at her. Mattie was hands-down Awesome with a fucking capital-A. Despite the fact that she was almost sixty-five, the woman was a fireball of energy and humor. She lived in the staff quarters permanently and she and Dillon had passed many hours hanging out in the common area lounge drinking coffee or a few beers, watching a movie or just talking.

  “Well, hey, hon,” she greeted him and he didn’t even mind her using an endearment. Nobody called Dillon Saunders a pet name – well, not since his Mom – and he’d always shut it down when older women in his neighborhood or girlfriends had tried. But Mattie broke all the rules, as far as he was concerned.

  “Hey, Mattie,” he replied. “You doing OK today?”

  “You know it,” she said, her astonishing silver eyes bright in the morning light. “You down here to go for a ride?”

  “Uh, no.” He looked around. “I’m looking for Jake.”

  “Yeah? He’s in the office with Phil. You need him right away?”

  “Nah. I can hold on.”

  “Well then, grab that brush and give Ginger over there some grooming, huh?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Dillon had never brushed a horse in his life before coming to Open Skies and it surprised him how much he liked doing it. It amazed him that these gigantic animals would just stand so still and calm for several minutes while he ran a brush over them. He supposed they liked the touch and that made him think of Maria again, running her hands and mouth over his large body.

  “So any news from Denver?” Mattie said.