by Susan Stoker
She supposed she should be worried that their friendship was moving so fast. But he hadn’t asked her for anything. Hadn’t done anything that made her nervous to talk to him. He hadn’t pushed to see her before now, and he’d never done or said anything out of line. Other than the unintentional innuendo tonight, he hadn’t hinted at anything sexual either.
And because things had been so good over the phone, she was reluctant to change the nature of their friendship. Over the years, she’d stopped trying to get close to others, simply because it hurt too much when her so-called friends decided it was too difficult to maintain the relationship.
And Taylor had completely written off romantic relationships after her last boyfriend had told her it was exhausting and depressing to have to tell her who he was every time he saw her.
Then, one morning, she’d woken up confused and disoriented because she’d legit forgotten he’d stayed over (which said something about how unmemorable sex with him had been) and momentarily freaked out when she’d seen a stranger in bed, which had been the last straw.
She’d tried to reassure him that she did remember him, remembered what they’d done in bed the night before (even if it hadn’t been that good). But he couldn’t get over the fact that she hadn’t known who he was.
She really hoped Eagle was as thick skinned as he claimed.
Taylor also wished she had a girlfriend to talk to about Eagle, about how she already felt closer to him than just about anyone in her life. But she didn’t. She could post on the prosopagnosia discussion board she belonged to, but she’d found over the years that it was more depressing than uplifting to read the posts on there.
Sighing, she reached for the remote control and clicked on the television. She didn’t watch a lot of drama shows because she couldn’t keep the characters straight, especially when they changed clothes throughout the episode. She turned on a cooking show instead and relaxed back into her cushions.
She was both excited and nervous about tomorrow, about seeing Eagle again. She tried to recall what he looked like and couldn’t. He’d been wearing a pair of jeans, black boots, and a tan shirt when she’d met him, but other than that, she had no clue about his facial features.
She also had no real concept of what a good-looking man was. But she knew that the employee who’d helped her in the post office today had been wearing too much cologne. And the guy who’d been there to buy stamps for his mom had been wearing a pair of worn jeans with stains around the ankles. His shoes had looked brand new, and he’d eaten something with onions for lunch.
Her sense of smell was really good, and she had an uncanny ability to remember people’s clothing, but when it came to their looks, she was clueless. Several people had told her that she was pretty, but that meant nothing to Taylor. When she looked in the mirror, she saw a stranger looking back at her. It was an odd feeling, one she didn’t bother trying to explain to anyone anymore.
She couldn’t help but wonder if Eagle might be one of the rare few who could understand. She had a feeling he would.
Sighing, Taylor turned her attention back to the television. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. She needed to finish up the proofread of the alien romance so she could start on the daunting task of proofing the six-hundred-page American history textbook she’d picked up at the post office while mailing out another manuscript she’d just finished. And the anticipation of seeing Eagle was daunting. She both dreaded seeing him again and was excited about it. She was a mess.
Her phone vibrated with a text, and Taylor realized she was still holding the cell in her left hand. She brought it up and chuckled when she read what Eagle had said.
Eagle: Stop worrying. If anything, I should be the one who’s worried, not you.
Taylor had no idea what Eagle had to be worried about, but she took a deep breath. She’d learned over the years that worrying about something didn’t actually lessen her anxiety. It only increased it. What happened would happen, and she’d deal. Just like she always did.
She typed out a quick reply.
Taylor: I’m not worried. Now hush, the heroine is about to find out that her alien has barbs on his penis and is wondering how in the world things between them will work out.
She had no idea why she’d written that. She’d finished the book earlier and was certainly not reading a romance at the moment, but she couldn’t help teasing Eagle. She didn’t like to think of him being concerned about whatever it was he wanted to tell her tomorrow.
Three dots came up on the screen, letting her know he was typing out a reply. When it came, Taylor could only shake her head and snort in laughter.
Eagle: Barbs? Jeez, as if I didn’t already have an inferiority complex. How can I, a mere mortal, compete with barbs??!
Taylor: Thanks for making me laugh. I am nervous about tomorrow, but I trust you.
Eagle: Nothing’s ever felt better than reading those last three words. Sleep well.
And just knowing she’d managed to make Eagle feel good made her feel good.
Taylor put her phone on the table next to her, chugged the rest of her wine, then snuggled down under a throw blanket and turned her attention to the screen. She did trust Eagle. He was one of the good guys. She’d bet her life on it.
Shit. Tomorrow, Eagle had to tell Taylor that he was definitely not a good guy. He wasn’t exactly a bad guy, but he certainly wasn’t good.
He hadn’t lied to her. He’d been fascinated by her condition, and that was why he’d called her at first. But the more he got to know her, the more he genuinely liked her. She was smart as hell and way too good for the likes of him, but he couldn’t make himself stop calling her every night.
Eagle had never had a female friend before. He’d slept with his fair share of women over the years, even thought he’d marry one once, but when he’d found out she was sleeping with half a dozen other men, he’d taken a long break from dating. He didn’t want to be that guy, the one who distrusted all women because of one, but he was still smarting from her betrayal.
But damn if he didn’t trust Taylor. There was something about her that called to him. And it had nothing to do with her condition, though he was concerned about her. Not being able to recognize anyone made her vulnerable in a way he wasn’t comfortable with, and she seemed so cut off from the world. It was a self-imposed exile, but still.
He’d encouraged her to get out more. To ignore people who might look down on her because of her condition. And now that she was getting out, he couldn’t help but worry about someone targeting her. He’d thought a lot about how her condition could make her even more vulnerable than she already was . . . and he didn’t like it.
Shaking his head, Eagle knew he was fucked.
Taylor Cardin was the most interesting, most intriguing person he’d met in ages—and he was going to fuck it up tomorrow by telling her what he and his teammates did for Silverstone.
He wasn’t going to make the same mistake Bull had. His friend had been head over heels in love with Skylar, and he’d told her about Silverstone just before going on a mission. After she’d learned what he did, they’d all thought the couple was done.
Eagle wanted to continue being Taylor’s friend. Hell, if he was being honest with himself, he wanted more than that. But if she couldn’t handle the fact that he was keeping the world safe by taking out terrorists, and others who had no respect for humanity, he was better off knowing sooner rather than later.
He hoped she could handle it, but he wouldn’t blame her if she couldn’t. She’d already wondered how he could deal with such a “boring” job after being in the military, and tomorrow, she’d find out that her assessment of him being an adrenaline junkie was spot on. He loved the intensity of the missions Silverstone went on. Got off on sneaking into and out of foreign countries. But his job at the garage was a necessary balance to the other side of his life.
Eagle hadn’t talked to his friends about telling Taylor what they did, but he did want to make sure they k
new to be on their best behavior tomorrow when he brought her to the garage.
The four of them were sitting in the safe room in the basement of Silverstone Towing. They’d discussed the schedule, gone over the reports from the drivers from the last few days, and written up Archer’s preliminary employee report . . . which was nothing short of glowing. The man was a miracle worker, and all four men knew if he ever left them, Silverstone Towing would definitely be on the losing end.
“What’s on your mind?” Gramps asked.
He was the oldest of their group, which was how he’d earned his nickname, but at forty-five, the man was in better shape than any of them. Nothing slowed him down. Ever.
“You’ve been acting weird lately,” Smoke added. “Leaving work early, smiling more, acting all laid back. Something’s definitely up.”
Eagle chuckled. Smoke was only two years older than him but often acted like the father of the team.
“I’m guessin’ it’s a woman,” Bull said, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. “I mean, I leave early every day so I can spend time with Skylar when she gets home from work.”
They all knew Bull was still more than freaked out that his woman had willingly let herself be kidnapped by a child predator to protect one of the students in her class, who the man had developed an unhealthy obsession with—and had snatched off the playground at school. Now Bull had a compulsion to keep his eye on his woman as often as possible—not that anyone could blame him.
“It’s a woman,” Eagle admitted. “But she’s just a friend.”
Three pairs of eyebrows shot up as they all gave him nearly identical skeptical looks.
“Seriously,” he protested. “I’m not saying I would mind if things progressed, but at the moment, I like what we have. I’ve only seen her once.”
“At the grocery store,” Gramps said with uncanny insight.
“The one with the facial-recognition thing?” Smoke asked.
“It’s called prosopagnosia, and yes,” Eagle said. “She’s funny. And smart. And I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed talking to a woman as much as I do her. She’s pretty amazing. I seriously can’t imagine not being able to recognize anyone.”
“That’s because you recognize everyone,” Bull said dryly.
“True. But think of the bigger implications. When she was bullied as a kid, she had no idea if someone walking toward her on the playground wanted to play with her or beat her up. In high school, she didn’t know which boys were safe and which were to be avoided. And even today, if someone meant her harm, she wouldn’t know if they were stalking her or not.” Eagle shuddered. “I can’t even think about it without wanting to throw up.”
All three of his friends looked concerned now.
“I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Smoke admitted. “You think she’s in danger?”
“No. Nothing like that. She hasn’t told me about any skeletons in her closet or anything. In fact, she’s pretty much been a recluse. People have treated her badly, to the point where she doesn’t like to go out much.”
“So if you’ve only seen her that once, how do you know so much about her?” Smoke asked.
“I’ve been talking to her every night. At first, I just wanted to pick her brain about her condition, but within minutes she had me laughing, and any thought of talking to her only about prosopagnosia flew out the window.”
“Every night?” Gramps asked.
Eagle nodded.
“Well, all right, then.”
“She’s coming here tomorrow,” Eagle informed his friends. “I want to introduce her to you all. But remember, when you see her next, she won’t remember who you are. She’ll remember meeting my friends, and being here and all that, but she won’t know who you are from Adam. Just reintroduce yourself every time you see her and move on. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“She gonna know who you are?” Smoke asked.
“When I show up at her door and she looks through the peephole? No. I could be anyone.”
“How’s that gonna work?” Bull asked. “I mean, I’d think it would be weird.”
“Right? If you ever get to the point where it’s personal, what if she wakes up next to you and looks over and freaks because she has no clue who you are in her bed?” Gramps asked.
“Look, I don’t have all the answers, but again, her memory isn’t affected. She doesn’t get amnesia from one day to the next. She’ll remember my name, who I am, what we talked about. And if we ever sleep together, she’ll definitely remember how she felt when she was with me. I’m guessing it has to be scary to look at someone and not recognize them. But she still knows me. I just need to tell her who I am, and it’ll be fine.”
“Maybe you should start wearing cologne so she can smell you,” Smoke suggested.
“I know—you can eat onions all the time, so when she smells onions, she’ll know it’s you,” Gramps teased.
“I could carve a giant E into your forehead so she can always recognize you immediately,” Bull said with a smirk.
“Fuck off,” Eagle retorted, knowing his friends were just messing with him.
“Seriously, though . . . ,” Smoke said, “it has to be a very hard way to live.”
“It is,” he agreed. “She told me she doesn’t have any pictures in her place because they mean nothing to her. That she can’t recognize herself in photos, so what’s the point of having them around? It would be like having pictures of strangers in your house.”
Bull whistled. “That sucks.”
Eagle nodded. “But don’t feel sorry for her,” he said. “You’ll see when you meet her. She’s fucking awesome. She’s still really strong; she’d have to be just to have gotten this far in life. I want Silverstone to be a safe space for her.”
“It will be,” Gramps said resolutely.
“I can’t wait to meet her,” Smoke said.
“Are you gonna tell her about us?” Bull asked.
They all knew he was referring to their missions. They’d talked about this. That what they did should be shared only on a need-to-know basis. But everything within Eagle was telling him he could trust Taylor, that she’d be supportive. “I’m thinkin’ about it,” he told his friend honestly.
“You that sure about her?” Bull asked.
Eagle couldn’t hear any censure in his friend’s tone. “Yes.”
Bull nodded. “If you want Skylar to talk to her, to help explain, I’m sure she’d be willing.”
“My relationship with Taylor isn’t like what you and Skylar had when you told her about Silverstone. I’ve got this,” Eagle said, not letting any of his trepidation show.
Bull eyed him for a moment, then finally nodded. “Okay. You know we all trust you, and I won’t interfere.”
Eagle turned to stare pointedly at Gramps, one eyebrow quirked.
The other man held up his hands. “Hey, don’t look at me. I learned my lesson. I won’t butt in and tell her anything you don’t want her to know.”
Eagle nodded, then glanced back at Bull. “I’m picking Taylor up at five and bringing her back here. I already talked to Archer, and he’s gonna make lasagna for us to eat. Do you think Skylar might be receptive to meeting her? I don’t think either of them has a lot of girlfriends, and I suspect they’ll hit it off.”
“I’m sure she’d love to,” Bull said. “I don’t know if they’ll hit it off or not, but it might make Taylor feel better if she’s not the only woman here when she meets us.”
“Leigh is working dispatch tomorrow night, and Christine’s on duty, so she won’t be the only female,” Eagle said.
“You’ve clearly thought this through,” Gramps noted.
“I like her,” he said. “I admit I was fascinated by her condition, but I’ve learned she’s funny, smart, and easy to talk to.”
“Well, I’m happy you’re hooking up, but don’t think I’m gonna be next,” Smoke replied. “I’m perfectly content being single.”
“We aren’t hook
ing up. We’re just friends,” Eagle protested.
“Don’t knock it till you try it,” Bull added with a smile, then he pushed back his chair and stood. “And speaking of which, time for me to get home so I can give my woman a few orgasms, then have wild monkey sex.”
Gramps grimaced and covered his ears with his hands. “Jeez, don’t talk about sex around me. It’s been so long, I think my dick’s forgotten how to work. Besides, I have to see Skylar tomorrow. I do not want to be thinking about you naked when I see her.”
Bull merely chuckled. “See you guys tomorrow.”
The others left not too much later, and Eagle closed the safe room and headed up the stairs. There were a few drivers hanging around the garage, and he spoke to each of them before heading out to his Wrangler.
He felt the same way right now as he did before leaving on a mission. Excited and a little jittery. He couldn’t wait to see Taylor again. He wasn’t sure how she would react to learning about Silverstone, but he had a good feeling. She was down to earth and practical. If anyone could see that Silverstone was doing the world a favor, it was her.
Chapter Three
Taylor was nervous.
Which was stupid, because she felt as if she knew Eagle pretty well. You couldn’t talk to someone for two weeks straight and not know them.
But he was supposed to be at her apartment any moment now, and suddenly she wasn’t sure if she should even be trying to move their friendship forward from a talk-on-the-phone kind of thing to an in-person thing.
She wasn’t good at in-person friendships. She had twenty-eight years of history to prove it.
But here she was, pacing her apartment after having taken great pains to look nice. She’d showered that morning, blow-dried her hair, applied a bit of makeup, and put on a pair of jeans that hugged her ass and one of her favorite shirts . . . a scoop neck that showed off her assets. She’d never be a model, but she still didn’t want to look like a slob when she saw Eagle again. Or when she met his friends.
It was obvious the men who owned Silverstone Towing were close. Eagle had mentioned his friends, of course. Bull, Smoke, Gramps, and Eagle had all been in the Army together and, when they’d gotten out, had decided to start up their company, but that was all she knew about the men.