by Vaughn, Ann
"Thank you," he told her, his lips near her ear. "Nothing we've tried has helped. She says she feels much better now."
Lainey laughed and kissed his cheek in return. "I'm glad I could help."
She felt Colt stiffen slightly and looked over her shoulder to see Mike standing just behind them, his icy gaze trained on Colt.
"Relax, Boss, just saying thanks," Colt said, placing Lainey back on her feet. "She's too short for me to bend down to," he said with a wink to Lainey.
"Go harass Sarah and leave my cousin alone," Riley said, trying to lighten the tension that had settled on the room.
"She helped Sarah's nausea go away. That's gold to me...even if she is related to you," Colt said, bumping Riley's shoulder as he left the kitchen to go back to Sarah.
Lainey glanced at Mike briefly, then opened the refrigerator, looking for something to fix for the crowd. Mike started to step toward her but to his surprise, Jenna cut him off, standing between him and Lainey.
"Everything is cool in here," she told him. Why don't you go relax with the rest of the guys and Lainey and I will fix food for everyone, OK?"
He studied Riley's new wife for a moment, feeling a smile tug on the corner of his mouth.
"Turning Mother Hen on me, Jenna?"
She crossed her arms over her chest, smiling at him.
"Maybe I am. You don't fool me, Commander. Not one single bit."
He leaned in, nodding toward Lainey. "Then maybe you can impress upon your new relative there that I'm not as bad as she seems to think I am."
Jenna lightly touched his arm, causing Lainey's brow to rise.
"I think she knows that," she said with a wink.
Mike looked up from Jenna, glanced at Lainey, then, taking the beer that Riley handed him, followed Riley into the living area. Sarah got up and came into the kitchen, promising Colt she would take it easy, rolling her eyes as she faced the others. Lainey and Jenna laughed and they set about throwing together food for everyone.
Sitting around Mike's table during the meal, Lainey compared it to the meal she'd shared with him at his family's home. Everyone here, including the Commander, was relaxed. His table was one of those huge square high-top pub tables so that there was no "head" of the table, which she loved. The guy's banter was just like what she'd grown up with around her cousins. Jenna joined in regularly, clearly at home with all the men. Sarah was more reserved but she did chime in from time to time. Riley and Colt were constantly on each other's cases, much the way Riley was with his brothers, and she could see that even though they ribbed each other, they really did like each other. Best of all for her, Mike was an active participant in the stories. While he wasn't as loud and boisterous as the others, he did still smile and occasionally chuckle and he did speak. So different from their dinner at his mother's house.
She watched Colt with Sarah, loving how the huge man became the Gentle Giant with her. Several times she saw him lean down to nuzzle her ear and place his hand on her baby bump. It warmed her heart to see him smile when he felt the baby moving. In the short time she'd known Colt, she'd seen him go through many intense emotions over what happened with Tessa, and his fear when things weren't going well for Sarah; it was nice to see him smiling and happy.
Her gaze shifted to Riley and Jenna, her cousin with his arm draped over the back of Jenna's chair, idly playing with her long auburn hair as they talked. Her mother had expressed concern that Riley and Jenna had progressed from dating to marriage so fast, but she'd seen that Riley and Jenna were solid; and she just had that feeling in her heart that they would last.
Coop, who she had no clue what his first name was, she knew now was married to Colt's twin sister. She'd heard him on the phone with his wife and step-daughters a few times during his babysitting jaunts with her and knew that he was absolutely devoted to them. Next to him, Whit, whose first name was a mystery to her, had kept quiet about his love life. He gave her the impression that there was someone special in his life, but that he hadn't acted on his feelings yet. It was just something in his eyes that gave her that idea. He was a really great guy and she hoped that everything would work in his favor; she wanted all these guys to find their happiness...which brought her back to the enigmatic Commander.
He was seated to her right and it dawned on her as she glanced around the table that all the men had their women seated to their right, freeing their gun hands should they need them. Interesting, she thought; not much different than in medieval times when the men always had their sword arm free. She was seated at a table with modern day warriors, she supposed.
"So, tell me, Coop," she said, glancing across at him, "does your wife mind that you've been away from home for so long?"
He rubbed his hand over his crew cut, casting a quick glance toward Colt before looking back at her.
"She's OK with it," he hedged.
Lainey smiled. "But it's starting to wear thin, isn't it?"
He nodded. "We have a five month old son who still doesn't sleep through the night."
"Then why don't you go home? Things here have quieted down some," she turned to face Mike, "surely you don't need him right now."
Mike shrugged. "You could go back for a few days, Coop, we can do a conference call meeting if we need to."
"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you short-handed."
"Go home, Coop," Colt said, "I'm sure Claire needs you more than we do right now."
"Besides, not like I'm going anywhere these days," Lainey said, standing to begin gathering empty plates. Mike put a hand on her arm, making her look up at him when he stood. He didn't speak, but took the plates from her hand and began gathering others. As if on cue, the other guys stood and began clearing plates as well. Surprised, Lainey glanced over at Sarah and Jenna to see them smiling.
"They clean almost as good as my staff," Jenna said.
"Carry-over from being in the military," Sarah added. "It's freaking awesome...and annoying at times, too. Colt gets OCD about things sometimes. He literally can bounce a quarter off our bed sheets."
Lainey laughed. "My Aunt Paige was never more thankful than when Trevor joined the Navy. He was the messiest of my cousins."
"Now, why doesn't that surprise me," Jenna said on a laugh.
"What doesn't surprise you, babe?" Riley asked, coming to wipe the table down.
"That Trevor was the messiest of the four of you."
"Oh, hell yeah, he was," he agreed, "he used to get in so much trouble because he'd never make his bed."
"I assume he does now, though?" Sarah asked.
Riley shrugged. "You learn fast in Basics. Plus, he wanted to be a SEAL so he had to be a step above the rest."
"Are all your brothers active duty?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, but Jack is about to be done and will be joining us at Orion."
"Cam will be so excited," Jenna said. "Jack told him he'd start teaching him to fly his Cessna."
Sarah's eyes bugged. "And you're going to let him?"
Jenna laughed. "My kid has been racing dirt bikes since he was three. I can't have a weak heart with that boy."
"Besides, Jack knows what he's doing. Cam'll be fine," Riley added.
Sarah rubbed her hand over her belly. "Chris won't be doing any of that kind of stuff, I assure you."
"Famous last words," Jenna laughed.
"Seriously, you think you're going to keep the kid in a bubble with Colt as his dad?" Riley asked.
"Well, I don't..."
"You know, he was the first one through the door most of the time. The one we used to intimidate those we captured or questioned because he's so much bigger than the rest of us," Whit went on to say.
"Remember when he jumped out of that..." Riley began but stopped when Colt came up behind him and put him in a choke-hold.
"You mind not scaring my wife to death?" he growled, tightening his hold on Riley.
"Just speaking the truth," Riley said, though his voice was strained due to the choke hold.
"Let him go, Colt, his face is turning red," Sarah admonished.
"He can get out any time he wants," Colt countered, "you like being held, don't you, Blondie."
Riley elbowed Colt in the gut and brought his foot down hard on Colt's instep, forcing the big man to release him. Lainey was used to Riley and his brothers rough-housing with each other but she could tell Sarah and Jenna were a little unsure as to whether their guys were playing or whether they were really hurting each other.
"You know, Riley, maybe you should..." Jenna began but to her obvious shock, Riley turned and lunged at Colt, throwing his shoulder into the big man's stomach and taking him down to the ground.
"Colt!" Sarah cried, scrambling up to see him and Riley wrestling on the floor.
"Good grief, grow up, you two," Jenna said.
Lainey put her arm on Sarah's shoulder. "They're not hurting each other," she assured Sarah, whose complexion had gone extremely pale. "This is what guys do. Riley and his brothers do this all the time."
"But...he took him down hard and...Colt, don't you hurt him!" she cried when Colt landed a punch that had Riley grunting.
"I'm not hurting him, babe," Colt assured her.
Sarah was alarmed when Colt's face began turning red and she realized Riley was squeezing Colt's ribs.
"Come on, guys, stop this," she said.
"At least take it to the ring," Mike said, coming in to watch them wrestle.
"You give?" Riley asked, applying more pressure to Colt's ribs.
"In ya dreams, Blondie," Colt wheezed.
"Mike, make them stop, please?" Sarah pleaded.
Responding to the plea in her tone, Mike reached down and clamped his hand on the nerve in Riley's shoulder, causing him to immediately release Colt in response to the pain.
"You heard the lady, boys," Mike said, helping each man to his feet.
Colt pointed at Riley. "Next time, you're going down."
Sarah slapped Colt's arm. "There better not be a next time. Not while I'm around, at least."
"You couldn't take me down this time even when you had me in a choke-hold. Face it, big man, I'm faster than you."
"Riley," Jenna said, patting his chest, "back off. Sarah's not used to being around a bunch of wild guys. You're scaring her."
Colt kissed the side of Sarah's head. "Better get used to it, babe. This is how we are."
"I didn't see Mike, Coop or Whit getting involved," she huffed.
"That's because Coop is whipped and Whit is a wuss."
"And Mike?" Lainey asked.
"He's the Commander," all four other men replied in unison, as if that alone explained it all.
Lainey looked up at Mike, who was staring back at his men, a muscle working in his jaw. She got the impression that he was a little uncomfortable with their statement, which surprised her. He held himself a bit above and away from the guys but she was seeing for the first time that perhaps he really didn't like doing that. Would he prefer to have been wrestling around on the ground with them? Somehow, that image of him didn't fit, either. The more she got to know about him, the more of a mystery he seemed to be to her.
Chapter Fourteen
For the next couple of days, Lainey enjoyed getting to know Jenna and Sarah. It was nice to spend time with someone other than the guys since Mike still wasn't letting her leave the loft. Mike was also still being stand-offish with her, especially at night. She had no idea where or if he was actually sleeping, and that worried her. That haunted look had returned to his eyes so she had a feeling that if he was sleeping at all, it wasn't much.
Today when she went downstairs after her morning shower, she saw that Colt, Riley and Whit were in the ring, Cam watching with interest. Mike was in the office area behind a computer, furiously typing away, a scowl on his face. She saw that he was also dressed in workout gear and that he appeared sweaty, indicating he'd been in the ring at one time, or at least had been working out. She saw his eyes shift briefly to her when she was on the stairs, acknowledging her presence before turning back to the monitor. When she hit the foot of the stairs, Whit had climbed out of the ring, leaving Colt and Riley who were now showing Cam a few self-defense moves.
"When is the last time you talked to Melissa?" Mike asked Whit when he approached.
Whit rubbed the back of his neck and seemed a bit uncomfortable with the question, which Lainey found odd. Mike, apparently, did as well because he looked up from the monitor to focus that icy gaze on Whit.
"About an hour ago," Whit replied.
"I take it she didn't say anything about our proposal?"
Whit again looked uncomfortable. "No, she did."
"But she's still not budging?"
"I think she wants to but she's scared."
Lainey spoke up then, turning both men's gazes to her.
"This is Melissa Zigler, the widow of your teammate?" Whit nodded. Mike just looked at her. "What do you want her to do?"
"We need someone to run the offices full-time. Someone who is actually in the offices. We want Melissa," Whit explained.
"And she's reluctant to move?" Lainey concluded.
"Among other things," Mike replied softly.
"Let me guess: either she lives near family and doesn't want to leave, or, she doesn't want to leave the last home she shared with her husband."
Mike and Whit exchanged surprised glances and then looked back at her speculatively.
"Boss, she could help," Whit said, making Mike nod.
"Help with what?" Lainey asked.
"We should have thought of that before," Riley said, coming up behind her, Colt at his side. "She is a counselor, after all."
"Hellooo, care to clue me in?" Lainey said, glancing around at all the guys.
"You hit the nail on the head," Riley said, "she doesn't want to leave the last home she shared with Zig...but she has no family there and we really need her here. Yes, we could hire someone else but we don't want to...Melissa is perfect for the job, she knows the ins and outs of the business already; she helped Colt design most of our software and she knows how to handle all of us, so no breaking in someone new."
"Have you only been talking to her on the phone?" Lainey asked. "When's the last time any of you visited her?" Glancing around, she saw that all four of these big, strong, seemingly fearless men seemed a bit uncomfortable with her question. "Well?" she prompted, looking at Riley.
"I haven't seen her in a little over a year."
"Same for me," Colt answered.
She looked to Mike and Whit.
"It's been about six months for me," Mike replied.
"I saw her last month," Whit replied.
Lainey shook her head. "So, you want her to leave the home she shared with her husband and come here to look after the five of you, but other than Whit, none of you have bothered to visit her in months?"
They all had the decency to flush and look uncomfortable. She shifted her gaze to Mike, who after several long moments of regarding her, picked up the phone next to him.
"I need the jet," he said without preamble. "Virginia...an hour?" he asked, scanning the room at large. Everyone nodded. "Yes, one hour. Thank you...bring Jenna and Sarah, plan for overnight, " he said to Riley and Colt.
"Me, too?" Cam asked from behind them.
"You, too, kid," Mike said.
Colt and Riley and Cam headed toward the elevator leaving Lainey with Whit and Mike.
"Call her," Mike told Whit. "Let her know we're all coming but don't tell her why."
"She'll know," Whit said, pulling his phone from his pocket.
"Most likely."
Whit walked toward the opposite corner as he spoke on the phone. Mike turned back to the computer while Lainey looked on.
"Whit is close with Melissa?"
"Zig was his best friend," Mike replied, eyes still on the computer.
She glanced back at Whit who was pacing while on the phone, then back at Mike.
"Does he have feelings for her?" she ask
ed.
Mike did lift his gaze then, glancing at Whit then back to her.
"Yes, but he hasn't acted on them."
"His best friend's wife. Feels like a betrayal," she surmised.
"Pretty much."
"Poor Whit. That's a tough one."
A dimple appeared in Mike's cheek, though he didn't smile.
"She cares for him, too."
Lainey sighed. "Well, maybe they'll figure things out once she moves here."
A gleam she couldn't quite place ran through Mike's eyes. "You think she'll agree to move here?"
"With all of you showing up to visit and ask her to come? I think she will have a hard time saying no."
The girls couldn't believe the change that came over the guys when they were on Mike's uncle's Lear jet. These normally boisterous men all sat quietly, some with eyes closed, some looking out the window. They were nervous about seeing the widow of their friend. Lainey found that sweet and troubling at the same time. They all spoke of Melissa as if she were a borderline saint.
Across from her, Colt's tenderness toward Sarah made Lainey smile. He sat with Sarah nestled in his lap, one big hand resting on her belly, the other stroking her hair. Lainey had seen the fierceness on the big man's face when Tessa was in danger and found it amazing that this was the same man she was seeing now.
Cam laughed at something Riley said, drawing her attention to her cousin and his little family. He was teaching Cam to play Texas Hold 'Em poker with Coop, who'd come back with his wife, who was Colt's sister, Claire. Claire was just as gorgeous as her brother, tall with amber colored eyes just a shade or two lighter than Colt's warm brown ones. Claire had two daughters and she and Coop had a son together, all of whom were staying home with grandparents for this trip. Of their unit, only Mike and Whit remained single, though she knew they both had prospects.
Her gaze shifted to Mike. Was that what she was now? Mike's prospect? If she were honest with herself, she knew that was exactly what she was. Whatever it said about her, she knew that all he really would have to do is crook his finger and she would be right there doing whatever he wanted. It was a sobering thought but she decided not to analyze it too much. She'd been attracted to him from the beginning. Now, even though he thoroughly exasperated her, she was drawn to him nonetheless. He was gazing sightlessly out the window, lost in thought. For a moment, she simply studied him. The sunlight coming through the window made his eyes stand out even more than usual. After a moment, most likely feeling her gaze on him, he turned and the full icy blast of that gaze settled on her, causing her breath to catch.