Finding Lexie

by Susan Stoker

  Lexie’s eyes were huge in her face at that point.

  “Breathe, Lex, before you pass out,” Midas said, mildly concerned.

  “You…why…oh my gosh, Midas!”

  “I owe Shermake and his mother everything. They gave you a place to hide until I could get you out of there.”

  “They gave you a place to hide too,” she told him, collapsing back onto him.

  “No. Astur didn’t give a shit about me,” he said. “If she’d run into just me in that alley, she would’ve gone back inside her shop without a second thought.”

  Lexie didn’t comment, which made Midas sigh. She knew he was right.

  “I got to thinking about what Shermake said. About wanting to learn to do things for himself, to provide for his family and his countrymen without having to rely on charity. And while I can’t save the world, I thought maybe I could help Shermake become the best man he could be, so he could in turn do some good for the world.”

  “Shit, now I’m crying,” Lexie said with a huge sniff.

  “Don’t cry,” Midas soothed as he cupped the back of her head and held her against him. He loved how her hair latched onto his fingers as if it had a mind of its own. “I don’t know what Baker’s been able to find out for me yet. First, he has to find Shermake and his family. I don’t even know their last name. Then he has to talk to the universities and find out what the process is for providing a scholarship. Then set up a trust for the kids so the money will continue to grow and be enough when the younger ones are ready to go to college. And if they decide they don’t want to attend, the money is still theirs to do what they want with.”

  Midas felt Lexie wipe her face on his shirt, and he chuckled. “Did you just rub snot on me?” he teased.

  “No,” she mumbled. Then, “Maybe.”

  Fuck, he loved this woman.

  Whoa. Love… Was that even possible after such a short period of time?

  Yeah, it totally was.

  “Knock yourself out. My shirt’ll wash,” he told her.

  She sniffed for a few minutes, but eventually Lexie lifted her head once more. Her face was blotchy and her eyes were red, but Midas had still never seen anything as precious in his life.

  “No one’s ever done something like that for me before,” she said softly.

  “You’re worth it,” he said simply.

  “Now I’m gonna have to find a way to pay you and this Baker character back,” she said.

  All sorts of dirty things sprang to Midas’s mind, but he kept them to himself.

  As if she could see into his head, Lexie rolled her eyes. “Why are guys always so perverted?” she asked somewhat rhetorically.

  “Hey, I’m holding a beautiful woman, one I admire greatly, and one who I just spent a wonderful day with. You can’t blame me,” Midas told her.

  “Seriously, Midas. Thank you. You have no idea how much that will change those kids’ lives. And probably their parents’ too.”

  “I never would’ve thought about it if it wasn’t for you,” he said honestly. “You make me want to be a better person.”

  She smiled at him. Then said, “I have to get up. Blow my nose. And you probably have things you need to do.”

  He did, but Midas shook his head anyway.

  “I had an amazing day,” Lexie said. “Thank you for taking me around.”

  “Of course. And someday we’ll stop at all those places we saw on our way to Waikiki.”

  Her eyes lit up. “I’d like that.”

  “Good.” As much as Midas wanted to keep Lexie right where she was, he knew she had stuff to do too. He sat up, taking her with him, and helped her stand. Then he grabbed her empty cup and they headed inside. He pointed out the bathroom and put her cup in the sink.

  Midas had a busy week ahead of him. A new threat was immerging in Papua New Guinea that they were keeping their eyes on, and they had several intense training sessions planned for the week. As much as he wanted to spend every waking minute with Lexie, he had responsibilities, as did she.

  He knew she’d be working long hours at Food For All to continue to learn how everything operated. She wanted to get to know her fellow coworkers better and make sure they knew she was willing to do her part. Not to mention, the two mobile events that Food For All had planned for the week. They’d be setting up in Ala Moana Regional Park, which was notorious for its homeless population, as well as heading over to Kapi’olani Regional Park near Diamond Head to pass out free food. Lexie had organized both, determined to work hard not only for the organization, but for the people she served as well.

  When Lexie exited the bathroom, Midas simply stared at her for a moment.

  “What?” she asked, self-consciously running a hand over her hair.

  “Nothing,” he said with a shake of his head, moving toward her. “I’m just so glad we got to spend the day together.”

  “Me too,” she agreed. “I really do love your house.”

  “Good. Because I hope you’ll be wanting to spend more time here with me.”

  “If that was an invitation, I accept,” she said a little shyly.

  “It was. And good. Come on. We can stop and grab some dinner before I get you back to your place.”

  “Sounds awesome,” she said.

  “There’s a place called Thelma’s not too far from here. We can get something to go and it should still be warm by the time I get you home.”

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “Anything for you,” Midas said, meaning it. He placed his palm on her cheek and rubbed his thumb back and forth over her smooth skin. “You good now?”

  She nodded.

  “May I kiss you again?”

  “I’d be upset if you didn’t,” she said honestly.

  Midas grinned, and was still smiling as his lips met hers.

  It was more than a couple minutes later when he finally took a deep breath and stepped back from her. One hand had slipped under her shirt, and she had one of her own down the back of his pants. He still didn’t want to rush her, but Midas had a feeling it would be sooner rather than later before they ended up in bed.

  He couldn’t wait. He had no doubt making love with Lexie would completely blow his mind. He felt anything but casual about their relationship, and once he was inside her, that would be it for him. He knew it.

  He couldn’t read the emotion swirling in her eyes, but was comforted by the fact that she was as reluctant to leave as he was for her to go.

  “Come on, Cinderella. Let’s get you home.”

  She scrunched her nose in that way he loved so damn much. “I’m not sure that fairy tale fits me,” she complained.

  “If the shoe fits,” Midas quipped.

  She groaned as she grabbed her purse and bag, and they headed for the garage.

  This time, Midas let her put her own hair up; if he touched her once more, he really would drag her into his bedroom.

  The stop at Thelma’s didn’t take long and way before he was ready, he was pulling up in front of her building once more. He jogged around the car to open her door and kissed her on the forehead. “Have a good night,” he told her.

  “You too.”

  “Call me later?” he asked, not able to resist.

  Lexie nodded.

  “See you soon,” he said, refusing to say goodbye.

  “Later,” she responded.

  Midas watched until she was safely inside the doors to her building before heading back to his car. As he drove to his house, he remembered the smile of contentment on Lexie’s face as they drove, and as her hair did its best to escape its confines.

  He was head over heels for her. With not one ounce of regret. Lexie was the best thing to happen to him. Midas now knew exactly how Mustang felt when he was with Elodie.

  Somehow, the world just seemed like a better place when he was with her. He didn’t deserve her, but he was going to do whatever it took to make sure she never realized that.

  Chapter Eleven

&nbs
p; Three weeks later, Lexie knew she’d never find another man like Midas. They’d talked every day, and he’d started coming over and picking her up from work each evening and taking her back to his place for dinner. She loved spending time with him. He always made her feel valued. He listened to her as she talked about her day and the people she worked with. She’d never felt as close to anyone as she did Midas.

  They’d hung out with his team the previous two weekends as well. Lexie was starting to get to know the other guys better, and wasn’t surprised they were as wonderful as Midas. He wouldn’t want to hang out with them if they were assholes.

  And she’d found a fast friend in Elodie. She’d called to ask her a question about salvaging a cake she was making because she didn’t have oil and was feeling too lazy to go to the store. Elodie had suggested applesauce and, amazingly, Lexie had some on hand. Then they’d talked for another hour as Lexie baked.

  Moving to Hawaii had been the best decision she’d ever made, and Lexie couldn’t be happier.

  It was Friday, and she had a few more hours to get through but was already looking forward to the weekend and spending it with Midas. She was content with how their relationship was progressing, although she wouldn’t complain if he invited her to spend the night.

  Thinking about having sex with Midas made her shift a little self-consciously. The man was impossible to resist, not that she wanted to. She was aching to sleep with him, in fact. But he was being chivalrous. He’d said he didn’t want to rush her because she was important to him, wanted to make sure she knew he wasn’t with her simply to get off.

  Which was very sweet and all, but it had been a long time since Lexie had been with a man, and she was more than ready. If making out with Midas got her all hot and bothered, she couldn’t imagine what actually seeing him naked and having him touch her all over would do.

  Lexie was packing boxes in the back pantry at Food For All when her phone vibrated. Looking down, she saw it was an incoming phone call from an unknown number. Frowning, she answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Is this Lexie Greene?” the man on the other end asked.

  “Yes, who is this?”

  “This is Magnus Brander.”

  For a second, Lexie had no idea who that was. Then it clicked. “Oh! Hi. Is something wrong?”

  “No, no, no. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to concern you,” Magnus said. “Is this a bad time?”

  Lexie had no idea why Dagmar’s brother was calling her, though she wasn’t sure she believed him when he said nothing was wrong. They’d exchanged several emails over the last few weeks. They had started out formal, with Lexie expressing her condolences, and had evolved to become more friendly and chatty.

  It was a surprise, actually. Lexie hadn’t expected to make friends with Magnus, but with every email, she let down her guard a bit more.

  “No, this is fine. I’m just packing some lunches for the team to take to the streets tomorrow.”

  “Ah, yes, the mobile food pantry. It is a good idea. It was yours, yes?”

  Lexie shrugged. “Yeah. How are you doing? Are you okay?” she asked, still trying to figure out the reason for Magnus’s call. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to him, it was just unusual, and she wanted to make sure he was all right. He’d asked her for details of his brother’s last moments alive, and every time he emailed, he’d pressed for more and more information about what happened in the desert, and specifically, what she and Dagmar had talked about.

  Lexie had done her best to tell him what she could remember, even though she worried about him. Obsessing over his twin’s death wasn’t healthy…but she tried to remind herself that everyone mourned differently, and the fact that the men were twins was a whole ’nother level of pain she’d never understand.

  “I am fine,” Magnus said. “I’m sure you are wondering why I am calling.”

  “Well, yes. I mean, I don’t mind, not at all, but…” Her voice trailed off. She’d given Magnus her number a few emails ago, when he’d seemed especially down about Dagmar’s death.

  “You know that Dagmar was very involved with Food For All,” Magnus said.

  Lexie nodded even though he couldn’t see her. “Yeah, he was one of only a handful of auditors who traveled around to the various outposts and reported back to the board.” She’d been intimidated by the fact she was responsible for showing Dagmar around Galkayo, explaining the programs they’d put in place to help the less fortunate residents. She’d been honest about the shortcomings of their programs and how they were working to improve them. Then, of course, they’d been kidnapped, and they were no longer employee and boss.

  “Yes. I have thought about it a lot, and decided I want to honor my brother by stepping into his place,” Magnus said.

  “I think that’s great,” she told him.

  “Yes. I am pleased. And because of the special circumstances, I asked if I could come to Hawaii as my first assignment.”

  Lexie smiled. “You’re coming here?” she asked.

  “Yes. If that is all right.”

  “Of course it is,” Lexie assured.

  “You have been so kind, so helpful and understanding, I wanted to meet you in person. To thank you for being there for my brother.”

  “Oh, Magnus. I’m so looking forward to meeting you in person too. When will you be here?”

  “There is more paperwork to be done, but I believe the board said I should be able to leave in a month or so.”

  “That’s great!”

  “Yes. And while I will be observing the Food For All facility and making notes on the employees, I would like to spend some time with you as well. To talk about my brother, of course.”

  “Sure. And maybe you’d like to meet my boyfriend? He was actually in Somalia too. He briefly met Dagmar.”

  “Oh?” Magnus said.

  “Uh-huh. Although, shoot…maybe I wasn’t supposed to mention that,” she mused, scrunching her nose in contrition.

  “It is okay. I won’t tell,” Magnus said.

  “Thanks. But anyway, he’s heard a lot about both you and Dagmar, and I’m sure he’d be happy to sit down with us.”

  “This is good. I would like to know as much about my brother’s time in Somalia as possible…I miss him.”

  Lexie frowned. “I’m sure you do. I really am sorry, Magnus.”

  “Yes. Anyway, I didn’t want it to be a surprise when I showed up. Wouldn’t want you to keel over in shock when you saw me. After all, Dagmar and I are…were…twins.”

  “I appreciate the head’s up. Do I need to tell Natalie that you’re coming?”

  “Natalie?” Magnus asked.

  “Oh, I guess you haven’t gotten a list of all the employees yet. She’s the manager of Food For All here.”

  “The board is supposed to notify her,” Magnus said. “They will send out a memo, but you know how sometimes those things fall through the cracks. Then again, it is my understanding that Dagmar sometimes did surprise inspections, so maybe it would be better if you didn’t say anything. I wouldn’t want my first assignment for Food For All to be compromised, and if the board knew we were talking, it might be considered bad form.”

  “I understand.” She didn’t want to do or say anything that might get Magnus in trouble. She’d never met or talked to the people on the board of Food For All. The organization was based out of the United Kingdom, and the men and women in charge had a reputation for being very strict and by the book. Still, she was grateful that she’d been hired all those years ago, and that they were letting a grieving man step into his brother’s shoes.

  “Thank you,” Magnus said. “You are busy, so I will let you get back to work. You’ve been there since early this morning, yes?”

  “Yeah,” Lexie confirmed. She’d shared her general schedule in an email a while ago. He’d been curious as to how she spent her time and what it was she did, and she’d been happy to tell him. Because she lived near the facility, she had no problem
going in early to get the coffee started, and to do whatever else needed to be done before they opened the doors for breakfast.

  “I hope you aren’t working too hard,” Magnus said.

  Lexie chuckled. “I’m not. I love what I do and helping others isn’t a hardship. And this weekend, Midas is taking me to the Dole Pineapple Plantation. They have a maze, which I’m super excited to try out.”

  “Midas is the man who knew Dagmar?”

  “Yes.”

  “I hope he treats you well.”

  “He does,” Lexie reassured Magnus. The more they talked, the more comfortable she became. What happened to Dagmar was tragic and horrific. If she gained a friend in his brother as a result, it would make her feel a little better.

  “It sounds as if you are happy,” Magnus said.

  “I am.”

  “Good. I will let you go now. Do you mind if I call again?”

  “Not at all. Call anytime.”

  “Thank you. I will be in touch soon and will update you on the progress as to when I will arrive.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “As am I,” Magnus said. “Goodbye.”

  “Bye.”

  Lexie clicked off the phone and stuck it back in her pocket.

  Seconds later, Ashlyn, one of the other full-time employees, entered the pantry and asked, “You okay? I thought I heard you talking.”

  “I’m fine,” Lexie said, happy the other woman had bothered to check on her. “I was on the phone.”

  “Your man?” Ashlyn asked with a smile.

  “No.” Lexie grinned. “A friend,” she said, remembering that she was supposed to keep Magnus’s arrival on the down low.

  “Cool. Anyway, Natalie sent me in to see if you could come out and help walk the room with Pika. It’s crazy crowded, as it is on most Friday afternoons, and people seem restless. You’re so good with everyone that she thought it might be best for you to mingle.”

  “Oh, of course. I’m happy to. I’m not done here though,” Lexie said.