“Rick didn’t want to call them?” Melanie asked.
Lena blew out a hard sigh. “He said they would hurry over here.”
“And you argued with him, didn’t you?” Melanie injected teasing into her words.
Lena bit her bottom lip for a second. “Yes, damn it.”
Melanie and Kathleen laughed but Kathleen leaned forward. “We have a problem here, ladies.”
Melanie’s eyebrows winged up. “Problem? We just survived a mall shooting. What kind of problems could we have?”
Kathleen patted Melanie’s back. “I live in Los Angeles. I don’t have time for romance and Jake doesn’t really like me that much anyway.” She patted Lena’s back next. “Lena wouldn’t like a long-distance relationship. Rick is in Alaska, she lives here.”
Melanie saw warmth color Lena’s face as Lena stared at Matt, Jake and Rick. Lena had briefed her and Kathleen on how Rick had rescued her as a man had rushed the doors and knocked Lena down. Her description had been filled with caution and admiration.
“I might reconsider that,” Lena said. “A long-distance relationship, I mean.”
“I thought you didn’t like Rick?” Melanie asked, remembering Lena’s coolness toward Rick at the party.
Lena’s mouth popped open and her green eyes flashed. She waved one hand in dismissal. “I never said I didn’t like him. He’s…um…a risk taker. I don’t want someone in my life like that. Military men aren’t for me.” Lena flapped her hands in frustration. “And damn it he’s so…”
“Hot?” Kathleen planted her hands on her hips. “Face it, ladies, the Frasier brothers are seriously sexy.” Kathleen’s curious gaze landed on Melanie. “And you, my good buddy, are a goner.”
Melanie’s face flamed. “What?”
“I saw the way you looked at Matt at the party. You like him more than a little.” She nodded at the garment around Melanie’s shoulders. “And you’re wearing that like it’s a letter jacket from high school.”
Could she deny it? Yes. But what good would it do? Her friends were too astute.
Melanie snuggled deeper into the jacket. Strange or not, she felt as if Matt had his arms around her. When she’d tried to give it back to him he’d told her to keep it on until she could grab her own coat. Good thing she had the jacket anyway. Heavier clouds blanketed the area and the wind had picked up. Normally the snow would lift her spirits because she liked winter but tonight she felt somewhere between numb and jumpy.
Lena touched her shoulder. “Melanie? Are you okay?”
Melanie snapped out of it. “I’m good.” She surveyed her friends and had an epiphany. Each was dealing in their own way with the trauma they’d faced. Lena and Kathleen put on brave faces. Especially spunky, assertive, take-charge Kathleen. Did the stress show on her face, or the relief that she’d survived violence?
“Group hug,” Lena said.
Kathleen groaned, less inclined to show physical affection to that many people. But even she came together with the other two and hugged. Once they released each other, Melanie felt a wave of tiredness overwhelm her.
“You both had a lot to contend with.” Melanie rubbed the back of her neck. “Hitting the sack sounds good right now.”
“I don’t think I’d sleep.” Lena’s eyes continued to appear troubled, perhaps more than when Melanie had first seen her after escaping the mall.
“You hid in a bathroom with a rock-hard marine, Melanie.” Kathleen smiled. “I can think of worse ways to spend an evening.”
Kathleen’s attempt at humor worked. They all chuckled. Melanie’s face heated at the blatant sexual thoughts rampaging through her brain. She wondered what Matt would look like naked and her mind zipped straight to thinking what his cock would look like erect.
God, Melanie, have you lost it? As much as her imagination went nuts, she didn’t think the opportunity to see him naked would present itself in the short time Matt would be in Constitution, Arizona.
She’d kissed him too. The last thing she wanted to do, though, was to admit to her friends that she’d experienced a full-on lip-lock with Matt. Right now she had the feeling all of them hid something about the evening that they didn’t want to share. Not even with their very best friends.
“Seriously.” Kathleen touched Melanie’s shoulder and pressed gently. “You look like you don’t feel well.”
“I’m fine.” Melanie knew she wasn’t. Not really. A master a diverting attention, she continued with, “And I’ll admit the Frasier brothers are hot. But Matt is…well, there’s something extraordinary about him.”
Kathleen and Lena broke out in collective, knowing grins.
“See, I told you.” Kathleen winked. “We’re in trouble.”
“What are we going to do about it?” Lena frowned, a troubled light in her eyes. “I can’t get involved with a man in the coast guard. I just can’t.”
Melanie wanted to hear the answer, even if she understood why. “The long-distance and military thing?”
Lena reached in her big black purse and found her black leather gloves. She slipped into them. “Yes, and because I’m older than him.”
“Pfft.” Kathleen made a disgusted sound. “You are absolutely old enough to be his mother. Not.”
Lena stuffed her hands in the pockets of her coat. “You know how I feel about military men. Even without an age gap, it’s a no-go for me.”
“Alaska is a long way.” Melanie finished what her friend wanted to say. “That’s a challenge.”
Lena turned troubled eyes to her friends. “You know that’s not the half of it, so don’t even start.”
Matt looked over and caught Melanie’s gaze. Awareness jolted through her stomach. Heat stirred and built, arousal undeniable. They’d made a definite connection sequestered in the bathroom, and the kiss had blown her away. Not wanting to face that attraction, she deflected.
“So if we aren’t interested in relationships with them, what do we do? Walk away?” Melanie asked herself as much as she did her friends.
Kathleen frowned. Melanie had never seen her friend look as puzzled as she did now. Kathleen’s russet-brown hair fell in lustrous curls to her mid-back. She looked rumpled and confused.
Kathleen pushed one hand through her thick hair, blue eyes serious. “A one-night stand.”
“What?” Lena sounded scandalized. But she’d always been the more conservative of the three friends. “Are you serious?”
“Does a bear shit in the woods?” Kathleen shut up as she gazed over at the brothers.
Jake’s tall form looked more than rough and tumble. Almost as tall as Matt, with black hair only slightly longer than Matt’s, Jake had a charisma that couldn’t be denied. Rick stood over six feet tall with short-cropped black hair and green eyes. His build was similar to those of the other two men. Muscular. Ripped. Disgustingly gorgeous in a rugged way.
“I don’t know about you.” Kathleen turned her gaze back to Melanie and Lena. “But I need to burn off some stress.”
Before the ladies could continue their discussion, the men walked their way. Melanie swallowed hard. Kathleen was right. Matt had made a significant impression on her—one she didn’t want him to make. That kiss in the bathroom hadn’t extinguished Melanie’s curiosity or need. It had only built it higher.
Matt arrived at Melanie’s side and touched her elbow. “Can I talk with you a moment?”
Rick approached Lena. “How’s your ankle?”
“Aches, but it’s no big deal.”
Rick frowned and lifted her off the truck tailgate and into his arms. “I’ll take you home.”
“Really, I can walk.” Lena’s arms went around his neck.
“Don’t argue,” Rick said as he helped her into his truck.
Jake took Kathleen’s hand and walked away. “We’ll see you later,” Jake said with a smile.
Melanie smiled into Matt’s eyes, suspicion flowing through her. “What is this, a conspiracy?”
Matt looked world-weary an
d tired but he still managed to return her grin. He slipped his fingers through hers and the warmth added to the butterflies continuing a dance through her stomach.
“Yeah, it’s a conspiracy. I want that meal with you,” he said. “Unless you’re tired?”
“I’m tired but I’m starving. I’d rather eat and decompress before I go home.”
His eyes filled with understanding and concern. “You don’t want to be home alone?”
“How did you guess?”
“It’s not every day a person witnesses a mall shooting. It was damned scary.”
She couldn’t deny it. “When I go home I’ll probably fall asleep right away.”
“Then let’s eat before you fall asleep.”
“I’ll drive my own car.” Her voice sounded clipped to her own ears.
“You sure you want to? Your car is on the other side of the mall. Reporters are stacked up there two feet deep from what I hear. I’ll drive you to the diner and home. We can get your car in the morning.”
We can get your car in the morning.
So he planned either that they’d spend tonight together or he’d come by her apartment and take her back to the mall?
She’d soon find out.
Chapter Five
Quiet had surrounded Matt and Melanie as they’d driven Matt’s SUV to the diner, and she hadn’t expected to feel as comfortable with the silence. On the other hand, perhaps they’d become exhausted, coming down from an overload of feelings. She wasn’t sure she knew what to think or how to feel.
When they reached the diner the bright pink neon sign on the marquee made her eyes ache. They had to search for a parking place for some time, and she almost told him to forget it and they’d eat somewhere else. But hell, she imagined you never told Matt to give up on anything.
Melanie stepped into the noise and winced. She seemed hyperaware, her skin sensitive, her mouth dry and a dull ache in her temples. Regardless, she would make the rest of this evening pleasant. She wanted to forget, if just for a moment, her mind awhirl in a way it never had been before. She was disconnected and feeling anything besides fear and doubt would go a long way to healing what ailed her.
Despite the later hour, the diner’s pop music bounced off her ears, irritating her more than it would on a normal day. Huh. Yeah. In no way could this day be classified as normal. The interior lights seemed too bright. Even the young hostess’s tomato red dress gave Melanie a headache.
When they reached the booth, Matt stepped up to help Melanie take off her coat. With a gentle smile, he handed Melanie the coat and she placed it in the booth. The hostess eyeballed Matt with clear interest as he slid into the bench seat across from Melanie.
After the hostess left, Matt’s smile widened. “Hope my helping you with the coat was all right?”
She blinked, confused. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Some women think it’s an affront when you open a door for them or help them take off their coat. As if they can’t be feminists and accept chivalry.”
“Not me.” She reached for the crayons sitting in the middle of the table and started to scribble on the white butcher paper that served as a tablecloth. “I open doors for men. It’s a polite thing to do for anyone.”
Matt’s gaze held hers and warmth spread from her face down the rest of her body. “My kind of woman.”
A waiter appeared and took their drink orders.
After the waiter left, Melanie rubbed her temples. “You wouldn’t happen to have an aspirin would you?”
He frowned, those dark brown eyes concerned. “No. Headache?”
“Yes. Plus other muscle aches. Probably the tension.”
Matt leaned forward, his voice low and husky. “Hey, if you’d rather go home and get some sleep, we don’t have to be here.”
She waved one hand in dismissal. “I don’t think I want to be home right now where I can think too much.”
“Me either. Drink plenty of water while you’re here. You might be dehydrated too.”
“Are you sure you aren’t a doctor?”
He grinned. “No. It’s all stuff I’ve learned in the military.”
“So…” Curiosity was eating her up from the inside out but part of her was nervous. She grabbed a yellow crayon and started drawing happy faces on the paper. “What exactly do you do in the marines?”
“Force Recon.”
He explained the details, which sounded dangerous as hell. “In essence, we accomplish what’s called green operations. We go looking for trouble.”
“Well, you found it today.” She drew long hair on one smiley face.
“Yeah. I was hoping I wouldn’t. But I guess there’s a bright side. Several, in fact.”
She stopped tinkering with the crayons and looked up. “What’s that?”
“I got to spend time with you.” His gaze held hers.
Oh man. Her stomach did a flip and a flop and not in a bad way. “Thank you.”
“And,” he continued, “we got out alive.”
She couldn’t deny that truth. “That’s the most important bit.”
She dared allow her gaze to tangle with his again and the heat in her body flared. Her attraction to him was escalating. “By the way, did I ever thank you for keeping me safe? It was your quick thinking that made sure Tia and I were okay.”
Lines furrowed between his brows and turned him into the serious man she’d known at the party last week. “You would have thought of the same thing.”
“I hesitated. I wasn’t exactly thinking straight once I heard those gunshots.”
“That’s not uncommon for civilians. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s not every day you hear gunfire.”
She rolled her shoulders, trying to loosen the muscles. “Still…thanks anyway.”
He touched her hand as it lay on the table. He squeezed gently and pulled back. “I’m glad I was there.”
Matt’s gentleness and modesty challenged her beliefs that marines had steel interiors. “You know, you aren’t what I thought you were.”
He chuckled, but the waiter brought her hot tea and his coffee before she could comment. After the waiter took their meal order and left, Matt drank his black coffee. “So you prejudged me or took a first impression and found me lacking.”
Embarrassment took hold. “Yes. I don’t usually do that. Unless the guy is tall, dark, handsome and very sure of himself. That’s when I get into trouble.”
His smile held no malice. “Do I sense past history I should know about?”
Should he know about it? She sensed he wouldn’t reveal more of himself if she didn’t reciprocate. “I told you that my father was in Vietnam and then a cop. He just had so many damned issues he couldn’t be there for me when I was a kid. He was often cold and unconnected.” She poured hot water over the tea bag then dunked the bag up and down. “I shouldn’t have judged you the way I did, especially because people tend to do it to me and I don’t like it.”
“What impressions do they get of you?”
She wrapped her hands around the teacup and took a sip. “They hear I’m a librarian and they think I’m poor, staid and boring. Like you said earlier, they think I’m hard to get to know.”
His eyes narrowed and the coffee mug stopped halfway to his mouth. “First impressions mean a lot, even when we don’t want them to. People misjudge the military too.” He sipped again then put the mug down. “I’ve met women who get off on the fact I’ve been in dangerous situations.”
She winced. “Like Navy SEAL groupies?”
“Exactly.”
“What you do is dangerous. That can turn a woman on.”
His gaze, so dark and compelling, tangled with hers again. “But I don’t want it to be why a woman wants me.”
Oh and she did want him.
Cynicism reared its head. “Come on now. You don’t get off on women coming on to you for your looks and what you do?”
His frown said it all. “Hell no.”
“My e
xperience with men in dangerous occupations has jaded me, I guess.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’ve dated lots of military men?”
“None. That’s the point. I’ve avoided them for that reason. I’ve avoided firefighters and cops too.”
“That’s extreme, isn’t it? Because your father had issues?”
She tucked her hair behind her ears and saw his gaze latch on to the small, dangling citrine earrings she wore. His gaze caressed her and a flare of unquenched need pulsed low in her belly. “Self-protection is like that. It’s my way of coping.”
“But you were condemning a bunch of men based on their occupations? That’s…” He shook his head, looking damn disappointed.
She was too. She hadn’t meant to tell him all this when she came here but something about this guy brought everything out. She almost defended herself, then realized she had to come clean with him. If she planned to explore anything with Matt, she had a feeling he would learn all her secrets before the night finished. She didn’t want to see that chagrin in his eyes again.
“It’s one of my less than admirable traits,” she said.
His gaze lifted from his coffee mug, sharp and direct. “We all have faults. Most of us don’t admit it.”
“What are your faults?”
He laughed, this time without a speck of genuine amusement. “Maybe you should ask my brothers. They conveniently forget their own faults while they’re listing mine. Jake can be sort of ADD. He’s hard to keep in one place.”
“He’s in the army. They move around a lot, right?”
“Yeah, but that’s not what I mean. He was always one of those kids who couldn’t sit still in class. Too damn smart. They had to put him two grades ahead. He’s tough but he’s got this adventurous quality that used to get him in trouble when we were kids. He joined the army when he was eighteen because my parents said he needed a steadying influence. He’s still hyper. Rick is…well, Rick is generous to a fault. He’s always trying to rescue people. And he’s freaked my parents out on more than one occasion because of the risks he takes. He’s a rescue diver and swimmer.”
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