She nodded as she followed him outside. “He had to pick up the compressor from the warehouse tonight. He’ll be here around nine.”
Thank God. Alex closed his eyes to the subtle breeze as Reagan shut the door. It was definitely cooler outside, and the song of locusts was soothing against the lavender of twilight. He reached for Reagan’s hand automatically. When her delicate fingers twined with his, he caught her sky-blue gaze. His heart stuttered for a minute. Sometimes it felt so damned natural it was frightening. He could almost convince himself they were stepping out of their house. That she belonged to him. That he could be the man she deserved.
Before melancholy could intrude on his contentment, he gave her fingers a squeeze, pulled himself out of the depths of her gaze, and led her off the porch. The beam overhead caught his attention again, and he made a mental note to secure it first thing in the morning.
They walked along quietly, her stride as casual as his, as if she, too, enjoyed simply being together. Alex soaked in the quaintness of Colton, the elderly couples watching the sunset on their front porch, dogs barking somewhere in the neighborhood, children playing not too far away as fireflies began to light up the shadowed yards. He’d never really paid much attention to the town. It was just another place, one he stopped in with his best friend before once more eating dust in the middle of some desert village half a world away. But now, he felt the charm as keenly as he felt Reagan’s presence at his side.
And he liked it more than he’d ever dreamed he might. Chicago was loud and imposing compared to Colton. Impersonal. Cold in a way this little town could never be. Roots were set down here, meant to last and withstand the hands of time. Hell, the old man sweeping out his garage across the street had probably been born here as well.
“How’d you end up in Colton?” he asked as they approached the edge of town and made a right-hand turn down another block.
“The house was Drew’s grandmother’s. His father didn’t want it when she passed shortly after we were married. I wanted four true seasons.” She grinned at Alex. “Storms may have their downside, but I love the severe weather each spring and fall. And snow—I hadn’t seen snow in years. Not since my grandparents took me skiing when I was little.”
Ah, that’s right—Drew’s father had retired from Fort Benning the year before Drew married Reagan, then he’d moved his family closer to the lakes so he could follow his second passion—fishing. Drew had followed in his dad’s footsteps, enlisting shortly after, though Alex had thought Drew intended to make the marines a career. He did the math in his head. “So you two moved here just before boot camp then?”
She nodded, swinging their hands between them as they walked. “Colton worked out well. I could attend the university for my degree, and we’re close enough that when he finished his six years, he could commute to a job in Chicago.”
Finish his six years? Alex frowned. “Wasn’t he planning to re-enlist?”
Reagan nodded. “Yeah. Things changed from the initial plan.”
There was something in her voice Alex couldn’t put his finger on. Sadness? Likely because he was dragging her down memory lane again, bringing up the dreams she’d built with Drew. At least she was talking. But had she been building dreams? If they’d been heading for divorce, maybe what he detected was just sorrow over failed hopes. Divorce seemed a lot more plausible if she didn’t intend to travel with Drew and wanted roots in Colton.
Not wanting to drag her into the past too deeply and destroy the inroads he’d achieved, he changed the subject. “If you could go anywhere, where would it be?”
She tipped her head, regarding him sideways, and grinned. “In the States or out?”
“Anywhere in the world.”
“Easy. Venice. You?”
“I could do Venice.” Hell, he could almost see her floating in a gondola, her head tipped back as she laughed, that musical melody carrying over the rippling water. His heart skipped again. Damn. He was falling for her fast. He needed to pull back now before he couldn’t keep the lines separate any longer.
“But where do you want to go?” she asked as she led him down another turn, and the old storefronts rose up to greet them on both sides.
“Always wanted to see Africa. The Serengeti and all the wildlife. I was crazy about big cats as a kid.”
“Oooh. That sounds better than Venice.” Excitement filled her voice. “One of those Jeep tours through the brush? And oh! The giraffes!” She stopped like she was picturing it in her head, and then added, “And maybe a gorilla. They have gorilla nurseries there. We talk about it in my classroom. It’d be so priceless to hold a baby. But that’s in the Congo.”
“Congo is en route to Serengeti. We could do a couple days.” He caught himself as the words slipped out. Was he really doing this? Building dreams with her like…like a couple? With a deep, steadying breath, he let go of the fear. Just talk. No promises. Not like it would lead to anything anyway.
The excitement in her voice increased. “I bet there are tours. Gorillas and lions appeal to a lot of people.”
“The Virunga National Park has a gorilla rescue, and elephants, and lions—though the cats aren’t like the Serengeti. And a volcano.”
She flashed him a sweet, breathtaking smile. “You’ve really studied it, haven’t you?”
He chuckled, momentarily self-conscious. “Yeah. I guess I have.”
She drew them to a stop in front of a deep blue and white building with a small gathering of people crowded around the benches and tables—evidently half of Colton had the same urge to beat the heat with ice cream. As they approached the counter to place their order, she said, “Could still go down to the Serengeti. I wouldn’t want to go to Africa without seeing the giraffes, after all. And you’d get the big cat excursion.”
“It’s doable. And surprisingly, not terribly expensive.” He gestured at the menu board. “What are you in the mood for?”
Her eyes twinkled mischievously, and she dragged a slow, deliberate gaze over his body—leaving no mistake to her meaning. His muscles coiled tight. The desire he’d held at bay came surging to the surface. He dragged in a deep breath, fighting down the hunger, but held her twinkling gaze and allowed the energy to crackle between them.
A pretty flush crept into her cheeks, and she looked away, the hint of a smile lingering on her mouth. “Chocolate. Two scoops on a sugar cone.”
Alex stepped forward to the counter, putting them in place behind a young couple with a small boy about five years old, who stood behind an elderly couple.
“Alex McCray, is that you?” a man asked from behind him.
He turned, surprised anyone in this town would recognize him enough to call him by name. Approaching quickly, a wide grin splitting his face, was one of Drew’s friends, Jacob. He’d come to a couple patio parties when Alex had been in town. But otherwise, they barely knew each other.
“It is you.” He thrust out his hand and shook Alex’s vigorously. “I thought…I mean we all heard…” His gaze skirted to Reagan, and then shifted uneasily back to Alex. His exuberance dimmed. “Glad you made it through.”
Alex blew out a hard breath through his nose. This discussion wasn’t anywhere on his list of things he wanted to do tonight. But clearly, it was unavoidable. Anything he might say would only come off as rude. “Good to see you, too, Jacob.”
The elderly couple filed off, two sundaes in hand. Alex said a quiet prayer that the family of three would order quickly and he might be spared from a drawn-out attempt at reminiscing.
No dice. Jacob gestured over his shoulder to a pretty brunette and a lanky boy who looked to be about twelve or thirteen. “Have you met my wife?”
“Don’t think so.”
Jacob gave Reagan another uneasy glance before addressing Alex again. “Come and say hello? I’d love to introduce you. And my boy would be over the moon if you’d say hi. He looked up to Drew, and his cousin just joined the air force. He’d be thrilled to shake your hand, you being a
real war hero and all.”
Alex’s stomach churned. He was not a hero. Hell, the story everyone knew was nothing but a fabrication for the most part. It wouldn’t have looked good to let it slip that they’d disobeyed orders to help two kids, thus putting the rest of the company in danger. Nor would it have looked good to proclaim the orders had been to ignore two innocent kids. So the higher-ups concocted something that sounded decent to the press. Surprise attack. Men fought valiantly. Good lives lost.
“If it’s an inconvenience…” Jacob trailed off, evidently uncomfortable with Alex’s prolonged silence.
Alex shook his head. With no good excuse to offer, he said, “No, it’s okay. Just a minute.” He withdrew his wallet from his back pocket, pulled out a twenty, and then handed it to Reagan. “Can you get our ice cream?”
She stared at his hand like she’d never seen a twenty before.
Alex arched an eyebrow. One hesitation to accept money from him he could write off to pride. But two? Over ice cream? The sixth sense that had kept him alive in the field began to buzz. His gaze narrowed as something dark and ugly flitted across his mind, but he couldn’t quite put words to it.
Reagan pulled herself together and took the money out of his grasp. Her smile was shaky and nervous. “I’ll bring you back the change.”
Wasn’t that kind of a given? He watched her for a second, and then nodded at Jacob, who was only too pleased to lead him over to the table on the north side of the elongated patio.
Spends like it’s the last buck she’ll ever see. Drew’s half-chuckling tone echoed in Alex’s memory. He’d been joking, hadn’t he? Teasing when he’d said he’d locked her down?
Jacob stopped at the edge of his family’s table. He lowered his voice and inclined his head where Reagan stood. “You two look pretty close.”
Alex had enough years of his sister’s attempts to nose in on his life to recognize fishing in an instant. Since he didn’t intend to divulge, he ignored the observation.
It didn’t work. Jacob gave him a grin. “Just keep an eye open. Fantastic teacher, but she’s been different since Drew’s death.”
“Different how?” Alex’s protective instincts rose, and a guarded edge slipped into his voice.
Jacob shrugged as his wife slipped a hand onto the small of his back. “No one’s seen hide nor hair of Drew’s family since his death, and they used to come by at least once a month. Don’t you find that odd? And the way she sold all his stuff—or didn’t you know?”
“Honey,” his wife chimed in, “are you going to introduce me?”
Alex did his best to stop the frown that tugged at his brow and turned to shake the woman’s outstretched hand. “Alex McCray. I served with Drew Sanders.”
Whatever Jacob had been alluding to disappeared with his wife’s exclamation of praise. She pulled their son out of conversation with a kid his age, and Alex found himself battling recognition he didn’t want.
…
Reagan concentrated on breathing, one hundred percent aware of how she’d just behaved, what she’d let slip through. Not that she could help it—Drew had controlled her, then he was gone, and the money she’d spent since had been her own, not handed to her. Take the virtual imprisonment out of the equation, and she’d probably still feel weird accepting anyone’s money.
But Alex had noticed. And she needed to get her shit under control before she backed herself into a corner she couldn’t escape. Why the hell was her deceased husband coming back to haunt her so powerfully now, anyway? This morning, today in the kitchen, tonight…
Because she was falling for Alex, and Drew hadn’t always been the asshole the marines turned him into? Because some stupid part of her brain was waiting for the monster inside Alex to emerge from the shadows?
“What can I get for you, Mrs. Sanders?” asked the teenage girl behind the wide glass window, a sibling of one of her students the previous year.
“Um.” Ugh, don’t call me that. She inhaled again, found a smile, and shoved everything else but ice cream aside. “Double scoop chocolate on a sugar cone and a double scoop of mint chip on a sugar cone. You’re Brent Tippins’s older sister, Lynette, right? How’s he enjoying summer?”
“Oh, he’s good. He and Dad are hiking in Colorado this week,” she answered over her shoulder as she scooped out the ice cream. “Mom and I have the house to ourselves.”
“Your parents doing okay then, too?”
She nodded with a smile, showing off a set of braces. “Yep. My aunt’s getting married next week in Chicago, so Mom’s been helping her a lot. Making flower arrangements.”
“That sounds like fun.” Reagan accepted the first cone.
They made small talk until Lynette had finished Alex’s cone, and then Reagan turned to scan the tables. She found him ruffling the mop on Jacob’s thirteen-year-old son’s head, and her breath caught at the sight of him. He cut a powerful and strong figure. His short dark hair accented the chiseled lines of his profile and matched the faint stubble on his chin. Standing in the salmon light of an unforgettable sunset, he was as handsome as the first day she’d ever laid eyes on him. Maybe more so now that they’d formed their own special bond. Her heart sure beat a lot crazier now. But then, she didn’t have to hide her reaction to him any longer. Didn’t have to worry that if she smiled a bit too brightly or kept eye contact a second too long, she’d pay for her unwitting crimes.
Alex turned, his dark gaze locked with hers, and he excused himself from Jacob’s family. As he made his way across the patio to join her, those green eyes shone with hungry intensity. Like he could devour her as easily as he intended to devour his ice cream. Warmth spread through her veins. He made her feel special. Like she was the only woman in the world he’d ever notice.
“Thanks,” he murmured as he accepted his cone.
She thrust the change at him. “It was eight-seventy—” She stopped. There was no need to spell it out for him. If he was concerned, he’d ask, and he wouldn’t be concerned.
As if driving her own logic home, he arched one eyebrow while he stuffed the money into his front pocket. But then, whatever suspicion he might have had faded as he licked the top scoop. Closing his eyes, he let out a soft, dramatic moan. “Cold.”
She nudged him with her shoulder, chuckling. “Thinking of trying out for the community theater?”
He smirked. “Maybe. Always wanted to perform on stage.” The teasing light in his eyes filled the statement with innuendo.
“Exhibitionist, huh?”
Taking her by the arm, he guided her to an empty table on the far corner of the patio. “Sweetheart, you could get me to do a lot of things. Hell, you have me on your roof. I don’t do that for just everyone.”
“Hm. Roof, huh? Now there’s an idea.” Suppressing a grin, she looked over the top of her cone, doing her best to hold on to a look she hoped came across as deadly serious.
He didn’t buy it—rich, hearty laughter rumbled in his throat. He leaned his head back and gave in to it, and all the tension she’d felt at her stupid hesitation over a twenty-dollar bill vanished into the night.
Chapter Fifteen
Alex inhaled the sweet night air, breathing in distant flowers along with freshly cut grass as he walked alongside Reagan, heading for her home. The little excursion for ice cream proved to be just what he needed. Jacob’s line of questioning turned out to be nothing but concern for Reagan, alleviating his worries and prompting him to invite Jacob to the surprise gathering as well. He also relayed that Shelley would be present and to extend the invitation to anyone Jacob thought Reagan might enjoy seeing.
The idea of bringing happiness to Reagan left him satisfied on a level he hadn’t comprehended previously. Even more important, tonight he’d felt entirely at ease doing something simple with her, doing something normal. If it had been a date, after the initial weirdness with the money, it would have gone on record as perfect. He’d laughed. He’d flirted. He’d lost his damn hesitation and let the ordinary m
an out of the box…and she’d made him feel like he’d finally come home.
Every part of him was warm and happy. All the chaos of war erased from his mind. All the sorrow of losing his friends rubbed out by her.
He glanced up at the sky. The stars were out in full although the lack of a moon dimmed their light. The night air had cooled him off. Well…parts of him. The other parts waited in anticipation, anxious to shut the world away and strip off her loose black shorts and the simple gray T-shirt she’d spilled ice cream on. To devour her with his tongue like he’d done with his ice cream.
He popped the last of his cone into his mouth, licked the fingers on his left hand, and slid her a sideways glance. She looked up at him, a smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. Ice cream dotted the tip of her nose.
Alex burst out laughing.
Reagan blinked. “What?”
He tugged the hand he held so she was closer and brushed the chocolate dollop off with his index finger. “You’re like a little kid. It’s not good enough unless you wear it?” He let his gaze drop pointedly to the smear on her shirt, across the top of her left breast.
Another woman might have taken offense. Another woman, he wouldn’t have dared tease. Reagan, however, punched him lightly in the shoulder, wrested out of his grasp, and rubbed the back of her hand over her nose. “Ice cream’s one of those things you have to fully invest in to appreciate.” She glanced down at her arm, frowned, then rubbed at a sticky smudge on the inside of her elbow.
“So good you have to bathe in it?” He smirked. “Next time, you get a cup, not a cone.”
“Bathing in it might be fun.” She waggled her eyebrows before pinning him with a false frown. “If my company wasn’t so distracting, I might have better focus.”
“Oh, it’s my fault now?”
“It’s always your fault. Those are the rules, don’t you know?” Her mouth quirked as she fought off amusement.
Alex poked her in the ribs. Before he could spit out a witty remark, she squealed and ducked to the side.
Shatter Me Page 11