Mission For Love (Love By Design Book 6)

by M. C. Cerny

I made my way over to my bike which I rode today for kicks and threw my leg over the seat starting it up and rolling out. By the time I got to the pub and my apartment building, I had bigger problems to deal with. My brother and Remi were waiting for me in the office.

  Andy voice mumbled, “I don’t know Remi.”

  “I think the idea might pick up business on the slowest Monday of the month.”

  I put my helmet down on the desk and took a seat opposite Andy. “What are we discussing?”

  “Paint and sip.”

  “Paint and what?”

  Remi fidgeted and I hated seeing the shy girl struggle to express herself. “Well, Andy is inheriting that vineyard and I thought that maybe he could stock the bar with some of the wine and have a craft night for ladies once a month.”

  “The Occho Vineyard?” I narrowed my eyes waiting for Andy to tell me he was selling it. That was the last thing he needed on his plate.

  Andy held his hand up to stop me. “We don’t have to discuss this now.”

  “Or ever.” I grumbled leaning back in the chair. Sierra Occho was a name you didn’t want to utter three times in a row because bad stuff was liable to happen. My brother’s one true love and life’s biggest regret haunted the air in the office.

  Remi thumbed behind her walking back out of the office. “I’m going to uh, go restock the bar, again.” Before I could stop her she hauled ass out of the office leaving me to deal with the aftermath of Andy when he got into one of his moods. Melancholy was the only way to describe his quiet decent into barely passing as a human. Remi didn’t know the half of it, but she was smart enough to get out of the office.

  Andy shuffled papers on his desk. “I’ll have to do something with it beside manage it.”

  I groaned out loud and looked up at the ceiling saying a silent prayer. It had come to a shock to all of us when Sierra’s grandfather passed quickly after her grandmother that Andy had been named in the will. It was her inheritance but even from the grave they tried to manipulated them both.

  “Sell it.” If I had the money to buy it from him I would, and then I’d burn it down to the ground in the hopes it would exercise all the demons it came with. Nothing good ever came from my brother getting wrapped up in that girl. As sad as her situation had been and believe me, my parents were sympathetic, she burned all her bridges with us.

  I hated, absolutely hated seeing my brother tormented over something better left alone and far away from him.

  “You know I can’t do that.” He leaned over the desk burying his head for a moment before glancing up at me.

  “But you should do it. She’s not coming back.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Ten years says differently.”

  “Nine years and…”

  I held up my hand. If he was still counting days this was worse than I thought. He was like an addict refusing to give up the torch he held for her. “I don’t need an exact accounting, Andrew. I can see the pain in your eyes and it guts me every time.”

  My brother was a glutton for punishment. He held onto his anger like a carefully crafted bomb and I agonized over the day he finally blew his top. I thought I was the one with anger issues. I’d never forgive that selfish girl if she took him from me.

  “I’m okay, David. Promise.” He stood up holding a packet of papers. His clenched jaw told me a different story, but I let it go for now. We were both stubborn as mules and fighting him only deepened the rift between us that I didn’t want.

  I held my hands up and got out of the chair reaching for my helmet on the desk. “Alright. Forget I said anything.”

  “David.”

  I turned in the door waiting. “Yeah?”

  “Thanks.” Andy said and I knew it took him effort to relax. He knew I would protect him from anything, same as our parents, but stubborn guy wouldn’t let us take this burden from him. It was like he felt he had to atone for something, but what, I had no clue.

  I wasn’t about to beat this dead horse tonight though. I had a date tomorrow. “Sure. I’ll be grading papers upstairs.” My knuckles rapped on the door and I made my way up the back stairs to my apartment.

  My lonely apartment that still carried the faint vanilla scent of a certain woman I couldn’t exercise from my own head.

  24

  Kiara

  Saturday busted into my bedroom window with sunshine and heat waking me from sleep despite the nervous energy that kept me up last night. I slid my hand down over my fluttering belly to quell the ups and downs before I got out of bed. I moved to the edge and adjusted my prosthesis so I could stand up and stretch. It felt good to arch my back and ease into my kitchen. I flicked the switch on my coffee pot and puttered around opening windows to let in the chill morning breeze. My window boxes were barren this time of year but the crisp fall scent was equally nice.

  I checked my phone again and another message from the doctor’s office sat in the pit of my stomach. Not today. I wasn’t doing this today, bad news or otherwise.

  After a fortifying cup of coffee, I tear through my closet like a possessed woman searching for my needle in the haystack. Skirts, dresses, shorts, nothing seemed to fit the bill. Everyone knew about my prosthetic, that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that I wanted to look nice, special, for this non-date in front of most everyone I’d grown up around. My brother would be there, my uncle and a few cousins who worked as firemen. I would be surrounded by the guys and one girl on the department I’d known forever. Eyes would be scrutinizing us from the moment we showed up. David wouldn’t be my secret anymore and the thought pressurized inside my chest like a vice. I had trouble trusting myself because I could easily become attached to David. Scratch that. I was already there nibbling the skin around my thumb raw.

  Knocking at the door had me grabbing the closest dress I could find. An ankle length bright yellow chiffon with ruffles at the bust and a flounce on the bottom making it flirty with the skinny spaghetti straps holding it up over my non-existent boobs. Braless and sticking out like a neon sign would have to do. I dropped the dress over my head letting it flutter over my frame.

  Fluffing my curls one last time, I rushed to the door and opened it stepping back. David crowded my small front porch and the awning with his huge frame and the bouquet of bright wildflowers and daisies in his hand.

  He thrusted the flowers in my direction and I stepped back letting him inside. “What is this?” I’m speechless for a second before I have a chance to form a coherent thought or a proper thank you for the “non-date” gesture.

  Our hands touched as I took the flowers lifting them under my nose smelling their combined scents.

  “They reminded me of you. A little wild, but beautiful.” He grinned with his head dipped down and I turned making for the kitchen like a cat who got her tail stepped on.

  “That’s sweet of you. Let me just put them in some water.” I reached up into the cabinet for a vase falling short since I don’t have my shoes on, barefoot with my prosthetic.

  David’s hands reached for my waist as he tenderly pressed against me. His chest to my back warmed my exposed skin from my dress and there’s a lot of it considering the flirty dress I wore.

  “I got it.” He reached above me and pulled out the vase setting it on the counter. It felt like more, as if he were saying he got me and not just the silly vase. Those damn butterflies that only came out in David’s presence were back again to torture me.

  “Thanks.” I murmured standing perfectly still afraid to ruin this moment or turn it into something else. I swore his ab muscles rippled behind me and my body caved like the salivating puppy, she was ready to follow him anywhere.

  I felt the flick of his fingers on my shoulder. Was the air thinner today? Was I getting enough oxygen to my lungs and brain? My heart pitter-pattered and I couldn’t decide.

  “Any reason why you’re wearing a beacon of torment today?” David whispered in my ear. His lips grazed the side of my cheek and I leaned into
him on instinct. His hands moved from rubbing small circles on my hips to resting on the kitchen counter caging me in. He made me feel small in his embrace like he was protecting me even though I swore like a sailor, bucking at anyone protecting me. This time I didn’t fight him, mostly because I don’t want to, but I don’t even know what to say.

  “What are you talking about?” The words are breathy, borderline seductive and if my sisters heard me, they would accuse me of auditioning for a job as a phone sex operator.

  “This dress is going to draw so much attention and I don’t know how I feel about that.” The timber of his voice deepened making me quiver as I stood in my kitchen trapped by his embrace. His blunt fingers traced the spaghetti strap giving it a gentle tug. The motion made my breasts tingle as his finger followed a path down the center of my back. We’d been intimate before, plenty of times, but this... This. All of this continued to feel like we were heading in a direction I didn’t have a map for and that terrified me.

  “I’m sure I’ll blend in fine. It’s a barbeque and oddly seventy degrees in fall.” I turned in his arms drinking up his good looks. Typical GI Joe of David. His hulking mass was dressed in an olive green t-shirt that stretched indecently tight over his chest with big black letters announcing his Army affiliation to the world. If anyone was going to stick out like a sore thumb it was going to be my non-date and his juicy ass in cargo shorts. I did wonder what he kept in all those pockets…

  David huffed and muttered, “Pineapple in a bland fruit salad.”

  “Pardon?” I asked unclear I had heard him correctly. Was this man comparing me to food.

  “Yeah, delicious, sweet, juicy, and special.” He grunted as his hands resumed wrinkling my dress in his fists. At least he meant it in a cute, he wanted in my pants sort of way.

  I pressed my hand against his chest in a fruitless attempt to stall him. “We’re going to be late, He-man.”

  “That’s why I came early.” He chuffed dipping his head in my neck, sucking on the skin sharply. He was going to leave a mark for everyone to see and the last thing I needed was more questions from my nosy family.

  “David.” I wiggled and he counter-moved. Clearly this man was intimately familiar with torture because I was putty in his hands.

  “One kiss and we’ll go.”

  One kiss that lingered and turned into two which turned into me backing out of the kitchen struggling to remind myself why we should even bother going to the BBQ anyway.

  25

  David

  Getting out of her house was pure torture. As in, my dick had no place to go in my shorts if I didn’t rein this in. I thought about everything, but Kiara, and how smooth her skin felt under my touch or how bright her dress was, but it was no comparison for her smile.

  I was in deep.

  We arrived at the fire house where the BBQ was underway getting set up. Guys I knew in high school were there and considering our small town it was no surprise. Rookies were out washing the fire truck and spraying girls who got too close with the hose. It was harmless fun and the laughing crowd good naturedly took it all in.

  I held onto Kiara’s hand as we walked up to the open bays where tables had been set up. She pulled away, but I stepped closer. She scowled, and I grinned back until she gave me a shy smile.

  We were a work in progress.

  “There’s my baby sister.” We turned around as Kiara’s brother walked over to us. He dressed similarly in shorts and his t-shirt read New Paltz Fire Crew. He held out a beer to me and I recognized the brew as one of Andy’s concoctions and smiled.

  “And who is this tall drink of water?” He smirked teasing my girl.

  “This is David. Easton. We work together and you’re drinking his brother’s beer.” A look passed between the two of them and I don’t know if it meant he already knew of me or if I had been a source of contention for them. Kiara was still nearly impossible to read at times. Her brother though, he radiated a friendliness that also said if I hurt her he was gunning for me. Fair enough. I liked knowing where I stood with the people important to her.

  “Am I?” He looked a bottle and nodded. “Tell him that Landon Roberts approves. This is good stuff. We also have a keg over by the table.”

  “Let me know if you need more, I’m sure I can make a call.” We clinked bottles and Landon smiled.

  “I like this guy, Kia. Don’t mess it up, and do me favor, please.”

  “What’s that, Lando?” She replied.

  “Mom said the doctor called the house. Call him back.” Landon patted her shoulder and then walked away back to a group of his firefighter buddies in retreat.

  Kiara tensed like she considered stomping her foot.

  “I don’t think you do that.” I said putting my arm around her.

  “Do what?” She grunted.

  “Mess it up.” I said curious about her past relationships more than I had a right to be.

  “Typically no. The last serious boyfriend I had…well it doesn’t matter.”

  “So what did he mean about calling the doctor?” I asked. If she was sick or something I wanted her to be okay, but this was news to me and I didn’t think she’d like my opinion about it.

  “Nothing, for you to worry about.” Kiara left me standing gaping at her as she walked away to say hello to another party goer. I guess I was going to have to pry that out of her later despite knowing the basics, she continued to leave the whole of it off the table.

  “Nice to see you here.” Evan Rooney strolled up out of uniform for a change. I almost never saw him out of his badge.

  “Hey, buddy.” We did the bro hug. The goat debacle and Remington were still between us.

  “I hear you’ve been around the pub more often.” I snickered. I knew he had a thing for Remington. As much as I didn’t like it I also had a feeling she returned the feelings despite hooking up with the idiot college football player who was also hanging around the pub lately.

  “Beer is good, what can I say.”

  “Is that what we’re calling it.” I murmured.

  “I’m a little old to be picking up girls like that.” He sipped his beer scanning the crowd. If Remi was here he’d find her, but I also knew she was holed up at her apartment when I left this morning.

  “Never said I liked it, but I also know when my opinion isn’t wanted.” I grunted.

  “I take it Andy is still…” The words were left unsaid, but we both grunted. I didn’t know how much Evan knew about Sierra, and I also didn’t want to ruin a perfectly good Saturday with talking about her.

  “Yeah. I was kind of hoping that ship sailed.” Of course it hadn’t.

  “You guys up for some friendly frisbee?” Landon jogged over to us.

  Evan laughed. “Last time we played Fire versus Cops. You know who won, right?”

  “Yeah, but I’m hoping we can convince my sister’s boyfriend to play on our side.”

  I hummed.

  Boyfriend was I?

  This thought had me thinking of all the ways I could tease Kiara later. We never put labels on anything. I hadn’t needed to, but it felt right. Good.

  I finished off my beer and followed after Landon. “Sure. I enjoy a friendly game amongst friends.”

  “History, bro. I thought we had history.” Evan called after me waving his hands up and down looking disappointed. Yeah, we had history, but apparently, I now had a girlfriend and despite the bros before less than classy ladies, I had a girl I wanted to impress. Evan would have to deal with it.

  I turned around to give him a shrug. He was a good sport and it was all in good fun. I hadn’t played a game of ultimate frisbee since my days overseas with my army platoon. Nothing stranger than playing in a never ending desert for hours while we waited for the call to action. I only hoped I wouldn’t have another crippling episode of memories incapacitating me.

  26

  Kiara

  Everything was going great until the fireworks. Landon and his crew decided to set off fir
eworks as the sun was setting. A mountain backdrop was the perfect scenery for the end of the night. Except for one detail David left out.

  His crippling PTSD.

  One minute the fireworks were going off and the next he was crouched down on the ground beside me shaking and grunting. I thought he was having a seizure and considering he had a solid hundred pounds of muscle on me, there was no way I was going to get him upright without help and without at least half the people here noticing.

  “David. David. Hey.” I crouched down in front of him as best I could blocking out the flashes of exploding rockets. His eyes were blank and his face felt ice cold under my palms.

  “Yo, buddy you okay?” Evan leaned down beside me and gave me a smile that said things would be alright. I believed him. I had to.

  “The blasts.” He started to rock back and forth and I put a hand on his shoulder sliding it down to his back.

  “Is it okay? Can I touch you?” I was about to pull my hand back when I realized I didn’t know if I should be touching him at all. Was I helping or making it worse?

  “You can do what you’re doing. It feels good.” He said between gritted teeth and attempts to hold himself still with each bang that echoed off the mountains.

  “I didn’t think, I’m sorry. Landon does this every year and no one has said anything.”

  “Not his fault.” David squeezed his eyes shut and Evan moved behind him.

  “How about we get you upright big guy and move toward the cars. I have some chairs set up by my truck and we can ride this out or go home.”

  “I gotta work through this.” David said as Evan lifted his arm over his shoulder. I propped up his other side as best I could without losing my balance.

  “Sure you do, but not today.” Evan patted his side and we helped David walk over and sit between the vehicles which obscured some of the fireworks.

  “I didn’t expect to go down like a brick house. That’s embarrassing.” He chuckled running his hands over his shaved head.