Match (Coronado Series Book 5)

by Hart, Lea

  ********

  Moving along the shadows, Derick headed towards Chris’s truck. Tapping lightly on the window, he waited. Following Chris’s hand signal, he looked across the street and saw the suspect standing quietly staring into a house with its interior lights on. What the hell was the guy up to? Advancing silently, he waited in the shadows and observed the man’s odd behavior. He wasn’t close enough to see his facial features, so all he could read was his body language. The man remained motionless and showed no agitation. In fact, he appeared to be unnaturally still as he stared into people’s windows. Derick had a strong feeling that he had nothing to do with the case. His guess was that it was completely unrelated. Returning to Chris, he slipped inside his truck and dialed Robert’s number.

  “Nothing to do with the case Gracie’s involved in…right?” Chris stated.

  “Yeah. I think he’s looking for something, and we should let Robert and the SDPD handle it.”

  “Agreed. Let’s keep an eye on him until they get here.” Chris glanced over with a quizzical expression.

  “What’s the look for?”

  Chris stared out the window and shrugged. “Are you serious about Gracie?”

  “As a heart attack. I met her a week ago and knew that she was the one for me. I better text her an update that everything is okay.” Pulling his phone out, he quickly typed her a message, letting her know what was going on. “Thanks for coming out tonight. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

  “No. I was just watching some college games and kicking back.” Nodding, he looked out the window and kept an eye on the man.

  “So are you ever going to ask Rachel out or are you going to just stare at her with that moon-eyed look?”

  “What the fuck? I don’t stare at her like that.”

  “Yeah, you do. Go for it, man. You never know. Maybe she likes you and is waiting for you to do something about it.”

  “I’m glad that we could be twelve again and act like junior high girls. Just because it worked for you doesn’t mean that’s how it works for everyone.”

  “But you won’t know until you do something. I never saw you hesitate when we were on the Teams, and yet that tiny woman scares the shit out of you.”

  Rolling his shoulders, he stared out the window and didn’t respond. A patrol car rolled down the street and stopped in front of the man. “Looks like we’re done for the night. I’m glad we could have this Oprah moment together. Do you want a ride home or are you going to walk back?”

  Laughing, he smiled at his friend. “I’ll take a ride back.”

  Turning the car on, Chris pulled away from the curb and turned toward Gracie’s house. Once they were parked in front of the house, Chris waited for his friend to get out.

  “Thanks for your help this week. I appreciate you installing the security system and everything. For what it’s worth, whatever risk you take is worth it. The last week has taught me that.”

  “Okay, Romeo. Thanks for the advice.” Derick walked up the steps to his girlfriend’s house and slipped inside. Chris shook his head and laughed to himself. Rachel Miller didn’t scare him. She terrified the living shit out of him, and he was smart enough to stay away from things that could blow up in his face. And that was exactly what would happen if he ever told Rachel how he felt.

  Derick disarmed the security system after he walked in. Calling Gracie’s name as he entered, he waited until he heard her respond before turning the alarm back on. Watching her walk down the hall filled his heart with an unexpected feeling of happiness. There was no way that he ever wanted what they had together to change, and he would do whatever it took to make sure that they held onto to the magic that they had now. “False alarm. The man had nothing to do with the case.”

  “Thank you for taking care of it.” She took his hand and smiled into his face. “I’ve never had someone to count on to protect me, and having you means the world to me.”

  “Walking into this house and seeing you safe and sound is all I care about, and I will always make sure that you are safe and loved.”

  “My, my, Lieutenant. Those are some powerful words. Maybe you should come back and see your laundry all folded into neat stacks; I bet that will make you really fall for me.”

  Lifting her into his arms, he held her tightly as he walked toward the bedroom. “Nothing turns me on quite like a folded stack of boxers.”

  “Get ready, because you’re about to lose your very famous control.”

  “I hope so, Gracie. I hope so,”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Sunday

  Lying in bed, Gracie looked down at their legs and noticed the difference. Of course, the dissimilarity would be great, but seeing it in the morning light made her realize that it was a miracle that they were together at all. “I never thought I would find someone to spend my life with. I always assumed that I would end up alone and become an ‘Auntie Mame’ figure to my sister’s children. But this last week together gives me a glimpse of hope. That…you might take me on. As I am.”

  Rolling on his side, he took her hand in his and traced her fingers. “I felt the same way, except for the ‘Auntie Mame’ part. I saw you in the courtroom, and I knew. I’m not sure what exactly it was, but I had a feeling that we were going to mean something to one another. And I’m happy to know that I was right.”

  “I hope what we have now is something that we can hold onto as we move forward. I know that this sort of lusty craziness doesn’t last forever, but I would like to try and embrace it for as long as we can.”

  “I’ve recently been witness to a bunch of couples who started out fast and furious, and they seem to be holding onto the magic that they had in the beginning. When I was going through BUD/S, there was a certain mindset that almost guaranteed success. When I was trying to get commissioned through the Officer Candidate School, some of the men said that if you went in with a mindset that, ‘I will not fail; I will not give up,’ then you had a better chance than most. I went into the program knowing that they would have to drag my dead body out before I was going to quit. And I think that’s what got me through. I look at Mark and Birdie, Max and Rory, Travis and Cary, and I see men who went after what they wanted and are behaving in the same way they did when they were on the Teams. Do or die.”

  “So this is a way of life for you?”

  “Yeah, don’t be afraid of the circuses.”

  “I’m going to need more than that.”

  “In BUD/S, every day involved training that included multiple physical events—long runs, longer swims, obstacle courses, hours of calisthenics—something designed to test your mettle. Every event had standards, like times you had to meet. If you failed to meet those standards, your name was posted on a list and you were invited to a “circus.” A circus was two hours of additional calisthenics—designed to wear you down, to break your spirit, to force you to quit. No one wanted a circus. But at some point, everyone made the circus. The interesting thing about being in the circus was that every time you went, you got stronger and stronger. Life is filled with circuses. You will fail, and it will be discouraging, but you will also get up and try again. I’m not afraid of the extra work it is going to take to succeed, and I’m not afraid of the circus.”

  “Am I the circus in this story?”

  “No. But I’m not afraid of what it is going to take to succeed. The hard work doesn’t bother me, and I think marriage—hell, any partnership—is work, and that I can do. The hard part was finding you, and now that I have, the rest is going to be relatively easy.”

  “No one has ever described me as easy, but I guess it’s a good thing that the person who I plan on spending a lot of time with thinks so.” Running her hand up his chest, she realized that he was the one with the brave heart. He was the one who made this happen. Tilting her head to gaze into his eyes, she felt her heart catch. “You don’t appear to be a man who has a gentle bone in your body, and yet the way you are looking at me tells me you do.”

  �
�I do for you, Gracie.”

  “I wish that I could offer you something in the way that you’re offering me your protection. But I don’t know that I have anything.”

  Running his hand down her shoulder, he grinned. She had given a chance at a love that would last a lifetime. “Gracie, the only thing that I want is you.”

  “Oh, Derick. I’m not sure how it happened in a week, but you have made a home inside me. Somehow your steady hand and kind soul have become as necessary as air.”

  “Then my plan has worked. You are attached to me, and nothing is going to separate us. I wanted you to be mine, and now it seems you are.”

  “Yes, it does. As far as weeks go, this one was doozy. I wonder what else is in store for us?”

  “Nothing that we can’t handle together. Remember, don’t be afraid of the circus.” Derick laughed.

  “Even if I’m the one leading the spectacle?”

  Rolling on top of her, he framed her face with his hand and laughed. “I have a feeling that you’re going to give a whole new meaning to the concept.”

  Laughing, she leaned up and kissed him. “You have no idea, Derick. Brace yourself, because it’s never going to be boring.”

  “That’s what I’m counting on, Gracie.”

  THE END

  Laird

  &

  Lexi

  October 2015

  Laird & Lexi

  CHAPTER ONE

  Lexi walked off the elevator and rolled the stroller into the offices of Security Alliance International and let out a silent groan. Maybe delivering the cookies in person wasn’t such a good idea after all. Suddenly nervous, she glanced through the glass wall that separated the lobby from the beehive of activity behind it and wondered about her sanity. Laird was probably terribly busy doing important security type things, and he wouldn’t want to be bothered.

  Maybe she could just leave them with the receptionist and then take Bella down to the park. Excellent idea…drop them and run. As she approached the desk, she wondered if the man that had assisted her was as handsome as she remembered. Somehow, a picture of Laird as a super hero had lodged in her brain. And no matter what she did, she couldn’t change it. He probably didn’t even remember her or the day he helped her out.

  “What do you think, Bella?” Gazing at her beautiful daughter, she let out a small sigh. “Right, let’s make this quick and then head down to the park. There’s no need to see his face when he can’t remember us.” Pulling the tin of cookies out of the basket at the back of the stroller, she straightened and stood in front of the desk. “Hello, I was wondering if I could leave these for Laird Benson.”

  The receptionist gave her a friendly smile and then hit a couple of buttons on her phone. “I’ll give him a buzz and let him know you’re here.”

  “No, that’s not necessary. I’ll just leave them with you.” She was about to turn the stroller around when she realized that the receptionist was asking her something.

  “I’ve got him on the line. What is your name?”

  “My name is Lexi, but I doubt he would remember me. He helped me out with my car last month, and those are thank you cookies. He doesn’t have to interrupt his work day. I can just leave them here.”

  A tall man entered the lobby and stopped to listen in on the conversation. “Did you say those were thank you cookies? Like cookies you made in your kitchen?”

  Staring up at the imposing man with a military style haircut and tattoos covering his arms and hands, she took a step in front of her daughter’s stroller. “Yes…to both of your questions.”

  Slapping his hand on his leg, he let out a low moan. “First Chris gets cookies in his lunch, and now…who did you say those were for?”

  “I didn’t. I made them for Laird as a thank you for helping me out last month.”

  “Laird gets cookies. The man has no charm, and yet he gets a beautiful woman to make him cookies. I tell you, the world has gone crazy.”

  Muttering under her breath that the world wasn’t crazy, but he probably was, she slowly backed away from him and his strange obsession with cookies and started to roll her daughter’s stroller toward the door. “All right, then…I’ll be leaving.” As she released the brake on Bella’s stroller, she glanced up and watched Laird run down the hall. He was moving at full speed and shoved the door open and skidded to a stop in front of her. “I didn’t think such a big man could move that fast. Did you run track in high school?”

  Heart pounding one beat below heart-attack range, he tried to take a big gulp of breath. Get it together, man. Act cool. Okay, that probably wasn’t going to happen, since he ran at her like a twelve-year old kid. But he could try not to scare her. “Hi, Lexi. I’m so happy to see you.” Staring down at her, he realized she was more beautiful than he remembered. And taller…glancing down at her feet, he noticed she was wearing sandals that added three inches to her height. Damn, she had a great set of legs. “Is everything all right? Do you need me to help you with anything?” Placing his hand gently on her arm, he stared at her hopefully. Please, let me help you.

  “Hi, Laird. I just made some cookies to thank you for helping me out. I’m sorry it took me so long, but Bella and I have been busy, and time got away from us. One of her doctors is on the next block, so I thought I would come by today and drop them off. I baked two other batches, but I never made it over, so I ended up eating them.” Looking down at her daughter, she smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “Anyway…thanks.”

  David piped up from behind Laird. “I like cookies, so if you ever have extras, then you can give them to me.”

  Laird shoved his elbow back and missed David only by a millimeter. “David, quit scaring my friend. Go back to work and leave us alone.”

  Leaning slightly forward, Lexi lowered her voice and asked, “Does he always behave this way when there are baked goods around?”

  Feeling her shift closer, he became aware of her scent as it enveloped him. The smooth curve of her neck was revealed as she pushed her light brown hair over her shoulder. And he locked down his muscles to keep himself from inhaling her and then planting a kiss on her very smooth skin. That would be considered inappropriate before they had a date. Even he knew that. “Baked goods?”

  “Yes, he just told me about someone else who got cookies, and he seems slightly on edge about the whole thing.”

  Turning, he gave his friend a cursory glance. “Nah, I think he’s going through some sort of existential crisis. Don’t worry about him.” Hearing the baby fuss, he watched her bend over the stroller to check on her daughter and noticed the curve of her hip. Was it pervy to be turned on by a woman who was taking care of her child? No, probably not. He was fairly certain that she had no man in her life, so it wasn’t like he was trying to poach. That was a hard and fast rule for him, and one he would never break. All the research he’d done on her suggested that she and her daughter were alone. So, admiring her was probably okay.

  “Well, that’s my cue. Bella’s done, so we’re going to head out.”

  She held her hand out and smiled. “Thanks for your help last month. I want you to know that I renewed my Triple A, so Bella and I will be safe on the road.”

  Holding her hand gently in his, he grinned down at her. “Consider putting my number in your phone, and you can call me whenever you need something. I’m much better than Triple A.” Her smile froze on her face and he realized that might have been too much. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Don’t scare her off. “So…can I take you ladies to lunch?” Peering into the stroller, he smiled at Bella and noticed her eyes grow big. Maybe seeing a large man’s face loom over your stroller wasn’t comforting? He straightened up. “There are lots of good places nearby.”

  Placing her hand on his forearm, she shook her head. “No, thanks. We’re heading down to the park for some fresh air. We’ve spent the morning at her cardiologist, and I don’t think she has any more good manners left in her. I want to give her lunch and some fresh air, and then we’
ll head home for therapy.”

  “Okay, I’ll grab some sandwiches for us, and we can enjoy the sunshine. There is a great deli next door.” Smiling confidently, he placed his hand on the small of her back as though to lead her out of the office. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight without spending some time with her first and seeing if his dreams lived up to reality. So far they had. “Are you ready?” She nodded faintly and he silently congratulated himself. Assume success as the only outcome. It had been his attitude on the Teams for sixteen years, and he didn’t see any reason to change it now. Turning, he grabbed the tin of cookies and gave David a glare. “Better take these with us.”

  Bella let out a sharp sound of protest as Rachel rolled the stroller out of the office. Stopping outside the doors, she got her daughter out. “What’s up, buttercup? Tired of being in your stroller?” Lexi lifted Bella out of her stroller and cradled her head as she checked her diaper. “She is still fresh, so she must be hungry.” Holding Bella in one arm, she pushed the stroller with the other when Laird slipped his hand under hers and lifted it.

  “Let me push the stroller, since you’ve got your hands full.” He watched her debate with herself and then relinquished it reluctantly. “See, I’m handy to have around.” Placing a hand on the small of her back, he led them to the elevator. “So, how did the appointment with the cardiologist go this morning?”

  Glancing up, she tried to determine how interested he was in the answer. Did he just see her as someone who needed saving? Well, she didn’t need saving. She was just fine.

  Hugging Bella closer, she felt his gaze drag down her body. Perhaps it wasn’t about saving at all. Was it possible that he was interested in her as a woman? A warm rush of pleasure filled her chest at the thought of this very handsome man possible being interested in her. A man hadn’t noticed her in over two years. As a single mother of a daughter with special needs, she wasn’t used to a man looking at her like he wanted to kiss her. Laird was staring as though he was making a plan to consume her and, as soon as he figured one out, he was going to do it. “It went well. Thank you for asking.”