“I’ll try,” she whispers, and my eyes close as I press my forehead to hers. Feeling her hand rest against my jaw, I open them back up and meet her gaze. She doesn’t say anything, but neither do I. Leaning in, her lips touch mine and her tongue touches my bottom lip. I don’t think as I deepen the kiss and roll her to her back. Settling myself between her legs, I spend the next half an hour making love to her, which means I’m late getting to the gym to meet Tide. Not that I give a fuck.
~**~
Stepping out onto the deck three days later, I lean against the rail with my cup of coffee in hand and watch Gia, who’s wearing jeans, a hoodie, and sneakers, attempt to get Loki to play fetch with her. He has no idea what the hell fetch is, but he does like the fact that when he runs and gets the ball, she chases him around to get it back. Shaking my head at the two of them, I smile into my mug. She’s been trying to teach him fetch for the last two days, since she learned he didn’t know how. He still hasn’t gotten the hang of it, and at this point, I don’t know if he ever will. Then again, she’s determined, so who the hell knows?
“Loki, come here, boy.” She pats her thighs, and he comes toward her but stops a few steps away with the yellow tennis ball sticking halfway out of his mouth. “Drop the ball,” she instructs. He doesn’t drop it; he backs up a step then takes off again, running away from her. Flinging her hands up into the air in frustration, she takes off after him once more, making me chuckle.
“Dimples, I think you’re fighting a losing battle,” I inform her when Loki runs off into the woods, and her eyes come to where I’m standing and she smiles huge. God, I’m so fucking done for when it comes to her, and I don’t even care.
“He’ll get it eventually,” she tells me, coming toward the deck. “I still don’t get why you didn’t teach him how to play fetch when he was a puppy.”
“He wasn’t a puppy when I got him. I picked him up at the pound after I moved out here.”
“I didn’t know that,” she says after coming up the steps and taking the coffee cup from my hands to take a sip.
Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pull her closer to me then kiss the side of her head, saying, “Now you know.”
“Now I know,” she agrees, tipping her head back toward me. Seeing her offer, I take her up on it and touch my lips to hers. “What time are we supposed to head to your parents’ place?”
“Dinner’s at six, but mom usually wants everyone there at four to help get set up.”
Pulling her cell phone out of her back pocket, she hits the button to light up the screen and checks the time. “I should go shower and get ready,” she murmurs, putting her phone away when she sees it’s already 2:30 p.m.
“I could help you out with that.”
“I’m sure you could, or you could distract me from actually getting ready. Which would mean we would be late to your parents’.”
“Would I do that?” I ask innocently, while sliding my hand up the back of her sweatshirt then down into her jeans, grabbing a handful of her ass in the process.
“Did you not make me late for work yesterday because of the same reason?” she prompts, sounding slightly breathless, and I smile remembering taking her in the kitchen after she ate a bowl of cereal. Then again in the shower, against the wall.
“You weren’t even fifteen minutes late,” I remind her, and her eyes drop to my mouth.
“The answer is no. I don’t want to make a bad first impression on your family,” she says, sounding like she wishes we had more time.
“My family already loves you.”
“I haven’t met your brothers yet,” she reminds me of something I know. She’s nervous about something she shouldn’t be. My brothers will see in her exactly what she is—a sweet and kind woman who is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.
“If we were late, my brothers would understand why once they saw you.”
“Seriously, you didn’t just say that.”
“Dimples, you’re beautiful and you have a body that takes time and dedication. Believe me, I’m dedicated to the job I was given when you gave yourself to me.”
“I can’t even deal with you right now,” she laughs, rolling her eyes and taking another sip from my coffee before handing it back to me. “It shouldn’t take me long to get ready. Maybe while I’m doing that, you can try to teach Loki how to play fetch.”
“Not likely.” I transfer the coffee mug so I can wrap my hand around her ponytail and tip her head back. “Let me know if you need help.”
“I’ll let you know.” She smiles before I kiss her. Reluctantly letting her go, I watch her head into the house before I walk around to the garage. Punching in the code for the door, I look at the mess on the side of the garage where my Suburban had been parked. The space is now filled with boxes and some furniture from her grandmother’s place, things she needs to go through, and donate. We took some clothes to her grandmother, but there is a lot that still needs to be washed before she can wear it, since it still smells like smoke.
Walking past the stacks of boxes, I go to the back wall where my gun vault is and punch in the code for the door, wanting to get some cash so I don’t have to use my card to get gas. Opening it up, I frown when I don’t see my gun where I put it after the last time I had it out. “What the fuck?” Looking though my stuff, I notice that nothing else is missing, not even the stack of money lying on top of a box of bullets. Pulling out my cell phone, I dial my dad’s number and wait.
“What’s up?” he asks as soon as he answers, and I look down at my boots, rubbing the back of my neck.
“Did you or did Mom by chance take my nine from my vault in my garage?”
“What?” he asks, sounding confused.
“My gun is missing. My nine-millimeter. The one you got me for Christmas four years ago.”
“It’s missing? I didn’t take it. Hold on. Let me ask your mom,” he says, and I hear him move around then shout to wherever my mom is, asking her the same question I asked him. “She said she didn’t take it.”
“What the fuck?” I lift my head and stare at the place it used to be.
“Is anything else missing?”
“Nothing, not even my stack of money I keep in the safe.”
“You need to call the cops to let them know.”
“Right,” I mutter, wondering who the fuck would have the code to my vault and why the fuck they would take just that gun when there are five others in there that are worth a whole lot more. And that’s not even including the thousand dollars in cash I always keep in there.
“You want me to come down to you?”
“No, I’ll take care of it.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” I sigh into the phone. “I’ll see you in a couple hours and let you know then what the cops say.”
“All right,” he says, as I hang up.
Searching online, I find the number for the sheriff’s station and call them directly, not wanting to dial 911 when it’s not an emergency. I’m transferred to a Detective Mitchell, and I let him know about the gun and give him the serial number and information. I thankfully don’t have to go in to see him in person, but he promises to let me know if the gun turns up.
Once I hang up with him, I reprogram the code for the door of the vault with a different combination, then head inside. That missing gun is setting off alarm bells like crazy, making my skin prickle and my gut twist. Wanting to check on Gia, I head up to my room where I expect to find her getting ready. She’s not there, and I know she didn’t come back outside, so I head back downstairs and open the door to the room she had been using. Finding her in the bathroom standing in front of the sink, wearing a T-shirt and nothing else, I lean against the doorjamb and watch her as she curls her hair.
“You could have gotten ready upstairs,” I inform her when her eyes meet mine in the mirror.
“My stuff is all down here,” she retorts, and I try not to let that bother me even though it does. I don’t want
her shit down here. I want it in my space, next to my stuff, but I also know I shouldn’t push too hard to get my way, even though everything in me wants to do just that.
“Are you okay?” she asks after a minute, and I pull my eyes off her hair to look at her eyes.
“Yeah,” I lie, and her head tips to the side.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” I step up behind her and wrap my hand around her waist, dropping my face to her neck. I breathe in her scent, letting it take away the feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“I should be ready in fifteen minutes or so. Do you mind if we head out a few minutes early so I can stop at the store on the way, to pick up some flowers for your mom?”
“You don’t have to get my mom flowers.” I smile, and her hands come to rest over mine against her stomach.
“I know I don’t have to, but it’s something my mom would do if she were going to dinner at someone’s house, and I like the idea of doing it too,” she says, and my gut twists for a different reason.
“We’ll stop,” I promise, kissing her neck then lifting my head to look at her in the mirror. As much as I love the fact that she’s willing to open up to me about her parents, I hate the sadness I see in her eyes when she talks about them.
“If I’m going to get ready, I’m going to need you to let me go,” she whispers after a moment. Turning her in my arms I kiss her, then let her go to finish getting ready.
Heading up to the loft, I change my shirt and call my dad back, letting him know what the detective said. Before I hang up, I tell him not to say anything about it in front of Gia, since I don’t want her to worry. She’s already dealing with enough and I hate that some of the stuff she’s dealing with is because of me. Lisa hasn’t been back to the bar or done anything else to Gia, but a couple of days ago, her friends came into the bar trying to fill Gia’s head with bullshit when one of my friends from the military was in town for a visit.
By the time I get back downstairs, Gia is standing in the kitchen, wearing a pair of dark jeans that are tight and cuffed at the ankle, with black heeled boots. They’re the same ones she wore the day we met. She also has on a cream-colored soft-looking sweater that has a deep V cut out of the back with strips of black satin material going across, keeping it together. Turning toward me when she hears my boots hit the wood floors, she smiles and I notice that, for the first time since I met her, she’s wearing makeup. It’s not a lot, but the effect is enough to make a difference in the brightness of her eyes and the fullness of her already plump lips.
“You look gorgeous,” I tell her, and she smiles while her eyes soften.
“Thank you.” She tips her head back for a kiss once I’m close, something I’ve become used to her doing this last week. Anytime she wants my mouth, her head tips back and her eyes lock with mine, letting me know silently what she wants. I fucking love that she gives that to me.
“Just so you know, your rules don’t apply when we’re at my parents’ house. I can and will kiss you whenever I want.”
“Not in front of your parents,” she denies with a smile while shaking her head.
“I’m not agreeing to that, baby,” I mutter, sliding her hair over her shoulder and kissing her neck. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah, I just want to put out some food for Loki, since he’s refusing to come inside to eat,” she mumbles, and I smile, watching her fill his bowl with dry food.
“I told you he’s his own dog,” I say, taking the bowl from her once she’s done and going to the front door. I set the bowl down outside and whistle for Loki to come. He bounds up the steps and starts to eat. Giving his head a rub, I shut the door behind me then pull my coat off the hook and put it on. Grabbing her black, short leather jacket, I help her with it then watch her loop the thick cream-and-gold scarf she knitted the other day from the yarn Mom got her, around her neck.
“Ready?” I ask, and her eyes meet mine.
“As ready as I’m going to get.”
Taking her hand, I lead her out the front door to where my Suburban is parked then help her in. Once she’s situated, I shut the door, jog around to the driver’s side and get in behind the wheel. After starting up the engine, I drive us into town and stop to get gas then stop once again at the local grocery store, since the flower shop isn’t open on Sundays. It takes Gia longer to pick out flowers than it does for us to get to town, so by the time we hit the highway to my parents’ place, it’s already after four, which I know is making her more anxious.
“It’s going to be okay, so you can stop looking at the door like you’re thinking about opening it and jumping out onto the highway,” I tell her while reaching over and grabbing her hand, bringing it to rest on my thigh.
“I wasn’t thinking about doing that,” she grumbles under her breath, making me smile.
“Have you ever had dinner with a boyfriend’s family before?” I ask, and her hand, under mine, convulses on the word boyfriend.
“No… I…” She clears her throat. “I’ve never really had a boyfriend.”
“What?” I question in shock, glancing over at her quickly before looking at the road once more.
“I’ve never had a boyfriend before. I’ve dated some, but nothing ever serious.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No.” I see her shift in her seat.
“Babe, how the fuck is that possible?” I wonder how in the world a woman who looks like her, acts like her, and dresses like her hasn’t had a serious man in her life before now.
“I don’t know. It just never happened.”
“You know that’s what this is, right?” I question, just to make sure she’s clear on what’s happening between us.
“I didn’t know,” she admits, and one hand tightens around the steering wheel while the other does the same around hers, that I’m still holding onto.
“Well that’s what this is. I’m your man, your boyfriend, your significant other. Whatever the fuck you want to call me, that’s what I am to you.”
“Significant other?” she repeats, and I hear the smile in her voice, but I ignore that and stay focused.
“This is more than us sleeping together,” I say, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice but failing to do so. “Do you understand that?”
“I understand,” she whispers, and I grunt. “We never talked about it,” she defends, and I shake my head.
“I didn’t think we needed to. You’ve been in my bed for awhile now, and before that, we had dinner together almost every night, gone out together, and spent a fuck’ov a lot of time together.”
“I didn’t want to assume this was more serious than it was, even if I wanted it to be that serious,” she replies, and I glance at her again, seeing her worrying her bottom lip.
“Baby, you need to start talking to me about shit if it’s bothering you or if you have questions. Don’t ever be afraid to ask me about anything when it has to do with us.”
“Okay,” she agrees, and I let out a breath.
“How is it possible that you make me so fucking happy and so fucking crazy at the same time?” I ask the windshield.
Her hand squeezes mine and I glance at her quickly before turning down my parents’ driveway. “I’m glad. I mean, I’m not glad I make you crazy, but I’m glad you want to be…” She pauses like she’s not sure how to say the next words. “My boyfriend.”
Laughing, I mutter, “Good, Dimples. I’m glad you’re happy about it, since it would suck for you to be stuck with me anyways, because there is no way in hell I’m letting you go.”
“You’re… you’re not letting me go.”
“Nope.”
“Oh,” she says as we pull up in front of my parents’ place.
Parking and shutting down the engine, I reach over and unhook her belt then wrap my hand around the back of her neck to bring her closer to me. Looking into her concern-filled eyes, I shake my head. “Do not start freaking out about us.”
“
I’m not freaking out about us.”
“Good,” I state, even though I can tell she’s lying. Sliding my hand off her neck, I move it up and capture her chin between my fingers. “Nothing has changed.” I dip my head and touch my lips to hers. “Now, are you ready to meet my brothers?” I ask, and the worry that slipped out of her eyes after our kiss comes back. “They’re standing outside waiting for us, so you’ve lost your chance to run.”
Her head flies around to see what I saw moments ago, which is both my brothers standing on the front porch, watching us. “Oh my God,” she whispers, and I chuckle.
Moving back, I open my door, hop out, and head around to her side. Taking the flowers from her, I help her down from the cab. I hand her the flowers back and wrap my arm around her waist, leading her up toward the porch.
“Guys, this is Gia. Gia, my brother Cade.” I nod toward him as we head up the steps. Cade has the same dark hair and eyes as me, but is shorter by a few inches. He’s also built like a bulldog, since he works out all the time so he can stay in shape for his job as a police officer. “And my brother Carson.” I lift my chin in his direction when we make it to the top of the porch. Carson has my same height and build, but he was given Mom’s reddish blonde hair—something he hated growing up, but something he now couldn’t care less about, since it has never stopped him from getting any woman he sets his sights on.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Gia says, and Carson grins, pulling her from me and tugging her into a hug, where she awkwardly pats his back.
“Nice to finally meet you, Gia,” he tells her, letting her go, and Cade shakes his head, shoving Carson away.
“Mom hasn’t stopped talking about you,” Cade says, giving her a hug as well—his much quicker than Carson’s.
“Where are the girls?” I ask Cade.
“Janet had to run to the store to pick up some more beer, so the girls are inside helping Mom cook while simultaneously destroying the kitchen.”
“I should go help,” Gia murmurs, and I tip my head down to her.
“Sure, baby.” I keep hold of her when she tips her head back to offer up her mouth, making it clear that it’s okay for me to kiss her in front of my brothers. After touching my mouth to hers, I drop my hand from her waist. “I’ll be in in a second.”
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