That sounded so wrong. In many ways it was. Walker had missed the hell out of her. Thought about her. Imagined touching her, running his fingers through that soft hair and over that silky skin.
But drilling down to the truth, Beck’s call brought him back. Walker had assumed his relationship with Mallory would be the easy part. Looked like he got that exactly wrong. “I expected to . . . you know. Talk to her and get everything right back on track.” Pick up right where they left off.
“You mean sex.” Declan interpreted as if he’d heard Walker’s thoughts. “Let’s examine this.”
“No.”
Not that the denial stopped Declan. “You left her without talking to her, lied to her about who you are and now come back without warning her first.”
Callen leaned in on both elbows. “Then there’s the part where he apparently likes funky shit in bed.”
All three older men at the next table turned around and stared at Walker on that one. The waitress who’d finally been headed to their table with a water pitcher did another turnaround and walked the other way. If she heard Declan’s groan, she didn’t let on.
This was just fucking fantastic. “Can you keep your voice down?”
Callen didn’t bother to hide his amusement. “Probably but yelling that was more fun.”
“You made all of those mistakes, did all of that, but still think you don’t need to crawl and beg?” Still not waiting for an answer, Declan turned to Callen. “He really is a dumb bastard.”
The name-calling could stop any time now. But rather than let them know it bugged him, because that would guarantee they prolonged the torture, Walker tried another tack. “Once she calms down we can have a rational discussion.”
Declan’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding?”
“Can we be there for that?” Callen asked at the same time.
The double-team was getting old. Walker grabbed for his last ounce of patience. “Why?”
“Admittedly we’re not close, but I think it might take at least two of us to keep her from killing you.” Callen made a face that suggested he doubted the saving could be done at all. “We’ll need reinforcements, but since pretty much every woman in town is on her side we might not be able to save you. Though I’m not convinced you’re worth saving. I’m tempted to kick your ass over this Mallory situation.”
“You two have a weird relationship,” Declan said.
“Right now it makes more sense than the one Walker has with her.”
“True.” Declan nodded. “Walker is a dead man.”
Walker refused to believe his relationship with Mallory had reached that point. He’d kept things from her and sucked at communication but . . . the pitying expressions Declan and Callen kept throwing made something inside Walker shrivel. “Things are not that bad between us.”
“What did you hear her say a few minutes ago?” Declan scoffed. “Because I heard a really angry woman blow you off.”
Callen interrupted right before Walker could answer. “She also mentioned something about you using your hand.”
“She didn’t say anything that can’t be taken back.” Walker said the words but he wasn’t sure he believed them.
Callen slumped back in his seat, all signs of pity gone. “This is going to be fun to watch.”
“You’re not watching anything.” This talk in the diner was almost too much for Walker to stand. Anything more would send him hurtling over the edge.
Declan nodded. “Oh, yeah we are.”
Time to lay down the law, and Walker had the badge to do it. At least for now. “I don’t want you there, or anywhere near me.”
“Tough.” That’s it. One word was all Callen said. He just dropped it and sat there, baiting, as if pushing for Walker to challenge him.
Walker didn’t make him wait. The shields rose inside as fury washed over him. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Declan slapped Walker on the shoulder. “Welcome to the family.”
Chapter Three
Callen had to wait all day to get Grace alone. He blamed Walker. Biological brother or not, the guy needed a shitload of help in the female department. Callen hardly considered himself an expert when it came to the women in town, or any women, but at least he was smart enough to know when to duck. Walker seemed to lack that gene.
Grace rested her head on his shoulder as her arms wrapped around his waist. “I could sleep for a month.”
Not exactly Callen’s plans for the evening. “Well, that’s a shame.”
She laughed, and the light, happy sound vibrated against his chest. “I’m assuming you had something different in mind for tonight.”
“I’m fine just holding you.” And that was the truth. Being with her trumped everything else. He loved her more with each day, and seeing her grow bigger, watching that belly pop out, filled him with a protectiveness he’d never expected.
“That sort of romantic talk is going to get you just about anything you want.”
He smiled against her hair. The scent of her shampoo filled his head as his hand wandered down to the small of her back.
They stood in the middle of the kitchen at Shadow Hill, just in front of the butcher block island. The rain had moved in and stopped Callen’s outside work. Climbing up on the roof didn’t shake him but Grace had pulled into the driveway, seen him and had a fit. He decided that was a good sign for their future. Not wanting him to break his neck was a huge step forward from where they were a month ago.
After messing up so big with her, not trusting her and abandoning her at the beginning of her pregnancy, he’d turned a corner. He hadn’t known about the baby because he’d made it impossible for her to tell him right away. He got that now.
They’d moved on and through the long desperate days to get to a great place, which was why he proposed. One day soon she’d say yes, but he had to fully earn her trust back first. He got that, too.
The back door banged open and Mallory’s frustrated voice rang out. “Break it up.”
Before the identity of the intruder registered in Callen’s brain, he’d spun around and pushed Grace behind him. Seeing Mallory standing there with her hands balled into fists, Callen knew his daily dealing with a Walker issue had not ended.
A cool wind blew through the room and Grace shivered behind him. “Could you close the door?” Callen asked.
Mallory didn’t break eye contact as she kicked her leg behind her. The door slammed shut a second later.
“Oh, Callen.” Grace’s hand curled around his arm as she moved next to him. “What did you do?”
“This time? Nothing.” He conducted a mental run through the diner incident and didn’t flinch. No, this one was all on Walker.
Mallory stepped further into the room and leaned back against the white farmhouse sink. “You were laughing it up with Walker in the diner.”
“Callen.” Grace’s hold tightened.
This was bad. One woman looked at him without blinking for what seemed like ten minutes. Another had a death grip on his forearm. Usually he deserved the wrath. Not today.
“Okay, wait.” He held up a hand as if that would stop Hurricane Mallory. “That didn’t happen.”
She folded her arms across her stomach. “Explain.”
Callen eyed up Mallory then glanced at Grace as he dropped his voice to a whisper. “She’s scary.”
With a kiss on his cheek, Grace circled around him and sat at the head of the kitchen table. “That’s what I like about her.” She patted the wooden top as if welcoming Mallory to join her. When that didn’t happen, Grace pointed. “Sit. Now.”
The order wasn’t directed at him but he followed it. Sat down and waited for Mallory to take the seat across from him before offering an explanation.
“Declan and I saw Walker in the diner. We went in to . . .” Okay, yeah, this is where the conversation could go sideways on him. Callen stopped talking but from Grace’s raised eyebrow he knew he’d put on the brakes too late.
There was no way to pretty it up now, so Callen didn’t try. “Give him shit about what a mess his life is.”
Grace frowned. “Was that necessary?”
Some of the tension eased from Mallory’s shoulders as she leaned back in her chair. “I’m actually fine with that. Walker deserves to get hit with a load of shit.”
A rush of relief hit Callen out of nowhere. He’d wrangled with gritty construction workers in his past and fought with shitty bosses, all while spending far too many hours in dive bars during his life. None of that knocked him off stride, but the women in the room had the power to do just that.
“Honestly?” He hoped the next two minutes wouldn’t result in him getting his ass kicked for being too paternalistic or controlling or something. “We were letting him know that you would probably kill him over his behavior.”
“You think I’m overreacting.” Mallory’s voice still vibrated with what sounded like fury.
“No even a little.” And he didn’t. He’d watched Mallory and Walker circle each other not realizing they were in some sort of relationship. That piece of covert information made Walker’s decision-making seem even worse. “I offered to inflict some pain on your behalf.”
Mallory’s shoulders fell the rest of the way back to normal. “That’s sweet of you.”
Grace frowned. “Is it?”
“Sure. The willingness to do violence appeals to me as a friendship skill,” Mallory said. “But there’s no need because I’m not going to waste my time on him. Not one more minute.”
That made sense to Callen. Walker was not an easy man. A lot of his actions bordered on pure male douchery. Callen now understood why Walker carried that load of attitude around with him, but it didn’t make him any more likeable.
“Yeah, right.” Grace snorted. “You talk tough but I’m skeptical.”
Callen slowly turned to face the love of his life, wondering if she’d finally lost her mind. “Did you miss the part where I called Mallory scary?”
He may as well have been in another part of town. Grace ignored him, keeping her attention focused on Mallory. “She’s actually not all that strong when it comes to Walker.”
Mallory dropped her hands to the table and leaned in. “Excuse me?”
The potential battle struck Callen as dangerous. “I would just remind everyone that Grace is pregnant.”
Mallory smiled. “She can’t use that excuse for everything.”
Wait a second . . . No one told him that. “She can’t?”
Grace waved them both off. “Sure I can.”
“You might have civilized this one . . .” Mallory hitched a thumb in his general direction. “Well, a little.” She spared him a glance that ended in a frown. “But that doesn’t mean you know about me and Walker.”
Grace being Grace, she did not back down. “I know you fell hard for him. I know you’ve been sleeping with him for months, for long before anyone around here knew.”
Callen loved to watch Grace when she acted like this. Her tenacity had kept them together when he’d been dumb enough to leave her. He walked and she hunted him down. Gave him no choice but to be part of his unborn child’s life and vowed to stay in town to make that happen. That stubbornness, that rock-hard belief in their relationship, changed everything for him.
After seeing how far she would go he knew he could live without her or fight off his feelings one more minute. And now she lived with him at Shadow Hill, which was damn near perfect.
He had to wonder if Grace could bend Mallory to her will as easily.
“One correction.” Mallory held up a finger, as if she were preparing a lecture. “Slept. Past tense. We are not having sex, or anything, now.”
“That’s not exactly a denial.” The words slipped out before he could stop them. The death glare from Mallory had him quieting down again. A smart man sat back and listened in times like these. “Sorry.”
Grace did not let it go. She put her elbows on the table and leaned in, matching her stance with Mallory’s. “Are you telling me that was all just fun with Walker and meant nothing?”
“Exactly.” Mallory answered before Grace finished her question.
A sharp silence cut through the kitchen. A few seconds ticked by but they may as well have been hours from the uncomfortable heaviness pressing down on the room.
“Liar.” Grace delivered the word with the force of a verbal punch.
Finally, when the air turned tight and the quiet highlighted the low hum of the refrigerator, Mallory let out an exaggerated sigh. “Your girlfriend is a pain in the ass.”
With that, the energy buzzing around the room eased. The air actually felt thinner than it had a second ago. None of that made him lose his common sense. “I’m not responding to that.”
“Because you’re afraid she’ll kick you out of the bedroom?” The anger seeped out of Mallory bit by bit, leaving her voice first.
“Hell, yeah.” He was not a complete idiot.
Grace patted his hand and gave him a little wink. “You’re safe.”
“May I come in?” Walker knocked on the back door as he entered.
Apparently everyone felt welcome just showing up at Shadow Hill. Callen wasn’t sure he loved that.
“No.” Mallory barked out the response as her body stiffened.
She hadn’t even turned around, which meant Walker couldn’t see her expression. The harsh lines on her usually smooth face. The tightness around her mouth. Yeah, if Walker caught a glimpse of what was about to hit him, he’d run. Any sane man would.
Knowing what was about to happen Callen couldn’t resist inviting Walker into the fray. “Sure.” When Grace shot him a dropped mouth you’re-an-idiot glare, Callen slipped right back to the defensive. “What? He’s family now.”
Walker shook his head. “Stop saying that.”
The guy needed a lesson in gratitude. Right after he figured out women, he could get to that, though Callen doubted Walker would willingly work on any of his obvious flaws.
It was like looking in a mirror and watching his struggle from five years ago. Walker lagged behind and Callen had no idea how to help him . . . or if he even wanted to. “I think you’re ignoring enough things in your personal life without adding the family bond to them.”
“I knew I shouldn’t have come here.” Walker stepped inside but his hand stayed on the doorknob.
Mallory picked at a nick in the tabletop. Her dark purple fingernail traced the scar. “Why did you?”
“I followed you.” Walker kept his voice low and steady.
The comment sounded sincere. It actually made Callen feel bad for the guy.
Mallory glanced over her shoulder at Walker. “Is that supposed to be romantic?”
He winced. “Yes?”
“Damn, man. Don’t answer that.” Watching Walker operate made Callen’s head hurt. No man could be this bad at dealing with women. Kind of made Callen feel bad for the guy and want to help. “Stay down and play dead.”
“That might be how your relationship works—”
Grace, who had been quiet as she shifted her attention from Mallory to Walker, sat up straight. “Hey, watch it. You say one nasty thing about my relationship with Callen and I will end you. I’m on your side, remember?”
“Not mine?” Mallory asked.
“I actually think they’re the same.”
Mallory hesitated before looking at Walker again. “And go back for a second. You mentioned a relationship. Are you in one? With whom?”
This is what happened when a guy wasn’t careful. Callen had seen it a thousand times and lived through it for weeks as he scrambled to win Grace back. “I tried to warn you to shut up.”
Walker ignored Callen. Ignored everyone but Mallory as he pointed to the back door. “Can we talk outside?”
“Fine.” Mallory stood up. “Let’s get it over with so I can move on.”
Callen thought about warning them about the rain c
oming down out there but decided they might not even notice as they argued. “We’ll wait ten minutes before calling an ambulance.”
“Don’t help me,” Walker said as he held the door open for Mallory.
He didn’t intend to originally but now Callen didn’t think he had a choice. Walker was just so bad at this. “What are brothers for?”
***
Walker held on to his anger until they stepped onto the porch and into the quiet night. He could hear the mumble of conversation from the kitchen and ignored it. The rain pelted the roof and the smell of wet grass covered everything, but his sole focus stayed on the woman in front of him.
Mallory stood with her back to him as she stared out into the darkness of the yard and trees beyond. The tights, the slim skirt . . . that sweater. It all worked for him. Sometimes just seeing her turned his mind to mush and his dick hard. Even now, all whipped up with rage and spitting at him, the wanting pulsed hard inside him.
Complex, beautiful, sexy as hell and full of fury, she was his Mallory. Part of what attracted him so much from the beginning—that life, the energy and refusal to hide in the shadows—worked against him now. Last thing he needed was a broadcast about his sex life in this house. “We don’t need to fight in front of them.”
She spun around with her arms still clenched around her and her jacket hanging open regardless of the storm. “You think you get to give me orders?”
No man with half a brain would answer that question. “You’re angry. I get that.”
Her head fell to the side and she eyed him up with the same disdain she usually held for a spider right before she squashed it. “Do you have any idea how patronizing you sound?”
He was trying to be realistic. Practical even. “I’m back now. In town, I mean.”
“And?”
Fresh air wasn’t working. He stepped toward the door to usher her back inside again. “Why don’t we go—”
“If you say go to my place you will die.”
He wanted to throw up his hands. Maybe issue an order or two. He went for an honest reaction: that of the confused male. “I don’t understand why you’re so upset.”
Callen and Declan seemed to know. They’d hit him with warning after warning, in between all the bullshit comments. Walker got that he could have handled this better but her temper was spiking off the charts. That struck him as overkill, which he didn’t specifically say because he had a feeling that would make everything worse.
Too Far Gone Page 3