by Nina Crespo
“All right. Since you put it that way.” She moved the slice his way, but at the last minute she popped it into her mouth.
His shocked laugh shot out. “Oh, you’re going to pay for that.” In one swift move, he pinned her down. The heat of his bare chest seeped through her cropped tee. “What’s that smile about?”
“I’m adding your laugh to the list of things I like about you.” The new list she’d started to replace the hell-no criteria.
“Is that so?” His erection swelled through his sweatpants and pushed against her lace-covered sex. “You really need to add something else to that list.”
Desire flooded through her middle. “How do you know it’s not already on it?”
He chuckled. “I just don’t want to be on the list, beautiful. I’m an overachiever. I’m aiming for spots one, two, and three.” He brushed a kiss just below her ear.
“Oh…” Heat flushed into her breasts as he ground his hips.
“And I’m willing to work hard and long to convince you.”
A few key words and she wanted to rip his clothes off.
He rolled to the side. “After dinner.”
Damn. Did they have to hang around for dessert?
Reid leaned against the headboard. “I get the feeling if we don’t show, someone’s going to break the door down.” Lightheartedness faded from his gaze.
“Hey.” She rubbed his arm. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“I’m a good listener if you need to talk.”
His lip flattened with a small scowl.
Seconds passed in an awkward silence.
She shouldn’t have assumed. When he’d tried to talk to her before, she’d refused to listen.
He sighed. “The last time the guys and I were together was the day Thane left. Some hard shit had gone down. I was upset at Dalir. This last mission I went on wasn’t cleared.”
She sat beside him. “But you had a good reason for going, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but it was in anger. West knew I was going, but I should have talked it out with the entire team, not just left. I took a risk and there could have been consequences.” He wrapped an arm around her. “If I hadn’t made it to you, I wouldn’t have found Thane. This whole situation could have turned out differently.”
They wouldn’t have discovered each other again, but that’s not what he meant. It was selfish of her to see it that way. “Do you think they’re angry?”
“No, but they have a right to be. They’re my brothers, my family, and I feel like I let them down.”
“But doesn’t family forgive?”
Her father’s face flashed in. Pot meet kettle. She’d gone to the cabin looking for reasons, answers, but had found frustration. Was forgiveness what she should have searched for instead?
“Yeah. Kell sure as hell didn’t see it that way.”
Without the bruises and broken bones, it was easy to forget Reid had experienced pain at her expense. Good sex didn’t equal clearing the air. They needed to talk about it.
He kissed her temple. “We should get up.”
She snuggled closer to his chest. “One more minute.” Solid, strong, and back with her in the here and now. She wasn’t ready to share him yet. If only she could just lie here with him. Make love with him. Let his heartbeat lull her to sleep.
He held her tighter as if he could read her thoughts.
A dampening mood settled in with the dusk-laden shadows. She wanted to keep talking. Sort out their future, but he needed to see his friends and Dalir. They came first.
He tipped up her chin. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Listening. Caring. Out of all the things that went wrong, finding you is the only part that was right.”
His bone-melting kiss brought back the past twenty-four hours. Not about the ugliness, but when all that was good fell into place.
They got dressed.
He intertwined their fingers as they emerged from seclusion and entered the living room. Reid’s team members embraced her as they introduced themselves and swarmed Reid.
Colby wacked him teasingly on the head. “I knew we couldn’t get rid of you that easily.”
“Welcome back, brother.” West and Mace thumped his back.
Reid exchanged grins and bro nods with Thane.
Celine scooted between the guys and gave Lauren a hug. “Hey, you.” She took her hand. “I thought you were never coming out. Not that I blame you. Come on.”
Lauren followed her to the kitchen. The aromas of tomato sauce, oregano, and garlic made her mouth water. “It smells amazing in here.”
“The guys cooked Reid’s favorite meal and set up a table on the front lawn. They wouldn’t let me do anything. The food will be ready soon. This should tide you over.”
Lauren took a roll from a basket Celine nudged her way and tore off a piece. The warm, fluffy bite practically melted in her mouth. “Hmm. Who made these?”
“Colby did. From scratch.”
Lauren accepted butter and slathered it on. “Wow.”
“I know. My thoughts exactly.” Celine toyed with the checkered cloth napkin covering the basket. “I’m glad you helped Reid. I have to admit, when Thane told me what you’d gone to do, I was worried.”
“I’m sorry. I should have woke you up, but all I could think about was getting to him.”
“You don’t have to apologize. You had to help Reid. How is he?”
“Honestly, I don’t know.” Lauren tore the rest of the roll in half and handed one of the pieces to Celine. “He’s very good at distraction, if you know what I mean.”
“I do.” Celine gave her a rueful smile. “Thane is like that, too, and I fall for it every time. You know how guys are about sharing their feelings or admitting weakness. Now that Reid’s with his friends, maybe he’ll open up to them.”
But shouldn’t she and Reid explore their feelings about the kidnapping? Was she the only one wrestling with how it has affected their relationship? “I hope so.”
West clomped in and went to the oven. “Excuse me, ladies.”
She could see her thought reflected in Celine’s eyes. Sure, they were taken, but they weren’t blind. Who knew oven mitts could amp up the sexy factor on a guy times ten?
He pulled a bubbling, golden-brown lasagna out of the oven. “Grab the rest of the food. We’re ready to eat.”
Out front, seven place settings with china, glasses, and silverware gleamed on the table in the torchlight.
Celine bumped Lauren as they carried out the salad and rolls. “Are we lucky or what?”
Or what. The big mystery. When the homecoming ended, how would everyone see her? Reid had stayed because of her. If she hadn’t been a distraction, he would have left. She would have forgotten him. He would have finished his mission instead of having to save her. Kell wouldn’t have hurt him.
As they gravitated toward the table, Reid steered her to the chairs facing away from the house. His tight smile mirrored the tension emanating from him. “It’s a better view.”
During dinner, lighthearted debates about everything from sports teams to tire rims fueled the conversation. Reid rarely chimed in, his gaze scanning the surroundings between every few bites.
Colby lifted his chin toward Reid. “You’re not going in for seconds. Did we mess up the lasagna? I told Mace to add more sausage to the meat.”
“No, it’s all good.” Reid drained his beer. “Just watching my figure. Where’s Dalir?”
Thane draped his arm over the back of Celine’s chair. “He had something to take care of.”
“What? Or is that another secret?”
Silence descended.
Reid’s bottle hit with a hard thump as he set it back on the table. “What?”
Lauren laid a hand on his thigh.
His gaze stayed on the guys as he jerked away from her touch. “I think I’ve earned the right to ask the question.”
“No doubt about that.” West squeezed Reid’s shoulder. “We asked him to give us a minute to help celebrate your return to the fold and for you saving the guys in Project Samson.” He grinned. “And for me to stop Colby from talking trash about winning the last dart game. We’re settling this shit here and now.”
Chuckles broke the tension.
Colby shrugged and grinned. “Who am I to prevent you from keeping me stocked in beer? How do you wanna settle it?”
West pointed to a pit set up near the table. “Horseshoes. We’re doing it with teams. You get first pick.”
“I gotta hit the head.” Reid stalked to the house.
Lauren moved to go after him.
Celine caught her arm. “Maybe you should give Reid some space.”
“He has to talk to someone.” He’d expressed frustration about Dalir, but how much of it was reserved for her? Could he get past it? Lauren’s chest hurt as she took a breath. “He’s angry. How he acted at the table, that’s not Reid.”
* * * *
Coolness rushed over Reid as looked in the fridge, but the burn of shame remained. He snagged a beer, opened it, and pitched the cap in the trash. He shouldn’t have made that comment about Dalir. Now wasn’t the time. The guys had cut him slack by not setting him straight in front of Lauren. The way she’d looked at him spelled it out completely—he’d made himself look like a total ass.
Dalir’s powerful energy preceded him. He materialized in a chair at the kitchen table.
Reid let him into his thoughts.
“I’ve worn that title more than I care to admit.” Dalir rested his arms on the table as he spoke. “But I helped you earn this one. I held off on talking to the team to give you first crack at asking questions.”
Reid set his beer on the counter and sat at the table. He had more thoughts than questions. Was Dalir ready to hear him out or would he shut him down? “You should have told us about Kell. Someone who hates you as much as he does is guaranteed to be a threat.”
“He wasn’t. Or at least he shouldn’t have been.”
“Explain that one because the guy I met called you a disgrace, a coward, and a thief. My guess is he wants to kill you. Why?”
“Long story.”
“I got time.”
Dalir sat back in the chair. “My brother and are from a place populated by humans and ancients. Humans were subservient to us up until five hundred years ago when my father became ruler. He established humans in positions of power.”
“Let me guess, Kell wasn’t a fan.”
“No, but it was a manageable issue. I was our father’s chosen successor and believed as he did. To ease relations my father brokered an alliance. One of the most powerful groups respected by humans and ancients were the oracles. An arrangement was made for me to marry one of them. Her name was Taliana.” Hardness diminished from Dalir’s face. “She was beautiful, wise, and inherently kind. Her smile was captivating. I was almost afraid to hold her because she felt so small and delicate.” The softness in his expression faded. “Kell wanted her. He also resented me being chosen over him to lead despite him being the oldest.”
“So that’s the reason he calls you a thief.”
“I am not a thief, but Kell is a murderer.” The beer bottle and appliances on the counter briefly rattled. “He was never meant to lead, and Tali was never his.” Sadness shadowed Dalir’s gaze. “Kell joined a faction that was against human rights. He tried to kidnap Tali. She fought him, and he killed her. Her death brought civil unrest. My father and I regained control but many lives were lost.”
“And Kell survived.”
“Barely.” Dalir’s square jaw ticked. “When he stood before my father and the high council he had no remorse. He gloated about killing Tali. I went for his throat with my blade. Bloodshed in the presence of the council was a crime. I didn’t care. All I could think of was Tali suffering and that he needed to pay.” His shoulders fell with a deep breath. “Kell survived and was banished to an abyss of isolation. I had also broken the law, and my father couldn’t show favoritism. I was sentenced to physically exist only in this dimension. The name and location of our homeland was stripped from our memories.”
Reid massaged the dull ache growing in his temples. “So, basically Kell escaped prison and now he’s on some kind of a revenge rampage?”
“Yes.” Dalir’s hard gaze met his. “What you’ve witnessed so far is him in his weakest state. He couldn’t beat me, so he ran. My guess, he’s gone into hiding to get stronger.”
“You should have gone after him.”
“I couldn’t let you die. I won’t give him the victory of taking away anyone else important to me. The safest place for all of you is here until I come up with a plan.”
“Until we come up with a plan. I don’t care who or how powerful he is, I want payback.”
“The price of payback is steep. Sometimes it’s best to settle for justice.”
Reid flexed his hand. Kell had smiled when he’d snapped each finger one by one. Kell didn’t deserve justice, only retribution. The kind that could get messy. Costly. “What about Lauren? She has to go back, but how do we keep Kell away from her?”
“Are you sure you want her to leave? Celine has decided to remain with Thane.”
Lauren might stay for the sake of her friend, or worse guilt. She felt responsible for Kell torturing him. In her mind, she owed him. That’s what she said. One day, all that obligation would become a weight she couldn’t carry. She’d try to talk herself into it, but it wouldn’t work. By then, she would have given up friends, career, and parts of her life she couldn’t get back.
Reid rubbed his finger over a groove in the table. Too much shit had happened. They couldn’t overcome it. The price of letting her stay to please him was too high. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
* * * *
Moonlight lit the front lawn and the path through the maze. Lauren and Celine sat down on the bench.
Lauren closed her eyes. Instead of the falling water, she replayed Reid snapping at everyone. “It scares me to think about what Kell must have done to him.”
“Then don’t. You’ll never fully understand. Tearing yourself up about it doesn’t help Reid.” Celine wrapped an arm around her. “Just be there for him.”
“I’m not sure how or what he needs. We didn’t really talk. It was just about the physical.” As compatible as they were in bed, sex wasn’t the solution. She’d hate for the intimacy they shared to become a crutch to avoid facing reality.
“In all fairness, purely physical relationships with women are what they’re used to. It’s the only thing they’ve been allowed to have.” Sincerity shone in Celine’s gaze. “If you want Reid to open up, he has to know he can rely on you. That you want to be with him through the long haul. That you’re willing to face the unexpected with him.”
Somehow, during their days at the cabin together they’d developed a bond. Something more real than she’d ever experienced with anyone. “I am and I would, but how? As nice as Dalir’s place is, you and I can’t stay here forever.”
Celine averted her gaze.
“What is it?”
“I’ve been struggling with when to tell you.” Celine dug into her front pocket. She slipped on an engagement ring.
“Oh, honey, congratulations!” She grasped Celine’s hand for a closer look at the sparkling solitaire. “This is great news. Why would you struggle to tell me this? Didn’t you think I’d be happy for you?”
“I knew you’d be happy, but I couldn’t find the right moment. You were so preoccupied over your dad and the cabin. Then the whole thing with Reid showing up kind of complicated things, and now this. So much is changing. Thane’s back on the team. Long time jumps and everything. The present also isn’t their home base anymore. This is, since here is the only place I won’t forget him.” She looked down and fiddled with the ring. “I’m staying.” Celine’s smile wobbled and her eyes grew bright. “It’s not an easy decision. I’
ll miss you and Ari so much, but I can’t imagine not having Thane in my life.”
“So when I go back, you won’t be there, ever?”
“That’s not the plan. Once he and the team have taken care of Kell, we should be able to go back.”
A protest hovered on Lauren’s lips. Celine had a kind heart, but she wasn’t naïve. She wouldn’t have accepted Thane’s ring unless she’d thought it through.
“Will it happen the same way that it does with them? We’ll forget you existed?”
“No. You’ll just think I’ve moved away and we’ve lost touch.” Celine’s expression brightened. “Thane said there’s a good chance the team will relocate to where we were in the future. That’s what I meant by the long haul. You and Reid could still be together if you’re willing to take a gamble on your relationship. Just look at me and Thane. Our connection was so strong, time couldn’t keep us apart. It could be the same for you and Reid. He’ll win you back.”
A part of her recognized Reid from her past. She accepted that now. It was the only explanation that fit for why she’d let him in so quickly. If she agreed, she’d face the strangest deployment in history. He’d leave on the next mission. She’d forget, but this time, she’d know he was coming for her. Her heart would wait for him.
Hope sparked in Celine’s gaze. “Does that look mean what I think it does?”
Lauren couldn’t stop a blossoming smile. “Yes.”
Celine hugged her. “Reid will be happy. I just know it. Can I tell Thane? No. I should let Reid tell him. When the time comes for him to win you back, I’ll make sure Thane gives him pointers, and I’ll definitely give you a nudge in the right direction.”
“How do you think Ari will handle it?
“Are you kidding? She’s like a walking crystal ball. She might tell you to jump on him before I do.”
“Lauren! Damn it, Lauren, where are you.”
Reid’s shouts made her heart lurch. His burst through the bushes rattled leaves and made buds fall to the ground.
She ran to him. “What’s wrong?”
He gripped her by the shoulders. “Why didn’t you tell me where you were going? You can’t wander off without saying anything.”