Her lips are spread wide and her eyes are sparkling as I set her on the grass. She leans up on her tiptoes, snaking her hands around my neck as she takes a step forward, her chest brushing against mine.
“Hey,” she breathes.
I dip my head, gripping her waist and pulling her against me. “Hey yourself.”
My gaze flits down to her mouth and back to her eyes before I close the distance and press my lips against hers, backing her up against the wall.
It’s been a week since Sunday drinks and I haven’t seen her much since then as I’ve been holed up in my cabin, tracking Darrell and all of his dealings while watching what he does with the software.
He’s become a ghost since I handed him the chip back, and that doesn’t bode well with me. He’s too quiet for my liking. I can’t help thinking it’s the calm before the storm.
Lexi’s moan vibrates through me, spurring me on as my hand wanders down past her hip and to her thigh, pulling it up and wrapping it around my hip before fusing us even closer together: showing her how much she’s affecting me right now.
My mind can’t help going back to the last time I had her like this against the wall. We’ve been taking it slow the last couple months since then, not wanting to rush things and get to know each other more. But right now, I want nothing more than to repeat what we did last time: to feel her body against mine without clothes in the way, to hear her gasps, to be inside her.
The kiss becomes more frantic as my mind muses, and I’m seriously considering pulling her out of here and doing all the things I’ve been imagining since that night.
A throat clearing has us breaking apart, but our gazes stay connected as we pull away. Her eyes flash, the green in the hazel that much more brighter. I take a beat, staring at her before slowly turning around to see Dad and Pop standing next to the grill. I smirk when I see Dad with an arm full of toy ducks ready for the game that they run in the small inflatable pool that is hanging from Pop’s arm.
“Are we interrupting?” Dad asks, a grin on his face.
“Yes,” I say at the same time as Lexi as she says, “No.”
Dad chuckles and holds the bag up, silently telling me that he’s going to set up his game.
“I better go and start the grill,” I say when I turn back around to Lexi. Her face is flushed, her eyes not quite meeting mine as she shuffles on the spot. “Lex?” I ask.
“Hmm?” She looks off to the side, her gaze flitting over all of the games and then to the gate when more people walk in.
“Lex?” I place my thumb and finger on her chin, bringing her gaze up to mine. “What’s going on in that head of yours?” I frown, widening my stance.
“Nothing,” she whispers before clearing her throat. “I… I just…” She shakes her head. “Never mind.”
I frown, wanting nothing more than to find out what is going on inside her head. By the way her eyes meet mine and dip down to my lips, and the way her teeth sink into her bottom lip, I think I can figure out exactly what is happening without her having to say it out loud.
My finger runs from her chin, down to her neck where I fiddle with the delicate chain of the necklace I got her before holding up the two hearts that are connected. “Do you like it?” I ask, not willing to move my attention from the necklace to her eyes.
“I love it.”
My gaze darts to hers as I take a step toward her but she shakes her head at me, effectively bringing me to a halt. “Lex…”
Her beautiful hazel eyes narrow on me. “Go and cook the meat.” The smirk on her face is at complete odds with her tone and I can’t help but take that one last step that separates us before planting a soft kiss on her lips and spinning around. If I don’t move from her now, I never will.
I set the grill up and start to cook the burgers and sausages, getting into a good rhythm and setting everything else up. Before I know it, the place is packed with people and I can’t see Lexi anywhere.
I won’t deny that my eyes are searching for her, my ears perking up and trying to hear her melodic voice. I hate that I’ve barely seen her this last week and I want nothing more than to have her all to myself.
All the guys from the compound turn up and they head over to Ty’s mom and dad who are standing next to the animal pen. Laughter surrounds us, kids playing—and adults. I look up, my lips spreading into a wide grin when I see Eli running around with Lexi, a shield in his hand as he shouts instructions at her.
I lean my hip against the table that is set up next to the grill, watching as she gets into his game, not caring who’s watching. She pulls a face at him before making a war cry sound and running toward him.
“She’s certainly something.” I whip my head around. Pop stands on the other side of the table, watching the exact same thing that I am.
“She is.”
I never thought I’d find anybody like her. Only a few months ago I was in a relationship that was downright destructive. I thought that it was the perfect relationship, that I was meant to take what was thrown at me: that it was normal. Now, I realize that it wasn’t normal, it was far from it.
“You two getting serious?” I turn to face Pop, catching his gaze and the knowing look on his face. It hasn’t been easy for neither him nor Dad. People are more accepting now than they were ten years ago, but I know that they still have places where they won’t go because people don’t want to be confronted with two men who are in love.
“I…” I frown. “I think so.”
“You think so?” Pop laughs, shaking his head before he steps forward. “People like her don’t come around every day, son. If you know you want nobody else but her, then tell her.”
Dad sidles up next to Pop, searching for what we’re looking at. When he spots Lexi doing a superhero pose next to Eli, he chuckles. “Ahhh, look at our girl, Cal.”
I turn around, plating up two burgers, knowing that’s what they’ll want. Ever since I found out that they knew Lexi, she’s always been their girl. They have the kind of relationship with her that Geena never had. She couldn’t stand being in their company whereas I know Lexi regularly goes and visits with Dad and Pop—without me.
“She’s amazing with kids,” Pop comments. “Maybe we’ll get those grandbabies after all.”
The breath catches in my throat and I stutter out a weird laugh cough combination. I’m not even going to entertain that thought. I’m not ready to be a father—not now, not in ten years. It’s not that I hate kids, because I don’t, but the thought of being responsible for a tiny human has me breaking out into a sweat.
“Don’t play him up,” Dad says, although I can hear the laughter in his voice.
I plate their burgers up, passing them over all the while shaking my head at their antics. “I’ll come on over and have a game in a while,” I tell them, knowing that the grill is coming to an end.
I want nothing more than to have some alone time with Lexi, but when I find her again, she’s standing next to Kay and Ty with Eli right next to her, looking at her like she hangs the moon.
I know the feeling, kid, I know the feeling.
“I’ll guard you, Lexi!”
I stand still, trying to catch my breath. As soon as Eli ran through the gate and saw me, we’ve been on a mission. He explained that it’s what Ty and Evan do—go on missions. I know a little about what Evan does at the compound, but having Eli explain it to me and what he thinks they do—catching the bad guys—has put things into perspective.
These guys are one of a kind. All of them.
“Let Lexi have a rest now,” Kays says, coming to stand beside me with Ty next to her.
“But we’re catching the bad guys!” he groans, hands on his hips.
“Even superheroes have a rest, bud.” Ty crouches down in front of him.
Eli shakes his head before looking back up at me and saying, “Let’s take five.”
I give him a thumbs up before he goes wandering off toward Mal and Cal who are talking to Luke and Dean.
>
“I don’t know how you do it,” I say to Kay, my eyes wide. “I feel like I need a nap.”
She tilts her head to the side, watching me for several seconds before her eyes widen and she shuffles forward, her hand landing on my arm protectively.
“Kaylee, Tyson.” Shivers roll up my spine at the sound of Geena’s voice. I haven’t seen her since the day I had a panic attack—after her threat. She hasn’t made good on it yet but there’s still time for her to; I have no doubt that she will. She’s the ultimate mean girl.
“Geena,” Ty answers, his voice gruff and nothing like the tone he used with Eli only a couple of minutes ago.
My gaze flits over to the grill, searching for Evan. His gaze meets mine and I can see the exact second that he realizes why my eyes are wide open. His back straightens and his hands clench into fists before he dashes around the table and walks over to us.
I expect him to go right to Geena, but he doesn’t, instead he keeps his eyes connected to mine—reassuring me—as he weaves around people who are scattered about.
My breath hitches when he gets closer, my whole body being consumed by him. My heart beats harder in my chest, butterflies fluttering in my stomach as he stops only a few steps away, his hand coming up and grazing my bicep with the pads of his fingers,
I want to say that I can’t hear Geena talking to Ty behind me, but that would be a lie. I hear her harsh tone, the way she’s silent for point two seconds when Evan touches my arm.
“Evan.” Her snarky tone doesn’t go amiss, and I know that Evan heard her by the tightening of his fingers on my arm and the muscles ticking in his jaw, but he doesn’t acknowledge her.
Instead, he leans closer before whispering, “Want to catch some ducks with me?”
I chuckle, my body relaxing the longer he’s in front of me. “I’d love to catch some ducks with you.”
His lips spread into a wide grin, the palm of his hand whispering down my arm and to my hand where he interlocks our fingers and pulls me toward him.
He flicks his gaze up to Ty, giving him one of those man nods before spinning around and pulling me through the crowd and toward his Dad and Pop.
“And he’s here!” Evan shouts when we get to the edge of the blue inflatable pool that is full of rubber ducks.
He lets go off my hand, interlocking his fingers together and stretching his arms out in front of him.
“Back up! Back up!” he shouts, waving kids away from the edge, his face a mask of seriousness. He takes the wooden pole with a hook on the end from Mal, looking down at the ducks that are bobbing in the water and studying them for what feels like hours before he turns toward me, his gaze meeting mine, something flashing in the depths of his eyes before he winks and turns back to face the pool. He hooks a random duck out and holds it up in the air toward me.
“What—”
“Check the color,” he interrupts, his brows raised high on his forehead.
I frown before bending down slightly and dipping my head, looking for a colored sticker on the bottom. “It’s blue,” I answer.
“Yes!” He waggles the pole at me, his brow raised when I don’t take the duck off straight away. I shake my head, a smirk lifting the corners of my mouth when I unhook the duck and turn to face Mal before handing it over to him.
“Collect your prize, missy.”
I point at my chest, before turning toward Evan. He nods, waving his hand at me to signal to choose a prize. My gaze lands on a panda, a lion with a fluffy mane, and a penguin. But it’s not any of those things that catch my eye: it’s the lone, colorful, stuffed butterfly that has my hands doing grabby motions.
Mal hands it to me, the size only as big as the palm of my hand, but I’m fascinated with the blue wings and black accents.
“Ah, man,” Evan groans. “I thought you’d go for the panda.”
My gaze snaps up to his, my stomach tumbling when he watches me, his eyes full of questions when he sees my face. I bring my prize to my chest, holding it close as I look down briefly and then back up at him.
“Butterflies are my spirit animal,” I say, my voice small.
A kid comes running past us to take a turn on the game so I step to the side and out of the way. Evan throws his arm over my shoulders before handing his dad the stick back and walking through the crowd.
“It is, huh?”
I nod my head, feeling stupid about getting so excited over a stuffed butterfly. “It’s stupid,” I say, not wanting him to hear my reason as to why I love them so much.
He comes to a stop at the edge of the grass only a few feet away from a cotton candy cart. Bending at the knees so that his eyes are level with mine, his mouth flattens into a straight line, his gaze flitting between my eyes. “Nothing you ever say is stupid,” he says, his tone gruff. “Tell me why you love them so much.”
I look down but he immediately places the pad of his thumb under my chin, bringing my face back up to his.
“It’s… they…” I roll my eyes at myself, hating that I’m stumbling on my words yet again. I take a deep breath, determined to tell him why. “It’s the whole process: they start out their lives as caterpillars, then one day they hang upside down from a tree, wrapping themselves in a silky cocoon and then eventually they emerge as this beautiful butterfly. They start over, giving themselves a whole new life.” I shrug. “I guess it’s what I always dreamed of while I was inside. And now…” I stare into his eyes, the powerful honey orbs pulling me in. “Now I feel like that’s what I’m doing: giving myself a brand-new, beautiful life.”
I swallow, feeling even more self-conscious now that he still hasn’t answered and is staring at me in a way that he’s never looked at me before. My heart thrums in my chest so loud that I’m sure he can hear it.
“Baby,” he murmurs, cupping each of my cheeks in his hands as he steps forward. “You are that beautiful butterfly.” He steps closer. “You shed that cocoon as soon as you stepped out of that prison.” His eyes flit from mine to my lips and back again. “You’ve spread your wings, and I’ve been lucky enough to watch you do it.”
I swallow, my stomach bottoming out as his gaze flits down to my lips again and he presses his against mine in a gentle kiss as he snakes his arms around my waist, pulling me even closer and deepening the kiss, his tongue seeking entrance.
Nothing else matters in this moment, not the people all around us, not the fact that his ex-girlfriend is here: nothing at all. Only me and him. Only this matters: what’s happening between us.
It’s dark by the time we leave the community center and head toward the compound. I can feel something stirring in the car on the way there, the atmosphere crackling as Evan’s hand sits on my thigh, his thumb rubbing back and forth, driving me crazy.
My nerves crash through me as I turn toward him, watching his side profile as the streetlights illuminate his face as we pass them by. His eyes shine bright, and when he looks at me, my breath stutters.
His eyes are the windows to his soul, and right now, I see everything. I see the pain, I see the apprehension, but most of all, I see the love reflected back at me.
His hand tightens on my thigh and starts to crawl its way farther up my leg when he turns to put his attention back on the road.
“Evan,” I moan, both in pleasure and torment. He’s been doing these touches all day and it’s driving me insane.
He doesn’t say anything, instead he drives faster as I hold onto his muscular forearm, trying to keep myself grounded. I want to pull his hand further up but push it back down all at the same time.
It’s been two months since we had sex—the one and only time. We were trying to take things slow because of how backward we had done things. In the last two months, I feel like I’ve gotten to know him more than anyone else ever has. He keeps half of himself hidden, not letting anyone see who he really is. They all presume he’s the joker, that he’s had the best life. But that’s the furthest from the truth.
He hasn’t had it easy; no
t that he lets that show.
He drives up the road to the gates as they swing open, and then he comes to a stop outside of his cabin, jumping out of the car and running around to my side.
His chest is heaving when he pulls me out, his lips slamming down onto mine with bruising force. His hands grip onto my hips, pulling me closer and shutting the door at the same time.
I shiver as his tongue swipes along the seam of my lips and I open up, groaning when his runs along mine. Gripping his biceps, I push my chest out, eliciting a moan from him as his hands wander down and grab my ass, squeezing before lifting me up. My legs wrap around his hips and then he’s moving.
The compound is basked in darkness, the only thing lighting our way is the full, bright moon. He continues to spear his tongue into my mouth while his hands skirt all over my body. I feel the way he moves as he takes the steps to his cabin and then he’s opening the door and we’re inside.
I open my eyes, taking stock of the room: his bed is pulled out, the covers a mess on the end. He heads straight for it, laying me down and standing at the edge, his eyes half-mast and full of hunger as he stares down at me.
“I’ve been waiting for eight weeks to get you in here like this.” His voice is deeper than usual, and when I look down at his jeans, I see his obvious arousal. My gaze flits back up to his eyes; I don’t dare move them from his as he leans down, his hands coming on either side of my head, his breaths almost pants now.
I gasp when his hand touches my arm, goose bumps rising to the surface as the rough pads of his fingers stroke their way up to my shoulder, pulling down the strap of my top and bra.
“Evan.” I don’t know what else to say, what to do; all I know is that I never want this feeling to stop.
He drops a kiss to my shoulder. “I know, baby,” he whispers, his voice so deep that it sends a shiver up my spine.
ReBoot (MAC Security Series Book 4) Page 27