As Ellie glances around the room, her eyes widen. Drawing in a sharp breath, she vaults upright, clutching the sheet to her chest, giving me barely enough warning to clutch what little remained to myself.
“You? What? Here? Why? Time?”
“It’s twelve, Ellie. Lunch?”
Ellie nods her head slowly, her eyebrows pinching together. It looks like she hasn’t really taken any of what Mia said in as her eyes sink back to the blankets, then to me. “You…”
Mia laughs, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
My eyes flick between them. “What…?”
“She gets like this without coffee… Or when she’s sleep-deprived.” Mia shoots me a smug grin. “I’ll pop some coffee on before I leave.” She turns to Ellie who is still staring at me as though trying to remember who the hell I am.
“You, I’ll see in a couple of hours. We have so much to talk about.”
With a smirk, Mia leaves, closing the door behind her.
“Well, there’s nothing like flashing women to wake a guy up…”
Ellie shoots me a dark look, and I laugh, pulling her against me. Cupping her chin, her hazel eyes stare into mine as she gnaws on her lip. I drop my hand, patting her butt before springing off the bed.
“Go have a shower, little gremlin. I’ll cook breakfast.”
She huffs as I pull on my pajama pants. “I could always do it naked if that’s what you prefer?”
Ellie throws a pillow at my head, and I catch it, tossing it back onto the bed. “Days a’wasting, Ellie.”
She growls at me and I laugh, the sound echoing down the hallway as I leave her alone. Guess Miss Rainbows and Sunshine isn’t a fan of mornings.
Mia is waiting for me in the kitchen, resting her hip against the counter. She eyes me as I round the corner. “Nic has nothing but nice things to say about you, Garrett. But if you hurt her, I’ll break your legs.”
The cheeriness in her threat puts a smile on my face. “Understood.”
She stares at me for a moment before nodding her head. “Perfect. We have Georgie. Tell Ellie not to worry, and we’ll drop back in this afternoon.”
“Okay. Will do.”
I wait for the sound of the door to shut behind Mia before leaning my back against the bench, relaxing. Everything feels like a dream. The elevator. Ellie at my door. Us. But I’m here, so it must have happened. Warmth radiates through me when my eyes drift toward Ellie’s room. The faint hiss of the shower running greets my ears as a smile stretches across my face. I guess we’re not as fire and ice as I thought.
Opening the fridge door, I sigh. Is this it? Eggs, cheese, a few containers of mince, and milk?
“I guess this will have to do.”
Taking out the ingredients from the fridge, I get to work on making scrambled eggs and re-heating the mince.
Ellie walks into the kitchen ten minutes later. Her feet hesitate as she gazes at me, a small smile on her lips, and a bird’s nest in her hair. Her cheeks are flushed pink from her shower, and it reminds me of last night. My cock twitches at the thought.
“Go sit down. Breakfast is almost done.”
Pushing her glasses up onto her nose, she nods, taking the French press and coffee mugs with her. The smell of peaches tickles my nose as she drifts by, still not uttering a word.
Plating up the food, I place one in front of Ellie before sitting down in front of her with my own. Her hair is up in a messy bun and a few tendrils fall around her face as she shakes her head. The next moment, her eyes are slightly brighter as she sighs and takes a sip from the coffee in her hands.
I scoop up some eggs and mince, and the surprisingly decent flavor elicits a hum from my throat.
“This mince is really good. What did you put in it?” Taking another bite, I glance at Ellie and stop chewing. Her eyes have widened and are flicking between me and the empty containers.
I swallow slowly. “Please don’t tell me you were going to use this for something? I couldn’t find anything in your fridge…” But my words trail off as Ellie’s eyes gloss over and she purses her lips, pushing her own plate away.
“Is it old, or something?”
“No, no,” she finally says, her face contorting as she searches for words. “It’s… um…” She sighs, and her eyes meet mine, “Georgie’s dinner.”
Dropping my fork onto my plate, I grab a napkin, spitting the remnants of dog food into it. I just ate dog food. She laughs, clutching her stomach as her eyes glisten with tears at the edges. At least she’s awake…
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have said something.” Her laugh turns into a giggle as she wipes the bottom of her eyes. The sheepish smile she gives me has me smiling back.
“No. It’s my fault. I probably should have asked first…” My stomach gurgles uncomfortably, and I put a hand to it. “Should I, er… am I going to get food poisoning?”
Ellie snorts. “No, it’s safe. Just lightly boiled mince with some herbs and veggies—none of that gross tinned stuff.”
“Oh.” I relax into my chair, my heart still racing. I ate fucking dog food.
“Thank you for cooking breakfast, though,” she says, and I can tell she’s fighting to keep her voice steady.
I sigh, poking at the remaining food with my fork—too bad it tasted so good. “I’d say it was my pleasure, but I think you enjoyed it more than I did.” She laughs again, taking a long sip from her cup. A happy glow surrounds her.
“Mia has Georgie, by the way. She said she’ll check on you in a few hours.”
“Ah, that explains why he wasn’t barking while you were cooking his breakfast… and eating it,” she teases.
Laughing, I eat the remaining eggs, sans dog food, and sit back in my chair, coffee in hand.
“So, what are you going to do today?” Ellie asks.
I drum my fingers against the side of my mug, not really sure how to answer. “I have a few errands to run, and then I have to go check up on an old friend.”
“Woman?”
“Jealous?”
“Maybe.” She blushes, shrugging her shoulders.
I chuckle. “No. My old Lieutenant had surgery, and I want to check in and see how he’s doing. But I’ll let him know you were jealous. I’m sure he’ll get a laugh out of it.”
She scowls. “I didn’t… I don’t want to assume anything.”
“Ellie… I’m not dating anyone right now—and if I was, our ‘sexscapade’ last night would have made me a cheater. I’m not seeing anyone but you.”
“I’m not dating anyone, either.”
“I kind of guessed from the box of sex toys.” I chuckle, hiding my laugh behind my coffee cup.
“Asshole,” she mutters, draining the last inch of coffee from her mug.
“You like it.” Taking her plate and mine, I clear up and stack everything in the dishwasher. “I have to head out. But if you’d like to see me, you are more than welcome to come to my door in a towel again. I won’t mind at all. I swear.” The grin stretching across my face grows wider at her scowl.
“I’ll remember clothes next time.”
I lean across the table and turn her face to mine. I move in close, hovering my lips a hair’s breadth over hers. “Please don’t.”
Pulling back, I head to the door, leaving a stunned, beautiful woman in my wake.
Today is going to be a good day.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Garrett?” a deep voice booms as I walk through the door. The owner’s familiar, clean-shaven face greets me from a mountain of cushions.
“You say the sweetest things, Luke. Looking lovely as always.” And he did. He looks healthy… Good, almost. My eyes scan the brightly lit room, the vivid colors on the bedsheets a stark contrast to his hard countenance. Must have been Stacey’s idea. My eyes flick back to the Lieutenant, my lips twitching as he glares at the buttercup yellow pillows.
“Go fuck yourself.” The older man shuffles up on his bed, relaxing against them with a sigh.<
br />
“Dad!” Stacey glares at her father, throwing me a quick glare in between. “And you! Don’t get him riled up. At least wait until he’s healed before starting on one of your sparring matches.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Saluting her, I sit in the chair beside Luke’s bed, looking thoroughly chastised.
“Good. Now, do you want a beer?”
“Please.”
“I’ll take one too, honey.”
“Like bloody hell, you will. And if I catch you trying to sneak one in, I will tip every ounce of alcohol down the drain.” Stacey leaves in a huff, her feet thudding down the hall the only sound.
“You wouldn’t think she was like this if you saw how timid she acts at work,” I say after a moment.
“Damn girl is a bloody actress… or a poisonous spider. You wouldn’t know you were bitten until you were as good as dead.”
Snorting, I nod in agreement. “That’s the truth. And thanks for the gift basket. You didn’t have to.”
Luke scoffs, adjusting himself on the bed. “Of course I fucking had to. You paid for the surgery and all of my medicals, and if you hadn’t, I don’t think I would be here.”
“You would have found something.”
“Just take the fucking gratitude. Always were a pain in the ass.”
“Takes one to know one.” We grin at each other. My eyes scan over his exhausted appearance, taking in the hard lines on his face.
“How are you anyway, old man? The nurses treating you well?”
“He’s grown fond of one of the older ones… Seems to love the pampering.” Stacey bustles in with a beer and an orange juice. Her dad turns a deep shade of crimson.
“I… She… She’s a lovely woman, and you don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Oh? So you didn’t fall out of bed trying to put on cologne and comb your hair? Huh, I must have dreamed the deafening thud…” Stacey leans against the bed frame, smirking at her father.
“Hush, you.”
Laughing, I accept the beer from Stacey’s outstretched hand and take a long swig. “I’m glad you’re doing better. You had us all worried there for a while.”
“It’ll take more than this to stop me. You know that.”
“I do.”
“So what have you found out, Stacey?” I turn to the young woman who sighs and takes a seat on the end of the bed. She runs her fingers through her hair.
“Gee. Something’s up. People don’t notice me much because I’m a woman.” Scoffing, she rolls her eyes before turning back to me. “So they do talk around me. But someone is giving up information to your competitors… I just haven’t figured out who—yet.”
I fucking knew it. I lean back in my chair, my body burning with anger. After so many years of building this business, the only one fucking anyone over will be me and my toys.
“Thanks, Stacey. Keep doing what you’re doing. Someone is bound to slip up one of these days.”
“I will. But, Garrett? You really need to turn up the bossy, he-man vibes. If we can make whoever it is angry enough, they’re more likely to slip up.”
“I don’t think that’s a great idea. HR is already nipping at my ass… I don’t want them to start taking out chunks.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll have them sign an NDA and inform them of my real purpose in working for you.”
“Whatever you need, Stacey. I want whoever it is found.” Pushing up from the bed, she squeezes my shoulder and nods before leaving us alone to talk.
“And what about you?” I turn to the Lieutenant. The tilt in his brow catches me off guard. “How are you, son?” His words, his fatherly concern, strikes at my old wound.
Sitting back in my chair, I take a sip of the beer, the cold liquid refreshing as I mull over his question. I’ve been out of service for years, but nothing has been the same since I got back. Everything seems darker, like I’m just waiting for the next shower of bullets. It’s been hard trying to fit back into society. The more people pushed and asked about my time away, the more I closed off until I became as shut off as I was when I was deployed.
“Garrett…” Luke sighs, letting out a deep chuckle. “I know I can’t talk, and I’m definitely not a damn role model, but you’re going to have to let it go sometime, son. You keep going the way you’re going and one day, when you’re old and gray, you’ll be alone with nothing but your bitterness and resentment. It’s no way for you to live… For any of us to live.”
Scoffing, I bristle, the truth of his words striking closer to home than I would have liked. How do you change your whole life… your way of thinking just to be more open? Less shut off? Ellie’s beaming smile floats through my mind, and my lips pull into a small smile as I remember something she once said: There is still beauty in the world. Sometimes we just need to be reminded. She had been defending her paintings at the time, but suddenly her words make a lot more sense.
“What’s her name?” Luke’s voice draws me from the memory. His eyes sparkle as I straighten in my chair.
“What makes you think there’s a woman?”
Luke’s eyebrows raise, and he takes a sip of his orange juice. “I may be old, but I’m not dead. I’ve seen that look before, and it’s always about a woman.”
Nodding, I twirl the beer bottle in my hands. Just the thought of Ellie makes my chest tighten. “Ellie… Her name is Ellie.”
“Bring her by sometime, Garrett. I’d like to meet her.” His tone holds a sense of authority, something I’ve missed and yearned for since his diagnosis.
“Yes, sir.”
Luke nods and relaxes into his pillows. We stay silent for so long that the Lieutenant’s light snores bounce around the room, and the beer in my hands grows warm to the touch. My thoughts flit between his words, my business, and the woman worming her way through my walls.
7
Ellie
“Have you heard a word we’ve said, Ellie? Or are you still ‘dicknotized’?”
Swatting Mia’s hand away, I pick up my glass of wine and take a sip, careful of my trembling hands. For as long as we’ve been friends, Saturday night has always been our night to unwind, watch a movie, and pig out on a Chinese takeaway.
Even when Jake was born, we still kept up the tradition. And now that he’s older, we spend time together watching kids movies and wait until he’s gone to sleep before popping a bottle of grape juice. Except for tonight. After today, I need a glass of wine like I need my next breath.
I still can’t believe I slept with Garrett. The guy has been a cocky thorn in my side for years. My day couldn’t be more embarrassing if it tried.
“Auntie Ellie, were you playing witches and wizards without me?” Jake’s voice grows louder as his little feet pad down the hallway.
“No, buddy, I wasn’t. Why?” I share a confused glance with Mia and Katie, but they both shrug.
“So what’s this?
Turning around, my stomach and my jaw simultaneously drop. Holding a vibrating dildo in his hand, Jake begins to wave it around like a magic wand, the damn thing flopping in the air like a fish out of water. Fucking kill me now.
With a horrified squeak, I spring up, taking the vibrator from him and throwing it on the couch, only narrowly missing Mia’s head. She shrieks as she ducks—Karma’s a bitch. Picking Jake up, I hurry into the kitchen, setting him on the counter before helping him wash his hands. Twice should be fine, right? I pull open the cupboard under the sink, frantically picking up and turning bottles. Where’s the damn disinfectant?
“What are you looking for?”
I raise my head, coming face to face with Jake. His sad, brown eyes are staring at me, and his bottom lip is jutting out in disappointment. I melt a little and sigh. “No, buddy. Auntie Ellie wasn’t playing witches without you. Mommy gave me that to help me feel better.”
“Are you sick?” His fists clench, fear souring his features at the thought. Oh, I’m going straight to hell.
“Gosh. No, bud. I just meant that I was�
� sad… and your mom thought that it might make me happy.” Sanitizing his hands a second time, I give him a quick hug.
“So you’re not sick?” he asks as I pull away, his brow delicately furrowed.
Despite the overwhelming humiliation threatening to swallow me whole, my love for him grows—if that’s even humanly possible.
“I’m more than fine Jakey.” Picking him up off the counter, I kiss his brown locks and hug him tightly before setting him on the ground. “Now, why don’t you head to bed? There may be a new book waiting for you on your pillow if you hurry.” Winking, I grab his hand and lead him from the kitchen.
He beams before running at full speed into Katie, giving her a quick hug and kiss, before hurrying to the spare bedroom to find his new treasure, Mia hot on his heels.
As soon as he is out of sight, I pick up the wine bottle and lift it to my lips, not even bothering with a glass. Katie snickers as I stand there allowing the cool air from the fan to douse the flames of embarrassment heating my skin. I glare down at Katie, “Laugh it up. The next time you need help, you can forget it,” then flop back down on the couch.
Mia’s laughter greets my ears as she comes back into the room.
“He went down quick. Do you think he’s okay, or is he scarred for life?” I groan as the possibility of hiring a therapist for a six-year-old rolls through my head. I lean my head back onto the couch and stare at the ceiling.
“He’ll be fine, Ellie. Stop stressing. Why do you think he called that monster a wand, anyway?”
No. Freaking. Way. Grabbing the pillow off the floor, I hit Mia on the arm, her shriek of laughter grating on my last nerve. “Why didn’t you help me, then?”
Taking a sip of her wine, she props herself against the couch, resting her head in her hand as her thoughtful eyes bounce back and forth between Katie and myself. “You’re his godparents. If anything happens to me, you two are going to be raising Jake. May as well get your embarrassment out of the way now, because one day he’s going to be a hormone-driven teenager with a stash of lude magazines under his bed.” She shudders, taking another sip of wine.
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