OUTLIER: Blood, Brotherhood, And Beauty (Beauty 0f Lifee Book 4)

by Laura Acton

  Loki nodded and glanced at Adam and Scott. He noted the split and swollen lip on Scott when he peeked up from under a bright red ball cap. “Wow! What happened to you?”

  Jeff snorted. “He fought with a door.”

  “Looks like the door won.” Ray quipped as he took a chair next to Scott. The amused expression on Scott’s face reminded him of Dan. Uncanny how much the cousins looked alike.

  Scott only chuckled. The razzing laid on thick by his cousins ever since he hit the door. He would be teased for a long time about this one.

  Adam slapped Scott’s back. “Can’t wait to tell Dad that hat got you into trouble. Not quite the trouble he thought, but a damned sight funnier.”

  “Well if he weren’t wearing it pulled down so low, he would’ve seen the door. I swear he’s a bit of a klutz. Who misses a door?” Jeff said and grinned at his cousin.

  The teasing of Scott took off, and everyone got into it. Scott laughed as the zinging taunts flew around him. The more he interacted with Dan’s team, the more he liked them. Pleased that Dan had a supportive and caring team watching out for him, some of the guilt he carried for not being there for Dan in the past year slipped off his shoulders.

  That’s Kinda Sexy

  28

  July 20

  St. Michael’s Hospital – ICU Waiting Room – 3:50 p.m.

  When Lexa entered the room after making a quick stop in the ladies’ room to freshen up, she chose a chair away from the group because she still couldn’t converse with the look-a-likes. Her stomach satisfied, exhaustion got the better of her. She leaned back, and half closed her eyes as she waited for word on Dan’s condition.

  Her mind wandered to all the little snippets of fun banter she and Dan had recently. His sense of humor is unique—he called her a Sexy Lexie and lived. Anyone else would be dead where they stood if they tried that. Dan was one of a kind, special. Her mind turned to his current state. It made her so sad, but she refused to cry—cry anymore she clarified.

  To distract herself from crying Lexa thought about how much had changed in a year. She started with the first time she saw Dan, the bank robbery. His intriguing eyes blinked out Morse code trying to help them save the hostages. Her mind jumped to their second meeting—the bar in the Grand Citadel Hotel.

  She still couldn’t believe she acted so wantonly with him that night. Dan offered her a bite of his burger, and she flirted saying ‘Mmmmm tasty.’ Then she boldly told him, ‘I’d rather have a bite of you’ when he offered her another bite. She ended up in his room, and the sex had been fantastic.

  A smile fleetingly crossed her face when she recalled he didn’t have protection. After bringing her to a heady release with only his hands and kisses, he stopped her from taking him in. He stopped himself from enjoying his release because he had no protection. He also stopped her from what she wanted—it was a good thing she had a condom in her purse. That little piece of foil wrapped latex had lived in her purse for years—she never imaged she would use it on a one-night stand.

  Lexa’s hand went to the pulse point on her neck where Dan suckled and left his mark that night. Her insides heated up at the mere thought of being in bed with Dan—she had never had sex that good with any guy. She realized these were dangerous to have in front of the team, so her mind wandered a little forward in time to a memory which would suffocate the fire which had started to build in her.

  She treated Dan so nasty and callous for too long—not her finer moments in life she acknowledged. With the way she behaved towards him, she didn’t fully grasp how they were where they were at now—friends-with-benefits. Though the attraction between them wouldn’t be denied. She fought hard to resist it for a year—a losing battle. The thought about fighting brought to mind her first sparring match with Dan three weeks after he joined the team. That was such a disaster, she lost control, Dan behaved unprofessionally, and Jon stepped over the line big-time … but it had been so full of coincidences …

  Flashback – Three Weeks After Dan Joined Alpha Team

  TRF HQ – Gym

  Dan watched intently as Lexa sparred with Aaron Plouffe. The man was good—he rarely left himself open, but Dan saw Lexa was better. Even though Aaron outweighed Lexa by close to a hundred pounds, Dan felt she would take him down.

  Experience taught him greater strength, weight, and size aren’t guarantees of taking down an opponent. A small grin played on Dan’s face as he recalled Ripsaw when Lexa executed a move. She moved with the same fluid grace and economic motions as Ripsaw had. Lexa understood how to use her size as an asset rather than a hindrance.

  If Lexa didn’t win, which Dan highly doubted, then he would be facing off with Aaron. Based on his conclusion, he focused solely on Lexa for the remainder of the match. He carefully studied her every movement trying to discern any weakness he could use in the coming encounter.

  Jon stared at the damned rookie. He rolled his sore left shoulder and rubbed a tender spot with his right hand. The arrogant SOB took him down and out of this competition in seconds flat. He was so sure he would beat the rookie—knock him down a peg or two, but Jon never saw the move coming.

  Nick ambled to Jon and recognized an intense and angry look on his friend’s face. The last three weeks had been nothing but trying. Jon wanted the rookie off his team and even threatened to duct tape Dan’s mouth closed during one call. He asked, “What are you thinking so hard on?”

  Grousing and not willing to talk about his loss, Jon said, “I don’t like the way the rookie is leering at Lexa like she is something to eat.”

  Nick turned and regarded Dan. He didn’t think Dan was leering. “I think he is only studying her moves. They’re going to be facing off in the next round.”

  Jon snorted. Nick’s comment distracted him from his thoughts. “You so sure Lexa’s going to beat Aaron?”

  Bram heard the exchange and smiled. “Aren’t you?”

  Nick grinned and patted Jon’s back as Jon nodded. “Come on. Let’s go grab one of the burgers while they’re still hot.”

  Jon dragged his eyes away from the damned rookie, pivoted, and started towards the briefing room to grab a burger and drink with Bram and Nick. Alpha Team won the shooting challenge this morning against Delta Team, so dinner was on Delta Team. Glen ordered in burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches for both teams so they could continue the sparring matches without breaking for dinner.

  More anger seeped in as Jon recalled the short-range shooting challenge. The damned rookie was so smug when he claimed, ‘I never miss,’ after his last shot was challenged by Aaron. The conceit only increased when Jon found two bullets embedded on top of each other.

  The damned rookie’s second shot went through the same hole as the first—both dead center on the target. Broderick’s laugh when Aaron stormed away made Jon want to duct tape the damned rookie’s mouth shut.

  Dan’s eyes never left the match going on before him. He would be facing off with Lexa for sure. Aaron’s vanity impaired his observation skills and didn’t recognize when Lexa left herself open. Aaron thought awful highly of himself. That would be his downfall in this match and could be deadly in the field.

  He wanted to explain it to Aaron, but the guy hated him more than Jon did and Aaron would most likely ignore him. He didn’t grasp why Aaron didn’t like him, but having lots of experience not being liked, he didn’t pay much attention to it. He smirked as he recalled all of Aaron’s trash talk during short-range challenge this morning. Aaron was certain he would win. Aaron had been so ticked off when Dan bested him. He thought Aaron would hit him.

  Dan doubted anyone would back him up if Aaron took a swing at him. Shades of Brogan Snow entered his head as he had boldly stared down Aaron. Dan shouldn’t have been so rude and laughed, but Aaron storming off like a child when Jon declared Alpha Team the winner was too funny.

  Self-confident swagger, rash comments, and laughter were a large part of Dan’s defense mechanism which occasionally reared its ugly head. Over the ye
ars with his unit, he learned to control most of his reactions, but being back on the police force brought it out again. Memories of the crap he dealt with while in the 14th Division came to the forefront more often—probably why his defenses kicked in now. He used his cockiness back then to cover his own fears and flaws—in stressful situations, it could come out in full force.

  And right now, with Alpha Team—this was the definition of stressful. Dan couldn’t let the team see his inadequacies—they would use them against him for sure. They took every opportunity to let him know he sucked and didn’t want him on the team—Jon especially. So it didn’t surprise Dan his defenses kicked in as he navigated the choppy waters of this new team, tried to integrate, and prove himself. Sadly, his cockiness came out at the worst possible times.

  Dan pushed the thought aside. He grinned as he saw a weakness in Lexa’s approach. He could use that and have Lexa down and pinned rather quickly. Then he saw the move she was about to make—just like in the hotel. Aaron would be going down hard like her drunken date did.

  Jon returned with his burger to watch the rest of the match. It was the last one before the finale which he was certain would be Broderick against Lexa. Jon perceived a smug grin and an intense look he classified as a leer on the rookie’s face. He felt the protective rage build inside. Lexa is their teammate not some piece of meat to be ogled.

  He would give the damned rookie a piece of his mind after the sparring session—set Broderick straight—Lexa is off-limits and deserved his respect. He witnessed Lexa execute a swift move and take Aaron down to the mat. He applauded with the rest of the men.

  Dan clapped, whistled, and called out, “Impressive takedown. I like a lady who can take care of herself. That’s kinda sexy.”

  The applause stopped dead, and everyone looked at Dan. Did he really just say that to Lexa? The room was dead silent waiting for Lexa to kill him.

  Ray and Loki wandered in right after the comment. Ray munched on a burger as Loki held a chicken sandwich. Oblivious to the goings on in the room, Loki eyed Ray’s burger and wished he chose the burger instead of the bland chicken. Loki asked, “How’s the burger?”

  Ray noticed the covetous look Loki gave his burger and held it out to him, “You tell me.”

  Eagerly, Loki took a bite—the heck with trying to lose a few pounds. The burger melted in his mouth. The rich flavor of the beef mixed with the sharp cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce. “Mmmmm tasty.”

  Stunned by Dan’s comment, Lexa registered it was the exact same comment from the night which never happened with the addition of ‘kinda sexy.’ Dan dared to call her Sexy Lexie last week—he wouldn’t ever do that again, or his arms would be black and blue by the time she finished punching him.

  Lexa rose from her position on Aaron’s back, put her hands on her hips, and glared at Broderick. She would take him down hard for that comment. Then she heard Ray’s and Loki’s words in the silence following Broderick’s outrageous comment. What the hell was going on with all the coincidental words? Did Dan say something about that night to the guys? Anger took root.

  Dan couldn’t help the laugh which burst forth after hearing Ray’s and Loki’s comments and seeing the flash of fire in Lexa’s eyes. What were the odds of those exact words repeating themselves? It had to be a statistical anomaly. So far out of the realm of possibility that the data point would be thrown out and ignored as an outlier.

  Anger blossomed full force in Lexa as Dan laughed. The words roared in her head as she went after him and yelled, “You’re going down Broderick—hard!”

  The guys in the room cringed as Lexa went for Dan full force. The stepped back giving them a wide berth wondering how the rookie would handle the situation. Not a single one of them wanted to face off with an angry Lexa.

  Dan reacted instantly blocking Lexa’s first strike as he chuckled. “I think not.” Then the Sinner in him reared his head as he thought of the never happened night, and how much he wanted to repeat it with Sexy Lexie. Knowing she would recognize what he was alluding to, Dan teased, “I’m prepared to protect myself this time. And I’m gonna be on top when you call out for me to release you.”

  “You cocky …” Lexa trailed off before she said something which would reveal their one-night stand. She couldn’t believe he said such an outrageous thing—again! If Broderick isn’t careful. She needed to shut him up, now! Before he let the cat out of the bag. Lexa increased her attacks and got in several hard, direct and satisfying strikes.

  Blocking her attacks and deflecting her blows, which were harder than he expected from such a petite woman, Dan continued to grin. He couldn’t help it. Sparring with Lexa stirred him in a way he never experienced before. Who knew sparring could feel like foreplay—certainly not Dan.

  He tormented Lexa playfully, “I hear the burgers are tasty, but if you prefer we could get a bite of something else. Perhaps we could dine privately together after we’re done? Maybe get some dessert …” He gave her a lopsided grin.

  Loki stared at Dan. He leaned over to Ray and whispered, “Is Dan crazy? Did he just ask Lexa on a date?”

  Ray shook his head. “Not sure.” He glanced at Jon and Boss to gauge their reaction to Dan’s words. “Jon looks pissed, though.” Ray’s eyes went back Dan—baffled by his brazen banter. Was Dan trying to get killed?

  Dan danced around and threw out a few halfhearted moves. He was enjoying himself for the first time in the past three weeks. He wanted to take his time with this sparring match, but his restraint only pissed off Lexa more.

  The small flashes of fire in her golden flecks enthralled him, and he wanted to see more heat. He wondered how hot he could make her. To ignite the flames into a bonfire, Dan kept up his innuendo-laced wordplay, and Lexa’s hits got harder with each brash comment.

  The eyes of Bram, Nick, Loki, Ray, and Jon tracked every move of the intense sparring match, stunned by the rookie’s innuendo-laced comments and the force with which Lexa attacked him. They all winced as she landed a hit to his face and bloodied his lip. Nick wondered if he should stop her, but Broderick’s comments were inappropriate, so he decided to let the rookie learn no one messed with Lexa because she could handle herself. A few bruises would be the price he paid for his rash words.

  Lexa saw her opening and lashed out striking Dan’s mouth hard. If fury didn’t control her body and mind, she would feel sorry for bloodying his lip during sparring. But when his tongue darted out and licked the blood away and he said, “Mmmmm tasty.” She lost all control.

  She went in for the final kill move only to find herself flat on her back on the mat with Dan astride her letting his full weight hold down her lower half. His hands held her wrists pinned off to each side. His face was close to hers, and he had a stupid, cocky, lopsided grin on his face.

  Her body betrayed her mind. Her mind was seething with anger, yet her core flared with heat as she bucked against Dan trying to dislodge him and flip him, so she was on top. The devil on her shoulder harassed her. “Not exactly the type of bucking you want to be doing right now, is it? Too many clothes between you and him—and you like to be on top. Someplace more private would be better to buck against him.”

  She stilled instantly at the thought and feeling a hardened part of Dan rub on her as she bucked. Her eyes locked on his. She saw heat, amusement, and something she couldn’t decipher in his eyes while her core melted into molten rock and wanted his hardened length to … Gad, she needed to stop those thoughts. Anger surged forth again as she yelled, “Get off me!”

  Dan struggled and failed to keep a specific part of his anatomy in check as he straddled Lexa. The inferno in her eyes caught and held him captive—powerless against the fire and lust in her eyes. He wanted to be anywhere except here—a private room is what he wanted. Dan wanted to lean down and kiss those pink lips, suck on her pulse point, and hear her moan his name.

  Her bucking drove him to distraction. His grip on her wrists increased as he fought to maintain control, keeping her in p
lace on the ground. Standing was out of the question until he deflated—tented pants in front of both teams would be a sure-fire way to get killed. When she stilled, he regained control. Thoughts along sexual lines ended when she screamed at him to get off of her. Dan found himself forcefully yanked off Lexa an instant later.

  At Lexa’s yell, Jon rushed forward and grabbed Broderick by the back of his vest and jerked him off of Lexa. Jon spun the rookie around and slammed Broderick’s back into the gym wall pinning him with his body. His deadly gunmetal gray eyes aimed directly at Broderick’s shocked blue eyes.

  Defense mechanisms surge forth in Dan as he stared into the eyes of his dangerous Tactical Lead. An image of Brogan Snow floated into his mind stirring old fears. He blurted out the worst possible foolhardy wisecrack to cover his fear, “Lexie’s sexy when she is angry.”

  He wanted to recall his words the moment they were out—he was a dead man based on the look in Jon’s eyes. Dan swallowed hard and prepared to defend himself, expecting a blow at any second. Would they all beat the shit out of him for his cheeky remark about Lexa?

  Jon pinned the rookie back against the wall with his face only mere inches from Broderick’s. He expressed cold fury in his glare and words as he spat out, “You cocky SOB! Show Lexa some respect! She’s your teammate, not some one-night stand, a conquest, or a notch in your belt.”

  Dan reacted defensively again and snorted. His tone one of utter disbelief, he flippantly retorted, “My teammate? You mean I’m actually on this team? Could’ve fooled me.”

  Jon pushed Broderick into the wall bruisingly hard then his fists clenched ready to strike out both physically and verbally. This would be no sparring match. He would hand the cocky rookie his ass. He pulled back his fist about to strike when Commander Gambrill’s voice rang out.