by Lily London
That was the real reason for dinner tonight. I had never done a one-month celebration before, though I’d had the guys over for dinner plenty. I just hadn’t called it a celebration. The guys would have laughed at me even suggesting such a thing. But with Haley, it would allow me to get her alone, outside a work environment, to hopefully allow her to open up more.
If I was honest with myself, though, I also wanted her here tonight because I couldn’t get her out of my head. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I was instantly turned on. She was breathtaking with her long blonde hair and luscious curves. I was always fighting with myself to keep my eyes from looking at her large breasts or her perfect round ass when she walked away. She was gorgeous, and her curves made me want to push her up against the nearest wall. What always got me, though, were her blue eyes. Her eyes reminded me of the ocean, something I dearly missed since moving out to Montana. I felt like I could lose myself in her eyes and would gladly take the plunge. I shouldn’t be attracted to her. She was twenty years old and didn’t have much life experience. She was too inexperienced for me, and besides, she was working for me, and yet that reasoning didn’t stop me from thinking about her all the damn time. I couldn’t stop dreaming about her and more than once had needed a cold shower in the middle of the night since her arrival.
I wasn’t sure what was going on with me. I had been with plenty of women in the past, even after getting out of the military. None had ever affected me the way she did. I couldn’t explain it, and I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to have it explained. I had learned a long time ago that life could end in a single moment, and it was better to live without any regrets. I had no idea what was going on with Haley and myself, but I wasn’t going to think too much about it. I was going to enjoy the ride and see what happened.
After getting cleaned up, I threw on some fresh clothes before heading down to get the steaks ready. I was also going to be cooking some mushrooms with it and needed to get those washed and sliced. Ten minutes later there was a knock at my door, and I knew who it was. The guys never knocked.
“It’s open!”
My front door creaked as it swung inward. I turned around from my kitchen and gave Haley a warm smile.
“Hey, do you want anything to drink?”
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
I could tell she was nervous, but I was hoping she would ease up a bit. I knew that meeting like this could be off-putting for some people, especially for a female in a man’s residence. I would hope by now she knew me well enough to know that I would never do anything to her.
“I’m assuming you like steak,” I said.
“Who doesn’t?” Haley said with a smile.
I chuckled. A girl after my heart, I thought as I finished cutting up the mushrooms. I grabbed the steaks and headed out to put them on the grill. When I came back in, I saw that Haley was in the kitchen and leaning against the island, looking a bit more relaxed.
“This place is nice. Did you redo it?” she asked.
“I have done it bit by bit in the years since I bought it. The kitchen was the first thing I renovated; it was a mess. The fridge was lime green when I moved in.”
“Wow, the sixties are calling,” Haley teased.
“I know. It wasn’t pretty, but I didn’t buy the ranch for the house, I purchased it for the land and the already standing stables. They needed some love, but they had good bones, the same as the other homes that some of the other men occupy out on the land.”
“No regrets?”
“Not even for a second. What about you? Any regrets?”
“About working here? No.”
“Well that’s good to hear. Is working in an office what you’ve always wanted to do?”
“That sounds like a trick question to me,” Haley said with a smirk.
I gave a chuckle; I could see her point on that one. “It’s not, I promise. You’re twenty. I didn’t know if you have plans for college or something. I’m just looking to know you.”
I could see the slight hesitation within her. It was hard for someone who was guarded to just open up, but I was hoping to put a crack in her walls.
“Never really thought about it.”
The answer was simple, but I could tell it was honest. It seemed weird to me that at twenty she had never contemplated what she wanted out of life. What little kid didn’t have a dream growing up?
“There must have been something from when you were little that you wanted to do,” I asked.
“Yeah, when I was little, but I’m not little anymore.”
“No, you are not, but that still doesn’t mean you can’t chase the dream. What was it?”
“Maybe it was to raise unicorns,” Haley said with a cute smile.
“Well, I got horses, and I’m sure I could find some horns somewhere,” I replied back with a grin.
That caused her to laugh, and I realized it was the first time I had ever heard her laugh. It was a beautiful sound that I wanted to hear more of.
“I’d pay good money to see a bunch of ex-military men riding around on unicorns. You could make that into a calendar and really sell it.”
“I think the guys would kill me if I did that. Come on, in all seriousness, what was it?”
Haley let out a soft sigh and kept her eyes locked on me. I could tell she was debating whether she should reveal anything to me, and after a moment, she surprised me by speaking.
“Growing up there were always stray cats and dogs everywhere. I thought it would be nice for them to have a place to go. I wanted to have a farm where all the unwanted animals could be safe and have a permanent home. When I was applying for jobs, I saw the position here and when I discovered that you took in cats and dogs from the shelters, I figured I’d apply. You were basically living my dream, and I wanted to live it too for a little while.”
“Just a little while?”
It was a weird thing to say. If she wasn’t planning on leaving, and she was good at what she did, then why just a little while? It could be my old training, but it was sending those tingles to my brain.
“You never know what life has to offer. You could have hated me and fired me a week later.”
She said it with an easy smile, but I couldn’t help but feel like she wasn’t being sincere. There was something hidden inside of her, but I had no idea what that something was. I just hoped that she would tell me one day.
“If you want to be more involved with the rescues, I organize adoption days for the various organizations, normally once every couple of months. We need to get one pulled together for this month. You could do it if you want.”
“Really? Yeah, that sounds great. I’d love to.” Haley said with a wide smile.
“Great. We can go over what you need for it tomorrow.” I said, smiling back.
I was hoping that by being around Haley more she would start letting her walls down. I wanted to know her more than just a boss and employee relationship. I was really hoping she would let me.
CHAPTER 4
HALEY
After dinner, I helped to clean up. It was the least I could do after he cooked an amazing meal. I was glad that he didn’t try and get too personal with the questions. I knew it would only make sense for him to try and get to know me better. I did work for him, and we did spend a lot of time together in the office. Still, he couldn’t know me. I had to leave soon, and it would be better if he didn’t feel close to me. Within a month, I would be gone, and he would be on the hunt for new office help. It was unfortunate, but this was my life, and I had no choice but to accept it. With the kitchen clean, I knew I should be leaving, but I didn’t want to. I was hoping the little smiles and flirty smirks Derek sent my way meant that he was attracted to me, also, because I was certainly attracted to him.
I wanted him. My body desperately wanted him, but I wasn’t sure where he stood. Normally I wouldn’t push it. I would wait it out and see, but I didn’t have the time for that. If I wanted a once in a lifetime experience, I w
ould need to take matters into my hands and make it happen.
“Thank-you for dinner. It was really good,” I said as I moved closer to Derek.
“You’re welcome. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”
I finished closing the distance between us and placed my hand on his chest as I spoke.
“What do I get for dessert?”
One look told me everything I needed to know. He wanted me, and now that he knew I wanted him; all bets were off. He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me close to him. I could feel the hardness of his muscles against my skin, and all I wanted in that moment was to rip his clothes off and feel his skin on mine.
“What do you want?” Derek’s voice was husky, and I could hear the desire in his tone.
“Something salty,” I said with a flirty smirk.
The slow smile Derek gave me told me that he loved the answer and got the hidden message behind it.
“What do I get?” Derek asked with a smirk.
“Something sweet.” I said as I ran my hand down the front of his shirt to his belt and past. I could feel his hardness against my hand, and I knew he was all ready for me.
I could see it the second the dam inside of him broke. His right hand moved from my hip and up to the back of my neck. He pulled me in for a kiss, and the second his lips touched mine, it felt like fire erupted inside my entire body. The flames quickly consumed me as I pressed against him, deepening the kiss. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt this amazing. In fact, I couldn’t recall a single time a man’s kiss had filled me with so much desire and need. I felt his tongue seeking entrance and I gladly gave it to him, as he devoured my mouth with passion. I never wanted this feeling to end. His hands wandered down to my ass as my hands focused on his shirt. It took a bit of work, but I got his shirt off and quickly ran my hands over his bare skin. I could feel every scar that marked him, but it only turned me on more. This man was a warrior, and he was all mine.
He removed my shirt, forcing us to break apart only for a quick moment. When his mouth was back on me, it was my neck this time. I couldn’t stop the moan that escaped as Derek kissed his way down my neck and removed my bra. My hands made quick work of opening his belt and pants. I wanted to feel him so badly. I wanted to feel him inside of me. I didn’t care where it happened. I was happy to have sex right here up on this counter if it meant I would be able to have him inside of me.
“Der.” I moaned as he took my nipple into his mouth.
His hands were more frantic now, moving to my pants to undo them.
“I want you.” Derek moaned against my skin.
“God, yes.”
I pulled him in for another kiss as my hand dropped into his boxers. Being able to feel his member against my skin only made my body heat up quicker. I couldn’t wait to feel everything he had for me. Derek moved his hands down to my ass on the inside of my pants. He gave my ass a solid squeeze and groaned as he started to kiss down my neck again. I let my head fall back, giving him more access. His hand moved around to the front of my open pants and just when he was about to run his finger over my core we were interrupted by the sound of an explosion.
Derek acted faster than me. He was out the door, pulling his pants up and leaving his shirt lying on the floor. I ran after him, quickly getting myself pulled back together. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach when I saw my car, the place with all of my belongings, on fire. There, written in black marker on the hood of my car, the only part currently not on fire, were two simple words.
FOUND YOU
I could vaguely remember Derek running back into the house and coming out with a fire extinguisher. He put out the flames, but it was too late. Everything was ruined. All of the windows were shattered. The inside was nothing but burnt items that used to be my clothes and the few things I called my worldly possessions. I was just thankful that my purse was inside the house, so my money was safe.
I had bigger problems though. One, Damien was escalating a lot faster than he normally did, which wasn’t good. Two, there was no hiding this from Derek. He was going to be demanding answers now, and there would be no way I could lie to him. Derek turned to look at me, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking or feeling. His expression was blank, schooled, and I had a feeling I was about to experience the Seal version of this man. Derek walked over to me and placed his free hand gently on the side of my face.
“You alright?” he asked.
All I could do was nod. Our attention was taken away from each other as we heard others approaching. I could see the guys all running towards us. I didn’t even think about them hearing the explosion, but it really shouldn’t have surprised me. They were all ex-military; an explosion would have snapped them into action. I felt bad that it could have scared some of them, especially Clay. He was the closest, and I knew he’d been having a really tough time recently. One of the rescue dogs, Roxy, was running next to Clay. She was a newer dog, only here a week, but she was stuck to Clay’s side day and night it seemed. People always say that dogs just know when something is wrong, and it appeared that Roxy knew Clay needed her.
“It’s alright,” Derek said, moving over to the others.
I stayed back and allowed him to speak with them. I had no idea what he was saying. They were too far away for me to hear them. I was really hoping I didn’t cause any problems for them. When Derek was done, they all turned and headed off. Clay stuck around for a moment longer, most likely making sure that Derek was really in control of whatever was going on, before he headed off as well. Derek headed back over to me and spoke once he was close enough.
“Seems like we need to have a more open and honest talk.”
His voice was calm and collected. I knew he wasn’t mad at me. If he was mad, it was at his home being invaded by my ex-boyfriend. I hated that Damien had come onto the property and essentially blew up my car. I hated that it put the others and the animals at risk. It was the last thing I ever wanted. I just gave a nod and headed inside with him. He put the fire extinguisher away, and we were once again in the kitchen. After putting on his shirt, Derek grabbed me a glass of water and placed it down in front of me. I gratefully took a few sips.
“I’m sorry, I never meant for any of this to happen.” I started.
“I’m not mad at you about what just happened. I’m annoyed that you felt like you couldn’t come to any one of us if you were in trouble. Haley, you are surrounded all day by ex-military men. There is no place safer than here. We can help you, but you have to tell me what is going on,” Derek said calmly.
I took a slow deep breath in. I knew I had no choice now. I had to tell him the truth and just hope everything would be ok.
CHAPTER 5
DEREK
My body was on fire, and not in a good way. Not even ten minutes ago, I could feel the heat taking over me from the fire that Haley ignited inside of me. I was ready to take her right there in the kitchen and screw what could happen professionally. That all went up in literal flames. Now I really needed to know what was going on with her. I wanted to wait and let her come to me if she needed something with whatever her secrets kept hidden, but I couldn’t wait anymore. The lives of my men and my animals were put at risk tonight, and that was not acceptable.
“My real name is Haley Hollis, and I’ve been running for two years.”
I had a feeling she was running from someone; I was surprised that she had been running for two years. That’s a long time, especially for someone young like her. I immediately went to abusive parents, but why chase her for two years?
“Who’s after you?” I asked.
“Damien Walker, an abusive ex-boyfriend.”
That wasn’t shocking. When a woman goes into hiding, nine out of ten times, there’s an abusive asshole to blame.
“When did it start?”
“I grew up in the foster care system, bounced around a lot. Damien was my foster father when I was fourteen. He was a single man looking to help children. He was t
hirty-three, and we started dating several months after I was placed there. He was wonderful at first, but then he turned, and by the time I was eighteen, I knew I had to get out of there. He would have killed me, almost did.”
Haley paused for a moment, and I could tell that she needed a minute to get her emotions back in check. She had been through a lot. I could see it clear on her face—the pain that she was no longer trying to keep locked away. To hear that at fourteen she was placed with a single male who was twice her age, sounded insane to me. Why any social worker thought that was a good idea, I’ll never understand. Of course, he started something with her. He was a grown-ass man that had a young girl living under his roof. What exactly did her social worker expect?
“I left when I turned eighteen and have been hiding ever since. At first, I figured if I moved to a new town far away, he wouldn’t come looking for me, so I didn’t change my name. He found me within a couple of weeks. He started to text me. Even though it was a new number, somehow, he obtained it. He found out where I lived, and he would break-in. A bit over a month later, he approached and tried to knife me. After that first time, I learnt his pattern so I made sure to leave before he would show up. I started to change my name, sometimes just my last name, and sometimes both. I would work jobs where people wouldn’t remember me, like a server, cashier. People you wouldn’t miss if they didn’t show up one day. I got fake ids and generated false resumes. Then I moved from one small town to another. I thought maybe this time I would try a big town. I really believed that maybe I could get lost in the sea of people, but he found me quicker here than the other towns. And he’s never torched my car before.”