Page 81 of Brother In Arms

I took it out back and to my woodshop, sliced it into kindling and dumped it in the fire pit out back. A little lighter fluid, a match, and presto, one piece of evidence that wouldn’t be of any use. Especially since I dumped a bunch of cookies from other projects and similar woods in with them.

“Little early for a fire, isn’t it?” Dani asked from her shop and I smiled.

“Figured barbecue for lunch,” I called back.

“Ah,” she said all-knowing. I laid the cooking grate over the fire and gave her a nod.

“She’s out cold,” she called after me. “Probably will be for a while yet.”

“Thanks for looking after her,” I called back.

“Of course.”

I went to my room and unlocked the door, something fell on the other side of it at as I pushed it open, making it tough to get the door open. It was slow going, I didn’t want to break anything, not knowing what it was, but I got it open far enough that I could slip through. Turns out it was towels that’d fallen off the back of the door. Probably where Bailey had hung them after using them. I picked them up and the big one was mostly dry, the smaller one still quite a bit damp.

She was fast asleep in my bed, her hands tucked beneath her cheek like some sort of angel. I watched her for a lot longer than I had a right to before I grabbed my toiletry kit out of my dresser drawer and went back out and down the hall to the bathroom.

I showered and scrubbed up, took my time to shave off the five o’clock shadow that had just plain gotten away from me into a full on scruff. Reaver poked his head in and I said, “Cops here?”

“No, man. I was just coming after my work boots.”

“Oh, they’re right there,” I said and pointed. I was still shaving, face half full of cream so I kept at it.

“Hayden’s pissed again,” he said a bit glumly and I turned.

“What that you might get arrested?”

“Yeah, but she gets it.”

“Go fuck the ornery out of her,” I suggested.

“I think I might need a new trick,” he said wrinkling his nose.

“Tried flowers or chocolate yet?” I asked.

“Oo! Hey, good idea. I’m going to have to try that.”

“Hey, Reave?” I said as he was halfway out the door with his boots in hand.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks, man. I don’t want to see your marriage take a hit because of this, so if you gotta stand down…”

“I will if I need to, the whole Florida and thinking I was dead thing? It wasn’t maybe such a good plan. There’s still a lot of shit there from that.”

“She thought she lost you forever, man. I can’t really imagine what that’s like.”

“I love her,” he said and it sounded like a confession which was weird. Usually Reaver wasn’t this fuckin’ sappy. At least not with me.

“I know, man.”

“You love Bailey, you know what it’s like now,” he said glacial eyes boring into mine with an intensity that creeped me the fuck out. “Welcome to the club inside the club, brother,” he said, and with that, he bounced. Ducking back outside the door and taking off back up the hall.

“Fuckin’ weirdo,” I muttered, but I’d be lying if his words hadn’t meant something to me. They’d actually touched pretty deep.

I finished up with no more interruptions and went back to my room, slipping in quietly. I shut and locked it behind me and put my shit away. I opened up the closet and ditched the wet towels in the hamper I had in there and rolled the door back shut. Bailey didn’t even stir. Not even when I got into bed and pulled her into the spoon of my body, laughing to myself when my hand caressed the curve of her ass to discover one of the three pairs of boxers I owned.

The laughter died when I thought about how she literally had no clothes now. Not even a pair of shoes for her damn feet. I pulled her close and she whimpered in her sleep from me holding her a touch too tight, but damn… I don’t even want to think about how close last night and early this morning had been. The bullet hole through the farm truck’s windshield, if the trajectory had been just a few inches different I wouldn’t be holding her. I’d be sitting somewhere covered in her blood trying to figure out how to watch the whole fucking world burn.

“Rush,” she murmured and I looked down into sleepy brown eyes.

“Sleep, baby. I’m right here.” She twined around me, throwing her leg over both of mine and cuddling into my side, her head on my chest, arm across my ribs, and it was perfect. I kissed the top of her head and closed my own eyes. Sleep came quickly, her warm, toned body pressed safe into mine.

---