Page 4 of Tyler

“Yeah, give Ty a break,” RJ said with an apologetic grin that was more grin than apology as he and Dean donned their coats, too.

Once they stepped outside into the alley that separated their ESI headquarters from a small, four-store, strip mall next door, Ty inhaled deeply, allowing the cool air to rejuvenate his senses.

“So, anyone caught your eye yet?” RJ asked as they walked down the alley toward the sidewalk.

He stopped and frowned at the guys while pointing toward the back of the strip mall. “Aren’t we going the wrong way?”

Dean’s wife, Loni, and RJ’s wife, Lori, were sisters and co-owners of Champion Bakery located in the strip mall. Ty usually saw the men use the back door.

“No, we’re going the right way,” Dean replied, motioning toward the front of the building as he began walking down the alley in that direction. “This isn’t a personal visit, so we’ll use the customer entrance of the bakery.”

RJ fell into step on one side of Dean while Ty walked on the other side. “We’re trying to be respectable.”

Dean snickered. “You try, RJ. I succeed.”

Ty laughed, enjoying their comradery. It reminded him of his squadron. An invisible vise squeezed his chest. They weren’t his squad anymore, he needed to remember that.

“So, have you given it any thought?” RJ asked.

He frowned, glancing at the guy as they walked. “Given what any thought?”

His old buddies? New ones? Life without Mach speed?

“Any of the locals who’ve piqued your interest,” RJ answered.

Shit. That again? He’d thought they’d left that damn conversation inside.

“No, and I’m not looking,” he repeated as firmly as possible.

But if he had been, then he would’ve knocked on the door of his new neighbor and introduced himself instead of avoiding the beauty with light brown hair and a ready smile. Several brief glimpses of her from inside his cottage were sufficient enough. Tyler didn’t need to know her name, the exact color of her light eyes, or her history to know she was trouble to his senses. He barely had a grasp on them. The last thing he needed was the newcomer to knock them loose.

“That’s what’s amazing about this place,” RJ stated. “You don’t need to do anything here. Fate has you covered.”

Dean’s brows rose. “Yeah, and she works fast.”

“True. What was it for you?” RJ asked Dean.

“A couple of weeks.” Dean scratched the bridge of his nose, and the smile returned to his lips. “But for you, it was what? A few hours?”

RJ chuckled. “Yep. Less than two.”

Damn.

“Seriously?” Ty’s brows rose too.

“Yeah,” RJ replied. “I met Lori at Coop’s wedding, and the rest is history.”

Less than two hours?

That had to be a record.

“Damn, thatwasfast,” he acknowledged. “But I’m pretty sure fate knows enough to leave me alone.” He wasn’t interested in a relationship. Hell, no. He was still trying to figure out how to plant his feet on terra firma.

Besides, after Erika, he wasn’t sure he could trust a woman again.

“Oh, you’re really pushing it.” RJ laughed. “Fate’s going to do you dirty.”

Dean nodded, rubbing his jaw. “You might want to watch what you say, because you are tempting her but good.”

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