Page 75 of Anything for You
Dorian
We had twenty minutes left before my shift would end and I couldn’t wait. I’d enjoyed my time with Tristan in the CP, but knowing I’d get to see Dove in a matter of minutes meant I was restless.
It could be said I’d been restless since the day she’d cut my hair. Maybe long before that. The memory of her fingers in my hair, the light tugs and quiet between us as she trimmed… I’d had a moment where I’d thought about abandoning all efforts to keep my hands to myself and just take whatever she’d give.
Especially after she’d come into the bathroom when I’d asked her to, thinking I’d see if she thought the beard was short enough and she’d looked dazed. Byme.As though I wasn’t constantly on my heels with her, barely catching my breath for how much I wanted to be near her.
I’d had to berate myself into forgetting her commentsabout the shower, too. And cruelly, I’d been working often since then and we’d hardly seen each other. How could we be neighbors and yet barely manage to make eye contact for three days?
Thankfully, she’d gotten a ride to one of the films in the festival with Nikki and Winnie, and I’d get to drive her home.
In ten minutes. Not that I was counting down.
“Everything going well for you?” Tristan asked now that things had settled down.
We were manning the CP—the command post—where we fielded calls and tracked all of our team, their clients, and anyone else we needed an eye on, plus local police channels. This helped give a heads-up to our staff if anything was reported, and was part of the process when managing multiple clients at a major event like this.
Most of the celebrities our team was guarding had slipped into an after-party or called it a night.
Eight minutes.
“Going well. Trees are looking good. Think we’ll have a good season this year.”
Tristan nodded and offered a smile. He was a quiet man, and I’d always appreciated his ability to speak without words. We had that in common.
“And Dove?”
Of course he knew. The Saint Security gossip mill was likely running full force. Nothing malicious, but these people loved to share the latest and it was second only to the EMU gossip when we were active.
“She’s better than I could’ve imagined.”
He smiled in earnest now. “Perfect.”
I failed entirely in the mission to look anything other than completely gone for the woman. As a man who hadbeen head over heels for his wife before ever even meeting her in real life, he wouldn’t judge.
“Congrats on the expansion.” I’d said as much a few days ago when Bruce and Wilder announced some of the changes coming to Saint thanks to Luc’s investment, but I hadn’t seen him one on one. He’d be building out a new dedicated combatives training space and offering a much larger course catalog. “Sounds like you and Doc will have a lot of fun ahead.”
He leaned back in his chair, fully at ease discussing the likely hundreds of hours of work looming. “Should be a good time.”
I hated it, but the feeling didn’t change the fact that his words made guilt and something like jealousy bubble up in my gut. Shifting against the unsettling sensation, I checked my watch.
Six minutes.
The door swung open and Bruce peered in. “Hey. Dove’s here if you want to knock off a minute early. I’ll hang with Oak.”
Without a thought, I shot out of my seat, thanking him and saying farewell to Tristan as I went to the tune of their low chuckles.
Outside, down the stairs, and with a short jog to my car, I found her laughing with Nikki, Winnie, and Jo.
“Ladies.”
I was glad she’d had a good night. She’d mentioned how excited she was to get dressed up and spend time with her friends after such a stressful work schedule. Instead of their usual Friday night happy hour, they’d spent an evening at the festival.
Well, everyone save for Liz and Jess, both of whom were working the event. Jess and Jude were both still onlyworking part part-time, but they both seemed to enjoy taking turns getting out of the house. They’d struck a balance, and Jess had tomorrow night off and would attend book club, which Dove felt was a good compromise.
“You look nice, Stone,” Jo said with a bright smile. Winnie and Nikki agreed, and they waved their goodbyes to Dove.
I couldn’t have said what they were wearing for all the money in the world. Pathetic given that my job had once hinged on my ability to be observant and take relevant action based on the evidence I’d discovered. Not tonight.
