Читать книгу Reid's Deliverance - Nina Crespo - Страница 9

An insistent buzz woke Reid. He blinked, orienting himself to the bed and the dark room. Lauren lay sleeping in his arms.

Slowly, he slipped out from under the covers. His foot nudged his jeans. He snagged them from the floor, but the call went to voice mail before he could fish his cell from the pocket. West. Shit.

The drummer lacked a social life, but didn’t he believe in sleep? Whatever West wanted could wait.

He activated the flashlight app on his phone. As he dressed, the beam illuminated a white platform bed with matching bedside tables. Three lacquered frames with carvings of leaves hung on pale orange walls. Fresh, sleek, modern with the warmth of summer.

He hadn’t planned on literally sleeping with Lauren. Hell. He hadn’t planned on sticking around after the first time they’d had sex. In his book, sending him to clean up in the guest bathroom had signaled the festivities were over. He’d wanted more, so had Lauren, but she’d chosen to push him away at first. Once she’d changed her mind, he’d gone along. What guy wouldn’t? Lauren was beautiful. Just sex. She’d thrown him with that one. Usually he was the one to set the tone. Some jackass had probably screwed her over. He could tell she wasn’t the type who slept around. She was solid, grounded by what was important. Like her friends. And that place in Mazree, even though she’d denied it. He’d never spoken about his grandfather to anyone else besides Thane, but he’d felt led to say it. He’d give anything to see the place in Virginia again. She couldn’t take Mazree for granted.

Lauren stretched. “What time is it?” She turned on a brass lamp on the bedside table.

The warm glow of her skin, tousled hair, and lips swollen from his kisses stirred up lust.

“A little after five.”

“You can sleep in longer if you want.” She yawned and snuggled back under the sheet.

He willed his cock not to rise as he zipped his jeans. “You know as well as I do if I get back in bed, it won’t be for sleep.”

A dreamy smile softened her face. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Man, he hated this part. He sat down next her on the bed. He could tell her anything. Say whatever he wanted. The next phase into the future would wipe him from her memory, but he’d remember everything. What it felt like to be inside of her. How he’d gotten hard all over again watching her come apart in his arms. He’d recall the picture on the wall and wonder if she decided to visit the cabin again. The answer would remain a mystery. A seed of cold reality planted in his chest. Caring, wanting, that’s why it was a bad idea to ask personal questions or hook up with the same woman more than once. The lies. The memories. They took up too much headspace.

Beth had lied so easily. They’d started dating before he’d joined the army. He’d been crazy about her. The truth came out. She’d pretended to love him. None of her excuses made up for the deception.

Damn. Second time tonight he’d turned sentimental about his life before joining Dalir. It was definitely time to get out of there.

Lauren’s warmth prompted him to linger. Eyes closed, she released a sleepy sigh.

Reid whispered, “Goodbye, beautiful,” and switched off the light. On the way out the bedroom, his phone pinged in a text from West.

Need to talk to you. Now. Mission related.

He crept down the hallway. It was if the picture called to him. Forced him to stop.

Mazree. If he could, he’d phase her there. They’d spend the day hiking the trails. Enjoy the sun. Map out the stars and listen to those crickets she’d talked about. He’d help her remember why she should treasure the cabin as a part of her life. Yeah. Like he could. Dalir would lose his shit if he revealed the gift of manipulating time.

He smoothed the natural wood framing the watercolor. Hollowness opened in his gut. They would have had a good time, Reid thought as he closed her front door, walked to his truck, and drove away.

Reid arrived at The Song. He parked his black crew cab next to the only car in the parking lot, West’s black jeep. In his role as logistics expert, West didn’t go on missions. He managed their homes and finances and took care of the books at the nightclub. A long phase erased memories. Images, fingerprints, handwriting, and any DNA identifiers also disappeared. West allowed them to seamlessly merge back into life and start all over again.

West sat at the polished wood bar and sipped from a bottle of beer.

Reid dropped on the stool beside him. West drinking this early meant he was dealing with insomnia again. “You realize alcohol affects sleep.”

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” West rubbed light stubble on his usually shaved head. “You said to give Thane a rest and contact you instead if anything came up tonight.” He slid over a file. “Our next mission—a pandemic two years out.”

“How bad?”

West leaned over the counter and tossed his empty into the garbage. “Think fucked up times ten then multiply that by a hundred.”

Shit. If people only knew how close assholes came to fucking up the world, they wouldn’t wait for second chances. Reid flipped the folder open. Lauren should take his advice and visit the cabin. Soon.

* * * *

The sun warmed Lauren’s face as she stretched in bed. She’d dreamed about Mazree and Reid. Waking up had ruined the best part—sex with him in front of the stone fireplace. She buried her face in the pillow. Subtle hints of his woodsy cologne inspired visions of snowcapped mountains and blue sky. Tangible, solid things that remained constant.

The doorbell chimed.

Only Ari would show up this early.

Lauren threw back the covers and put on her robe. She opened the door.

Fresh and summery in a pair of pink shorts and a white shirt, Ari breezed in and handed her a tall cardboard cup. “Good morning,” she sang out.

No one should walk around that cheerful. At least she’d brought coffee. “Let me guess—you’re here for smut chat.”

Ari plopped down on the tan couch. “Don’t leave out any details. I’m hoping reality exceeded my imagination.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little too soon for you to imagine the guy I just slept with naked?”

“Territorial. I like it.” Ari crossed her legs and grinned. “I haven’t seen you this way over anyone in a long time. That means the sex must have been really good.”

“It was good.” Lauren sat on the green ottoman and drank her mocha latte. “Too bad I won’t see him again.”

“Why not?”

“One, I’m on hiatus, remember?” And lucky for her, she was back on the wagon. She’d almost fallen for him. “Two, his phone went off at least three times. You know what that means—manwhore alert.”

Ari waved it off. “Oh please. It was probably one of his buddies calling for a bailout.”

“Which proves my point. Manwhores need bailouts, and they tend to travel in packs.” Dread sank into her belly. “Oh no. I hope it wasn’t Thane. Did Celine call you?”

“No, but I’m sure it wasn’t. I drove by her house on the way over. Your Mercedes wasn’t in the driveway. She’s not home yet. Yes!” Ari pumped a fist. “Our girl is back in the game.” She sobered. “Now, let’s get back to you.”

Aw, crap, here it comes.

“In my humble opinion, you should have thrown out signals instead of lying in bed playing ‘you screwed me senseless.’ How was he supposed to know you were interested?”

“I didn’t let him leave after the first time. How’s that for a clue? Not that it mattered. He’s not looking for anything long term.”

“Whoa, back up. The first time? This sounds interesting.” Ari sipped her coffee and settled back into the overstuffed cushions. Her feet dangled in high-heeled sandals, inches from the ground. “Okay, you two went wild the first time, and then he—” She motioned for the story to continue.

Leave it to Ari to focus on the smutty parts versus simple facts. Now that Celine was straightened out, she needed to find Ari a boyfriend. Lauren looped her hair into a twist. “If you’re asking if he had multiple erections and if I enjoyed them, the answer is yes.”

“I knew it! Built like a stallion.” Ari happy-danced in her seat. “You can’t ignore that. Not hooking up with him again is out of the question.”

Exasperation pushed out a breath. “Like I said, he’s not interested. Besides that, he’s got hell-no written all over him. And what about that lecture you gave me about focusing on meals and stimulating conversation?”

“Well, did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Have stimulating conversation. Aha!” Ari pointed. “Forget about denying it. Your face gave you away. What did you talk about?”

“Mazree.”

“The woods?” Ari grimaced. “Oh well. If talking about Nowheresville led the two of you to getting freaky, who am I to judge? Forget what he said. I have the feeling you shouldn’t give up on him. Get dressed. I need pancakes if we’re going to plot guy strategy.”

Oh no. What the hell did she have in mind? Not that it mattered. No one argued with Ari’s sixth sense or logic. Lauren went to get ready. Funny. Reid did fit all of Ari’s criteria. She would share a meal with him in public, and he’d more than pleased her in bed. If he hadn’t left, she would have stayed cuddled up with him and maybe had more orgasms. He’d said he wasn’t interested in anything long term. She appreciated consistency, but she wasn’t aiming for an engagement ring. As long they were honest about not being exclusive, they could have fun together. What if she had attempted… What was she just thinking about? Huh. Gone. That was weird. Not enough caffeine yet to compensate for the mangotinis she’d enjoyed at the club. Oh, that’s right. Breakfast.

She adjusted the belt on her blue tank dress on the way to the living room. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”

“I called Celine to see if she wants to join us. She’s not answering.” Ari put her cell in her purse. “I bet she’s avoiding us for dragging her out last night. It’s a shame she didn’t have a good time. I’d hoped she’d meet someone and get her mind off Dominic.”

Wait a minute. Didn’t Celine—her thoughts grew fuzzy, but then the answer emerged. No, Ari was right. After dancing at The Song, they’d attended an after-party. Celine wasn’t having a good time. Lauren had given Celine the keys to the Mercedes and she’d left. She and Ari had ridden home with friends they’d run into at the party.

“That reminds me, I should text her. I don’t need my car until later this afternoon.”

Ari bent down. “Why are there buttons on the floor?”

“Buttons?” Lauren picked up two. Ari added another to the pile. She hadn’t come across any missing on her clothes. “Not sure.”

Lauren noticed the watercolor of the cabin hung askew. She straightened it.

“That’s a shame. Looks like a relaxing place.”

Who’d said that? Why?

A vision of a dark haired guy who rated extreme on the eye-candy meter flickered. Desire spread warmth through her middle. Should she know him? Before she could latch onto it, the image dissipated.

“Hey,” Ari waved her hand in front of Lauren’s face. “You ready?”

“Yes, let’s go.” Lauren centered the vase on the entryway table and snagged her purse. Strange. She hadn’t thought about Mazree in a long time.