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I walk away, leaving him no chance to react, then walk up to Harris and tell him we all need to sort this shit out. “Let's talk inside.” Mallory looks entirely confused, however, she follows us in instead of pumping me full of questions outside. I know she’s biting her damn tongue.
Once we get inside, I let it all out. “Harris, I'm seeing Maverick. Kaleb, I'm not seeing Harris. You two have to stop with the alpha bullshit and let me breathe before I kill you both. Harris, you know I love you, but it was never more than friends even though we almost crossed that line. It would've never been more than a fuck. I want to see what Kaleb and I have beyond the insanely great sex. I deserve this. I want to see where it goes, but I need you two to stop. This isn’t helping any of us. In fact, it’s driving me crazy. It ends now.” Kaleb’s fucking smirk spreads across his lips, while Harris looks as confused as ever.
“Who the fuck is Maverick?” Mallory’s voice pulls me into a smile. How comical this shit must look to her. I’ve never been in a relationship before, and now there are two men in our apartment. This whole scenario is new to her, so I can only imagine what she's thinking.
I point to Kaleb. “He's Maverick.”
“You people and your using last names crap. How can I keep up? Nice to meet you, Maverick, Kaleb… Whatever your name is.” She moves forward to shake his hand. “I'm Mallory, her best friend, who knows absolutely nothing about you or the shit she just spewed, but you better know I will be drilling her very soon.”
“Drill away.” He doesn’t even bother to hide his arrogance. The damn bastard is so confident. The way he stands there with his arms crossed around his massive chest and those tattoos daring me to come and lick them. Ugh.
“And you almost fucked this one? Damn it, Jade. Crush a girl’s heart, why don't you?” Harris looks at Mallory but still hasn't moved from his spot. He's processing all of this, and I can see his wheels turning. He's about to let loose what he's thinking.
“Just like I told him before, if he lays one fucking mark on you, I'll kill him. I know we’re never going to be more than what we already are… But that's the reason I'll never let any man hurt you. It's that code we live by. We protect our team. Jade, you're a part of my team forever, and I would die making sure you're safe.” He ends his words staring right at Kaleb. Kaleb stares back, and I watch the two of them exchange so many things without a single word leaving either of their mouths.
“Do you two need to beat the shit out of each other and battle this out, or should you just whip your dicks out and measure? Better yet, we can have you stand side by side and see who can piss the farthest. I’ll let Jade judge the piss, and I can always judge the size. I mean, boys, we can work this out.” Mallory stands next to them both, looking up and instantly softening both of their demeanors. They look down at her and smile. I laugh out loud at her craziness, and then she continues. “What you need to do is invite him to Alabama. Give Jade the chance to see where this is going for her, while you get the benefit of watching him close on your own terms.” She points and touches Harris’ arm with the tip of her finger. “Damn, that's hard. Okay… Stay focused, Mal. And you, Mr. Maverick. You need to remember it will be me first you have to deal with if she's so much as crying over you, then I'll let this big gorilla over here at you if there's anything left.” Both men turn to look at me as she continues to talk. Their faces are amused, and her tiny frame walking in front of them both, taking charge, is a sight I needed to see. This is damn hysterical.
“I'd poke your arm too, but I don't think I can handle that again. A woman can only take so much sexy as all hell men in her apartment, especially when they look like the two of you, and trust me, I mean that in a very good way. Now, let’s all play nice, get our asses in that truck, and burn up the road. Okay, boys? This girl is using her vacation days on a road trip with her best friend. We were supposed to be Thelma and Louise—without jumping off the cliff at the end, of course. Now we have so much testosterone, I'm not sure we’ll even get to where we’re going.” She walks toward the door, hoping they'll follow, but they don't right away.
“Maverick. You're more than welcome to go with us to my ranch in Alabama for the weekend. I have plenty of room at the ranch house.” Harris follows Mallory out the door, and I don't miss his smile when she passes in front of him.
Kaleb and I are left alone in the house. I want to know what he's thinking, but won't ask. Instead I say, “So what do you say? Feel like going to Alabama?”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
KALEB
Hell, yes, I want to go to Alabama with her. I want nothing more than to spend time with her away from all of the stress we’re dealing with, but I have a job. The orders came in this morning, and it's something that needs to be done now. It won't take more than a day, but I have to handle it myself. In all honestly, I should've done it before I ever drove to see her, but I had reached my limit of not knowing how she was doing.
“I'd love to meet you there. I can be there tomorrow.” Her smile falters just slightly, but she attempts to hide it. I like that she wants me to come with her, and it just sends a fire inside me to get there even sooner. She's so fucking beautiful. I thought that in the pictures, which were no comparison to her in the desert and now seeing her in civilian clothes with her hair down, which makes me just want to wrap my hands into that hair. She's wearing more makeup than usual, which I could go either way with. She has a natural beauty that doesn't need enhanced as far as I'm concerned.
“Okay. I'll send you the exact address and you can come later.” I move in on her as she starts to talk. She's mine. She just made it official, and I want to take her into my arms and celebrate the best way we know how, but that'll have to wait. Her slight smile has me hopeful that this trip will be the breakthrough we both need. And Christ, she looks so much better than the last time I saw her. Her color is back. Her spark that drives me crazy, even her attitude is different. Everything about her strikes me straight to my chest.
“I'll be there as soon as I finish up some loose ends… And then I'm all yours.” Pulling her closely against my body reminds me of how perfectly we fit together.
“I'll be waiting!” She seems relaxed and at peace in this moment. I can't help but notice her arms around my waist, sliding lower until her hands are full of my ass cheeks. She gives them a squeeze, then kisses me on the lips before she pulls away. “I'd better get out there.” Her beautiful eyes light up when she speaks.
“I have to go anyway. I'll see you soon.” I lay my forehead against hers for a mere second, then kiss that same spot.
We both walk outside, and I watch her get into the truck before I get into my driver’s seat. She's so different here at home now that she’s had a few days to herself. I had no idea how much I'd love that.
They pull away, and I'm not a block down the road before she sends me a text with the address of his ranch. I feel the adrenaline begin to surface with the thought of what this weekend could bring for us. It should be a great time, and I'm hoping that firecracker Mallory keeps Harris busy.
Seeing her tell him in person is really the best gift she could've given me. I wanted him to know that what I told him on the airplane wasn't me just being delusional. She said it with her own mouth now, so he will respect that. He is a man of honor and respect; even though we haven't seen eye-to-eye on Jade, I get where he's coming from.
I'm glad she has someone like that to watch over her, even though he won't need to do that any longer.
I drive the few hours thinking about her. Once I pull in at the office,I see Kase’s truck is here, so I know I'm late to our meeting. He's already turned everything on by the time I'm through the doors. Our technology is highly secured and top of the line. It has to be for what we use it for. “What's the status?” I ask, then grab a chair, flipping it around to straddle it. My hands rest on the top.
“Intel shows Al-Quaren is moving through Mexico. We’re going to have to be ready to move.”
“Goddamn Mexico. I hate going in there to find someone. Why can't these assholes stay where their native land is?”
“I know. We have informants there though, so he’ll settle in, and we’ll go in and pull his ass out of his hole.”
“These guys think they're men hiding in a shithole to avoid their death. What happened to facing it like a man? No, they send out their babies to do that.” I pause,thinking about Jade and her face as she pulled the trigger. I knew the minute she pulled the trigger it would haunt her, and I will forever owe her for that shot.
“I do know there are four men with him. They’re all dressing alike, so it's hard to tell which one is Al-Quaren. We’re going to have to check his markings to confirm.”
