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Anger filled his voice and his gut. “No, and I don’t expect to. They had a job for me to do and I did it. End of story. I’m here to rebuild my life.” All of that was true, but if the CIA had offered him something, it would have been his first choice. They hadn’t and instead had let him go. So, he’d taken his third choice and contrary to what he’d thought, it was all panning out.
She studied him for a moment. “I’m sorry, Dean.”
He shrugged. “It is what it is.” He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “You gave me something I needed by referring me to them. It helped me to transition into this more domestic life.”
She lowered her voice. “You weren’t made for domestication, Dean. We never know what the future will bring.” She smiled and looked around conspiratorially. “Any more information on you-know-what?”
He shook his head. She was referring to the money under the floorboards.
“Well hopefully something will come up.” She turned to look out the open patio door. The riot of color from all the flowers was a backdrop for the lady sitting at a small white cast iron table. “She’s holding court outside.”
“I can see that. I should pay my respects and give her my gift.”
“Okay, maybe we can get together before I head back to San Diego. I’m sure you want to catch up. I have honeymoon pics.”
He grinned and rolled his eyes. “I’m dying to see them.”
She laughed and shoved him gently. “Yeah, right.”
He moved toward the backyard and when he reached the small group of people around Granny, she motioned for him to come to her. He slipped through the crowd and bent down, hugging and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Happy birthday,” he said and placed the present in her hands.
She ripped off the wrapping and held up the gift with a smile. “Oh, my. It’s beautiful. A Chanel jacket is so hard to find, and in pink. You do have a good eye.”
“I saw it in a vintage shop in LA and knew it was for you.”
“It is. Well done. Now go. Mingle. You’ll see more of me than you’ll want to.”
He nodded and started to back up, then turned only to bump right into the woman behind him. “Pardon me,” he said quickly, reaching out to steady her. She looked up into his face and he got another jolt.
O.
Without realizing what he was doing, he back-walked her into a secluded part of Granny Steele’s yard. She hung onto his biceps, the feel of her palms against his skin making his blood ignite. There was something elusive about this feeling with O, something that he had to work for, wanted desperately, but wasn’t sure he was fast enough to capture.
She looked flustered and beautiful like some fashion model in a pink top with a tantalizing bow at her waist and her long legs in tight white jean shorts. It was enough to make a man forget his good intentions about keeping his hands to himself. Her dark hair was in a side braid over one soft-looking shoulder. She was as fresh and vibrant as the flowers in Granny’s garden.
“Dean,” she said, her voice hushed in the shadow of the hedges. “What is it?”
Holding her gaze, her eyes distant and frosty, Dean said, “I just need to apologize for last night. I’m sorry if I upset you, babe. It wasn’t my intention. I can be such a single-minded ass.”
She smiled, but it was clear to him that she was shaken and trying very hard not to let it show. Realizing she probably hadn’t expected to see him here, he tried to tamp down his intensity by taking a deep breath.
“You’re sorry and you’re an ass, huh?” she responded, something wary in her face.
He gave her a terse nod and was relieved when she didn’t move away from him.
He probably shouldn’t have looked her up, and he should never have cornered her like this, but he needed her help as much as he needed to apologize. He should give her some space and hope he had his head together enough to handle it, especially if she turned him down again.
Giving her a long, assessing look, Dean was gratified that O wasn’t one to avoid discussion or debate. She met his eyes firmly and unwavering. It bolstered him that she was willing to hear him out. “So, I’m sorry that I was so intense last night. I dropped in on you out of the blue without even a phone call.”
“Were you afraid that I would duck you?”
With a hefty shot of guilty conscience and a piercing regret washing through him, he was determined to get their friendship back on track. He gave her a friendly little shake. “Maybe…a little.”
She pulled away from him, giving him her back and some space he didn’t want. “It was a surprise…okay…a shock.” The tension in her firmly set jaw only made that guilt intensify. “I didn’t think I would ever see you again. I thought you had made the Navy your life.”
With a hollow sensation in his gut at her words, he said, “What else would you have thought? I didn’t give you a lot of explanation.”
Her eyes went sad and distant as if she were remembering the turbulent times when their choices hadn’t been in their control.Idiot.Cursing himself, he glanced away, the rise of her chest and shoulders giving him a tight feeling in his chest. She took a ragged breath—a breath that sounded too much like a sob for him to ignore, and with his resolve evaporating like smoke, he caught her wrist and turned her into his arms, his embrace tight.
