Operation: Endeavor (When The Mission Ends) (14 page)

When Colton found Chris again, he was sitting in a corner of the back patio scowling at something in his hands. He was completely oblivious to the trio of nurses watching him from the other side of the yard.

“Hey what do you have there?” Colton nodded at the small brightly wrapped box Chris quickly stuffed into the pocket of his jacket.

Chris avoided his eyes as he took a drink of his beer. “Nothing.” He looked around the yard. “I guess doctor’s pay is pretty good. Aaron has a nice place here.”

“Hm-mm,” Colton agreed, but he watched Chris closely.

“He’s good for her. They’re good together, aren’t they?” Chris almost sounded like he was pleading for that to be the case.

“Yeah, they seem pretty solid,” Colton said cautiously. Honestly, he’d never paid that much attention to Julie. She was just part of their large group of friends. But now, there seemed to be something more going on here with Chris. Was there a history between him and Julie?

He cleared his throat. “Chris, did you and Julie…” He trailed off when Chris’s vibrant blue eyes flashed up to his. Colton couldn’t miss the pain he saw there, but Chris quickly covered it.

“Naw, she’s good with Aaron.”

But Colton wasn’t so sure about that anymore.

Chris scowled down at the label he peeled off his beer bottle and Colton nudged Chris’s good leg. “Well, in that case, there are three really hot nurses over on the other side of the yard that look capable and ready to check your vitals.”

Chris smiled at him, but the smile didn’t quite reach his haunted eyes. He glanced over at the women in question, but just gave a quick shake of his head. “I don’t think so.” He looked back down at his beer bottle.

Chris’s jet crash was nine months ago. In the three months since he’d been home, Colton couldn’t think of him showing any interest in dating. Now that Colton thought about it, he couldn’t remember Chris even flirting since he’d come home. Sure, some of that could be accounted to what he’d gone through, but flirting had always been an integral part of Chris’s personality. The only time he’d seen any sign of the old Chris when it came to women was when they’d brought Penelope home from the ER and she’d been unconscious at the time. There was no risk there. He re-catalogued the list of injuries Chris sustained in his mind with growing dread.

Colton cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “Chris, is everything… I mean…” Damn, this was harder than he thought. He gestured toward Chris’s groin. “Is everything working okay?”

There was no denying the bleakness in Chris’s eyes before he lowered them. Damn.

Chris’s voice had slipped an octave when he said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Damn, Chris, have you talked to your doctor about it?”

He shook his head and wouldn’t meet Colton’s eyes. “Not recently, no.”

“Well, that’s the first thing you need to do. Your body has been through a ton of stress. This is liable to be perfectly normal considering your level of injuries.”

Chris was already shaking his head. His voice was guttural when he spoke. “There was damage.” Chris looked off over the yard and Colton watched as he clenched his hands around his empty beer bottle. “It could be permanent. They don’t know. They told me to give it time.” He finally looked up at Colton when he said, “It’s been three months. I don’t think it’s going to get any better.”

“Chris…”

Chris waved him off. “It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.” Colton sat, stunned, as Chris stood up. “I’m gonna go grab another beer. You want one?”

“No, I’m good. Want me to head in with you?”

Chris shook his head as he headed into the house. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”

Guilt assailed him. No wonder Chris had spent all these months so angry and frustrated. Colton ducked his head into his hands. He didn’t know how to fix this. He didn’t know how he could make this better. There had to be something he could do to help. His brain scrambled for a few minutes working to come up with an idea of how he could help.

There was a light touch on his shoulder and he looked up.

Penelope stood there with a concerned look on her face. “I just saw Chris and he looked really pale. Is everything okay? You guys didn’t have another fight did you?”

He shook his head. “No. No fight. Not this time.”

She reached down to the side of his face and gently caressed it. That single, light touch sent tendrils of fire throughout his veins. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He shook his head and stood. He slowly pulled her into his arms, letting her honeysuckle scent wash over him. Savoring the comfort of her embrace, he bent down and brushed his lips over the crown of her head.

* * *

Penelope didn’t know what to make of this Colton. The pain was stark in his eyes. Something had obviously shaken him which had affected Chris too. When she’d passed him while coming out of the house, he’d looked almost physically ill. She’d try to stop him, but he gestured over to Colton and told her to go sit with him.

Colton’s lips brushed the top of her hair and she couldn’t control the shiver of arousal that snaked throughout her body. She pressed her face into his hard chest and took a deep breath of the spicy masculine smell that was wholly Colton. He was always so big, stoic, and strong. To see him shaken up like this was surprising.

She leaned back, touched the side of his sculpted cheek, and asked, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” His hands brushed up her arms. He gently traced the edge of the birds where they swooped over her shoulder before he looked back at her face. Her heartbeat quickened and she found herself breathless. His gaze settled on her lips. She moistened them in nervousness. That single move seemed to shatter some resolve within him. He groaned low before he swooped in and claimed her lips.

Penelope had been kissed lots of times in her life, but never had she felt the immediate cataclysmic reaction that came from having Colton’s firm lips on hers. She wanted him. She needed him. She couldn’t hold back her low groan and that seemed to push him on. He reached up behind and cradled her head, deepening the kiss to near punishing. As his tongue plundered her mouth, she arched towards him. Arousal exploded throughout her body and settled low in her belly where she could feel the press of his erection.

As he lowered his hands to her ass, her arms snaked around his neck and she pressed up against his hard frame, needing more. She ran her fingers through his hair on the back of his head as he continued to explore her mouth with his lips and tongue. It was a full-on assault, but one she never wanted to end. Everything about him and this kiss felt perfect.

He groaned deep, right before he lifted his head. She raised her eyes to meet his dark blue ones which were filled with unsatiated lust. They were both breathing hard. The callous on his fingertip caressed her swollen lips. She used her tongue to draw his finger into her mouth and she lightly sucked on it. He closed his eyes, his expression one of pure torture. He muttered a deep, guttural, “Penelope…”

She watched him visibly take in a deep breath as he tried to gain control. His breath shuddered as he looked around the yard. “We can’t do this here.”

She admired his control because she wasn’t there yet. She didn’t care who was lurking. She simply wanted to partake of his body any and every way possible. Right here. Right now. But as she looked up into his shuttered eyes, she realized that wasn’t going to happen. Colton wasn’t the type to have wild sex in a public place.

She inhaled a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” She started to turn away, but Colton grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaving.

“I’m not. I’m not sorry at all and we will finish this, Pen. Just not here.” He took another deep, shuddering breath. “Let’s go back inside and see if there’s any cake.”

As he guided her back through the doorway, Penelope worked hard to get her hormones back under control. If she couldn’t have Colton right this very moment, she needed chocolate. Lots of it, right now.

* * *

Penelope mused, she hoped Julie had enjoyed her birthday. Several hours later, their little group was partied out. They were quiet as they walked out to the Bus. As friends to the birthday girl, they stuck around until the very end to help clean up. Now they were all exhausted and ready to head home, minus Damon. He’d managed to get lucky and left several hours before with a very attractive female doctor.

After their encounter in the backyard, she and Colton had gone their separate ways at the party. As if by agreement, they’d avoided each other the rest of the night, but there were several times Penelope caught him staring at her. Those brooding eyes following her kept her arousal level at a low simmer the entire night.

As they walked out to the Bus, she watched his tight ass move. The guy was poetry in motion and watching him move made her mouth water. She was so lost in her thoughts and fantasies that she almost ran into him when he stopped abruptly.

He swung around to them, but directed his comment to Chris. “Stay with the girls. Something’s wrong with the Bus. I’m going to check it out.”

They all looked over his shoulder to the Bus parked twenty feet away. Her heart clenched, but she couldn’t see anything wrong at first glance. Then she saw it. The driver’s side window was shattered. She could still see small sections of it dangling from the corners of the window frame.

She started to move forward, but Chris snagged her arm. “Let Colt check it out first to make sure it’s safe.”

“If it’s not safe for us, it’s not safe for him.”

“He can take care of himself.”

Penelope turned to glare at Chris. “Are you saying I can’t?”

He shook his head. “Pen, you’re not drawing me into an argument over this. You’re staying here. Actually,” he glanced around the quiet neighborhood, then back at Colton who was checking under the Bus, “we’re going to have to call the police, so why don’t we just head back to Aaron’s house?”

No way. Nuh uh.
“We aren’t going to leave him out here all alone. Not gonna happen, Chris.” She continued to watch Colton worriedly as he moved around to the other side of the Bus.

Cassie stepped into the conversation. “I agree. We need to stay together.”

Chris sighed. “Okay, fine, but one of you needs to call Julie before she and Aaron get too settled in for the night.” He sounded pained. “Tell them we’re coming back and they should call the police to report our car’s been broken into.”

Cassie nodded and Penelope was relieved to see Colton walking back over to them safe and sound. She reached around his waist and pulled him into a hug when he got to them. He returned her embrace and moved the group back toward the house. “The only thing I can see wrong is the broken window. There’s an envelope propped on the steering wheel, but I didn’t touch it. I figure the police will want to process it.”

Aaron and Julie waited for them on the porch when they got back to the house. From the looks of them, it was a good thing they’d called ahead. Julie’s shirt was on inside out and Aaron’s buttons were done up crooked. Aaron’s face held the pinched, tension filled expression of a man who had just been cock-blocked.

Regardless of the situation, Penelope couldn’t help but smile. “Sorry to interrupt guys, but you may want to go get straightened out,” she gestured toward their clothes, “before the police arrive.”

Julie glanced down at her shirt and glanced guiltily at Chris, looking close to tears. Both of Julie and Aaron were flushed red. They were so cute together.

As they entered the house, Aaron said, “The police are on their way. Could you tell anything about what happened?” Julie snuck back to the bedroom while Aaron stayed there and re-buttoned his shirt. Penelope couldn’t help but notice the guy was fit. How’d a doctor have time to work-out to maintain those kind of abs? Lucky Julie.

She looked over at Colton to see him looking at her with a single eyebrow raised. Busted. She gave him a grin and shrugged her shoulders. No, Aaron’s body didn’t even compare to his, but she didn’t need to let him know that. The guy had way too much self-confidence already. Speaking of that big gorgeous body…. it was suddenly tucked in behind her. Colton snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her up against him. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I promise I can fulfill you better than he ever could.”

Shock and arousal pulsed throughout her body. What the hell? What happened to the stoic Colton she’d always known? Oh, who the hell cared? This worked for her. “Is that a promise?”

He groaned low, tightened his hold on her, and she could feel his erection pressed into her back. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes in ecstasy. When she opened them again, she was looking right into the smirking faces of all her friends. Damn, a flush of heat rose up her face. She tried to free herself from Colton’s grasp, but he wasn’t letting go. She elbowed him gently in the stomach.

He uttered a low oath. “What the hell was that for?”

She nodded toward their friends. “I think they asked us something.”

He finally let go of her, looking just as embarrassed as she felt. “What?” he growled at them.

Cassie rolled her hand at them and grinned. “No, please continue, this is fascinating. I had no idea.” She pursed her lips in thought, but her eyes continued to shimmer in amusement.