Page 2 of Key Of Dreams

“Darling girl, come back anytime,” Gertie tells her. “Bull, be a love and help Maya carry her groceries. A gentleman should always help a lady.” I see the expression on Gertie’s face. She couldn’t be more obvious; she’s playing matchmaker and pushing us together.

I’ll play, especially since I can’t stop thinking about what Maya’s lips taste like and how good her body would feel pressed up against mine. “You bet, ma’am,” I tease Gertie, then pick up two torn bags, holding them from the bottom to make sure we don’t lose any more groceries.

Maya’s hand trembles as she opens her door. She reaches out to take the bags I’m holding, but I brush past her and walk straight through to her kitchenette, where I set them down.

I stand before her, looking into her baby-blue eyes. I can’t help myself. I reach out to trace her cheek with the back of my hand. I hear her intake of breath, but she doesn’t break our connection.

“See you soon, babe. Enjoy your canned tuna and crackers,” I tease, then leave before I find another excuse to linger. Maya is skittish and shy, not normally the kind of woman I go for, but there’s something about her that makes me want to know more.

Chapter1

Wangling an Invitation

Bull

Gertie is a pistol, and when I go back and check on her one final time before leaving for home, she grills me like a drill sergeant.

“Isn’t she a sweetie? You need a girl like that, Bull. Someone who will put you first. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to come home to find a pretty girl like that waiting for you? And when we chatted, I found out she has two older brothers who both work their dad’s land, married with children of their own. Their pa, that’s what she calls him, passed away several years ago of a sudden heart attack. Her ma lives close to her boys and helps by watching the kids.” I try to get a word in, to no avail. Gertie keeps right on talking. “Can you imagine a little thing like that leaving her family to spread her wings? She’s a teacher, you know. She interviewed with the high school and is starting next week for the school year. Maya’s nervous as a cat on hot coals about it. I think some of those boys are going to tower over her. She can’t be more than five feet two.”

I cut in. “Gertie, I get it. You like her.”

“I do, and you do too,” she insists.

“I don’t even know her.”

“Then you have no reason not to like her, so therefore, you like her,” she decides. I can’t argue with her reasoning because it’s totally Gertie’s way, and I love this lady to pieces. She’s the mother and grandmother I never had wrapped into one. The woman fought cancer and beat it. She lost her husband and carried on, cherishing him by telling us stories about him as often as she can. She’s adored by her kids, who want her to move closer, although she refuses because this is her home, and she likes her independence.

“Right. I like her,” I concede. Gertie’s not wrong. Maya’s a sweet, little woman. Too sweet for my overbearing, gruff personality. I know all too well what I am. I don’t take shit, and I speak my mind. I had to learn how if I wanted to survive in my family.

My parents gave me two brothers and a sister. One of my brothers has been in and out of jail since he was sixteen. It started with juvie, then he worked his way up. I think his last charges included grand theft auto and trafficking cocaine. He’s hit the big time and is paying the price, because my brother follows orders from someone much smarter than he is. The low man on the totem pole for a mob boss is sitting pretty in his five-bedroom house in the suburbs, and my brother is sitting in a cell. I wish I could feel sorry for him, but I can’t. He brought it on himself. Anyone who peddles drugs to kids deserves to do time.

The oldest, my brother Kevin, was smart and left home at eighteen. He learned a trade and disappeared into the night. He wanted to get away from our dysfunctional family, so he joined a biker club and left. He apprenticed as a mechanic. Last I heard, he’s doing good for himself. We’re not in touch on a regular basis, but every so often, I get a call, usually on my birthday, or I call him on his.

My sister, Pam, is the younger version of my mother, and I hate my mother. Pam’s loud, brash, and slutty. I used to make excuses for her, saying she didn’t have good role models, and this is what she fell into. That’s true to a certain extent. But when you’re given opportunity after opportunity for a better life, away from latching yourself onto the next available meal ticket, to make something of yourself and refuse, then I cut my ties. I tried to get her back into school, only to find out she took the tuition money for two years and blew it on clothes, shoes, and her other bad habits.

Mom and Dad lost me the day they went behind my back and sold my car to pay off their debt. I could have reported them for theft, but I didn’t have the heart to go through with it. It was also the same day I joined the military. I never looked back and never went home again.

I’m loud because no one ever heard me if I wasn’t loud, and to this day, I carry that with me. I don’t mean to be. I just am. I used to apologize for it, and Falcon is the one who explained that true friends don’t care about that shit as long as what I’m saying isn’t hurtful. I’d rather cut off my right arm than hurt any of my Storm family because, blood or not, we’re a family.

Gertie sees more in me than I would like at times. She sees the scared kid who showed up for basic training and had to work twice as hard because he believed he was worthless. I was a skinny, awkward kid who felt invisible. Reality set in, and on a battlefield, if you’re not prepared, you’ll die. I made it my mission to bulk up physically, emotionally, and mentally. I’m six feet and two hundred and twenty pounds of muscle. I work hard at keeping fit because if I don’t, with the missions we take on, it could be a matter of life and death.

As for being opinionated, I’m entitled to speak my mind, but I usually do so only when asked. If it doesn’t involve me, then do whatever you want. But with Falcon and the guys, I say what I think, not because I want to be a pain in the ass, but because I love those men, and if I think they’re making a mistake, I’ve got to let them know.

I spoke up when Phoenix and Kailyn got together. I couldn’t imagine those two falling in love. Kailyn was married to another one of our military brothers who never made it home. In the end, I saw that I was wrong and told them so, but at the time, they let me have my say, and we talked it out. You never know where you’re going to find those glimpses of happiness. Phoenix and Kailyn have been through rough patches in their lives, and they deserve to be happy. In the end, isn’t that what we want for our family?

I kiss Gertie on the cheek. “Rebel’s coming by next week. He says he needs time with his special girl,” I tell her.

“He’s a terrible flirt, and I love him for it,” she says with a laugh. “Maybe you should come with him. I like the company of handsome young men.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” I respond. I like coming to see Gertie, but I also like my time alone. Work has been back-to-back projects, and I haven’t had a lot of downtime lately.

“Perhaps I’ll invite Kailyn and Phoenix over to meet Maya. She can meet Rebel at the same time,” she says. I get this twinge in my gut. I don’t like the idea of Rebel cozying up to Maya. Rebel’s a great guy, but if he makes a move on Maya, I’ll lose my shit on him.

“What are you playing at, Gertie?” I ask, raising a brow.

“Nothing, sweetie. She’s new in town and doesn’t know a soul. I want my new neighbor to feel at home and to get to know people. She doesn’t have her big brothers to protect her, and I think it would be good for her to have friends. Don’t you?” Gertie’s husband must have been putty in this woman’s hands. She’s a master manipulator, but she’s so good at it that I don’t mind.

“Hey, you wanna have a party to welcome Maya, then have at it. I’ll be here if you want me,” I reply. “Got to go, but I’m sure I’ll get the deets from Kailyn.”

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