Page 57 of Cyn
“If we’re basing personalities on weather, does that make you laid-back and steady?” she teased. Joe might be both those things, but he was hardly boring, which was how she’d made it sound.
“No,” he said, swiping an arm around her waist and yanking her up against him. Lowering his head, he kissed her deeply, all the while maintaining his stirring of the cooking vegetables. Damn, a man who could multitask was a sexy thing.
When he pulled back, he grinned, then released his hold on her. “No, it makes me hot and sultry and sensuous.”
She snorted. “First, I think you are the first man I have ever met who describes himself as sensuous—”
“If you got it, own it,” he said with a shrug.
“And second,” she continued, “I think you’d be all those things regardless of where you came from.” Because there was no way she could think of Joe as anything other than those things. They werehim, not a product of where he came from. Not that she thought he’d been serious in his assessment.
“I’m glad you think so. Now, can you grab the meat? Not the fun kind,” he said with a nod to his obvious arousal. She smiled. She liked knowing she wasn’t alone in her attraction and that their simple conversation and the one kiss had done that to him.
Opening the refrigerator, she pulled out pre-cut and marinaded pieces of chicken and beef, along with some tofu for Nora, who didn’t eat meat. She was opening the containers when her phone dinged, letting her know that her friends had arrived. They must have all been at Six’s house, which was only five minutes away.
“Ready for the invasion?” she asked.
“Why don’t you take some drinks to the table and grab the guacamole I saw in the fridge and the chips. You can catch them up while I finish cooking.” Joe slid the now-finished onions and peppers into a warming bowl and added mushrooms to the pan. Not really a traditional option for fajitas, but Dan always added extra vegetables for Nora to mix with her tofu.
“You’re not a real human being, are you, Joe Harris?” she half-teased, half-asked. It wasn’t that she thought he was perfect—no one was—but she couldn’t remember ever dating a guy who was so easygoing about not just her friends—who were in her life about every day—but also about getting shit done. Then again, she hadn’t ever dated someone she’d invited into her life as quickly and to the extent she’d invited Joe. At the age of thirty-eight, that seemed a little pathetic—never to have had a relationship that included sharing space like she and Joe were—but then again, maybe it meant she’d been waiting for the right one.
She wasn’t entirely sure she was sold on that idea. The concept of soul mates wasn’t one she believed in, but regardless, the situation didn’t lie. She’d let Joe in—into her life and into her home—faster than the summer weather changed.
“I don’t know where your mind went right there, Steele, but I assure you I’m real and am more than happy to prove it to you,” he said with an over-the-top licentious wink.
“I told you to be clothed by the time we got here,” Six yelled from the foyer, obviously having overheard them. “Are you decent?”
“We’re talking, Six,” Joe called back. “Cyn has beer and guacamole waiting for you all.”
Cyn laughed when, not more than a second later, all three friends appeared in the doorway. “Beer and chips?” Six asked, striding toward the table.
“Personally, it’s Dan’s guacamole that does it for me,” Devil said.
“You and me both,” Nora chimed in, grabbing a bottle of beer from Cyn as she walked by. A few seconds later, Cyn was still by the island although her friends were seated at the table, already bickering over the position of the bowl of guacamole. With a smile, Cyn grabbed more from the refrigerator, separated it into four bowls, then dropped all four at the table.
Moving the original bowl back to the island so they’d have some for the fajitas, she then joined her friends. Grabbing a chip, she dipped it into the guacamole and took a bite; the creamy avocado flavor blending with tomatoes, cilantro, and a touch of heat, burst across her tongue.
“Oh my god, I do not miss British food when I eat this,” Cyn said once she’d swallowed. “I know we have all sorts of fabulous food in England, particularly the Indian food, but there’s nothing quite like good Mexican food.”
Six and Nora, who were busy shoveling chips into their mouths, nodded. Devil sat back, her fingers caressing her beer bottle, and eyed Cyn. “There’s a phone that’s not yours on the island, and I also ran into Tony, who had a delivery for me after he left here. You have food and drink. Now tell us what’s going on.”
Chapter Nineteen
Joe remained in the kitchen,half-listening to Cyn fill her friends in on what they’d discovered in the chat rooms as well as the arrival of the phone. He had no doubt that none of the women were going to leave until they knew what was on it. Not that he wanted them to leave. Listening to the four women sitting around the table was like witnessing a bizarre mix of chess-like strategy, sibling squabbles, and loyalty like he hadn’t ever seen before. Sure, he knew a lot of teams in the Navy who were tight and almost like brothers, but there was something different about these women, and he suspected it had to do with that crazy-ass spy school they’d all attended that Cyn had told him about.
It wasn’t that he thought the school itself was crazy, but whoever had come up with the idea had to have been a little off his or her rocker to think up such a thing. Not that he could dispute the success of it, though, as he listened to the women. Because of their shared history, they knew each other in ways that the Navy teams he worked with never could or would. He supposed, at some point, that could become a liability, but he doubted it. None of the women at the table was weak enough to let their loyalty become a liability.
“Ready to eat, everyone?” Joe called out once he had everything on platters and laid out on the kitchen island.
“I’m starving,” Six said. “You are a man among men,” she added, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek as she passed by on her way to grab a plate.
“Thank you for preparing dinner,” Nora said, giving him a little hug.
“We’re not usually like locusts descending on food, but Dan’s fajitas tend to turn us a little feral,” Devil said with a small, apologetic smile as her gaze drifted to Six who was piling her plate.
Joe chuckled. “Happy to be of service, ma’am.” Devil didn’t smile, but he did see a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. “The phone’s probably charged enough to turn it on, Cyn. Maybe we can all look at it while we eat?” he suggested.
She nodded. “Once we all have our food, I’ll grab it.”
