Page 40 of Finders Keep Her
“I can’t believe you’d invade my privacy that way.” Now it’s me that barks a laugh. I reach over, cupping the back of her neck to pull her toward me.
I meet her halfway, claiming that cute mouth of hers. I kiss her hard and deep, and maybe I want the fucker on the porch to understand things really fucking clearly.
“You’re a menace.” Ellie gasps when I lift my mouth from hers. “My dad is right there.”
“And?” Not sure what the fuck that has to do with anything.
“You can’t be kissing me like that in front of my dad.”
“We share a bed in his home, and I’m up your ass most of the time. I think he knows.” I glance out the front windshield. “And Nick knows too.”
“You’re kissing me because you’re jealous.”
“I kiss you for a lot of reasons, little fox.”
"But you're jealous?" I smile widely, loving that she’s asking because she wants to make sure that I am, not that she doesn’t want me to be.
"I'm jealous of the air you breathe."
"Because it gets inside of me." She snorts a laugh. "All right, don't go cutting out his eyes or Hulk-smashing him. He's a local."
"Right." I agree to those two things, but I don’t make any promises after that. There are a plethora of other options I can do to Nick. Already have half a dozen playing out in my mind. "Stay put," I order her before hopping out of the truck. I give Frank a chin nod as I make my way to the passenger door, opening it for my girl.
"Hi," Ellie chirps.
"You're back." Frank comes down the porch steps to wrap Ellie in a hug. He closes his eyes for a second as he holds her close. It hits me how hard it has to be for Frank to have lost the woman he loved. I've seen pictures of Ellie's mom around the house. They bear a striking resemblance.
"I'm back." She drops her head back. "To pack a bag."
"I like the sound of that better than you slipping off in the night."
"Things are changing, Dad," she tells him; there is a hitch in her voice.
"I'm always ready for whatever you have up your sleeves, sweetheart."
"Hey, Els," Nick says from the porch. He's got a fucking nickname for her? Or is he trying to piss me off? It doesn't matter because I'm already pissed.
“Hey.” Ellie smartly only gives him a wave as she steps back toward me. She might get off on my jealousy, but she’s not going to poke at it, not right now. I wrap my arm around her, tucking her into my side. I don’t miss the smirk Frank covers quickly. He gets it.
“My parents told me you were home so I wanted to swing by. It’s been too long. Been deployed for the last three years. Thought we could catch up on old times.” I swear this motherfucker has a death wish. He just doesn’t realize I’d be more than happy to grant it.
“You’ve been gone for three years? I didn’t even realize it was that long.” That smile Nick was wearing that was aimed at my girl drops from his face real quick when he realizes Ellie hadn’t noticed that he was gone. I’m gonna reward my little fox for that later.
“You do always get lost in that head of yours.” He smirks as he says it like it’s a tease, but the slight shake of his head no tells me otherwise.
“We can’t all have a brilliant mind like Ellie.”
“He thinks my aloofness is cute.” Ellie points her thumb at me.
“Aloofness can get you killed.”
“Talking out of the side of your mouth to Ellie can get you killed.”
Nick stands up straighter at my comment. I don’t think he’s been in the Marines for the past year. He’d be in better shape.
“He’s protective.” Ellie pats my chest. “Stand down.”
Frank merely watches the show, enjoying it.
