Page 58 of Smooth Moves
Jordan did what felt right. She took a step closer and hugged him. At first he tensed, but then he eased into her hold and sighed, resting his head on her shoulder. She stroked his arms and his back and massaged his neck, smiling when he gave a soft groan.
Cash didn’t make any sarcastic comments or try to turn the embrace into a sexual hold. He was off his game, and not having a familiar, sarcastic Cash to deal with bothered her. She didn’t like him hurt because his pain felt personal. That level of attachment to the man should have bothered her more than it did. Instead, she felt it her responsibility to get him on the mend. To care for him.
“How about some tea or something to drink?”
He shrugged but didn’t move away from her. “Tea would be good, I guess. We have some in the cabinet.” He paused. “Reid got it for Naomi.”
She reluctantly pulled away and saw him watching her. But she didn’t have a clue what he was thinking.
He pointed her to a cabinet, and she grabbed the tea then turned on an electric kettle. “Nice place. How long have you lived here?”
“A year now. A buddy of ours from the Corps owns it and rents it for cheap. But with Reid moving out, I’ll probably end up leaving too.” He sighed. “Too bad, really. Because all the nice furniture stays with the house.”
“But you inherited your mom’s place. You could move in there.” In an ideal location, his mother’s house wasn’t too far from this one. “It might take a little work to get it livable, but the house has good bones.”
He sighed again. “I guess.”
She fixed him tea and grabbed a cup for herself. “You want anything in it?”
He nodded. “I like it sweet.”
“Me too. Milk and honey okay?”
“Perfect.”
She smiled.
His smile, when it came, stole her breath. Because she saw Cash unguarded, simply taking joy in the act of sharing the moment.
They drank their tea at the kitchen island, staring at each other, until she broke the silence. “So, tell me. What’s with you and Reid?”
His eyes narrowed, shuttering his expression, and she regretted the loss of his earlier joy. “It’s a family thing.”
“Uh-huh. I don’t care. Tell me what’s going on. You can talk to me, you know. I’m no narc.”
He gave a ghost of a grin. “That’s what your brother said about himself.”
“Well, we Flemings—and Youngers—are good like that.”
“Youngers?”
“Rafi’s technically my half-brother. My sister and I are from my mom’s marriage to my dad, Jeff Fleming. My dad died when I was little. Car accident. Mom remarried Carl Younger, my stepdad. He’s Rafi’s father, but we all call him Dad. He’s a good man.” She wished she knew why he thought distancing himself from his son was the right thing to do. “It’s just, he and my mother, they—No. We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you and Reid.”
Cash scowled. “Are we?”
“Yes.” She moved around the island to sit next to him. “What’s going on between you guys? Why didn’t you call Reid for help? Or Evan? You’re tight with your cousin, aren’t you?”
“Huh. Hadn’t even thought about Evan.” He cupped his huge hands around the tea, and the mug disappeared. “You sure you want to hear this? I don’t want to lay all my crap on you.”
She put a hand over his, taken with the strength that could pummel a bully or caress her with such gentleness. “Sometimes laying it out makes you feel better. And, hey, you listened to me about my brother.”
“I guess.” He turned to face her, and she did the same, their knees brushing. “Reid and me, we’ve always been close. Even after I moved out of the house at sixteen, I waited for him before joining the Corps.”
“You joined together. Did you serve together too?”
“Some. But, you know, you get assigned a duty station, you have to go. The little shit went and got a different MOS, was in a different unit for a while. Radio Recon is okay, I guess.” He grinned, pride in his eyes. From what she knew about Radio Recon, the guys were pretty high-speed. “He’s hell on wheels and knows it. Anyway, we’ve always been tight. But he’s constantly bailing me out of trouble, which is ridiculous. I’m older. I should look out for him.”
Yet she could understand, knowing the two men. Reid, the levelheaded, responsible one, always there to lend a hand to the brash but brave brother who leaped before looking.
