Page 15 of Shielding Lexi (Temptation)

He cocks his head to the side, “I’ve looked at her like I look at anyone.”

I laugh. “Yeah, anyone in a string bikini. Tomorrow night she’ll be in your bedroom. You two going to be okay with sharing?”

Hawk twists back toward me. “Look, it wasn’t anything. She was scared with the storm, she couldn’t sleep, I held her for a bit, and we kissed. The end.”

I smile and shake my head, focusing back in on the bilge looking for water.

“So are you guys like a thing now?” Kane asks, a bit of tension in his voice.

Is he fucking jealous? What the hell is going on? One pretty girl and everything turns to shit?

“No, god no,” Hawk says. “I don’t think. I mean, it wouldn’t be the worst thing ever, but I doubt we’re—”

“Because I really thought we had a connection,” Kane says, like he’s interested.

I want to tell them what a bunch of dumb asses they sound like for falling for this shit, but nothing else I’ve said has seem to hit home, so for once I keep my mouth shut. They’ll figure out how wrong they are when everything blows up in their face.

“Let’s plan to leave at sunrise, two days from now,” I say, turning back toward the boathouse door. “I called the coast guard again early this morning, and it looks like there’s a clear trip to Miami that day. I’ll take the morning shift; you guys can rotate on and off after that while someone keeps an eye on Lexi. If we don’t stop, we’ll be back late that night.”

“Let’s make a pact right now though, okay… no fucking this girl until we know who she is.” I pause for a moment to let my words sink in. “You know I won’t have a problem with that promise, but I see how bad y’all’s cocks are twitching.”

“Fuck Reap, who do you think we are?” Hawk asks, shaking his head.

I laugh. “I think you’re a couple of dudes who are easily enchanted by a tight ass.”

“So you have noticed her ass then?” Kane jokes, slapping me playfully on the arm.

I grin. “I have noticed her ass. I’ve noticed her ass is in my spot on the couch, I’ve noticed her ass eating my second helping at dinner, and I’ve noticed her ass is snaking her way into our lives. None of which, I very much appreciate.”

Their eyes roll as they follow me out of the boathouse and back into the curtain of rain that’s power-washing the island.

“Let’s be nice to her, okay?” Hawk says. “Just let her say what she has to say and be nice. That’s all I’m asking.” He glances back at Kane and I for a second, then steps into the house, leaving us on the porch.

“What are we doing? I thought you wanted to go in?” Kane asks, holding the screen door behind Hawk.

I shake my head and sit on the steps, pulling out the hair pin I’ve kept in my pocket for a year now. “Just need a second to collect my thoughts.”

Kane sits beside me, the rain hitting our boots. “You’re still carrying that around, huh?”

I twist my fingers over top the gold lines of the pin, staring down at the tiny white flower that’s molded on top. “It’s all I have of her.”

Kane throws his hand up onto my back in comfort then drags it back down again, settling his elbows onto his knees as he watches the rain. I know the guys don’t know what to say. No one does. The truth is, I wouldn’t know either. I just know Julie didn’t deserve what Brick did to her. Fuck if I know someone who does, aside from Brick himself.

“You really don’t see this girl’s tell yet?” I ask, sliding the pin back into my pocket.

Kane narrows his eyes and looks toward me. “We’re not talking about a poker game, we’re talking about real life. It’s differ—”

“How?” I bark the words, agitated for some reason that he didn’t have a better answer.

“Well,” he says glancing toward me with narrowed eyes. “First off, it’s a fucking card game. This is real lif—”

“Card game my ass. Thatgamewon you millions of dollars,” I say as I stare in his direction, but he doesn’t look back. “Come on man, we both know you won that money because you’re good at reading people.” I try to stay calm with him because I know it’s the best way to get him talking.

Finally, he looks toward me, only for a second though before looking away again. “Poker is nothing like real life, Reap. It’s a game, in a controlled environment, and we’re talking about bluffing cards not—”

“Sure, but you carried your military skills to cards. Why not cards to this?”

He stands from the steps and shakes off my words, “What do you think she did Reaper? You’re not making any fucking sense. She’s just a girl. A girl that washed up here and needs help. That’s it. Let’s help her and get on with our lives.”

---