Filed to story: Reclaimed Book by Roxie Ray
“Remember your manners, Dylan,” Harley said. “Make sure you listen to Uncle Hawk and Aunt Mia, okay? And be on your best behavior.”
I handed Bella back to my brother. “Yeah, I think Hawk’s the one you need to worry about. He’s got the behavioral issues.”
Hawk laughed. “I promise Dylan won’t catch his first charge at the playground.”
“What’s that mean?” Dylan asked.
Harley rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”
“Mom,” he grumbled.
“Let’s get out of here, kiddo, before it gets too hot outside.” Hawk clapped Dylan on the shoulder and led him out the door. Mia had Bella say bye, then the four of them left.
The house suddenly felt very still and quiet. It was as if a crazy storm had rolled through and passed in a matter of minutes. I went into the kitchen and put on another pot of coffee. The mid-morning sun streamed through the big windows, falling in golden stripes across the table and making Harley’s auburn hair gleam. The coffeemaker bubbled, but all I could hear was the beat of Harley’s heart. She fidgeted in her seat at the table, then shut her laptop.
“Well, if they’re having a park day, I might as well use this time to run a few errands,” she said. “It might be good for me to run by Mom’s, too…”
“Can we talk?”
Her eyes widened. “Talk?”
“Talk,” I repeated. “About us.”
“Us?”
I chuckled. “Sounds like we’ve got a parrot in here.”
That beautiful flush returned to her cheeks. “I-yeah. Yeah, we can talk. That’s probably for the best.”
I poured two mugs of coffee and walked outside to the back deck. The fresh air would help, and I wanted her to know I was serious about this. The couch inside would be too tempting. My dragon still wanted her on her back beneath us, and I couldn’t entertain those thoughts before we had this conversation.
I handed her a mug, and she accepted it with a hum of gratitude. She folded one hand around the mug, and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear with the other. In the warm light, she looked even more beautiful, and she nearly took my breath away when she gave me a small smile. “You asked Hawk to steal Dylan away, didn’t you?”
I took a sip of my coffee. “Maybe.”
She nodded and gazed out to the lake. I knew we were both thinking about what might have happened last night had we not been interrupted. But I was done waiting for something to happen.
“I think you know how I feel about you,” I said.
Her gaze jumped to mine, her eyes going wide. My dragon preened at the attention.
“I’m tired of pretending it’s not there,” I continued. “I know you feel it too. I want to be honest with you, Harley. I want us to be honest with each other. Am I making it up? Or do you feel something between us, too?”
“I-I-” Harley stammered, then took a sip of coffee. She looked so damn adorable when I caught her off guard that I wanted to make her more flustered. I wanted to hear her cry out my name in that sweet voice.
“I still want you,” I said. “I know that much is obvious. But I think it’s more than that between us, Harley. I… I want to try again.”
She gaped at me, blinking fast.
“I know you’re not the same woman I met ten years ago, but the more I get to know who you are now, the more sure I am. I still want to be with you. My dragon definitely does.” Internally, he huffed and urged me to pick up the pace. He wanted us to be mated as much as I did.
After a long moment, Harley turned and looked out at the lake. “It’s… it’s not that simple.”
“I’m not denying that, but I can’t ignore it anymore. We should be honest with each other. But whatever happens next is your choice.”
That made her gaze jump back to me. “That kind of choice isn’t simple either, Stephan.”
“I’ll give you some time to think,” I said. “I know you’ve had a lot going on. I’ve got a meeting this afternoon, so you’ll have some peace and quiet in the house.”
Her shoulders sagged a little, and only then did I realize how tense she’d been. “Thanks. That’ll be helpful.”
“You can always tell me to get the hell out of here,” I said with a smile.
“It’s your house!”
“While you’re here, it’s yours, too.”
“I don’t ever want you to ‘get the hell out’,” she said. “But some time to think will be nice.”
“There’s a walking trail through the woods by the lake. It’s relaxing, when you’re not busy worrying about Dylan accidentally setting the house on fire.”
She laughed. “I’ll just worry about him setting the playground on fire.”
“That’s why Hawk’s there.” I checked my phone. “I do need to get out of here, though. I should be back around dinner. Want me to pick anything up?”
“No, no, I’ll be fine.” She smoothed her hair down. Her expression was softer now, almost unsure. “Thank you. Really.”
My dragon nearly purred. I didn’t want to leave, but I knew it was best for both of us. She hadn’t pushed me away when I’d told her I wanted her, which was a good start. That was a pretty good start. I wanted to reach for her, to embrace her, but instead I walked away with the promise to return soon.
I met Striker at the garage, and he followed me to Michel’s shop with a box truck.
When we arrived, an employee waved us down the narrow driveway next to the shop, then opened the garage door at the far backside of the warehouse. Striker backed into the garage while I parked. I walked into the garage, where Michel and his crew were waiting for us.
“There you are, Ace,” Michel said with a grin. “Good to see you. I assume you heard the good news?”
“Good is pushing it, but yeah, I got it straight from the source.”
“I had my guys take a look at everything.” Michel waved us over to the six immense wooden crates. Most were nailed shut, but one was still open. Michel slid the lid off, revealing stacks and stacks of guns nestled neatly in foam.
“This one’s your order,” Michel continued. “There’s no sign of tampering. Some of the crates hadn’t even been opened. Seems like Sean’s guys didn’t have a buyer ready.”
“They were causing trouble. There wasn’t a plan.”
“Somehow, that’s worse,” Michel muttered. “You know, just because we got the goods back doesn’t change what I said about Sean. Until he’s out of the picture, I can’t work with your clan. And if he burns us again, it’s your hide on the line.”
I nodded. Typically, I wouldn’t stand for that kind of threat from anyone, but Michel was only covering his own ass. He wouldn’t do anything to threaten me or my clan, as long as the feds weren’t on his ass. I understood the logic. At least we had the product we needed to fill the existing orders.
“Wouldn’t expect anything less, Michel. I’ll take care of Sean.”
“Good man,” Michel said. “Guys, load the crate up.”
Michel’s guys hammered the lid back on the crate, then heaved it up into the waiting box truck, where it was mixed in with car parts and tires.
Striker closed the truck and locked it. “You think Sean said anything to his dog?” he asked me in a low voice.
