Her future sister-in-law laughed, her freckled shoulders slumping in a visible show of relief. “You’re a life saver.”
“I know. You can thank me later.”
“Lunch on Friday?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Good. My brother was right. You do look like you need to eat.” Her lips twisted in a wry purse as Monique glanced the men’s way. “That’s probably not a good thing either, seeing how close Josh keeps getting to that grill. I love the man, but I swear if he so much as breathes on the food, none of us will be able to eat.”
“Sheesh! Is his breath really that bad?” Taylor asked with a mischievous wiggle of her brow.
The blonde’s mouth fell open. “No! Not at all, but his cooking skills are atrocious.”
Remembering Sebastian’s comments about the boxed pizza, Taylor burst into laughter. “So I heard.”
Monique tittered beside her. “I can’t wait to tell Josh his cooking skills are so bad they’re becoming legendary.”
“Someone’s feeling brave.”
“Ehhhh.” An impish laugh accompanied Monique’s embarrassed shrug. “Not really. He’s got a pretty great sense of humor most days. All it will do is add some spice.”
“You really are a wicked woman,” Taylor teased. “All corruption and no shame.”
The blonde dipped her fingers in her drink and slung an ice cube her way. “Shh. The last thing I need is for Sebastian or Josh to catch on.”
Taylor snickered into her glass. “Okay, but I don’t think either of them are as oblivious as you think.”
She let her gaze drift across the pool to the rocky alcove boasting the built-in grill and fire pit. Sensing he had her attention, Sebastian glanced up and motioned her out of the pool with a crook of his finger. Abandoning her raft, Taylor plunged into the water’s cool depths and pulled herself across the surface in a few fluid strokes. After levering herself up over the ledge, she wound a fluffy towel around her waist and wrung the water from the ends of her hair. The crisp scent of chlorine clung to her, replacing the earthy remnants of the lake.
Snaking an arm around her waist, Sebastian tugged her closer. “I missed you,” he murmured with an eager press of his hips.
Grinning, she rubbed the tip of her nose against his and sank her fingers into the drying tumbles of his hair. “I missed you too.”
“Hey now,” Josh said, turning with the spatula poised in his hand. “My kid is running around here somewhere. Don’t make me turn the hose on you two.”
Sebastian’s shoulders jerked with quiet laughter and he tugged Taylor closer as he aimed a pointed look his partner’s way. “Do you really think that would be wise?”
“Not really, Baas, but it might be worth it if it cools you down. What the hell is with you lately anyways? Are you in heat?” he asked, arching a quizzical brow.
“Perhaps,” Sebastian said, his lips spreading into a terse smile.
Josh chuckled with a shake of his head. “Keep your pistol in your pants until you get home, killer.”
Sebastian glanced down and Taylor watched his expression soften. Tenderness flooded the sage pools of his eyes as he tucked her hair behind her ears. Without warning, his mood shifted and his back straightened. Annoyance and uncertainty flickered across the chiseled planes of his face as his gaze narrowed and scanned the yard.
“You okay, Baas?” Josh asked, waving Monique out of the pool. He shot Sabastian an inquisitive look before starting to plate the food.
Taylor blushed when her stomach gave an audible gurgle, her mouth already watering at the promise of Hawaiian grilled grouper. Skewered pineapple, peppers, onions, and cherries added bright color and extra flavor to the festive sticks.
“Yeah. I suppose. Have you noticed anything strange lately?”
The question drew her attention away from the food. Turning, she regarded her lover with a questioning blink.
“Can’t say that I have,” Josh replied. “What kind of strange are we talking here, Baas? Strange like you settling down and being all lovey? Because that’s pretty damn strange if you ask me.”
“Cute,” Sebastian quipped. “Taylor, go help my sister grab the salad and drinks,” he said, patting her wet butt in dismissal.
Frowning, she headed for the house, but kept her steps slow and her ears strained.
“The same people keep resurfacing wherever I go. The grocery store, the movies, the restaurant, and today, I could have sworn I seen one of them out at the lake.”
“Maybe Marx is keeping an eye on us, making sure we weren’t trying to skip town or something. That last round of reprogramming was pretty fucking intense. For a minute there, I didn’t think I was going to make it out.”
“No. This isn’t SKALS. It feels…different.”
She hesitated, her fingers curled around the handle for the sliding patio door as she waited for Josh’s reply.
“Look. You and Taylor have been through a hell of a lot. Flagstaff is a big city. You’re bound to keep seeing more than one familiar face. You’ve been tense and on edge since that whole thing with Laychee went down. Believe it or not, the whole world isn’t out to get you, Baas. Try to lighten up and relax a bit, okay?”
Sensing his eyes boring into her, Taylor quickly pulled the door open without waiting for Sebastian’s response.
A few hours later, they sat gathered around the built-in fire pit. Tucked between his knees, Taylor snuggled against Sebastian’s chest as they shared a blanket. He rested his chin on her shoulder while she slowly skimmed her fingertips up and down the coarse hair covering his legs. A quiet contentment flowed between, both staring at the fire and somewhat mesmerized by the hypnotic dance of the flames. It had been a long day. They’d gotten up well before the first traces of color spackled the sky and made the two hour drive to the lake. Fiv
e hours of jet skis, wind, sun, and swimming had left them all drained, and it had been another two hour ride back to Monique’s. Now, she wanted nothing more than to crawl into their comfortable bed and enjoy his touch.
Sebastian seemed to feel much the same. Kissing her temple, he nudged her forward. “I’m going to go gather our things, sweetheart. Where did you put our bag?”
“It’s hanging on the hook in the laundry room.”
After unfurling himself from the lounger, he headed for the house. Monique quickly followed suit with an offer to help and send some food home. Mourning the loss of his heat, Taylor drew the blanket tighter and glanced up to find Josh studying her.
“You sure you’re feeling okay, kid?”
She gave an embarrassed nod. “It was just hard being away from him.”
“Yeah,” he said, sighing as he leaned forward to prod the fire with the end of a stick. “I get that. It’s tough on all of us.”
A tense silence hung between them and his face darkened with the same tortured shadows that haunted Sebastian’s whenever he disappeared into the past. Hoping to lighten the mood, she went out on a limb. “Sooo…did Monique really ban you from the kitchen?”
His head snapped up, his sharp, rugged face squinting with confusion. “Say what now?”
“Sebastian was telling me about the pizza you made. He said it was so awful it almost killed him,” she explained. Relief flooded her upon hearing Josh’s gravelly laugh.
“Oh he did, did he?”
“Yeah. How in the world did you ever manage to pull that off? It takes a certain kind of talent to botch something straight out of a box.”
Still laughing, he shook his head. Deep creases lined his forehead as he flashed a sheepish look. “Just between you and me? I did that on purpose, kid.” He leaned forward and settled into a more comfortable position. “We were working late one night and Baas was starting to get hungry. Which is really a polite way of saying he was becoming a royal pain in my ass.”
Taylor couldn’t help but snicker.
Grinning, he pointed at her with the stick. “See? You know exactly what I mean. Anyway, yeah, I could have made a perfect pizza. It’s not exactly neurosurgery, but what purpose would that have served? It’s bad enough working with the man all day. The last thing I needed was Sebastian stopping by every night and demanding a hot meal. So…I fucked it up. He hated it and never asked me to make him anything again. Problem solved. Smart thinking, huh?”