Thanksgiving morning

The strongest bonds are often not formed through blood, but earned through friendship and shared experiences. Kinship is a better word for the connection between Rourke and his two best friends, Luc and Dolce. At the moment, Rourke’s oldest friend in the world was sorely testing the strength of that bond.

It had taken Rourke five long fucking days to get from Kabul to Las Vegas. He looked down at his feet where the dust of that far away land still clung to his boots, and Rourke prayed for patience. Unfortunately, Rourke was not a patient man. He was tired, hungry, and ready for a long awaited break.

“What did you say?” he asked Luc Christianson because Rourke was sure he hadn’t heard the man correctly. There was no way he’d just been ordered to report for duty.

“I said get your ass over to the church by two o’clock. Pastor Davis is expecting us to serve Thanksgiving dinner in the soup kitchen tonight,” Luc repeated.

Rourke hadn’t misunderstood. His arrogant ass of a best friend had actually lost his fucking mind. Rourke dropped his duffle on the sidewalk and hailed a cab while taking a few deep breaths of the balmy morning air. The weather in Vegas was similar to the weather in Kabul this time of year. It was sixty-four degrees Fahrenheit in Vegas, but unlike in the Middle East, the sights, sounds and smells surrounding Rourke meant he was home at last. He was breathing fresh air, not the recycled oxygen of an airplane, aircraft carrier, or a submarine. It was a glorious thing.

“Why, exactly, would Pastor Davis be expecting me, Luc? He didn’t even know when I’d be getting back to town. Nobody did, not for sure, anyway.”

“I was hoping you would be home by Thanksgiving. So I volunteered you along with Dolce and myself,” Luc explained as if it were the obvious conclusion.

Usually, Rourke wouldn’t mind spending the day at the church he and his friends had grown up in to serve in any way the pastor needed. However, he was exhausted, and all he wanted was a hot shower and his own bed after nine months overseas. He wanted to sleep until he woke up on his own. No duty call. No operations. No sleeping on the ground in shifts amongst his teammates or not sleeping at all for days. Just a long, uninterrupted day or two of sleep on his cozy, California king, pillow-top mattress with the air conditioning blasting and his thermal curtains blocking out the sun.

“Fuck, Luc! I just got off the goddamn boat!” Rourke exploded, startling a couple nearby. He would apologize if he weren’t so fucking annoyed.

“The fucking boat? Really?” Luc replied calmly, not at all moved by Rourke's outburst.

“Don’t be an ass. You know what I mean, man. I’m a fucking sailor,” he barked.

“Yes, and clearly you also have the mouth of a sailor. I always thought that was just a cliché. I guess I was wrong.”

There was a long disapproving silence on the other end of the line while Rourke cursed in every language he knew. He tossed his bag in the back of a cab and climbed in. This was how Luc worked Rourke and Dolce. Luc had always been their unofficial leader, even though Rourke was older than Luc. Luc had a need to be in charge that Rourke understood and accepted as a part of his personality. Most times Rourke and Dolce went along with Luc’s schemes. If they didn’t, Luc became silent and brooding.

“I’ll let the pastor know you’re unavailable. Dolce will be upset. She’s missed you. The woman has been a pain in my ass for the last nine months.”

Rourke cracked a small smile. He was sure it was the first time he’d smiled since he left home. Dolce was the only one who’d missed him, huh? Rourke was sure Luc hadn’t even noticed he was gone. Sure. He’d believe that line of bullshit. Not!

Again, Luc knew how to work him. Dolce was a soft spot for both of them. She was like their little sister and had been since they were kids and she’d moved to the same street he and Luc had grown up on in North Vegas. Neither of them liked to see Dolce upset.

“How did you know I was back in town? I just walked out of the airport.”

“I had the IT department tracking your phone,” Luc responded as if it were the obvious answer.

Just over a year before, Luc had won ownership of his bastard of an absent father’s hotel and casino in a game of cards. Luc had prepared for the confrontation since the day he learned who his father was and what he’d done to Luc’s mother before her unfortunate death in childbirth. It was a long painful story Luc was doing everything possible to forget, but failing.

What Luc was doing though, was keeping busy turning the declining casino and hotel into a lucrative business again. His father had only wanted the property to hide the immensely profitable illegal gambling and entertainment club it housed within its walls.

Luc wasn’t about to close down the illegal operation. No, it was, after all, where the real money was for the time being, and he needed the income to renovate the legal casino and dated hotel. Luc took over and made the illegal operation an even bigger success in short order. Having the hotel and casino refurbished and rebranded was an enormous expense. Luc needed every penny to get the job done right.

Luc also had an IT department that was just as willing to perform discreet illegalities, as his exclusive contracts department was to write questionable contracts. Rourke tried not to think about that end of Luc’s business. It was an illicit enterprise and against everything Luc was raised to believe in.

“Why are you tracking my phone?”

“Dolce was worried. She missed you. I was just looking out,” Luc coughed and cleared his throat.

Yeah. Dolce was worried. Rourke sighed into the phone and rubbed his temples. Fuck. He loved his friends so much. They were tremendous pains in his ass, but he loved them and missed them more than he’d be willing to admit. Well, maybe he’d admit it to Dolce if she pushed him.

“No, don’t tell Pastor Davis anything. I’ll be there.” He looked at his watch. It was ten hundred hours. There was no sense in him going to bed now. He’d never get up in time. “I’m going to stop by Mom’s house. I might as well get that over with today, or I’ll never hear the end of it. I’ll meet you at the soup kitchen by fourteen hundred.”

“Excellent. I’ll see you then.” Luc disconnected.

Rourke dropped the tracking device, otherwise known as his cell phone, into the breast pocket of his jacket. The cab driver was glaring at him in the rearview mirror, waiting for his destination.

“North Vegas,” he told the driver. “Take me home.”

He was home, and it was a damn good feeling. Finally, the stress of the last nine months began to melt away from him. He smiled again, and it felt strange to him. He wasn’t generally given to smiles, but today he was home. He’d kiss his mother, do some community service at the church that had been his second home, and spend some quality time with the other two stooges before he found his bed. Overall, it was a good day.

 

*   *   *

 

Rourke hustled past the community garden located on the rear of the church property. They had expanded it to include a flower garden all around the perimeter. Rourke had spent many hours working in the vegetable garden with his mom over the years. It was a fond memory from his childhood, except for those damn garden gnomes. A shiver ran down Rourke’s spine. There were dozens of them peeking out from the vegetation. Those things still freaked Rourke out. He could swear all of those beady, little eyes watched him as he passed the garden. Were they breeding in there, or what? It was like gnomageddon!

Rourke entered the soup kitchen as if those damn gnomes were on his heels. If he were late, Rourke would never hear the end of it from Luc. It would be better to be eaten by the gnomes.

“Rourke!” Dolce squealed and threw herself into his arms.

Dolce’s eyes lit with surprise, and her china doll face flushed with pleasure when he walked into the soup kitchen behind the church and dropped his duffle to the floor with a thud. 

Dolce was tall, so Rourke didn’t need to bend much to catch the woman who was the closest thing to a sister he knew when she came running to embrace him after the long separation.

Rourke scooped Dolce up and hugged her tight. Her long dark hair was loose around her shoulders and hung in a sleek curtain to tickle his arms where they were wrapped around her trim waist.

After kissing both of his cheeks and practically strangling him with an enthusiastic hug, Dolce finally pulled back to look him over. He set her feet back on the floor so she could examine his face and everything else she could see for injuries like a worried mother.

Her midnight eyes were glassy with unshed tears, but her expression was joyous. She was indeed the little sister he never knew he wanted. Dolce and Luc might not be his blood, but they would always be his family.

“Why didn’t you let us know you’d be home, Rourke?” she accused, and hugged him around the waist. “We would have picked you up at the airport.”

Rourke looked questioningly over her shoulder to Luc, who had been talking to Dolce when Rourke arrived. Rourke was under the impression that it was Dolce’s nagging that had Luc tracking him. So much for that excuse. She worried about him all the time, Rourke knew that, but she hadn’t even been aware he was due home. Luc had come closer with a smile on his face, but he wasn’t a touchy-feely sort of man who would join in the hug.

The expression of relief on Luc’s face told Rourke all he needed to know. Luc had missed Rourke and worried the whole time, but Luc would never admit it aloud. He preferred to pretend it was all Dolce’s fault. That was okay. Rourke wasn’t about to tell his honorary brother that he’d worried just as much about him. Luc had changed since the death of his grandmother. Neither Rourke nor Dolce knew how to help him. Luc looked guiltily back at Dolce, who spun around to glare with her hands on her hips.

“You knew he was coming home today?” she asked Luc, annoyed, the toe of her running shoe tapping on the floor.

“I knew he’d be home soon, but you know how these things are, Dolce. He could have been called back at the last minute to some super-secret-squirrel duty that he’d never be allowed to tell us about.”

Dolce’s frown deepened. Her left eye twitched. She was annoyed that Luc hadn’t confided in her. This was how Luc operated now. Everything was on a need to know basis, and he decided what you needed to know, like whether or not he was tracking your phone.

“Don’t give me that look, woman. I didn’t want to upset you if Rourke was late. You’d be pacing the floors and fussing until he was home. I hoped he’d make it in time to surprise you for Thanksgiving, and he has. That’s that.” Luc strode off into the kitchen. He’d become an influential executive who didn’t like explaining himself. He was the king of his domain, and he wasn’t used to answering to anyone. Not even his oldest friends.

“I swear I’m going to strangle him,” Dolce growled.

“Wait until he helps serve dinner. If you’re going to kill Luc, let the man go to God on his good side,” Rourke joked.

Dolce turned back to him, and the look of concern on her face spoke volumes. “He’s changed so much, Rourke. I’ve tried to talk to the man, but he hides behind his massive desk and shoos me away as if I’m just another employee. Though I suspect if I were anyone else, he’d fire me for annoying him. He won’t open up to me. I don’t know what else to do.” Tears filled her eyes again, but this time, they weren’t tears of joy. Rourke hugged her again.

“I know, honey. I noticed the difference in him over the last few years. He has some personal demons he’ll have to fight on his own. He feels guilty for breaking the promise he made to his grandmother. The last thing she wanted was for Luc to hunt down his father for revenge. That was the first thing he did after her passing. It haunts him. I think he’s also struggling to reconcile his business practices with the belief system we were raised to obey. All we can do is to be there for him when that wall comes down.”

“When will that be? I miss him, Rourke. He’s distancing himself from everyone and everything except for his business.” Dolce huffed despondently.

“I can’t tell you when, but it will happen one day. When it does, we’ll be there.” Rourke rubbed Dolce’s back reassuringly.

She was wearing a heather gray Inferno Hotel and Casino sweatshirt and blue jeans. It was odd to see Dolce in such casual clothing. She was generally very polished. Her mother and grandmother had both been true ladies. They were the kind of women who were always perfectly styled and painted, even when they had nowhere to go, despite their meager wages. They also knew how to shop for clothes and shoes to get the most for their money. Dolce inherited that talent. Seeing Dolce so casually dressed was something he felt he should mark on the damn calendar or something. It was that rare.

“Oh, please excuse me,” a sweet feminine voice said from the doorway Luc disappeared through when he’d had enough of being questioned by Dolce.

Rourke looked up just in time to see the shapely backside of a blond woman in sky-high heels scurry back into the kitchen. The kitchen door swung in her wake and closed, hiding her from him his sight.

“Who was that?”

Dolce was wiping the moisture from her eyes. “Her name is Jennifer. She’s been helping at the church. Pastor Davis just introduced her to us before you arrived.”

The woman was helping at the church in a silk wrap dress and red bottom stilettos. Who did that? He was still staring at the door when Dolce grabbed his hand and tugged him toward it.

“Let’s go help with the final setup for Thanksgiving dinner. There’s a line of people waiting outside for a big meal. Pastor Davis needs all hands on deck, sailor.”

“Aye aye, captain, reporting for duty.”

Rourke was so damn glad to be back on home soil. Not even working in a hot kitchen on a holiday could darken his mood. This was where he belonged.

Rourke was helping clean up in the soup kitchen an hour after the homeless people in the area surrounding the parish had a hearty Thanksgiving dinner. Each person left with a generous care package that was provided by Luc and assembled by Dolce. It was great to see so many smiling faces and even better to be home on American soil after a long deployment.  

Rourke was glad Luc volunteered him for kitchen duty, in spite of his earlier grumbling. He spent time with his best friends on a holiday, and he met someone new. Bonus. Rourke eyed the too-sexy blond-haired woman with the succulent ass and even more luscious lips from the other side of the kitchen.

Maybe it was his dog-tired mind playing tricks on him, but Rourke was suspicious of the woman. She was very polite but quiet ¬– too quiet. She kept her face down and avoided eye contact with everyone but Pastor Davis and the homeless people who wandered through. Her outfit was ridiculous for the situation. It was a good thing she’d found an apron to protect that dress. Rourke truly appreciated the way those heels made her ass and legs look in the expensive outfit, but why would anyone dress that way to cook and serve food all day?

Luc and Dolce had gotten the impression that Jennifer was a wealthy woman doing her bit to help the church, but that didn’t sit well with Rourke. People with money didn’t help in the soup kitchens of the world. They sent big checks to the church and wrote off the donation in their taxes.

“If you don’t stop scowling at the poor woman she’s going to run screaming from the building. It’s no wonder she’s so quiet. I can’t decide if you want to shoot her or fuck her,” Luc said from his side.

“There’s something off there, and I’m trying to figure it out,” Rourke explained.

“Do you think your super SEAL vision is going to look through that dress and find a villain hiding underneath?” Luc teased him. “You’ve been on duty for too long, man.”

“You don’t think it’s odd that a wealthy person who isn’t a politician smiling for the cameras is serving food at the soup kitchen?” Rourke asked.

Luc gave him a sardonic grin.

“Alright, so you’re wealthy. That’s different. This is your hometown, your church.” Rourke had to smile. Luc was teasing him, and it was good to see the old Luc in the sober man he’d become since the passing of his grandmother.

“Very wealthy,” Luc added. “I could make a donation, which I have, or pay people to do this, but I’m still here doing it myself.”

“Really? Very wealthy, huh?” Rourke knew things were looking up for the hotel and casino since Luc took over the business, but he’d assumed the renovations would have Luc strapped.

“Let’s just say I’ve made some sage . . . investments.” Luc looked away, avoiding Rourke’s eyes. “The woman is shy. That’s all. She doesn’t know us. Maybe this is her hometown, too. We don’t know her at all, but the pastor does. That’s good enough for me.” Luc shrugged. “There’s something vaguely familiar about her. I’ve seen her around somewhere. I just can’t put my finger on where.”

Looking away like that and quickly changing the subject was a tell of Luc’s. Luc had just tipped his hand, just like an amateur at the card table. It was a sure sign that Luc didn’t feel right about whatever investments he’d made that brought in so much capital.

Rourke was too distracted by Jennifer’s sweet ass as she bent to return pans to their home on the shelf to pursue that line of thought. Damn, that woman had curves in all the right places. Her ass was high and tight. Her breasts were generous handfuls but not overly large. When she bent over like that, he admired hips a man could wrap his hands around and . . .

She turned around and caught Rourke staring. Rourke looked away. Pretending he hadn’t just been fantasizing about holding her steady while he fucked her hard and fast. Jennifer would be gorgeous in nothing but those heels with all that golden hair flowing down her naked back. He’d like to have those heels up around his ears.

Damn, it had been far too long since he’d had a woman if he couldn’t keep is head around one beautiful and very distracting woman for longer than a few minutes without thinking about sex. Every time she nervously licked those full lips, his dick twitched. He was an operator. A Navy SEAL, for the love of God. He should not be this distracted by those muscular calves. Rourke was willing to bet her thighs would be just as toned when she wrapped them around his neck while he . . . 

“And now you look like you’d like to eat her whole,” Luc said next to him.

Rourke cleared his throat and discreetly adjusted his interested dick. He didn’t respond to the comment. There was no sense in denying the truth, He would eat her up if she’d let him, his suspicions be damned. The woman was an awful temptation. 

Dolce finished wiping down the tables and came to help Jennifer put away the last of the dishes. They were just about done. It was finally time to get a good night’s sleep, but Rourke suddenly didn’t want to go home to his empty bed any longer. He was trying to think of a reason to talk to the shy beauty.

“We’re all done here,” Dolce said from the other side of the kitchen.

“Good,” Luc said and looked at his watch. “I’m meeting someone for dinner.”

Rourke knew what that expression meant. Luc was meeting someone for more than dinner. Luc was going to burn off some of that restless energy buzzing around him. He’d make some woman very thankful, indeed, right before he dismissed her. Luc was not the relationship type. He was very clear about that, but the women he took to his bed too frequently walked away shocked that he hadn’t wanted more than one evening.

“Can I ride home with you?” Dolce asked Luc. “I got a cab here. I’d like to find my own turkey dinner and enjoy what’s left of my day off on the sofa with a good book.”

Dolce had a permanent suite at Luc’s hotel. Luc said it was a benefit of her employment, but none of his other pit bosses lived in. The truth was that Luc was taking care of their little sister without making her feel beholden to him. Rourke, for one, was glad Luc was watching out for her when Rourke couldn’t.

“Of course, I’m ready when you are,” he said to Dolce before turning to Rourke. “Would you like a ride to your place? I’m sure you’re exhausted. Thank you for coming straight from the boat to help.” Luc smirked.

“The boat?” Dolce asked with a laugh.

“Yes. Apparently, Rourke’s a sailor. So much so that he even takes a boat to the desert.” Luc explained to Dolce. Rourke wanted to punch Luc in his smart mouth, and the jerk knew it. “Go get your bag sailor. This ship is sailing,” Luc said to Rourke.

“No,” Rourke replied too loudly. He moderated his tone before continuing.  “I, ah, thought I would catch up with Pastor Davis and see if he needs anything done around here while I’m home. You know, so I know when to come back.”

Luc raised an eyebrow and struggled unsuccessfully not to smile when his eyes quickly drifted in the direction of the hot blonde trying to look busy on the other side of the kitchen. “Alright, after you’ve had time to unwind, I’d like to speak to you about a business matter. I have a proposition for you. Call when you have time to get together. If the pastor can spare you, that is.”

Rourke pulled his attention away from Jennifer again to give Luc a questioning look. What business matter could Luc possible want to discuss with him? The only business Rourke knew was the business end of a Mk-16.

“We’ll talk after you’ve cleared your head a bit,” Luc insisted, unwilling to say more. 

The direction of Rourke’s thoughts must have been clear. His head was, indeed, foggy. It was clouded with a mixture of lust and exhaustion, and Luc knew it.

Dolce looked back and forth between Jennifer, who appeared to be ignoring them as she hung her apron on a peg by the door, and Rourke, who was trying not to watch her do it. She’d also caught on to Rourke’s interest in the gorgeous blonde socialite. She smiled and shook her head before stepping into Rourke and wrapped her arms around his waist for another hug.

“Call me after you get some rest. We need to catch up. I’ve missed you so much.” She squeezed him even tighter.

“I missed you, too,” he whispered in her ear and kissed her temple.

Rourke looked up to find Jennifer watching them. She turned away as if embarrassed to be caught staring. Jennifer was a shy little thing, but he could tell she was interested in one of them because he kept finding her covertly trying to check them out. Was she interested in Rourke or Luc? He didn’t like that idea at all. Jennifer looked like Luc’s type: gorgeous and manicured. On the other hand, though, Jennifer was too timid for Luc. The man didn’t pursue women. They fell in his lap. Rourke found himself giving Luc a glare he hadn’t earned.

Dolce smiled up at him with shining eyes. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

“Me too.” Rourke gave her another squeeze. “I’ll call in a day or two.”

Luc appeared behind Dolce and helped her into her jacket. They left through the rear door after stopping to thank Jennifer for helping with the holiday meal.

Once Luc and Dolce were gone, Rourke was left alone in an awkward silence with Jennifer. He gave her a smile meant to reassure. She returned it with a bashful upturning of those full, luscious lips and a flutter of long eyelashes. It wasn’t a flirty come-get-me-big-boy look. No, she was just returning his gesture. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and relax considerably once Luc and Dolce had gone. Luc could be overwhelming, and he tended to treat everyone around as if they were his employees. Maybe Luc’s forceful presence was what had her on edge. The change in her demeanor reassured Rourke that Jennifer had no personal interest in Luc. 

“Do you help around the church often?” he asked as a conversation starter and strode to grab a broom to begin sweeping the already clean floor. If Jennifer thought he was flirting, she might leave before he had a chance to find out if she was single or if a man had bought that dress to show off her shapely legs. A woman as affluent as Jennifer might not be interested in a military man.

“I do.” She didn’t elaborate.

“I do, too, when I’m home. I grew up in this neighborhood. I went to Sunday school and even daycare here in the church.” He kept sweeping nonexistent dirt while she watched.

“It’s a beautiful church.” She looked around wistfully as if seeing the sanctuary and all of its holy wonder. “Pastor Davis has been so . . .” She paused and looked away as if rethinking what she was about to say. “He’s been very grateful for my contribution to the church.” She finished.

Pastor Davis backed into the kitchen carrying a large box awkwardly. Rourke put down the broom and hurried to relieve the pastor of his heavy load.

“Rourke, my boy! I haven’t had the chance to tell you how pleased I am to see you home in one piece! I’m so glad I didn’t miss you. I know there are times you get a break and blow through town without time to stop and see this old man.”

“I’m happy to be home, sir. Where would you like this?”

The pastor gestured toward the storage room in the rear of the kitchen. “I have a load of donations that were dropped off upstairs yesterday. I haven’t had the time to bring them down with the Thanksgiving preparations under way. People are very generous this time of year.”

Rourke carried the box into the storeroom and returned quickly.

“I can help carry down the donations,” Jennifer offered.

Pastor Davis looked to Jennifer. “Oh, my dear. I’m glad you’re still here. You are so very generous with your time. Are you sure you don’t want to get . . . home?”

No! Rourke hadn’t a chance to talk to her yet. Maybe now that Luc was gone, Jennifer would relax enough to chat. Was it Rourke’s imagination or had the pastor hesitated at the end of his question?

“I don’t have much else to do. I really don’t mind,” she responded, and her cheeks flushed with color.

She didn’t have anyone to spend the holiday with and didn’t want to be alone.  That must be why she volunteered to serve the meal on Thanksgiving. Rourke liked her even more.

“If you insist, my dear.” Pastor Davis gave her an understanding pat on the shoulder. Jennifer hurried off to help. There was nothing to be suspicious of here. Luc was right. The pastor knew Jennifer and genuinely liked her. There was no finer character reference than Pastor Davis.

“Does she help frequently?” Rourke asked. Maybe he could get some answers from the pastor.

Pastor Davis nodded and smiled sadly. His tan face was a stark contrast to the bright white hair that graced his head. Rourke could remember when the pastor was more pepper than salt. Time had marched on while he was serving his country. It was just another sign of how much Rourke missed during his time away.

“She’s been . . . around a lot lately. Jennifer is a fine woman.” He looked over his shoulder as if to assure he wouldn’t be overheard. “She’s had a hard time of it.”

Rourke hadn’t imagined it. The pastor wasn’t saying something. He’d definitely paused before finishing that answer.

“Really?” Rourke wanted to know more. There was a story here, and Rourke wanted to hear it, but Jennifer bustled back into the kitchen carrying another large box. She teetered on those sexy ass heels. Rourke took the box.

“Thank you. There’s a mountain of donations up there.” She smiled up at Rourke with those stunning ocean green eyes, and his heart stuttered. The woman was a beauty. Her skin was flawless. That smile like an oasis to a man who had been in the desert for far too long. Christ, he was so dazed by those eyes he was getting poetic. What the hell?

He cleared his throat and looked away before he scooped her up and kissed her just for being so fucking perfect. He was about to make an ass of himself. That just wasn’t cool. Rourke was always cool. Always.

“Let me get everything down the steps. I’m afraid you’ll break your neck in those shoes. Then we’ll get it all into storage.” Rourke put Jennifer’s box away and hustled up and down the stairs with boxes, formulating a plan of action as he went.

He wasn’t the kind of man to leave things to fate. Rourke never knew when he’d be called back to duty. The life of a Navy SEAL didn’t leave much time for relationships. He hadn’t been motivated to make any kind of real effort to get to know a woman for a very long time. He’d never had a problem finding sex if he needed it, and that was all Rourke had room for in his life. The occasional romp with a chick he could walk away from in the morning was all he needed or wanted.

Something about Jennifer was different, though. He hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off her all day. His mind immediately started picking her apart, looking for clues to whom she was and how he could get closer. Yes, he was very motivated to get to know the sweetly shy and incredibly intriguing Jennifer a lot better. A whole hell of a lot better.