He liked that she wanted to drive. Having her in front of him where he could hold her as they wound through the hills and trees of northern Oregon was an unexpected pleasure.
He hadn’t intended to share his secret lust with her, but after the sex…well, it seemed silly not to. Geez. The thought of her, feeling like she needed to set boundaries for him, sorta struck him as wrong.
Had he become such a man whore?
The few dates in the months before they’d left for Qatar had been nothing serious. He didn’t not date, but his few women hardly warranted a scarlet letter.
The bike rounded another turn, and he leaned into it with her as she slowed the bike and pulled into the dirt lot of a diner. He steadied the bike for her, and she got off and pulled the helmet from her head. He set the kickstand down and did the same.
“Hungry?”
“Starving,” he answered as he set his helmet on the back seat. “So, this is where your parents used to bring you?”
“Yup. It looks the same, too.” Her gaze swept the area. “Trees are a little bigger.”
He took her hand, walked to the door, and opened it to let her in first. He noted the couple in the back booth, the single guy at the table to their left, and the waitress behind the diner counter, who was pouring coffee into a young man’s white mug.
A woman approached as they stopped at the sign, telling them to wait to be seated, and took her new customers in, first Malcolm then Marie. Her eyes widened. “Marie Feur!”
Marie tensed, sending Malcolm into protective mode. He placed himself between Marie and the short, overweight hostess who was barreling toward them. The woman must have sensed their unease, because she slowed.
“Marie?” A frown of confusion was on her face.
Marie placed a hand at the small of his back and, with a sigh, relaxed. “Edna?”
“You remember!” The woman grabbed two of the laminated menus before waving them in. “You were such a little thing the last time you came in here.”
She sat them at a booth next to the window. Malcolm took the seat facing the door. And then Marie went around the lady and sat next to him. He moved over.
“I remember blueberry pancakes,” Marie said.
“Of course you do!” Edna’s face brightened, her smile adding prettiness that Malcolm hadn’t recognized at first. “You were a little tyke, my dear. Not much has changed, though.” She laughed. “You’re still a little one. Pretty, though. You sure did grow up nice. Your parents would be proud. Your uncle keeps us in the loop now.” She tsked as she leaned in to whisper, “Says you’re working for secret agency now—with the government.” She snuck a peek behind her and then put a hand on Marie’s shoulder. “You’ll be safe here, though. My Buddy was a marine. He keeps his shotgun over the door. No one will get to you while you’re here.”
“Thank you.” Malcolm bit back a smile, keeping his face serious. “We really appreciate it.”
Marie reached over and pinched his thigh. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
With a nod, Edna pulled out her little notebook and flipped to a new page. “So, what can I get you folks?”
“I’d like a coffee and your special,” Malcolm said.
“I’ll have those pancakes, Edna, and a glass of orange juice.”
Edna took the menus and hurried away.
Malcolm sat back and put an arm on the back of the seat. When Marie sat back, she fit up against his side and, with a little stretch, his fingers wound through her hair. “You okay?”
She nodded. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to know me.”
“I’m not surprised.” She was the most unassuming person he’d ever met. She didn’t apologize for who she was, but she also didn’t expect more than her due.
“I like Edna,” he finally said. He liked meeting people from her past. It brought all sorts of ah-ha to knowing her. Like how her parents had lived a somewhat Bohemian lifestyle filled with love and affection. And even after their deaths, her connection to her uncle kept her from losing faith, losing hope.
“I wish I remembered more.” She bit her lip.
“It’ll come back to you.”
“How do you know?”
“The good things always come back.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, do you?” She laughed, leaned forward, and took his mouth in a quick kiss. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”
Edna was back with their drinks, and she smiled approvingly as she set down his coffee and Marie’s juice. “How’s your uncle doing, dear?”
“He’s doing great. It’s nice to be home after so long.” Marie sipped. “I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I got back.”
Pulling her notepad from her apron pocket and her pen from her behind her ear, Edna smiled. “We were worried there for a while. It’s good to hear he’s doing well.”
Marie frowned and sent a glance of confusion Malcolm’s way. He wanted to comfort her, a crazy, unexpected urge. “What did she mean?” she asked when Edna returned to the kitchen.
“Well, your uncle isn’t exactly young. Maybe—”
“He would have told me if something was wrong—” But she stopped short, then, as if talking to herself, continued, “He would want to protect me. And he was pretty upset when I left for Qatar.”
“But you’re home now. He would have told you if something was wrong,” Malcolm said, squeezing her shoulder.
As they sat and talked, Malcolm realized they talked more than he’d talked to any woman in forever. He didn’t think there had even been a time with his ex-wife that he’d really sat down and talked about more than where they’d go spend the next hundred dollars or drink the next ten beers or fuck.
His stomach hurt a little as his thoughts wondered back, and he blocked those memories.
“There’s so much even the average American can do, you know?” She took a bite of food, chewed, and pointed at him with her fork. “How often do you buy more than you need at the grocery store?”
“Never,” he answered.
She stared. “Never? Not even for a package of Oreos? Who needs Oreos?”
Heat rose on his neck. “Well, I guess need might be up to interpretation.”
She laughed. “You think?”
Even his cheeks were feeling the effect of his embarrassment. But he shrugged. “I need the reminder of where I came from. And…the Oreos do that.” Her gaze filled with something that could be pity, and he scowled. “Okay, fine. I buy Oreos and I don’t need to. What are you saying? I should take the two ninety-eight and give it to someone who’s hungry?”
“No,” she whispered, as she placed a hand on his arm. “Never stop buying Oreos.”
She leaned over and placed a kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being exactly who you are—”
“Even if it is an anal retentive stick-in-the-mud?”
Her smile came slowly and seductively. “I like you, Malcolm.” Before he could even respond, she continued in her rapid-fire manner, talking about the growing child hunger epidemic right here in the States.
Without knowing it, she spoke of him and his life before he’d joined the military. Had she figured him out and was playing him, reeling him in? But he couldn’t believe that, not after Qatar, not after all these months of working with her.
Her eyes lit as she spoke of the local food banks in Raleigh, and how she’d been wanting to get in there and help out. But with their schedule, her efforts so far had been minimal.
“I didn’t know you volunteered down there.”
“Yeah. Tancredo hooked me up. Did you know he visits the prison once a month, too?”
“No.” How had he not known? “His brother died in prison. His mother is in prison. And Liz’s ex is a reformed prisoner. It either makes perfect sense or it’s completely ironic.”
Marie laughed. “Well, I think it’s kind. The world needs more kindness.”
“The world isn’t always nice to people who are kind.”
She glared at him.
“Not trying to offend. Some people are down on their luck. I get it.” He lifted his hands in surrender. “But some are not. I’ve been there. Be careful. Okay?”
“I’m careful.”
Malcolm finished off his coffee and set the mug back on the saucer. He leaned over the table as the bell over the door jangled, making him realize they’d been here long enough. He checked his watch. Almost two in the afternoon. “You ready to go?”
“I’m so full.” She moaned. “Can we nap first?”
He nudged her toward the edge of the seat. “Let’s go. We can get back, and you can nap the afternoon away in your comfortable twin bed.”
She grinned. “Only if you’ll join me.”
His gut tightened, but he rolled his eyes.
Edna met them at the cash register, pressed a few buttons, and then grinned. “This one’s on the house, my dear.”
“Oh, no—” he started.
“You don’t have to,” Marie said at the same time.
“Nonsense. It’s been too long. You come back, and the next time you pay.”
Malcolm threw his ten into the tip jar. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Edna came around the counter and threw her arms around Marie. Malcolm sensed her tension, but it fled quickly enough, and she relaxed into the hold.
“You tell your uncle we’re praying for him.”
Marie frowned. “I will.”
They were putting their helmets back on when Marie stopped. “Seriously. Uncle Bert is going to be in so much trouble.”
Marie didn’t quite lose her frown, and she also let him drive home.
And he found being on the bike with her was pleasure in itself, whether he rode front or back. He kind of liked having her arms around his waist, her hands loosely clasped in his lap.
And when she gently rested the side of her face against his back, he knew the walls he’d built up until this point were slowly crumbling…and it scared the crap out of him.
***
His back pocket played Van Halen as he came to a stop in the barn. Putting the kickstand down, he stood and pulled his phone out. “Hey, Tan.”
“Malcolm. How’s the vacation going?” The innocent enough question seemed pregnant with unspoken words.
His conscience interfering, probably.
“Good,” he answered without inflection. “Vacation-y.”
Tan laughed. “Gotcha.”
“I don’t think you do,” Malcolm said. “What can I do for you, man?”
“I’ve got a job out here, starts on Wednesday. Need a few guys on the team. Thought you might be looking for an excuse to get back to Raleigh.”
Okay. So some people thought he would be unhappy paired up with Marie. Understandable. He wasn’t looking for an excuse, but maybe he needed one. Maybe a step back was necessary right now. “I could come back if you need me. What kind of job are we talking?”
“Three-day executive detail for Lime Tech, the company out of Bolivia.”
“Holy shit. We got the contract?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Count me the fuck in,” he said, without even thinking about it. Some of the smartest IT men and women in the world worked for the company. He wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to rub elbows. “I’ll catch a flight home first thing tomorrow.”
“Josie’s got a ticket for tonight.”
“Oh.” He caught Marie’s gaze on him, and his heart gave an extra thud. “Um, okay. Well, it’ll be close, but I’ll try.”
“Good. See you soon.”
Malcolm hung up with a funny, disappointed feeling rushing through his veins. “I have to go.”
“It’s the IT job, isn’t it?” She nodded, as if resigned, then straightened her spine. “Maybe you’ll get a chance to talk shop with them about some of your inventions.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. She understood. “I won’t hold my breath—”
“But you’ll go, because deep down inside your pessimistic, cynical soul lives hope.”
“Psh.” He shook his head. “That’s a bit strong, don’t you think?”
The clouds cleared from her pretty eyes, relieving him as she laughed and held out a hand. “Yes. Actually. I am putting it a bit strongly, but I think—in the end—I like you the way you are. Ornery, grumpy, and a bit of a cynic.”
“Gee. Thanks. I think.”
They walked up to the house in silence, a very gray, clouded silence. He didn’t want to leave her like this, and reached for her before she could open the door. “Thank you for today, for yesterday. Last night, even. It’s—”
She touched his face, leaned in, and gently kissed him on the mouth, pulling away too soon. But he let her go. Maybe they would continue this later. Maybe the separation would knock some sense into them both. He didn’t know. But maybe time to think was what they needed.
When his phone buzzed, it was a text from Josie with his flight information.
He hugged Marie one last time, tugging on her hair so her chin rose and he could see into her eyes. “Stay out of trouble, Marie Feur. You got it?”
“Yeah, yeah,” she said with a grin. “I’m an angel.”