Andi
“YOU OKAY?” DALTON asked, after we’d driven for a few minutes.
“Just peachy,” I replied… a little snottily.
“Tell me about Homecoming,” he said with a sigh.
“What about it?”
“Why’d you bail on me?”
“I didn’t bail on you,” I ground out. “You were going to bail on me. You lied to me.”
“What the hell?” He stopped at a stop light and faced me. “I never lied to you, Andi. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to bail.”
“You asked Erin South—”
“Asked her what?”
“To go to Homecoming.”
“I absolutely did not fuckin’ ask Erin South,” he snapped, and drove through when the light turned green.
“Then why did she tell everyone you did?”
“Come again?”
I forced away tears and took a deep breath. “I was in the girls’ bathroom and she walked in with her friends. I was already in a stall, so I just stayed there, because… well, because she was a bitch and I really didn’t want to deal with her. They were talking about your date. She said that you asked some sophomore, but it was just a joke and you planned to stand me up.”
“Shit,” he whispered.
I stared out the window and tried not to let my emotions overwhelm me, but I jumped a little when Dalton linked his fingers with mine.
“That never happened,” he said. “I never asked her. Would never have asked her. Outside of the fact I couldn’t stand her, I’d already asked you. I can’t believe you thought I’d ask you just to mess with you.”
“And I can’t believe you asked me in the first place.”
“I’m really sorry, baby. That must have made you feel like shit.”
I took a couple of deep breaths. “Yeah, it really did.”
“Damn it,” he whispered. “I should have pressed. I should have come to your place and made you talk to me.”
I shook my head. “It’s done, Dalton. Water under the bridge.”
He squeezed my hand. “Will you promise me something?”
“What?”
“Talk to me. Ask me. Even if you think you know the answer, don’t assume.”
I bit my lip and nodded.
“I want this to work,” he said. “And I promise I’ll never lie to you, but I need you to trust my feelings for you. I like you, sugar. A lot. I don’t know if this’ll last forever, but I’d sure as hell like to find out.”
“Me too,” I admitted.
He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed it gently. “Good.”
“I bet she saw me walk into the bathroom,” I grumbled. “I bet she planned the whole thing.”
“Probably,” Dalton said.
“Skank,” I grumbled.
He nodded. “She was not chaste, I’ll give you that.”
“Well, if I ever see her again, I’m going to kidney punch her.”
“No eye scratching?”
“No, she’d expect that. I know enough about the human body to give maximum pain with little effort on my part.”
Dalton glanced at me. “Remind me never to piss you off.”
“Hey, Dalt? Don’t ever piss me off.”
He squeezed my hand again. “I’ll do my best.”
Dalton pulled into the parking lot of Publix. I rarely shopped here because, quite frankly, I couldn’t really afford it. Walmart was more my speed.
Once we parked, I reached into the back seat and grabbed shopping bags before he opened my door for me.
“Love that you’re prepared,” he said, leaning down to kiss me gently.
I grinned. “Only because I was going to hit Walmart after work anyway.”
He shuddered. “You don’t really shop there, do you?”
“Don’t have the money to shop here, Dalt, so that’s a yes.”
“Well, that stops today, baby. I don’t like you going there alone, got me?”
“But you see stuff there that you wouldn’t ever see here.”
Dalton took the bags, then my hand and we headed inside. “Like what?”
I grabbed a cart and dropped my purse in the front. “Um, like the woman who drove up on her riding lawnmower, parked, and went inside for a pack of smokes and a carton of milk.”
He gave me a look of horror.
“Then there was a woman who set a baby doll in the front of the cart and pushed it around asking it what it wanted from each shelf. I followed her. I had to. I just couldn’t seem to look away,” I admitted. “And she looked normal. Like, dressed like a professional in a business suit and heels, hair and makeup perfect, the whole nine yards.”
“Yeah, no more Walmart for you.”
“I have a limited budget—”
“Not anymore.”
“Dalton,” I admonished.
“Andi,” he mimicked.
“You cannot give me—”
“If it makes you feel better, I’ll plan on taking care of dinner the nights we’re together and breakfast on the weekends.”
“Breakfast?” I squeaked. “I’m not that kind of girl.”
He chuckled. “Never said you were, sugar. Just figured we might have a couple more mornings like yesterday and I’ll make sure we’re prepared.”
“That wasn’t a weekend.” Warmth settled deep in my bones. He raised an eyebrow and I giggled. “Breakfast. Got it.”
As we walked, Dalton slid his hand to the back of my neck and leaned closer. “Wearin’ you down, sugar.”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe a little.”
He chuckled. “Maybe a lot.”
We spent the next thirty minutes perusing aisles and discussing menu options for the next few days (apparently, us spending every waking minute together was on the table), but when we came to the wine aisle it was a little crowded, so I stayed with the cart. I wasn’t well-versed in vino, so Dalton slipped down the aisle to pick a few bottles of his favorites.
“Andi? Is that you?”
I glanced up to find none other than Erin South making a beeline for me. I swallowed back a groan as she drew closer. Her tighter than tight dress showed off every curve and her hair and makeup were perfect. Nothing was out of place and she looked like she’d walked out of the pages of a magazine. I stood a little straighter and forced a smile, fully aware I was still wearing my puppy scrubs.
“It is you,” she crooned in her thick southern accent. “Well, how are you, stranger?”
“I’m good, Erin. How are you?”
She waved her wrist like royalty. “Oh, you know. Livin’ the dream.”
I grimace-smiled. “Good for you.”
“Are you a doctor?”
“Nurse,” I said.
“Well, how noble.” She smiled. “I can’t believe I’m runnin’ into you. I haven’t seen you since… when was that? Junior year?”
I nodded. Erin was a year ahead of me, just like Dalton.
“What have you been up to?” she asked. “Are you married?”
I shook my head. “Ah, no.”
“Weren’t you goin’ with Jeremy… what was his last name?”
“Roth. Jeremy Roth. Yes, I was.” I took a deep breath. “Um, we’re no longer together.”
“Oh, that’s a shame. I liked Jeremy.”
You would. I kept that thought to myself and forced another smile.
“Who are you with now?” she asked.
“Me.”
I jumped slightly when Dalton’s voice sounded close to my ear. He was behind me and reached around me to set two bottles of wine in the basket before settling his hand on my waist. He smiled down at me, kissing me gently. “Hey, baby.”
“Ah, um, hi,” I stuttered out.
Erin appeared a little off-kilter, and I won’t lie, it made me feel pretty damn good.
“Well, hi, Dalton. How are you, honey?” she asked.
“I’m good,” he said. “Have we met?”
I pressed my lips together to keep from making any kind of noise. Tiny little elephants were doing a happy dance across my intestines, though, so I took a couple of slow breaths to calm myself.
Erin laid her hand over her chest. “Erin South. We were in the same class in high school.”
“Oh really? Hm,” he said. “Well, it’s good to see you again, then.”
Erin’s cheeks pinkened and she visibly warred with her emotions. “How long have you two been together?”
“Seems like forever, doesn’t it, baby?” he answered for me. “I fell hard for this woman in high school, but unfortunately, she was havin’ none of it. I tried all my best moves on you, didn’t I?”
I didn’t really know what to say, so I just nodded.
“Ran into her a while back,” Dalton continued, touching his finger to my nose quickly. “And decided I was not lettin’ her go again. Isn’t that right, sugar?”
I nodded again as I narrowed my eyes in his direction.
Ohmigod, I wanted to run away and hide. What the hell was he doing?
“I didn’t realize you two were close,” Erin said.
“Love of my life, this one,” he said. “The one that got away.” He smiled down at me. “Now, if I could just convince her I’m the one for her… my life will be complete.”
“Dalton,” I warned under my breath.
“Well, it was good to see both of you,” she said.
“You too, Ellen,” Dalton returned.
“Ah, Erin,” she corrected.
“Oh, sorry. Erin. Ariiiiin,” he sounded out slowly. “I’ll try to remember that.”
I almost made my cheek bleed with how hard I was biting the inside of it to keep from laughing. Erin looked apoplectic as she turned and scurried away, and I dropped my head into Dalton’s chest to muffle my giggles. “You are ridiculous.”
“Think she got the point?” he asked.
I glanced up at him and he was staring at her, a frown on his face.
“I think she probably did, honey.”
He met my eyes and grinned. “Good. You ready?”
I nodded and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him gently. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“Got your back, sugar.”
“I see that.”
We headed out of the supermarket and back to my car. I was floating on a cloud of happy as we drove back to my place. We arrived to a well-lit porch, nothing dead in our way, and an empty house. Aspen had left a note that she’d be working late and to not wait up for her.
While Dalton cooked, I showered and changed into something cute, meeting him back in the kitchen to help. In the end, I opened and poured the wine, then sat at the island and watched the magic that was him. Lordy, he was delicious. I settled my chin in my palm and let myself feel happy for the first time in a while. Dalton Moore was putting me back together again… one broken piece of my soul at a time.
* * *
Dalton
When Andi had walked into the kitchen after taking a shower, I’d had to hold myself back from rushing her and kissing the hell out of her. Damn, she was stunning. She wore a pair of tight leggings and an oversized sweater that slid off her creamy, white shoulder when she sat at the island. She’d piled her hair on top of her head, but a few tendrils had slipped out of their hold and now fell in wisps around her cheeks. Beautiful.
Because I couldn’t resist her any longer, I slid the pork chops into the oven to stay warm, then made my way around the island. Sliding my hand to her neck, I tugged her gently forward and kissed her. Andi gripped my shirt and leaned in to deepen the connection.
I knew I needed to stop or I’d forget dinner all together and take her upstairs. Reluctantly, I broke the kiss and smiled down at her. “You smell amazing, sugar.”
She smiled. “You like that, huh?”
“Enough to want to forget my manners,” I admitted. Andi licked her lips and I groaned. “You keep doin’ that, and I’m gonna lose my mind.”
“Mine was lost a while ago, so you’d be in good company.”
I chuckled, kissing her again quickly before putting distance between us and returning to the stove.
“What are you making?” she asked.
“Pork chops,” I said. “Is that good?”
Andi grinned. “Sounds amazing. Want me to pour wine?”
“Yeah, that’d be great, sugar.”
She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of white, opening and pouring a glass for each of us. Just as she set the bottle back in the fridge, the alarm beeped, and I was on instant alert.
“What was that?” she asked.
“Don’t move,” I ordered, and grabbed my phone, pulling up the camera feed.
“Is someone here?” she whispered, stepping closer to me.
“The camera picked something up. Just not sure what yet.” I frowned. “Shit. Stay here.”
I made a run for the front door and pulled it open. The front porch was well-lit, so I did a peripheral glance, then moved forward slowly. Whoever had been there was gone now. I found shoe prints in the mud between the front porch and driveway, so I took pictures and sent them off to Cameron.
Stepping inside, I closed and locked the door… and nearly ran into Andi. “Baby, I told you not to move.”
“Oh, right, like I’m going to stay in the kitchen, in front of the glass slider, totally exposed. I thought you were smart.”
“You don’t think I’m smart?” I asked, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“Um, apparently not if you think, after discovering a weirdo lurking around my home, I’m not going to follow the badass man with the gun anywhere I might go.”
I chuckled. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she mimicked, and slid her hands up my chest. “Plus, it’s sexy as hell.”
Keeping my arm around her, I secured my gun and pulled her closer. “Sexy as hell, huh?”
“Yep.”
I chuckled, and Andi raised an eyebrow. “You find that funny?” she demanded.
“Just thought it would take a little longer to wear you down.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You’re an ass.”
“I’m a sexy as hell ass, thank you very much.”
Andi giggled. “Sure, sure. I’ll let you have that.”
Leaning down I kissed her gently. “Thanks, sugar. I’ll take whatever I can get.”
Before I could move again, she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tightly. “I’m falling for you, Dalton, and it scares the shit out of me.”
I smiled and slipped my hands into her hair. “I fell for you a long time ago, Andi. I may have distracted myself for a while, but I’ve never stopped thinking about you.”
“Really?” she whispered.
“Really.” I kissed her hair. “There’s no point in being scared, sugar. This is gonna work. It is workin’.”
She nodded into my chest.
“Gonna marry you, Andi.”
She gasped and looked up at me. “Don’t say that.”
“Why not?”
“You’ll jinx this.”
I stroked her cheek. “Nothing’s gonna jinx this, Andi.”
She smacked my chest gently, walked over to the console by the window, tapped on it, then kissed her fist and blew on it before letting out a “whoosh” sound as she waved her hand over her shoulder.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked, forcing myself not to laugh.
“I’m warding off the jinx troll.”
“The—?”
“Jinx troll,” she repeated. I covered my mouth with my hand and she gave me a look of derision. “Dude, the jinx troll is real.”
I couldn’t hold back my laugh.
“Don’t laugh, bub. Aspen and I have proved it.”
“Yeah?” I asked, still laughing.
“And this is the only thing that stops the horror.”
“The horror?” I breathed out.
“Yes. The horror,” she confirmed, and wagged a finger at me. “Don’t laugh. It’s real.”
I grasped her finger and tugged her forward gently. “You’re ridiculous.”
“That might be true, but I’m also right.”
“Let’s eat,” I said, and kissed her again.
“Okay, I’m starved.”
“Good.” I gave her a squeeze, then took her hand and led her back into the kitchen.
After dinner, Andi took care of the dishes while I answered a call from Cameron.
“Hey, man, that was quick,” I said.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have answers for you. I just wanted to let you know I got your pictures and the video feed from Andi’s system. There’s not a whole lot I can do about them yet. The guy never shows his face.”
“But you can tell it’s a guy.”
“Yeah, he’s got a beard, so unless it’s a woman and she’s a carnie or wearing a disguise, it’s most likely a man.”
I chuckled. “Okay. We’ll keep our eyes out here. I may get a guy to watch her place when I’m not here.”
“Good plan,” Cameron agreed. “Get Doom on it. The Dogs owe us a few.”
The Dogs of Fire MC had an unusual relationship with the FBI, wholly due to the fact that two of the brothers had an actual brother within the agency. Doom was part of the Savannah chapter, which is why Cameron reached out.
“I might do that,” I said.
“I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thanks, man.”
I hung up and stepped back into the kitchen.
“Everything okay?” Andi asked, kicking the dishwasher door closed.
“That was Cameron, he was letting me know he got the video feed and pictures.”
“Cameron?”
“Buddy in Portland.” I set my phone on the desk. “He still works with the FBI so he’s lookin’ into this.”
Andi sighed. “I’m sorry, Dalton.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Because I’m dragging you into whatever this is.”
“You’re not draggin’ me into anything.” I smiled. “No one hurts you again, Andi. Got it?”
She nodded and walked into my arms. “Got it.”
“Dad’s comin’ home tomorrow.”
She leaned back and met my eyes. “That’s awesome… and very quick.”
“You obviously took exceptional care of him.”
Andi rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah, it was all me.”
I chuckled. “So...”
“So?”
“Family dinner on Sunday.”
“That’s okay. Aspen’s heading to her parents’ this weekend, so I’ll just plan on a quiet night in.”
“No, baby, you’re coming with me to family dinner.”
“Ah, no, that’s okay.”
She tried to pull away, but I held her tighter. “Not really up for discussion.”
“Ohmigod, Dalton, you can’t force me to go to your parents’ house for a weird and uncomfortable dinner with your family.”
“It won’t be weird and uncomfortable.”
“Your sister hates me, your brother-in-law looks like he could snap me like a twig, and your dad will have just gotten home from the hospital.” She pushed out of my arms. “No. Nope. No siree, Bob. Not happening.”
“One, Samantha does not hate you. Two, Kade would never touch you, and should he ever have a personality transplant and suddenly turn into an asshole, I’d kill him before he got anywhere near you. Three, my dad loves company… Mom does too, so you’ll be welcomed with open arms.”
“Dalt—”
“No, Andi. You’re not stayin’ here alone.”
“I’ll pick up a shift, then.”
“Baby, you’re working sixty hours as it is. You’re not pickin’ up another shift.”
She let out a frustrated groan and I forced back a smile. Damn she was cute when she was frustrated.
“Stop smiling,” she snapped.
“Didn’t realize I was,” I admitted.
“I’m going to have some wine. Do you want some?”
“We’re going to finish this conversation first, sugar.”
She yanked open the fridge and pulled out the already open bottle of wine. “This conversation’s over, Dalton.”
I crossed my arms and leaned against the island, watching as she aggressively poured wine into a glass. After she took a sip, I took the glass gently from her hand and set it on the island. “You’re comin’ to dinner.”
“I’m not coming to dinner.”
“We walk in, you spend five minutes taking the temperature of the room, if you feel uncomfortable for any reason, we leave.”
She shook her head.
“What are you really afraid of, Andi? You work with difficult people every day, and you can’t possibly believe Kade would harm you, so break it down for me.”
She shook her head again.
“Sugar.” I lifted her chin and met her eyes. “Talk to me.”
She bit her lip and I tugged it away from her teeth. She sighed, then took a deep breath and said, “If we get there and your family hates me, I’ll lose you.”
“You won’t lose me.”
“Dalton, I won’t get in the middle of you and your family.”
“You’re right. You won’t.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Okay, sugar. We’ll revisit this subject another time.”
She rolled her eyes in response. I knew she was battling some pretty heavy fears, so I dropped the subject… for now. I’d made progress knocking down some of her walls and I decided it wasn’t worth it to jeopardize that progress. I finished my wine and focused on peeling away another layer of her defense.