CHAPTER TEN
Thursday, September 28th
Coronado
Frisco drove down Orange Ave. toward Brooke’s house and, when he stopped at a red light, he glanced over and studied the flowers he’d just gotten from Birdie’s shop. Thank God she hadn’t been there, because it allowed him to avoid the much-dreaded inquisition that he knew he was eventually in for.
No way was Birdie going to let the first time he bought flowers for a woman go by without a thorough investigation of who, how, and when. Which, if he was lucky, he could avoid for several more days.
Truth was, he didn’t know if Brooke was still even interested, because she hadn’t been returning his calls. They had one quick conversation when she’d landed in San Diego, and then nothing. He’d left a message every day, and not one had been returned. The first couple of days he understood, because he figured she was just getting used to the time change and being back in the United States. The last eight, not so much. He’d been chomping at the bit and all he’d gotten was radio silence.
He’d finally had enough and had gotten her address from Carrick. If she wasn’t interested in continuing what they’d started back in Chad, then she was going to have to tell him to his face.
And if that happened, he was going to change her mind, because they had created something amazing in Africa, and he knew it would only get better the more time they spent together.
Here at home, she wouldn’t be dealing with death and destruction, flying bullets, or suicide bombers, and he wouldn’t be engaged in direct action missions night after night. All they had to do was get to know one another and enjoy the explosive chemistry that they shared.
And they had a ton of it. The last night they’d spent together under the stars at Camp Nomade had blown his mind, and he’d hoped it had been the same for her.
So, why had she been playing chicken with him?
Turning on Eighth Street, he headed in the direction of Avenue A and hoped Brooke was going to be happy to see him. As he followed a slow-moving car, he noticed the mishmash of houses that was so prevalent on the island. There were homes that hadn’t been updated since they’d been purchased back in the fifties or sixties sitting next to homes that were mini McMansions. He wondered what Brooke had done with the home that she had inherited from her Aunt Cecily. According to Carrick, the house had been left to Brooke’s mom, and then, when she’d passed, it went to her younger sister, and then eventually landed in the hands of Brooke and her brother.
Turning up Avenue A, he checked the address again and found the home he was looking for. It was a craftsman with a big porch off to the left. He found a parking spot, pulled in, and then took a moment to calm himself the hell down.
The last thing he needed to do was go in there all jacked up, spoiling for a fight because of his butthurt feelings. Maybe there was a perfectly rational explanation for putting him off and his little surprise visit today would give her the chance to tell him just what it was.
He grabbed the bouquet of flowers, jumped out of his truck, and headed toward the woman of his dreams. As he approached the house, he noticed a man lounging on the front porch in just his board shorts.
What the fuck?
Was this the person who’d been keeping Brooke too busy to give him the time of day?
Mentally checking the weapons he had on his person, he tried to decide quickly how he was going to take the man out.
As each step took him closer, he centered himself and prepared for whatever happened next. “Hey,” he called out as he unlatched the small white picket fence that enclosed the front yard.
The man sat up, and Frisco saw they were roughly the same build and, if he had to guess, probably close in stature. Whatever, didn’t make a damn bit of difference to him. He could take anyone who crossed his path.
Standing, the guy tilted his chin. “Hey.”
Asshole, Frisco thought. He’d adopted the same posture thousands of times as he confronted people. Didn’t mean shit.
Pasting what he hoped looked like a smile on his face, he walked up the steps that led to the house. “Is Brooke home?”
“Yeah,” the guy snarled in response.
Great, the last thing he wanted to do was leave a bunch of blood on Brooke’s front porch. Something like that was bound to make her mad, and that wasn’t how he wanted to start their reunion. Taking two steps in the guy’s direction, he held out his hand. “Frisco Jones.”
The guy put out his hand and they exchanged firm handshakes. Staring into one another’s eyes, they might as well have been inside a ring getting ready for a deadly match. Not blinking, Frisco nodded and kept their hands clasped.
“Chance.”
No fucking last name, just Chance? The guy let go of his hand, and Frisco stood as still as he did when he was about to engage someone. Calm. Relaxed. Ready for whatever came his way. He’d done it thousands of times, and this wasn’t going to be any different.
Hearing Brooke’s melodic voice from inside the house, he felt himself tense for a split second. Whoever this guy was and whatever he meant to Brooke was going to be revealed in the next couple of minutes.
“Chance, do you want a tuna or turkey sandwich?”
She was making this asshole a sandwich? What kind of bullshit was that after what they’d had together?
“I’ll take turkey, sweetheart,” Chance called out loudly.
“Asshole,” Frisco mumbled. Hearing footsteps, he knew he was going to be face-to-face with the woman who was about to stomp on something he had never let out until they’d spent time together. Turning slowly, he waited for the guillotine to drop.
“Why are you calling me sweetheart? Did you crack your head in the ocean?”
Brooke came into view as she pushed the screen door open, and Frisco felt the exact same way he did when he’d first seen her in N’Djamena. Like a thousand-ton house fell on his body.
Only worse.
The moment she caught sight of him, she sucked in a breath and then smiled. “Frisco, what a wonderful surprise.”
“What?”
Walking slowly in his direction, she tipped her head toward the flowers. “Are those for me?”
Looking down at the flowers he’d practically mangled to death, he shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Oh my gosh, that is so sweet of you.” Opening her arms, she took the last step that separated them and embraced him.
What the hell is going on? he thought. Why does she look so happy to see me when there is a half-naked guy on her porch acting like he’s ready for a fight?
Ignoring all the noise in his head, he wrapped his arms around Brooke and discovered she smelled different. Amazing but different than he remembered.
Pressing a kiss to her head, he felt her hands tighten around his waist. “I’m happy to see you, honey.”
“Me too,” she mumbled against his shirt.
Before he could truly appreciate what was happening, he pulled back and studied her face. No guilt, no subterfuge, just the fucking amazing smile that broke him open. “You’re so beautiful.”
Hearing a gagging sound, he turned and threw Chance the asshole a dirty look. Keeping Brooke in his embrace, he threw the guy another look that had never failed to communicate how far he was willing to go to achieve his objective.
“So, you met my brother?” Brooke asked.
“Your brother?” Frisco choked out.
She looked up and gave him a funny look. “Yes, Chance is my baby brother.”
“We’re four minutes apart, Brooke. I’m hardly your baby brother.”
Stepping out of Frisco’s embrace, she punched him in the arm. “Four minutes is like four years when it comes to us.”
Letting out a loud laugh, Frisco looked over at the man who had caused him more grief in five minutes than anyone ever had in five years. He totally got it, because he would’ve done the same thing with his sister, and would’ve played it exactly the same.
“Yes, honey, we met.”
Chance gave him a shit-eating grin and shrugged. “Had to.”
“Totally understand,” Frisco replied.
“Had to what?” Brooke replied.
“Nothing, honey.”
“Do you have time to stay for lunch?” Brooke asked before smelling the flowers.
“Of course. I’ve got nothing else on my schedule for the next couple of days.”
“Unemployed?” Chance asked.
“He’s a SEAL,” Brooke answered with a frown.
“And you knew that before you started dating him?” Chance asked incredulously.
“Yes, I did,” Brooke replied with annoyance. “Come inside, and I’ll get lunch together.”
As Frisco followed Brooke in, he heard Chance mutter something about hell finally freezing over. Whatever, he wasn’t going to worry about it. As they walked into the home, he noticed it had been updated and was pretty damn nice. How she’d managed it being out of the country, he didn’t know.
As they walked into the great room that housed the kitchen, living room, and bar, he let out a low whistle. Someone had poured a bunch of money into the place and he didn’t see how it could be Brooke. No one went to work with MSF in hopes of a decent paycheck; they did it because it was their calling. “Nice house.”
“Thanks,” Chance replied as he slouched into a chair at the enormous island that dominated the open kitchen. “We inherited the place from our aunt along with a generous inheritance. We’ve been working on the place for six years on and off.”
“Chance is with the FBI HRT Team, so he’s in Virginia, but he’s managed to spend enough time at home to move our remodel along,” Brooke said as she pulled out all the fixings for sandwiches.
HRT. Now the guy’s demeanor made sense. “How long have you been with the hostage rescue team?” Frisco asked.
“Four years. Brooke and I went to Duke for our undergraduate degrees, and I decided to stay on the East Coast. Went to work for NYPD and worked my way up to SWAT and then applied with the FBI.”
“You guys handle some serious ops, man. I’ve gotten to run some training exercises with guys from your team, and I have nothing but respect for every single one of them.”
“Thanks, man.” Chance gave him an imperceptible nod.
Frisco took his own seat at the island and studied the woman who was in the process of making sandwiches that would make that old cartoon character Dagwood happy. “Anything I can do to help?” he asked.
“No. Thank you, though. I’ve been enjoying cooking for the last couple of days in my own kitchen.”
“That was after she spent the first five eating almost exclusively junk food from all her favorite places.”
Brooke pointed a long knife in her brother’s direction. “Don’t judge, because I know you do the same thing when you come home from an assignment overseas.”
“No one I know loves McDonald’s as much as you do,” he said as he frowned. “That shit is going to clog up your arteries, and you’re going to die an early, ugly death.”
Watching the two siblings bicker made Frisco relax. His heartbeat had finally returned to normal, and he was enjoying watching the two poke at one another. As he studied them, he could see the similarities and wondered how he’d missed it to begin with, because they were like two sides of the same coin. As beautiful as Brooke was, her brother was equally handsome. Son of a bitch must do okay with the ladies.
“So, how long are you in town for?” Frisco asked.
“I’ve got another week before I have to go back. Needed to come home and see Brooke and make sure she was okay.”
“Understood. If you want to come down to NAB and catch a workout, let me know.”
Chance nodded and gave him a smile. “Thanks, may take you up on that.”
“All he’s been doing for the last three days is sleeping and surfing.”
“And if you’re not sleeping, then your butt is parked in front of the TV watching all those reality shows you love.”
“And your point?” Brooke asked as she started to plate the sandwiches.
“Nothing, sister.” He gave her a smile. “Just stating the facts.”
“When are you supposed to meet the rear admiral for dinner?”
“Five. He’s coming here, and we’re going to have dinner at the Village Pizzeria. Have you changed your mind about joining us?”
“No, I’m going to pass and let you guys catch up.”
Frisco noticed her face completely shut down when she’d said her father’s name, and that meant Jax’s description of a strained relationship had been completely right on. Hopefully, she would eventually be comfortable discussing it with him and he could begin to understand exactly what the man had done to break his daughter’s heart. Information like that would be good to know, because knowing where someone was broken told you where you needed to begin loving them. Brooke slid a plate in front of him, and he grinned. “Thanks, honey.”
“Anytime.”
The sexy smile she gave him in response lit his hopes on fire that whatever had caused her not to return his phone calls was no longer relevant. Which made the fact that she sat down next to him and pressed her hand against his leg all the more sweet.
Yeah, they were definitely going to work it out.
***
Sitting on the patio with Frisco mere inches away made Brooke’s nerves bounce around like a ping-pong ball. Could she resist him?
Should she?
“Thank you for the lovely flowers.”
“Figured I better not show up empty-handed, considering you’ve been avoiding my calls.” He looked into the house and then back at Brooke. “Where did your brother go?”
“Errands.” She placed her hands in her lap and then slid her eyes to the side. “I haven’t been avoiding your calls; it’s more of a technical glitch.” He laced their fingers together, which made her thoughts scramble like eggs. “You see, the contract on the phone I use internationally expired, and I haven’t gotten a new one yet.”
“I can see how hard something like that could be. What with the covered wagon you’d have to take to the phone store, it could take days, if not weeks.”
“Ha-ha.”
“Not to be the needy one in this relationship, but…what the hell, Brooke?” He moved his chair closer and took her other hand. “If you’re not interested in pursuing this thing between us, just tell me.”
“And you’ll back off?”
“Hell, no, I’ll just retrench and come up with a new plan.”
Looking down at his big hands holding hers gently made her remember how much pleasure he’d given her during the nights they’d spent together. It wasn’t something she took lightly, which is probably why she’d been avoiding him. “Well…”
“Yeah?”
“You scare the hell out of me.” Leaning back, she took her hands away and flapped them in front of her face. “What happens between us when we’re together makes me want to jump off a bridge. It’s so intense, overwhelming, and life-altering that I don’t know how to handle it.”
“So, if I’m hearing you correctly, you know what we have is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and you’re scared that if we somehow screw it up, we’re doomed for a lifetime of unhappiness.”
“Uh…”
He put up his hand. “I get it. This is like the mother of all bombs that we dropped a couple of months back in Afghanistan. The combination of the two of us is like the eleven tons of explosives that we let loose on the cave complex.”
“Well, I guess that’s one way of putting it.”
“I can live with that. Just so happens that I’m pretty good with explosives and have kept up my skill set.” He lifted both hands in a gimme motion. “Bring it, Brooke. I’m more than ready.”
“What if I’m not?”
“Follow my lead, because I’ve been blowing shit up for years. The thing you have to remember about explosives is that a little can go a long way if used correctly.” Moving his finger back and forth between the two of them, he grinned. “This thing needs to be handled with care, and I, for one, am prepared to do that.”
“Really? You want to take what happened in Africa and see if we can replicate it here?”
“No, I don’t want to replicate it; I want to take that little seed and make sure we nurture it so it grows as big as the beanstalk in that fable.”
Standing, she held out her hand. “I guess that means that I need a ride to the phone store, then, because you can’t grow anything without modern technology.” When he stood and picked her up so that they were face-to-face, she realized that even if this thing blew up, it might be worth it, because the fireworks they would produce could be brilliant. “Are you going to kiss me?”
“I was thinking about it.”
“Quit thinking and start doing. All your talk about the mother of all bombs has got me to thinking about how you made me feel, and I want to see if it was just a dream.”
“No dream, honey.” He buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. “You smell different than you did in Africa. More like oranges and less like cinnamon.”
“Shampoo and soap probably.” Sighing contentedly, she felt his lips skim from her earlobe down to her collarbone, leaving shivers in their wake.
“You taste the same, though, so I guess I’m home.”
“Home,” she repeated as he made a masculine sound deep in his throat.
“Should we go upstairs and remind ourselves who we are together, or get you a new phone first?”
“Phone first,” she managed to grit out. “If we go upstairs, we may not come down for days.”
“How long will he be gone?”
“Not sure.”
“Then we’re going to my place after the phone store, so we can have privacy.”
“I have a door on my room.”
“Honey, I plan on making you scream, and there is no door that’s going to block out the sound.”
“How many times?”
“Until you pass out.”
Sliding down his body, she turned toward the house and motioned him to follow. “Quit gawking and start walking. I’ve got needs, and I’m guessing you’re the man to take care of them.”
He scooped her into his arms and made a beeline for the front door.
“I need my purse.”
Grabbing it off the table, he barely slowed down in his pursuit of the front door. “Slow down, Frisco.”
“Nope, not going to happen. You gave me a mission, and I’m executing.”
Holding on to his neck, she felt a burst of happiness shoot through her chest just like when they’d been together before. “Far be it from me to stand between you and success.”
“Exactly.”
As much as she wanted to cling to the feeling spreading through her body, she hesitated, because the realist in her didn’t want to get too used to it in case they ended up blowing themselves up.
Fireworks were amazing, but as far as she knew, they burned if you got too close and didn’t last but a minute.