Chapter 26
“If Maya wants me to act out her lumberjack fantasies. I’m all in. And I do mean in.” ~ Caleb
Caleb
“N o fair,” Maya pouts.
“What?”
She waves her hand up and down my outfit. I glance down at what I’m wearing. I’m in a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. I don’t understand what the big deal is.
“You’re going to chop wood and I have to go to work.”
I scratch my head. “You’re upset I’m going to chop wood?”
“No. I’m upset you’re going to chop wood and I don’t get to watch.”
I waggle my eyebrows. “If you stay and watch, I’ll take my shirt off.”
Her eyes flare and I step toward her. The wood can wait. I wrap an arm around her waist and haul her near.
She looks up at me from beneath her lashes. “It’s a tempting offer. ”
“Let me sweeten the pot,” I murmur before I touch my lips to hers. I trace her bottom lip with my tongue. “Let me in, Bunny.”
She opens on a sigh and I thrust my tongue into her mouth. Her honey taste hits me and I moan. I’m quickly becoming addicted to the taste. I’ll never get enough of it. I want to taste it every day for the rest of my life.
She clings to my shoulders and I grasp her hips to lift her up. She wraps her legs around my hips and—
Her phone beeps.
She disengages from me and rushes to her phone. She reads the message and swears under her breath. “I need to go. The Gourmet Corner grocery store representatives are visiting today, and Paisley is freaking out about them entering her brewery.”
She runs around in circles as she searches for her coat, keys, and bag. I stand at the door and jingle her keys.
She rushes to me and snatches them. “Thank you. I’ll be home late.” She rushes out the door but skids to a halt and whirls back around. “I mean back at the cabin late. This isn’t my home. It’s your home. I’m not… I mean…”
She flaps her arms and I chuckle. She’s adorable when she’s flustered.
I stalk to her and palm her neck. “This is your home, too. I want you with me wherever I am.”
She blows out a breath. “Okay, but we’re not living together or anything. ”
I kiss her nose. “Love you, Bunny. Now go before you’re late.”
I spin her around and pat her ass to get her moving. She yelps before rushing down the porch steps to her car.
I watch her drive off. The driveway is as bumpy as ever. I need to get it fixed. Although, I won’t be living here forever. As soon as my injury is healed, I’ll be gone again.
I frown. I need to discuss the future with Maya, but I’m worried about her reaction. She’s going to be upset when she finds out I plan to return to active duty. She admitted she worried about me when I was gone, and I hate for her to worry. But I’m a soldier. It’s the only thing I know how to be.
I force thoughts of the future away. They’re a problem for another day.
I make my way to the backyard to chop wood for the fireplace. I grab the axe and get to work. It isn’t long before my arms, shoulders, and upper back are aching from the workout.
I need to get back to the gym and work on my upper body strength. My core and leg muscles are getting worked plenty at physical therapy, but I’ve been neglecting the other muscle groups.
Despite the cool wind blowing off the Atlantic Ocean, I’m sweating up a storm. I stop to remove my flannel shirt.
“Caleb!”
I glance over my shoulder to discover Hudson leaning against the cabin.
“Are you watching me chop wood? ”
He chuckles. “I’ve learned it’s better not to interrupt a man working with an axe. Especially if he’s former military.”
I scowl. I’m not former military.
“You ready for a break? I have a proposition for you.”
I grunt and march to the cabin. I open the door to allow him to enter first before following him inside.
“Coffee?”
“Sure,” Hudson says as he scans the place. “Things have changed in here. It has a woman’s touch now.”
I frown at him. “Don’t tell me you’re here to gather gossip for Nova.”
He holds up his hands. “Nah. Nova doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Sit.” I motion to the kitchen table.
“What’s this proposition?” I ask when I hand him his coffee.
He chuckles. “Going straight to the heart of the matter.”
I shrug. What does he expect? Me to sit here and gossip about Smuggler’s Hideaway? Not happening. And I’m certainly not telling him anything about my relationship with Maya. He was at drunk poker. He knows we’re serious. There’s nothing else to tell.
He sips on his coffee as he studies me. I wait him out. This isn’t my first rodeo.
“I have a job for you.”
I nearly startle. Of all the things I expected him to say, ‘I have a job for you’ didn’t rank in the top hundred.
“A job?”
“You’re aware I own Hideaway Haven Resort. ”
I nod. Everyone on the island knows he owns the resort. He built it after his career in the NFL came crashing to an end after an illegal tackle destroyed his ankle.
“Due to the kind of clientele we have, the resort has a decent amount of security.”
“Makes sense.”
The island is relatively safe but you can never be too safe. Especially when you’re dealing with people who have money. They probably think nothing of leaving a ten-thousand-dollar diamond ring laying about and then cry thief when they misplace it.
“I’m currently recruiting a head of security.”
“What happened to the former head of security?”
“He’s tired of living on a tiny island where the choice in pussy is too limited.” I grunt. “His words. Not mine.”
“And you’re telling me this because?”
“I want to hire you as my new head of security.”
I’m shaking my head before he can finish the sentence. “No thanks. I have a job.”
“You do?” His brow wrinkles. “The smuggler’s grapevine hasn’t caught up with it yet.”
“Probably because my work isn’t on the island.”
“Are you going to fill me in?”
“It’s not a big surprise. I’m returning to active duty.”
His eyes widen. “You are? What about?” He nods toward my leg.
“I’m waiting to be medically cleared.”
“Huh.” He sips on his coffee. “I’m surprised. ”
“I don’t know why it’s a surprise. Being a soldier is my career.”
“No one on the island expects you to return to active duty.”
I don’t ask how he knows this. I don’t need to. The smuggler’s grapevine is fast and thorough.
“What does everyone think I’m doing here?”
“We think you’re back to stay.”
“Nah.” I shake my head. “I have no interest in crawling back here a failure.”
He cocks a brow and I swear.
“Shit. I didn’t mean you returned to the island a failure. You didn’t have a choice after that tackle.”
“And you do have a choice after whatever happened to you?”
I growl. “I do. I’m working my ass off to recover from my injury. Once my physical therapist signs me off, I’m out of here.”
“Does Maya know this?”
“Maya knows I’m a soldier,” I hedge.
“But does she know you’re planning to return to active duty?”
No, because I’ve been avoiding the conversation.
“Maya’s a strong woman. If being a soldier is what you want, she’ll support you.”
Hope flares to life in my belly. I need him to be right. Because I can’t lose Maya. I love her more than anything. But I can’t live on this island as a failure either.
“Maya’s the strongest woman I know. ”
He grins. “She’s strong, but not as strong as my Nova.”
I hold up my hands. “Not gonna fight you.”
“Good.” He stands. “The offer for head of security is there if you need it.”
I scowl. “I’m good.”
I walk with him to the door.
“And you don’t need to chop wood. The resort supplies wood to all of our cottages.”
“I enjoy the exercise.”
He grins. “I figured as much, but thought I’d offer.”
I watch as he hops into a golf cart and drives toward the resort.
I hope he’s right. I hope Maya will support me once she finds out I want to return to active duty. She’ll worry about me when I’m gone but I’ll come home to her as often as I can. We can make it work.
And if we can’t?
I force the thought away. I don’t want to consider the possibility of losing Maya.
I know how it feels to live without her. I’m not going back.