Chapter Ten
“O kay, Emerson,” Lex said, leaning back in his chair with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Spill it. And we want all the gory details.”
“Spill what?” Corey asked, trying to ignore the way his friends stared at him. Yeah, okay, so maybe he never brought a woman around. But was it so inconceivable that they were now staring at him like he had two heads?
Jesus. He really was that fucked up.
PTSD? Check.
Baked goods, puzzles and a wolf? Triple check.
A beautiful woman? Hell no.
Because why would anyone with half a brain want to get tangled up in his emotional mess? They wouldn’t. Sera was only with him because she’d gotten lost in a blizzard and had been running from bad guys. She wants your help, nothing more, he told himself.
“What’s going on up in that isolated cabin of yours,” Chaz asked cagily, joining in with Lex. “Snowed-in with a gorgeous woman?”
“Nothing,” Corey grumbled. “And if we were snowed-in, we wouldn’t be here.”
“You know who she looks like?” Xander said, finally speaking up. “Claudia Schiffer.”
Corey’s attention snapped over to the former CIA agent, lazily reclining back in his seat.
Hawke was still a bit of a mystery, and Corey wasn’t sure if he completely trusted the man.
Although he had come through for the team on more than one occasion, something still felt off.
And Corey was a sensitive guy like that, in tune to people.
Maybe it was because he was a Cancer, but he felt things more deeply than the average person.
Add that to a finely-tuned bullshit detector, and he could read people extremely well.
But the fact he couldn’t get a good read on Hawke made him cautious.
“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Jayson chimed in. “God, I had the biggest crush on her back in the day. Cindy Crawford, too. Remember that Pepsi commercial? Uhn.” He bit his fist.
“I’ll never forget that commercial,” Brand stated with a dreamy smile
They all exchanged a look and then Jayson launched into “Just One Look” by Doris Troy. Brand, Wes and Chaz joined him, belting out the song used in the iconic commercial which had aired during the Super Bowl.
They burst into laughter.
“You’re all crazy,” Lex declared. “I don’t remember it, but you guys are old as dirt.”
“You aren’t that far behind, Battle,” Chaz smugly reminded him.
“Even I know that commercial,” Xander said, “and I’m only forty-one. I always thought Claudia Schiffer was prettier, though.”
The way he said that last comment made Corey narrow his eyes at the man. The idea of Xander making a move on Sera caused annoyance to flare in his gut.
“I’m the next one to turn fifty,” Jayson lamented, “so the rest of you can fuck off.”
“Hey, I’m already the big 5-0, so I don’t wanna hear it. And, yeah, your big day is coming up fast, Jay,” Brand said, sounding almost gleeful.
“You won’t be the only fossil then, huh?” Lex teased.
“Fuck, Battle,” Chaz growled. “You’re forty-six, not twenty-six. Don’t tell me you aren’t feeling the aches and pains.”
“I feel great,” Lex insisted and thumped a fist against his chest for good measure.
“I find that hard to believe,” Corey said. “We’re less than a year apart and my knees crack like glow sticks.”
“Because you frogs swam too much,” Lex stated. “But me? I flew fighter jets and graduated at the top of my—”
“Top Gun class,” they all finished flatly. How many times had they heard that line, Corey wondered with a smirk.
“Jealous much?” Lex grinned his perfectly-white, trademark smile that sent women into a tizzy. Corey had seen many an unsuspecting woman melt when she looked directly at those pearly whites.
“As fun as this conversation is, why don’t we focus on Sera and the problem at hand,” Brand suggested. “I assume she’ll continue to stay with you, Cor?”
“I’ve got room,” Jayson offered. A little too quickly.
Corey shot the former Army Ranger an irritated look. Why the hell would she go stay with Jayson when she was perfectly fine at his place? And what the hell? Now Jay was moving in on her, too?
“Well, because of her cat and your wolf,” Jayson quickly explained. “That can’t be a good combo.”
“They’re fine. She’s fine with me. We’re all fine,” Corey informed them stiffly.
“I think the company is good for you, Cor,” Wes added, and Corey threw his friend a grateful look.
“If you change your mind, I have an entire empty house since Emma moved out.” They all knew Jayson missed his daughter and had plenty of space, but that didn’t mean Corey wanted Sera shacking up with him.
Everything in him rebelled at the idea. For whatever reason, he was feeling slightly possessive, which took him by surprise. He’d never been the kind of man who felt the need to mark or lay claim on a woman before.
Until now.
“Thanks for the offer, Jay, but Sera is staying with me,” Corey said in a firm voice. “Now how about we call Mitch?”
Because he was done discussing Sera’s housing situation. She’d remain with him.
End of story.
◆◆◆
The small apartment Brandon and Julia shared above the bar wasn’t huge, but the place had a lived-in, cozy, welcoming vibe. Sera paused before a large canvas painting on the wall and tilted her head, studying it. It was quite sensual and almost looked like a tangle of naked limbs.
“Julia’s a very talented artist,” Ellie said.
Impressed, Sera turned to look over at Julia, who was getting drinks out of the fridge. “You painted this?”
“With a little help from Brand,” she murmured with a wicked smirk.
Oh, my. Sera swiveled back around to study the swirl of red and gold paint again. Once she saw it, she couldn’t unsee it. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she cleared her throat and accepted the bottle of water. “Thanks.”
Julia chuckled. “What can I say? That man inspires me in every way.”
“That must be nice,” Sera said softly, glancing at the diamond engagement ring sparkling on Julia’s finger.
“Are you married?” Julia asked.
“Me?” Sera shook her head and forced a laugh. “No.”
“Why is that funny?” Lottie asked. “You’re ridiculously pretty.”
“Oh, um, thank you. That’s nice of you to say, but I don’t really feel pretty anymore.”
“That’s just silly,” Lottie exclaimed. “I wish I had your honey blonde waves instead of these out-of-control curls.”
“You look like Marilyn Monroe,” Sera said, loving Lottie’s bouncy platinum curls.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Sera,” Ellie said. “Don’t ever let anyone make you think differently.”
“You’re all too kind. It’s just…” Her voice faltered. “Getting older isn’t easy.”
Julia snorted in agreement. “Ain’t that the truth, sister. Before I met Brand, I thought I was going to die alone and squirrels would eat my face off.”
“Oh, my God, stop!” Ellie chuckled.
“But that man made my menopause pause.” Julia’s mouth tilted up in a mischievous grin, then her brow furrowed and she lifted a finger to her lips. “Shh. Do you hear that?”
Sera tilted her head, listening closely. The faint strains of a song floated up from downstairs.
Lottie’s face screwed up in a comedic expression. “Are they…singing?”
“If that’s what you want to call it,” Ellie commented, and they all burst into laughter.
The three women all got along so well, and Sera couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be a permanent part of their little group. With Mel so far away, she’d love to have close female friends who could also be sisters.
“C’mon,” Julia said, shaking her head and motioning for them to follow her into the bedroom. “Let’s find you some clothes to borrow.”
The bedroom was small and cozy like the rest of the apartment. Sera sat on the edge of the bed with Ellie and Lottie, while Julia started pulling items out of dresser drawers and the closet.
And they were both staring at her with questions in their eyes.
“So, Sera,” Lottie began innocently, “you’re single?”
“Eternally single,” she answered bluntly.
“Oh? How interesting,” Ellie commented, exchanging a look with Lottie.
“It just so happens that Corey is very single, too.” Lottie sent her a big smile.
Julia walked over and laid a sweatshirt on the bed. “Fair warning, this is where we start being completely inappropriate, slightly pushy, and unabashedly play matchmaker. If you’re not into Corey, tell us now. Otherwise, it’s full steam ahead.”
The other two nodded.
Sera pressed her lips together. They certainly didn’t mess around, and even though she felt attracted to Corey, she didn’t think it was necessarily reciprocated. Letting herself fall for him and then being rejected would be awful.
“I, um, don’t know if I’m ready for all that.” A lame excuse, but she couldn’t admit the truth to these women—that she was forty-five and had never put herself out there when it came to men. And then time had caught up, and she sadly realized her best years were long gone. Wasted.
And, of course, she was only passing through Cielo Springs because she was running. It’s not like she was looking to settle there. Well, unless she had a very good reason to stay.
Sure, she’d had a good time running around the world and even dated here and there.
But no one had held her attention for longer than a date or two.
It had all felt superficial. She’d enjoyed the chase and flirting and flitting around while guys pursued her.
It had been fun and easy. She’d even slept with a couple.
But she’d always been the one to leave before morning.
To ghost them when and if they reached out.
Any time a guy tried to get serious, she’d bolted.
Guess it explained why she was still alone.
While other people got married and started families, she’d traveled and explored the world in her twenties and thirties, blogging about her adventures.
Traveling and sharing her stories had given her a purpose.
Something she’d lost when she’d returned home.
But she didn’t regret those last few months with her parents.
They’d shared some very special times together, and she treasured those moments in her heart.
“Not ready for a gorgeous, sweet, sensitive, very protective former Navy SEAL with a heart of gold?” Lottie asked coyly.
Okay, so maybe Sera was starting to wonder things. To maybe daydream a little about what it might be like to kiss a certain glacier-eyed mountain man.
She blew out a low breath. “My track record for relationships is really sad. I guess I just thought marriage was never in the cards for me.”
“Maybe it’s time to rethink things,” Ellie said gently. “If you’re interested, that is.”
Sera looked from Ellie to Julia to Lottie. “What if he isn’t interested in me?”
“That’s certainly a fair question,” Julia began delicately, “but you have to understand Corey is a bit of a loner. He doesn’t come around as much as everyone would like and he disappears for extended periods of time.
He’s certainly never brought a woman here.
Or anywhere. And I think we all noticed the way he was looking at you. ”
“Like he wanted to eat you up,” Lottie declared, and Sera blushed.
Had he looked at her like that? She hadn’t noticed, being more concerned about staying alive and all. But was it too much to hope so?
“We don’t want to say too much,” Ellie said carefully, “but Corey is a sensitive soul. He and Wes are best friends and, although he never talks about it, Corey has been through a lot. It’s not always easy for them to readjust to civilian life, no matter how much time goes by.
Guilt and PTSD are heavy burdens to bear. ”
Sera’s chest tightened. She understood that better than anyone. “Oh,” she whispered, feeling that instant kinship with Corey again. Recognizing a fellow tortured soul. Maybe they had more in common than she realized. “That isn’t easy.”
“No,” Ellie agreed. “It’s why we all look out for him.”
“And we want him to find someone special,” Lottie added.
“Someone who can help keep the demons at bay,” Julia murmured.
Sera knew all about the demons and how hard it could be to quiet them, much less vanquish them.
“I do like him,” she admitted softly, and the women all grinned knowingly.
“Sorry for being pushy, but, no offense, we’re not twenty-five anymore. There’s no time to fool around,” Julia said. “To put it bluntly, he looks at you like…”
Her voice trailed off, trying to find the perfect analogy, and Ellie finished, “Like you could hang the stars in his sky.”
Sera’s heart swelled at her beautiful words.
Maybe Corey was interested in her, but even more than that, she now knew he still carried guilt around from some past trauma.
Like her, it sounded like he hadn’t truly allowed himself to live in a very long time.
The idea that they could possibly help each other find some sort of peace made her weary soul soar with hope.
“And if he makes your clitterbell ring? Then all the better,” Lottie declared with a mischievous grin, and they all burst out laughing.