Chapter 4 #2
"Let me take a look at that." Hayes pointed to his biceps.
"It's fine. Just a scratch. I've had worse."
"I'm sure we both have. I still want to look at it." Hayes tore the sleeve back. "Pain anywhere else? Any other injury I need to examine?"
"Just the arm."
"Hold this." Hayes pressed a wad of gauze into the furrow and Sterling held it, and the pressure hurt in a way that was almost a relief.
He followed Juniper as she made her way to an older man sitting alone in the corner with his elbows on his knees and his hands holding his cheeks.
She was a compassionate woman. Sterling had seen that a million times at the bar between giving away a few free lunches when people were down on their luck or just lending an ear. Juniper had a kind heart.
But tonight, she’d shown something else, and Sterling wasn't sure where to file it.
He could add it to his paranoia that she'd been watching him.
Because in the world of covert ops, that made a whole lot of sense.
His self-sarcasm wasn't helping because part of him actually believed she could be part of some bizarre sleeper cell. Stranger things had happened.
Add in the fact that he watched her reach for a sidearm that wasn't there. It was a split second, and he'd barely had time to register it during the chaos, but he was sure it happened.
Not to mention, she knew how to handle herself and everyone around her. Cool and calm under pressure.
But that now added a different question. Because that kind of reaction screamed training—law enforcement training.
Christ, he had fucking problems. Perhaps dating wasn't a good idea for him. There was a reason he'd remained single for his entire life.
"This is going to sting," Hayes said right before he doused Sterling's arm with a cold liquid.
Sterling grunted and flinched. "I swear, you get off on hurting people."
Hayes laughed. "Keep it clean. Keep a bandage on it for a few days. And if it gets—"
"I know the drill." Sterling watched as Hayes taped the gauze over the graze. "Thanks. I appreciate it. And thanks for the wine, tonight."
"No problem. Thanks for making sure that asshole didn't really shoot up the place." Hayes closed his medic kit. "And to your friend too."
"Sorry. That's Doyle. We ran JSOC missions together." Sterling tugged his sleeve down.
"Nice to meet you." Doyle held out his hand. "Did I hear you own this place?"
"Me, the police chief, along with our two buddies, Keaton and Fletcher. We all served in the Navy together. Fletcher owns the Marina with his wife, Baily. He also heads up our Parks and Rec Department."
"And Keaton runs Fish and Wildlife while his wife is a marketing specialist. We think," Sterling said. "No one actually knows exactly what she does, but she's fun to listen to sometimes."
"If you can keep up with her, she talks too fast." Hayes nodded. "I need to do some damage control. I'll talk to you later." Hayes made his way across the room and toward a group of employees gathered near the main dining room.
"That was like old times." Doyle bumped Sterling's good shoulder with his. "Kind of fun, you know."
"I wouldn't call it fun." Sterling looked at the hole in the ceiling. "But you've always had my six."
"Do you get that kind of action working with… I don't think I got the name of the firm you work for?"
Nope. Sterling hadn't told him. "It's the Aegis Network, and what are you implying?" Sterling jerked his head back.
"I didn’t mean it like it sounded." Doyle held his hands up.
"I'm just curious if what you're doing is similar to my company.
Lots of different types of security firms. Some just do bodyguard details.
Others run background and do more private investigative work.
But I've heard of the Aegis Network. Big deal, that outfit. "
"Good people, and we run the full course of services," Sterling agreed. "But I'm not in it for the action. I'm glad not to be dodging bullets left and right most weeks. But it happens from time to time."
"Here comes your lady friend." Doyle jerked his chin. "We'll talk more at breakfast." He turned on his heels and double timed it right out the front door.
Typical Doyle. In like a wrecking ball, out like lightning.
"Hey you." Juniper reached out and touched his arm just below the bandage. "That was crazy."
"Things got a little intense."
"A little?" Her thumb moved along the edges of the dried blood. "You scared me."
"I think everyone here was frightened." He held her gaze. "Including me. But we're all okay." He took her hand and kissed the inside swell of her palm. No sweat. It wasn't shaking. No sign of any fear-based trauma.
And that made him an asshole.
"You were so calm in here," he said, lacing his fingers between hers. "Right when it went bad. You got people to safety. That's no small accomplishment."
"I didn't do anything anyone else wouldn’t do." She took in a slow, shallow breath as her gaze slid across his wound. "My late husband, Mark, drilled things like that into me."
"How to help people in a crisis?"
"Sort of," she said. "Because of his job, he was always looking for the exits, and the best cover.
It drove me nuts sometimes, but whenever we went anywhere, he'd point them out to me.
Safety was his whole personality." The corner of her mouth twitched into a small smile.
"And I watch too much true crime. I started doing that after he passed. Reminds me of him."
"I'm sorry about your husband," he whispered. "And he taught you well. You did a good thing. Made it easier for Doyle and me to handle the situation."
"I'm glad I could assist."
Assist. Interesting choice of words. But he'd let that go for now. It was just a word. And in the half a year he'd come to know Juniper, he'd learned she had a unique vocabulary.
"Come on." He guided her out of the restaurant and into the parking lot. "It's a little crowded in there." Tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, he stared into her eyes. "This probably isn't the right time to do this."
"Probably not."
He tilted her chin with his thumb and kissed her. The kiss was soft. Tender. A first date kiss. But it wasn't without passion. Wasn't without intent as he swiped his tongue between her lips, finding hers and deepening the kiss, if only for a moment.
She pressed her hand to his chest and rested her head on his shoulder.
He shut his eyes and held her for a minute without worrying about anything but the warmth of her and the stillness his hands had found.
The minute would end. He knew that. But for now, he held her and let everything else wait.