Chapter Two
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F rom the moment Cassie entered the room, all of Tristan’s senses were attuned to her. She stood off to the side, tall and slender in snug, dark blue jeans and a black leather jacket that hugged her trim frame. Then she looked his way, and when their gazes met, that hot leap of attraction hit him.
It was hard not to get trapped by her gaze. Her eyes were stunning. Startling silver with darker flecks, a sharp contrast to her cap of short, black hair and long, black lashes.
“Hi,” she said to him, making no move to sit or come any closer.
“Hi.” She was still hard to read, even after all the jobs they’d worked and all the training they’d done together over the past several months. Even during what had happened with Bristol, he’d only seen glimpses of what lay beneath the polished, professional image she kept.
He’d gotten the impression that she’d felt the need to conceal her true self from him. No matter what he did, she seemed determined not to let him in. He wanted to change that. “So the concert was good?” He’d received the few pictures she had texted him from it earlier.
“It was amazing. Thanks again.”
“Yeah, glad you had a good time. You too, Bristol?”
“Yes, it was a great day. Plus, we stopped for pie on the way home.” She came around the couch and slid into TJ’s lap.
Tristan turned his attention back to Cassie.
“You a soccer fan?” she asked as the others all watched the game.
“I don’t mind it.” But he definitely wasn’t as into it as Warwick and TJ. He shifted over slightly. “Wanna sit down?”
“No, thanks, I’m gonna head out.”
“Us too. We’re just about to leave for Carly’s volleyball game.”
“We?”
He stood when Marley walked into the room from the hallway. His sister stopped, smiled. “Hi, Cassie. You come to watch the game?”
Cassie smiled back politely. “Just dropping Bristol off.” Her gaze moved back to him, and he felt that same internal leap again. “See you at the office tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll walk you out. Meet you at the truck, Mar.” Without giving Cassie a chance to argue, he started for the door, slipped on his shoes and grabbed his jacket. Outside the early autumn air was turning cool, long purple shadows creeping across the street and up the walkway to Bristol’s front door.
Cassie was already waiting halfway to the curb. She half-turned toward him. “You wanna talk about tomorrow?” she asked.
She was always civil and friendly enough but made a point of keeping her interactions with him about business. He respected that and understood that working together could make things messy if their relationship got personal, but he’d never felt this visceral, magnetic pull to anyone but her.
He would understand if she wasn’t interested in him. But he was pretty sure the attraction wasn’t one-sided. And that made it even harder to let it go.
“Sure.” If talking about work was what it took to make her comfortable enough to talk to him alone, he’d take it.
“Want to meet up early, before we meet Ryder at eight?”
He nodded. Ryder had personally assigned them to this detail. They both knew this job was a big deal. “Works for me.”
“Okay, I’ll be at the office at—”
“Let’s meet at Whale’s Tale instead. Seven-thirty. We’ll grab something and talk on the way up to the office.” He wanted a more casual atmosphere, hoped it might get her to relax and trust him more. Open up a little bit.
She hesitated a fraction of a second before giving a nod. “Okay, that works.”
“Great.” He motioned toward her car, walked with her to the curb as her light, floral scent drifted up to him. Her height always struck him. She had to be five-eleven or better, because even in flat boots the top of her head came up to his mouth.
Making her the perfect height for him to kiss her crown and forehead.
“Hope Carly wins her game. See you tomorrow.” She hurried around to the driver’s side before he could say anything else and climbed in, giving a polite wave before driving off.
He stood there on the sidewalk watching until her car disappeared around the corner, thinking.
He’d done everything he knew how to earn her trust over the past few months. Had tried to be there for her whenever she needed something—as much as she would allow, anyway—yet she still kept him and almost everyone else at arm’s length.
His gut told him she’d been hurt and had chosen to wall herself off. He didn’t know much about her past except that she’d been a cop in Vegas before moving here and joining the private security industry. Something bad had happened. He knew it.
A door opened behind him. Marley rushed out of the townhouse, long auburn hair bouncing around her shoulders as she tugged her coat on. “Sorry, Newcastle just scored. Had to have a celebratory ale.”
He went around to the passenger side of his truck and opened the door for her. She shot him a grin. “Hey, thanks.”
“Welcome,” he murmured, shutting it and rounding the hood to get behind the wheel. His memories of their parents were jumbled and complicated, but he damn sure had never forgotten the manners drummed into him. He and his brothers always opened doors for a lady.
The only person he didn’t do it for was Cassie when they were working. Though to be fair she always drove anyway. She was a skilled driver, and she seemed to like being in control that way. So he was more than happy to let her take the wheel when they were partnered together.
“It’s crazy, but d’you know I’m actually a little nervous?” Marley said as he headed toward the school.
“About what?”
“Carly. I used to get all anxious watching you boys playing sports too.”
Meaning him and his identical twin, Gavin. “It’s a mom thing.”
“Yeah, guess so. Always want the best for our kids,” she said with a grin.
If his and Gavin’s childhood had been fucked up in a lot of ways, Marley and Decker had had it worse. Both of them had known a reasonable amount of stability and normalcy for more than a decade before things had suddenly fallen apart. But after their parents were gone, everything had changed.
Decker had been forced to step up and become the provider and the man of the house at seventeen. While Marley had become a pseudo-mother to him and Gavin even younger than that, while going to school and working part time. He didn’t know how she’d done it.
“Meant a lot to see you in the stands, though,” he said. She’d made every game she could, only ever missed one when she couldn’t get time off work.
Marley looked over at him. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” It was a big reason why he was making it a priority to be at all of Carly’s games and activities he could.
For years, he’d played the role of good time “funcle” when they saw each other.
But since finding out she was his biological niece a few months ago, his bond with her had only deepened.
Even Decker, remote as he was, made every effort to show up and spend time with her.
All four of them moving to Crimson Point, along with Autumn and Carly, had allowed them a chance to reboot their complicated relationships and be a real family as adults.
“Well, I’m glad,” Marley said, reaching over to pat his knee fondly.
The school parking lot was mostly full. He let Marley out by the gym doors, parked near the road, and walked back with minutes to spare before the game started.
Scanning the bleachers, he spotted two redheads easily in the crowd and headed over to where his family sat. Marley scooted over to make room for him between Decker and Gavin. He paused to bend down and kiss the top of Autumn’s sandy-blond head. “Hey, gorgeous.”
“Hi.” She smiled up at him. “How’s my favorite brother-in-law?”
Decker looked over at her with a frown. “Hey.”
“Didn’t mean anything by it, Deck, and you know it,” she said with a laugh.
Mollified, Decker focused back on the court. Tristan settled between him and Gavin. “How we lookin’?” Carly was easy to pick out, her red-gold ponytail swishing against the back of her royal blue jersey as she warmed up with her teammates.
“It’s tough,” Gavin answered grimly, game face firmly in place.
It was both weird and awesome how fast he’d adjusted to being a father.
But he and Autumn had been incredibly close since they were kids.
Nobody had known just how close until a few months ago, and while Tristan had been shocked at first, Autumn and Carly were the best things that could ever have happened to his twin.
“Other team came in second in the state last year and only lost three times all season. Most of our squad’s new and inexperienced.”
“They’ll do great,” Marley said. “Gotta start somewhere, right? A little adversity never hurt anyone. It’ll help them gel as a team.”
He, Decker, Teagan, Gavin, and Autumn all looked over at her. Marley pretended not to notice, clapping and cupping her hands around her mouth to shout at the team. “Let’s go, Crimson Point!”
The game started. And it was obvious right from the first serve that Carly’s squad was facing an uphill battle.
Tristan winced as the opposition player at center net leaped up and spiked the ball between Carly and one of her teammates in the back row.
Carly dove flat out to try and save it but missed by inches.
“Bless her,” Autumn said, putting a hand to her chest.
Tristan grinned. “It’s just a game, Mama, hang in there.” He stuck his fingers in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle. “Atta girl, Carls! Put your face in it!”
“That’s right, Carls,” Gavin called out, every inch the proud dad. “Get it, girl.”
Tristan felt an unexpected pang of loneliness deep in his chest, instantly dismissed it.
He loved his life. Loved his job and living in Crimson Point with his whole family nearby. And yet...
Some part of him he didn’t want to acknowledge was keenly aware that he was the odd-man-out now. Even though none of his siblings had or would ever do anything to make him feel that way.
They were all happily settled with stable, loving partners, each forming their own little families. Seeing how happy they were made him long for that himself someday.
A text came through just as Carly made another good dig. He pulled out his phone, his heart doing a little catch when he saw the message from Cassie.
Thank you again for the tickets. It was really nice of you.
The hint of a smile tugged at one side of his mouth as he typed back a response. You’re welcome. See you tomorrow .
There was a lot more he wanted to say but left it at that. He’d told her once flat out that if he said something, he meant it. And that if he promised to do something, he would follow through.
The look on her face when he’d given her the tickets, even though he’d told her he would get them. Like she couldn’t believe he’d remembered she’d wanted to go to the concert in the first place, let alone that he had actually gotten them for her.
For some reason, her lack of belief in his word really bothered him.
“What are you grinning about?” Marley asked, trying to peek around Autumn and Gavin to see him. “We’re in deep shit out there. Put that down and cheer more.”
He tucked his phone away without responding and got back to cheering.
Marley waited until the intermission between sets to shoo Gavin aside and sit next to him. “Seriously, what was the grin about?” she whispered, leaning in close. Her sister radar was sharp as ever.
“Nothing. Just a work thing.”
“Was it Cassie?”
Startled, he glanced at her.
Marley’s brown eyes twinkled victoriously. “Thought so.” She nudged him with her shoulder and faced forward.
He knew that tone. “Thought what?”
She snorted. “Am I blind? Anyone can see the chemistry between you guys.”
News to him. “It’s not like that.”
Marley looked at him, raised an eyebrow. “You might be quiet, but I can still read you like a book, and don’t you ever forget it.”
“It’s not like that,” he insisted, protectiveness flashing through him. Cassie would hate that Marley was thinking along those lines. Even if it was true.
“Okay, fine, it’s not,” his sister said quickly. Too quickly. A dead giveaway that she didn’t mean it.
“She’s...” He fumbled to find the right words. “She’s a professional, and she’s really careful about maintaining her reputation.” He wasn’t going to spell out the rest, was only answering because both Gavin and Decker were busy talking to their ladies.
“I’m sure she is, being the only female bodyguard they have. That’s gotta be tough. You okay, though?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
She shrugged. “No reason. Not that you would tell me if you weren’t.” She shook her head. “How’d you wind up being so quiet and private, anyway?”
“Let me introduce you to my twin.”
Gavin glanced over as they both chuckled. “What? What about me?”
“Nothin’.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Decker said on Gavin’s other side. “Maybe if you quit hollerin’ like a damned lunatic every time Carly has a play, she’d make more of ’em.”
“What the hell’s that mean?” Gavin said.
“You’re makin’ her nervous,” Decker answered.
“It’s called being sup portive .”
“Well, try being supportive in a quieter way then.”
Tristan smothered a laugh.
“What?” Gavin demanded. “You think he’s right? I’m making her nervous?”
“Maybe dial it back just a bit.”
Gavin scowled at him, then Decker, and muttered to himself as he folded his arms and stared back out at the court where the players were setting up again.
“Come on, Carls! Get it, baby girl,” Tristan called out.
Gavin’s head snapped around, his stare accusing. “Why do you get to yell, and I can’t?”
“Because like I’ve told you so many times before, I’m the funcle. It’s my right.”
“He’s not wrong,” Marley said, rubbing Gavin’s shoulder. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Autumn said. “He needed to hear it. All right, let’s go, ladies!”
All of them cheered and whistled in support.
This, Tristan thought with a swell of pride.
This was what he’d been missing for so long.
What he’d been craving deep down for most of his life.
Being together as a unit. The banter and laughter.
The deep, unshakable bond of family they’d all gone without for too long.
Knowing that they were finally together again.
Trusting that they all had each other’s backs from now on, no matter what.
The old wounds and resentments were already healing, had begun to fade almost as soon as they’d all moved here to be together.
It made him think of Cassie and the walls she kept around herself. She didn’t realize it, but he understood walls better than most.
What did he have to do to prove that she could trust him?
He didn’t know what it would take. But he did know it wasn’t enough to just win her trust anymore. He needed more. Way more.
For him to get it, she would have to be the one to turn to him.