Astrid Chapter 8 #2
“It’s Lieutenant Commander Rodney Baker’s older brother, Radley Baker.
Apparently, he’s been demanding for a long time to know the details and has been turned down.
Now, he’s pushing it up the chain of command and demanding to know if there were any survivors, and if so, he wants to speak to them.
In addition to that, he asked for the reports of the operation, specifically what exactly killed his brother.
He knows what to ask for, even if he can’t get his hands on it.
I wondered how, and after digging, found that he’d served in the Navy for ten years, but it was as a SEAL. ”
“If he were a Navy SEAL, then he would know what missions are like and why many are top secret and can’t be divulged to anyone, no matter what,” I growled.
“I know, but he’s still doing it. Again, we’re not saying anything to him.
However, if by some insane, impossible way, he discovers your name, he’ll come looking for you.
If he does, call me right away and don’t engage.
We’ll find a way to get him to stop and back off.
I didn’t want you blindsided if you spoke to anyone else and they told you. ”
“Thank you, Cass. I appreciate it, though I don’t talk to anyone from those days except you. You know how it is. People move to new duty stations, and you lose contact.”
“I do know. So, dare I ask, where are you now? Still in the States? Are you ever gonna settle down? VB is still here and waiting,” Cass reminded me.
He’d been trying to get me to return to Virginia Beach since almost the moment I left. He didn’t understand my need to move around. I tried to explain it, but he didn’t get it. Boy, was I about to blow his mind.
Knowing I needed to start dinner, and I’d reached the house, I went straight to the kitchen and put him on speaker phone. It would leave my hands free.
“Cass, I’m putting you on speaker so I can work on making dinner. Okay, so about roaming. Yes, I’m still in the US. And I’m in Virginia, just not Virginia Beach. However, the good news is, I’ve stopped bouncing around the country.”
“It’s about time! That’s great. So, how far are you from here? Can we get together for dinner one night and catch up? It’s been forever,” he said eagerly.
Now my neck stiffened. I knew that Cass Snyder liked me, and it was more than just as a friend.
I hadn’t known it at first. He was good at hiding it, especially when we worked together and I first got out.
It showed more each time we talked over the last nine months.
I made sure to steer the conversation to friend-zone topics, but it was hard because he was a genuinely lovely guy.
I’d wished a few times that I could feel something other than friendship for him.
“It has been a while. The thing is, I’m not close to VB. However, I’ll be there for two days probably this week. Why not meet for dinner?”
“Why are you only here for two days?” he asked slowly.
“Because my…boyfriend and I are headed there to get my things I left in storage so I can move them to his place.”
The silence was deafening. I hated hurting him, but there was no way the two of us would be more than friends. After several moments, Cass cleared his throat.
“A boyfriend, I see. Tell me about him. How did you meet? How long have you been seeing each other? Where are you moving to? It must be serious if you’re moving in with him.”
I wanted to sigh when I heard the edge to his tone.
“His name is Mayhem. I met him through a woman I befriended by accident last year when I was in their town. We’re on the border of Tennessee in Bristol. Wanna hear a funny fact? Bristol is half in Virginia and half in Tennessee. And yes, it’s serious.”
“You didn’t say how long the two of you have been dating. And what kind of name is Mayhem? Is he in the military? A SEAL?” he probed.
“No, he’s not in the military, though he was when he was younger. He was an Army Special Forces soldier. We’ve known each other for close to a year, but only recently got together,” I explained.
Something inside made me hesitate to bring up the fact that Mayhem was a biker, though for me, I couldn’t care less.
“If you just recently got together, why are you moving in with him? What’s going on there, Astrid? You don’t jump into things without thinking them through.”
“You’re right, and I’ve thought this through.
Mayhem is the man for me. We’re getting my things moved so we can get on with our life together.
He has a beautiful house begging me to decorate it.
I’m looking to see what I can find around here on the job front.
Nothing so far, but I’ve barely begun looking.
Everything is going great. Or it was until you called.
I can’t believe this Baker is making an issue now. ”
I attempted to steer the conversation back to less volatile topics. I failed.
“Forget about Baker. I want to know Mayhem’s real name. Where exactly are you? I need the address. You can’t be too careful, Astrid. You need someone to check into this man’s background to be sure he is who he says he is.”
“Cass, you can’t demand anything of the kind. I’m lucky to have such a friend, but I’m good with Mayhem.”
“You don’t know that!” He raised his voice.
“Listen, thanks again, Cass. I can always rely on you. I’ve got to be going. I’ll give you a call if I have any trouble. Take care. Bye,” I said swiftly before I disconnected the call. My heart hurt over the idea I’d lose his friendship, but it wouldn’t be the first time it had happened.
“Who was that?” a deep voice said from behind me.
I let out a scream and jumped a foot off the ground.
Before I whipped around and automatically went into a defensive crouch, my hand snatched a butcher knife from a wooden block holding several of them.
My hands were up and ready. Mayhem stood, leaning against the wall, coming from the small hallway that led out to the deck past the laundry room.
My heart pounded, and blood rushed through my body.
It took a couple of seconds for me to process that it was my man and not an intruder.
As it did, I shakily rose to my full height.
Seeing me do so, and as I put down the knife, Mayhem came striding over to me as I cursed.
“Son of a bitch, Jamie! Were you trying to kill me? Because if so, you almost did. Or were you wanting to die? I could’ve stabbed you. What are you doing home so early? I haven’t gotten a chance to start dinner.”
He was right in front of me now. His eyes searched mine before he took me in his arms. Even though I was upset with him, I was relieved and happy to see him. I let myself melt only a little, though.
“No, I wasn’t trying to kill either of us. I thought I’d surprise you, so I didn’t call. Not the way I imagined my homecoming. As for dinner, it can wait. Who was the guy on the phone? What were you thanking him for and assuring him that you can always rely on him?”
It hit me as he finished speaking that Mayhem was jealous. He thought Cass Snyder was a threat to him. I fought not to laugh. As if those two were anything alike physically or in any other way. Mayhem was so far out of Cass’s league.
“Jamie, let’s sit down, and I’ll tell you all about him and why he called me.”
I was rattled enough for the both of us. I needed to sit. Rather than walk with me to the great room, Mayhem swept me off my feet into his arms and carried me there.
“Honey, I can walk,” I reminded him. I got a grunt in return.
When we sat, he made sure we were in his chair and I was on his lap. It wasn’t a place I minded being, so I didn’t object. Mayhem had me angled on his lap so that I could see his face. He had such a stern expression, I had to rub along his jaw. He jerked his head away. I dropped my hand.
“What’s with that?” I asked.
“With what?” he asked.
“You, jerking away from my touch. Tell me what’s bothering you. Did something go down at work?”
“Work is fine. The problem is that I come home to find my old lady talking all cozy on the phone to some man that I’ve never heard of.
She’s assuring him that she can rely on him anytime, and if she has trouble, she’ll let him know.
Why would you need to depend on him? I’m your old man.
I’ll provide what you need.” The bite to his tone changed my amusement to anger.
I tried to get off his lap, but he held me tightly.
“You have five seconds to let me move before I punch you,” I warned.
“Why punch me?”
“Because you’re being a jackass, that’s why. You heard a snippet of a conversation, and you jumped to some conclusion that’s upset you. Who do you think he is? A lover I hid?” I snapped.
Mayhem’s eyes flared for a moment, then he sighed and groaned. His head came forward to rest on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m acting like an idiot, aren’t I?
Shit. No, I don’t think he’s a lover you’re hiding.
However, it’s clear you’re friends, and I thought you weren’t close to anyone.
That’s the impression you gave. I want you to rely only on me and my family if necessary.
I can take care of you, Astrid. Nothing or no one will harm you if I have anything to do with it.
You assured him that if there are any problems, you would let him know.
Do you expect us to have them? I don’t want you to run to another man if we encounter difficulties.
We need to resolve them together.” His voice had grown gruff.
I sighed before gripping his face and lifting his head so he had to look at me.
“Jamison Tyrell, listen to me. I won’t be going to another man if you and I have troubles.
I’ll stay and slug it out with you. If it’s truly something terrible, such as you cheated on me or struck me or our children, then I know how to dispose of your body myself.
I don’t need help. You heard the end of a conversation that wasn’t really about us. ”
“That’s my woman. Tell me what you’ll do to me if I ever step out of line that way. I would expect you to do those to me. You’re my little fury. Okay, tell me what the call was about since I missed the context. Is there something wrong?”
I knew it wasn’t right to hide it from him.
If I wanted honesty from Mayhem in this life, he needed the same from me.
As concisely as possible, I outlined who Cass was, what he wanted, and the worry about Baker’s brother.
When I was finished, Mayhem sat there deep in thought.
I let him think. It felt good to snuggle in his arms and rest my head on his powerful chest.
A few moments later, he spoke. “I’m thankful that Captain Snyder called to let you know. I don’t like that you call him by his first name, but that’s due to my insecurity. As for Radley Baker, how likely do you think it is that he'll get someone to help him?”
“You have nothing to be insecure about, Jamie. You’re the man I chose. Nothing will change that. I… uhm, I don’t know if Radley has those kinds of contacts or pull to find out the specifics of the mission. Technically, by telling you about it, I committed treason.”
I threw out the last bit to cover up my stumble.
I almost let it slip that I loved him. I wasn’t sure either of us was ready to say those words, even though I felt them.
I’d let myself fall for Mayhem over the distance with hardly any interaction with him.
People would say I needed my head examined, and maybe I did, but it changed nothing.
“I’m not worried about treason. However, I do want to go back to something else.”
“What?”
“What did you almost say? You changed your mind. Why?”
Shit, there was no getting around this. I could lie and use a different word, but the only one that came to mind was love. As I sat there floundering, Mayhem brought his mouth to my ear. “Come on, you can tell me. My Fury isn’t afraid of anything,” he whispered.
A shiver of awareness, then arousal, went through me. Softly, I answered him, though I was scared to voice it.
“I was going to say I love you.”
He nuzzled my ear, sucked on the lobe, and then told me, “Thank you for telling me. I love you, too. I was waiting to tell you because I didn’t want to scare you.”
I gasped and turned my head to face him. I read the truth on his face. Throwing my arms around his neck, I brought our lips together. It was a kiss to seal our pledge. By the time we came up for air, I was dazed and had to think hard to recall what I was doing and what we had been discussing.
Mayhem’s erection was pressing against my bottom.
I knew what he wanted to do, so did I. But I made a decision.
“I want to take you to our bed and ravish you right this second, but you have to wait until after dinner. That way, we’ll have no interruptions.
Besides, you’ll need your strength, and so will I.
I want to command you, Jamie. Will you let me do that tonight? At least for a while.”
I hadn’t asserted myself yet, and I thought it was time he experienced all of me. His eyes sparkled as he growled out, “Fuck yeah, you can. I’ll try to last as long as I can. But know, I will get my turn as well.”
“I can’t wait.”