Chapter 4
I jerked to a halt in the doorway of our small security office because Archer had an unexpected visitor, and he didn’t look remotely happy about it.
Me? I was fucking ecstatic to see the brunet with the dark brown bedroom eyes again.
Archer’s latest conquest had changed his clothes since the last time I saw him, swapping sexy club clothes and stacked boots for navy blue scrubs and tennis shoes.
I didn’t bother trying to hide my delight from Archer, whose dark scowl warned of retribution if I dared. And, oh, I damn well did.
“Bobby!” My enthusiasm was over-the-top for someone I’d just met that morning, especially since our only interaction was a singular, awkward elevator ride. “I didn’t know you worked at Silver Maple.”
“Neither did I,” Archer replied, with just a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice.
Bobby didn’t seem to pick up on the tension.
Maybe reading a room wasn’t his thing. Hell, the guy didn’t even look pissed that Archer hadn’t paid the least bit of attention to what he’d said the previous night.
If anything, Bobby looked smug, and when he responded, I knew why.
“I told you twice, but I guess you were a little…preoccupied.” The poor guy thought Archer’s inability to recall anything he’d said was a compliment.
My best friend squirmed like a worm on a hook, and I was willing to bet Archer was less impressed with Bobby’s skills in the light of day.
“Sounds like it,” I said to ease the tension. “Are you a nurse?”
“Massage therapist,” Bobby replied. “I’m very skilled with my hands and know all the good pressure points. The wait list for my services is very long.”
“Mmhmm. I bet,” I said, doing my best to fight off a smile as Archer scowled down into a coffee cup.
Deciding to take pity on my friend, I stepped into the room, leaving a path open to the door since my size freaked some people out.
“Hate to break up this reunion, but I really need to talk to Archer about some important business. We want to make a good impression on our first day.”
Bobby turned his attention back to Archer and smiled with an affection that seemed too potent for someone he’d just met. “Of course. I don’t mean to be a distraction. Um, do you want to grab lunch? The employee cafeteria offers delicious food.”
The hopefulness in Bobby’s voice made my chest tighten. Archer was going to crush this guy’s spirit, and I didn’t want to be around to see it.
Archer tilted his head to the side as if considering the offer.
“I can’t make any promises since I’m still getting my bearings.
This place is much larger than I expected.
” Then he held up the dossier he was supposed to have memorized before our first day on the job.
Winking, Archer added, “And someone distracted me from my homework last night.”
Bobby blushed, and freckles popped out on his skin like tiny cinnamon kisses. “I’ve worked here for five years and know the ins and outs of the place. I can include a private tour of the campus.”
I waited for Archer’s refusal, but it never came. He stared at Bobby long enough to make me extremely uncomfortable before he relented with a nod.
“Does noon work for you?” Archer asked.
Bobby pulled out his phone and scrolled down the screen. “Perfect. I finish with my last morning client at eleven forty-five. Do you know where the cafeteria is?”
“I will by then,” Archer promised. “I’ll meet you there.”
“It’s a date.” Bobby blew him a kiss and practically floated out of the office.
Shaking my head, I moved to the door and closed it. “Are you fucking crazy? Arch, come on, man. Getting involved with that guy is a disaster waiting to happen. Did you see the way he looked at you?”
“Jealous?” Archer teased.
“No,” I replied honestly. “He’s completely…besotted.”
“Besotted? What have you been watching or reading?” Archer asked.
I rolled my eyes hard enough to strain something. “Okay, Bobby’s infatuated, then, and stop trying to deflect from my very valid point.”
Archer heaved a sigh and ran both hands through his hair, leaving the strands in a wild disarray that only made him look hotter. The fucker. “You’re right,” Archer said. “I know you are, and I will handle this.”
“Today,” I insisted.
“Give me this one lunch with him, and that’s it. I’ll let Billy down easily.”
“Bobby,” I growled. “We have so much riding on this job.”
“I know,” Archer said.
“We’re starting to turn a real profit now, and this job could—”
“Enough, Hawk. I got your point.” Archer placed his elbows on the desk, leaned forward, and held my gaze. “I won’t fuck this up for us.”
And I knew how much he wanted that to be true, but follow-through wasn’t Archer’s strong suit, and a handsome face distracted him more than it should.
But it hadn’t always been like that. Archer had developed his playboy, devil-may-care persona as a trauma response to a situation we’d barely survived.
His stalwart green gaze reminded me of the rock-steady man I’d met in ranger school thirteen years ago.
Sometimes I missed that side of him, just as I ached for the more carefree version of myself, but I trusted Archer with my life then, and I would rely on him now.
Forcing my shoulders to relax, I gave him the easiest smile I could muster. “I know you won’t.”
Archer’s lips turned up at the corners, and he squinted. “What the hell is going on with your face?” He pointed to his mouth for emphasis. “Are you trying to smile, or do you need to take a massive shit?”
“Fuck off,” I growled.
Archer leaned back in his chair and laughed, reveling in my annoyance.
“Seriously, you don’t have to worry about me screwing the staff.
” Archer cocked his head to the side and pursed his lips.
“Although if I were tempted to carry out a lunchtime tryst, it would be with the adorable guy who power walked by our office just before…” His words trailed off as he searched for his latest hookup’s name.
“Bobby,” I supplied for him.
“Yes, Bobby with the good tongue.” Archer grinned at my frown and kept flapping his gums. “Back to the guy I saw just before Bobby arrived.” Narrowing his eyes, Archer studied me in a way that made me very uncomfortable.
Where was our conversation going? “The hottie rushed past my office, looking frazzled and distraught.”
“Your office?”
Archer waved me off. “The guy gave off dude-in-distress vibes.” Dark eyebrows waggled at me, but I ignored them. “And you know what dudes in distress need?”
“A phone to call nine-one-one,” I deadpanned.
Archer snorted. “They need a hero. A hot, muscular man to save the day.”
“Says absolutely no one,” I told him.
“One with a big heart and an even bigger—”
“Knock it off,” I growled.
Archer shrugged and grinned like the Joker. “There’s no modesty in the military, Hawk. I know what you’re packing.”
Heat bloomed in my chest, spreading upward to my neck and face.
“This office, our office, isn’t big enough for the two of us.
” With the door shut, the walls had seemed to close in even more, adding to my agitation.
I needed to stretch my legs, get out in the open air, and avoid running into the hot dude in distress.
“I’ve given our team their assignments, so I’ll just check in at each station to make sure they have what they need. ”
Archer’s mouth quirked up on one side, letting me know he saw right through my excuse. “Sounds like a good idea. It’s best to make sure the ousted guards didn’t sabotage equipment.”
I knew when someone was mocking my diligence. Turning on my heels, I growled, “Fuck you, Arch.”
“Be sure to use that voice for when you rescue your—”
I slammed the door on his suggestion—figuratively and literally.
The wood rattled in the frame, triggering an unhinged fit of laughter from Archer on the other side.
My actions startled a young brunette woman walking toward me in the hallway.
Way to go, dumbass. She stopped and pressed her hand to her chest, as if to hold in the heart I could practically hear pounding from five feet away.
My size alone was enough to scare people, and Archer’s teasing had likely triggered a dark scowl.
I forced the tension from my body and slowly held up my hands. “I’m so sorry I scared you.” Curling my mouth upward, I hoped like hell this smile landed. “I don’t know my own strength sometimes.”
But she relaxed and took a deep breath. “Maybe I’m just jealous because I really want to slam doors around here sometimes too. Is it as satisfying as it looked?”
Archer’s laughter had ratcheted up to cartoon-villain level, making me want to open the door and slam it again.
“Not really.”
We shared a laugh, and then she approached with her hand out to shake mine. “Hi, I’m Gabrielle Brady, but everyone around here calls me Gabby.”
My large hand dwarfed hers, so I kept my grip light. “Rayden James with RAVEN Securities, but most people call me Ray. It’s nice to meet you.”
Gabby dropped her gaze to the logo printed on my black T-shirt, which included a raven. “You’re a big fan of the bird?”
“It’s an acronym made from our first names,” I explained.
“Ah. That’s really cool. Are you settling in okay?” Gabby looked at the door I’d slammed and had to notice the laughter it barely muffled. “And do you have some kind of madman contained inside there?”
The question made me chortle. “That’s just my partner Archer. He’s having a good laugh at my expense.”
Her brow rose. “There’s a good story there, I bet.”
“Not nearly as entertaining as you’d think,” I replied.
Gabby’s wry smile said she didn’t believe me for a second, but she let it go. “Who are the other three people who make up RAVEN?”
“Vaughn, Ethan, and Nico. You’ll likely meet them all since we rotate between jobs.”
“Looking forward to it,” she said. “It was nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”