Chapter 6
“Not a goddamn word out of you,” I growled as I got behind the wheel of our SUV.
Archer stood at the open passenger door but didn’t make a move to enter the vehicle.
His lips twitched, so he pressed them together to keep from laughing or saying something I’d make him regret.
Archer angled his body so I could see the abandoned golf cart beyond him, then gestured dramatically at it with his hands.
Shaking my head, I started the engine. “You look like a deranged game show presenter, only no one wants the prize you’re giving away.”
Archer pulled a sad clown face, then pointed to the steering wheel and mimed driving.
I shook my head. He knew damn well I never rode as a passenger in a vehicle unless I couldn’t avoid it.
This was just Archer’s attempt to wind me up.
I revved the engine, so he knew I meant business, then remembered we weren’t alone.
The residents, aka the witnesses, were crossing the parking lot and not bothering to hide their curiosity.
I smiled and waved as they passed. A few of the ladies giggled and leaned their heads together to talk while one of the men saluted me.
“Get in,” I said through clenched teeth. “We’re causing a show.”
Archer’s brows went up, and he pointed at his chest.
“Fucking clown.” Proving I meant business, I shifted the SUV into Drive and eased my foot off the gas pedal, rolling forward just the tiniest bit.
“Fine,” Archer huffed and climbed inside.
“I told you not a word.”
He slapped a hand over his mouth in mock apology and pleaded for forgiveness with his green eyes, also mockingly.
“Shut the door, asshole. We’re drawing too much attention.”
I eased from the parking spot as soon as he complied, waving at the group of residents as I slowly drove by them.
There was enough energy pulsing through my body to power Silver Maple’s campus and well beyond, but it was important that I kept it contained and under control.
I could burn it off later in the privacy of our gym or alone in the shower in my apartment.
The silent acknowledgment reminded me of what had amped me up so much, and it had nothing to do with pursuing the hooded vandal or getting clipped in the shoulder with a crowbar.
Atticus. What were the fucking odds of running into him at Silver Maple?
Christ, Archer would never shut up if he ever found out about the almost hookup I had with Atticus.
He’d find every excuse to push us together if he detected a hint of the energy thrumming under my skin.
I had to get my shit together, but damn, those eyes were really something.
Hazel-brown didn’t accurately describe their beauty.
And his body? All that golden-brown skin and that lean muscle on display.
He’d worn less in the thirst traps he’d posted on Randy, usually tight underwear that left nothing to the imagination, but those images hadn’t prepared me for the full effect of his sexiness.
Wheezing noises came from the passenger seat, and I realized I wasn’t the only one in the vehicle who was bursting at the seams with energy.
Archer sounded like he was choking on his own elation.
There was no way to contain him forever, so it was better to turn him loose in the privacy of the vehicle than in front of witnesses.
“Fucking get it out of your system, Arch.”
Laughter blasted from his chest as if it shot from a cannon, followed by hearty bellows that rattled the windows.
“Yuck it up now before we get back to the office. Then it’s time to act like a professional.”
“I’ll try,” Archer wheezed. “But drive slower because I have a lot of immaturity to burn through yet.”
“I’m only driving fifteen miles per hour. Maybe you should walk back.”
Archer cleared his throat a few times and tried to get himself under control, but I made the mistake of glancing over at him and making eye contact. Whatever he saw in my expression triggered another bout of laughter. “You are so fucked, Hawk.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“He’s got messy brown hair, pretty hazel eyes, and a rocking body,” Archer said.
“Shut up.”
Archer hummed instead. “Bet he spends a lot of time honing that lean muscle. What do you think: Pilates or yoga? And that ass. I’m surprised he didn’t give someone a heart attack in his shorty shorts.”
“They weren’t that short.”
“Oh! So you noticed.”
“Of course I did.” And I would take the memory home and replay it on repeat as I fucked my fist. “As I already stated, I am not a monk.”
“Yeah, that much was obvious. I could smell the pheromones you were giving off across from the pool. I wasn’t the only one. Your little kitty cat looked like he was seconds away from rubbing his face against your chest and purring.”
Damn, what I wouldn’t give to experience that. No. Huh-uh. I hadn’t been ready to hook up with Atticus last month when we were strangers, so I sure as hell wouldn’t fuck him now that we worked at the same place. “He’s not my kitty cat, and stop calling him that. His name is Atticus.”
“Everyone else seems to call him Kit,” Archer countered. “The residents had a lot to say about him. Would you like to hear their thoughts?”
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “No.”
“You’re the absolute worst liar,” Archer said. “Fine. I’ll keep the juicy tidbits to myself until you’re ready to hear them. I won’t even make you beg. All you have to do is ask.”
“I won’t.”
“You will.”
There was no point in arguing with Archer when he was in such a smug mood.
It would only rile me up to an unhealthy level, and I needed to decompress before I did something really stupid like give Atticus my phone number or drag him into the nearest janitor’s closet and kiss that luscious mouth.
Just the mere thought was enough to send my blood rushing south.
Archer slapped a hand against his leg and burst into laughter again, this time sounding downright giddy. “You’ve morphed from a wet blanket into a wet cat, but not a cute little kitten in need of rescue. You’re the hissing and spitting kind.”
“Are you done?”
Archer paused for a moment before chortling at his own wit.
“Glad one of us thinks you’re funny,” I said.
“I’m hilarious, and we both know it.” Archer nudged me with my elbow. “And I’m right.”
Now that he’d mentioned the state of my damp clothes, I couldn’t think about anything else.
I’d dried considerably by the time Officer Romero finished his interviews and hauled the angry ex-boyfriend to jail for booking, but my clothes stuck to my body, and my boots squeaked when I walked.
And what the hell was the deal with that Chad Clark guy, anyway?
I wondered what Archer had picked up from gossiping with the residents, but I wasn’t about to ask.
I shouldn’t have cared, but Atticus Livengood had me all twisted up.
Archer was still chuckling when I pulled back into our parking spot at the administrative building. “Since you have a contingency plan for every occasion, it’s safe to assume you have a change of clothes in here somewhere.”
“I do.”
“Great, now what’s your plan for your kit—”
I cut Archer off with a glare before he could finish the nickname he’d given Atticus.
But damn if it didn’t fit. I wanted to stroke Atticus until he purred.
“Since you have so much unharnessed energy, you get to be in charge of the cleanup duties,” I said.
“That parking lot needs to be restored to its former pristine glory. You’ll need to get the golf cart back to the garage and charge the rest of the fleet. ”
Archer answered me with a curt salute before ruining his obedience with a giggle.
The blinking cursor on the blank page mocked me, and I sighed. “Not feeling so smug now, are you?”
Knuckles rapped against the open office door, and I jerked my head up to see who’d caught me muttering under my breath.
Please don’t let it be Atticus, was my first thought, quickly followed by, Who the hell cares if it is?
There was absolutely nothing happening between us, and there never would be.
That wasn’t a spark of poolside arousal I’d felt, only adrenaline from the chase playing tricks on my nervous system.
Thy name is denial, said some tragic Shakespearean character. Probably.
Caitlyn stood in the open doorway, her countenance not as friendly as before, not that I blamed her. We’d only been on Silver Maple’s campus for a few hours before the trouble started. “Got a minute?”
“Absolutely. Just trying to peck out an incident report.”
She approached the desk but didn’t sit in the vacant chair.
Caitlyn’s choice to stand gave her a height advantage that felt strategic, though she didn’t technically loom over me.
“I won’t take up much of your time since I can see you’re busy.
” The corners of her mouth twitched a little, and the tension around her eyes softened. “The writing isn’t going well, huh?”
Chuckling, I shook my head. “My partners tease me a lot for the tactical verbiage I use and the writing style I deploy. I want to make a good impression on the board so they won’t regret hiring our company.”
Furrowing her brow, Caitlyn tilted her head slightly. “Sounds like your partners aren’t always nice.”
“Neither is my writing.”
Caitlyn grinned and said, “Now I can’t wait to read that report.”
I dropped my head into my hands and groaned for a few seconds before meeting her gaze again. “What can I do for you? I assume you’d like a verbal preview of what happened this morning.”
“Yes, but now it feels like asking for spoilers. It will take the joy out of reading your report later.” Caitlyn sighed and sat in the vacant chair.
“Gossip travels faster than the speed of light around here, and the board members who live at Silver Maple will have already heard about the incident. I anticipate a phone call requesting a meeting at any minute.”
“That sounds frustrating.”
“Sometimes.” Caitlyn rubbed her hands against her thighs and said, “Enough of my whining. Tell me what happened this morning at the recreational center.”
I ran through the highlights and gave myself a proverbial pat on the back for not using a single military phrase.
Caitlyn’s mouth parted in a shocked gasp when I told her about the assailant hitting me with the crowbar.
I’d left out the part where I’d failed to properly assess my surroundings because my gaze had gotten snagged on a certain person’s assets.
“Oh my god! Are you hurt? Do you want one of our nurses or physical therapists to examine your shoulder?”
I rotated my arm to show I was just fine. “I’ll probably just have muscle soreness and a bruise.”
Caitlyn was frowning again, but I didn’t think her concern was all for my benefit. “Poor Kit. Is he okay? I cannot believe something like this happened to him.”
“He wasn’t physically injured, but I’m sure the incident was a big shock to his system.” It wasn’t my business, but I couldn’t resist asking, “Kit won’t get in trouble for this, will he?” No matter his history with that douchebag Chad, he hadn’t invited that kind of trouble to Silver Maple.
“Not with me. Kit’s not responsible for someone else’s crazy actions.
He’s the sweetest guy, and the residents adore him.
I’ll track Kit down soon to make sure he’s doing okay.
” Caitlyn’s phone chimed with an incoming text, and she checked the screen with a snort.
“Right on cue. A group of board members have demanded a meeting in my office at my earliest convenience. That means they’re on their way now. ”
“I hope it goes well.”
Caitlyn crossed her fingers and stood up. “Good luck with the report. Maybe don’t fret about the language. Write it up however you like, and let the board and your partners deal with it.”
“Thanks.”
After Caitlyn left, I took her advice and tackled the report, providing a detailed account of the vandalism and chase without fretting about word choices. A text appeared in our RAVEN group chat not even two minutes after I emailed the report.
Vaughn: Seriously, Hawk? You couldn’t make it until lunchtime on our first day without tackling a perp into the pool?
Archer: Our boy’s just gifted like that. Wait until you hear about the new friend he made.
Ethan: Let me guess. It was the one the cops hauled off in handcuffs.
Nico: I knew Ray Ray secretly liked trouble.
I tucked my phone back into my pocket without responding.
I’d learned it was just best to ignore their fuckery because engaging only added fuel to their fire.
They’d eventually wear themselves out and find something else to do or someone else to harass.
I couldn’t help snorting as I grabbed my lunch bag and headed for the door. Liked trouble.
“Hardly.”
But the memory of hazel-brown eyes fringed with dark lashes taunted me. “Okay, maybe I like trouble sometimes.” But I had no intention of acting on it. Atticus was off-limits.