Chapter 1
Thomas Kingsley
Six Months Ago
I was an hour into a PBS documentary on the Axis Powers of World War II when the texts came in. “Hmm. Half an hour. New record.”
I’d been waiting for the barrage of messages to start.
It was only a matter of time before Mason sent out the distress signal.
I was Batman to his Robin, and when Lennox started introducing him to women at the bar, he’d come up with a coded message plan with animals to deal with the ladies at the bar.
The more deadly the animal, the more dangerous the date.
Level one meant I needed to call him with a family emergency.
Level two meant I needed to get into my car and retrieve him from the clutches of his admirer.
Level three meant I needed to actually go inside and make up whatever bullshit seemed appropriate to save him.
It was entertaining as hell, but this was the way most of his dates went.
My personal favorite was level two. It meant I got to watch him hurry out to my car and jump in the front seat like it was a getaway car.
I tried not to be elated every time a date went wrong.
I was beginning to think Lennox did it on purpose.
Mason: SOS SOS SOS
I grinned and typed back.
Me: Level?
Mason: 2
Me: Animal?
Mason: Anaconda
Mason: Can you make sure to unlock the doors this time? It looks weird when I have to wait.
Me: On my way
Gathering my keys and my wallet, I headed to my Escalade. Cranking the engine, I drove toward Coronado to The Slippery Squid with a grin on my face.
Twenty minutes later, I pulled up to the door and sent him a text to let him know I’d arrived.
Placing my phone down, I turned the radio to his favorite station and started my internal countdown.
When I reached seven, the door swung open and spat out the man I’d come to retrieve.
When the light washed over him, his eyes met mine as he broke into a smile that made me think about life choices I’d never imagined myself having.
It didn’t matter that I was more than a decade older. Hanging out with him made me happy.
Yanking the door open, he slid onto the seat. The air stirred between us as his Azzaro Most Wanted cologne filled my car. “Hey,” he grinned. “Thanks for coming so quickly. I thought maybe the Governor might still need you.”
I fought back the joke I could make. “No, He’s in for the night. And when you said anaconda, I didn’t have a choice, did I?” He could have said kitten, and I would have come running.
The smile that lit up his face made my day. An explanation was unnecessary at this point. “Want to get tacos? That new food truck we’ve been wanting to try is supposed to be up at Mission Bay. I hear the fish tacos are amazing.”
My smile couldn’t be contained. “Sure, Champ. Whatever you want.”
As I exited the parking lot, I glanced over at the smiling man looking out the window. To look at him now, it would be impossible to know the date ever happened.
“So, what was her name?”
Mason glanced at me with a perplexed expression. “Uh. I can’t remember. I know that’s rude, but I couldn’t help it. I had to get out of there. Lennox is terrible at matchmaking.”
“Umm,” I mused. “What number is this?”
“Too many. I’d rather hang out with you any day.”
I smirked but kept my eyes on the road. He hummed along to the song on the radio. It was selfish to enjoy every failed encounter. But he ended up with me, either getting food, watching a ballgame, or just talking. But what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, and I was trained to keep my mouth shut.
Present Day
“Let’s go, slowpoke. Show me those NFL skills.”
Mason barked a laugh as I kicked up sand in a burst of speed on the sand in Coronado.
I’d been saving it for the end of our run.
He might have an age advantage, but I had the edge of surprise and a sudden burst of energy.
It was only a matter of time before he would overtake me, but I didn’t care.
He was built more like a tight end than a lineman, so catching me was inevitable.
When he ran by me, then turned to run backward, I grinned. “Show off.” His infectious smile sent an electrical charge through my body. I found myself wanting more of that from him.
Reaching out, I put my hands on his shoulders to hurry him along, but all I managed to do was send us both to the sand, with me on top of him. Mason huffed another laugh as he held onto my arms. My eyes caught on his, sending a warm feeling through my body.
“If you wanted to wrestle, Agent Kingsley, all you had to do was ask,” he teased. “But I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“You wish,” I laughed, then rolled onto my back, gasping for air. My arm brushed his as we both sat up, the sensation heightened by the sand that clung to our sweat-covered bodies.
“You know what we should do?” he asked.
I turned to look at his profile as he gazed out at the water.
His hair was damp along his hairline, but I was distracted by the droplet of sweat that trickled down his corded neck.
I watched it disappear under the neck of his T-shirt, turning the single spot on the light gray shirt dark.
It was fine until he looked over at me and grinned.
“What are you doing?” he singsonged like he caught me doing something inappropriate.
I snorted and looked at that water. “Nothing. I thought you had a sand fly on your neck.” Lie. Big lie. “I should have smacked it.”
I could detect his grin without looking at him. So, I looked further down the beach where the SEAL recruits were starting to gather. “You didn’t answer my question, Agent Kingsley.”
“What question?” I stalled.
“I asked if you knew what we should do. You never answered because you were busy staring at my muscular Adonis neck.”
I snorted. He was right. “Was not.”
“Whatever. Answer the question.”
I turned to glare at him. “What do you want from me?”
He grinned. “I want you to go swimming with me.”
My face scrunched in confusion. “What? Why would we do that?”
He looked pointedly down at his arm. “Because you threw me down in the sand, and I have it all over me now. It’s quite uncomfortable.”
My eyes trailed down to the sand that coated his arms. Reaching out, I brushed it off. “You’re getting a fancy spa treatment here. For free. I’m extrapolating your skin as we speak. You should be thanking me.”
“Ex what?” Mason asked, grinning at me.
“You know,” I brushed harder. “When you take all the dead skin cells off.”
I was completely aware I’d used the wrong word, and my friend took great delight in pointing it out. “I think the word you’re looking for is exfoliate.”
I grunted. “Whatever.”
Mason jumped to his feet and stripped his shirt over his head before tossing it on the sand.
I rolled my eyes when he started to make a production out of undressing in front of me.
“Come on, Agent Kingsley,” he said, sucking in his stomach and puffing out his chest. “We can pretend you’re drowning, and I’ll save you like they do on Baywatch. ”
I snorted. “How do you know about Baywatch?”
Mason toe’ed off his shoes, then emptied his pockets into them. “Everybody knows what that is.” He reached for my hands and pulled me to my feet. My eyes went to where he was touching me before looking into his eyes. “Take off your shirt,” he said softly.
I took a step back and undressed, stowing the contents of my pockets in my shoes. “What happens if someone steals our stuff?”
Mason rolled his eyes. “You’re a former FBI. You can find him. Now come on, let’s go. It’s the least you can do. The ocean water has to be good for something. It’s organic. Just like the food you buy.”
His exaggerated grin convinced me to give in. “I don’t know why I put up with you.” Another big lie.
Mason chuckled and took off for the water. “Last one in is a rotten egg!”
Shaking my head, I followed as he splashed in the freezing water, then dove under. He was an idiot for doing that, but here I was following right along with a stupid smile on my face.
Half an hour later, after dunking each other in the water, we dragged ourselves out of the water and onto the sand.
I grabbed my shirt to dry off with before sitting back down on the sand.
Mason sat down next to me. He had a hint of sadness that caught my attention. “How long are you going to be gone?”
I kept my eyes on the water. “Probably five or six days. How will you ever survive?” I quipped.
“I can make it a week as long as I don’t go near the Squid.”
My phone blared a familiar ringtone, interrupting our conversation. As I dug into my shoe, Mason stood and gathered his things. “I’ve got to run. Call me later.”
“You don’t have to…”
He waved a hand like it was nothing. “Answer your call. Tell Hudson I said hello.”
I watched in confusion as he jogged away with all his things in his hands. Accepting the call, I kept my eyes on him till he got to his car. “Good morning, Governor.”
Hudson grunted at the title. “Morning. Are you busy?”
“No. Just finished a run. I’m surprised to hear from you this early, though. It’s not even seven.”
He yawned in my ear. “I know, but I thought I’d catch you before Evan woke up.”
My friend already sounded content in his new life. “Whatever you’ve got to say must be important to get you out of bed this early?”
Chuckling, he finally got to the point. “I know, right? We’re still adjusting from the trip, but I wanted to give you the heads up that I gave William Carlisle your number.”
I wiped my face on my shirt. “Okay. Can I ask why? Does he need protection?” The billionaire owner of the Storm was a divorced father with two kids. I could see why he might use my services.
“No,” Hudson yawned again. “He needs a director of security. It was Evan who suggested he call you, so you can blame him.”
I chuckled as I watched the SEAL recruits jog down the beach, carrying lifeboats over their heads. “It’s fine. I’ll be happy to talk to him. I’ve not made any decisions yet.”
He hummed. “Enjoy your time off, buddy. You deserve it. Maybe work on finding someone to share your time with. You might enjoy it.”
Hudson wanted that sort of happiness for me. But I wasn’t relationship material anymore. Subjecting myself to that pain again was a hard no, but I had Mason and my dogs. “You know I’m kinda set in my ways. And I have my girls.”
“Hmph,” Hudson huffed. “Stop making excuses. They won’t keep you warm at night.” He paused. “Okay, maybe they can do that. But you know what I mean. How about I arrange a blind date?”
My face contorted into a pained expression at the thought. I could imagine Mason rescuing me. “No, thank you. I’m perfectly happy with my life as is.”
He laughed in my ear. “We would like to help you find more friends, so you don’t waste away in your condominium reading thrillers and watching the Military Channel on cable.”
I barked out a laugh at his suggestion. “I’m not desperate, and I can get my own dates when I want them. I’m heading to Ireland tomorrow, so I’ll be gone a few days.”
He snorted. “Uh-huh, sure you can. I’m sure Adley knows someone…”
Oh, hell no. “Nope! Do not involve that woman. I’ll have to go into hiding if she meddles in my love life.”
Adley Harrison was his former administrative assistant and sister-in-law. She was from the area and a spitfire who would market me to every available woman up and down the West Coast.
Hudson laughed. “Yeah, okay. But think about it. Ev knows a lot of people down here. You’ve got time to find your person now, Thomas.”
Grunting, I shook my head. “I’ve dated, but no one interested me enough for a second date. But if I say I’ll think about it, will you drop it?”
“Only if you agree to come over sometime soon and catch up,” he said. “I am not sure what to do without my shadow.”
I missed him, too. But I was not alone. “I can do that. Name the time, and I’ll be there.”
“Good,” he said. The speaker muffled, as if he were covering the end. “Call me after you talk to William. I gotta go,” he rasped. “He’s calling me.”
Yeah, he was going to get laid. “Go. We’ll talk soon.”
Ending the call, I looked out at the ocean, still confused about why Mason bolted away.
I stood and gathered my things before heading to my car.
Climbing in, I considered what level of detail providing security for a sports team might offer.
I’d never done that type of work, but I loved a challenge.
By the time I pulled into my parking space, my phone rang with an unknown number. Normally, I would let it go to voicemail, but since Hud’s call, I answered it.
“Thomas Kingsley.”
“Hello, Mr. Kingsley,” a woman said. “My name is Elenor. I’m the administrative assistant to William Carlisle, from the San Diego Storm.”
I put on my most cordial voice. “Yes, ma’am. How can I help you?”
“Mr. Carlisle spoke to Governor Gatlin and would like to schedule a meeting with you regarding Storm business at your earliest convenience. Would you possibly be free today?”
Evan my ass. “I can meet briefly today, but I’m heading out of the country for a few days.”
“Excellent. How is ten a.m.?” she asked.
I hesitated a moment, mentally running through what I had to do. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be there.”
“Wonderful,” she sighed. “I’ll alert security at the front desk to expect you.”
I nodded. “Thank you, ma’am.”
When she ended the call, I grabbed a blanket from the back and spread it over my seat. When it was secure, I climbed into my car, then called Hudson back.