Chapter 10
Saylor sat on Max’s couch for a long time after he left. She’d sent him her parents’ contact information after he left. Now she knew she should go back to her condo, but didn’t want to leave. Pressing her nose to the soft leather, she inhaled Max’s scent deeply.
He’d told her to stay here while he was gone. That sometimes maneuvers were canceled or finished quickly. Max might even be home before morning.
Inside, she had a feeling that wouldn’t happen. She missed him so much. How did she care so much about him after such a short time? The answer popped into her mind before she could finish the thought.
She loved him.
Closing her eyes, Saylor wished with everything inside her for Max to be safe. She needed him to come back. Should she leave? Saylor had packed a few things to stay with Max before going to her meeting. Her bag was out in her trunk. Maybe she should go out there to get it.
The slam of several car doors intruded on her deliberation. Saylor sat up. The noise was close. Did Max have angry neighbors? She’d not noticed them before.
Curious, she stood and walked toward the window to look outside. When she was a few feet away, a tremendous thump on the front door made her jump. Instantly, she darted out of sight and leaned on the wall behind the door.
“Hey, ass wipe!” The person pounding on the front door continued nonstop.
Saylor could see the wood moving under the force of the blows. Would it hold? She wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to freak out. After checking her pocket for her phone, Saylor glanced over at the couch. She’d left the device on the cushion.
“Yeah, ass wipe! That’s almost too good a name for him!”
“Get out here and apologize. We aren’t leaving until you learn how to treat women.”
“You would have been trading up to get us instead of that bitch. I bet her hair isn’t even blonde.”
Saylor covered her mouth to quiet her breathing. They were talking about her now.
“We’ll pull it out by the roots and find out!”
She needed to get her phone. Walking across the room would expose her in the window. They were sure to see her and get more riled up. How could she stay hidden and snag her phone?
Forcing herself to stop looking at the door, Saylor scoped out the room. Max didn’t have a lot of furniture. Could she crawl behind that chair and use the coffee table for cover? It was better than waiting to see what they would do next.
“Hey!” A new voice came from a different direction. Across the street? A dog barked, sounding ferocious. Saylor moved as that woman continued, “What are you doing? Get away from that door! I’m going to call the cops.”
By the time the threat was out of the neighbor’s mouth, Saylor had used the distraction to run across the room and snatch up her phone. She ducked behind the couch and took deep, slow breaths, trying to calm her breathing.
“Ah!” Saylor dropped the phone in her hand when it buzzed. She clapped her hand over her mouth, hoping they hadn’t heard her. Please, please, please! Surely those women would leave when threatened with calling the police.
The thumping ended abruptly. It was working! They’d stopped pounding on the door.
“How many fucking women does this jerk have?” a voice close to the door asked.
“What a creep!”
She held her breath, trying to hear anything else. What was going on out there? A few seconds later, she heard car doors slam and the squeal of tires.
Saylor looked down at the phone and spotted a message from a name Max had sent her a short time ago. Aspen.
We came to check on you. Are you in Max’s house?
Her phone buzzed again.
They’re gone, Saylor. Are you okay? Can you let us in?
Bolting to her feet, Saylor raced for the door and threw it open. She stopped for a second to take in four women of various shapes and sizes who stood on Max’s doorstep with an enormous dog. The dog looked at her and woofed softly. That sound broke her paralysis.
Saylor stepped forward to hug the closest woman as she stammered her thanks.
They all wrapped their arms around her, surrounding Saylor in a giant embrace that went straight to her heart.
The women patted her back and reassured her that those awful people would never come back.
Finally when she thought she could step away without crying, Saylor forced herself to back up.
“Thank you all,” she said, blinking her eyes. “I’m sorry I’m so emotional. That terrified me.”
“Those bitches are lucky that the guys weren’t here. They don’t put up with shit like that,” one brunette said, scowling. Saylor guessed immediately that she didn’t take crap from anyone.
“Wow, Giana. Your daddy would spank your bottom so hard for saying those naughty words,” a petite brunette with long hair said. “I’m Aspen. Jerico is my daddy. This is Rexy. Don’t be afraid of him. He’s a total sweetheart.”
Rexy stepped closer to Saylor and sniffed her hand when Saylor held it out to him. He lapped his pink tongue over her fingers and shifted to lean against Saylor’s leg. Saylor stroked his soft fur and returned the pressure to the sturdy canine. The giant dog grinned up at her.
“Rexy likes you. That tells us immediately that you’re a good person. I’m Brooklyn. My daddy is Caden.”
“I’m Giana. Sorry about my mouth. I hang out at work with a bunch of guys. They tend to swear a lot. Oh, my daddy is Koa.”
“Hi, I’m Pippa. Zale’s my daddy,” a brunette with curly hair said with a friendly wave.
“I can’t believe you all came over here and saved me from that crew. Would you all like to come inside so we can talk?” Saylor asked, hoping Max wouldn’t mind having his place invaded while he was away.
“We love Max’s house. He has a great swing set,” Pippa said.
“I haven’t seen it,” Saylor admitted as she led the group inside. “I haven’t known Max for long. You all probably think it’s weird that I’m here.”
“Why would we think that was strange?” Aspen asked. “Our guys don’t mess around when they find their…” She hesitated and Saylor guessed Aspen didn’t know how comfortable Saylor was with being called little.
“I’ve never been a little girl before,” she admitted. These ladies made her feel safe. She waved them toward the seating area. “Please make yourself comfortable. I’m floundering here. Hopefully, I’m not too awkward.”
“We all felt the same way when our daddies found us. I fought hard,” Giana admitted. “I’m a fire captain and met Koa when he set a grill on fire. Believe it or not, I was not ready to obey him.”
“Really? I guess if you have to set something on fire, a grill is one of the better things to ignite?” Saylor asked, settling into a chair. The group lounged comfortably on Max’s furniture while Rexy settled on the cool tile in the kitchen. They’d definitely spent time in here before.
“No fire is a good fire,” Giana said before rolling her eyes and adding, “I did notice him. Good thing he’s so handsome.”
“And daddyish?” Brooklyn teased.
Saylor loved the dynamic between the women. They were all obviously friends. She crossed her fingers in her lap. Please let me fit into the group.
“He’s definitely all daddy,” Giana agreed. “I miss him already.”
“How long are they usually gone?” Saylor asked.
“Forty-two days was the longest the team has been out in all the time I’ve lived with Jerico. It was the longest month and a half ever,” Aspen said with a sigh. “Rexy missed him a lot.”
“Not you, though?” Brooklyn teased.
“I missed him most of all. Rexy’s not a big cuddler. He hogs the covers,” Aspen shared, making everyone laugh. Rexy sighed heavily and flopped onto his side, taking up more space and increasing the delighted giggles from his audience.
“What kind of dog is Rexy?” Saylor asked.
“He’s a mixture of mastiff and Great Dane with a big sprinkle of best dog ever,” Aspen bragged. Rexy immediately thumped his tail happily on the floor.
“I can see that. He has very good manners,” Saylor complimented. Her fingers itched to capture the image of the dog’s abandon. It had been a long time since she’d had an irresistible desire to sketch. “Do you mind if I draw him?”
“Of course not! I forgot. Daddy mentioned you were the art teacher,” Aspen said.
Saylor remembered her sketchpad was in her portfolio in the trunk of her car outside. Were those women really gone? Steeling her nerves, Saylor stood and walked to the door. “I’ll be right back.” She hated that her hand shook slightly on the doorknob.
“Rexy probably needs to potty. We’ll come with you,” Aspen said and stood to pat her thigh. Rexy heaved himself onto his massive paws and stretched before padding to her.
Holding the door open, Saylor peeked out, relieved to see no one lurked outside. When Aspen and Rexy took care of their business, she gave the dog privacy and walked to her trunk. Grabbing her small bag and her portfolio, Saylor decided she needed to stay at Max’s at least for a while.
Aspen rejoined her at the door, this time holding it for Saylor to carry her things inside. The kind woman whispered, “They’re not coming back. If they do, call the police. They respond quickly to this area. A lot of military families live around here. We’re all close.”
“Thanks. Max sent me everyone’s contact information. Is it okay to text or call you all?”
“We’re going to drive you nuts with our messages. We’re chatty,” Aspen assured her.
As they walked in, Aspen addressed the group. “I’ve warned Saylor that we send a lot of messages. She may need to mute us when she’s teaching.”
“Oh, yeah. That’s a good idea. I do that at work,” Giana said.
Saylor grabbed her sketchpad and opened it as Aspen sat down with Rexy sitting at her feet. The big dog rested his head on her knees, looking happily at his owner. The love between them went straight to her heart.
The thought that she should act as a hostess and at least offer her guests something to drink made her hesitate. She didn’t want to miss this moment. Saylor forced herself to ask, “Can I get anyone something to drink? I’m afraid I don’t even know what Max has.”