Without his damn permission, his focus shifted back to them, and suddenly he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Because when she smiled, the shadows around her eyes lifted, and for a momentshe looked ten years younger. Like the weight of the world wasn’t pressing down on her.
Fuck, he needed to stop looking at her. Not just because she was the new manager but because of who her father was and what he’d done to Kayden’s family.
Jake bumped her shoulder and turned. Kayden was moments from dragging his eyes away when her beautiful moss-green gaze collided with his.
Look away, Kayden. Stop staring like a fucking creep.
It wasn’t just her eyes that were beautiful though. It was the dusting of freckles across her nose that reminded him of the stars in the night sky. It was the pale skin that made her look far too delicate.
“Here you go, guys. Going out for a training run?”
Finally, Kayden forced his attention to Elle behind the counter as she pushed four shots of espresso toward him and his team.
“Thanks, Elle.” Jesus, why was his voice so gruff? He cleared his throat. “Yeah, we’re doing a run through the mountains.”
They tried to do the run weekly, always with a backpack full of equipment. Although in the craziness of the last week since Macy, they’d missed the last one.
“How are you doing?” he asked, forcing gentleness into his voice.
She sucked in a visible breath before answering. “As okay as I can be, I guess. I keep thinking…”
“What?”
Her gaze flicked to Theo and Hendrix, who’d already grabbed their espressos and stepped away from the counter, before shifting back to him. “I feel guilty that it was her and not me. I mean, I do the schedule for the café. I scheduled her to close that afternoon. I didn’t know she was staying back to do some extra cleaning and prep work, but still…”
Kayden shook his head. “You can’t do that. We don’t know the circumstances of what happened that night yet.” Keyword…yet. Because they would find out, one way or the other.
She nodded quickly. “Thanks. Well, have a good run.”
Kayden dipped his head before turning and moving back to the guys.
“Not sure this will cut it,” Theo said in a hushed voice to Hendrix as he shot his espresso back. “I need about ten to make me feel alive.”
“Well, maybe you should have gone easier on the alcohol last night,” Hendrix replied just as quietly.
Kayden frowned as he moved to stand with them. “You got plastered on a work night?”
Theo’s eyes widened. In a normal job, that might not be so bad. But they worked in search and rescue. Every one of them needed to be at their best in case they were sent out to save someone at a moment’s notice.
“Not plastered,” Theo spluttered, running his fingers through his hair. “I just played some poker with the guys and had a couple drinks. I’m fine.”
Kayden narrowed his eyes, but before he could say anything, Jake returned to the group and Theo turned his attention to him. “What were you doing withher?”
“Talking. Why?”
“We told you what she did.”
“No. You told me what herfatherdid. And I didn’t grow up in this town. Her family didn’t do anything to me. Plus, she’s cute.”
The woman wasn’t cute. She was fucking gorgeous.
Kayden shot back his own espresso. “Let’s go.”
They always had the shot of caffeine before they left. They’d started it as a way to give them a boost before the long run, but it had become somewhat of a tradition.
Kayden stepped outside and led the guys to the small shed just off the side of the deck, where they all grabbed their backpacks full of equipment. The things were damn heavy, but Kayden barely noticed. He’d had to travel with more than this during his time as a Pararescue Specialist in the Air Force. Hell, PJs had to do some of the most dangerous extractions in the most hostile environments in the world. Everything from parachuting from low-altitude planes to repelling off mountains. Jobs where he’d barely gotten out with his life.
He threw on his backpack and started moving.
