“Okay, I will tell you everything that’s happened, but it’s a very long story, so here’s what is going to happen. I am going to go getus dinner, we are going to eat together just like we used to, and when we are done, I will explain,” she says, leaning in to kiss him, something she will never tire of. “Got it?”
“Yes ma’am,” he says with a wink, watching her scramble off the bed and disappear out the door.
CHAPTER 15
Liz moves as fast as she can, forced to sneak across the base to avoid any undesirable attention from the still curious soldiers. The unavoidable ones look at her with nothing but pity in their eyes.
Their apartment is still quiet when she returns, heavy bag of food in hand. Snatching the small bed tray from the kitchen, Liz heads to where Riley is still in bed, waiting for her. The air is stolen from her lungs when she lays eyes on him. Even with the bags under his eyes and covered in new bandages, he is the most beautiful man she has ever had the pleasure of looking at.
After skipping breakfast, the smell of the food making its way to her nose has her salivating. Riley helps her get his table set up while insisting he has no need for it until she begins to load it up with food: roasted sweet and spicy chicken, quinoa salad mixed with grilled zucchini and eggplant, and a side of roasted asparagus is overflowing from one container. A second box with a caesar salad gets placed on the tray next to the main course.
Riley chuckles when Liz pulls out a third box stuffed to thebrim with mixed fruits. The meal they share is the lightest either of them has felt in months. Laughing and joking just as they had all those weeks spent by their lake, making up for lost time. When they finish eating their eyes lock, both of them wishing they didn’t have to go back to the real world.
“This is the only thing that kept me sane,” Riley says, pulling Liz into his waiting arms the moment his bed is clear of the food. She curls up next to him, one arm tossed over his chest to match the leg carefully crossing his waist. Peppering her head with light kisses, he continues, “I knew I was either going to see you when I died, or you were going to make it to me before he could kill me. Either way ended with us back together.”
“That explains why you said he did it,” she says, kissing his chest. “You looked at me for a second, insisted you died, and said now you get to see me again. It was horrible, but pretty fucking cute.”
“Speaking of cute, tell me about this guy I’m going to murder.”
“No murder, sweetie. If Mikey says I have to play nice, then so do you,” she coos sweetly. “Long story short, he got added to the team because you were gone, even though I said it’s pointless because we were getting you back, but general stupid face didn’t even want to get you back and no one believed me when I told them that. And Matt even said he was supposed to take over your job as the leader. Apparently, I’m the only one who finds that fucking weird,” she rambles, words jumbling together as it all pours out.
“Slow down, princess. I know you have a lot to tell me, but you’re not making a lot of sense here. I need you to take a deep breath,” he says.
Liz does as he tells her and sucks in a sharp breath, holding it for a few seconds before slowly letting it out.
“Good girl. Now, tell me why you think Scott didn’t want to look for me, and why do you hate this Matt guy so much?”
“The day we all went to him, Alex and Tyler worked so hard on their plans. They said we knew exactly where we were going and what we needed, but when they told him, he said no. He said you made a bad choice and needed to live with it. Who says shit like that? He only changed his mind because I remembered the dash cam in your truck. I told him it caught him aiming the rocket launcher at you. Not a single person thinks its fucked up that he changed his mind when I told him I would release the footage,” she huffs, snuggling deeper into his chest, trying her best to give him actual information and not just one long rant.
“So, he agrees, but says he is adding someone to the team and brings this guy in. First fucking thing this dude says is how great he thinks it is that I’m so dedicated to a man who publicly rejected and embarrassed me.” Liz scoots away from Riley, sliding herself off the bed. Pacing the room to keep herself in check, she continues, “Then says it again later, and basically says he wants to fuck me. If he’s not hitting on me, he is making comments about how you don’t want me or saying he hopes I am that committed to him when he takes over. But that’s not all. The first time we went looking for you, we didn’t go where Alex wanted. Dickbag magoo said he got ‘new information’ and we had to go there, but the town was deserted.”
Riley peels himself from the bed, ignoring the pain screaming at him to stay put. He marches right into the path Liz is walking, wrapping his arms around her. Forced to still, she takes another breath. Her own arms wrap around his waist, letting his warmth settle deep into her bones, grounding her. Her eyes drift close, resting her head on his chest, she breathes in the rich, earthy scent of him that she missed so much. They stay there, wrapped up in each other, battling their racing thoughts.
“Oh fuck,” she blurts, taking a step back. “The day you saw him, in the hospital room, he told me, like said it out loud, that you were never supposed to come back and your position was promised to him.” She peers up at him, his jaw is clenched, looking like he is trying not to go find Matt right that very second.
“What’s his name? And why the fuck is Mikey telling you to be nice if he is trying to take my girlfriend and my job?” Riley barks, starting his own slow pacing, causing Liz to worry.
“Matt Solano. Mikey doesn’t trust him, he told me to play nice, like I did to get you guys to trust me.”
“Solano? You’re sure?” he asks.
“Yeah, why? Have you heard of him?” Liz asks, guiding Riley back over to the bed and helping him in. Safely tucked back in, Liz perches herself on the edge of the bed next to him.
“Unfortunately. He was stationed overseas, pretty much doing clean-up for our missions and working on smaller areas of Dmitri’s operation. General always wanted him to join us. It was obvious he wanted someone to keep tabs on me, so I kept refusing. I never thought he would find a way to worm him in. Solano would suck the general’s dick if it meant he got even the smallest chance to move up a rank.”
“Mikey thinks he is up to something, that’s why he told me to be nice.” Liz admits.
“God, I hate to say it, but he’s right. I want nothing more than to wrap my hands around his neck, squeezing until his eyes glaze over and he is erased from this world, but, I believe you. If he is trying to get to you, we can use that to figure out what the hell is going on,” Riley seethes.
The way his deep voice rumbles the threat so easily has her clenching her legs together, trying not to throw herself at him in the middle of a serious conversation.
“Well, I may have already ruined that plan. I kind of keeptelling him I’m seeing someone and it’s never going to happen..” she says, barely more than a whisper, cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. “But he doesn’t think it’s real, right? You said he has brought up you being rejected more than once.”
“He says I have a delusional fantasy of my C.O. being in love with me. Told me the sooner I realize you want nothing to do with me, the sooner he can show me someone who does,” she explains. She purses her lips, fidgeting with a loose thread on her pants, replaying the awful things he has said about their relationship.
“As long as you know how madly in love with you I am, he can think whatever he wants. Tell him he was right, flirt, act single, just remember you’re not and come home to me at night.”
“You’re serious aren’t you? You really want me to pretend to be interested in this guy?”
