Page 14 of Unbreakable Thread

“We are nowhere close to done. How about we take a dip in the pool and see where that goes?”

“Ahh, skinny dip?” Her breath hitches as she runs her index finger down my chest.

“It seems we need to cool off.” I stand and extend my hand for her to take.

We spent the entire day tangled in each other’s arms. From having incredible sex in the pool to continuing it throughout the whole house, it went from fucking to making love. It was fantastic. The gut feeling of losing her still settles deep down in me. Call it superstition or being terrified of losing the love of my life. It always seems life likes to throw a curveball at us. As if to ask, will you reach for each other when the world tilts sideways? I hope that’s not the case, even if I have to move us to another state far from everyone. I will.

It’s been a week since I returned to my office, which includes jogging in the morning, then work, and heading to the gym for training, since my fight is in a week, all due to my bossy girlfriend, who pushed me out of the house as she went back to work. The fall semester starts soon at the university. Rainey had thought about attending summer school. I’m not sure if she has enrolled just yet, but I do know she was looking at the pamphlet on the sofa while we watched a movie.

I click on the cameras in the café and watch as she smiles at her customers. She seems less stressed since I hired more help for her. That’s what I was going for. For some reason, Leo loves to work two hours a day stocking and ordering books. He and Rainey have become incredibly close. He told me he feels a strong connection to her. I knew he would when he met her, and she would eventually learn the truth about him, too. Leo’s mother gave him up at a young age when she found out she had a chronic illness. It’s unfortunate when you don’t have a good family to watch over your kids if something were to happen.

Rainey walks over to Leo. He’s done stocking cowboy romance books and gives her his charming signature smile. They talk about something, then he hugs her, and he’s out the door. Rainey’s gaze stays pinned on him. She wears a frown on her pretty face. Perhaps he shared his struggles with her. Leo wears his mask well. What people don’t know is that he suffers from depression and anxiety.

Shutting the computer off, I get back to the stack of paperwork I have. Twenty minutes later, there’s a knock at my door. Ellena, my new secretary who’s in her late fifties, walks in. Leo wasn’t pleased with my letting Roxy leave; apparently, he liked her tits in his face when she bent down.

“Hello, how are you?” Ellena says in her sweet, motherly voice.

“I’m doing good. How have you been?”

She pulls out a chair in front of my desk. “Wonderful. I love working here. The boys are a pleasure to work with. That Leo has me laughing all day,” she says as she sets papers on my desk. “Xander left these weekly reports with me before heading out. I’ve been reviewing the numbers, and they’re impressive. We’re going to need to bring on additional technicians soon. The business is taking off, and your Los Angeles accounts are growing rapidly, too. You might want to consider establishing a dedicated security surveillance office there.” Ellena exhales while shoving a pencil in her hair bun.

“You’re right. We need to hire a couple more techs and get more trucks. I did notice the number of work orders in LA. I’ve been looking for a location. I think I found one,” I tell her. We’ve been commuting for a while now. I have a small temp office we have been renting, but now that we are expanding, I need a whole new crew for the Los Angeles location.

“I’m excited about the expansion. If you need me to train new hires, I’ll be happy to do so.”

“Thank you, Ellena. If you can let Nelly in HR know, that would be great.”

She nods and walks out the door.

Leo slides in right after Ellena leaves. “How’s it hanging, bro?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. I don’t know where he gets this shit from, but I play along with him. “Pretty fucking low, as in big⁠—”

“Why does everything have to be about your dick?”

“What else would you be talking about that hangs?”

Leo reaches for a Twizzler from the candy jar on my desk. He unwraps it and stuffs it in his mouth. “Your hair, maybe your gut, or your balls. It could just mean, what’s up?”

“What’s this about balls and dicks?” Xander laughs, walking in.

“I thought you left for the day?”

He waves his phone. “Forget my phone. So, what are you two talking about?”

“Max here was talking about his long dick. When I asked⁠—”

“How about you just tell me how Rainey’s doing?” I ask to change the subject. He’ll go on and on about it otherwise.

Leo scratches the back of his head. “She’s not going to spring back overnight.”

“I know that. How was she today? How was her mood? I want to see if she’s improving little by little. With me, she still plays the part.” A wry laugh leaves my lips. “She tells me she’s fine, although she’s right next to me at times, it’s like she’s miles away.” Even when she’s under me, I can see it in her face, how she’s elsewhere. I’m positive it’s when she feels the scars on my back. When I’m asleep, I’m woken by kisses on my back, followed by a couple of tears that drip down. Every time I turn around to face her, she’s already wiped those tears. She smiles at me and says, “Good morning.”

I ask her why she was crying, and it’s always, “I’m fine,” followed by her lips causing tingling on my bare chest, trailing up to my neck, then to my lips. She’s good. Rainey knows how to distract me.

“While I was stocking books, she asked about my childhood. I told her we had a similar story. I didn’t go into detail. I told her I would tell her the rest when we were in a private setting.”

Xander leans against the wall, ankles crossed. “I’m not a fan of strangers picking at my brain, but has she thought of seeing a therapist or psychologist?”