Alex (In the Company of Snipers) (27 page)

He nodded, glad for the change of subject. If anything could crash his libido, it was talking about Mother. “Don’t get me wrong. I’d be lost without her. Just wish she would stay out of everyone’s business.”

Kelsey slid her fingers beneath the waistband to his slacks, her voice suggestively low. “Well, I’d like to get into your business.”

Alex grinned and pulled her up to his mouth for another kiss. Her eyes were extra bright when the elevator doors opened to the on-site gym.

“David, I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”

“Kelsey.” Senior Agent David Tao took her hand and politely bowed to her. “I am so happy to meet you. Boss, she is beautiful.”

And with a blush and a smile, Kelsey was introduced to the martial arts expert, an elegant, American-Chinese man. David was soft-spoken and polite to a fault.

“Would you care for a tour?”

For the next several minutes, he showed Kelsey around and explained how the other agents used the gym. He mentioned how Zack worked out for hours in the weight room and had the physique to prove it. Ember Davis liked to come down every morning for the yoga class. Murphy and Roy sparred with the other agents in friendly games of basketball, and Harley Mortimer, before he had disappeared off the face of the earth, used to do laps in the pool every afternoon. David and Alex had designed the gym to cover everyone’s physical fitness needs.

“Unfortunately, I have yet to teach our boss to sit in the cross-legged meditation posture of the Buddha though.” David winked mischievously to Kelsey.

“Not going to happen, Tao.” Alex couldn’t let that comment go. He sat patiently waiting for the tour to end.

“Agent Tao, do you only teach agents?” she asked curiously.

“I’d be most happy to teach you what little I know,” David replied.

Once again Alex smiled. This was exactly why he had wanted Kelsey to meet David. This might be a good day, but there were still dark days ahead. She would need more internal tools to pull herself up and out of them.

She glanced at Alex as if asking for permission.

“Hey, don’t look at me.” Alex shrugged. “It’s up to you. David can sure use the work.”

“What I could use is a teachable student.”

Alex waved his teasing comment aside. “Whatever.” But then he turned to Kelsey. “So what are you interested in? Weights? Swimming? David teaches martial arts too and all that meditation stuff.”

Her eyes light up when he had said martial arts.

“I’d like to know how to defend myself.”

“Very wise decision,” David said. “I teach the Chinese art of kungfu. You will learn conditioning exercises like stretching, stances, and meditation. You will learn about your Qi.”

“Qi?”

“Yes. Qi is your inner life force. You must understand the energy within yourself as well as the energy in all things around you. Are you ready?” David cocked his head, his hand outstretched as if inviting Kelsey onto his gym floor right this moment.

“Yes.” She scrunched her shoulders, and there was that little girl thing again. She was doing something that scared her, but she was doing it anyway. Her resilience amazed Alex. He remembered his own USMC martial arts classes. He used to believe in the things David taught. What happened? When did he stop?

When they left the gym, she turned to Alex. “Does everyone call you Boss?”

“To my face.” He called the elevator. “Want to go to lunch?”

“No. You have work to do. Remember?”

He glanced at his watch. “I do, but I could cancel—”

She put a finger to his lips. “No. You’ve cancelled enough. I’ll see you at home.”

The way she said that last word made him smile. He kissed her tenderly at ground level. “By the way, don’t be surprised if a couple deliveries come today.”

“Oh?”

“Just show them where to put everything. You’ll know where.”

“You’re not going to tell me what it is, are you?” she asked with a curious smile.

“You’ll see.”

Alex arrived home promptly at five PM
, early for him. As usual, all the curtains in the front room were drawn, but for some reason the kitchen was dark as well. That alone was odd for Kelsey. She usually had dinner ready by now on the long shot he would be home on time. If he wasn’t, she warmed it when he arrived. The tantalizing aroma of seafood still clung to the air. Seafood and – what? Jasmine? He couldn’t quite detect the other fragrance filling his dark little house, but the place was far too quiet.

He glanced out the back window. No. She wasn’t out walking the dogs. Both Whisper and Smoke lounged in their kennel. Even that made him smile. It used to be they would be sitting at attention the minute they would spot him in the house. Now they only sat at attention for Kelsey. This woman had already taken his heart. Was she taking his dogs, too? It certainly looked like it.

Soft music reached his ears.
Ahhhh, so she is here.
Quietly, he investigated his way to his bedroom. A glow coming from under the door revealed the truth. He peered through the barely open door.

There she stood in front of the floor-length mirror trying on one of the three nightgowns he had bought for her today. Already dressed in the red one with spaghetti straps, she smoothed her hands down her sides and over her hips. He gulped. She hadn’t a seductive bone in her body, but the soft swell of her breasts under the lacy bodice and the delicious curve of her hips, especially as her hands slid down and over her backside and – he gulped again. Combined with all that silky brown hair flouncing off her shoulders and nearly to her butt, yes, red was definitely her color. She looked—so—damn—hot.

But she wasn’t done yet. With a shimmy that about made him choke, the red gown dropped to the floor. She kicked it aside. And then he knew each gown he had chosen came with cute little boy short panties that barely covered the cheeks of her bottom. It was getting difficult to breath as he watched his fair lady put on the best strip tease show he had ever seen. Between those panties and her long hair, he was well on his way to total inebriation. Was it even possible to be drunk on the woman you love? Yes.

She dropped the panties to the floor along with the gown. He nearly swallowed his tongue.

Now for the blue. Another long gown, it was a glistening royal blue with black lace that trimmed the bra, the straps, and dropped in a ribbon to her feet. With a hitch and a wriggle, she snaked the matching panties up under the gown.

He smiled wickedly when he saw the back hem of the gown caught inside her panties. He wanted to offer assistance, but no. He stifled a chuckle and let the show continue. She made the necessary wardrobe adjustment when she twirled in front of the mirror.
Oh, Kelsey.

With his grin about to crack his face, he noticed the new bed had also arrived. A comfortable queen-sized sleigh bed with a black and red comforter, it filled the modest room. He didn’t care. The only thing he wanted to do was tear the blue gown off of this gorgeous woman like a little boy tears gift-wrap off his Christmas present. Alex wiped his face, his body responding to the view in more ways than one. This was better than Christmas. This was heaven.

The blue gown landed in the same heap as the red, and the blue panties right along with it. Kelsey stood naked in front of the mirror for a moment, studying her body with all its curves and flaws. She turned halfway around to view her back. From shoulder to shoulder and down her back, she still carried plenty of scars. Funny. He hadn’t noticed them anymore.

She twisted herself around the other way and looked at her backside. Yes, harsh marks streaked there, too. She sighed, her hands on her hips, her lips pursed together in thought.

He stopped smiling, the joy of the moment gone.

Please see yourself as I see you. Please don’t be sad. I love you just the way you are.

Alex faltered. He couldn’t stand and watch anymore. Kelsey deserved more. This was her private moment, and here he stood like a stupid high school jock spying on the girl’s shower. He was an ass, and she the most beautiful woman in the world. He reached for the doorknob to announce himself, but just as his fingers touched it, she twirled once, her hands around her shoulders. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. “You’ll do,” she said.

His heart stuck in his throat. She spun around one more time and then scooped up the black panties. With another shimmy, she pulled them up and over her backside, or as much of it as they covered. Instantly the scars disappeared. She examined herself in the mirror again, then slid the black gown over her shoulders until it draped elegantly to the floor. Only her toes showed. Happily, she picked the other gowns off the floor and stuffed them into the department store bag they had come in. He wished she had six-inch heels to finish that definite beauty queen look she had going for her, but it didn’t matter. She was the most elegant woman on the planet, and heels or not, he was smitten. Hook, line and sinker.

With one last glance in the mirror, she smoothed the new duvet on the bed, and turned toward the door. He barely made it back to the kitchen before she did.

She startled when she saw him at the kitchen window, gazing intently at the dog kennel as if he had been there all along. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

He pulled her into his arms. Too choked up to speak, all he could do was bury his face in her hair and hold her tight.

“What’s wrong? Tell me.” She pulled back, her hand cupping his jaw in worry. “Did something happen at work today?”

“I’m just happy.”

“Aw-w.” She peered up at him. “I cry when I’m happy, too.”

He nodded. Happy was such a small word.

She cocked her head. “Were you peeking at me?”

“Yes,” he confessed as fast as he could. “I came home early. The lights were off and—”

She shushed him with a finger to his lips. Stepping away, she twirled once. “You like?”

He pulled her into his arms. “No. I love.”

Months passed in their newly established rhythm. Alex diligently went out the door to work every morning at precisely five AM, a cup of black coffee in his hand, and contentment on his face. The TEAM prospered and became more successful than he had ever anticipated. He seemed to have a knack for hiring the best ex-snipers coming home from the armed forces. Good fortune smiled. His anger became a thing of the past.

Kelsey easily re-certified to teach kindergarten in the Virginia school system. She practiced kung fu at David’s gym until she was nothing but lean muscle and a fairly decent martial arts student. Alex took her to the range and taught her to shoot. He had insisted she get her own concealed weapons permit, and they practiced religiously. David taught her the peaceful way, while Alex taught her what to do when all else fails.

When his schedule allowed, they took the dogs for long walks. Once they got home, they went to bed early. Not that they slept so much, but the sleigh bed became their ultimate form of communication where they talked about everything and anything. And they loved.

All things considered, life was just about perfect.