Corps Security: The Series (38 page)

“Ohhhhh!” I hear squealing like a damn pig before I can even climb out of Izzy’s car. It’s laughable that I think I might be able to avoid Sway. I swear that man never works, just sits by the window, and waits for someone from Corps to walk past or drive up.

“Gregory, get your fine ass over—THE BABY!” And now, I have Sway in all his glory running towards the car. How a man as round as him can run on four-inch heels without busting his ass is beyond me.

“No, Sway. Calm your ass down right now.”

“Gregory, why are you all
wet?
” He pants, stopping as close as he can get without crawling into my body. I take a step back and shift Nate in my arms. Away from the deranged man.

“Would you please stop calling me
Gregory?
You sound like my damn mother.” Sway reaches out, again, to take Nate from me. “No, Sway. Not today.”

“But, Gregory!” He gasps and holds his beefy hand to his chest. Jesus.

“Got to run, Sway. You want to visit with the baby, then go attack Ax.” I can hear Sway clicking behind me across the parking lot. This man, woman, whatever the fuck . . . I might give him a hard time but he is hilarious. “See you around, Dilbert!”

Walking into the office never fails to give me a massive sense of pride. Pride in myself, and pride in my boys. Before joining forces with Axel and the guys, I was doing pretty fucking hot by myself, but the more clients I picked up, the more overwhelming things got. Plus, that was when Izzy was going through so much shit . . . I just couldn’t afford to be away that much. She needed me, and I will
never
fail another woman I love again.

Izzy and I have the best friendship. A lot of people think it is crazy, me being so close with a chick, but Izzy isn’t just anyone to me. She is my blood . . . even when we aren’t really. She holds just as big of a piece of my heart as Grace once did.

Damn, I miss Gracie.

“Hey, Greg.” I hear a voice call softly from behind the reception desk.

“Emmy. How’s it been around here, babe?”

“Everything’s fine, Greg. Axel is running around like a mad man though. I think he’s stressed about this weekend.”

“I bet,” I laugh, shifting Nate’s body in my arms, “Got to go drop little man off. Not staying, but I’ll see you this weekend.”

“Alright, Greg.” If I hadn’t seen her bust one of the boy’s balls over some shit, I would swear the timid little mouse is all weakness.

Shaking my head, I continue down the hall towards Axel’s office. I can hear him booming orders through the closed door. Shit, someone must have seriously pissed him off this morning.

“Wouldn’t do that if I was you.” Turning around, I catch Beck’s stoic face. Never good when this easy-going guy starts acting like a little bitch.

“Problem?”

“Yeah. About six and a half feet of pissed off. What the fuck is going on with him?” He reaches up and rubs his neck, another sure sign that Beck is stressing shit.

“My guess, the same thing that’s eating Izzy. With all the shit they went through, they are both afraid to blink until the wedding is over.” Damn shame too. Axel and Izzy don’t have the fairytale beginning that most couples as perfect as them deserve. It might have taken them a while to reconnect, but they are worried for no reason. Not one of us would let anything happen to postpone this event.

“That all that’s biting your ass today, Beck?”

“Just more shit with Dee. I don’t know why I try so hard, I honestly don’t.” Looking closer, I notice the stress weathered all over his body. He is vibrating with frustration, and it is not a good look for him.

“What’s the deal this week?” I ask, knowing damn well she has been giving him the run around for the better part of the last two years. I don’t think anyone really knows what happened, but they went hard and heavy, then Dee put the brakes on real quick.

“Hell if I fucking know. Looks like she is bringing some tool from her office to the wedding. I don’t know what the hell her issue is with just admitting we had something. I tell you this though; I am sick and tired of waiting for her to pull her thumb out of her ass.”

“Right. Not getting in that shit. You might be my brother, but that chick will always out rank you.” I turn and knock on Axel’s door, not waiting for his reply before pushing our way through. Drama between Beck and Dee is nothing I want to dip my toes into. Hell no.

“What d—” Axel barks out before he realizes who is in his office.

“Nice douchebag. Your son decided to decorate me with his vomit today, so it’s your turn. Love this boy, but I don’t like smelling like your woman’s tit milk.”

“Why do you have my boy? Where is Iz? Is she okay?” He goes to get up, as if he is going to run out of the office to check on his woman. Damn, he is turning into a fucking pussy.

“Calm down. Jesus Christ. What is going on with you two? You’re acting like a little bitch that just got her period, and she is on edge just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Nothing is going to happen, you feel me?”

He sighs and drops down heavy into his chair. “Yeah. I keep feeling like any second she is just going to disappear again, and nothing I do gets that image out of my mind. Not one damn thing.” He shakes his head, collects his thoughts, and looks back at me. Determination blazes in his eyes. “Give me my boy, and don’t cuss around him asshole.”

“You’re an idiot, Axel. Izzy is with the wedding something or other. Nate has been running a fever, so I just left the doctor. She didn’t want to worry
you,
but serious as shit, right now there is no way I am taking him home and explaining all this to her when she is already freaking her shit.”

“Yeah, she said something about him not feeling well last night, but he was happy when I left for work this morning. Is he okay? Dammit, why didn’t she call me? You shouldn’t have had to take my boy.” He pulls Nate to his body and snuggles close. That ache in my heart stings a little deeper at the sight.

“I don’t know, maybe because you’ve been acting just as bad as she has for the last two weeks. He’s fine anyways. Ear infection, both ears. But I explained to the doc what the deal is with this weekend, so he gave him an antibiotic shot to speed shit up.”

I toss Nate’s prescriptions on the desk, kiss the little dude’s head, and slap Ax on the back. “Buck up and calm the fuck down. Nothing is going to happen. But, if you can tell me the name of nurse sin, I’ll give you a hundred bucks. Shit man.”

Axel’s laughter booms through the room, making Nate smile his toothy grin up at his father. “I know exactly who you are talking about, and if you tell Izzy I said this, I’ll cut your balls off, but damn . . . that woman. You see the size of her tits?”

“Hell, how could I miss them?”

We shoot the shit for a while before the smell of myself makes me want to add to the mess. Axel almost loses his shit again when I tell him what Izzy’s phone call this morning interrupted. Axel has never been a fan of Mandy. He thinks she is a ‘gold digging whore,’ and at this point, I can’t say I disagree with him too much. Leaving the office, and having Emmy make sure the path from the door to my truck is Sway clear, I take off in hopes to clean off and relax for a few hours before something else is thrown in my lap.

CHAPTER 3

Melissa

Another long day I think will never end. Patients run over again, and Dr. Shannon refuses to close the doors until almost 8:30. I hate breaking plans with Cohen, but there is no way he will be able to go to dinner with me now. I fight the urge to punch a hole in the wall and continue my path to the bathroom, stripping the day’s scrubs off on the way.

My mind wanders to the man who came in with Izzy’s little boy today. He seemed like such a natural with Nate that it is obvious he has been around kids before, but Iz has never mentioned him. I had been lucky to strike up a friendship with Izzy West over the last ten months. When I first met her, I was on the other side of Dr. Shannon’s door and coming in with Cohen instead of working. We struck up a friendship, and at the time, it was what I needed.

I remind myself to not to think about the events that led up to me becoming friends with Izzy. My sister would kick my ass if I shed one tear over her. No way. I’ve had my big girl panties on for over a year now and there is no damn way I would let memories pull me down.

Shaking off the pain that only comes when I look at Cohen’s face, or think about my sister is the only reality I know right now. But I am damn good at it. I’ve dealt with losing my sister, but it doesn’t make the pain vanish.

After my shower and nightly routine, I settle down on my worn couch and pick up the phone. It’s time to check in with mom and face the music of missing out on another date with Cohen.

“Meli-Kate! You are in trouble my love. I had to explain, again, to Cohen that we can
not
use the kitchen table as a launching pad for his assault against the imaginary ninjas in the house! Do you know how long it takes to calm him down when there are imaginary ninjas attacking his Nana’s house?”

I can’t help the uncontrollable laughter that bubbles up at the thought of Cohen in attack mode. I know this will make for a lecture from my mother but damn, she is asking for it.

“Seriously mom! You make him sound like a terror! He isn’t that bad!” I laugh at her. In reality, he really is that bad. We take care of Cohen, and have since my sister passed away almost two years ago. I miss her, but having him in our lives takes some of the sting away. It doesn’t hurt that he keeps us on our toes so much that we don’t have time to miss her as much.

“Meli,” she sighs. “Please tell me there is a reason you missed your dinner with him again? You know how much he waits for these days.” She sounds so broken, and I hate that I can’t be there more for her and him.

“I know. Trust me, I do. Dr. Shannon did it again. They just kept coming, and there wasn’t one damn thing I could do about it.”

“Tomorrow. You’re off, aren’t you? Come over and get him tomorrow.” She would have been able to play off the slight wobble in her voice if she hadn’t cracked at the end, making my heart break. I know Cohen doesn’t make things easy, but with me being the only one with a job, it is the only way we can make things work right now. Maybe one day I will have full custody of him, but with my sister’s mother-in-law raising a stink about him, and fighting my sister’s will, this was the way to play things right now.

“I can come early in the morning. I won’t be able to keep him long though; I have the bachelorette party for one of my girlfriends tomorrow night. Remember? I told you I couldn’t keep him this weekend?”

“Oh, that’s right dear. It’s okay, really. Janie down the street can always come and take him over to the park, and maybe fire some of that little boy energy right out of his ass.” She snickers like always when a ‘dirty word’ leaves her mouth. My mother is the perfect example of a Southern Baptist woman. Growing up, all my friends said I was lucky as hell to have Paula Deen as my mom. It really is freaky how much she looks and sounds like that woman.

“I’ll call you in the morning, okay? Just in case you change your mind. Love you mama.”

“Love you too sweet child”

I hang up and the only thing I can think of is how lovely my twin bed will feel when I crash into it.

* * *

The next morning, the first thing I do is call my mom to see if she needs me to come take Cohen for a few hours. When I call though, Janie answers and says they are busy building forts in the living room and having popcorn wars. Sounds like the perfect day for me to be absent.

Since I’m not meeting up with Izzy and her friends until dinnertime, I spend the rest of the day cleaning my small one room apartment. Lucky for me, my apartment is so small it only takes me a few hours to have it perfectly spotless. Now, it’s time to call Izzy.

“Hello?” The deep voice answering her phone throws me off for a second. I move the phone away from my ear to make sure I have the right number.

“Um, is Izzy available?”

“She sure is, but no way in hell is she able to talk right now.” I hear Izzy protesting before she snatches the phone out of the man’s hands and breathlessly speaks, “Hello?”

“Oh my God, Izzy! Please tell me I did not just interrupt you!”

“Seems to be the week for that.” She giggles.

“Jesus Christ! I am so sorry! Just want to see what time I should meet you tonight?” Fuck me, perfect timing Melissa! At least someone is getting some these days! I will probably need to bust out the Swiffer to clean the cobwebs because it’s been so long since my legs were spread.

“It’s fine. Axel is just being a big baby, that insatiable man. Why don’t you come over to the house and ride with me, Dee and Emmy?”

“Sounds perfect. See you then!” I hang up the phone and quickly go about getting ready for the night. I try my hardest to block out the tugs of arousal that pull at my skin. Lucky little bitch, damn I need to get laid.

My mind immediately comes back to ‘Uncle Greg’; I know he is likely to show up at some point tonight. He wouldn’t be at the doctor in Izzy’s place if he weren’t that close to them. So, the question is do I want to do anything with the attraction that simmers at a low boil just from a few seconds in the same room with him? No. Well, to be totally honest, I do, but I am smart enough not to get mixed up with someone so manly. After watching how well that turned out for my sister, there is no way I am getting involved with Mr. Sex on Legs. I need to find a short, skinny, balding man. Someone safe.

I might be many things, but I am also smart enough to learn from the past. Smart enough to know that no man who oozes so much alpha male will be happy with a woman who isn’t weak. Or, he won’t settle until he makes me weak, and I will
never
be that bitch.

Whichever way I slice it, I still can’t ignore the way that just thinking about his devilishly sexy good looks and those eyes, fuck those eyes, turn me on like flipping the switch.

Getting out of the shower, and continuing the process of getting ready still has me pondering what I want to do with all this pent up attraction. I stand in the middle of my ‘closet,’ actually a corner of my bedroom crammed with my clothing obsession, and debate between casual or sexy. Hey, I might have decided to stay away, but you never know what could happen. It’s better to be prepared for anything.