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BR A E D Y N
“PLEASE, nectar of the gods, be kind to me today,” I whispered as I bent, leaning my head against my coffee maker and breathing deeply.
Early-morning sun cascaded through the glass back doors. Hopefully, that would help, too. Because tossing and turning the entire night certainly hadn’t.
As the coffee machine began to hum, I straightened. My back ached from the various uncomfortable positions I’d tried last night, and my palms and knees were still sore from the glass shards. If Nova were here, she’d try to talk me into one of her pretzel stretches and maybe a little meditation.
But she wasn’t here.
I swiped my phone off the counter and opened my one and only social media app. I’d been slacking on posting since the move, but when I hadn’t been able to sleep last night, I’d finally uploaded a new shot.
This one was Yeti running through a field with wildflowers springing up around her and Mount Lupine in the distance.
My caption read,Sometimes playtime is just as important as training time.
There were a bunch of comments. Some familiar handles and others not.
PDustan88:Let me know how the HRD training is going. We want to work on that next.
PugsNMugs:Look at that happy baby!
NorCal27:Is this outside Starlight Grove? You should check out Three Creeks Canyon. Less populated but it’s a stunner.
My throat constricted, making it hard to breathe. The one thing I hadn’t gathered the strength to do was revisit the scene of the crime. I knew I needed to, but every time I thought about it, my blood turned cold.
The feeling only intensified when I saw the next two comments.
V.Fab33:I remember what playtime is your favorite.
FabeVic23:Wonder what made for the change of locales. Missing someone?
I gripped my phone tighter as my stomach roiled. Vincent was a prick of epic proportions. And why? Because I hadn’t signed his stupid NDA? Because I’d had the baby? Why did he care? It wasn’t like I’d come after his family’s billions.
Other than Nova, I hadn’t told a soul who Owen’s father was.
But even all these years later, Vincent knew how to get under my skin. He knew that having sex for the first time had been a big deal to me. Just like he knew how much Nova meant to me. And his keeping tabs meant he knew she was missing. Now, he got to rub that in.
I slammed my phone on the counter, not even bothering to block the latest handles. He’d just create new ones. Instead,
I grabbed my cup of coffee and whistled softly for Yeti. She was off her dog bed and at my side in an instant.
“Want to play?” I asked.
Her big booty plonked to the floor, and she panted happily.
A soft laugh left my throat. One I needed. “All right, little lady. Let’s do this.”
It had been a minute since we’d trained, but I knew Yeti would be back in the saddle quickly. Heading to the laundry room, I grabbed a set of Owen’s pajamas. I put the shirt in one bag and the shorts in another, then headed outside with Yeti on my heels.
“Assis. Couché.” The French command asked for Yeti to sit and then lie down. I pointed her toward the house. “Cover your eyes.” Yeti put her paws over her snout.
I grinned and headed into the backyard. The scents of the creek would help make the game fun. Dragging the pajama shirt as I went, I walked down about thirty yards and found the perfect hiding spot in the tall grass by the water. Then I walked back, spreading my scent trail in a nonsensical pattern.
This would be a good exercise with my scent trail, Owen’s old ones from playing, and the new one I’d just laid. I couldn’t help the smile that teased my lips.
“Is that dog covering its eyes?” A voice cut into my reverie.
Yeti’s head snapped up, instantly on alert, but she didn’t move from her spot as Dex crossed between our yards.
God, he looked good. Too good. Especially when I knew I was raggedy, in tattered shorts and a tank with my feet in knockoff Uggs from Target. Dex was anything but a mess as he walked toward me, dark jeans straining against thick thighs and a T-shirt that readHacking. Because punching people is frowned on that was the kind of worn you knew would be incredibly soft.
My fingers twitched at my sides. God, I needed to get a grip. Or laid. Probably the latter since it had been exactly eight years and nine months. But that’s what happened when you were a single parent with serious trust issues when it came to men.
Dex quirked a brow behind those damn tortoiseshell glasses.
“À l'aise,” I said to Yeti, telling her to be at ease.
Dex shook his head. “French at seven in the morning feels unfair.”
“If it helps, I only know about a dozen commands in French. The rest are plain ole English.”
“So boring,” Dex said with a grin. His gaze shifted to Yeti.
“What was she doing?”
“We were going to do a training exercise. Want to help?”
He sent a suspicious look my way. “Are my balls at risk?”
A laugh bubbled out of me, and it felt so damn good. “Your balls are safe. You’ll just be a good distraction. A new person.”
“Okay,” Dex agreed, but he still eyed Yeti a little warily.
“Viens, Yeti.” The moment I spoke the words, Yeti bounded off the back deck and came toward me.
She wiggled with excitement, her whole body wagging. It made sense. She was still young. Calm would come with time and practice. I gave the hand signal for sit, and that big booty plonked down again despite her eagerness.
Bending, I opened the second bag for her to sniff. Yeti’s nose twitched as she took in the scent, and her muscles quivered. She was ready for the game.
I glanced up to find dark-hazel eyes fixed on me. “Do me a favor and walk around. No rhyme or reason. It’ll confuse the scent trail.”
Dex frowned a touch but nodded, walking toward the water.
I closed the Ziploc bag with the pajama shorts. “Find.”
Yeti didn’t wait. She bounded forward, her nose pointed toward the ground. Her gaze snapped up for a moment as Dex crossed her path, and I thought she might seek him out, attention winning out over the game. But she didn’t.
Her nose dropped back down, sniffing as she followed the track.
“She’s certainly focused,” Dex remarked, watching her as I followed behind.
“You can train dogs to search by trails, scents that are on the ground or in the air particles left behind all around us.
We’ve somewhat mastered the first but haven’t started on
the second,” I explained.
“Looks pretty damn impressive to me.”
Yeti took a wrong turn, likely distracted by an older Owen scent. But it wasn’t long before she corrected and found the trail I’d left minutes ago. A few seconds later, she let out three sharp barks.
I grinned. “That’s her alert that she’s found our missing victim.”
Crossing to Yeti, I gave her an enthusiastic rubdown and a
treat for her efforts. “Va jouer.”
“What’s that command?” Dex asked.
Yeti bounded through the yard in answer.
“Go play,” I said, chuckling as she rolled in the grass.
I picked up the pajama shirt and headed toward Dex.
“Pretty damn impressive.”
The grit coating his voice sent pleasant shivers across my skin, and I couldn’t stop myself from looking up into those shadowy eyes. “We try.”
Dex searched my face, his hand lifting and fingers ghosting beneath my eyes. “You’ve got shadows.”
I swallowed, my throat catching on the action as his fingers stilled on my face. I wanted to soak in the feel of that connection, the warmth and rough realness embedded in the tips of his fingers. “Not my best night,” I whispered.
His expression transformed then—to the familiar scowl that made me want to laugh now. Because I knew what was behind it. Caring. I’d never met someone who got so cranky for the best of reasons.
“Mr. Dex, why do you look like you’re sucking on a lemon?” a new voice cut in.
I startled away from Dex at the sound of my son’s presence, turning to find him standing on the back deck in robot pajamas, his glasses askew.
Yeti raced toward her best friend, elated at his presence as Dex searched for the right words.
“Your mom didn’t get enough sleep,” he finally answered honestly.
Owen’s green gaze turned to me. “Uh-oh, big trouble.”
He glanced back at Dex. “You gonna ground her? One night, I stayed up playing my video game, and she grounded me.”
Dex’s lips twitched. “I’m definitely thinking about it.”
I made a sound of protest.
Dex just arched a brow. “I think it’s fair. Can’t have you crashing on us.”
It was my turn to scowl. “Maybe I’m gonna ground you.”
“What’s the cause?”
Being too damn gorgeous too early in the morning was what I wanted to say. “Interference in morning training” was what I reached for instead. Pathetically.
A grin tugged at Dex’s lips. “You asked me to interfere.”
“Only after you butted in.”
“You welcomed that butting.”
“You’re the worst,” I grumbled.
“Only because you’re the worstest.”
“What are you two talking about?” Owen cut in.
Wasn’t that the million-dollar question?
Dex changed the subject. “How about I make you guys breakfast?”
Surprise sparked through me. “You cook?”
He looked a little insulted at my doubt. “I’ll have you know that my great-uncle Waylon is an amazing cook, so I learned from the best. I might not do it often, but I have the skills.”
One corner of my mouth tugged up. “What do you think, O? Should we risk our stomachs and let Dex make us breakfast?”
A huge grin broke out over Owen’s face. “Definitely. If it’s
bad, we can just feed it to Yeti.”
Dex’s jaw dropped. “You doubt me?”
Owen giggled. “I gotta taste-test first.”
“Fair enough. Give me two minutes, and I’ll be back.
Hellion, you got flour, eggs, and milk?”
“I do.” My smile tugged wider. “I also have the number for poison control.”
Dex made a motion like he’d just been stabbed in the heart. “You two are brutal.”
“The brutalest,” Owen called as Dex headed back for his place.
“Come on, team. In we go,” I ordered Owen and Yeti.
We filed back into the house, and I coaxed Owen into getting dressed and brushing his teeth as he peppered me with questions about Dex. None of which I had the answer to.
It was bizarre how I only knew a handful of things about the man, yet I felt more seen by him than anyone else in years. It was as if we saw through to the core of each other, to what made us who we were. The rest of us didn’t matter.
An alarm bell rang in my head as a warning ofDANGER flashed. I shoved it down. Dex hadn’t made a single move in my direction, so worrying that I might feel a pull too strongly inhis was silly. Breakfast, especially after what had happened yesterday, was just a simple kindness.
A knock sounded on the front door.
“I’ve got it!” Owen yelled, tearing out of the bathroom and leaving the water running.
“Do not open that door,” I warned as I shut off the water and righted his toothpaste.
“We know it’s him,” Owen said, exasperation filling his voice.
I started toward the door. “We do not know, and until we are one hundred percent certain, doors do not open in this house.”
My son’s face scrunched like he tasted something bad. It was likely a response to the seriousness in my tone. But the fact that an unknown someone had called me from Nova’s phone meant we needed to take extra care. I tried to remind myself that I was number one in Nova’s favorites list on her phone. Maybe someone had simply found her phone and called the number. I could’ve freaked them out by the way I answered.
But something told me that wasn’t the case.
Steeling myself, I peeked through the window at the top of
the door.
Dex.
Looking far too good. I ran a hand over my wild waves and knew it was no use. They wouldn’t be tamed anytime soon.
“It’s him. You can open the door.” I stepped back as Owen
rolled his eyes.
“Of course it’s him, bruh.”
“You keep rolling your eyes like that, and they’re gonna get stuck,” I muttered.
Owen grinned and opened the door. “Sorry, Mom had to do seventy million safety checks before she let me open the door.”
Dex’s gaze flicked to me. “Seventy million, huh?”
“Maybe more,” Owen amended.
Dex stepped in, carrying a grocery bag and a duffel.
“Sounds like she loves you a whole lot.”
Owen’s nose wrinkled. “I guess.”
I pinched that nose. “Then stop acting like you smelled something bad.”
He laughed and wiggled away from me. “I just don’t need the mushy stuff, bro.”
I made the same stabbing motion Dex had earlier and clutched my heart. “No mushy. And I’m a mom, not a bro.”
Dex chuckled. “They grow up fast.”
Too damn fast. As I straightened, I took in the bags again.
“You moving in and didn’t tell me?”
“You could totally sleep over,” Owen offered. “No one sleeps in that third bedroom.”
No one did because it was Nova’s room. Her headquarters. And when I got her back, it was where she’d live. I had to believe that.
Dex must’ve seen my bristling because he swooped in.
“I’m more of a camping-in-the-backyard guy.”
“I loooooove camping,” Owen cheered. “I used to go with my Cub Scout troop, and it was the best. Mom, do you think there’s one here?”
“I know there is. Already got you set up for the fall.”
Owen did a little half jump and started for the kitchen.
“That’s gonna be dope.”
“Is dope a thing again?” Dex whispered, leaning toward
me conspiratorially.
My mouth curved. “Apparently.”
But as I spoke, I inhaled. Damn it, that was a mistake.
Dex’s scent wrapped around me—clean, like a soft wind after a hard rain, cedar and sandalwood mixing together but so light it made you strain for another hit.
Hell. Dex had turned me into some sort of animal, wanting to roll around in that scent and rub against him for a little more.
Our eyes locked. Close. Too close. The kind of nearness that meant I could feel the heat rolling off him in waves. His gaze dropped to my mouth as if he were memorizing the shape.
Yeti scrambled between us, breaking the spell.All the dog cookies for her.
I cleared my throat, putting some distance between us.
“You never said what the bags were for.”
Dex eyed the newly formed space but didn’t comment.
Instead, he lifted the grocery bag. “Pancake necessities.” He raised the duffel. “Gear for your new alarm system.”
My jaw went slack.
“That’s bussin’,” Owen called as we entered the kitchen.
“Are you putting it in? Can I help?”
Dex deposited the duffel in a corner of the kitchen and the grocery bag on the counter. “You can totally help. We’ll have a lot of sensors to put in.”
“Excuse me, but shouldn’t you beasking if I want a system?” I cut in.
“Bruh, it’s gonna be awesome. We can play James Bond.
You got any lasers in there?” Owen asked, peering into the bag.
“No lasers. And this was all approved by Blaze. He wants some outside cameras to catch the kids having keggers without him.”
I wanted to laugh, but my head was swimming. “You should’ve askedme.”
Dex moved into my space, that scent teasing again.
“You’re right. Hellion, can I put in an alarm system at your house? You’ll be able to check who’s at the door with a camera, and you and Owen will be extra safe.”
His eyes met mine on that last sentiment, giving voice to unspoken words. Because someone out there wanted to
scare me.
“Fine.”
Owen cheered the moment the word was out of my mouth. “Can you teach me how to break an alarm?”
Dex grinned. “I could, but I think your mom might ground me.”
“Dexter Archer. If you teach my kid to become a hacker, there will be H-E-double hockey sticks to pay.”
“Bruh,” Owen muttered. “You know I can spell, right?”
I turned to him. “No hacking.”
He grinned widely, exposing the tiny gap between his front teeth. “Who, me? I’d never.”
I turned to Dex, pointing a finger at him. “The worst. You are the absolute worst.”
Laughter radiated from Dex, lighting the air around us. I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard him laugh like that. Like hemeant it.
“I’ll make it up to you with pancakes. Deal?”
“Fine,” I grumbled. “What can I do?”
Dex took me by the shoulders. The moment those rough palms curved around my bare skin, every part of me came alive. I wanted to push into his touch, feel more of it. It was as if I’d been in some half-numb state, and one touch had snapped me free.
“You can sit and drink your coffee,” Dex commanded, guiding me toward a chair at the kitchen table. “You’ve had enough on your plate for a bit.”
He bent as he spoke the words, his face close to mine. His gaze dropped to my lips again, sliding over them like he’d dragged his thumb across one. I sucked in a breath.
Yeti let out a loud, demanding bark, and Dex jerked upright, taking a huge step back.
“Yeti’s big mad. Did you feed her yet?” Owen asked, oblivious to the moment between Dex and me.
I cleared my throat. “No. I haven’t. You want to do that, bud?”
“On it,” Owen said, full of energy at the fun of a new guest.
“Then you can be my kitchen assistant,” Dex instructed as he set my coffee in front of me.
Owen poured two cups of food into Yeti’s bowl. “I need a more bad booty name thanassistant.”
Dex chuckled as he washed his hands and started prepping ingredients. “Okay. How aboutsecond-in-
command?”
“Better.”
The two of them chattered away as they prepped breakfast, and I tried to think of the last time someone had cooked for me. A stabbing sensation lanced my chest.
Nova.
She wasn’t one to prepare breakfasts, but she was one hell of a dinner chef. And she loved trying new cuisines.
Everything from Thai to Indian to Greek. And she was the only one who could get Owen to try those adventurous foods.
Because she made it fun.
Since she’d disappeared, I’d cooked every single meal other than the odd treat of Owen and me eating out. I’d cleaned every dish. I’d carried the weight of it all on my shoulders. And I was so damn tired, I felt like I could sleep for a month.
I jolted as a plate slid in front of me—a stack of two pancakes that obviously had things mixed into the batter.
The stack was rimmed with an artful array of strawberries and a healthy dose of whipped cream on top.
“Your breakfast. Need anything else to drink?” Dex asked, his voice dipping low.
I saw that he’d already gotten milk for Owen, who was carrying his plate to the table.
“I’m good,” I croaked. “What are these?”
Dex slid into the chair between me and Owen as if he belonged there, as if hefit. “Strawberry Oreo pancakes. My specialty.”
My eyes flared. The combination sounded heavenly and sinful all at once, the perfect balance.
“Go on,” he encouraged. “I need to know if I passed the test.”
I cut a small bite, dipping it into the whipped cream and sliding it into my mouth. I couldn’t help my eyes closing as I
chewed. Flavors exploded on my tongue, different levels of sweetness all balancing each other out. I let out a humming noise without thinking, and when my eyes popped open, I
found Dex watching me intently.
“Good?” he asked.
There was a hint of boyish uncertainty in the question.
Something that made Dex all the more real.
“Best thing I’ve ever tasted,” I whispered.
Pure pride bloomed in Dex’s expression as if I’d told him he’d successfully launched an expedition to Mars or cured cancer.
“Ermygod.” Owen struggled to speak around a mouthful of food. “Best ever!”
Dex chuckled as a beep sounded and then another. He slid
his phone out, grimacing.
“What?” I asked, concern taking hold.
“My brother,” he grumbled.
“Which one?”
“Orion.”
Something about his expression said there was a story there. Then, a smile split his face as his fingers moved across the screen.
“Is everything okay?” I asked hesitantly because Dex’s expression said it both was and wasn’t.
His grin just widened as he lowered the phone, so I got a glimpse of the screen. “I changed his ringtone to theHannah
Montana song.”
“You stole his phone?”
“Please,” Dex said, offended. “I hacked it.”
“Can we change Mom’s?” Owen asked hopefully. “She hated that ‘Baby Shark’ song. That would be awesome.”
I shouldn’t have, but I stole a glance at the screen.
ORION Change it back. Every time I try, it instantly reverts.
DEX Stop being a dick about Brae, and I’ll fix it.
ORION We don’t know if we can trust her.
Anxiety ignited, spreading through me like wildfire. Had they fought? Over me? Why?
MAVERICK Says the guy who guards his property with bear traps.
WYLDER And exploding food dye balloons.
ORION Want to be able to track anyone who comes onto my property uninvited.
WYLDER Jesus.
The phone dinged again, and Dex jerked it upright, out of my line of sight. Guilt swamped me. Spying was wrong.
Eavesdropping? Whatever the hell I’d just done. But another wave of guilt hit at the fact that Dex had been fighting with one of his brothers over me.
“Did I do something to make him mad?” I asked.
Dex’s gaze lifted as he winced. “It’s not you. He doesn’t trust anyone. And he doesn’t love that I’m”—he glanced at Owen for a moment—“breaking rules to help you.”
I tugged my lip between my teeth. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not on you,” Dex pressed. “I want to help. I’ve got an auto-search running on the phone. If it turns on again, we’ll get a location. And I’m chasing down other leads as well.”
He was doing everything he could to help, even though it was risky and caused strife with his family. “Thank you,” I whispered. Because I wasn’t going to argue with him
helping. Ineeded him. But I also wouldn’t ignore the fact that it cost him.
Dex’s phone dinged again. As he read whatever was on the screen, his expression turned guarded, unreadable. Then his jaw dropped. “Oh fuck.”
“That’s a bad one, Mr. Dex. Gonna have extra chores for
sure,” Owen warned.
“What? What’s wrong?” I pressed.
Dex’s gaze flicked up to my face. “My brother…Orion. He wants to meet you. He wants you to come to family dinner.”
Another wave of nerves hit. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“Well, it’s not good.”
