“Damn right,” I murmur, sipping slowly. “Every day. Just try and keep busy, find other things to mean something, you know? Kind of failing at it right now.”
Alonzo grunts his understanding.
“You ever miss using that brain on intelligence ops?” I aim a sideways gaze at my friend, gauging his reaction.
Alonzo’s background in army intelligence was extensive and impressive, and as an officer, he definitely could have had a life-long military career ahead of him. But that isn’t the route he chose and working in the private sector is earning him a six-figure salary at Sage-Jackson. I don’t think it’s about the money for Alonzo, though. If I have him pegged correctly, there’s more to him moving to Savannah and taking a job with our company.
I’m just not sure what that reason is.
“Yeah, man. Sometimes I do. Other times, I’m real relieved to be out of there. This life you and Flash are building here? This is more…stable. I need that right now.” His expression shutters, and he clamps his lips together like that’s all he’s got to say, and I drop the topic.
The front door of the bar opens then, and that’s where my gaze draws. My breath catches, and my heartbeat kicks into third gear. Brantley Hughes strolls into the bar.
My body reacts every time I see her; I can’t help it. But tonight? Tonight it’s like she’s trying to give me a goddamn heart attack.
Brantley’s short, maybe five-three with heels on. And these black heels are sky high. My eyes travel from those up the length of shapely, bronzed legs. She’s wearing a curve-hugging dark pink dress that stops just above the knee, a short split on one side teasing my active imagination. Thin spaghetti straps show off her shoulders and a plunging neckline, forcing my eyes to pause and drink in the thick chained heart necklace that drops between her ample breasts.
A whole slew of curses let loose from my mouth, and beside me, I note Alonzo straightening.
“Well, damn,” he mutters. “Are they with us?”
It’s only then that I notice Parker; the woman who nannies for Flash and Arden has come in with Brantley. She looks pretty, too, in black shiny leggings and a gold glittery top. But I barely glance at the blond before my eyes drift back to Brantley. She’s caught sight of me, pausing in the doorway. Our eyes catch and hold, and I take a step toward her without even realizing what I’m doing. Her hair, chestnut at the top, fading to gold where it lays in thick waves past her shoulders, glitters in the lights of the bar overhead. Her tongue darts out to lick glossy lips, a nervous habit I’ve seen her do a million times before now, and my dick immediately stiffens in my jeans.
Jesus fuck. She looks sexier tonight than I’ve ever seen her look. What the hell am I going to do all night?
I hear Arden call out, “B!” from our table.
Brantley pulls her eyes from mine, grabs Parker’s hand, and pulls her to the table.
I follow their progress with a predatory gaze, unable to stop my staring.
“I thought Flash had found a unicorn…” Alonzo’s voice is amused. “You telling me all the women you hang out with in Savannah look like that?”
A stab of jealousy rockets through me, and I down a swig of bourbon to tame it. “We don’t hang out with a lot of women in Savannah. But we seem to have gotten lucky three times.”
Alonzo shakes his head. “Well, what the hell are we standing here for?”
We push off from the counter and carry our drinks back to our large, circular booth, where our party has grown to six. Alonzo slides in at the end beside Flash, and I slip in on the other side, beside Brantley.
I lean over so that both she and Parker can hear me. “Drinks on me tonight, ladies. What’ll you have?”
Parker, who I’ve only ever seen smile, beams one at me now. “Thanks, Axel! I’ll take white wine…Riesling, please.”
I nod to acknowledge her and turn my attention to Brantley. I already know what Brantley likes to drink. Spending a year hanging out with someone acquaints you with a lot of their quirks and preferences.
“And you? On a night out, you like a Tequila Sunrise…right?”
Her eyes, the color of warm chocolate, flicker with surprise. “You’ve been paying attention, Airman.”
She’s never called me that before—Airman. My chest constricts with the familiarity of it. “I’ve definitely been paying attention.” I don’t let my eyes stray from hers, not wanting her to read anything physical into my words.
Because holy fuck, she looks good enough to eat tonight. And I’ve noticed. But that’s not all I’ve observed over the last year when it comes to Brantley.
Her fingers toy with her necklace, and I slide out of the booth and head back to the bar.
I glance back at the table once or twice while I wait for the drinks, noting Arden introducing the women to Alonzo. I pay close attention to Brantley and Alonzo’s interaction, wondering how I’d feel if they hit it off tonight.
You don’t have to wonder about that, idiot.
I know damn well how I’d feel.
When I arrive back at the table, they’re deep in conversation about their favorite Savannah sights and scenes. I attribute it to Alonzo’s new arrival in town.
“Oh, and the City Market, have you been there yet?” Parker accepts her drink with gracious warmth. “That’s one of my favorites. When I first moved here full time two years ago, I think I went every weekend!”
“Oh, and we all went to that new museum last month, what was it called, Brantley?” Arden tips her head to one side, glancing at her best friend.
Beside me, Brantley lowers her head and takes a long sip of her drink. “I wasn’t here that weekend, remember, Ards?”
Arden frowns. “Oh, yeah…” She focuses on Brantley, her gaze suddenly sharp. “Where did you say you went again?”
All eyes at the table land on Brantley. I can feel the discomfort rolling off of her, which isn’t normal for her. She’s usually the kind of woman who’s at ease in her own skin, the kind of person with nothing to hide. So when she looks up with a defiant stare, I’m taken aback.
“I told you, Ards.” Brantley speaks slowly and clearly, like she’s explaining something to someone who just doesn’t get it. “I went to a spa in the mountains. I just needed to get away for a few days.”
Arden stares right back. “Yeah, I know what you said, B. I just…I don’t know. We’ll talk about it later.”
Brantley shrugs, turning her attention back to her drink. “I don’t know why we would need to.”
Flash turns his head from side to side, as if he’s following the conversation with his eyes even though the sunglasses over them lets us know he isn’t. “Hey,” he says quietly to Arden. “She was at a spa, who cares, right? You gonna let it go?”
Arden’s chin is set in a familiar stubborn expression. Oh, boy.
And my mind begins to whir. Because now that I think about it, over the past year, there have been a few times that stick out in my mind where Brantley has disappeared. Sometimes with warning, but one time in particular, on a night that our company was having an important event, that she didn’t tell anyone where she was going. I always wondered why.
Obviously, this has been an ongoing discussion between she and Arden. It’s interesting because I was sure those women told each other everything.