Page 42 of Anything for You (Veterans of Silver Ridge #7)

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Dorian

W e had twenty minutes left before my shift would end and I couldn’t wait. I’d enjoyed my time with Tristan in the CP, but knowing I’d get to see Dove in a matter of minutes meant I was restless.

It could be said I’d been restless since the day she’d cut my hair.

Maybe long before that. The memory of her fingers in my hair, the light tugs and quiet between us as she trimmed…

I’d had a moment where I’d thought about abandoning all efforts to keep my hands to myself and just take whatever she’d give.

Especially after she’d come into the bathroom when I’d asked her to, thinking I’d see if she thought the beard was short enough and she’d looked dazed. By me. As though I wasn’t constantly on my heels with her, barely catching my breath for how much I wanted to be near her.

I’d had to berate myself into forgetting her comments about the shower, too. And cruelly, I’d been working often since then and we’d hardly seen each other. How could we be neighbors and yet barely manage to make eye contact for three days?

Thankfully, she’d gotten a ride to one of the films in the festival with Nikki and Winnie, and I’d get to drive her home.

In ten minutes. Not that I was counting down.

“Everything going well for you?” Tristan asked now that things had settled down.

We were manning the CP—the command post—where we fielded calls and tracked all of our team, their clients, and anyone else we needed an eye on, plus local police channels.

This helped give a heads-up to our staff if anything was reported, and was part of the process when managing multiple clients at a major event like this.

Most of the celebrities our team was guarding had slipped into an after-party or called it a night.

Eight minutes.

“Going well. Trees are looking good. Think we’ll have a good season this year.”

Tristan nodded and offered a smile. He was a quiet man, and I’d always appreciated his ability to speak without words. We had that in common.

“And Dove?”

Of course he knew. The Saint Security gossip mill was likely running full force. Nothing malicious, but these people loved to share the latest and it was second only to the EMU gossip when we were active.

“She’s better than I could’ve imagined.”

He smiled in earnest now. “Perfect.”

I failed entirely in the mission to look anything other than completely gone for the woman. As a man who had been head over heels for his wife before ever even meeting her in real life, he wouldn’t judge.

“Congrats on the expansion.” I’d said as much a few days ago when Bruce and Wilder announced some of the changes coming to Saint thanks to Luc’s investment, but I hadn’t seen him one on one.

He’d be building out a new dedicated combatives training space and offering a much larger course catalog.

“Sounds like you and Doc will have a lot of fun ahead.”

He leaned back in his chair, fully at ease discussing the likely hundreds of hours of work looming. “Should be a good time.”

I hated it, but the feeling didn’t change the fact that his words made guilt and something like jealousy bubble up in my gut. Shifting against the unsettling sensation, I checked my watch.

Six minutes.

The door swung open and Bruce peered in. “Hey. Dove’s here if you want to knock off a minute early. I’ll hang with Oak.”

Without a thought, I shot out of my seat, thanking him and saying farewell to Tristan as I went to the tune of their low chuckles.

Outside, down the stairs, and with a short jog to my car, I found her laughing with Nikki, Winnie, and Jo.

“Ladies.”

I was glad she’d had a good night. She’d mentioned how excited she was to get dressed up and spend time with her friends after such a stressful work schedule. Instead of their usual Friday night happy hour, they’d spent an evening at the festival.

Well, everyone save for Liz and Jess, both of whom were working the event.

Jess and Jude were both still only working part part-time, but they both seemed to enjoy taking turns getting out of the house.

They’d struck a balance, and Jess had tomorrow night off and would attend book club, which Dove felt was a good compromise.

“You look nice, Stone,” Jo said with a bright smile. Winnie and Nikki agreed, and they waved their goodbyes to Dove.

I couldn’t have said what they were wearing for all the money in the world. Pathetic given that my job had once hinged on my ability to be observant and take relevant action based on the evidence I’d discovered. Not tonight.

Tonight, in the glittering moonlight with the shadowy mountains behind us, I could only see Dove.

“You’re breathtaking.” I pressed a hand over my heart like it might help this rush of intensity taking place. She was so beautiful, and it wasn’t the way she’d done her hair or makeup. It wasn’t the deep blue dress clinging to her stunning, mouthwatering curves.

It was her. That beaming smile I’d seen when I walked up and the way she’d hugged each of her friends while I’d just swallowed down the image of her in front of me after waiting all day for it.

It was the soft expression that flooded her face and how she stepped forward and reached for my hand, tucking it close to her heart like maybe she’d missed me as much as I’d missed her.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” She made a show of looking me over head to toe, then bit her lip.

White-hot wanting burst in my chest and zipped out to every limb. “Ready to go?” My thumb brushed across the back of her hand.

“Yes.”

Inside the car, she talked about the movie.

There were famous names involved with the acting and she’d seen all the stars there.

She didn’t seem particularly awed by them, but in a town where major movie stars and celebrities often visited and sometimes settled down, the locals didn’t tend to be wowed by fame.

“Did you like it?” I asked as we pulled onto the farm property. A few more minutes and we’d be home.

“I… didn’t hate it? But it’s not something I’d ever want to watch again.

” She huffed a little. “Actually maybe I did hate it? It was a lot of mopey shots of handsome men looking wistful and slightly angry because the world had wronged them. The only women in the story were either elderly or flighty love interests. It felt out of date, and honestly, I’m pretty tired of women being depicted as accessories or enemies.

Give me strong women with strong friendships and healthy interactions with men who’ve done the work to deal with their issues instead of blaming the world for problems everyone else also has. ”

Her heated words rang between us and I waited for more. It felt like words were lingering, not quite verbalized. When we parked, I nudged her. “And?”

She sighed. “Honestly, I think it reminded me of my brother and probably the way my dad was. I mean, nothing to do with a cult, but enough of that put-upon ideology that makes men into monsters, frankly. It’s self-indulgent in a way that makes me feel sick.

Not the fun, ‘treat yo’self’ version from Parks and Rec.

” She scowled out the window toward her cabin.

“So you’re saying you loved it.”

She tsked and smiled. “Yes. Can’t wait to see it again when it’s on streaming.”

I slipped out of the car and jogged around to get her door right as she opened it .

“Oh, thank you.” She bit her lip again, almost like she knew it drove me wild.

“I’m sorry you didn’t like the movie,” I said, linking our fingers and walking slowly toward her door. I didn’t expect an invite in after we’d both worked and it’d gotten late. But I didn’t want to rush these last few minutes together by racing to the doorstep.

“It was still fun to go. I’m just glad it wasn’t Jack or Jenna because I don’t know if I would’ve been able to pretend to like it.”

“Would you pretend?” I asked, curious to know whether she really would lie about liking the movie for the sake of people who were connected to her friends.

She shrugged one lovely bare shoulder, drawing my attention to the smooth line of her skin. I wanted to press my lips there, at her shoulder, the base of her neck, the line of her collar bone.

An audible exhale had me glancing up to see her shaking her head. “You can’t keep looking at me like that.”

I stepped closer, drawn in as always. “I don’t know how to stop.”

She turned on the step and gripped the lapels of my jacket. “One of us better figure it out or we’re in trouble.”