Page 16 of The Flame of Carson (Blackout Security Inc. #3)
Knowing she was not going to fall back asleep, Stacey managed to extract herself from his arms and slipped out of bed.
Standing naked at the foot of the bed, she studied Gage in the early dawn light.
He looked like some mythical warrior in her eyes.
Not an ounce of spare flesh on his body and all hers.
Smiling, she scooped up the robe from the chest at the end of her bed and quietly walked into her closet to get dressed for the day.
Dressed now in jeans, a t-shirt she had found at Hot Topic with Freddy Kruger on it and her favorite tennis shoes, Stacey walked into the kitchen.
She started a pot of coffee and set about fixing herself a bowl of cereal.
Standing at the counter, she ate her Frosted Flakes as she flipped through Facebook on her phone.
Polishing off her cereal, she moved to the sink to rinse out the bowl.
As she did, she looked out the window into her backyard.
It was a beautiful day and according to the forecast it would be in the mid 70’s during the day and dropping to the mid 60’s in the evening. A perfect day and night for Halloween.
‘ It’s so nice to actually, at least for a day, to forget everything. For me and Gage to just be us. A normal couple celebrating Halloween. A day of horror films, pigging out on junk food and giving out candy later. ’ She thought as she set the now clean cereal bowl in the dish drainer.
Fixing herself a cup of coffee, Stacey slipped out her sliding back door and stepped onto her back deck.
Taking that first sip of caffeine, she breathed in the crisp fall air of East Texas.
A few moments later, she heard the back door opening and sensed Gage walking up behind her.
When his arms slid around her waist, she just sighed in contentment and leaned back into him.
His bare chest pressed up against her back.
“Good morning, babe.”
“Good morning big boy. How did you sleep?”
“Like a rock. Course, I always sleep good with you in my arms,” he said, dropping a kiss along her neck.
She shivered in delight, giggling, “I’m the same way.
Before you, I couldn’t really sleep comfortably with anyone.
Not that I had many lovers mind you, but the few I did that stayed over, I found it.
..” she paused, choosing her words carefully.
“Not uncomfortable exactly, but unusual. I guess that’s a good way to describe the feeling. Does that make sense?”
“Perfectly. I felt the same way before you Stacey.” He replied, pulling her tighter against him. “So, what exactly is the game plan for today? I know you said something about watching horror movies, but nothing else really.”
“That’s pretty much it. Well, I might do a load or two of laundry. That and pigging out on junk food. It’s the third day of the year that I indulge. The other two days are Christmas and Thanksgiving.” She stated.
“Sounds like a perfect day. When do we get started? And just so you know, I know a few things on how to tweak junk food, but in a good way.”
“I can’t wait to see these tweaks. Well, let’s head inside and get started.”
With his arms draped around her, Gage steered them back inside. “What movie are we starting with by the way?”
“Well, my favorite one of course. The Exorcist.” Stacey grinned.
Gage laughed and kissed her temple. “Why am I not surprised.”
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G age un-paused the movie as Stacey curled back up against him. “That the last of the candy?”
“Yep. Porch light off and the door locked.” Stacey nodded.
“I swear, they really should have just stopped with Scream 3 .” Stacey snorted as the credits began.
“I agree. This one is funnier than scary. I will give them points for being a little more original though.” Gage agreed, hitting the eject button on the remote. “So, what’s next? We’ve watched all The Exorcist movies, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Friday the 13th and now Scream .”
“We could start Paranormal Activity ?”
“Sounds good. You get it loaded up and I’ll go get more popcorn.”
As Gage headed for the kitchen, Stacey moved to the DVD player and ejected the disc.
As she inserted the new movie, her thoughts ran back over the last two days.
Last night had been a blast. She had learned more about the men Gage worked with daily and spent time with Krista, Alora and their girlfriends.
When Stacey had met Alora, she had immediately taken a liking to her and when she found out that Alora and Lance were together, she had been shocked.
Stacey had told Gage she was surprised about the match and Gage had laughed telling her they all were.
In the last couple of weeks, Austin was starting to feel more and more like home.
The people, the hustle and bustle of the city.
While it would never be New York, the vibe fit Stacey like a good suit.
It accentuated her personality and lifestyle.
The cherry on the top was that she and Gage were together now and that was the one thing that made the move all worth it in the end.
She was smiling when Gage walked back in with a fresh bowl of popcorn and rejoined her on the couch.
“You look happy babe.” He commented.
Stacey leaned over and kissed him. “I am Gage. I will admit I was a little worried that moving here wouldn’t fit. But I was wrong. Austin is a perfect fit.”
Gage sat the bowl on the coffee table and pulled her close, “I’m so glad you chose to move here. Regardless of why. We’re together now and that means the world to me.”
“Me too Gage. Me too.” She sighed and hit the play button.
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“H ow are you feeling baby?” Ethan asked a little worriedly as Krista exited the bathroom.
“This morning sickness sucks, but the doctor said it should pass soon.” Krista answered climbing in bed beside her husband.
Ethan chuckled and kissed her forehead as she snuggled in his arms. “Was it just my imagination or did Stacey look a little...sad last night?”
“You weren’t imagining it. I called her earlier today and she told me she just had a moment last night.
You see, Jerry was one of my best friends yes, but he and Jillian were like siblings to Stacey.
Their families were as close as yours and mine.
Losing Jerry hit me, but it almost destroyed Stacey.
Unlike me, she was in New York alone, except her parents.
I had you, the guys at Blackout and my girls.
Last night, seeing that, just hit her.” Krista explained sadly.
“Damn.” Ethan breathed, holding her tighter. “Is she...”
“She’s better now. When she stepped out last night, she bumped into Grant and, well you know Grant. He helped her feel better. Not sure what he said or did, but Stace said she felt much better after talking to him.” Krista said.
“I bet. Grant would understand what she’s going through better than the rest of us.” Ethan paused, wondering if he should tell her.
“Ethan, if you don’t want to tell me...”
“It’s not that Kris. It’s just, it’s not my story to tell and I don’t want to go behind Grant’s back.”
“Ah, you mean what happened with his friend Sean.”
“So, he told you?”
Krista nodded against his chest. “About a month after Ingram was hauled off to prison, Grant ran into me at a coffee shop. I was just missing Jerry and thinking about what all had happened. He told me about Sean and how devastated he was when Sean was killed in Afghanistan. I kind of got the feeling he may have told Stacey last night. At least some of it anyway.”
“We met Grant about six months or so after that happened. It was about a year or so after we all got into MARSOC and got to know each other better that he told us the whole story. It was rough for him. I found out later that had Sean not been killed he would have been recruited alongside Grant. I didn’t tell him that until right before we all got out. ” Ethan said.
“Wow. How did he take that?” she questioned.
“He smiled and said that sounded about right. I get the feeling that Sean and Grant loved everything about the Marines and those two were tattooed to each other’s asses in a fight.” He chuckled.
Krista giggled and wrapped her arms around Ethan. “Well, I’m glad he was able to help Stacey. And me for that matter.”
“Me too baby. Me too.” Ethan sighed, holding her tight, his hand moving to her stomach and the next generation of Blackstone’s she carried.