Authors: Emily Ryan-Davis
Chapter Four
The administrative building was nearly empty at nineteen hundred hours on Friday evening, proving that not even a member of the U.S. Marine Corps got a pass on Valentine’s Day. Hunter was no exception. The difference between him and every other Marine at 8th & I was they were all on their way to fulfilling their romantic obligations. Hunter, on the other hand, was late.
As he strode past the dark offices, he considered his odds of meeting up with Liam and Kat before the dessert course. A helicopter was his only chance, but the Corps was unlikely to supply air transport so Hunter wouldn’t miss his candlelit dinner for three.
He pulled his phone out to send Liam a text but stopped when the door to one of the offices swung open. Recognizing his commanding officer, Hunter pocketed his phone. The skin between his shoulder blades itched as his personal life and professional life brushed so close together.
His CO stopped short of closing the door to his office. “You still here, Gunny? You’re going to have one angry girlfriend.”
“No girlfriend, sir.” Technically, that was the truth. The relationship evolving between the three of them was too complex for simple concepts like girlfriends, boyfriends and dating.
Hunter held up the folder he carried. “Just dropping this off before I head out for the weekend.”
His CO reached in and turned the office light back on. “Well, it’s good timing. Come on in.”
Fuck. Not even air transport would help him now. Wondering whether two lovers added up to twice the groveling, he ground his back teeth together and followed his CO into the office.
* * *
Nearly three hours later, Hunter pulled into the parking lot of the Tilghman Island resort that Liam had chosen for the weekend. Cold, icy pellets of snow whipped across his face as he strode toward the warmly lit inn.
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He didn’t have to look at the screen to know the message was from Liam, just like the other three texts Hunter had received during the drive from from D.C. Not a single text from Kat, but that was no surprise. She had gone from sixty to zero after Hunter took issue with her excessive texting...which was exactly what he’d wanted her to do. Until she respected his wishes and stopped all unnecessary communication. Now? Now he had the cherry on the top of that sundae—he missed being included in the couple’s daytime affairs. He’d shut Kat down in an attempt to draw some lines between his military career and his newly complicated personal life, but he’d screwed himself in the process.
He’d answered the first with a brief
Eat without me
,
don’t leave
and ignored the rest, instead focusing on the road. Traffic out of the capital was a bitch in the best of conditions. Friday evening, Valentine’s Day and a fucking blizzard did not equal the best of conditions.
Throw in two irritated lovers instead of one, and the situation grew exponentially worse. The tie around his neck felt tighter than his stiffest dress blues. He jerked it off and stuffed it in his pocket before walking inside.
The hostess was nowhere to be seen. Hunter scanned the restaurant, looking for his dates. When he found them, the picture they presented stopped him in his tracks. While Hunter watched, Kat tilted her head back at the same time Liam lowered his. Instead of kissing Kat on the mouth, Liam brushed his lips down her throat. Kat’s lips curved and she closed her eyes, completely comfortable with Liam’s physical display.
This wasn’t the first time Hunter had stood out of sight and watched Liam with Kat, but it was the first time in a good long while. This time, he didn’t walk away.
Kat opened her eyes and smiled at Hunter before he could announce himself. “You made it.”
Hunter glanced at the table. The server had already removed the remains of their meal, leaving behind coffee dishes for two. “Not in time for dinner.”
“Things happen.” Liam stood and reached across the table, hand extended. “Do you want to sit down and order now? Or would you rather order room service?”
When Hunter clasped Liam’s hand, a bolt of awareness shot through him, jarring Hunter so badly, he jerked his hand back.
Recognition flickered in Liam’s blue eyes but he didn’t comment on the heat simmering between them. They faced each other for a charged moment before Liam sat back down beside Kat.
“I vote room service,” she said, shifting her gaze between him and Liam. What she didn’t say was written all over her face. Her flushed cheeks and glossy eyes could be a result of the wine she’d consumed at dinner, but he knew better. And he had a damn good idea of what she pictured when she bit her lip like that.
Desire kicked him in the gut, powerful and unexpected. Maybe someday Kat’s fascination with watching two men fuck would stop affecting him the way it did, but not tonight. Not trusting himself to keep his secrets if he looked at Liam again, Hunter focused on her. “You already have room keys?”
Liam slid a plastic card across the table. “That one’s yours.”
Kat scooted along the bench until she could stand. “I’m going to go up. Why don’t you two have a drink at the bar?”
“I could use a beer,” Liam said.
Even though he itched to get out of the public eye, Hunter agreed to Kat’s suggestion. He tried not to watch her walk away but his focus kept returning to the sway of her hips until she was out of sight.
* * *
“It’s a losing battle.” Liam watched Hunter with amusement. “Only a blind man could ignore her ass.”
With a noncommittal grunt, Hunter shoved his hands in his pockets and the gray fabric of his trousers stretched between his fists. Jesus. Speaking of things only a blind man could ignore. Liam forced himself to look away before his interest became obvious to anybody else. Hunter didn’t have many expectations from Liam and Kat, so Liam did his best to respect Hunter’s desire to keep the nature of their relationship private.
The secrecy galled Liam but he knew it bothered Kat more. She was a hands-on, affectionate person by nature, so having to think through every action and word set her on edge. Liam hadn’t expected her to stick around once Hunter finally showed up. She was more comfortable with their relationship when she could be herself.
Liam signed the credit card slip and stood. Hunter fell into step beside him and they made their way to the hotel bar, which was less crowded than the restaurant. A handful of couples sat at high-top tables, chatting in low voices by the dim light cast by nautical-themed wall sconces. Nobody except the bartender paid Liam and Hunter the least bit of attention. They found a pair of stools at the gleaming mahogany bar and ordered a couple of drafts just like any other two dudes would. And just like any other two dudes would, they proceeded to sit and drink in silence, with Hunter staring at the muted television while Liam watched Hunter in the mirror behind the bar.
After a few minutes of that, Liam broke the silence. “Jen’s in some trouble.”
“Sounds like business as usual,” Hunter said.
“Shit. I wish.” Liam took a long drink from his pint glass. The beer was still bitter on his tongue when he said, “This time, it involves you.”
Shaking his head, Hunter cut his gaze away from the television and met Liam’s eyes. “The hell it does. I haven’t seen her since she got caught shoplifting in Ocean City. If she’s accusing me of something, she’s lying.”
“She didn’t accuse you of anything.”
“Except putting her up to stealing those damn sunglasses.” Hunter’s lips twisted.
“Jesus, do you ever forget anything?” But Liam could hardly blame Hunter for his lingering bitterness. Hunter’s dad had given him one hell of a beating as punishment for the inconvenience of being called down to the Eastern Shore to collect his son from police custody.
“Not much,” Hunter said.
Liam decided not to dwell on Hunter’s admission. “Well, like I said, she didn’t accuse you of anything. She’s pregnant and she wants me and Kat to take the baby.”
Hunter froze with his beer halfway to his mouth. He set the glass down without drinking from it. “I guess that does involve me.”
“Before you ask, Kat doesn’t know yet. I haven’t told her. To be honest, I’m still trying to process Jen’s request for myself.” With that confession, Liam dodged Hunter’s scrutiny by staring at the wet ring his glass had left on the bar top. He didn’t know what he wanted Hunter to say, but figured the best way to get Hunter to say anything at all was to keep his own mouth shut for a while.
The overhead TV cycled through a series of commercials before Hunter spoke.
“Tell Kat.”
Liam ground his back teeth together. “I’m going to. Just not yet. I have a bad feeling.”
“Yeah,” Hunter said. “I can guess how you’re going to do it, and I’m telling you now, you have to tell her ASAP or you really will know what a bad feeling is. Don’t shove her into the situation without any warning or choice in the matter.”
He was referring to Christmas Eve, of course, and while Liam bristled at the reminder, he didn’t try to defend himself. “Kat’s going to balk because of you. I don’t want to put a kid into the foster system.”
“Dude, you can’t know how she’s going to react.”
Liam swiveled to face forward. Placing both elbows on the bar, he picked up a cardboard coaster and turned the damp circle around in his hands. A colorful beer logo promised good times and a fantastic life. Heh, yeah, right. He drew a slow breath and glanced at Hunter. “How are
you
going to react?”
Hunter’s jaw tensed. He took a long pull from his drink before he spoke, and he didn’t look at Liam. “What you and Kat decide to do as far as kids are concerned is up to you and Kat.”
“That’s a bullshit answer if I ever heard one,” Liam said mildly. “And it’s not going to fly forever. Neither I nor Kat think of this as ‘us and you.’ It’s just ‘us.’”
With a shrug, Hunter knocked back the rest of his beer and raised two fingers to get the bartender’s attention. Neither man spoke again for several minutes. Liam watched Hunter, who glowered at the television like he wanted to throttle the sportscaster on the screen.
When condensation started to form on Hunter’s untouched second beer, Liam tossed the coaster onto the bar and straightened. “Do you want to tell me what’s bothering you?”
“I got my new orders today. I report for duty at Lejeune on March third.”
“Christ. So this is happening.” Liam rubbed the back of his neck. “Where’s that, again?”
“North Carolina.”
Liam blew out a breath. “Will this be another temporary assignment?”
Hunter finally looked at Liam, something like wariness in his eyes. Before Liam could pinpoint the emotion, it was gone.
“No. I’ll be there for a few years. It’s a teaching assignment, where I gain some of the leadership skills and experience I’ll need going forward.”
Years. Shit. Liam didn’t know whether to be relieved or not. He was prepared for a temporary move out of state. Years were a different matter. Years were semipermanent.
His phone vibrated. Grateful for the distraction, Liam checked the incoming text.
Did you two decide to enjoy the rest of the night without me?
:
)
Liam placed his phone facedown on the bar without replying. The romantic evening he had planned was at risk of going straight to hell. Abruptly, he said, “You can’t tell Kat.”
Hunter narrowed his eyes. “She deserves to know. This isn’t something you can keep to yourself until you decide the timing is right.”
“Yeah, actually, it is. And it’s something you can keep to yourself too. Tonight? Shitty timing. If you can’t put it aside for tonight so Kat can have her hearts and flowers, say so now. I’ll make other arrangements for you.” Liam grabbed his wallet and threw two twenty-dollar bills on the bar. “Sometimes a man has to make a judgment call. When it comes to Kat, I’m the one who gets to make the call.”
Hunter stood, jaw clenched. “Make up your fucking mind, Liam. Either she gets to make her own decisions or she doesn’t.”
Liam’s phone vibrated again. He ignored it. “What decision do you want her to make tonight that she can’t make tomorrow?”
Hunter held Liam’s gaze. “Are you going to answer her?”
“I’m waiting on you, man.”
Hunter lowered his voice another octave. “You’ve crossed a line. I’m not going to forget it. We both know this isn’t about some fucking candlelit bubble bath. You’re balking because something unexpected came up and you’re too chickenshit to face it head-on before you’ve decided how you want everything to play out.”
Without another word, he stood and strode away. Liam closed his eyes as the heat of confrontation dropped to a bone-numbing chill. Regret might have bowled him off the bar stool if he hadn’t been gripping the edge to brace himself. What the fuck was he doing? What had he
done
?
He stood and turned to go after Hunter but Hunter was gone and Liam didn’t know which direction he’d taken. Kat texted him again, deciding his course. He couldn’t spend all night paralyzed in the bar. Kat was waiting for him upstairs. Waiting for him to explain to her how he had driven Hunter away so soon after finding him again. For one brief moment, he wondered whether he should do her a favor and follow in Hunter’s footsteps. Just walk away. When Kat married him, he’d had his life together. She had married a man who was moving forward and climbing out of the dark pits of his past. Not a man who was moving backward, every day a struggle to stay one step ahead of the devil drawing him back.
Liam exhaled through his nostrils and pivoted toward the bank of elevators across the lobby. The God’s-honest truth was he didn’t have the guts to let her go. With so many of his other safeguards failing, Kat was his last anchor. Inside the elevator, he stabbed the button for his floor and considered his options.
His options. That was a joke. He’d backed himself into a corner and could no longer see what he really wanted.
Too soon, the elevator doors slid open. They didn’t reveal any answers. Liam exited but couldn’t make his feet move. He was still standing in front of the elevator when a door opened at the other end of the hall. A tall, well-built man emerged from the stairwell. Liam’s throat tightened.