Betting on Both Page 14
“Where’s Steve?” Cole yelled, joining in the rush.
“He was running a supply detail,” Marsden shouted as he joined Cole, step for step. “You need to get your lid on.” He slapped the top of his helmet. “Go back and get it.”
Cole shook his head. “I’ve got to get to the hospital.”
“Where the fuck do you think we’re going?” Marsden said.
A siren went off nearby, drawing Cole’s attention away.
The alarm rose and rose to deafening levels as he spun around, trying to find the source of the noise and then the explosion, the fire in his side ripping him away from them . . .
He opened his eyes to the phone’s incessant ringing, the loud alert filling his entire suite with noise.
Cole grabbed the phone and silenced the alarm before tossing it across the room.
He lay back on the bed, covered with a sheen of sweat.
Fuck.
Not again.
He had the nightmare at least once a week, an abortive attempt to change the past.
He never did.
At least this time he hadn’t gotten to the end.
Cole rubbed his palms over his eyes.
A glance at the digital clock on his bedside table gave him the time.
If he got up now he’d have time to shower and get ready to go to dinner with Julien and Kat.
Or he could lie here and let David or Phil or any one of the other trained bodyguards go along.
He stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out his future.
And how to deal with the past.
Chapter Seven
Kat stared at her wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear for her date.
A little voice at the back of her mind reminded her that Julien had seen her naked already, had his way with her and vice versa.
There wasn’t much needed in the way of subtlety. She knew he’d be undressing her with his eyes, as he’d done every time they’d passed each other for the last week.
Still, there was something to be said for teasing the man.
She sighed, remembering the feel of the long, silky dark hair as she drew her fingers through it. So different from Cole’s short-cropped, military-style cut.
The two men were so alike and yet so different. Cole’s broad, thick shoulders rippled with muscles; his abs were a series of speed bumps for her tongue to ride. She remembered the way he’d held back the laughter as she drew her hands along his sensitive sides, hitting all of his ticklish spots.
Then there was Julien. His slender fingers, strong and gentle at the same time, stroking and fondling, pinching and squeezing wherever they could reach.
Which, given he had long arms, gave a lot of options.
Cole’s strength, dominating her when she wanted it to. When she needed it to.
Julien’s mischievous grin and humor, his ability to make her laugh.
Kat settled on the dress she’d bought earlier with Cole, the white dress with black polka dots, black shoes, and a matching travel purse. She went into the bathroom to add a dash of makeup, noting the dark circles under her eyes.
She hadn’t slept well the past few nights, the combination of worrying about the Majestic and about Cole draining her. A night out was what she needed.
Kat stared at her image in the mirror, noting the frown.
What could she say to Cole to draw him out of his shell? There’d been something pricking his soul that night, the way he whimpered in her arms. He’d been in a bad, bad place in his mind, and she suspected it hadn’t been the first time.
It was easy enough to shrug it off as battle trauma and let him deal with it, but Kat couldn’t and wouldn’t let it go.
She loved the man, damn it. And she was going to help him whether he wanted it or not.
Kat steeled herself and walked into the living room to wait for Julien.
She wasn’t alone.
Cole stood there, dressed in a white shirt and black pants. The well-worn leather jacket was snug on his shoulders.
“I’d like to say I’m sorry,” he said. “But I’d like the chance to say it to both of you and explain at the same time.”
Kat was on him in a second, crushing her mouth to his with a hunger she had been fighting for days. Her hands scrambled under his jacket to grip his shoulders, ignoring the pistol snug in the small of his back, tucked inside a leather holster.
He was no slouch. One hand gripped the back of her neck hard, holding her in place as he devoured her, returning her passion with his own intensity. The other hand grabbed her ass and pulled her against him, letting her feel his arousal. A whimper escaped her lips as he slid his hand up under her dress and under her panties, fingers digging into bare flesh.
They might not make it to dinner. They might not even make it out of the suite.
Kat pulled away a minute later, gasping for air.
Cole’s lips turned upward. “Missed me?”
“So. Much.” She sighed as his hand caressed her skin. “I’ve wanted to knock on your door and pull you out here for hours.”
He frowned. “So why didn’t you?”
Kat cocked her head. “Because you’ve got a damned thick head and no one can make you do anything you don’t want to do.”
“Even you?” The laughter in his voice made her smile.
“Except in bed,” she conceded. “You definitely have to obey me there.”
Cole released her with a last heated kiss. “Let’s get downstairs before we have to call Julien and tell him we’re eating in tonight.” His hungry smile had her head spinning.
Cole thought he might have lost his mind, letting Julien call the shots on this evening out.
The place was a death trap, buried at the back of an alley in what had to be an old speakeasy with no windows and a snarling doorman who might have been a brick wall in another life. The hulk glared at the trio until Julien murmured a few words and passed a wad of bills to the bouncer who granted them entry.
Cole held his tongue as Julien led them onward, flinching inside at the tall walls and the dreary, dark setting. If he’d had a vote in the matter, they’d be far, far away from this area of town and back in the French Quarter. Kat, for her part, had laughed and winked at the walking wall, earning a small grin from the mammoth.
As soon as they’d stepped through the door it was like they’d been transported back in time.
The trumpet notes wove around them as the waitress led them to the table, smiling and chattering the entire time. The restaurant theme was the swinging ’20s, as far as Cole could tell, with the staff’s attire. The loud jazz coming from the live band onstage was timeless, the snappy tunes having him tap his foot under the table.
Kat was practically glowing. She clapped her hands at the end of every tune, and when the gumbo arrived in bowls larger than their heads, she’d devoured every bite and run her finger around the bowl, popping it into her mouth to get every last drop.
It’d been hard for Cole to sit next to her with Julien on the other side and not rip her clothes off right there, slide under the table, and begin kissing his way from those fantastic ankles up between her thighs to . . .
Kat’s hand squeezed his knee. “You okay?”
Cole jumped and Kat laughed, taking her hand away to cover her mouth. Julien chuckled and poured the last of the wine from the bottle into her glass and his, leaving Cole with his standard glass of water.
“Yeah.” He reached over and kissed her. “Just thinking of what I want to do with you when we get back to the Majestic.”
The catch in her breath shot straight to his groin and he resisted the urge to grab at himself, forcing himself to stay under control.
“All in good time,” Julien murmured. He waved at the band now taking a short break, giving them less background noise. “Before we play we do need to discuss things, hmm?”
Cole felt the knot in his stomach tighten.
“Yes.” He took a sip of water. “I guess it’s time.”
Hot days, cold nights and the noise, the noise, the noise . . .
Kat put her hand over his, pressing it into the table. “It’s okay. We’re here.”
Cole blinked rapidly, forcing himself back to the present. “I had a buddy. Steve. Steve Allard. He was a good man, a good friend.”
His throat closed up on the last word and he fell silent, choking on the emotion.
Julien moved around to the other side of the booth and slid in beside Cole. He put his hand on Cole’s shoulder. “Another strong warrior.”
“Yeah.” Cole coughed. “He was.”
He steeled himself.
It was time.
“Steve and I, we ended up running a lot of visits to the local hospital. It was run by a charity group. Offered medical care to anyone; they didn’t ask for details other than how to help them get better.” He shook his head. “It was dangerous and we told them that. They wanted to win the hearts and minds of the people by helping them with education and good health, not bullets and threatening their children. But they were determined to stay and teach the women, help the children. May—”
He choked up again.
Kat pulled him close, hugging him. Julien squeezed his shoulder and waited.
The band passed the booth, joking and laughing as they drank cold cans of beer, the condensation dripping onto the hardwood floor.
“May was a volunteer civilian nurse there, came in with one of the charities not too long after we arrived. She was beautiful and brave, never flinching when the rebels came in and threatened them at gunpoint. The doctors told her she could leave but she refused to. She worried about the children, about keeping them healthy and alive.”
He took a sip of water. “The hospital was considered neutral territory. The rebels didn’t open fire on them because their own people would come in and get treated without any questions or attitude. Our staff didn’t go there because we had our own medical resources, but we’d accompany supply runs from the airport to the hospital, keep an eye on things, and try to generate some good feelings. That’s where we met May.”
Cole couldn’t help smiling as she appeared in his mind’s eye. “She was so beautiful. Long dark hair and a laugh that made you forget the carnage outside. When we first saw her Steve made a bet with me he’d bed her by the end of the week. He lost the bet.”
Julien chuckled. “A strong woman.”
“A very strong woman,” Cole agreed. “I wanted her too. There were rules about fraternizing, but everyone knew in the middle of all the death and blood if you had a chance at a few minutes, a few hours of happiness, you had to go for it. So we both tried for her and failed.”
“Failed?” Kat asked. “You failed?”
He couldn’t hold back a smile, remembering May standing there, hands on hips, and glaring at the two men.
“She caught us fighting over her, arguing over a cold beer at the back of the canteen. Told us we couldn’t afford to have anything come between us; a war zone was the last place you needed to be fighting with your friends. So May laid down the law. She wouldn’t date just one of us. She demanded both.”
Julien chuckled. “A very strong woman,” he repeated.
Kat drew a finger along his jaw, turning his head so she could look into his eyes. “You, Steve, and May. That’s the relationship you talked about earlier.”
He nodded, unable to say the words.
“Something happened,” Julien said from his side. “Something bad.”
“Yeah.” Cole dropped his head, unable to keep eye contact with Kat. “And they both died.”
Julien whispered something in French, a curse or a prayer. Cole couldn’t tell which.
“There was . . .” He pulled in a breath and tasted the smoke, the dirt. “There was an attack on the hospital. Maybe it was friendly fire, maybe a rebel leader finally got fed up with the charity giving aid to both sides. Steve was making a run.” His chest tightened and he clutched at his shirt, feeling his heart race. “I woke up in my tent alone. We tried to get to the hospital but it was burning, burning.”
His side ached.
“Another shell landed nearby, took me out. When I woke up I was on a chopper being evac’d out.” He touched his shirt, over the scar. “I couldn’t go back.”
Kat pulled him into her embrace, his face tight against her neck. Cole tasted tears but wasn’t sure if they were his or hers.
“They were gone,” he rasped. “And I never got a chance to save them. Or say good-bye. There was nothing left, nothing to send home to their families. It was as if they’d never existed.” He let out a ragged moan. “It tore me apart. I still have nightmares of finding their shattered bodies, wishing I’d have at least gotten a chance to see them one last time.”
Julien’s grip on his shoulder stayed steady and firm, holding him tight.
The band started again, the low, soulful saxophone tune stirring his heart like a whirlwind.
Kat stroked his cheek, keeping him close. “I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah. Me too.” Cole sniffled.
Julien leaned in, pressing his lips to Cole’s temple. “I am sorry as well. We had no right to force this out of you.” From the emotion in his voice Cole’s confession had drawn him close to tears as well.
Cole sat up, scrubbing his face with both hands. “Yes. Yes, you did. Because you have a right to know what sort of baggage I’m carrying with me.” He took Kat’s glass of wine and took a deep swallow. “I went for counseling, but there are some things you don’t tell the therapist.”
Julien nodded and waved at the waiter, pointing at the empty wine bottle. “Understandable. There are some things society still doesn’t approve of.” He smiled. “Most of them, anyway.” He gestured to the nearly full club. “I doubt there’s much that would shock anyone in here.”
Cole shrugged. “Not their business.” He drew a staggered breath. “When you offered me this chance to be with you I couldn’t believe it.” Cole felt his cheeks burn. “I have to admit, I’d been admiring you from afar. All the way back to your tabloid days.”
Kat groaned while Julien chuckled.
“It was a hell of a turn-on to have you choose me; even more to add Julien to the mix.” He touched Julien’s arm. “But I thought it’d be over after that one night, that we’d all be able to go back to what we had before.”
“But you fell,” Julien prompted.
“Yes. Hard. And I needed time to process that. Along with the survivor guilt.” Cole shook his head. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready to move on. But it seems that I am and I will. With the two of you.”
He looked at Julien. “Thanks for giving me this chance to explain.”
“I’d be a fool if I didn’t.” Julien glanced at Kat. “I told her I wouldn’t want to do this without you. Now I’m sure I made the right decision.”
Kat kissed Cole, caressing his face with her hand. “Thank you.” She paused. “Last time we were all together you had . . . an episode.”
He froze. “What?”
“It wasn’t much. You were mumbling and shaking in your sleep. Now I know what it was about.” She kissed him again. “I’m honored you trusted us with this.”
“It’s not a big thing.” Cole watched the waiter return with a fresh bottle of wine. Julien refilled both glasses before emptying Cole’s water glass with two gulps. He filled the glass with wine and pushed it toward Cole.
“It is. And you need this.”
Cole shook his head. “I have to stay alert and aware. I have to—”
Julien raised his wine glass. “I refuse to let you toast with water.” He waited until Kat and Cole had picked up their glasses. “To the three of us, together. May we love as hard as we fight, and fight as hard for what we love. Which is each other.”
Cole couldn’t help grinning as he clinked his glass against theirs and t
ook a drink.
“Now,” Julien said as he lowered his drink, a sly smile on his lips. “How fast can we get to bed?”
It took only a few seconds for Cole to find his phone and tap the button signaling the car.
Kat let out a sigh, snuggling against Cole’s neck. “Good to not have to wait for a cab. But I’d like to do the horse-drawn carriage at some point.”
Julien grinned. “I happen to know a friend who would be glad to pick us up at the Majestic. He could take us on a lovely moonlit tour if you’d like.”
Cole shook his head. “Why am I not surprised?”
The slender piano player rose to his feet and offered his hand to Kat. “Connections are important.” He kissed her hand before helping her out of the booth. “And I’m feeling very connected right now.”
Cole laughed and followed, taking Kat’s other hand as they headed for the door.
A short ride later they pulled up to the hotel entrance.
Cole opened the car door to let Kat out. “How do you want to arrange this?” He looked at the front of the Majestic, the natural beauty of the five-story hotel beginning to emerge from under the paint and neon monstrosity the previous owners had forced on her. “If we want to make this permanent we’ll have to deal with it sometime.”
“I’m fine with this. I don’t want to sneak around. I don’t want to hide what we’ve got from anyone. God knows there’s enough gossip flying around now; all we’d be doing is adding to it.” Kat linked arms with both men. “I’ve been here long enough to establish that I don’t take crap from anyone. So have you.” She nodded to Julien. “And you.” She kissed Cole on the cheek. “So I say we let them say what they’re going to say and to hell with it. Anyone has any problems, they can tell me to my face.”
Without waiting for either man to respond she strode toward the hotel’s front door, bringing them along.
Cole kept a stern look on his face as Alfred opened the door and they all slipped through with a sidestep worthy of a drill team.
Julien threw the stoic doorman a smirk and was rewarded with a wink of approval as they headed for the elevators.