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I whipped around and found Sam standing behind me. She’d changed out of her clothes into a pair of jeans and a V-neck tee. I liked how comfortable she looked. She was beguiling regardless of what she wore, but she seemed more herself dressed like this, she appeared at ease.
“Hey, angel. Did you need something?”
“Oh, I was just hoping to hang out with someone. It’s awful lonely in this big place.” She traipsed over, leaning against the counter’s edge beside me. I took a quick glance at her wrist. Thanks to Charlie’s insistence on taking an aspirin, the swelling had reduced significantly.
“Well, if it’s company you’re after, I’ve been told I’m a sparkling conversationalist.”
Sam giggled.
God, I love the sound of her laugh.
“Crazy day today, huh?” she said, her expression dropping only a little. “You really like doing this sort of thing for a living? Putting yourself in harm’s way for the sake of others?”
I shrugged and took another gulp of my drink. It didn’t even taste that good. “This is nothing compared to what we used to do in the military. I could write a whole book about the crazy shit we’ve seen.”
“Why don’t you?”
“I’ve never been much of a writer. More of an orator.”
“Well? Spill. What’s the craziest mission you’ve ever pulled off?”
“Ah, I’m afraid that’s classified.”
“Okay, what’s the mostboringmission you’ve ever pulled off?”
I grinned. “The four of us camped out on a hillside for an entire month waiting for a target who never showed.”
“Really?” Sam grimaced. “That sounds awful. How does that even happen?”
“Bad intel. It wasn’t that bad, though. We had each other. Kept each other sane.”
“Do you guys ever fight?”
I laughed. “All brothers do, but we always work it out.”
Sam’s smile widened, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “You guys must be very close.”
“The closest. I’d do anything for them, and I know they’d do anything for me.”
“Is that why…” She trailed off, seemingly lost in thought.
“What is it?”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I don’t know. I’ve been… thinking.”
“About?” I set my glass down, turning toward her to get a better look. She’d let her hair down, but she’d kept the braids that I did for her and tucked them behind her ear. “There’s no need to be shy, Sam. It’s just me.”
“Is that why you don’t mind sharing your girlfriend with them?”
I smiled gently. “Precisely. At our core, we’re the same people. We want the same things, have the same tastes. When we find a particularly special woman that we want to have in our lives, it’s easier to share her than compete with each other for her affection.” I shrugged. “She gets four devoted boyfriends, all of whom are there for her emotionally, mentally and… physically. And in return, we get a loving girlfriend who won’t feel threatened by the close bond we share as brothers-in-arms.”
Sam traced the tip of her finger over the marble counter, her cheeks and the tips of her ears turning bright pink. “And do you think that…”
“Yes?”
She took a deep breath. “You know what? Do you want to get out of here?”
Ah. She was changing the subject.
