The Return Home: The Aegis Network Read online

  “I respect that,” Catherine said with a grin. “But I think you’re both scared. I’ve seen it in my other boys, and I know Dylan.” Catherine raised her hand. “That’s all I’m going to say, and you need not say another word. I won’t push. I won’t pry. I will only say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping my son.”

  A long silence filled the morning air, but a million thoughts plagued Kinsley’s mind. Waking up in Dylan’s arms had been nothing like she had ever experienced. It brought her joy and made her want to do it all over again. Most men she just wanted out of her house before they even fell asleep.

  But Dylan made her want things she had no idea actually existed.

  “Good morning, Mom. Kinsley.”

  Kinsley gasped, spilling her hot coffee down the front of her shirt. “Shit,” she mumbled. “Dylan, you scared the crap out of me.”

  “Sorry,” he said, leaning against the side of the house, raising his own mug to his lips and blowing on the scalding liquid with a wicked smile. “What are you two ladies up to this fine morning?”

  “I was just getting ready to say goodbye and head to work.” Catherine rose, giving her son a big hug and kiss on the cheek. “Dinner tonight? The three of us?”

  “I’m game,” Dylan said.

  “I’m sorry, but I have plans with my mother.” Kinsley glanced away, not wanting to see the hurt she might have put in Catherine’s or even Dylan’s eyes.

  “Bring her. The more the merrier,” Catherine said.

  Before Kinsley could protest anymore, Catherine had disappeared around the corner and into her own trailer.

  Dylan rinsed his mug out in Kinsley’s sink. He’d heard way too much of that conversation, and most of it settled in the pit of his stomach, sloshing around as if he’d just been on a twirling carnival ride. He wasn’t sure what was worse, listening to his mother tell the woman he’d just slept with that she had deeper feelings than she was willing to admit, or hearing Kinsley say there was no hope for them as a couple at all.

  The latter made him want to run off to Ft. Bragg on the next bus.

  But why?

  The answer to that question made his hands shake, and he dropped the mug. Thankfully it didn’t break.

  Did he really want to be in a real relationship? Have someone to write home to? A picture to bring in his wallet of his girl, not all his nieces and nephews?

  He shook his head as he wiped his hands dry, turning to lean his ass against the sink. No. He didn’t want any of that. He didn’t want anyone to worry about him. It was hard enough to know how much his mother did and even though his brothers understood, and they too had dangerous jobs, they had their concerns about Dylan’s.

  Problem was, he wanted Kinsley.

  Not for one night. Or two. Or even three.

  Fuck.

  No way was he falling in love and the sooner he left town, the better off they’d both be. God, he was a dick. He used her, and now he was going to run away like a childish boy.

  The smell of coconut mixed with the steam of a hot shower filled his nose as Kinsley waltzed out of the bathroom with her hair up in a towel, wearing a cute, little, white tank top and black slacks.

  “Can I make you some breakfast?” What the fuck was he doing? First, he was in her house, so what right did he have to cook anything? And second, why was he still in her house?

  “No, but thank you, that’s very sweet.”

  He shrugged. “Every once in a while, I surprise myself.”

  “I’ve got to finish getting ready for work and isn’t your cognitive appointment in a couple of hours?” She took a few steps closer, removing the towel, and shaking out her long, dark hair.

  His breath hitched. It wasn’t her beauty that made him gasp for air, but everything about who she was as a woman. The way she carried her confidence with humility made him want to be a better man.

  Transfer…something or other. Whatever you called it when a patient fell for his therapist. That’s what he was suffering from.

  “Yeah. I should probably get going,” he said.

  She tossed the towel toward her bedroom, inching ever closer with the sexiest smile he’d ever seen. Her hands slid up his chest, resting on his shoulders. “I didn’t get to ask. How are you feeling this morning?”

  “Restful,” he admitted. His hands disobeyed his mind and circled around her waist. “I don’t remember having any dreams.” That was a lie. He had a dream of her sitting on the beach and she was crying, and he’d put those tears on her pretty face. When he’d woken up in her bed alone, his heart tightened. He had no desire to hurt her, and he feared he would. “I need to tell you something.”

  “If you’re going to rehash that this is a temporary thing because you’re leaving after the parade next Friday, then I’m going to stop you right there. I told you last night, I’m not in the market for a long-term relationship.” She raised up on her tiptoes and kissed his lips gently.

  “Then we’re on the same page,” he whispered.

  “Good. Will you text me with what the doctor says?”

  He nodded, swallowing.

  Hard.

  “Are you going to join my mother and I?” he asked.

  “I have to check in on my mother, and I’d prefer to do that alone. Maybe drinks around nine? We can meet here, or maybe across the street.”

  “Here.” He pulled her to his chest, brushing his lips over hers in a tender, but meaningful kiss. She was willing to have a fling, and so was he. “Just the two of us.”

  Problem solved.

  “I’ll see you tonight.” He stepped back and pulled out his cell phone as it vibrated. He glanced at it. “My brother Ramey, I better get it.” He kissed her forehead and turned on his heels, hobbling out her front door. His muscles ached, and he tried not to flinch. Last evening’s activities caused him more pain than he’d ever admit to himself, much less anyone else.

  “What’s up, bro?” he asked as he tapped the button, waving to his mother who pulled out of the driveway. He was happy to see her go. Not because he didn’t enjoy spending time with her, but he just didn’t want a lecture on how to treat a lady, which would lead to how he should get married and give her even more Sarich grandbabies, because five wasn’t enough.

  “How are you feeling?” Ramey asked.

  “I’m doing much better other than the ankle is still killing me,” he said, limping up his front porch. “I see the neurologist this morning, so if all goes well, I’m heading back to Bragg next Saturday or Sunday.”

  “So, you’re definitely going through with the parade?”

  “Yeah. Since I’m getting two medals, if I bailed it would break Mom’s heart, and I just can’t do that to her even though I don’t deserve them. Plus, General Maxwell is presenting them to me.”

  “He called. He wants me, Nick, and Logan involved. And Dylan, you’re very deserving of them. I don’t know what happened over there, but I do know you,” Ramey’s voice shook with emotion. “You’re a true hero.”

  Dylan blinked his eyes. The screams of his men had subsided, the images subdued, but the pain in his heart would never mend. “I don’t feel like one.”

  “Heroes never do,” Ramey said, letting out a long breath. “I called to tell you that me, Tequila, and Kayla are coming on Wednesday. Everyone else is still coming on Thursday. I hope it’s okay if we stay at Mom’s. I know it’s a lot—”

  “It’s fine. Mom will love it. But why are you coming early?”

  “Tequila is pregnant, and we wanted to tell Mom alone. No one else knows, so don’t blow it. But I also wanted to make sure it was okay we tell the family after the parade. We don’t want to take away from your day.”

  “Congratulations.” Dylan smiled, and his heart swelled with love. It was a weird sensation to be utterly thrilled about a new addition to the family. His brothers were his world, and so were their children. Part of him wished he wanted a little rug rat. “And please, take the focus off me. Make the entire thing a
bout you and new babies. I’m begging.”

  “Consider it done,” Ramey said. “I’ll see you Wednesday around seven. I’ll text Mom and let her know we’re coming.”

  “See you then.” Dylan slipped his phone into his back pocket. An engine revved.

  Kinsley waved as she drove past.

  He smiled, tapping his finger against his chest. He knew his life had changed when he woke up in the hospital in Germany. He expected it would after what he’d been through.

  He had no idea spending a week with Kinsley would flip him upside down.

  Chapter 11

  Dylan sat in the waiting room trying to keep his leg from rattling the floor as his knee bounced nervously. The tests were easy enough, though he did feel a little foggy in the brain, but his balance tests he’d had no problems with. That had to be a good sign. They’d also had him go down for x-rays and of course, the technician said absolutely nothing.

  The door on the other side of the room flung open. “Come on in,” Dr. Reese said. He was a short, bald man, who had to be close to fifty. He came highly recommended by many people, but especially by the Vanderlins’ who had used him when their son had been in an accident and had a brain injury.

  But the most important reason he came to Dr. Reese was that he was still in the Army Reserves and on the list of approved doctors.

  Dylan stood, his ankle still throbbing from last night. How sex could have affected his broken bone while still in its boot he had no idea, but it ached, and he limped more than usual. He understood why his ribs were sore, but not his foot.

  He also understood why his mind had been scattered all day. He hoped it hadn’t affected his test taking abilities because he needed out of Jupiter. Didn’t matter that Kinsley said she didn’t want a relationship, which he absolutely believed.

  The problem was he had started imagining things with her that he’d never considered.

  Ever.

  “Take a seat.” Dr. Reese sat behind a big desk in front of a built-in bookcase with dozens of thick books and a few pictures of what Dylan assumed were his family. “I’ve read everything in your file that the Army sent over. I can only imagine what was redacted and what really happened over there.”

  “It was a difficult deployment,” Dylan said, knowing that much of the torture he and his men endured was kept from the public. As was their actual location, along with the details of the mission. The world thought they’d been flying over a known Taliban compound to rescue three marines who had been missing when they were shot down. That part was true.

  “I think it’s amazing that you are alive, and that’s not based on reading this,” he said, holding up a thick folder. “I treated a few soldiers who had been tortured when I spent a year over there and, son, you endured more than most.”

  Dylan nodded. “I don’t want to focus on that. I want to know if I’m going to be able to go back and do my job. Delta Force is everything to me.”

  Kinsley could mean something to me.

  He blinked, pushing that thought to a spot in his brain that he hoped would help it disappear into the abyss of a faint memory of feeling her body against his.

  “Then I’ve got some good news for you. Your mind appears to be as sharp as a tack. I see no cognitive issues at all. No swelling in the brain anymore. I’ll send my report in, but you do know you’ll need to do all this again in a month, plus take a fitness test.”

  Dylan’s mouth curled into a small smile. It was hard not to be excited about the prospect of being back in the field.

  A tug at his heart lulled him back to Kinsley. He remembered a conversation he had with Ramey about why he couldn’t re-enlist after meeting Tequila, and it had nothing to do with being deployed. She’d been in the Air Force and knew exactly what a life with a military man would be like, and she didn’t once tell him she wanted him to leave. She actually encouraged him to stay.

  But the Aegis Network gave him the kind of job that allowed the adrenaline he still craved while having a family at the same time, without having to say goodbye to the woman who meant more to him than life itself for any real length of time.

  Fuck.

  Fuck.

  Double fuck.

  No way was he falling in love. He didn’t love women. He liked them.

  A whole lot.

  But him?

  In love with Kinsley?

  “Dylan?” Dr. Reese said. “Did you hear me?”

  Dylan shook his head. “Sorry, my mind wandered to this weekend and my being bombarded by my brothers and their broad of babies.”

  “I’ve met your oldest brother, Logan, a few times. Good man.”

  “He’s the best,” Dylan said. “They all are.”

  Dr. Reese nodded. “Anyway, as I was saying, I still want you to work on those balance exercises, brain teasers, and anything that will sharpen your memory and your attention span.”

  “Will do,” Dylan said, standing with his hand stretched out.

  “I know I’ve said it before, but thank you for your service.”

  “Yours as well.” Dylan hobbled out of the office with his head held high. A heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders just knowing that he had the faculties to do his job. However, he’d be lying if he wasn’t worried about passing a physical. His ankle was in bad shape. He’d had emergency surgery before he’d even woken up in the hospital, and they mentioned he might need another one. The physical therapist said his muscles were strong, but the bones in the ankle, based on the x-ray, were about as bad as a break could be.

  Perhaps a career in the Army wasn’t at jeopardy, but his role in Delta Force very well could be.

  He stepped out into the hot Florida heat and stared at the bright-blue sky. While the concern over his body was real, he should be thrilled about what Dr. Reese had said about his brain injury. It didn’t matter that he’d only had one night without a nightmare, he believed what Kinsley had said about why he was hurting his family in his dreams. It didn’t haunt his daily thoughts like it had yesterday. He knew he still had some work to do, and when he got to Ft. Bragg, he damn well would be scheduling a few sessions with the psychiatrist on base.

  Kinsley had given him the courage to continue that discussion.

  With a shaky hand, he pulled open the Jeep door and climbed in.

  He should be happier about leaving next weekend. Not that he was ever thrilled about leaving his mother. He loved his mother and worried about her, but his brothers all lived so close, and they checked in on her all the time.

  Something was holding him back and that something came in the form of a sexy, sweet, kind, and amazing woman named Kinsley.

  “It would be nice if you paid attention to your mother and not your phone.”

  Kinsley quickly finished her text back to Dylan, letting him know she’d do her best to make it back to her place by nine, but it was already eight thirty, and even though it was only a five-minute walk, at the rate her mother was babbling, it might be another hour before she could end the insanity that was her mother’s venting.

  And insistent eyelash-batting with the older gentleman at the end of the bar.

  She went from biting back tears to a flirty smile faster than a bee sting.

  And oddly, all of it was real.

  “Sorry, Mom. But I told you I was meeting a friend in a little while, and I just wanted him to know—”

  “Him? As in a man, him?” her mother’s screech echoed across the cool ocean air at the outside bar at the Sun and Sand Jupiter Spa and Resort. All heads turned for one second toward their table.

  “You did not say your friend was of the man persuasion. Tell me all about him. Who is he? What does he do? How handsome is he?” Her mother leaned in and winked. “Is he good in the sack?”

  “Mother. Stop it.” Kinsley did her best not to blush. Her mother had never had a filter, and when she was thirteen and needed to get tampons for the first time, her mother’s free spirit made it easy to talk to her, but other than that, it wa
s nothing short of embarrassing.

  “Dylan is a friend, nothing more, nothing less.”

  “So, he has a name.” Her mother took her fruity drink, twirling the little umbrella around before taking another sip, glancing over her shoulder. No doubt to make sure her new interest was still nursing his beer. “Could he be more than a friend?”

  “No, Mom. He’s my neighbor’s son, and he’ll be heading back—”

  “As in the young soldier who was shot down a month ago and nearly died? I read about him in the papers. He’s getting the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart. I even heard that some big wig five-star general is coming to present it as well as the governor and a couple of senators.”

  Thank God her mother would never meet—

  “Hey there,” Dylan’s voice rang out in her ears like a doorbell.

  “Dylan?” she whispered, but not soft enough.

  “Oh my God,” her mother exclaimed, jumping from her seat. “Thank you for your service, and I’m so sorry for what happened to you, but I’m so happy you will be honored this Fourth of July.”

  “Thank you.” Dylan pulled up a stool and sat down next to Kinsley, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

  Wonderful.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting, but I hadn’t eaten, and if I said something to my mother, she would have cooked me a five-course meal so I thought I’d head here and have a burger and fries. She says hello, by the way.” He waved the waitress over and ordered his meal, along with Vodka soda.

  “Your ears must have been ringing because my daughter was just talking about you, only now she’s being rude. Let me introduce myself, I’m Robin.” Her mother reached across with a stretched-out hand.

  Only she didn’t expect a handshake, but a kiss.

  And Dylan certainly didn’t disappoint.

  “I hope Kinsley was saying nice things about me.”

  “Well, we barely got started,” her mother said with a bigger smile than necessary. “My daughter says you’re just friends, but I can tell when a man is smitten.”