Defending Everly (Mountain Mercenaries #5)(26)

“I wasn’t criticizing you or your grandparents,” Ball said gently. “I wish I knew mine, but they died when I was young.”

“What are your parents like?” Everly asked.

Ball shrugged. “They’re good. I don’t talk to them nearly as much as I should, but they’re living out in North Carolina. They have an RV and are gone a lot, just driving around the country, seeing the sights. I designed a website for them so they can keep all their friends informed about where they are and what they’re doing. It’s super simple, but that’s what they wanted.”

Everly sat up a bit. “You designed a website for them?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You say that like it’s no big deal.”

“It’s not. Well, technically it’s not. There are templates for blogs and websites out there that almost anyone can set up. But I didn’t want one of those, I wanted to make something custom just for them, that would be easy to keep up and Mom could use from her phone. Besides, it’s what I do for a living.”

She blinked. “No, you work for the Mountain Mercenaries.”

“Yeah, but most of the time it’s not a full-time gig. I design websites as my day job. I even did some work on the CSPD site last year. They wanted to update it, make it easier to navigate.”

“Wow. I had no idea.”

“You thought I was just a dumb former Coastie, didn’t you?”

She chuckled. “No.”

“Liar, you so did.” Ball loved seeing Everly smile. He dug his fingers into her side, and she shrieked softly and squirmed.

“Stop it!”

“Admit it and I will.”

“Never!” she exclaimed, and began to fight back. Her fingers went for his sides as she tried to tickle him.

Thankful that he’d never been ticklish, Ball grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up so she was straddling his thighs, giving him better access to her very ticklish sides. She laughed and undulated on his lap as she tried to pry his fingers off.

“Stop—oh my God, I’m so ticklish! Uncle, uncle!” she cried.

“Admit that you thought I was stupid,” he urged.

“Fine! I admit it. But for the record, I’d admit just about anything right now to get you to stop.”

Ball stilled his fingers and simply held on to her. “Yeah?” he asked.

“Don’t get that gleam in your eye,” Everly warned as she smiled down at him.

They stared at each other for a beat—and then they both seemed to realize at the same time how intimate their position was. Her legs were spread open as she straddled his thighs. Her hands were resting on his chest. And his thumbs had somehow gotten under her T-shirt, where they were rubbing absently against her warm skin at her sides.

Neither said anything . . . but they didn’t move either.

Ball’s phone ringing interrupted the electric moment.

Everly slid off his lap and stood awkwardly in front of his chair for a second before turning to the small table next to the couch and grabbing the glass her grandmother had been using earlier, taking it to the kitchen.

“Hello?” Ball said as he answered his phone, noting the call was from Rex.

“I’ll have the data from Elise’s phone in the next twenty-four hours or so.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Do I want to know how you accomplished that?” Ball asked his handler.

“I know some people who know some people,” Rex said. “How are things going with you?”

“Good.”

“I want the truth, Ball. I know you weren’t happy about having her join you.”

“I wasn’t. But it’s fine,” Ball told Rex.

“Look, I know I’ve been absent lately, and I’m sorry. But I’m back now, and if you’re having issues, I need to know. I can probably send Ro or Black in to relieve you if you want. We need Everly. She can talk to Elise’s friends, and Elise herself when we find her. But if you—”

“I said it’s fine,” Ball interrupted. “I mean it.” He caught Everly’s gaze. She was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, giving him space but still listening in. He couldn’t blame her. If it was his sister who was missing, he’d be listening too. “You were right, we do need Everly. She’s been very useful so far, and honestly, it’s possible she may have saved my life today.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone, as if Rex was too shocked to speak. So Ball continued. “I was jumped by some run-of-the-mill punks who were trying to get me out of the picture so they could grab Everly. I was losing the hand-to-hand fight, as I was outnumbered, but then Everly was there, and she kicked two of their asses while I was busy with the third. She also got the principal of Elise’s school to open up to her, and that conversation ultimately led to us finding her sister’s purse and phone. I wouldn’t have been able to communicate with the principal or the students. I was wrong—and I can admit it.”

He was talking to Rex, but speaking directly to Everly. He needed her to know that he hadn’t been blowing smoke up her ass earlier. He really was trying to change his mind-set when it came to working with women . . . at least working with her.

“I need to go check my weather app,” Rex said under his breath.