Defending Everly (Mountain Mercenaries, #5)(55)

She liked Ball. Enjoyed being with him. Looked forward to his texts and phone calls. She appreciated his help with Elise and admired his relationship with his friends and their girlfriends.

She respected him, valued their relationship, and thought he was as smart as anyone she’d ever met.

But loved?

She continued to watch her sister and Ball chat. She hadn’t seen Elise act so carefree since she’d brought her to Colorado Springs. Everly watched as she hugged Ball once more and climbed into the back seat of his car.

Putting all thoughts of whether or not she loved Ball to the back of her mind, Everly got into the car and turned around to smile at her sister. Then, without thought, after Ball had backed out and was on the way to her apartment, Everly reached out and grabbed hold of his hand. They always held hands in the car, and it was as natural as breathing for her.





Chapter Eleven

Ball knocked on Everly’s apartment door with a heavy heart. He hated the feeling. He’d never had a sense of reluctance about going on a mission in the past. In fact, he’d relished the challenge of using the skills he’d learned in the Coast Guard and looked forward to getting someone out of the desperate situation they’d found themselves in.

But he hadn’t been dating Everly in the past.

A week had passed since they’d gone hiking in the wilderness above the Broadmoor neighborhood, and he was supposed to be teaching Elise and her friend some self-defense in a few days.

But now he had to leave town. Rex had called and told them about a two-year-old who’d been taken out of the country by her noncustodial father. Rescuing little kids always made missions more stressful. They didn’t understand what was happening or why, and typically they were terrified when the Mountain Mercenaries made entry to where they were being kept.

The door in front of him opened, and Ball couldn’t help but smile at seeing Everly. The last six weeks had been amazing. He’d gotten to know her extremely well, and he couldn’t think of one thing he didn’t like. She was an amazing sister, and watching her take care of Elise gave him a glimpse of what she’d be like as a mother.

The thought should’ve scared him, but instead it made him feel settled. Content.

“Hey,” she said as she opened the door wider, “I thought you weren’t coming over until later this afternoon.”

“I know. I hadn’t planned on it. Can I come in?”

“Oh! Of course. Sorry.” She stepped back from the door and held it open for him. Ball entered her apartment and immediately felt his anxiety ease. He felt like that every time he came over. Just being in her space somehow made him settle. Many a night he’d worked late, sitting at her table. He’d played marathon games of Monopoly with Elise and Everly, and he’d fallen asleep with her in his arms too many evenings to count.

But he hadn’t slept in a bed with her since Los Angeles. He wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, but he somehow knew he needed to move slowly. He couldn’t just move himself in, or move them into his house . . . as much as he might want to.

Once upon a time, he’d sworn not to be like his friends. They’d declared their women “taken”

and had practically moved them in a few weeks later. But now here he was, wishing he knew an easy way to move their relationship along. To hold Everly in his arms every night.

Telling her that he had to leave for an undetermined period of time, knowing he wouldn’t be there if she needed anything, and wouldn’t see her and her sister for who knew how long, wasn’t sitting well. At all.

“I was about to go and run some errands. Lord, I forgot how much teenagers can eat. I used to nap on my days off. Now I’ve got to go to the grocery store, the dry cleaner’s, go visit the school and talk with Elise’s teachers, and, if I have time, I wanted to go check out the next hiking area the club wants to do.”

Ball turned, leaned his ass against her table, and smiled.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Deciding not to drag it out—not that he really had the time to drag it out—he said, “I’m headed out in a couple hours for a mission.”

“Oh.”

That was all she said. Oh.

Ball waited for her to ask where they were going, when they would be back . . . something.

But she just stared at him.

Not able to stand it any longer, he took a step toward her and pulled her into his embrace. She went willingly, and he felt a little better about her reaction when she grabbed hold of his shirt and held on for dear life.

They stood like that for a moment, then he gently pulled back. “No questions?” he asked softly.

“I only have a million of them, but I know you probably can’t answer any,” Everly said.

“It’s not that we can’t tell you. We don’t work for the military anymore. But we’re used to not talking to anyone about our missions. It’s potentially safer that way. And I never know for sure how long we’ll be gone. It depends on whether the intel we have is good or not. But all things considered, this shouldn’t be long and drawn out.”

“You’ll be careful?” she asked, then cringed, as if she knew how silly her words sounded.

“Of course. I didn’t get it before.”

“Get what?”

“When the other guys mentioned the excitement of getting a new mission had waned for them. I couldn’t imagine it. I mean, we used to live to get out and do something. To make a difference. To take down the bad guys. I didn’t understand how they could go from being all gung ho about using the skills they’d learned as soldiers, to being reluctant to leave. But I understand it now.”