But she wasn't here to play shrink on the man. God knew, she'd already attempted to do that too much already-and had psychoanalyzed all the magic out of their relationship. Or perhaps had tried too hard to inject some in …
"First things first. How are Zoe, Shay, and the baby?"
Her smile grew. "Mommy, Daddy, and little Selene are awesome. She's so beautiful. Truly the best baby in the world."
"Says her favorite auntie?"
"Mmmm … perhaps. I can show you pictures at lunch. I think I have a few saved."
"Just a few?" He laughed deeply, showcasing the dimples in his jaw, before tucking her hand beneath his elbow. "I've made a reservation at the Lakeside." He proffered his elbow. "Shall we?"
After they were seated at a table on the patio overlooking the hotel's impressive manmade lake, they each picked an item from the specials of the day as recited by the waiter, making it possible to set aside the menus and refocus on the conversation. That was a good thing. Dan fidgeted like a kid about to face shots at the doctor's office.
"Okay, big guy." Brynn leaned back in her chair a little. "Out with it. What's up?"
Dan loosened his tie. Pulled in a deep breath. "I need to know … that we're okay." He groaned and scrubbed his face. "No. Wait. That sucked. Scratch that. Do-over?"
A giggle spilled out. It was one of their little private jokes, and it brought back some nice memories. Despite the downfall of their romantic relationship, they'd always been rock-solid friends. "Granted," she offered, taking a sip of sparkling water. "Besides, it's kind of fun to watch you squirm."
He scowled. "I deserved that."
She copied the look. "Bullshit."
"I'm sorry. For everything."
Well, that diffused her remaining sarcasm. With a weighted breath of her own, she reached for his hand. "Don't be."
He pressed his other hand atop hers. His gaze darkened to the indigo of the lake's waters. "You put up with a lot of grief from me, Brynn. After the fire, during my rehab, dealing with this,"-he lifted his hand to smack at his scars, once an area he'd treated like a patch of leprosy-"I was a messed-up fuck."
Brynn tilted her head. The move accomplished its goal: getting him to look directly at her again. "And I was an advanced-level psych student who should've known that." She lifted a soft smile. "Both of us used the relationship to escape our shit. I guess it beat booze and drugs, yeah?"
Dan flashed a grin that deserved its own trademark. "Sure," he murmured. "I guess."
She shifted back as the food arrived. Dan had ordered pistachio-encrusted salmon, and she was damn glad she'd decided to splurge on an Italian picnic plate, with gourmet cheeses, olives, and bread next to a rustic salad layered with berries and nuts. After the waiter left, Dan angled back toward small talk, questioning, "I've heard that you're opting for full-time school come next month. I couldn't be prouder of you."
She nodded while spearing an olive then a slice of soft cheese. The salt and cream were perfect together. "I'm finally getting a little bit of state aid for Enya, so financially, it's possible."
"She's still struggling?"
She spread some of the cheese onto a slice of bread, glad for the chance to twist her lips in private. "Yeah. She is. But in some ways … this is going to sound weird, but … I think I understand it a little better."
She raised her head, suddenly emboldened. She'd been wanting to talk to someone about all this so badly, and maybe Dan was the perfect person. Who said she had to mention names?
"You see, a … friend of mine … was just involved in a brief D/s thing, too. I mean, she's the last person you'd expect to do something like that-and she wasn't looking for it or anything-"
"Of course not." Dan returned her stare with one of friendly interest. Whew. She was really capable of this-and felt like a genie suddenly freed from a bottle for it.
"Like I said, it just happened." Okay, that part was probably rushed, but Dan still didn't even quirk an brow of suspicion. "She wasn't at a club, or anything like that."
Dan's lips twitched. "It happens outside clubs all the time, Brynna."
"Right? And she's not somebody who would identify herself as a submissive, or anything close to it-except for how these guys affected her, when they were together. It just … felt good. It felt right. It felt … " She frantically fought the sting at the backs of her eyes. "Perfect." The salad at the end of her fork was suddenly as appetizing as cat barf. "And now, nothing feels right or good or perfect at all." She swallowed hard. Gritted her teeth, forcing emotional bleach through the aching heat in her blood. "For my friend, I mean."
Dan's stillness compelled her head back up. She found him with a bite of neglected food on his own fork, training that stare on her. The one that never failed to read her mind, even when their relationship had started to falter. "Right." One side of his mouth jerked up. "Your ‘friend'."
As he went for the onehanded air-quote, a blush crawled up her face. "Smart-ass." She wadded her napkin and threw it at him.
"Yep." He grinned. "That would be me." The expression turned sheepish as he returned the napkin, having gallantly refolded it. "The smart-ass … who's been thinking about taking some more major steps in his life soon."
She seized the chance to do a little mindreading of her own. "As in … things that involve collars, rings, or both?"
He chewed his salmon with a teasing smirk. "Perhaps."
Brynn let out a little squee. "I'm so happy for you, ya big dork. So that's why you're mysteriously in Vegas."
He nodded. "I met with Tess's dad this this morning, to ask for her hand and shit."
"And shit." She snorted out a laugh. "You do have a way with poetry, Colton."
"Guess you're glad she's taking me off your hands for good."
Back in her seat, Brynn playfully booted his knee. "She's a lucky lady. I'm sure she knows it, too."
"Hopefully." He shrugged. "I fly back tomorrow-but need to stop at her favorite jewelry boutique in town for a special order."
"She's going to be thrilled."
"She thinks I'm just here schmoozing clients-but she also knows I wanted to meet with you. She's been worried about us clearing the air with each other."
"Well, you can ease her mind now. We're clear." She pushed around the rest of her food, her appetite still not restored. Maybe she'd hit the gym on the way home. She belonged to a barre studio with a busy class schedule, and exhausting her body instead of her mind felt like a great idea, especially now. "And I'm … grateful." She pushed up one last smile. "It took guts to reach out like this, Mr. Colton. Thank you."
It was the prime opportunity for another charming Colton comeback. Didn't happen. Dan seemed to turn her words over carefully before squaring his shoulders and leaning forward in his chair. "Mr. Colton? So formal, after just declaring how ‘clear' we are?"
She snorted. "You complaining about a little respect now?"
"Just saying it might be better directed elsewhere. Like at them."
She followed the line cast out by his knowing nod.
Until her gaze locked on two figures, poised on the bottom step of the restaurant's sweeping staircase.
A pirate.
A Viking.
Both in attire that perfectly fit the red carpet upon which they stood.
"Holy … shit." She didn't know what stunned her more: seeing both of them here to begin with, or seeing them here in cutaway tuxedoes.
And did it matter?
It didn't.
They were here.
They were here.
She pushed to her feet, yearning to just keep going, to throw herself into their arms and desperately beg them never to let her go again. But their faces were so stark, so tight, so unreadable. Was this just a coincidence? Were they in town for some fancy military awards thing, and had just come by to say hello to their buddy before the festivities? Okay, even that sounded beyond weird. If that was the case, why weren't they in the dark blues of mess dress, with medal fruit salads across their chests? And why were they dressed like this in the middle of the damn day?
No algorithm computed this. At all.
She forced her mouth to close. Snapped a disbelieving gawk back at Dan. The handsome hotshot dared to answer with a grin she could only call coy. "Hawk and Z filled me in on the gang's latest off-books adventure-in detailed splendor."