Sound of Silence(68)

"I'm going to make lunch," she whispers as if her voice was lost but she just found it, rough around the edges.

I shake my head. "Don't. Sit with me."

Piper smiles. My heart constricts, but fuck, it hurts in the best way possible.

"I'm going to. You need sustenance for the long day, and if I don't feed you, you and the boys will drink beer like it's a sandwich in a bottle."

"Here." Maisie hands me JT. "I'll help."

As Pipers makes some quip about Maisie never being in a kitchen in her life, pride swells in my chest. JT holds his head up on his own. Of course he does. He's a bull like Justin already. I kiss the baby hand that wallops me in the mouth and smile while watching Bear follow Maisie to the kitchen. He stares at her ass as she bends to grab something low from the fridge. I chance a look at Garrison, who shrugs.

He doesn't talk much. And even less after I nearly ripped his throat out at Riley's. But we came to an understanding: Piper is not his to touch. She doesn't exist in his stratosphere. He got my drift and backed off.

Garrison's not a bad guy. I'd say he's worse off in the head than I am from some shit that went down last year. I don't blame him for his silence. Sometimes there's just nothing to say. But right now, the smirk on his face tells me he's cool and enjoying Bear torturing himself with Piper's best friend.

Bear slumps over the counter, hands clasped on the ledge, forehead down. He groans and lifts a fraction to watch her. "Run away with me, Maisie. Wherever you want, anywhere in the world."

Piper's gaze snaps up, the knife in her hand frozen midair above the cutting board and red pepper she was slicing. But Maisie? She grins and leans over to pat Bear's clenched fist like she deals with this kind of request daily. "You hardly know me. Before we make a commitment of that magnitude, we should probably trade secrets."

"Anything. Ask and I shall tell." In the ten years I've known Bear, he has never begged for a girl. He hasn't had to. Being a SEAL lends itself to certain benefits-a surplus of wanting women is one of them. But here he is.

"What are you afraid of?" she asks him, her blue eyes dancing in the light. 

Bear swallows and blinks. He looks at me and then Garrison, who pulls up on the other side of him, and then back to the object of his affection. "Spiders, but I'd kill them for you. I would."

Maisie nods like that shit isn't the funniest thing she's heard in days. The man has never shown fear before, during or after a mission, but he's scared of a bug. I bite back a grin and make my way over to Piper, JT tucked in my arm as they continue.

"Nasty creatures, those spiders. Most recent read?"

"Sports Illustrated," Bear mumbles. "Swimsuit edition, but the articles were great."

"What are you streaming on Netflix?"

"Breaking Bad and King of Queens. The World Cup is taking up most of my time on leave though. And you?"

Maisie tilts her head. "See, I think we might be stuck. I need a dragon and not just one stuffed inside tight trousers. Think Harry Potter or Game of Thrones. Oh, a good debate, too. I like to argue my point, but sadly, questioning the reasons why soccer hasn't leapt to the level of pro-football in the U.S. is not my specialty. Really." She gestures from her head to manicured toes, bound in strappy, high heel sandals. She's most definitely Manhattan material. "What you see is what you get. A few snappy lines and a round ass, fantasy warring with reality. I'm obsessed with the law, fashion week, and losing my virginity."

Silence. Not even JT makes a peep. We all gape, except her best friend. She just shakes her head and keeps cutting. And because I'm obsessed with Piper I can comfortably say, in a non-sexual way, Maisie is unmistakably gorgeous. How is she a virgin?

I sneak a strip of pepper, contemplating this news. My eyes lock with Piper's, and she smiles. She smiles that damn smile that steals my breath. I'm not going to survive her, and I've come to terms with that. I'll die a thousand deaths to see her lips curve into a dimple every day.

"Fuck." Bear rubs his abs, unable to stop staring at Maisie. "Obsessed how? I mean, I'm happy to alleviate you of the condition if you're seeking liberty."

"You're too sweet," Maisie says, no blush to be seen on her flawless skin. "I've always had a thing for men in a suit and tie, but I'll let you know when I'm ready for an animal." Maisie growls, and I choke on a laugh, just as Piper and Garrison roll with their own.

Bear's pathetic pant as he clutches his chest is good for my heart. Everything is a little easier today. "Piper, how could you bring this vixen into my life without warning? I would have shaved; hell I would have donned my dress blues for this gem."