Walk (Gentry Boys) (16 page)

“Figured it was time I came down to see your shop,” I said, still looking around.  “Quite a place you guys have built.” 

“Thanks.”  He beamed.  Cord himself was like a walking art gallery with all his tattoos.  “Nice to have my own office since the expansion.  No more sharing with Deck.  He’s got the room across the hall.” 

“Is Deck around today?” 

Cord nodded.  “He will be.  He and Jen took the baby to the doctor this morning for some shots but he’ll be along soon.” 

The blue-haired pregnant girl named Aspen waddled in with two cups of coffee and handed one to each of us. 

“Get back up front,” Cord ordered, snapping his fingers.  “You know you’re supposed to stay off your feet and if Brick sees you on the move he’ll be blaming me.” 

Aspen put her hands on her hips, her eyes twinkling.  “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of your own employees.” 

“Only that one.” 

She tossed her head.  “I can handle Brick.  But I’ll do as you say, boss.”  She smirked at Cord and then winked at me before shuffling back to her desk. 

“Is Brick the big dude in fatigues?” I asked. 

Cord nodded.  “That would be him.  Got a few rough edges but he’s a damn good artist and Aspen keeps him in line.” 

Cord was easy to talk to.  He practically busted with pride whenever he mentioned his wife and three daughters.   Mostly though he wanted to hear about what I was up to.  He especially wanted to hear about Evie and as I listened to myself shyly telling him about how amazing she was his grin only grew wider.  

“Good for you,” he said approvingly.  “We all really liked meeting her at the barbecue.  I’m glad it’s working out.” 

The mention of the barbecue darkened my thoughts a little because it came with the memory of seeing Conway for the first time in four years.  Cord seemed to know what was on my mind as he cocked his head and gave me a sympathetic look. 

“I don’t know how to reach him,” I admitted.  “Cord, you’ve got two brothers who mean the world to you.  What would you do?”

My cousin looked sad.  “I’ve asked myself that question.  I’ve also asked myself if there’s anything we could have done differently to set Con on the right path.  I don’t have all the answers but I do know there’s still hope, Stone.  Conway’s a man now and he’s got to direct his own destiny but it’s not too late.” 

“Not yet,” I said darkly, thinking of a terrible summer day four years ago.  It was never too late…until it was. 

“Shit!” Cord suddenly exclaimed, jerking in his chair.  “Freaks me out when you creep up like a fucking cat.” 

I whirled around to see what the hell he was talking about and found Deck Gentry standing in the doorway like he’d materialized out of thin air.  He looked as tough as ever and had started growing a thick black beard.  His dark eyes were trained thoughtfully on me. 

“How long have you been standing there listening?” Cord wanted to know. 

Deck shrugged.  “I wasn’t keeping time, Cordero.” 

Cord threw a pen at him.  Deck was a first cousin to Cord, Chase and Creed.  Their fathers, Chrome and Benton, were brothers.  Chrome had died in a car accident years ago.  I remembered seeing him a few times at Gentry family gatherings when I was really small.  There was one occasion, a barbecue or something out there where they all used to live, when Con and I were running around, hot on the trail of a horned toad lizard.  We’d wandered much further out than we were supposed to go and there was nothing in sight anymore but open bare desert.  Con wanted to go back but I wouldn’t.  I ignored him and kept running until I tripped on a rock and face planted into the dust.  Even though I wasn’t more than five years old I knew what the sound of the nearby rattle meant.  I lifted my head slowly and saw that I’d fallen within four feet of a diamondback rattler that was coiled beneath a greasewood bush.  I froze.  My first thought was to shout to Con to back up and get away.  I opened my mouth but before I could utter a word the sand and the snake exploded in a blast of blood and dirt.  My head snapped back to the direction the blast had come from.  There was Chrome Gentry standing twenty feet away, the shotgun still on his shoulder. 

Conway had run to my side as Chrome casually strolled over to us.  Meanwhile, the sound of the shotgun blast had echoed over the desert and drawn the attention of all the other Gentrys.  They were running over to find out what the hell had happened. 

Chrome took a knee, looked each of us frankly in the eyes and said, “You boys need to be more fucking careful.  The world is a risky place, especially if you’re a Gentry.” 

Then he winked, tousled my hair with one rough hand and ambled away before anyone else could catch up.  As I watched him disappear behind a hill of sand and cactus, I was already starting to wonder if any of that had really happened.  But there were the guts of the dead snake and there was my brother clutching my arm for dear life and then there was my father, Elijah, running over and scooping us out of the dirt to clutch us close.  It would be years before we’d hear the rumors. Rumors that we’d been fathered not by the gentle man who’d raised us but by one of his cousins, the wild Gentry boys of the desert. 

  Chrome’s son Deck had inherited the same imposing muscular build, the same indefinable charisma.  But instead of the sandy hair and blue eyes that stamped the Gentrys, Deck was dark haired and black-eyed, like his mother had been.  Five years older than the triplets, he’d been close to them since they were born and as I understood it he had always been something of their protector. 

Cord, Creed and Chase had needed all the protection they could get while growing up.  Chrome Gentry may have been just a reckless, motorcycle riding playboy, but his younger brother, the triplets’ father, was another story.  Around Emblem it was always whispered that Benton Gentry had the very devil in him.  Evil must not be as durable as people think though, because a few months after I went to prison I heard that Benton was dead too. 

So many damn dead Gentrys, I could barely keep them all straight. 

Deck Gentry was watching me.  “What’s up, Stone?”

“Hey, Deck.  Sorry I didn’t return your call last night.”

He shrugged.  “It’s okay.  Seems you’ve been sidetracked in the best way lately.” 

I grinned.  “That’s a good way of putting it.” 

“How are things with Miss Evie?” 

“Incredible,” I said honestly. 

“And how’s work?”

“I’m holding my own,” I said vaguely, not wanting to let him know that I’d been hunting around for something better and hadn’t had any luck. 

Deck pointed at me.  “Thursday night.  You busy?”

“No.  I’m working tonight and again on Friday but so far there’s nothing going on for Thursday.” 

“There is now.  You’re coming to my house for dinner, both you and your girl.”

“I’ll have to check with-“

“Six o’clock,” Deck interrupted.  “My house.  You know where it is.”  He leaned one hand on the doorframe and looked me over, not unkindly, but with a certain amount of shrewd intensity.  “We’ve got a lot to talk about, Stone.  You and me.” 

I glanced over at Cord.  He didn’t look surprised or confused so I figured he was already clued into whatever Deck planned on discussing.   

“I’ll be there,” I told my cousin.

Deck grinned.  “I know you will.” 

Evie

Stephanie was losing her patience.  The brand new director of marketing had bypassed the expense approval process and lavishly spent twenty grand of company funds to furnish his office.  Stephanie was the director of finance and accounting, reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer, so dealing with such things fell under her domain.  When she marched into Mr. Marketing’s office to confront him he laughed and said something dismissive that ended with the word, ‘honey’. 

I could hear her tearing him a new asshole all the way from my desk on the other side of the administrative floor.  When I popped my head up out of my gray cubicle to look around I saw so many other heads doing the same thing it looked like a sea of diverse groundhogs. 

They all snapped back beneath their walls when Stephanie came storming her pregnant way down the corridor.  She threw me a look so I followed her into her office and shut the door behind me. 

“What an asshole,” she muttered, dropping a pile of papers on her desk and sinking moodily into her chair. 

“Sounds like you got your point across to him,” I said.

“He would have gotten an earful anyway but he just made it worse after he accused me of being a hormonal shrew.” 

“He didn’t!”

“He did!” 

I laughed. 

Stephanie looked at her watch.  “You free for lunch today?”

“Meeting Stone.  He’s been down the block at the convention center this morning setting up for some comic event.  You should come.  He’d like to see you.” 

She laughed.  “I’m not the one he wants to see.”  She played with a lock of her long curly hair and studied me.  “You guys seem like you’re getting along.” 

I swooned theatrically into a chair and fanned myself with a file folder.  “That’s putting it mildly.” 

She raised an eyebrow.  “Do tell.” 

I’d already told Stephanie a lot more details than one usually imparts to her boss, but I couldn’t help wanting to talk about it and Kendra was tired of listening to me wax poetic about The World of Stone.  Plus, Stephanie was curious and obviously delighted that we were together. 

“I’m crazy about him,” I admitted, blushing a little.  “I mean, I know he’s young and he’s been through so much but damn, Steph, we just
connect
.  I’ve never had that with anyone.  When we’re together it’s so good it’s like-“

“Like your hair might catch fire,” she finished dreamily.  She was still twirling her hair and now her hands rested on her belly as she let out a wistful sigh.  “I know that feeling.”

I paused, wondering if I should get really personal.  “You ever feel that way about anyone before Chase?”

She smiled.  “No, not even close.  I don’t even think I knew what passion meant before he kissed me and then when we fell in love it was like an avalanche.  I couldn’t imagine feeling that with anyone else.”  She grew serious.  “Time passes so quickly.  You meet a boy, you fall in love, and then you blink and discover eight years have gone by and behold, you’re married and raising a family.  Sometimes I look at him with our sons and think my god, it’s all racing by too fast, far too fast.” 

Stephanie wasn’t the type to get all sappy, especially at work, but she looked downright mournful with her hands cradling her swollen belly as she lamented the passage of time.   She was right though.  After twenty five years on this earth I was starting to realize that time was elastic.  The fleeting scent of a pine tree or the echoing laughter of small children immediately returned me to a long vanished childhood, even if only for the space of a heartbeat. 

I took a piece of butterscotch candy from the jar Stephanie always kept on her desk and popped one into my mouth.  Stone and I hadn’t said the heavy words to each other yet.  There were times, especially when we’d lock eyes as he slowly moved inside of me, when it seemed we were both thinking them but for now they remained unsaid. 

Stephanie outdid me by unwrapping three butterscotch candies at once and popping them into her mouth.  “Didn’t mean to take you on a detour to the sentimental side,” she said.  “Must be all those so-called hormones shining though.” 

Even though I asked Stephanie about six more times if she would join us for lunch, she shook her head with a laugh and told me to go have a romantic hour without her. 

Stone sent me a text when he was outside the building.  I grabbed my purse and hurried to the elevator, feeling the same bubbling anticipation I always felt when I was about to see him. 

He was standing beside an elaborate stone and tile fountain that the city kept turned off for most of the year to conserve water.   It was on again now and instead of gazing into his phone like people usually did to kill a few minutes, Stone was staring intently at the cascading water.  I watched as he took a coin from his pocket and tossed it in.  It was something sweet and hopeful that children usually did and I would have given a lot to know what he was wishing for. 

“Hey, handsome.”  I surprised him from behind, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his broad back, inhaling the spicy, clean scent of his skin. 

Stone pulled me around to face him and as I looked up my breath caught over the sight of his face with a rough, two-day beard and blue eyes that matched the sky above.  I’d only said goodbye to him five hours earlier but as always I was a little stunned and humbled by just how ridiculously hot he was.  I didn’t have long to ogle him with admiration because he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me with such hungry desire that I was sure we were making a spectacle as all the nicely dressed business creatures rushed past on their way to lunch. I kissed Stone back just as hard.  Let the rest of them watch. I didn’t care.  I didn’t care at all. 

We held hands during the two block walk to a small deli that served the best ham and cheese subs in Phoenix.  Stone insisted on paying, as usual.  It was one of those stubbornly macho things about him that managed to be simultaneously charming.  

“Why don’t you let me do something for you for a change?” I asked as he pocketed his wallet. 

He raised his eyebrows and gave me a look that I recognized as a prelude to something dirty.  “You do things for me all the time, Evie.  You did something for me this morning.” He reached over and seductively traced my lips with his finger, sending all kinds of heady currents through my body.  “Remember?”

I played dumb.  “Nope.  No idea what you’re talking about.” 

He moved his finger along my jawline next and a powerful tremor of desire made me slightly dizzy.

“You sure you don’t remember?”

“No, sir.” 

His grin deepened.  “That’s funny.  Because all morning I’ve been distracted by the memory of those luscious lips wrapped around my-“

“I remember!”  I hissed, shaking out of his grasp because I’d belatedly realized we were attracting too much attention.  Pretty much everyone in earshot, both employees and patrons, were gaping at us with expressions ranging from frowning disapproval to ravenous voyeurism.     

Stone had decided to enjoy himself though.  He hooked a finger into my blouse and started playing with the top button, gripping it between his strong fingers and flashing me a warning look that plainly said my choices were limited.  I could either twist away and risk losing the button or else I could let him let him have his way.  Stone was a respectful gentleman most of the time.  He could also be equally crude and demanding when it suited him.  No one had ever gotten me this worked up so easily before.  And, as he flashed me an amused smile, I realized he knew it.

“You sure you don’t need a reminder?” he asked in a dangerous voice. 

Actually I would have liked a reminder.  I would have liked it very much, gawking lunch crowd be damned. 

“Later,” I whispered, putting my hand over his in an attempt to stop the possibility that my work clothes were about to become R rated. 

Stone watched me squirm for a few more seconds.  I didn’t know which one of us was more turned on. 

“Order eighty six!” The deli employee who called our number had piercing nasal voice and she sounded half hysterical.  “Eighty six, your order is ready!”   

Stone smirked before releasing me and grabbing our lunch tray from the counter.  He didn’t even start unwrapping his sandwich until he was satisfied that I was settled into my seat and ready to take the first bite.

“What did you wish for?” I asked a few minutes later. 

He raised his eyebrows and set his soda down.  “When?”

“At the fountain.  I saw you throw a coin in, an action that usually accompanies a wish.” 

“Oh.”  He cleared his throat and looked somewhat embarrassed. “I would tell you but according to legend then it wouldn’t come true.”

I nodded.  “You’re right.” 

There were so many layers to him and I wanted to unwrap each one with slow fascination.  Someone who considered him only at face value would miss out on so much.  Stone Gentry wasn’t just a coarse ex-con with a small mind and a good body.  He was intelligent and kind.  He was a man who believed in the simple magic of wishing on a penny.  Most importantly, no one had ever made me feel as happy as he did. 

I pushed the remains of my sandwich aside and reached for his hand.  He carefully linked our fingers together and we stayed like that, finishing lunch with our hands clasped together like two high school kids in the throes of puppy love. 

When it was time for me to return to the office he walked me back to the door. 

“We still having dinner with your cousin Deck tomorrow night?” 

Stone stretched and then pulled me in for a hug.  “Yep.”  He planted a kiss on the top of my head.  “I won’t be done with work until around midnight tonight.  Does it bug you when I get in so late?”

I wrapped my arms around him.  “You can only sleep over if you promise you
will
bug me.” 

He smiled.  “That’s what I like to hear.” 

I nuzzled his neck, teasing.  “What else do you like?”

“Careful,” he warned as he shifted his weight with a groan, “or you won’t make it back to your desk with your clothes intact.” 

“Stone, I love being with you.” 

I cringed as soon as I heard myself saying it.  The words had just kind of slipped out.  Usually I wasn’t so careless and kept words like that to myself.  They didn’t have the same kind of gravity as “I love you” but they were close enough to leave a heavy pause in the air.

Stone pulled back.  I was afraid to look into his face and see his expression.  He pushed a strand of hair away from my face and tenderly kissed my lips. 

“I love being with you too, baby.”

Be still my heart.