Bodie by Nyssa Kathryn
Chapter 30
Oliver threw his head back and laughed at Kye’s retelling of the previous night. A real belly laugh, which had his problems momentarily disappearing.
God, it was good to be home. They’d only arrived back in Marble Falls a few days ago. The impromptu team catchup was exactly what he needed.
Or, more accurately, the family catchup.
These were the moments he lived for. Moments when he was surrounded by his closest friends, cold beer in hand and laugher floating around the room. They sat around on the mats in the training area of their business, Marble Protection. The sanctuary they’d built from the ground up. It made the night that much sweeter.
Maya was sitting between Quinn and Bodie. The smile on her face evidence of her happiness.
Oliver was glad. He had a soft spot for the woman. She had impressed the hell out of him with the way she’d fought off Sinclair and forced the guy to chase her through the woods. She was tough.
What was more, she made Bodie happy. All the women around him made his brothers happy. Some might consider all the love and connection in the room a weakness. Hylar definitely did.
They didn’t.
Oliver had seen firsthand the way love made a man strong rather than soft. It made him twice the protector.
Not that being single was a bad thing. Far from it. Oliver anticipated he would be single for a long time. Who knew, he might even be single forever. And he didn’t feel one bit of unease about it.
Before Bodie had met Maya, he’d been wanting to find love. Openly talking about it with his brothers. Oliver didn’t feel that. Did he love women? Hell, yes, he did. That didn’t mean he felt the need to commit to one for the rest of his life.
Bodie stood, beer in hand, and made his way across the room, taking a seat beside Oliver. “Hey, brother, how you doing?”
“Good. Keystone was nice, but being home is…well, you know.”
“I do.” Bodie took a swig of his beer. “I don’t think I’ve said thank you yet.”
Oliver frowned. “Why would you need to thank me?”
“For traveling to Keystone and having my back. Having Maya’s back.”
Oliver was shaking his head before his friend had finished speaking. “You don’t need to thank me. You know that. We’re all in this together.”
Not just because they were basically brothers, but also because they were stronger as a unit. Separately, they were weapons. Together they were an army. They would use that to their advantage against every enemy.
Bodie ran a hand through his hair. “Damn, I’m glad to have you guys.”
Oliver clamped a hand on his shoulder. “You and me both.” His gaze shot across the room to Maya. “I’m happy for you that you found your woman.”
Bodie immediately looked toward her. “It’s strange. A couple months ago, when Wyatt said we needed someone to watch her, I knew it should be me. It sounds crazy. I had no idea who she was. It’s almost like the universe knew she was mine before we’d even met.”
That wasn’t crazy. That was damn beautiful. The man deserved every minute of his happiness.
“You deserve it, brother. I hope all your days are this happy.”
Some of the light dimmed from Bodie’s eyes. “Me too.”
Oliver knew what he was thinking about. Hylar. Carter. The danger that still existed in their world. The danger that stalked them.
“One day, we’ll be safe.” Oliver knew that with very real clarity.
“One day soon,” Bodie whispered. His eyes didn’t leave Maya. “You thought any more about that woman?”
A smile tugged at Oliver’s lips. “Her name was Tori. And not really. I’m a lone wolf, remember?”
“You don’t have to be.”
Oliver took a sip of his beer. “I love you, buddy, but you and I are very different people when it comes to this stuff.”
Bodie’s lips pulled into a smile, almost like he knew a secret that Oliver didn’t. “Maybe. Or maybe you’re just not there yet.”
Ah, hell. If he was going to listen to his loved-up friends for the rest of the night, he was going to need another beer…or ten.
Oliver lifted his almost empty bottle. “I’m going to get another.”
He pushed to his feet.
It wasn’t like Tori hadn’t been in his thoughts. Hell, who could forget those sky-blue eyes and that cute-as-heck laugh? But he’d been telling Bodie the truth. He wasn’t looking for love. His mind was on Hylar and danger and the damn project.
Oliver had just grabbed a bottle from the fridge behind the front counter when his gaze snagged on something through the glass front door. Or more accurately, someone. Standing across the street.
Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be noteworthy. But considering it was both pitch-black out there and raining? Yeah, he noticed. Then a frown pulled at his brows and he took a small step toward the door…
Tori?
Placing the beer on the counter, Oliver was halfway to the exit when Kye stepped in front of him.
“Ax! Where the hell are you going? Was my reenactment of last Saturday night so bad you have to leave?”
“Just getting some fresh air.” Oliver started to step around Kye, distracted, but his friend gripped his arm. All signs of joking faded as Kye took a step closer.
“Hey, you okay?”
He was fine. Just a bit concerned about the woman standing outside, getting drenched. He didn’t have time to explain to his friend.
“I’m great. Just need a break from all the love in the room.”
That was something Kye would be able to understand.
His friend’s lips stretched. “I know that feeling. Want company?”
“Nah, I’m okay. I won’t be long.”
He actually had no idea how long he’d be. Finding out why she was standing in the dark, in the rain, was at the top of his priority list. Getting her dry and warm was also up there.
“Gotcha.” Kye headed back to the group.
Oliver pushed outside, stepping onto the sidewalk. The rain hit him as he searched the street.
Empty.
What the hell? Had he imagined her being out there?
He scrubbed a hand over his face. God, he needed to get a grip. He’d hardly slept since getting back from Keystone. He’d hardly slept in Keystone. His mind was consumed with everything the team needed to accomplish. And now he was hallucinating women.
Christ, he was losing it.
Oliver shot one more glance in both directions before heading back inside.
Tonight, he needed to sleep for a solid eight hours. Then maybe he could search for Hylar with a little more focus, instead of wasting time standing in the rain, searching for a woman he’d spent a single night with.
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