Reborn by Melody Anne

Chapter Twelve

Eyes was done messing around. He was finished, fini, finito . . . done! He’d had one absolutely disastrous date, and then a second not so perfect date, but somewhat improved. It still hadn’t ended where he’d wanted it to end. So he’d done some research into what Courtney truly liked, and he was quite pleased with his new plans. He was most certainly giving himself a pat on the back.

“I see you’ve ordered a Hummer limousine,” Brackish said as he leaned on the door to Eyes’s room. Yep, he was still staying at the operation center. He hadn’t yet felt a need to move out. It had everything he needed and more. But now that he was dating and trying to get Courtney into his bed, it might be a good idea to get a place. Maybe he could find one in her neighborhood.

He cringed. On second thought, that might be a bit too stalkerish. But he could get one within a few miles of her home. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford anything he wanted. But he wasn’t planning on being in Seattle too much longer. Was he changing his mind?

“Do you have fun stalking all of us?” Eyes asked as he slipped on tennis shoes.

“Yes, I do, very much.” He paused and raised a brow at Eyes’s clothes. “Aren’t you a bit underdressed for a limo ride?”

“Nope. Just because I hired a fancy vehicle doesn’t mean we’re going to a fancy place,” he told his friend.

“True, the Family Fun Center isn’t exactly my idea of a romantic limo-worthy date,” Brackish said.

“Really, Brackish, quit breaking into my computer searches,” Eyes said with a low growl.

“Nah, not when it’s so damn easy to do,” Brackish told him. “I get bored far too easily so spying on all of you gives me brief moments of entertainment.”

He didn’t give Eyes time to fire back before he turned and left the room. Eyes was ready to head to town. Of course, the limo couldn’t come out to their command center, so he was meeting it a couple of miles away from Courtney’s house. Then they’d drive to meet her.

He didn’t bother telling the rest of the team he was heading out, just slipped through the door and jumped into his vehicle. He hadn’t seen Courtney for a few days and he was sick of texting back and forth. He’d thought for sure their last date would end with an invite into her house . . . he’d been wrong.

He arrived at the pick-up location for the limo and climbed into the front seat with the driver who seemed nervous to have his passenger right next to him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be bugging you all night. We’re picking up my date, and then I want to be back there with her,” Eyes told the man, who laughed.

“It might be fun to have you up here with me even if I looked freaked out at you climbing in the front seat,” the man said. “I’m not used to passengers next to me. By the way, I’m Joe.”

“It’s great to meet you, Joe,” Eyes told him.

The man looked down at his notes then raised his brows as he looked at Eyes. “We’re going to the Family Fun Center?” he asked as if he had to have the address wrong.

Eyes laughed. “If you knew how bad my last couple of dates have been you’d understand why we’re going to the fun center. This woman isn’t your typical date. She’s intelligent, talented, and a ton of fun. She’s also an utter klutz, and I’ve seemed to have lost all of my mojo since meeting her. I figure nothing can go wrong at a place created for kids.”

Joe laughed. “Sure. What could possibly go wrong at a place with bumper cars, heavy balls, and swings going sixty plus miles per hour?”

Eyes paused for a second and then laughed hard. “Well, if we make it through this night, maybe we’re meant to be,” he said.

“My friend, I’d have to agree with you on that,” Joe said. He pulled out into traffic and the two of them chatted as they made their way across town to Courtney’s house.

“I’ll get the door. You wait here,” Eyes insisted. Joe nodded. He stepped from the limo just as Courtney walked out her door. Her eyes widened at the sight of the huge limo parked at the curb.

“What’s this?” she asked with a big smile as she walked toward him.

“I figured I needed to impress you,” he told her. “Am I doing all right?”

She came right up to him and threw her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his as she gave him a long hug and giggled.

“I’ve never ridden in a limo, so yes, I’m very impressed,” she said. She pulled back, then pushed away from him as she looked at the limo. “Let’s go,” she insisted when he just stood there staring at her as if he was a kid picking up his stunning prom date.

Eyes chuckled as he moved to the backdoor and flung it open. “After you, my lady,” he told her.

She eagerly climbed inside, then let out a gasp as she looked at the colorful lights adoring the roof of the limo. “This is great,” she said, looking all around. “Do I get a drink?”

“What would you like? I have it stocked with wine, beer, a few liquors, and champagne.”

“I want a mimosa,” she said. “There’s something very fun about drinking champagne in a limo.”

Joe opened the back window. “Do you have any stops you want to make before your final destination?” he asked.

“Nope,” Eyes said. “Thanks, Joe.”

“No problem, Mr. Eisenhart. We should be there in about forty minutes. There’s a buzzer on the right side of the vehicle by the door if you need me. Otherwise, I’ll leave you two be.” With that, the window closed, and they were all alone as the vehicle began moving. Eyes didn’t miss the waggle of Joe’s brow. As much as Eyes would love some hanky-panky as he knew many people had done in many limos, he didn’t want his first time with Courtney to be in the back of a vehicle.

Eyes handed over the mimosa to Courtney, then grabbed an IPA for himself. He sat back as she chatted about a story she was working on about homelessness in their city. Eyes listened to her rant and rave as the two of them had a couple of drinks and relaxed for their evening to come. He didn’t know what the solution was to the ever-growing homeless population. He thought the cities could come up with something better than having them on every street corner though.

Eyes knew he’d made the right choice when they stepped out of the limo at the fun center and Courtney turned toward him with a sparkle in her eyes and a huge smile on her lips.

“You’ve done good,” she said. “I’ve wanted to come here since I arrived in Seattle but have never made the time. No other date has been this smart.”

She moved forward and he had to jog ahead of her to get the door before she opened it herself. He didn’t like her mentioning other dates, something new for him. He’d never had a problem with females having a life before him. It was ridiculous to think she hadn’t been with lots of men. She was stunning, smart, talented, and drew people in. He didn’t understand why she wasn’t married yet. Those men had to be idiots to have allowed her to get away. Then again, wasn’t that what he had planned? He hadn’t ever thought in terms of forever — at least never before meeting this woman.

“What’s first?” Courtney asked. She looked all over at the kids running around, the parents with smiles on their faces, and the teenagers acting as if they weren’t having the time of their lives because they were too cool for such a kid place.

“The Screamin’ Swing,” Eyes told her.

“I have no idea what that is, but it sounds amazing,” she said. He took her hand as he led her toward their first adventure. When she allowed him to do it, he felt like a king. This woman had gotten to him more than he realized — and he didn’t care anymore.

They arrived at the swing and were soon strapped in. Even though Eyes had jumped from helicopters and done the most fear-inducing activities all over the world in his military days, he still found this ride to be a hell of a thrill.

Courtney screamed as the swing launched them into the air at sixty-five miles an hour. The ride had been named accurately. He found himself laughing as the negative 4 G’s took their breath away. When it ended Courtney insisted on going again. They did the ride four times in a row before she allowed them to move on.

“I want to come here every single day and do that ride,” she said. Her cheeks were flushed, her bottom lip slightly swollen from biting it, and her eyes glowed with happiness.

“I’ll take you on any ride you want at any time,” Eyes said. She paused then laughed as she threw her arms around his neck again.

“I’ll just bet you will,” she said with a giggle and a wink.

“And no one has been injured yet on this date,” he said in a husky whisper.

“The date’s just begun,” she said. Her laughter was dying though as she looked into his eyes. He didn’t hesitate any longer as he took her lips and kissed her the way he’d been wanting to for days. She sighed against his mouth as she leaned into him, trying to get closer.

“Get a room, you old farts,” a teen called out. Eyes was tempted to show the teen how young at heart he was.

Courtney pulled away from him and looked at the teen who was fist bumping his companion thinking he was so cool.

“Don’t be jealous of things you can’t get,” she said with a bright smile. She then flipped her hair back, grabbed Eyes’s hand and walked away, making sure to give her fine, fine ass a little shake to make the kid eat his words. Eyes might be falling in love with the woman.

“You just keep getting hotter,” Eyes told her.

She laughed again. “I think we’re as old as we allow ourselves to be. I refuse to get any older than twenty-five.”

“I can’t date a minor,” he said.

“That’s a perfectly acceptable dating age,” she told him.

“Yeah, for a twenty-five-year-old. I wouldn’t want a woman barely out of teenage years. We’d have nothing in common. I want a woman,” he assured her.

“Well, I’m certainly all woman,” she told him. She then slapped his ass and moved ahead when she realized they were heading toward the go-karts. He was ready to throw her over his shoulder and show her he was all man.

They rode the go-karts with only minor scrapes as she crashed into the wall on a few of the hairpin turns. He didn’t normally let people win, but there was no way he was passing her on the course when the woman was a disaster in waiting. He was amazed she didn’t flip the car. They only did the course twice, and the second time he got the jump on her quickly and didn’t let her pass. He felt he was protecting everyone else on the course with them.

“You’re such a cheater,” she told him as they exited.

“I do whatever it takes to win,” he said with a laugh.

“So do I,” she assured him as she walked ahead of him again.

They moved into the arcade area and he trounced her in several games of basketball, and then she kicked his butt in a zombie shooting match. He was glad the guys weren’t there because he’d never live down having the journalist destroy him at a shooting game. He didn’t have to worry though, because he was sure she’d remind him often of her victory. She refused to play a second round with him after that, saying it was a one-and-done so she could relive the feeling of beating him over and over again.

“What’s next?” she asked. Two hours had already passed, and she wasn’t even close to finished. He really had chosen a great date. He was quite pleased with himself.

“We have a date for some laser tag,” he said. “This time you won’t beat me.” If she did he prayed Brackish wouldn’t look into their computers and see the score. He’d never live that down.

“I’ve never done that before either. You’re giving me a lot of firsts tonight,” she said as she clapped.

“I can give you more,” he said. He pulled her close and gave her a quick kiss. He didn’t want to get too distracted before they played. “Like multiple orgasms.”

She smiled, always being quick with a come-back. “How do you know I haven’t had that already?”

He was speechless this time as she walked away. He tried telling himself she was trying to psych him out before the game. Even knowing that, her distraction had worked. He couldn’t stand the thought of another man making her scream.

They suited up, then headed inside where the teams were split up. Luckily, they were on the same team so they wouldn’t be fighting against each other. The start signal began and they ran into the arena.

Eyes instantly went into special operator mode and was using all of the angles and lines that he’d been taught through his many years of repetitive training. When he saw Courtney’s vest light up, indicating she’d been shot, and her laughing hysterically and then running to a corner, he knew he needed to let go and simply have fun.

“Eyes, come on!” Courtney yelled as she ran through a hall that had been filled with fog and lit up by randomized strobe lights popping off at intervals that were too difficult for the brain to understand. He could only see her silhouette, and then saw the red light, indicating she’d been shot again. Her laughter was contagious.

For five minutes the two of them ran through the maze with loud music blaring from overworked speakers and kids yelling and screaming with pure joy while they zapped family members, friends, and strangers. When that round expired and the teams went back to their respective corners, Eyes was shocked to see his team had been decimated, and even worse, he’d come in last place with only four kills.

“The next round starts in thirty seconds,” the young employee responsible for this section called out.

“Hey everyone,” Eyes said to those in the small room awaiting the clock to hit zero and allow them back into the arena. “Let’s kick their butts. Listen carefully. Work in teams of four. Go in a single line so when the first person gets hit they can run to the back of the line and be safe from the onslaught. If we score twice as many points as them I’ll give everyone a twenty-five-dollar card to the arcade.”

The kids started jumping up and down like they were going to pee their pants, and quickly partnered up into groups of four.

“Remember, stay together and work as a team,” Eyes reminded them as the clock showed five seconds remaining before the doors opened and laser tag hellfire was going to be unleashed on the despicable blue team.

“GO!” yelled the kid attending them, and everyone took off in what seemed like a hundred different directions.

The red team, searching for serious points, started out strong, but it seemed odd that they weren’t racking up as many points as Eyes thought they would. It wasn’t easy to get eight-year-old boys to stay focused so maybe his briefing on staying together fell on deaf ears.

“I got him!” Courtney yelled. As she began pumping her fist in excitement her vest started glowing, showing she’d also been taken out.

“And they got you,” Eyes replied with a smile.

He could’ve sworn Courtney said, “You’re the only who’s got me,” as she started crawling away from him, searching for her next victim . . . but maybe that’s what he wanted to hear her say. The music made it next to impossible to know what anyone said unless they were yelling words directly in your ear.

The round ended and Eyes was actually shocked to see his red team had done worse that round than the previous. The lowest scoring player on the blue team had a higher score than the best player on his team, which happened to be Eyes that round. He took no pride in being the best of a terrible team.

“Okay everyone, listen up. We’re down two games but this round we have triple point scores, so we have a chance to make it back and take the victory. Remember, we have to work together. Don’t move until everyone in the group is ready. Surround the enemy, and don’t let them get away. Everyone pick up points as fast as you can,” Eyes directed.

“You’re an absolute nerd. You realize that, right? We’re playing laser tag and outside of that dad over there, we’re older than all of these kids by at least twenty years,” Courtney said as she leaned into him, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

“That’s it!” Eyes exclaimed.

“What?” Courtney asked.

“I never got close enough, but I saw that the other side had at least six adults, maybe even seven. Our team’s too short to hit the spots on the enemies vests,” Eyes said, shocked he hadn’t realized the folly of his instructions sooner.

“If you’re shorter than this kid,” Eyes started as he grabbed a kid who was about the average height in the room, “. . . as soon as the doors open, run as fast as you can upstairs. Yes, all of you that are his height or shorter. We need to get to the high ground and shoot on top of them. I promise you, it’ll work but you have to stay up there. Don’t let them run you off. The rest of you kids need to be a major distraction. You’re going to get shot a lot but we want to win as a team, right? So you have to hoot and holler and yell as much and as loud as you can. Of course, you can shoot them, but stay in their faces. We don’t want them realizing they’re being fired on by the little guys up high.”

“Five seconds,” the kid overwatching the room yelled.

“I don’t know if this is going to work but I can tell those kids think you’re a hero already. And I tend to agree with them,” Courtney said as she leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

The timing was perfect. As soon as she pulled away, leaving him speechless, the doors opened, and she went running from the room with the rest of the team.

If Eyes was expecting Courtney to play by his rules and be serious, she’d definitely let him down. She was a kid in a candy store and ran around cracking up at being shot or while shooting someone.

“I’ve been shot,” Courtney said as she made a grandiose gesture with her hand coming up to her forehead. “I . . . I . . . I never got to tell you everything I wanted to say,” she finished as she fell into Eyes’s arms.

“Well, I guess I’ll just use you as a human shield then since you’re of no use to my team,” Eyes said. As easy as he’d pick up a sack of oranges he lifted Courtney and threw her over his shoulder. She started giggling and slapping his butt while telling him to let her down, but he kept on running around the maze.

“I guess I might as well be of some help,” Courtney yelled as she started shooting at members of the evil empire known as the blue team.

The intercom came over the loudspeakers letting all of the players know there was thirty seconds remaining. Yelling and screaming could be heard bouncing through the entire area as the energy level in the kids jumped up. Eyes scanned the scoreboard and saw that his team was tied with the blue team.

“Courtney, we can win! Follow me,” Eyes said as he gently brought her back down to her feet.

The two of them ran around a corner. Eyes was firing as fast as his little plastic gun would go, and Courtney fired right over the top of his shoulder. They caught three blue team members in a corner and started rapid firing on them. Each of their vests would glow red, indicating it was hit, inactivate for two seconds, and then come back online. The problem for the three kids was there was nowhere for them to go, and each time their vests reactivated it instantly popped red again.

“Hahahaha . . . die, you scum!” Courtney bellowed in a maniacal scream at three kids who couldn’t have been older than twelve. Eyes couldn’t keep himself from laughing at how silly she was acting.

The music abruptly ended, the lights came back on, and the PA system told everyone to come back to their rooms for a final tally.

It was a sick joke the laser tag operators did. Each game, with about fifteen seconds left, turned off the scoreboard so there was no way of knowing what happened with the points in that timeframe.

Sometimes the scores were so lopsided it didn’t matter, but this time it mattered a lot. Each of the red team members came in all but crawling out of their skin wanting to know who’d won, but more than that, the kids were high fiving each other for staying alive for so long and knowing they had a bunch more hits than in the previous games.

Eyes was smiling as Courtney went around to the kids, giving them fists bumps and relaying how great they did. He was so busy watching her he didn’t notice when the scoreboard came to life in their room. The glow from the screen on her face gave her an almost angelic glow and Eyes would never admit to anyone he couldn’t catch his breath due to how stunningly beautiful she was.

He was in his own world, not noticing the cheering, jumps of joy, kids running up to him and trying to pull him toward the screen to show him they’d won that round and scored enough points to win overall.

The dad who was the only other adult on the team came over, laughing, and said Eyes had just become the greatest human to ever walk on earth in the eyes of his son and daughter, who were both grinning from ear to ear as their names were near the very top of the point total for that round.

“You have no idea how awesome you are, my laser tag warrior,” Courtney whispered to Eyes in a sexy voice as she gently kissed his ear.

“Do that again and I promise you this warrior will carry you out of this place and there will be no more family fun center for you tonight,” Eyes said to his beautiful date.

The two of them laughed and were walking close together as they left the laser tag room. They turned the corner to buy arcade cards for the kids and then ran into a group of men. When Eyes focused on the faces in front of him he just about started throwing punches.

“Were you guys in there just now? Son of a bitch! What are you doing here?” He stopped, his eyes narrowed. “Dammit, Brackish!”

Sleep, Green, Smoke, and Brackish were all standing there, Cheshire smiles as long as a summer day splayed across their faces.

Courtney started howling with laughter, which instantly made Eyes lose any tension he might’ve been feeling, and within a couple of seconds the entire group was laughing.

The men didn’t intrude on the rest of the night, but they did randomly bump into Eyes and Courtney to make sure Eyes was behaving himself or asking Courtney if she needed any of them to take her home because Eyes couldn’t be trusted.

“Tonight, I’m the one who might not be trustworthy,” she said with a wink, knocking Eyes’s feet right out from under him.

“Check please,” he said to the air, making Courtney laugh. They immediately walked out of the fun center after that.

The limo reached Courtney’s house and stopped. Eyes looked at her, wanting an invite inside, but not pushing it. He’d had a perfect date with the woman, and he wanted them both to walk away happy, not pressured.

“Come inside, Eyes,” she said. He didn’t argue. He pushed the button for the driver.

“We’re all done for tonight. Thank you, Joe. Your tip’s on the seat,” Eyes said, throwing a few hundred dollar bills down as he exited behind Courtney.

They moved up her walk, and he noticed her trembling fingers as she put her key in the lock. He had to keep his fingers in a fist to keep from grabbing her.

“Do you want a drink?” she asked.

“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” he said. He moved into the living room and sat on the couch on one side. That way she had a choice to sit on the other side or right next to him.

She went into the kitchen then came back with two glasses of wine. She handed him one, then downed half of her glass in one drink. “I should’ve brought the bottle in,” she said as she looked at the couch as if trying to decide where to sit. He took a sip of his wine — it was good — then set the glass down.

“Come here, Courtney,” he said. His voice and eyes told her exactly what would happen if she did just that.

She didn’t hesitate. She set her glass next to his and sat right next to him. Eyes picked her up and set her in his lap. He’d waited far too long for this to happen.

Eyes closed the small distance between them and brushed his lips against hers. He meant it to be brief, but soon they were unable to keep away from each other. Courtney was making it clear she didn’t want him to leave. Eyes had the same idea.

“Take me to bed, Eyes,” she whispered when their lips broke apart. Again, he didn’t hesitate. He stood up and set her on her shaking legs, he then took her hand and led her down the hallway where he discovered her bedroom door on the first try. They slowly backed toward her inviting bed.

He knew they were moving a bit too quickly, but it felt as if it had been an eternity since he’d last felt her touch. He couldn’t stop what was happening, and even if he could, he wouldn’t want to. He needed her in a way that went beyond simple urges.

He backed her up until her legs hit the edge of her bed, and then he pressed against her, the evidence of his arousal pushing against her stomach. She was slow as she reached for him, unsure of herself for the first time since he’d met her. He let her grow more comfortable as he tried to control his breathing.

She moved her hands from his well-defined shoulders, slowly bringing them down his chest, unbuttoning his shirt along the way. He shuddered as she felt the contours of his solid chest. While she was working on removing his clothes, he began to slowly strip her. Goosebumps broke out on her skin as the cool air whispered along each inch he exposed. Excitement surged through him.

“I need you,” he growled before nipping her earlobe. She shuddered as his warm breath tickled her. She was so damn responsive. Their entire night had been about magic and this was the perfect ending.

They were both finally stripped of their clothes, and he gently lifted her in his arms, laid her on the bed, and quickly joined her. He ran his hands over her body. His fingers skimmed her satin skin, sending ripples of delight through her. She became bolder as she ran her fingers across his heated body. He couldn’t hold back his moans of pleasure at her delicate touch.

She reached his hip and circled around to touch his arousal, then she gasped. He was so ready for her, and he was large and hard. She looked at him with slight fear in her expression.

“I won’t hurt you, I promise,” he told her, sensing her fear. She relaxed at his words and his gentle touch.

He kissed her deeply, exploring the contours of her mouth, touching every satiny surface. Finally, he moved his head down her slim throat and nipped at her beating pulse. She brought her hands up, running her fingers through his hair, holding him against her enticing body.

He moved over her breasts, swiping his tongue across her peaked nipples and then blowing warm air across the tender buds. The sensation caused her back to arch off the bed and a groan to escape her throat. He felt wetness building at her core as he dipped a finger inside of her. He was losing his mind with the need to take her. She must’ve felt the same because she arched her hips against him, trying to stop the playing. It was clear she was no longer nervous.

“Patience,” was all he said as he continued down her body.

He finally reached her thighs and gently spread them apart, exposing her to his touch. She was on display for him, and he enjoyed what he saw.

“You’re breathtaking,” he whispered before he brought his head down and nipped the sensitive skin on her stomach.

He moved his lips down, his tongue slick against her hot flesh. When he inserted two fingers into her tight passage she started trembling and gripped him tight. He moved faster, pressing his hands and mouth forward in a rhythm that quickly had her exploding.

Her eyes rounded in shock as wave after wave of intense pleasure washed through her. He slowed his movements and made sure she enjoyed every single moment of the intense orgasm. When the final shudder left her body, he traveled upward again.

When he reached her still incredibly sensitive breasts and gently nipped one of the hardened nipples, she gasped as her eyes flew open. That gentle bite started to wake her body once again. He lavished her breasts before moving upward so he could once again take her mouth with his. He was no longer slow and gentle. He was fast and demanding and she was answering his call. The more feverish he became, the more she demanded he join them together.

He reached down and lifted her leg around his hip, pressing his arousal against her entrance, just the tip of him resting there, waiting to join them together. She jerked her hips, obviously no longer afraid of his size.

He continued to caress her mouth with his, while his hand rubbed along her hip and the smooth curve of her butt. Everywhere he touched sent shivers through them both. She jerked her hips again, showing him exactly what she wanted. Finally, he lowered himself inch by inch.

His thick shaft effortlessly parted her slick entrance, and he thrust deep inside of her. There was pure pleasure as she gripped him tight. He barely fit, but at the same time it was as if they were built for one another. He sunk deep within her and paused, both of them relishing the feel of being so close together.

He looked deep in her eyes; the moment was so beautiful he lost all power of words. He slowly started moving in and out of her tight entrance, causing ripples of desire to course through them both. The moment shattered as pleasure completely consumed them.

He locked his lips back on hers as he reached around, gripping her hips tightly in his hands, and he started thrusting in her body harder and harder. An explosion of pleasure ripped through her as she tightened around him, making it nearly impossible to move as their movements became frantic. She thrust her hips up, meeting him stroke for stroke. He threw his head back with a guttural groan as he released his pleasure deep into her core.

He collapsed on top of her and neither of them could breathe for several moments. With his last bit of energy, he shifted their bodies, so he was lying on his back with her snuggled tightly against his side.

“Thank you,” he whispered as he gently caressed her back. There was no response as she drifted to sleep. He soon followed her.