Reborn by Melody Anne

Chapter Eight

Eyes pulled up to Courtney’s house and turned off his vehicle. Their first date had been a disaster of apocalyptic proportions. This second date was thought out, and he was going to make sure it went well. He couldn’t get this woman out of his mind, and he was getting a hell of a lot of shit about it from his teammates. He couldn’t look at his phone in their presence anymore without them making kissing sounds and asking how Courtney was doing.

If he were being honest, he’d admit he might deserve all of the ribbing, considering how much crap he’d flicked at the men over the past year on them falling down the rabbit hole of love. He’d been against romance and long-term relationships, let alone marriage, for so long that he wasn’t sure what he thought about it anymore. His head was a mess, and his heart thundered anytime he was around that woman. What in the hell was she doing to him? Had this been what the other men had gone through? Was he in the foxhole with all guns trained on him?

Eyes ran his fingers through his hair as he let out a long sigh. He didn’t have answers for any of his feelings, but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he wasn’t going anywhere until he figured this thing out with the brave, stubborn, and somewhat crazy woman who was always infiltrating his thoughts — even when he slept.

Before Eyes stepped from his vehicle, he saw Courtney’s door fling open. She did a little hop down her steps and he barely had time to jump out of the SUV and jog around to her door before she arrived and reached for the handle.

“Good evening,” he told her as he pulled open the door. “You look beautiful as always.” Damn, she took his breath away. He’d told her their date would be more casual and to dress comfortably.

She wore a pair of jeans with sparkles on her luscious ass that had his fingers tingling with the need to see how well his hand could cup his favorite curvy part of her body. He tore his gaze from her butt as she turned, giving him a view of the apple red sweater that hugged his second favorite part of her, showing just a bit of cleavage that had his mouth watering. Bright red lipstick adorned her kissable mouth, and it appeared mascara was her only other makeup. She didn’t need much. She effortlessly looked both seductive and innocent in the same glance.

“Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself,” she told him as she licked those shining lips, making his groin tighten.

Their first kiss had been a disaster. Eyes knew he wouldn’t make it through the night if he didn’t remedy that tragic moment. He grabbed her hips and pushed her back against the vehicle. Her eyes widened as her mouth parted. He gave her a few seconds to protest if this wasn’t what she wanted. Her hands came up and gripped his large biceps.

Eyes leaned down, taking his time so they didn’t bounce off of one other this time, and finally their lips connected. Instead of bruising her this time, they melted together as if they’d been meant to be. Her taste sent a surge through his body as he swept his tongue over her lower lip, then dipped inside her mouth. Heaven, this was pure heaven.

He pushed against her as his fingers tightened on her hips. She groaned against his mouth as her tongue began dancing with his. He continued the kiss for a few more seconds then pulled back with reluctance. She slowly opened her eyes as she gazed at him, a slight pout now resting on her lips.

“Okay, we need to start off every date just like that,” he told her.

Eyes was pleased when Courtney laughed at his words. “If we did, we might never get out of the house,” she said with a bit of huskiness to her voice. Eyes was about to throw her over his shoulder and march back up to her door when she pushed against his chest. “No you don’t, big boy. We had a terrible first date. I want a better one so I can get my interview.”

With that she scooted to the side, then leapt up into his SUV, and firmly closed her door, leaving him standing there with a painful erection and a smile. She entertained him while still turning him on. No one had ever done that before.

After Eyes managed to calm down his body, he walked around to the driver’s side of the vehicle and climbed inside. Her scent instantly surrounded him, and he knew this was going to be a long night, filled with both joy and a lot of pain. If he didn’t bed this woman soon, he might be able to claim a disability for a permanent erection. Was it after four hours he was supposed to call his doctor? He smiled again. He had a better solution, and it was to sink deep inside this feisty woman.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Courtney asked. She seemed unaffected by their kiss or being so close to him in the vehicle, a bit of a hit to Eyes’s ego. This was the biggest SUV they had at their headquarters, but he might as well have been in a VW Bug as closed in as he felt.

Eyes loved sex. Any red-blooded person in the world did, but he could normally keep himself under control. Of course, his excuse was it had been a while since he’d gotten to enjoy the fruits of a great orgasm. He felt slightly comforted that it wasn’t this woman making him a mess, it was just a serious lack of doing the bedroom tango.

“We’re going to the movies,” he told her. They stopped at a light and he looked at her. There was a scowl on her cute forehead.

“Are you trying that hard to get out of the interview?” she asked, accusation dripping in her tone. “Because you know very well we can’t talk during a movie.”

“We’ll get food afterward and then I’ll talk,” he promised. He was planning on talking. He just wanted the opportunity to spend more time with her without feeling he was begging. Had that been what he’d been reduced to? A zit-filled teenage boy begging for a date? He didn’t want to have that thought or visual image in his head.

“Fine, we’ll go to the movies. But I’m ordering a large popcorn, large soda, and as much candy as I want,” she said with an evil smile. “And you have to pay for it all.”

Eyes burst out laughing. She looked like such a petulant child in that moment . . . and he found her absolutely breathtaking.

“Deal,” he said. He could see she was slightly disappointed there was zero argument from him. Of course, she wasn’t aware of the amount of money he possessed. She probably thought it would hurt his wallet a little to have a hundred-dollar snack bill at the theater. He wasn’t going to tell her how wrong she was. He felt there needed to be mystery between a new couple.

That last thought had Eyes going silent as it processed in his brain while he drove to the theater that wasn’t much farther away. They weren’t a new couple. They weren’t anything. Yes, he wanted to date her, at least a couple of dates. But he only wanted to do that because of the sexual chemistry between them. He wanted to bed her, that was for sure. He surely would lose interest after that. He always had in the past.

They found a parking place and stopped the vehicle. He wasn’t sure he’d lose interest. He was absolutely positive she wouldn’t be a one-and-done. Just knowing that about Courtney should make him run from her as fast as he possibly could.

“What are we watching?” Courtney asked as they approached the outside posters advertising what was playing.

“I know what I planned to watch, but I guess we should discuss it,” he said. There was a great thriller, but unfortunately there were a couple of cartoons and even worse, some chick flicks. There was no way he’d go to a chick flick.

“Oh, this one,” Courtney said, as she pointed and jumped up and down, a big smile on her face. He was afraid to see what she was pointing at. When he looked, he grinned, knowing now that he’d hit the lottery.

“You want to watch Profile? I was terrified I’d have to duel you to get out of a chick flick,” he said.

“Are you kidding me?” she gasped as she rolled her eyes. “Of course I love a good chick flick — and this is the ultimate one.” She was eagerly moving forward. There were no more complaints about going to the movie.

“How in the world is this a chick flick?” he asked. He shouldn’t be arguing with her as she might change her mind, but he needed to know.

“First off, I am a reporter,” she said, looking at him again as if he was a little slow. He hadn’t thought about that aspect of the film.

“I guess that would appeal to you, but why is it a chick flick?” he pushed. They got to the cashier window and paused their conversation as he bought two tickets. He loved this theater because the seats were large and had footstools. He’d fallen asleep at a few boring movies he’d been dragged to, not complaining at all since he was comfortable.

“It tells the story of a British journalist who investigates ISIS recruiting young girls. She almost falls in love with the terrorist. And to make it more of a chick flick, she has a boyfriend the entire time. There’s love, lust, greed, war, explosions, and lies. How isn’t it a chick flick?” she asked as they got in line for goodies.

“Well, chick flicks usually have a boy and girl going on some cheesy adventure, not knowing they’re in love until the very end where they confess their undying love and devotion. I don’t see that happening in this film,” he said.

They made it to the front of the line and had to pause their conversation again. Eyes was shocked when she ordered the largest popcorn and soda, a container of hot cheese to dip her popcorn in, a package of Twizzlers, Milk Duds, and M&M’s.

“Will you actually eat all of this?” he asked before making his order.

“I’ll share the popcorn if you agree now to go get the refill,” she told him. “But the candy is all mine. You have to get your own.” The young clerk looked at her in awe as she said that. This woman’s body was incredible. Eyes wasn’t sure how she ate that many empty calories in one setting and kept as beautiful a body as she did.

“The movie might be too good to leave. I better get my own,” he said. She nodded as if he had a point. Not to be outdone, Eyes ordered a large popcorn and several boxes of candy for himself. He had a feeling his stomach was going to hurt like hell later that night. He liked his junk food, but this was pushing even his iron gut.

They were about twenty minutes early for the show, so they had plenty of time to keep talking.

“I read the early reviews of this and it said the film is done through screen-capture,” Eyes told her as they sat.

“What does that mean?”

“It’s filmed as if we’re seeing it through the computer screen. They said that makes it feel more intimate as if we’re there, talking to her or the terrorist,” he told her.

“Oh yeah, I did hear that,” Courtney told him. “It’s truly insane how much you can learn in this new world of Zoom and doing so much through computers. We can see what’s in people’s houses, find clues about who they are, and get information on them that they have no idea they’re sharing. I’m not at all a fan of Facetime, Zoom, or any other video messaging. I prefer to keep the cameras out of it. You never know what you’re sharing without knowing you’re sharing.”

He laughed at her last sentence. “So, was that a double entendre?”

“Oh, whatever. I mean we don’t know how much information we give without saying a word,” she pointed out.

“I know. I don’t get on a video message unless I’m away from my home or have a screen behind me blocking out anything that might be in my place,” he said.

“But they can still break into your computer and get information on you,” she pointed out.

Eyes laughed again. “Not with Brackish putting security on all of my devices. The damn NSA couldn’t break into my electronics,” he bragged.

“I’m going to have to speak with Brackish,” she said.

“He’s always willing to help a beautiful lady.”

Before she could reply the previews for upcoming films began and they both sat back, eating their treats while watching the coming attractions. The movie just began when Eyes felt something hit the back of his head. He was starting to turn to see what had happened after he felt something pelt him again. Then Courtney jumped as she flipped her head around.

They both gazed behind them but saw nobody acting suspicious.

“Is someone throwing things at us?” Courtney whispered.

“Shhh,” someone called from at least a row away.

“I’m not speaking loud,” Courtney whispered again.

“Shut up,” another person said.

Courtney turned and glared behind her. No one confessed to who’d snapped at them. Eyes wanted to throttle someone, but these were civilians. It wasn’t as if he could go row by row and pound the crap out of each person in there.

“It has to be a kid,” Courtney said, this time her lips on his ear, her voice so low he barely heard her. There was no way someone else could hear what she was saying.

“Do I need to call the manager?” someone asked. Eyes was furious.

Their second date had begun so damn well, and now it was going downhill fast.

He started to stand and Courtney put out her hand to stop him. “Please don’t,” she said.

“There’s no way I’m allowing some jacktard to disrespect you,” he told her.

“Eyes, it’s just kids having some fun. If you ignore them they’ll grow bored,” she assured him.

Eyes wasn’t sure how he managed to maintain his cool, but, for this woman, he didn’t pummel the idiot or idiots who were walking a fine line of staying in one piece. He stayed seated even though he wanted to go all Rambo and take everyone in the theater out.

As good as the movie was, it was overshadowed by his frustration at not being able to take care of a problem. He was sure it was some young punk who’d been trying to impress his friends. The damn kid would sneak out and be long gone before Eyes could teach him a lesson he’d never forget. The end credits started and Courtney turned and looked at him.

“That was so amazing,” she said. “It felt so much more intimate with the way they filmed it. With the close-ups of Amy and Bilel, their emotions were clear. I almost felt sorry for him a few times. However, I was really scared for Amy.”

“I loved the suspense through the entire film,” Eyes said. “I would’ve loved it more if the idiot at the beginning of the film hadn’t ticked me off.” He was trying to shake off his bad mood. Their date wasn’t over yet.

“I forgot all about it after the film started,” Courtney said with a wave of her hand. “The scariest thing about the entire film is how easily a young girl could fall for this scheme. This woman was smart, talented, and successful and she was nearly pulled in. I don’t know if a teenager could resist.”

“It happens too often all around the world,” Eyes said with a shake of his head. “The lives of predators have gotten a lot easier since the internet was invented. They can cyberstalk their victims and no one knows it’s happening.”

They left the theater and were in the parking lot when all of a sudden they were pelted with popcorn. What in the living hell? Eyes whipped around, no longer caring if it was a kid. He was going to teach the young punk what a real hit felt like. This had now gone too far.

Before he could move Courtney started laughing. He looked at her in surprise. How could she not be irritated as hell? He was ready to start World War III.

“Well, hello boys. It seems we were at the same show,” she said. Eyes looked up, then wanted to commit murder even more.

Sleep and Smoke were standing there, each with a bucket of popcorn and a satisfied smile on their lips.

“Good film, wasn’t it?” Smoke asked with a laugh.

“It would’ve been a hell of a lot better had we not been assaulted at the beginning of it,” Eyes said. He considered punching Smoke, knowing he’d get hit back and it would feel like a sledgehammer going through a window. It would still be worth it.

“We didn’t know you were coming here, but boy were we glad to see you,” Sleep said.

He and Courtney reached the boys, and then Eyes whipped out both hands and hit the bottom of their buckets which only had a little popcorn left. It was enough to fly over them. Now, Eyes felt better.

Sleep and Smoke laughed. “Yep, we probably deserved that,” Smoke said. “Especially since I quickly slipped by Courtney and put a mic on her so we could then shoosh you when you talked.”

“That was you?” Courtney gasped. “You’re such a pig. I was so embarrassed.”

“Yep, that was me. You didn’t even know it was there,” Smoke said, quite pleased with himself. He reached out and took the tiny mic from the collar of her sweater.

“Okay, I’m a little impressed. Plus, the chances of me seeing anyone in that theater again are slim to none,” she pointed out.

“We thought for sure Eyes was going to jump up and go crazy on the poor people behind you guys. We were a bit disappointed at his restraint,” Smoke said with another laugh.

“That was me. I had to beg him to stay seated,” Courtney said.

“And she almost lost. If one more piece of popcorn had come our way the entire theater was going to pay,” Eyes growled.

“Dually noted,” Smoke said, looking far too pleased with his actions of the night.

“Where are your wives? They never would’ve let you get away with this,” Eyes said.

“They had a girls-night thing so we decided to watch a film,” Sleep said. “Lucky for us.”

“Yeah, I feel real lucky,” Eyes said while rolling his eyes.

“Do you guys want to grab some grub? We’re heading over to the Outback,” Sleep said.

Courtney began to nod when Eyes quickly stopped her. “No, we have other plans. We’re gonna leave now,” he said, grabbing Courtney’s hand and pulling her away to the sound of Sleep’s and Smoke’s laughter. There was no way Eyes was letting the rest of their night get interrupted. He was going to end this date on a very high note . . . or so he hoped.

Without more than a couple of seconds warning, a vehicle turned right in front of them. Courtney was looking down and so was the driver. Eyes grabbed Courtney and turned, but it was too late. The car smacked right into them, with Eyes taking the brunt of the hit. They were sent flying backward and he landed on his back with Courtney cradled in his arms.

There was a squeal of brakes as the car stopped. Eyes heard the door open and someone jump out. “Are you okay? Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry. I only looked down for a second,” a panicked woman cried as she ran to them.

Before Eyes could respond Smoke and Sleep were right there, keeping the woman back. She might look innocent, but they knew a lot of bad guys used decoys. They didn’t assume the best in people — ever.

“Are you okay? Is anything broken on either of you?” Smoke calmly asked as Sleep took the woman back to her car.

“My pride is broken for not catching that. Does that count?” Eyes asked.

“Eyes, you took that hit for me. You already have a bad hip and leg. That was foolish,” Courtney said as her hands moved down his body. Eyes met Smoke’s eyes, giving him a message to go away. Smoke laughed.

“Clearly, you’re fine,” Smoke said. “We’ll get the woman on the road.”

Smoke moved over to the driver and assured her they were a little bruised but were fine. She could leave now. She argued for a second, but when both Sleep and Smoke gave her a stare, she decided leaving was the best option. She got into her car and left the mall parking area. She must’ve decided to get the hell out of there before they changed their minds and called the cops.

“Courtney, if you keep rubbing me like this, I’m going to get real embarrassed in front of my friends,” Eyes said as Courtney’s hands came dangerously close to his groin, which normally he’d very much appreciate.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her cheeks heating. “I’m just worried about you.”

He smiled at her. Sure, he was hurting. It wasn’t only his pride that had been hit. His leg was going to be sore for at least a week, maybe longer. But it was all worth it to get Courtney’s full attention.

“I might need some tender loving care over the next few days. I might have a concussion,” he said with a wiggle of his brows.

Courtney laughed as she pulled away from him and got to her feet, then held out her hand. He took it and rose to his feet, not letting her help him, but wanting her hand in his.

“I’m supposed to be the one to help you up,” he told her.

“Sometimes the girl can be the hero too,” she said.

He laughed as he wrapped her in his arms. Their date was now officially over as he needed to get her home so she could check for bruising . . . Then again, maybe she’d need some help checking those hard-to-reach places. Maybe it wasn’t such a disaster after all.