Dream of Me by Delilah Devlin Read Free Book Online Page A

turning when he was yards ahead to jog backward. “Eat my dust, Dupree.”
    Her eyes widened, for just a second. Maybe he’d said something that might have reminded her of Marc.
    Her smile tightened, but she narrowed her gaze and widened her stride. In seconds, she was passing him, her long legs stretching. “I ran track too, Blalock. See if you can keep pace.”
    After that, neither had the wind to maintain a conversation. They pushed each other, their shoes kicking up sand in their wake as they raced. They passed the bungalows belonging to his teammates. From the corner of his eye, he saw Deke and Nicky Warrick, who’d only recently purchased a cottage. Nicky’s hands were deep in dirt as she planted a shrub along her fence line. Deke held a beer and gave Sam a two-fingered salute as they passed.
    Sam had forgotten about their invitation. “Hey, Dupree,” he called out to Ash as he stepped down his pace to a halt.
    She slowed and jogged in place, her gaze going to the couple who walked through their gate to join them. When she stopped, she wiped sweat from her forehead and offered Deke and Nicky a smile.
    With quick gestures, Sam made the introductions.
    “Nicky’s invited all the Charter folks here to a cookout this evening,” Deke said, as he slipped an arm around her waist. “We’d love it if you both could come.”
    Still moving in place, Ash darted a glance his way. “Thanks for the invitation—”
    “Is she making her grandma’s potato salad?” Sam said before Ash could refuse outright.
    “I am,” Nicky said, her brown eyes brimming with laughter.
    Good girl . Sam knew she didn’t have a family recipe for potato salad, but Nicky was smart and had caught on that Sam was up to something.
    Her gaze cut to Ash. “We’d love to have you. We’ll be grilling chicken and fish. Fresh barjacks Deke caught this morning.”
    Ash shared a glance with Sam, stopped her jogging steps and laughed. “Guess I can eat them since I didn’t meet them first.”
    And with that, Sam relaxed. “I hear you’re getting houseguests.”
    Nicky’s smile widened. “Jax and Suri are flying in today. We worked most of the night getting the guest room put to rights.” She angled her body toward Ash. “We’ve been living out of boxes, trying to get unpacked. Just took the threat of those two arriving and having to sleep on the floor to get this one busy,” she said, nudging Deke’s belly with her elbow.
    Sam leaned down and kissed Nicky’s cheek. “Thanks for including us. What time should we show?”
    “Sunset. And you don’t have to bring a thing. We have everything covered.”
    Ash and Sam waved as they began running again, this time at a more leisurely pace.
    “Sure I won’t be intruding?” Ash gave him a quick glance. “Sounds like you’re all old friends.”
    “I knew Jax and Deke from my old Navy days. We all work for the same outfit now. They both met their wives while on missions. Once you’re a part of the family, you really are family.”
    “Sounds nice.” She turned her head to gaze over the ocean.
    A hint of wistfulness filtered through her tone that he didn’t like. “You’ll fit in just fine, Ash. Both guys knew Marc.” He slapped a hand to his chest. “And you’ll be with me.”
    Her brows drew tight. “Do they know we were more than partners when he died?”
    “Deke does. And since he does, no doubt he’s read in Nicky. It won’t be awkward. Just be yourself.”
    She drew a deep breath and nodded. “All right. It’s been a while since I was a plus one.”
    His plus one. Almost like a date. He let the thought wash over him. Liked the way it felt and decided to hold onto that feeling a little while longer. “We should head back. You might want to rest up before dinner.”
    She gave him sideways look with both eyebrows rising. “Are you saying I look worn out?”
    Damn, I’d like to be the reason you’re worn out. A smile tugged at his mouth. “Maybe I’m worn out.”
    “Huh.