Steele (Arizona Vengeance 9)

I smile, my mouth curving higher and peeling into a broad grin. “That’s a great idea.”

Not only because it is a great middle-ground, but it also gives me an in with Ella tonight. I had no clue what I was going to say when I went over there, but I didn’t want her to forget about me since she’s still dating Mr. Ordinary.

But now… we actually have something to talk about.

?

I don’t pull into Ella’s driveway, but park on the street so my headlights don’t shine into the front windows. Lucy’s room is upstairs and in the front. Her light is out, so I know she’s asleep for the night.

The master suite is at the back of the house, but without me being able to see it, I know the light on Ella’s bedside table will be on. She rarely goes to bed before midnight, always having a million things to do and not enough time to do them. But she usually ends every night with about twenty minutes to half an hour of reading for pleasure. She hasn’t gotten with the digital age, as she still prefers the feel of a paperback in her hand. She’s an avid horror and post-apocalypse reader, which is good by me. I’m on her team if the apocalypse ever happens as she’s so well-read on it.

I get out of my Range Rover, quietly shut the door, and make my way up the driveway. I don’t cut toward the front porch but rather go around to the backyard. The prior owners had it fenced in as they had a dog, and for a moment, I can see Lucy running around with a puppy out here.

Carefully unlatching the gate, I open it to step through. If any neighbors happen to be watching a dark figure entering Ella Steele’s backyard, I’m sure there’s going to be a call to 9-1-1, so I make sure to creep silently past the back patio and out to the middle of the yard where there’s a small gazebo with two lounge chairs. On cooler evenings, Ella and I would sometimes sit out here and drink a beer at the end of the day while we talked, although I can’t remember the last time we did that.

After I settle into one of the chaises, I pull out my phone. I send Ella a text. Are you awake?

She answers immediately. Yup.

I’m in the gazebo. Join me.

There’s no response, but I eye the window of the master suite, illuminated by the bedside light I knew would be on. She jerks up the blind, then peers out. Although, it’s so dark out here I doubt she can see me. I flip my phone over so she can see the light, then wave it.

The blinds drop, and all I can do is wait.

In less than two minutes, Ella creeps out the sliding glass door. It was too much to hope she’d just come out in a t-shirt and panties, which is usually all she wears to bed. Instead, the glow of the patio light shows yoga pants under her t-shirt. She slipped into flip-flops, and her hair is in a messy knot on top of her head.

She carefully picks her way across the yard and up the gazebo steps, then stares down at me. Her face is shadowed, but her tone is a mixture of disbelief and irritation. “What are you doing here?”

“Had to talk about a few things regarding Lucy,” I reply, lacing my hands behind my head and leaning full back on the chaise. I nod toward the one beside me. “Pop a squat.”

Ella heaves an overly dramatic sigh and flops on the chair beside me, grumbling. “You could have called.”

“Then I wouldn’t have been able to see you,” I reply casually. “And I really wanted to see you.”

My eyes have adjusted to the dark, so I can see her whip my way. “Why?”

I frown. Why would she even ask such a question? As she can probably see enough to read my expression, I explain as simply as I can. “Because you’re beautiful. Because I miss you. Because I needed to. Take your pick.”

She averts her gaze as if she can’t look directly at me when I say stuff like that. It’s been so long since she’s probably heard me say them so spontaneously.

“Do you miss me?” I murmur into the dark, still peering her way.

This time, her body stays still, but she admits, “Parts of you.”

That’s fair enough, I suppose. I don’t challenge her because I don’t have the right to question any of Ella’s feelings. Most I can do is try to understand them and hopefully learn.

I could pry—push her to tell me those parts she likes best—but I don’t need the ego boost. More likely, there could be little she has to offer, and I don’t want the ego crush. So, I’ll let it lie for now and make it be enough she at least misses me in some ways. I can work with that.