I got up early the next morning and headed for the gym. Thanks to that damn kiss, I'd toss and turned throughout the night and felt like crap this morning.
I'd just stepped onto the treadmill when Bobby walked up with a look of concern on his face. "You look like shit," he said.
"Thanks a lot," I replied as I hit the start button.
He continued to eye me with concern as I upped the speed. "Tell me you're still having nightmares."
"It wasn't a nightmare," I said.
"But you admit you didn't sleep well."
"Correct," I replied as I stared at the wall.
"Why?"
"Let's just say that things with Casey took a turn I wasn't expecting last night."
He reached up and hit the stop button, causing the machine to slow. "Dude!" I snapped as I turned to look at him.
"What happened?" he asked, obviously choosing to ignore my irritation at the interruption in my routine.
Knowing he wouldn't leave me alone until I told him, I sighed. "When I told her we agreed to her doing Ella's job while she's laid up, Casey got all excited. She launched herself at me and planted a kiss on me that was way more than that of just friends."
Bobby's eyes widened. "She kissed you?"
"Yes."
"Les-" The tone of just that one word had me holding up a hand to stop him.
"Believe me, I know, which is why I slept like shit." There was nothing like getting all worked up and knowing it couldn't end the way I wanted. I hit the start button again. "I need to finish my workout so I can get back upstairs and get Casey down to Five to sign all her paperwork."
I swear, Bobby stood there for at least a full minute before he turned and walked away. I know what he's thinking, and he's not wrong for thinking it. A year ago, I was the definition of a man slut. So, he's not wrong when he worries that I might take advantage of Casey.
It's funny how much I've changed in less than a year. I would never and won't ever do that to her, no matter how blue my balls get.
An hour later, I was back upstairs, showered, and dressed in my uniform. Casey placed her now empty coffee mug in the sink and turned to me. "Why am I so nervous?"
It was cute seeing her so excited about getting to work. "You have no reason to be nervous. Everyone is going to love you."
She blew out a long breath and nodded. "Okay. I'm ready."
A few minutes later, we walked into Tank's office. He looked up from where he sat working on his computer and smiled when he spotted Casey. "Ah, Casey. I have your paperwork all ready. We'll need you to sign some documents first. Then we can send you down to Four to get started for the day."
I motioned for her to sit in one of the guest chairs positioned in front of his desk. "Okay," she said as she eased into the seat.
Slowly, he began working his way through the stack of papers with her, ensuring he took the time to explain whatever she didn't understand.
"Wait," she said when they were halfway through the stack. "I don't have a birth certificate or social security card." She shook her head. "I don't have a bank account or a driver's license either. All the identification I had, got left behind when I was kidnapped, and I never got them back. I have nothing. How can you hire me without proper documentation."
Somehow, Tank and I ended up with guilty expressions as we exchanged looks. Thanks to Hector's hacking abilities, and our government contacts, we could secure almost anything we needed. Still, she didn't need to know all that. When Tank gave me an almost imperceptible nod, I turned to her. "Precious, let's just say that we can acquire documentation that might be difficult for others to get."
It was kinda cute how her forehead creased with concern as she stared at me. "But-"
I held up a hand to stop her. "You're going to need to trust me on this. We've been working on getting you the necessary documentation pretty much from the moment you agreed not to jump off that bridge."
"Okay," she said as she turned back to sign the document.
"Your first paycheck will be a paper check," Tank told her. "Santos can take you down to the bank to help get you set up with your own checking and savings accounts."
"That sounds good," she said as she continued through the stack of papers. She was about to sign again when she stopped and peered up at Tank. "What's this?"
He leaned forward to get a better glimpse at the paper. "That's a medical proxy form."
Her attention swept from Tank to me and back. "Why do I need one?"
"It's Rangeman policy," Tank said. "Every employee must assign someone as medical proxy and power of attorney. It's so that someone can make decisions on your behalf if you're unable during a medical emergency."
"I understand," she said. "Can it be anyone?"
Tank arched a brow. "Yes. Most of the guys either assigned Bobby or one of the core team members, but you can pick anyone you want."
"So, it would be okay if I named Lester for both," she asked.
Tank nodded. "That's fine. We'll also ask permission for your proxy to share certain information with the other core team members regarding medical care. That way we can make necessary arrangements to help with any long-term care that might be needed."
"I'm good with that," she replied as she resumed signing.
When she wasn't looking, Tank cracked a small smile at me. Yeah, big guy, I know. I'm one lucky bastard.
At eleven hundred hours, Casey stepped off the elevator onto Five, with Zero close behind. He was pushing the large cart Ella uses to bring the food up from the kitchen. Casey appeared relaxed as she and Zero talked and walked together toward the break room on the far side of the control room. He said something that had her smiling up at him, and my gut clenched as if I'd been punched.
I should be happy that Zero makes her at ease enough for her to smile, but damn it, I'm a selfish asshole, and I want that smile all for myself.
Deciding maybe it was time to check in with her, I abandoned my desk and followed them. When I walked in, they were shifting two large crock pots from the cart to the counter. "Need any help?" I asked.
When she turned toward me, her entire face lit up in a way that warmed me from the inside out. "Hey," she said as she stepped toward me and brushed a soft kiss against my cheek. "Thank you, but I think Zachary and I have it under control."
"Zachary?" I grinned, casting my attention in his direction in time to see him blush.
"I can't bring myself to call the guys by their nicknames," Casey replied.
"Why not?" I asked.
"It feels too familiar just yet. A lot of these guys I either don't remember or never met, until today."
"Speaking of which," I began. "How have you done with running into so many of the guys?"
At that point, Zero spoke up, "She did pretty well until we ran into Raphael in the hall earlier. Then she froze for a minute."
I frowned at his answer as I turned back to look at her. "I would have thought Hector or Cal would have scared you more than Raphael."
"He was the other guy with Brian that took Maddie and Isabel upstairs at the club the night you all saved me," she replied as she looked from me to Zero and back. "After meeting Brian the other night, I should have expected to see Raphael too, but I didn't think about it, and for a moment, I kinda freaked out a little."
Zero's expression was serious as he looked at her. "I think that's a bit of an understatement, Sunshine."
His endearment had my jealousy reappearing a second time. "Sunshine?"
"Zachary has started calling me that," she said and gave an eye roll that Stephanie would have approved of. "Even though he knows how I feel about nicknames."
"You don't seem bothered when I call you precious."
A gorgeous shade of pink filled her cheeks as she ducked her head and whispered. "That's different."
I know it was probably wrong of me, but her answer made me feel so much better about this entire situation. I glanced back at Zero, who was watching our interaction with amusement in his eyes. Better than jealousy because I wasn't above taking his ass to the mats over her.
"So, why sunshine?" I asked him.
He grinned. "You should see her when she's cooking. It was so cute how excited and happy she was at the prospect of slaving away in the kitchen."
Both her brows when up as she looked from me to Zero. "I'm sure you're just as cute when you run around acting like some big macho guy."
Oh damn...there was a little bit of that sass I knew existed beneath the surface. I'm just glad I wasn't on the receiving end this time. Zero arched a brow at her even as he puffed out his chest. "I am not cute, and I do not run around acting like some big macho guy."
"Then what would you call what you guys do here?" she challenged.
Yes! You go, Precious. I've got your back.
"I am a security specialist and I'm damn good at what I do," he replied.
"And you enjoy it," Casey added.
"Damn right I do," he agreed.
"Well, I'm an excellent cook and I enjoy it," she said. "So why am I cute and you're not when we both enjoy our work?"
My grin was a mile wide as I slid an arm around her waist and looked over at Zero. "She's got you there, pal."
He shook his head as he smiled. "And here I thought you were all sweet and innocent. Boy was I wrong. Two weeks living with this joker-" He motioned to me. "And he's totally corrupted you."
"All I did was give her the space and the courage to be herself," I replied. "You're the asshole who provoked her."
He chuckled. "I know when I'm beaten. Fine, I'm sorry for calling you cute. I just don't get your enjoyment of such a mundane task."
"I can't help it if I like to cook," she began. "Any more than you can help the feeling of enjoyment you get when you chase after bad guys." She met Zero's gaze with a look of defiance. "Besides, you had nothing but praise earlier when I let you get a taste of lunch. If I remember correctly, you said my cooking rivaled Ella's."
That's it Precious, put him in his place.
He lifted his hands in surrender. "Okay. Okay. You win. I'm sorry and if you really don't like it, I'll stop calling you sunshine."
She melted just a little as I moved in behind her and pulled her back against me. Yes, it was an obvious move of possession, but I couldn't help myself. This argument they were having was mostly steeped in banter and if I was reading, Zero correctly, a bit of flirting on his part. He needed to know she was off limits.
Her smile dimmed just a bit as she shook her head. "Don't do that. I don't mind the nickname. Knowing how you all loved nicknames around here, it's kind of an honor that you've given me one so soon."
"Good," he said. "Cause I think sunshine fits you."
"Remembering what he said before this conversation got sidetracked, I turned my attention back to Zero. "So, what happened with Raphael?"
At the sound of his name, she stiffened beneath my touch, and I pulled her a little tighter against me.
"When we were on Three, she spotted Raphael walking with Junior toward the elevators and froze. When I asked her what was wrong, she began to shake. Figuring something had set her off, I stepped between her and the guys. They both nodded and said hello, but I motioned for them to keep going, so they did. After they passed, I asked her about her reaction. That's when she explained about Raphael being with Binkie at the Blackmore takedown."
Once again, I felt like shit for allowing something so simple to become an issue for her. I turned her to face me. "I'm so sorry, Precious. Once you met Binkie, I didn't think anymore about it. I completely forgot about Raphael being part of that sting. If I had, I definitely would have introduced you to him before now."
She shook her head. "Don't apologize, Les. It's not like you could have known. Heck, I didn't know it would be an issue until it happened. I may continue to be leery of both of them for a while, but knowing they're the good guys will help me get over my fear."
"You're sure?" I asked.
She nodded again. "I'm positive. I know my recovery is going to be a slow process, but with all the support I'm getting here I'm confident that I will continue to get better."
If she manages to keep that attitude, so am I. I pressed a kiss to her temple, then reluctantly let go of her. "Let me help you finish getting lunch set up for the guys."
