Finally Home (Home Series) by Ann Vaughn Page A

on her to guide her to follow him, but she supposed he figured they were safe inside his building.   Riley came up beside her, putting his arm around her as they got into the elevator.  She glanced at his left hand on her shoulder, seeing his wedding ring there and it made her smile.  She noticed something underneath his ring and took his hand in hers to see it more closely.
    "What is this?" she asked, nudging his ring with her finger.
    He slid his ring down to his knuckle, revealing Jenna's name tattooed in a band around his finger.
    "Not always safe to wear a ring in this line of work," he said simply.
    She glanced over at Colt who also held up his left hand and pulled his ring down, revealing the same thing; his finger tattooed with Sarah's name.  She ran her thumb over Riley's tattoo and smiled up at him.
    "That's really sweet, guys."
    Colt shrugged, then shoved Coop in the shoulder.  "Coop started it when he married my sister."
    She glanced in surprise at Coop just as the elevator came to a stop. 
    "You married Colt's sister?"
    "About three years ago," he replied.
    Her eyes shifted to Colt.  "And you were OK with that?"
    "I want my sister taken care of.  Who better than one of my brothers?" he said simply, stepping out of the elevator. 
    Lainey thought that statement spoke volumes as to the depth of emotion shared between the guys...but it also puzzled her again as to why Riley had never introduced her to Mike.  She made a note to corner him at some point and ask.  Maybe Colt was unique in his thinking.  Or maybe Riley was.
    When she stepped out of the elevator, she froze, scanning the enormous room they were in.  It was the top floor of a converted warehouse.  It reminded her very much of the converted warehouse she and Kacee and two other roommates had shared when they were in college, although this one was still a work-in-progress.  The kitchen and living areas were completed and furnished nicely in sleek black and varying shades of grey.  On the opposite side of the room, he had a full size boxing ring and enough gym-quality workout equipment to make the staunchest fitness enthusiast drool.  There were studs set up that would designate guest rooms and three completed rooms that she assumed were bathrooms given their locations.  Across from the living areas was his home office, which consisted of a large U-shaped black-glass topped desk with several workstations set up.  A staircase led to a loft with an impressive library and doors that led to what she assumed was the master suite.  Everything about the huge space was masculine and sleek, tasteful yet Spartan...she decided it suited Mike to a T.
    The guys went immediately to the office area, each setting up at a different workstation as if they'd all done this a million times, which, she assumed they had.   She watched them for a moment, then decided to take a tour of the main floor.  Everything was exceedingly neat and pristine; military crisp, as she always referred to her cousins' places.  There wasn't anything particularly inviting about the space, and that saddened her a bit.  Although, she knew he'd been staying at his parents' homes for a while now, in an effort to placate his mother.  She'd heard him say a few times that he'd put her through enough stress, so he wanted to indulge her any way he could. 
    He had a few pictures on the shelves by his television.  Most were of the guys on his team in various desert locations.  She saw a few of him before he'd gotten that nasty scar on his face.  There were a few of him where he had a hint of a smile showing, but it never reached his eyes.  She found one picture of him with his family but it seemed as if one of his brothers were missing.  Kacee said he had two brothers and a sister, but there was only one brother in the picture.  She wondered how long old this picture was.  His hair was longer than he wore it now.
    Turning from the shelves, she saw something she missed earlier.  In