Chapter 6 #2
“I’ve thought about nothing but you for the last three weeks,” Walker told her without hesitation.
“I’ve wondered what you were doing and how you were dealing with what happened.
Until I knew for sure you and the others had left Venezuela, I worried that you might get stuck there somehow.
You can ask any of my friends; I’ve been distracted and a huge pain in their asses.
And when I heard that you might be in danger, my first thought was getting to you and making sure you were safe.
I’m the one who has to worry that you’ll get sick of dating a soldier like me.
You’ll get tired of the not knowing where I am or when I’ll be home.
Believe me, Di, I know who the lucky one is here, and it’s not you. It’s me. It’s definitely me.”
Wendy nudged her shoulder when she didn’t say anything.
Gillian looked at her friend, then back to Walker. He hadn’t moved. Was still crouched next to her. His eyes hadn’t left her face. He was wholly concentrated on her. It felt weird…and good.
“I’m drunk,” she informed him.
His lips quirked upward. “I can see.”
“I’ll worry about you when you’re gone, but I’m not going to sit at home and boo-hoo all day and night until you get back. I have a business to run. I have friends.”
“Good,” he said calmly.
“I haven’t had a guy go down on me, so I actually don’t know if I’ll like it or not.”
His smile got bigger. “You’ll like it.”
Gillian rolled her eyes and looked at Ann and Clarissa. “He’s arrogant.”
Clarissa shrugged. “Gotta love confidence in a guy.”
“You always said you wanted an alpha man,” Ann added.
Gillian looked back down at Walker. “Don’t hurt me,” she pleaded.
“I won’t.”
The two words were said with such confidence, Gillian couldn’t help but believe him. “Okay.”
Walker immediately stood and held out his hand. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”
“But I’m out with my girls.”
“Go,” Wendy said, pushing at Gillian’s shoulder. “I think we can survive the rest of the night without you. Besides, after all this hot talk, I think I’m gonna get home and call Wyatt…see if he wants to come over.”
“I’ll make sure she gets home all right,” Walker told her friends, and Gillian couldn’t help but shiver at his tone. It was commanding and warm at the same time…and made her think about what they might do together when they got back to her apartment.
“Oh, but my car is here,” she said with a shake of her head.
“You’re not driving,” Walker growled.
Gillian rolled her eyes again. “Of course I’m not. I’d never drink and drive. That would be the stupidest thing ever. I was gonna take an Uber.”
“You’re not taking an Uber either,” Walker said.
“Why not?”
“One, because I’m here, and I’m taking you home.
Two, because it’s not safe to go on the internet and arrange to meet with a stranger in their car.
Haven’t you seen all the crime shows? Once you’re in a car with someone who wants to do you harm, the likelihood that you’ll end up dead in a cornfield somewhere is ninety percent or more. ”
Gillian narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you making that up?” Then, not giving him time to answer, she turned to her friends. “Is he making that up?”
“I have no idea,” Ann said. “But now I’m going to think twice about getting into an Uber again. I’m not sure there are any cornfields around here, but the next time I see one, the only thing I’m going to be able to think about is whether there are any poor women in there who’d just wanted a ride.”
“Good,” Walker said. “Are you ladies all right to drive? I can call you a cab, or take you home if you prefer.”
Clarissa smiled huge. “We’re good. We all had our customary one margarita,” she looked at her watch, “two hours ago. And we all ate. It’s only Gillian here who decided she needed to get shit-faced and wasn’t hungry.”
Gillian saw the look of regret cross Walker’s face, and she couldn’t deny it sent shivers through her.
“Come on, Di. Let’s get you home.”
“What about my car?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
We’ll. She liked that. A lot.
She stood up from the booth and would’ve face planted if Walker hadn’t been there and put an arm around her waist.
“Walker?” Clarissa said when they were about to leave.
“Yeah?”
“Don’t fuck with her. We might be women, and you might be some sort of super-soldier who can kick hijacker ass, but we’ll find a way to make your life a living hell if you do anything to hurt Gilly.”
Gillian was embarrassed, but when she looked up at Walker, strangely, he was smiling.
“Got it,” he said. “And for the record, I’m not going to hurt her. I’m glad she’s got friends like you three to have her back.”
“Just don’t forget it,” Ann warned.
He nodded at them then looked down at Gillian. “Ready?”
Wrapping her arm around his waist, and not surprised when she didn’t feel an ounce of fat under her hand, Gillian nodded.
She stumbled alongside Walker as he led her out of the restaurant and into the parking lot.
He helped her into his Chevy Blazer and even reached across her to snap her seat belt into place.
But instead of backing up and shutting her door, he stayed in her personal space.
“What’s wrong?” she asked nervously.
“Nothing,” he said. “I’m just memorizing this moment.”
Gillian frowned. “What moment?”
“This one.” Then he lifted his hand to the side of her neck, turning her head toward him. He leaned forward, giving her time to reject his advance.
But there was no way in hell Gillian was going to reject anything this man wanted to give her. She leaned toward him, reaching out and grabbing hold of his bicep with her right hand.
Walker’s lips brushed against hers gently. Once. Twice. Teasing little touches that made Gillian’s toes curl. His tongue came out and licked her bottom lip, before he pressed his lips against hers once more.
As far as kisses went, it was chaste and way too short…but it was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her.
Walker rested his forehead against hers, and she could feel his warm breaths against her skin.
“Thank you,” he said softly.
“For what?”
“For giving me a second chance,” he said simply.
Then he brushed his thumb against her cheek once and pulled back.
He shut her door and walked around the front of the vehicle.
He climbed in on the driver’s side and started the engine.
Putting one arm on the seat back, he twisted to look behind him before backing out of the parking space and heading out onto the road.
“That kiss was amazing,” Gillian told him, her filter obliterated by the amount of alcohol she’d consumed.
“Agreed,” Walker said with a smile.
“But I want more.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m happy to give you exactly what you want…when you’re not three sheets to the wind.”
Gillian frowned. “I know what I’m doing. I’ve never dranken so much that I can’t remember.”
“Dranken?” he asked with a laugh.
“Drunken, drunk, drank, whatever,” Gillian said.
“Be that as it may,” Walker said, “I’ve never taken advantage of a woman before, and I’m not about to start now.”
Gillian pouted. “Not even if she wants you to?”
Walker laughed loud and long. Gillian was fascinated. She never would’ve guessed that he was a man to let go like that. She found herself smiling in return. Then she sobered. “This is weird. Is this weird?”
“No,” Walker said immediately.
“It is,” Gillian said. “I mean, we don’t know each other, not really.
And you saved me from being carted off on a plane to some drug lord’s hideaway and being horribly abused and maybe forcibly addicted to drugs.
And you killed people for me. Shot them!
POW! Right in the head. And I got brains and ick on me.
I looked like shit when we met. I hadn’t showered in forever and smelled horrible.
And even though I know it wasn’t appropriate at the time, I couldn’t help but wonder what you looked like without any clothes on.
That’s messed up, Walker. And how can I feel like I know you, when I really don’t? ”
“The first time I heard your voice, I got hard,” Walker said matter-of-factly.
Gillian stared at him with wide eyes as he went on.
“It was so inappropriate. You were a hostage and scared out of your mind. You said, ‘I’m here’ and ‘I’m okay.
’ And that was that. I fell hard. I volunteered to bring that food out to the plane just so I could get a look at the woman who’d impressed the hell out of me, and who’d made me feel more just with her words than I had in any serious relationship I’d been in before.
If this is weird, then I’m okay with that. ”
“Walker,” Gillian whispered.
He reached over and took her hand in his own. “Close your eyes, Di. I’ll get you home safe and sound.”
“I know,” she sighed, and did as he ordered.
The entire car was spinning as if it was in the middle of an F5 tornado.
It had been a long time since she’d had as much to drink as she had tonight.
She’d started out the night depressed and sad, and somehow here she was…
sitting next to Walker, who was taking care of her and making sure she got home all right.
Was this really her life?
Forty-five minutes later, Trigger was staring down at a sleeping—or passed out—Gillian.
He’d gotten her into her apartment and shoved a T-shirt he’d found in her drawers in her hands and pointed her to the bathroom.
He hoped like hell she’d be able to stay awake long enough to change, because he wasn’t sure he’d survive if he had to strip off her jeans and shirt.
He’d been staring at her luscious tits the entire way home; her shirt had gaped just a bit, showing him a slice of creamy, luscious skin that he wanted to lick and taste.
But she’d managed to put on the T-shirt, and while it covered her cleavage, it left her long legs bare.
He had no idea if she was wearing underwear or not, and he closed his eyes as she climbed under her covers.
“Just push the button on the knob when you leave. It’ll lock behind you,” she slurred as she closed her eyes and hugged a pillow to her chest.
Trigger hadn’t answered. He didn’t like the thought of her only defense from someone who wanted to break in being a flimsy lock on a doorknob.
Leaning over her, he inhaled deeply, and was rewarded with the smell of honeysuckle once more.
Deciding the scent was coming from her hair, he lifted a strand and brought it to his nose. Yup…definitely her shampoo.
Gillian stirred under him, and Trigger dropped her hair and stood. Damn, he was hovering over her like some kind of pervert. She coughed, and he tensed until she calmed once more.
She was hammered. He couldn’t leave her. What if she puked in bed? If she choked? He had to stay for her own safety.
Trigger knew he was being ridiculous, but he couldn’t make himself leave.
He headed to the front door and threw the deadbolt and engaged the chain, along with twisting the little lock on the doorknob.
Then he grabbed a chair from the small table in her kitchen and brought it back into her bedroom.
He placed it on the other side of the room from the bed, and sat down slowly.
He had a perfect vantage point of both Gillian and the living area of the apartment.
He had no idea if the seventh hijacker would decide to come for Gillian for some reason, but he’d be there if he did…at least for tonight.
Knowing he wasn’t going to make it to PT in the morning—for the first time in his career—Trigger pulled out his phone and sent Brain a text.
Trigger: Something came up. I won’t be in for PT in the am.
His friend immediately responded.
Brain: You okay?
Trigger: Yeah.
Brain: Gillian?
Trigger: She had too much to drink. I’m making sure she’s okay. Will be in later.
Brain: She have any clues about the hijacker?
Trigger frowned. He hadn’t even thought to ask her about that. One, she was drunk; she probably couldn’t think straight anyway. But two, he realized that he had no desire to talk about the fucked-up situation in which they’d found themselves in Venezuela.
Eventually they’d have to talk about it.
He needed to find out if she had any suspicions on who the sleeper terrorist might be.
She’d spent more time with her fellow passengers than anyone else and probably had better insights than any kind of report could give him.
But for now, all he wanted was to try to understand the crazy feelings spiraling inside him.
Trigger: We didn’t talk about it.
Brain: Seriously?
Trigger: Seriously.
Brain: You moving her to your apartment back here? :)
Trigger chortled softly under his breath. That was Brain’s advice when they’d first learned about the seventh hijacker. And while it seemed like a better idea than ever right now, he knew Gillian would never agree. She was too independent and she had a life here in Georgetown.
As much as Trigger wanted to wrap her in woolen linen to keep her safe, he also never wanted to clip her wings. He liked her independence. He’d just have to find other ways to watch over her, to protect her from the evil in the world. It wouldn’t be a hardship.
Trigger: No. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
Brain: Later.
Trigger put the phone back in his pocket and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and staring at Gillian. What was it about her that was so different from anyone else? He wasn’t sure, but he was eager to find out.