20. Chapter 20
Chapter twenty
Tallahassee
Something unexpected happens after I come clean to Darren about Vincent.
He doesn’t run. Instead, his behavior toward me becomes more protective.
While he does look at me differently now, it’s not with disgust or revulsion the way I feared, it’s with passion and hunger. When his eyes meet mine, he doesn’t see a victim, he sees a survivor. Someone I’m starting to believe he might care for.
We haven’t had much time together since we both work a lot, but when we are together, we make the most of our time. And then there’s the sex. God, the sex. There aren’t words for the way he plays my body or how it makes me feel.
The only thing undermining my newly found happiness is Vincent. No matter how hard I try to ignore him, his constant harassment is making that impossible. He taunts me with almost daily texts. His latest saying: “You can’t stop thinking about me, can you?”
It’s all very passive-aggressive. And annoying.
I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of responding.
This weekend, I’m determined not to think about or concern myself with Vincent Catalano or his threats. I have bigger and better plans.
Darren has hinted more than once he wouldn’t mind taking my motorhome out somewhere. So, I’m surprising him with a weekend road trip. He can’t go far in case he gets notified he’s being sent on a mission. That’s alright, I know the perfect place, and it’s only an hour out of town.
Today, while he’s at work, I make a grocery run, stocking up on food, drinks, and snacks. He has a passion for pie, so I bake one. And, since I have the time, a couple loaves of banana bread and a batch of my savory breakfast muffins.
Luckily, I don’t have to come up with a ruse to execute my plan, since he texts me when he gets home to ask if I want to come over.
I’m quick to respond: “Absolutely.”
When I arrive at his place, I send another text asking him to meet me outside. I spy on him through the RV window, catching his confusion the instant he notices the motorhome. Then I open the door, cross my arms over my chest, and lean against the doorframe, smiling.
His own smile is big and bright. I marvel yet again at how handsome he is.
“What are you up to, woman?” he calls.
“Wanna go on a weekend road trip with me?”
Still smiling, he comes to a halt. Without hesitation, he tells me, “Give me five minutes to pack.”
True to his word, five minutes later he returns with an overnight bag. He stalks toward me, climbing the stairs. After crowding me back inside, he shuts the door behind us and kisses me as if he hasn’t seen me in months. With my face in his hands, he croons, “I’m all yours, baby.”
I’m in so much trouble. This amazing, charismatic man with his magical mouth, who set me free and makes me feel alive again, has stolen my heart.
I try to ignore the new scratches and bruises on his face, but I can’t. “What happened to you?”
“Training exercise.” He takes my hand and kisses my fingers. “I’m alright.”
We move to the cabin, and I make myself comfortable in the passenger seat. I see his excitement when he realizes I intend to let him take the wheel. It’s impossible to miss the joy on his face as he navigates through town and onto the open road.
He glances at me, then returns his eyes to the road. “What are you grinning about?”
“You. You’re like a little kid on Christmas.”
“Are you kidding? I’m in hog heaven driving this big bus. It’s comfortable and drives like a dream. Usually, when I’m driving a bus, it’s old, with worn out shocks and seats with springs that poke you in the butt.”
The visual he paints makes me chuckle in amusement.
He flashes a cocky smile at me. “You know, we should plan a longer trip when I take my next leave. You can show me some of your favorite places.”
My heart nearly bursts out of my chest when I realize he’s talking about the future. Our future…together.
I direct him where to turn and pull in. When we reach the gate, I get out, unlock it, let him through, then lock it back up behind us.
It’s a beautiful, five-acre property on a bluff overlooking the ocean. It’s private, isolated, and secluded. There’s no one around for miles. It’s my sanctuary, and I come here often.
I’ve set up a BBQ, firepit, and a double lounger with a side table. It’s the perfect spot to cook a meal, read a book, or sit and think while watching the sun rise or set over the ocean.
After showing him where to park, we exit the RV. Darren takes in his surroundings. “This place is great. How did you find it?”
“My grandpa left me this land. My dream has always been to build a little house on it. I worked with an architect and had plans drawn up. Managed to get the well, septic, and electrical in, and had a set of sturdy stairs down to the beach built. But before I could break ground on the house…things went sideways.”
It isn’t long until we start prepping dinner. Inside, I make a salad and set the table while Darren readies the BBQ.
When I finish, I move outside, watching Darren man the grill. He’s in his element.
“Looks like you got your caveman going on, big guy,” I tease from my spot reclining on the lounger.
He straightens to his full height, places his hands on his hips, and grunts, “Darren make fire. Cook meat for woman.”
The sight of him being goofy catches me off guard, and I laugh until my stomach hurts.
When I recover, I wipe the tears off my face. “Oh man, that was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.”
He’s smiling, his eyes dancing with a strange mixture of awe and wonder.
When our dinner’s ready, we eat inside, and after we finish cleaning up, Darren cuts a hefty slab of pie.
“Just one piece?” I ask, with a cheeky smirk.
He kisses the top of my head. “Figured we could share.”
We take our pie out to the lounger and sit. We start out side-by-side, but it isn’t long until he finagles me into his lap.
With a gentle breeze and the sound of crashing waves lulling us, we watch the sun dip below the horizon while we enjoy our dessert. It’s peaceful and feels like we’re the only two people on the planet.
Darren feeds me a forkful of pie, then takes one for himself. “Ah, baby girl, this is the life. I could get used to this.”
I have questions about what it’s really like to be a SEAL, and this seems like a good time to ask. “Tell me about your job.”
There isn’t much he can tell me, but he’s honest about what he can say, “We deal with counterintelligence, and capture or eliminate high value targets. But a lot of what we do is hostage rescue.”
His job is saving people and making the world a better place. Even though it’s life or death and comes at a high price with both physical and emotional scars, from the way he talks about it, it’s easy to see how much he loves it. How proud he is of his service.
I twist to look up at him. “You found your calling.”
He kisses my temple. “Yeah, honey, I did.”
I gently touch the bruises on his face. Remnants from his latest training exercise. “But it’s dangerous.”
He feeds us each another bite of pie. “That’s not the first time you’ve mentioned the risks of my job.”
“It scares me knowing you, or any of the guys, could be hurt or…” I lower my voice, “…killed.”
“I wish I could promise we’ll always be safe. That none of us will ever get hurt, but I can’t.” He feeds us more pie. “But like I told you, my top priority on any mission is getting us all home alive, no matter how rough the mission is.”
How can he be so calm about the danger?
“You said being with a SEAL is hard on a relationship.”
He threads our fingers together. “I did.”
“How?”
“You know we can be spun up at any time. Sometimes I’ll have to leave without notice, and there will always be things I’ll never be able to divulge.
I can’t tell you how long we’ll be gone, and when I get home, the details I can give you will be limited.
If you’re with a SEAL, that can be hard to handle.
Those are the main reasons most relationships with SEALs don’t last.”
He feeds me a forkful of pie, then takes another bite for himself, giving me the time to digest what he’s told me.
“And for you, it’s a balancing act,” I say after swallowing.
“What do you mean?” he asks, giving me the last bite of pie and setting the empty plate on the table.
“You’re the team leader. Their guard dog.”
A laugh bursts out of him. “Sheepdog, baby.” He runs his hand over my hip, along my thigh, and back again. “I’m their sheepdog.”
“Right. Sorry. Sheepdog. You feel like it’s your job to watch out for all of them, both on and off the battlefield. You spend a lot of time with them. That doesn’t leave much room for you to have a personal life.”
“I never had a reason to make space for anyone else.” He runs a strand of my hair through his fingers. “Until now.”
“Darren,” I breathe.
His eyes drop to my mouth. “You have a little…” He wipes a bit of pie off my lip and sucks it off his finger. “Have I told you how much I like your pie?”
I giggle and wrap my arms around his neck. “Oh my god, you made that sound so dirty.”
He kisses me in that way that makes my toes curl. Then he stands, lifting me in his arms and strides for the RV. His grin is indecent as hell. “Oh, it’s about to get dirty, baby,” he growls as he carries me inside.