Chapter 8
EIGHT
Cora felt like she was crawling out of her skin. As much as she loved her brother, she really hadn't expected him to be...
Okay, so she'd been too excited to think about how Cam was going to handle it.
She'd thought that he'd be happy that she'd brought someone with her. It was his suggestion because he knew that they could be called away at any time and didn't want her to be alone. Then again, she knew deep down under her naive thoughts that he wouldn't be okay with a guy going with her.
So before Cameron could make a 'thing' about the room assignments at the condo that he shared with some of his team, Cora took hold of Vince's sleeve and announced to Cameron that they were going to go for a walk around the lake.
Cameron was the only one who seemed opposed to the idea, but his friend Buck had grabbed him by the shoulder and gestured toward the back sliding door, telling them that the lake had some marsh areas.
"Don't worry," she explained as she'd pushed the door open and stepped outside. "If I fall in, Vince will pull me out." She'd looked back at Vince and grinned, happy to escape the tension with her brother. "Navy guys can swim, right?"
It didn't take her long to realize that Vince was a little quiet as they walked.
While the sunlight cast its light across the water of Enchanted Lake, she snuck a little look at him.
His gaze traveled from the ground in front of him and over to her and back again.
She hated the fact that he seemed so hesitant and she had a feeling that she was responsible.
"Vince?"
It took him a moment to look up at her face, leaving her heart stuck in her throat.
"Did I... do something?"
His smile was a little too quick and didn't quite reach his eyes.
She stopped and reached out a hand toward him.
It was a little surprising when he took her hand in his without any hesitation. It made her smile, hopeful that she hadn't messed things up. Dating wasn't something she did a lot. Bringing a guy to meet her brother? Never.
"Vince-"
"I'm worried that your brother is going to tie cement blocks to my ankles and drop me into this lake later."
"What?" She turned to face him and then looked over her shoulder at the patio doors of Cameron's condo. She didn't see anyone there looking out at them and turned back to Vince. "Why would he do that?"
"Your brother's a Marine."
"Yes." Cora nodded. "All of the guys who live in the condo are."
She waited a moment hoping for more information. When it didn't come, she tilted her head to the side and looked at him.
"And?"
His smile was broad, but it was also a little nervous. At least that's how she read it.
"What am I missing?"
Vince tugged on her fingers, and she took a step closer to him. He did the same until they were just inches away from each other. "You told them that I'm Navy." He didn't make her wait before he continued. "Marines aren't big fans of the Navy."
Her chin dropped down a little and her stomach did, too. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry!"
"Hey... Hey."
He drew her in closer and she struggled to look up at him.
"Cora, please."
What was it about the way he said her name that it made her skin tingle.
All over.
She lifted her gaze to meet his. "I really am sorry."
"I'm not mad or even upset. If they have a problem with it, that's okay. I can handle it. I just hope that Cameron doesn't give you any problems because you brought a Navy man home."
She frowned at the idea. "I've always thought that military guys stood up for each other."
He winced and she knew how silly she must sound.
"So that's not a thing?"
"When there's a threat from the outside? Sure. But when we're left to our own devices-"
"Ah... I know! It's like that time we had a power outage at the airport and we had to work with the other airlines to share generators and help with service to get things back up and running as quickly as we could, but the last time they redid the parking lot for employees, I heard that there was almost a street fight over the lower level parking between Continental and Pan Am."
Vince's smile lifted her spirits. "Was it as cool as the Sharks and Jets from West Side Story?"
She looked at him with a surprised smile lighting up her face. "You like musicals?"
He shrugged as if he was brushing off the question, but there was a spark in his eyes that she liked, a lot.
"I like to blame it on my mom and grandma every time someone gives me a hard time about it, but yeah, I like musicals."
Cora nodded and they started to walk again. "So you watched them with your mom and grandma?"
"One or both," he agreed. "My dad was always away. Either deployed with the Army or when he got out, he had contractor jobs that always seemed to keep him away. So my mom and grandma had the unenviable task of raising me."
Cora enjoyed the way that their joined hands swung effortlessly between them.
"Well, I bet they loved raising you and I bet you love them like crazy."
"Neither one of them would argue with the crazy part."
She laughed out loud and drew in a deep breath of air. "I'm so glad you came with me. I'm sorry I outed you ," she lifted her free hand in air-quotes, "with my brother and his team."
"I can handle some inter-branch animosity. It'll just make things a little more... interesting."
Cora gave him a side-ways glance and sighed. "You know," she smiled at Vince, "I think you and Cameron might be more alike than either of you would care to admit."
Vince almost tripped over his feet and laughed as he got his feet under him again. "I don't think your brother would want to hear that."
She nodded, hearing the truth in his words. "And you?"
A bird flew up out of the vegetation along the edge of the lake and she leaned in toward Vince. He pulled her in against his side and they watched as a second bird took flight and cut through the blue, blue sky above their heads.
They stood there in silence until the birds disappeared into the sky above Kailua.
Cora leaned in and touched her temple against his shoulder, enjoying the warmth and reassurance of his presence. "It's so beautiful here," she murmured softly into the silence around them.
"I'm okay with it."
She frowned for a moment, trying to understand what he was saying.
"What you said about your brother being like me?"
Oh... "Yeah?"
"I'm okay with it."
He turned and pulled her into a hug as they looked out over the lake.
She felt his cheek high against her own, his breath lifting a few strands of hair.
"I know what you mean," she smiled and let him rock her in his reassuring embrace, "but I could never mistake you for Cameron."
She heard and felt Vince's laughter.
"Thank goodness for that."
She laughed with him and sighed. "There's no way I can confuse the two of you."
"He is a veritable giant."
Cora turned slightly in his arms and lifted her chin and touched it to his chest. "Is that a concern?"
She felt the vibrations of his laughter through every inch that they were connected to each other. She had to try and hide just what that connection was doing to her.
They had that short kiss at the airport and she was already wanting more.
Vince shook his head and smiled gently at her. "Not a problem for me. I might be smaller than your brother, but the last thing I want to do is get into a fight or cause problems."
She nodded, happy to hear it.
"So, I have a thought about sleeping arrangements."
Vince went still beside her, and she forged on ahead to get it out before she thought better of it. The last thing she wanted to do was wait until they got back to the condo and try to have this conversation in front of her brother.
"I don't think you should sleep on the couch in the game room outside of the guest bedroom."
Vince remained silent and she didn't blame him. This wasn't exactly a common situation. For anyone.
"The bed in the bedroom is a queen size bed-"
She felt Vince's sudden in-drawn breath and put her hand on his belly.
"I'm just thinking that we're a few hours ahead of Hawaii without internal clocks and with Cam and his team heading onto base for PT and some training sessions, they'll be up early. I don't think you'll be able to sleep through them moving through the house and I'm not eager to see what happens if you and Cam come face to face before a couple cups of coffee."
She felt Vince chuckle.
"Good point."
She smiled as his arms tightened around her. "So, I know this might sound a little forward, but we can share the bed." She swallowed hard and couldn't budge the knot that was stuck in her throat. "I barely move once I fall asleep and Cam still jokes that I need a railing on my bed because I would always sleep hanging half off the bed even with the railing on."
Cora felt him breathe in and then a few seconds later, let it out.
"I know what you're saying about the couch," his words were soft, but she could hear him clearly, "but don't you think your brother is more likely to tear me to pieces if he thinks we're sleeping together?"
She couldn't help the giggle that burst from her lips. "Make no mistake about it," she lifted a hand to her cheek and felt it burning against her palm, "my brother already thinks we're sleeping together."
A groan reached her from inside Vince's chest. "And I'm still alive?" He chuckled. "That's awesome."
Sighing, she bobbed her head. "Yeah. Cam said he'd put some condoms in the night table drawers in my room."
"C-condoms?"
She found herself laughing out loud. "Yes, condoms. He gave me this look that reminded me of my sophomore year Health Teacher Missus Andrews when she asked Taylor Humphress if he knew how to put on a condom for safe sex."
Vince chuckled a little and she couldn't help but love the sound, and even better, the feeling of it against her. "What kind of look was that? Judgement? Inappropriate curiosity?"
"Ewww... No!" She gave him a soft pinch along his side. "It was a look that said 'You're going to need this. Don't screw it up."
"Ahh."
She nodded. "Yeah, he thinks we're already... intimate with each other."
Cora had tensed up unsure of what Vince's reaction might be.
"Again, he thinks that and didn't gut me with a dull kitchen knife."
She heard the self-effacing tone of his voice.
"I think I might survive this trip after all."
"Now you have me worried!" Cora pulled way to get a better look at him. To see his face. She put her hands over her belly and pressed in to keep her stomach from turning over and over. "I'm okay if you want to sleep in the room, Vince."
He opened his mouth to answer her and worried, she jumped in hoping to stave off the denial.
"Really, it'll make it easier for me. If you were on the couch, I don't think that I could sleep soundly. I'd have to go in and check on you during the night to make sure my brother didn't smother you in your sleep and-"
"Cora, stop." He closed the distance between them and covered her lips in a kiss.
She felt like she was about to melt from just that touch alone, but she also felt like she was likely to float if he wasn't holding onto her hands, keeping her there beside him.
When he pulled back, it took her a moment or two before she could open her eyes and when she did, she saw that Vince was also slowly opening his eyes.
It made her feel powerful and fragile at the same time.
"Was that..." His lips pressed into a thin line as he swallowed. "Was that okay?"
It did something to her to hear the uncertainty in his voice and the warm and searching look in his eyes. "Yeah." She nodded, but she knew it wasn't as smooth a movement as she wanted. It’s not like she’d had a lot of experience with kissing, but with Vince she was ready for more. "That was more than okay." She licked at her lips before she could stop herself and saw his gaze follow the movement. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Except she wasn't worried about falling.
For the first time in her life, her very careful life, she wanted to take the bull by the horns and step off that cliff without the benefit of a net or bungee cords. She wanted to fall even though she wasn't sure if Vince was going to fall with her.
It wasn't about that.
This was all about her.
She'd spent most of her time after she moved to Chicago waiting for something to happen. Waiting for someone to pique her interest.
She'd even made an effort to get out in the world and meet people, but it came down to finishing a long day at work before boarding a plane to Hawaii.
She never, ever would have thought she'd meet someone at work due to a storm front and snow!
"Can I..."
He brought her hands closer, and she turned them until she could press her palms gently against his chest. Looking up into his eyes she found herself less nervous than she'd been before.
She felt the keen pressure of need lean her in toward him until they were almost nose to nose.
"We can."
Cora leaned in and met his kiss as clouds sailed over their heads.