Chapter 24
It took a while for Willa to drop off to sleep. Kissing Cy had revved her up. When she’d put her hand on his chest, she could feel his tight muscles. She wanted to do more touching.
He’d been right about waiting. She needed time to think about what they were doing. She wanted him, but was she really ready to have a relationship?
The thing with Robert ended months ago, but his constant attempts to get back into her life had shaken her. Though they’d been separated, he’d tried controlling her, and that had left her feeling off balance.
With Cy, he’d started off being her friend. He hadn’t tried to make a move on her. Not once had she caught him looking at her body. She’d really thought he wasn’t interested, but that kiss had sent desire straight through her.
When she came down the stairs, Cy was already up and fixing eggs and bacon. He glanced over, a wide smile on his lips. He was happy to see her.
“Good morning. I made some eggs . The get-together starts at eleven.”
She moved to the bar and took a seat on the stool. “Good morning. Thank you for cooking breakfast.”
“I woke up early and worked out.”
“Oh, do you do that often?”
He chuckled. “All the time. I’ll catch up on sleep with naps if I need them.”
He poured the eggs from the pan onto plates and put two pieces of bacon on the plate for her. The toast popped up, and she got off the stool to move to it.
Then Cy was beside her, his hands on her waist. She turned to face him, worry clawing at her throat. Did he still want her? She didn’t have to wonder for long as he lowered so his lips brushed against hers ever so softly.
“I thought about kissing you when I woke up this morning.” He brushed his lips over hers again in a soft glide that made her knees weak.
“I had trouble getting to sleep last night.”
He leaned back and met her gaze. “Everything okay?”
Her cheeks were already heated, but now it was even hotter with him this close. “Yes. I just couldn’t stop thinking about you touching me.”
His lips curved up into a smile, and he stepped back. “Let’s eat, then we can get ready to go.”
He was playing havoc with her. She wasn’t sure she could think straight with him this close. His touch ignited something inside her that she hadn’t ever felt before.
“So this get-together, how many people will be there?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Fifty or so, maybe more.”
“Oh, that’s a lot.”
“Yeah, it’s not everyone, of course, just people who can actually get together.”
“So weren’t you all doing a party that day I first met you?”
“Yes. We were celebrating one of our own going into remission. He’s a good guy.”
“So what is today about?”
“Just getting together with friends. If we don’t make time for friendship, we won’t have any time together.”
“That’s nice.”
“We do it a few times a year. It’s been six months since I’ve been able to attend.”
“Thank you for letting me tag along.”
He put down his fork and met her gaze. “Before that kiss, I wanted you to come because I wanted you in my life. I don’t take women with me to these things because it’s family. Even if you decide you don’t want me for more than a friend, I want to stay friends with you.”
She reached over and took his hand. “That’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever said.”
“It’s the truth.”
“You’re way too nice.”
He shook his head, and she wanted to argue with him, but his doorbell rang. Fear slid through her, but the smile on his face made her think he knew who was at the door. She got up and followed him, waiting to see who was there.
Cy opened the door, glad to see Thario and Calla along with his dogs, Frog and Hope. Frog was still around, which was great, though he was older, and it was obvious he was a senior dog.
“Come in, come in. It’s good to see you two,” Cy said as he pulled Thario into a hug. He hugged Calla, then turned to see that Willa was close. “I want you two to meet Willa. This is Thario and Calla, along with their dogs, Frog and Hope.”
Frog was already beside Willa, sniffing her out, but Hope was dedicated to Thario and didn’t move from his side until he indicated that she could move to the new person.
“Hope’s training is coming along,” Cy said.
“She’s a good dog,” Calla said.
Thario nodded. “She is.” He moved to Willa and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. The dogs are nice, but if they are bugging you, just tell me, and I’ll call them to me.”
“They’re okay. They are both beautiful.”
Frog danced around her, and Thario and Calla both laughed. She smiled, not sure what they were laughing about.
“I think Frog understands most of what we say,” Calla said. “When you said he was beautiful, he got happy. I think he knows that you like him and are saying good things about him.”
Willa laughed as she petted the dogs. “They both are very beautiful.”
Frog barked and then wagged his whole body. Everyone laughed at the dogs’ antics, which didn’t calm them down at all.
“Come on in. Want anything?”
“No, we ate at the hotel before coming over,” Calla said.
“Hotel. You don’t live around here?” Willa asked.
“No, we’re closer to the mountains,” Thario said.
“That’s nice.”
Thario nodded. “We like it. It’s close enough we can come down for big days like today.”
“I guess you aren’t in the Navy if you live that far away,” Willa said.
Thario shook his head. “I was, but I’m retired.”
“Oh.”
“I wasn’t a SEAL when Thario got blown up. He’s been nice enough to be a friend.”
“Ha,” Thario said. “You’re nice enough to let me still feel like a part of the group.”
Willa gasped. “You got blown up?”
Thario nodded. “Yeah, put a dent in my plan for being a SEAL.”
“Oh crap. That’s awful.”
Thario took Calla’s hand and pulled her close. “At the time, I couldn’t think of anything worse, but it opened me up to doing different things. I’m happy now. I wouldn’t have met Calla if I was still a SEAL.”
“Thario taught me a lot about life,” Cy said. “He has a good attitude and taught me to see the positives when things aren’t going great.”
“I could use some positivity,” Willa said.
“Oh?” Calla asked.
“Yeah. My ex is skulking around.”
“Um, yeah, about that,” Cy rubbed the back of his neck. “When I first met you, I sent the information about Robert to Thario and Calla. They were the ones who found out about the warrant for his arrest.”
Willa stared at them in surprise. “Thank you for finding that information. His being locked up gave me peace.”
Calla stepped closer and took her hand. “I know he’s out again, but hopefully he’ll be picked up and not given bail next time.”
“Hopefully. I know he won’t be locked up for life, so he’ll eventually be out. But he needs to learn not to bug me.”
“Yeah. That’s hard for people like him to learn. My brother couldn’t let me go. It was an awful situation. With Thario’s help, I escaped. I know it may seem hopeless at times, but with Cy’s help, you can get free.”
Willa’s throat closed with emotion. Meeting Cy by chance might just be the thing that saved her. She hadn’t been looking for a relationship at all, but Cy had come into her life and offered her peace, and with that peace, she’d received something special.
While they’d been talking, Thario and Cy stepped into the back yard with both dogs.
Calla shot her a huge smile. “Cy is one of the good ones.”
A small laugh escaped Willa’s lips. “He is. This is all totally unexpected.”
“When Thario found me, he offered me help, but then it grew to so much more. He changed my life. I hope Cy can be everything you need.”
“He’s already so much more than I thought I would ever have.”
“Good.” Calla squeezed her hand again and then stepped back. “Today will be fun. There will be so many people there, so if you feel overwhelmed, just come sit by me. These people are great, and they understand that sometimes crowds can be too much.”
“Thank you. I’ll remember that.”
Willa’s history with men hadn’t been the best. Being with Cy was already so different from anything she’d experienced before.
He hadn’t given her a set of rules to follow before meeting his friends.
He also hadn’t told her what she should wear.
The get-together was outside at a park, and he just said to dress comfortably and wear sunscreen.
It was so different from what she’d known before.
Robert expected her to be a prop to make him look good.
Everything she’d experienced with Cy surprised her. She imagined that if they stayed together, there would be a lot more surprises coming her way.