by Susan Stoker
“Marshall?” she asked.
“Sorry. I just…I know things between us are new, if there’s even an ‘us.’ But when I saw him grab hold of Carly and glare at you, I couldn’t get to you fast enough. And when you shoved him, I swear I aged ten years.”
“Because I shoved him?” Kenna asked in confusion.
“No. Because I was afraid of what he’d do in retaliation,” Marshall told her.
Kenna licked her lips. “I’d like there to be an us,” she blurted.
“Good.” Then Marshall slowly dropped his arms from around her and took a step backward. “Go do your thing.”
“You aren’t leaving yet, are you?” Kenna couldn’t help but ask.
“No. We’ll stick around. Need to give the cops my statement, as do the other guys, and I’m sure Elodie and Lexie will want to throw in their two cents as well. I’ll be here for a while.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you in a bit.”
Marshall nodded.
It was harder than it should’ve been for Kenna to head for the kitchen, where she’d seen Jag leading Carly. It was safe to say that she was definitely “into” Marshall. Time would tell where things between them might go, but for the first time in a long time, she was definitely looking forward to getting to know a man.
Chapter Five
Aleck glanced at his watch. Ten forty-seven. In some ways, the night seemed to have gone by extremely slowly, but in actuality, he’d been there less than four hours. His emotions had definitely been on a roller coaster during that time. Anticipation, excitement, contentment, confusion, horror, relief…he’d felt all of those and more in the span of four hours.
He had to hand it to Kenna. She seemed to bounce back from what had happened fairly quickly. But he supposed she had to. She smiled and laughed with the people at her tables and acted like the professional she was.
Watching her, Aleck realized once more how unfair he’d been. He really had wondered if her parents were all right with her being “only” a waitress. It wasn’t until she’d pointed out how rude his question was, without actually coming out and saying those exact words, that he’d realized he’d fucked up.
Luckily, Kenna seemed to have forgiven him. It was crazy how relieved he was. He’d only met her…today? Had it truly only been this morning that she’d jumped on top of him in the water? She had such an engaging personality, and the chemistry they shared made it seem like he’d known her for much longer.
He’d been impressed how well she’d dealt with that asshole Shawn. He hadn’t realized what was happening until Jag said something and stood up. When he saw Kenna trying to pry Shawn’s hands off of her friend—and then push him—he’d almost had a heart attack.
It was obvious Shawn hadn’t taken Kenna’s actions well, and by the look on his face, Aleck thought he was getting ready to shove her back. All sorts of awful scenarios had run through his head as he rushed across the bar.
“Hey.”
One word, that was all it took for Aleck to snap out of his own head and focus on her.
He and Jag had been waiting by the front of the restaurant for Carly and Kenna. Midas and Mustang had taken their women home a few minutes earlier.
“Hi,” Aleck returned, eyeing Kenna carefully. She looked okay. Tired, but not freaked out. Which was a relief.
“Thank you both for walking us to my car,” Kenna told them.
“No way in hell we were going to let you head off into a dark parking garage after what happened,” Aleck told her honestly.
She narrowed her eyes. “Let?” Kenna asked.
Aleck sighed.
“You guys have your conversation, we’ll head to the car,” Carly said with a tired smile.
It was a testament to her resiliency that Carly also seemed to be all right. She headed toward the street with Jag at her side. His friend had been fairly quiet after he’d made sure Carly was okay. Jag wasn’t the most talkative man, but he’d been even less chatty for the last hour or so.
“I suppose I should say that came out wrong…” Aleck started.
“But it didn’t, did it?” Kenna said.
“No,” he said. “Look. I’m not saying you aren’t perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. But the fact remains that I’m stronger than you. As is that Shawn asshole. He’s a typical bully. Backs off when confronted by someone his own size, someone stronger, but has no problem manhandling you or Carly. I’m well aware we just met, and that you’ve been taking care of yourself for years. But when I saw that asshole glaring at you, all I could think of was making sure he didn’t get the chance to do anything.
“I’m not the kind of person who can simply turn my back on someone who needs help. So yeah, I wasn’t going to let you and Carly walk through a dark parking garage to your car when we don’t know where that asshole is.”
“He’s probably still at the police station,” Kenna said.
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Aleck’s voice lowered. “I’m not trying to be controlling here. I swear.”
Kenna eyed him for a moment, then nodded. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m being unreasonable. I’m actually grateful you and your friend are here. Paulo or Justin usually walk me to my car after work, but having you here is…”
Aleck raised an eyebrow when she didn’t finish her thought. “Is?” he asked.
“Nice.”
“Come on,” he said, gesturing ahead of him. “I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
Kenna smiled slightly at him and nodded. “Yeah.”
They walked side-by-side until they got to the street and took a right. They could see Carly and Jag ahead of them, and there were quite a few people milling around the sidewalks, even at the late hour.
The silence between them was comfortable rather than awkward, but eventually Kenna broke it. “Tonight’s been…interesting.”
Aleck smirked. “That’s one word for it.”
Kenna returned his smile. “I…” She paused, then muttered, “Shoot.”
“What?”
“I hope after everything that’s happened, you might still want to chat?”
Aleck looked down at her. “Chat? Oh yeah,” he assured. “You’re the most interesting person I’ve met in a very long time, Kenna. I definitely want to ‘chat’ with you some more.”
“Good. Me too.”
Without thought, Aleck reached for her hand. She didn’t pull away when his fingers curled around hers. And long before he was ready, they reached the parking garage, where they got in the elevator with Carly and Jag and headed up to the floor where Kenna had left her car.
She led them toward a brown Chevy Malibu that had seen better days. Figuring he didn’t want to push his luck, Aleck refused to comment on the beat-up looking vehicle.
As if she could read his mind, Kenna said, “It looks much worse than it is. I’ve got a great mechanic and he keeps her running. Besides, no one’s gonna want to steal it.”
“That’s for sure,” Jag muttered.
Kenna simply chuckled.
“Thanks for the assist tonight,” Carly said, speaking for the first time since they’d all gotten in the elevator together.
“You’re welcome,” Jag said.
“Of course,” Aleck told her.
“First thing tomorrow, go and apply for that protective order,” Jag ordered.
“I will.”
“I wouldn’t mind if you kept me updated,” Jag told her.
Carly looked uncertain. Then, even though Aleck and Kenna were standing there, she blurted, “I’m not looking for another boyfriend.”
To Jag’s credit, he didn’t even flinch. “What about a friend?”
The look on Carly’s face screamed “skeptical.” She turned and looked at Aleck. “Has he ever had a friend who was a woman before?”
Aleck was immediately uncomfortable. He didn’t want to throw his buddy under the bus, but no, Jag hadn’t ever had a female friend as far as he knew. Hell, he didn’t have any friends period, other than the
guys on the team.
On the outside, Jag looked friendly and easygoing, but he was definitely the most intense—and deadly—of everyone on the team.
“Right, that’s what I thought,” Carly said, when Aleck took too long to respond.
“If Jag says he’s okay with being your friend, you can absolutely trust that,” he said quickly.
“And I think he’s proven tonight that you can count on him,” Kenna threw in.
“Fine,” Carly sighed. “But at the slightest sign you want to cross that line, we’re done,” she warned.
“Thank you. You won’t regret it,” Jag told her.
Kenna let out a small chuckle.
“What?” Carly asked.
“I never thought I’d see the day when you had to warn someone not to get too attached to you,” Kenna told her.
Carly blushed furiously. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know,” Jag said. “Come on, let’s get you settled.” He threw a look at Aleck, then returned his attention to Carly. “You need to get home. You’ve had a hard night.”
Aleck nodded at his friend and pulled Kenna around to the driver’s side of her car. He turned his back on Carly and Jag and squeezed her hand. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she reassured him. “I wasn’t the one Shawn was pissed at tonight.”
“Well, you weren’t at first,” Aleck said dryly.
“Yeah, he wasn’t real thrilled with me, was he?”
“Nope. But then again, he doesn’t seem to be the kind of guy who’s very impressed with any woman who has the smallest speck of independence in her veins.”
They heard the car door shut on the other side of the vehicle, and Aleck turned to see Jag give him a chin lift and head back toward the elevators. They were carpooling back to the base, and Aleck figured Jag would wait for him down on the sidewalk.
Not able to stop himself, he lifted his free hand and ran the back of his fingers over Kenna’s cheek. His heart rate increased when she tilted her head into his touch.
“When can I see you again?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. I’m going with Carly to apply for the protection order tomorrow, then I work tomorrow night. I’ve got some errands I need to do this weekend as well. What’s your schedule?”
“Pretty much eight to five,” Aleck admitted. “I work out with the team in the mornings and sometimes we have training, like we did this morning. If something comes up, we might have the occasional late meeting.”
Kenna frowned. “When I work the dinner shift—which is really the only shift I work anymore—I have to be there around four.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Aleck told her. “If you think I’m gonna let something like our work schedules keep me from getting to know you better…you’re wrong.”
She smiled up at him. “I have Sundays free. Because I’ve worked at Duke’s so long, I’m able to request not to work them.”
“Me too,” Aleck said, returning her smile. “Except if I’m on a mission.”
“Does that happen a lot?” Kenna asked.
Aleck shrugged. “Enough.”
“Right. So, um, you want to do something Sunday?” she asked. “Not this one, because I have errands, and I want to hang out with Carly and make sure she’s okay, but the next one?”
“Yes,” Aleck said without having to think about it.
“Cool.”
“Yeah. Cool. In the meantime, do you mind if I call? I know you work evenings, but I could call on my lunch break…if that works for you.”
“That sounds great. And are you a text kind of guy? I admit that I am,” she told him.
“I have a feeling I am now,” he said with another smile.
“Just ignore me if I get too annoying,” she said.
“Never.”
“Famous last words,” she said with a chuckle.
“Nope. If you text me, that means you’re thinking about me and wanted to reach out to share something. How could I ever get annoyed knowing you contacted me because I was on your mind?”
She blushed. “Well, when you put it that way…”
“I’ve dated my share of women,” Aleck said, hurrying to continue when she frowned. “Some have only been with me because I’m a SEAL. Others were hoping we’d get married and they’d be set for life…because let’s face it, the military has some pretty good benefits. A few were just out for a good time. And a couple were with me for another reason…which we can talk about later. But none of them have made me feel like you have after just one day.”
Aleck knew he was being sappy, which totally wasn’t like him. He was the smart aleck, the joker. But around her, he couldn’t seem to play that role.
“I like you, Kenna Madigan. And while I might not be able to text you back right away if I’m in meetings or something, know that seeing a message from you pop up on my screen will make me smile, and that I’ll always like hearing from you.”
She stared up at him for a moment. “Another reason?” she asked. “Should I be worried?”
“That’s what you got out of all that?” he asked with a small chuckle.
“Hey, I’ve learned to listen to the little things. They’re usually the most important.”
“No, you shouldn’t be worried. Not at all.” Aleck looked at his watch, then said, “We’ve known each other for three-point-two seconds and we’ve already had a good amount of drama. We can save any more revelations for another time.”
“Fair enough,” Kenna said. “I’ve dated my fair share of men too, and plenty were just looking for regular sex. Or they thought they liked me until they got to know me. Or they wanted me to be more…reliant on them. I’m independent and I like it that way. I’m an extrovert who loves meeting new people. I like my job, as you know, and I have no intentions of quitting and becoming a stay-at-home mother. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s not for me. The stay-at-home part, not motherhood.”
“You want kids?” Aleck blurted.
Kenna shrugged. “Sure. Someday.”
For a split second, he couldn’t get the image of her pregnant out of his head. Which was even crazier than all the other crazy tonight. But still…
“Marshall?” she asked.
“Yeah?”
“Please don’t be a psycho.”
He burst out laughing. “I’m not.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Even if things don’t work out between us, you aren’t going to be all…weird…right?”
“If you mean weird like Shawn was tonight, no. I have no desire to chase after a woman if things between us aren’t working out, especially one who doesn’t want me. And even if I fall madly in love with you, but you don’t reciprocate my feelings, I swear I won’t be…weird…if you break up with me.”
Kenna nodded. “Okay.” She looked behind him at the car, then met his gaze once more. “I should go. Get Carly home.”
“Yeah.”
Neither of them moved.
Aleck wanted to lean down and kiss the intriguing woman in front of him, but knew it was too soon. He settled for squeezing her hand. “Drive safe. Would it be presumptuous of me to ask you to let me know when you get home?”
“Only if you’ll do the same,” Kenna said.
“Deal.” Weirdly enough, no one had ever asked him to let them know when he arrived back at his place safely. Maybe it was because he was a guy. Maybe it was because he was a SEAL. But he couldn’t deny her concern felt good.
He forced himself to let go of her hand and reached for the door handle of her car. He opened it and, once she was seated, leaned over. “Be safe, ladies. Carly, I’m glad you’re okay tonight. And for the record…you will always be one hundred percent safe with Jag. He’s one of the good guys.”
“I just don’t want him to get the wrong idea,” she replied quietly.
“He’ll follow your lead,” Aleck assured her. And he would. That didn’t me
an he wouldn’t do whatever he could to change her mind about being just friends. His teammate definitely couldn’t take his eyes off Carly tonight, making his interest loud and clear to his friends.
It was a good thing he’d taken Carly away and kept her safe, because if Jag had stayed to deal with Shawn, things would’ve gotten ugly. Aleck had no doubt about that.
“Thanks for walking us to the car,” Kenna said.
“My pleasure. I’ll talk to you later.”
Kenna nodded, and once more Aleck had to force himself not to lean over and take her lips with his own. He shut the door and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He gave the women a small chin lift and headed for the elevators.
Shit. He was a goner.
He’d seen it happen with Mustang. Then Midas. And now he was acting the same way his friends had after they’d met Elodie and Lexie, respectively. But instead of being freaked out about it, contentment filled him.
It was hard to believe twenty-four hours ago, he didn’t know Kenna existed. It felt as if the entire trajectory of his life had changed since meeting her. That sounded nuts, and he knew it, but he also didn’t care.
Maybe he and Kenna wouldn’t work out. There was a lot they needed to learn about each other. But Aleck had a feeling he could be in it for the long haul…and he was one hundred percent all right with that.
Smiling, he greeted Jag with a grin and they headed down the sidewalk toward another parking garage, where Aleck had left his Jeep. Neither spoke, both lost in their heads. Things had changed for both of them that night, and it was a lot to process.
Chapter Six
One week.
That’s how long it had been since Kenna last saw Marshall, and she was almost giddy with the thought of getting together with him later that morning.
While she may not have seen him, they’d talked every day. She’d texted him when she’d gotten home from the work shift from hell and ten minutes later had received a note back. He’d let her know he was also home. Even though it was late, they’d talked back and forth via text for another thirty minutes before she called it a night.
When she’d woken up the next morning, Marshall had already left her a good morning message.