Blue Moon (Blue Devils Book 2)

by Alana Albertson

  She positioned her phone in front of her face. “Hey! So, we’re at Harborview Restaurant and Bar in the Embarcadero.” She turned her phone toward me.

  Fine, I’ll play.

  I waved. “What’s up? I’m Sawyer—a Blue Angel pilot. Come out and see our show tomorrow. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to get back to my beautiful date.”

  Sol’s face lit up at my words. She turned the phone back towards her heart-shaped face and continued, “Check back to see what we have for dinner.”

  I turned my attention to the incredible view outside the ferry building. I had a blast flying today at the air show. Sol had only experienced a few of my tricks in the plane—I couldn’t wait for her to see me fly with my squadron.

  Our first appetizer came, which the waiter informed us was Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao, which consisted of these small dumplings set in a bamboo steamer. I’d tried this dish before in Chicago and loved it. I used my chopsticks to place one of the steamed dumplings on my spoon, but Sol gave me a dirty look.

  “Wait one second, please. I need to take a picture.”

  Oops, too late. I’d already popped that little sucker into my mouth. I bit into the dumpling and my taste buds danced, relishing the mix of the tangy broth and impossibly tender meat. I’d never tasted Chinese food like this before. No wonder Sol loved the culture of this city.

  “Sorry about that. These are amazing.”

  She gave me a reluctant smile and put down her phone.

  I studied her face as she chewed. She had a sexy mouth, and I loved her long flowy hair. She was definitely a perfect ten.

  My eyes dropped to her legs. I was grateful she was seated next to me in this booth so I could stare at her entire body without being too obvious. I wanted to touch her tan flesh and lick her all the way down to her fuck-me heels. I planned to do just that later tonight.

  Damn. If I wanted to seduce her, I’d better start talking to her before another dish came, and she ignored me to take more pictures.

  “So, babe, tell me more about yourself. What do you like to do for fun?”

  She gave me a blank stare. “Fun? Most of my fun is sponsored and scheduled. But I like to go hiking in Muir Woods. And I love the opera and the ballet. How about you?”

  Well, at least we both liked hiking because I wouldn’t be caught dead inside a theater. “Anything outdoors. Sky diving, rappelling, BASE jumping, boating.”

  “So . . . you’re a thrill seeker. I mean I guessed that by your job choice. Why is that? Do you ever like to just chill?”

  Chill? What was that?

  The truth was that nothing sounded more awful to me than sitting around and doing nothing. I liked to keep my mind and body active, that way I didn’t start reliving my past. But I wasn’t going to tell her that.

  “I’ll chill with you.” I gazed into her eyes and whispered into her ear. “Hey, this restaurant is great, but I need a change of pace. After dinner, let’s stop by my favorite dive bar, get a few more drinks, maybe play some pool. And then, we can head to my hotel room— it has a great view of the city. We can drink some champagne and get to know each other.”

  She let out a nervous laugh and pulled away from me. “That sounds great and all, but I was hoping we could go see the Blue Moon. There’s a great view on the top of Mount Tam.”

  Great. That sounded romantic, and romance definitely wasn’t my thing. But I was never one to say no to adventure, and I loved being outdoors. Maybe I could fuck her on top of the mountain, under the moonlight. I smiled and nodded.

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  A few more dishes came, including the crab. She was right—it was delicious, and I savored every bite as I had my fill. I was ready for dessert, and by that, I meant feasting on Sol’s luscious curves.

  Finally, she confidently flipped back her hair. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Chapter 10

  Sol

  Sawyer licked his lower lip and signaled to the waiter. “Check, please.”

  I let out another nervous laugh. “Sawyer, the meal is free.”

  He fidgeted in his chair and slapped down a hundred-dollar bill. “Well, I’m going to at least give them a tip. And babe, nothing in life is free.”

  His words caught me off guard. He was so right. Nothing was free. Though I dined in fancy restaurants, stayed in luxurious hotels, and was regularly invited to exclusive events, everything came at a cost. I wasn’t free to be truly honest with my opinions—I always gave my sponsors glowing reviews. Was that unethical? My followers hung on my recommendations and went places that I frequented. Didn’t my fans realize that my opinions were influenced? That was my legit job title—influencer.

  A chill overtook me. I hated thinking about this fake persona that surrounded me. I constantly justified it to myself, but after only knowing Sawyer for two days, I was already questioning how I lived my life.

  “Let’s go.” He grabbed my hand, and we left the restaurant.

  As we waited for the car, I leaned into him and inhaled his earthy scent. He smelled so good, like a combination of cedarwood and mint.

  He wrapped his arms around me, and I thought for a second that he was going to kiss me, but instead, he put his thumb under my chin and forced me to look at him. “You’re breathtaking, Sol.”

  My lips widened into a smile. Last night had been so awkward, but now I could sense this big shift in his personality—he actually seemed interested in doing what I wanted to do.

  Well, I’d take advantage of his gentlemanly behavior for as long as it lasted.

  The valet pulled up with the car and handed the keys to Sawyer, who opened the door for me. Then, Sawyer tipped the guy and off we went on our next adventure.

  I directed Sawyer back over the bridge—as much as I loved San Francisco, Marin County was my hometown.

  As we exited in Mill Valley, he pulled in front of a drug store. “I’m going to stop here really quick. Do you need anything? Or do you want to come in with me?”

  Honestly, I had to update my Instagram story, something I would prefer to do in private since clearly it bothered him. “No, I’m fine in the car. But if you could just get me a bottle of water, that would be great.”

  “Sure thing.” He kissed my cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

  Once he was inside the building, I grabbed my phone and hit record.

  “Hi, guys. We just finished with dinner, and now, we’re heading up to the top of Mount Tam to catch the Blue Moon.” I quickly posted the story and counted the minutes until Sawyer returned to the car. Suddenly, I was more interested in spending time with him than on my phone. I hadn’t felt like this about anyone in a while. Sawyer was so confident and in control, which I found quite sexy. Plus, his occupation was so elite. It seemed like the only men I’d met recently either worked in tech startups, were influencers, or were trust fund babies. Sawyer was a welcome change.

  He finally emerged from the store, carrying two bottles of water and a blanket. Nice job, buddy. He threw the blanket in the backseat and handed me my bottle of water. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you.” He backed out of the parking lot and started driving up the mountain as I opened the bottle and took a sip. I also kicked off my heels and changed into a pair of foldable flats I’d tucked away in my purse.

  I could feel my heart racing. I was about to go somewhere isolated with a man I barely knew. Sure, he was a highly decorated pilot, but I still didn’t know anything about him. Who was he? What was his family like? What did he want out of life?

  As if he could sense my anxiety, he reached over and placed his hand on mine. “You okay?”

  “Yup. Just nervous, that’s all.” About tonight. We’d had a good date so far—what if he expected sex? He had tried to get me to go to his hotel room. Luckily, he didn’t make me feel uncomfortable or give me a bad vibe. Honestly, he made me feel safe. Ever since he’d brought me flowers last night, he had gone out of his way to treat me well. But even so, I was worried abou
t telling him I was a virgin if the night progressed.

  “Why are you nervous?”

  I shrugged. “I just . . . I don’t know. I don’t date much.”

  “Neither do I.”

  That wasn’t reassuring. Of course, he didn’t date much—he was a player. This man had women throwing themselves at him in every city. And apparently, I was one of them.

  I exhaled.

  Sawyer squeezed my hand. “Relax, babe. We’re just going to stargaze. I’ll behave like a perfect gentleman.”

  And with those words, a sense of calm washed over me. I couldn’t figure out Sawyer. Was this sweet man his true persona or was he really the cocky jerk from the other day? Maybe he was just the best smooth talker ever.

  I decided to call him out.

  “You know, you try to act all street-smart and rough, but you aren’t like that at all. You’re actually sweet and kind.”

  He laughed. “Are you saying I’m fake?”

  “No. I’m not. I’m just trying to figure out who you are. What you stand for.”

  “Here’s a tip, babe. Stop trying. What you see is what you get.”

  Right. It was stupid of me to try and psychoanalyze him. I just needed to relax and live in this moment.

  I gazed at the stars for the rest of our journey. We lapsed into a comfortable silence before we finally arrived at the small parking lot. He grabbed the blanket, opened the door for me, and led me by the hand up the popular trail I’d been exploring since I was a child.

  After we arrived at a beautiful clearing with a good view of the moon, he spread out the blanket, and we both sat on top of it.

  He pulled me into his arms, close enough that I could see our breaths comingling in the air. “I used to stargaze all the time back home.”

  Yes, he was finally opening up to me. I was desperate to know more about him, details that weren’t on the Blue Angels website.

  “In Iowa?”

  “Yeah. My buddies and I would head up to the Eden Valley Refuge when we could—go hiking and camping. We’d go to the observation tower and look at the stars.”

  “That sounds amazing. I’ve never been to Iowa. Do you like it?”

  “Yeah, but it was cold in the winter. Good people, though. Real. Honest. Hardworking. How about your friends?”

  Friends, what were those? I only had followers. “Well, I’m not close to my college friends anymore. And my family travels all the time, so I rarely see them. The only person I really talk to is Kelli, my PR agent.”

  He tilted his head and made intense eye contact. “That sounds lonely. At least I always have my fellow pilots.”

  Ugh, he was so right. I was lonely despite having all my followers on Instagram. A million followers and not a single one knew the real me.

  But enough about me, I wanted to know more about him.

  “Do you have a big family back there?”

  “Nope.”

  He quickly shut down the subject of his family. I wanted to ask more questions but didn’t want to pry. Sawyer obviously valued his privacy, and I wanted to respect that.

  His gaze turned to the moon, big and beautiful, tinged with a hint of blue. “Do you know what makes the moon appear blue?”

  “No. Do you?”

  “Yeah. I learned about it at Annapolis. The moon appears blue when the atmosphere is filled with dust or smoke particles, which scatter red light. This moon is probably blue because of the recent forest fires up north.”

  My heart sank. So much devastation in my state. So many California residents had lost their homes, and an entire town had been pretty much wiped out.

  “I didn’t know that. You must be brilliant to be a pilot.”

  He grinned. “And you must be really smart to have graduated from Stanford. And to have built your following to millions. Though I’m sure everyone follows you because you’re so beautiful. If I had an Instagram, I’d stalk you.”

  His hand cupped my face, and he pulled me into him. My heart was beating faster than it had ever before. He was going to kiss me. Did I want him to? Sure, I’d fantasized about him fucking me, but that wasn’t even realistic. I was not going to lose my virginity to a man I would never see again. But kissing this man under the Blue Moon struck me like something deeper. Something more intimate. Something scary.

  I closed my eyes and gave myself over to the moment. Our moment. His lips touched mine, and the scrape of his stubble scratched my chin. I opened my mouth as his hot tongue penetrated mine. Softly at first, but quickly turning rough. Hunger grew inside me, and I kissed him back, desire seeping through my pores as I ran my hands along his body. This was a kiss to end all kisses. He tasted like warm wine and lust. Forbidden yet so inviting. Passionate but loving. And none of those contradictions, those feelings, those thoughts made any sense. This was just a kiss in the moonlight with a man who would never be anything more than a casual fling. A man who I would probably never see again after the end of this weekend, or if I did, only be once in a Blue Moon.

  I finally summoned the strength to pull away from him. I opened my eyes to find him staring at me expectantly.

  I didn’t know what to say, so I turned my attention to the moon. “Wow, this moon is so stunning. Thanks for coming up here with me.”

  “Thanks for taking me out here. I had a good time with you tonight.” He looked at his watch. “We should be going soon though. I’ll drop you off at home and then head back to my hotel. I have to get up early for tomorrow’s air show.”

  Right. Wow, I was shocked that he wasn’t even trying to spend the night with me. Maybe I had read him all wrong. I’d callously assumed this bad boy pilot was just some womanizer with low morals and a high libido.

  “I understand. Let’s go.”

  We stood up, and he folded the blanket. After walking back to the parking lot, we got into his car, and he drove down the mountain back to my place. He pulled in a guest parking space before getting out of the car to open my car door for me. Still a total gentleman. Swoon!

  “Let me walk you in.”

  I nodded and led him to my front door. Would he try to come in? Kiss me again? Shake my hand? Maybe he wasn’t attracted to me or thought I was a horrible kisser. I pulled at my hair as anxiety crept up inside my chest.

  “Well, this is me. Do you want to come in and have some tea?”

  Tea? As if. Whiskey, Sol, not tea.

  “Not tonight, babe. I’m gonna call it.”

  I pursed my lips and tried to blink back the disappointment. Why did I care? I’d practically hated him yesterday. Apart from his undeniably good looks, he had been rude and arrogant. He didn’t live near me, and we could never ever be anything more than a fling.

  But something about him, like the way he’d treated me during the flight and on our date tonight, made me believe deep down, Sawyer was truly a good man. He was real and honest and caring like he’d described his friends back in Iowa. Something must’ve happened to him in his past that had forced him to wear that cocky exterior like armor.

  But in our limited time together, I would never have the opportunity to get to know him.

  “Okay, night.” I debated giving him a high five, then turned to the door and fumbled with my key.

  He twirled me around by the wrist, pressed me up against the door, and kissed me again. But this kiss wasn’t like our first—it was full of lust, and I could feel his hard cock press against me. His left hand gripped my thigh as he hiked up my dress, and his tongue darted into my mouth.

  Oh my god! I was melting against him. A hunger I had never experienced bolted through my body.

  This time, he pulled away first and gave me a devilish grin.

  I caught my breath, and my cheeks burned impossibly hot.

  “Night, Sol. I had a great time tonight. Thanks for taking me to the restaurant and to see the Blue Moon. After the show tomorrow, I’m taking you on another date. But not to one of your fancy Instagram-worthy five-star restaurants. We’re going to a dive bar.”<
br />
  Dive bar? I wouldn’t be caught dead in a dive bar. What would I post?

  I opened my mouth to say as much, but was shocked to hear myself reply, “I can’t wait.”

  What was wrong with me? Two kisses from this hunk and I was acting completely off-brand. Like a different woman.

  The scary thing was I liked it.

  Chapter 11

  Sawyer

  I couldn’t believe I hadn’t even tried to spend the night with her. That was a first. What the fuck was wrong with me? I was losing my edge.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t want to. No, definitely not that. Kissing her was incredible. She tasted just as I imagined she would—sweet and spicy. Her hands were so soft and delicate when they traced my face, but all I could imagine was her nails scratching my back as I fucked her. So why hadn’t I even tried to close the deal?

  Was I developing feelings for her?

  No, that made no sense. Feelings weren’t my thing. Lust was more my deal for sure. I’d never truly cared about any woman I’d been with. I’d have a great one-night stand and then say goodbye. That way no one got hurt.

  Sol wasn’t even a girl I could ever date, even if I did want a relationship, which I most certainly didn’t. Unlike Beck’s fiancée Paloma, who hadn’t had a job before she met Beck who hired her as his daughter’s nanny, Sol had an entire life here in the Bay Area. Her Instagram name was @SolanaSanFrancisco. She lived in a part of the country that I couldn’t stand, despite its beauty. I mean, even if I liked the Bay Area, there wasn’t a naval air station up here. And I’d already planned to take a one-year unaccompanied tour to Okinawa, Japan next year.

  Fuck, why was I thinking so far ahead? I hadn’t even fucked this chick yet. Even worse, I hadn’t even tried to sleep with her.