“You’re worrying me,” she murmured.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that…I’m a lot older than you are, Aine.”
“Oh. Well…um…okay.”
He leaned forward and took her hands in his. “This isn’t about you. You’re perfect. I just want to be sure you realize I’m a few years older than Razor.” Aine looked like she was going to cry. Damn, he was making a mess of this.
“Does it matter? I mean, am I too…inexperienced for you?”
“God, no. It’s more that I started wondering if you knew. And if you didn’t, if it would bother you.”
“I like you, Griffin. I don’t care how old you are. It isn’t something I’ve given any thought to because, to me, all that matters is that we enjoy being together.”
“I just want you to know, if you change your mind, I’ll understand.”
She was quiet long enough that Striker began to feel uncomfortable. Plus, she wasn’t looking at him; she was looking out at the ocean again.
“I wish you’d tell me what you’re thinking.”
She turned back and looked at him. “I wish you wouldn’t let me go so easily.”
“I just want to be sure you’re sure. Does that make any sense?”
Aine stood and walked into the house, but he didn’t follow. Somehow their conversation had gone from bad to worse, and he had no idea what to do about it.
—:—
Aine left Gunner’s and walked next door. “Is Ava over here?” she asked.
“I think she’s upstairs,” Razor’s mother told her.
She took the stairs two at a time, hoping she’d get up them quickly enough that no one would see her crying.
“Ava?” she said when she got to the bedroom door. “Are you in there?”
The door opened a few seconds later, and two young girls came bounding out.
“Hi,” they said in unison. “You’re Aunt Ava’s sister.”
Aine wiped her tears and bent down. “I am. How are you?”
“We’re fine. Anyway, bye,” the older of the two said.
Off they went, running down the stairs she’d just come up.
Aine crossed the room and lay on the bed next to her sister.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just had the weirdest conversation with Griffin.”
“Tell me what he said.”
“He wanted me to know that he’s a lot older than I am.”
“Okay, so…why?”
“I don’t know. I told him it didn’t bother me, and then he said that if I changed my mind, he’d understand.”
“Hmm. That’s weird.”
“That’s what I thought. Do you think he’s trying to dump me?”
“No. Definitely not. It’s gotta be something he’s worried about, even if you’re not. What else did he say?”
“Not much.”
“What did you say?”
“That I wished he wouldn’t let me go so easily.”
Ava was thoughtful for a minute. “It’s his problem, Aine. It isn’t about you. Maybe someone dumped him in the past because of it.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It kind of seemed like he was giving me an out.”
“When is he supposed to leave?”
“We were talking about leaving tomorrow and driving up the coast.”
“To where?”
“Yachats.”
“Wow. That sounds nice. I say, see how that goes. If it’s weird, then you know.”
“Here are my girls,” said their mom, coming in the bedroom door. “What are you talking about?”
“Striker told Aine he thinks he’s too old for her.”
“Ava!” Aine swatted her. “That isn’t what he said.”
“Men.” Their mother shook her head. “You never know what’s going to set them off. I mean, look at Paul. He finds out my ex-husband is a Russian mobster, and he asks for a divorce.”
“Right.” Aine didn’t think what Griffin said to her had anything to do with her mom’s soon-to-be ex-husband, but that’s how Peggy was. How do you give counsel to a daughter you never spent any time with? At least she wasn’t drinking anymore. Or it didn’t seem like she was.
“Thanks, Mom,” she said and got off the bed.
“Oh. I came to tell you we’ll be eating in forty-five minutes.”
Aine helped her sister off the bed too, and they followed their mother down the stairs.
“Where’s Striker?” Ava asked.
Razor stepped closer to them. “He went to pick up Dutch and Alegria from the train station. He said to let you know he’ll be back in thirty.”
“Why are you whispering?” Aine asked.
He motioned with his head toward Mantis, who was standing on the other side of the room.
“He doesn’t know they’re coming.”
“Oh. I’m lost, but that’s okay. I’ve got enough drama of my own.”
Razor’s head snapped up. “What did Striker do?”
Aine patted his arm. “Nothing. He’s just worried that he’s too old for me.”
“Oh. Well…he is.”
She and Ava laughed when Razor walked away.
—:—
“Thanks for the lift,” said Dutch, opening the car door for Alegria.
“No problem. Although I didn’t realize how tight the back seat was.”
“Not a problem,” said Dutch, folding himself into a seat made for someone a quarter of his size.
“How are you doing?” he asked Alegria when she sat in the front seat.
“Okay. The pain meds should kick in soon.”
“Taking the train wasn’t the best idea. We should’ve just driven,” Dutch said from where he sat sideways in the back.
These two looked as miserable as Striker felt after his conversation with Aine.
“The house isn’t too far from here.”
“We’ve been there,” Alegria told him. Snapped at him was more accurate.
“Alegria,” Dutch murmured from the back seat.
Striker looked over, unable to read anything but tension on her face. Despite the fact they’d been on many missions together, he didn’t know the woman that well.
She, Dutch, and Mantis were all former Air Force officers, a branch of the military that got plenty of ribbing for being the pampered set.
The truth was, Alegria and Mantis had flown sorties resulting in the deaths of some of the worst terrorists in the world, and those missions hadn’t been danger-free.
Striker had a hell of a lot of respect for the men and women who flew any kind of fighter jet, regardless of military branch.
Onyx, the only other pilot on the K19 team, had served in the Marine Corps like most of the partners had, flying F/A 18 Hornets. While those planes were being replaced by the Lightning II, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Hornets had long provided fighter escort, enemy defenses suppression, air control, reconnaissance, and close air support of Marines on the ground.
K19 was mighty lucky to have all three of them on their team.
The drive back to Cambria was quiet since neither Alegria nor Dutch seemed to be in the mood to talk. Striker didn’t mind, though. It gave him time to think about what he’d said to Aine.
He’d wanted her to be aware of his age, given he was fifteen years her senior. That was it. If she ever decided she didn’t want to spend her time with an old fart, he wanted her to know that he’d understand. That had somehow turned into her asking if she was too inexperienced for him.
Their first night together had been magical as far as he was concerned. That she would think it was anything less than that, baffled him.
They were seated at the table in the front window of the Sea Chest, so they could look out at the moon’s light on the ocean while they ate.
“This place is fantastic,” he said between bites of the freshest halibut he’d ever eaten.
“I agree, but I’m so full I can’t finish.”
They’d started out with a dozen oyster
s, followed by clam chowder, sourdough bread, and their entrées.
Aine ordered a calamari steak served abalone-style, which Striker was all too happy to finish for her.
“Cheers,” he said, toasting her with a twenty-year tawny port. “Here’s to many more dinners shared by the light of the moon.”
Aine looked out at the ocean; something she did a lot, he’d noticed. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”
She looked back at him.
“I’m not sure how to say this.”
“We’ve talked for hours, pretty girl. Just say it.”
“I haven’t been with very many men,” she said almost too quietly for him to hear her.
Striker leaned forward, grasped her neck with his hand, and kissed her. “Whatever has or hasn’t happened in either of our pasts, doesn’t matter, Aine. This is just me and you. Okay?”
He draped his arm around her shoulders on their walk back to the inn. Every once in a while, he’d stop and hold her close while he brushed his lips with hers, and then kissed her the way he’d wished he could every time they’d talked on the phone.
“Here you are, in my arms,” he said when they got back to the inn. “Do you know how many nights I’ve wished we were holding each other just like this?”
“It’s been the same for me. I fall asleep imagining your arms are around me.”
“Wasn’t that the turn?” Alegria asked, pointing at the road he’d just driven past.
He’d been so lost in thought, remembering the first night he and Aine were together, he might’ve driven all the way to San Simeon before he realized it.
He took the next left turn, which also went to Moonstone Beach Road.
“Sorry,” he murmured, but he wasn’t. Being away from the house had given him time to think, and he’d come to a decision. Aine McNamara was his dream come true, and he’d heard what she said earlier: I wish you wouldn’t let me go so easily.
If that’s the way she felt, then he would wrestle the devil himself to keep her in his life.
Instead of worrying about whether Aine thought he was too old for her, he was going to appreciate every minute he could spend with her.
He had a hell of a lot to be thankful for this year, and she was at the top of the list. It was time he let her know that, instead of giving her an out she hadn’t asked for.
—:—
“Is there anything else I can do to help?” Mantis asked.
“I think we’ve got everything. As soon as Razor and Gunner finish carving the turkeys, we’ll be set,” said Gunner’s mother.
“Griffin isn’t back yet,” Aine murmured, carrying a bowl of mashed potatoes out to the table that had been set up as a buffet.
“He just pulled through the gate,” Razor told her.
Aine set the potatoes down and hurried out the front door. She hated the way she’d walked away from him before he left, and she wanted him to know how sorry she was.
She bit her bottom lip as she watched him get out of the car and stalk straight over to her.
“Come with me,” he said, taking her hand. When they got around the side of the house, Griffin pushed her up against one of the big redwood trees. “Listen to me,” he said, his lips so close to hers, she could feel his breath. “I’m not letting you go. Easily or otherwise. I want you in my life, Aine, more than I’ve ever wanted anyone. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“Not just in my bed. In my life.”
“I want that too, Griffin. I’m sorry I walked away from you.”
“Don’t do it again. Don’t ever walk away from me. Stay and talk it out. Tell me what you’re thinking, and I’ll do the same. If you aren’t sure what I mean, ask me.”
“I will. I promise.”
He held her face with his hand and kissed her hard.
“We’re waiting on you two,” they heard someone yell.
“Go ahead without us,” Griffin yelled back.
Aine giggled. “We should go in.”
“You’re right. The faster we eat, the faster we can be alone again.”
“I’m not that hungry, so it won’t take me long,” she confessed.
“Me neither. Not for Thanksgiving dinner, that is.”
Chapter 9
Mantis, Alegria, and Dutch
“You should’ve told me,” Mantis said to Razor when Alegria and Dutch walked in the front door.
“They didn’t know you’d be here either,” Razor answered, although Mantis already guessed as much based on the look on both of their faces.
Dutch walked straight over to him, while Alegria was waylaid by the group gathering around her at the front door.
“Connecticut?”
“Whatever.” Mantis walked away, but Dutch followed.
“She isn’t doing very well.”
“Then you should take better care of her.”
Dutch scrubbed his face with his hand. “She needs you.”
Mantis was livid, more because Dutch was pulling this shit in a room full of people than from what he was saying. Granted, no one could hear them, but if Mantis did what he wanted to do and slammed his fist into Dutch’s face, all eyes would be on them.
“You don’t think I knew you wanted her? Now you’ve got her. Be thankful and leave me the hell alone.”
When he went to get a plate, Dutch didn’t follow, and for that, Mantis was thankful.
The man, or men, he was pissed at more than anyone else were Razor and Gunner, but he got it. If they’d told him Dutch and Alegria were coming, he would’ve left, and they both knew it.
“We’d like to propose a toast,” said Razor, holding up his glass. “If we could have your attention for a minute.”
“We should’ve waited until everyone was eating and was quiet,” said Gunner, raising his glass too.
“Yeah, well, they aren’t eating until we make this toast, so they better pipe down.”
Once everyone stopped talking, Razor looked around the room. “Everyone got a drink? If not, my beautiful, smart, gracious wife and her equally amazing twin will bring you a glass.”
Mantis stepped forward and took a glass of red wine. He swirled and sniffed, recognizing the Burgundy right away. The Tollot-Beaut from Chorey-lès-Beaune was one of his favorites. Manon’s too. In fact, he’d bet she’d recommended it.
The anger he’d felt at Dutch seemed to fade away when her eyes met his from across the room. He raised his glass. “To you,” he mouthed, took a drink, and then turned back toward Razor.
“Everyone ready?”
The group collectively responded with murmurs of assent.
“First of all, I want to thank all of you for being here with us today, and to Alegria, for having a case of this fabulous wine delivered yesterday.”
All eyes turned to her, including his.
“À votre santé,” Gunner toasted, but Mantis hardly heard it above everything Manon’s eyes were saying to him. Longing and love—he recognized both. She didn’t blink as she took a drink at the same time he did.
When Dutch approached and put his arm around her shoulders, the spell was broken. Mantis turned away from them both and took another drink.
He would allow himself one glass. No more than that, for once dinner was over, he’d find his hosts, thank them, and leave. In the meantime, he intended to stay as far away from Alegria and Dutch as he could.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked Striker and Aine, who were seated outside on the deck, at a table with only one open seat.
“Please,” answered Aine. “Have you met my mother?”
“I haven’t. Gehring Cassman, but most people here call me Mantis.”
“What a fascinating nickname. How did you get it?”
“His freakishly abnormal stereoscopic vision,” said Striker between forkfuls of turkey and stuffing. “It’s his call sign. Mantis is a pilot.”
“Actually, I was given the name due to my supernatural powers.”
Striker laughed. “You keep
telling yourself that.”
Mantis heard a familiar ring tone and watched as Striker stood and pulled his phone from his pocket.
“Excuse me,” he said, his playful demeanor abruptly changing.
Striker was far enough away that no one could hear what he was saying, but Mantis knew what the tone meant. Soon he’d return to the table and let Mantis know where he needed to go and how quickly he needed to get there. As the only pilot here, other than Alegria, who wouldn’t be flying again anytime soon, he’d take the assignment without question or hesitation. It’s what he would’ve done if he were one of twenty pilots here.
“Aine, can I speak to you privately?” Striker said when he returned to the table. He turned to him. “Mantis, stand by.”
“Roger that.”
Mantis finished the food on his plate, took it inside, and dumped the rest of the wine in his glass.
“What’s going on?” asked Alegria.
Mantis hadn’t seen her follow him into the kitchen.
“I’m afraid Mantis and I have to cut our visit short,” answered Striker, coming back inside with Aine.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Alegria,” admonished Striker, looking directly at Aine and her mother, who had just walked into the room.
“I’ll just say my goodbyes. Fifteen minutes?” Mantis said to Striker.
“Roger that.”
“Wait.” Mantis felt Alegria’s hand on his arm when he went to look for Razor and Gunner. He closed his eyes, wishing he didn’t have to have this conversation.
“Where are you going?” she asked again.
“I don’t know.”
“And you agreed to the op anyway.”
“Look around you. Who else is there, Alegria?”
“It wouldn’t matter if there were five other pilots here,” she said, echoing the thoughts he’d just had.
“Let it be,” he said, softening his voice. “It was nice to see you today.”
When she unexpectedly threw her arms around him, Mantis took a deep breath and rested his head against the side of hers.
Mistletoe (K19 Security Solutions Book 3) Page 6