by Hart, Taylor
She looked up at him and frowned. “Are you talking about the ocean or me?”
He kissed her cheek. “Both.”
She laughed.
“Hey,” he said, asking it like a question.
“Hey.” The way she looked a bit shy in the morning light drove him mad for her. As if he wasn’t mad enough.
He took her into a kiss and deepened it, wishing he hadn’t promised himself or her he would obey boundaries.
She laughed through the kiss. “How did we happen?”
He was wondering the same thing. “I don’t know, but I’m glad we did.”
Their eyes held. He thought he would never get tired of gazing into hers.
Her lip turned up. “Hey.”
He laughed, already seeking her lips. “Hey.”
* * *
As they drove to Oceanside, Scar was anxious for her to see what they were doing before surfing. When he took a turn for the airport hangar, she sputtered. “Wait, the beach exit is up further.”
“I know,” he said, smiling at her.
“O-kay, so where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” He grinned.
She let out a happy laugh and smacked his arm, which she had a habit of doing when she was excited. He liked her touching him in any way. “What’s going on?”
He pulled off the exit and turned right. The airport hangar wasn’t far. When they parked and got out, she was almost yipping like a Chihuahua because she was so excited. “Scar, tell me!” she begged.
It made him smile as he opened her door and took her hand to walk toward the gate. He spotted his friend already waiting for them. “You’ll see.”
She did a little jump, and he laughed, thinking how young she seemed. She was. The reality of that age difference hit him in the gut. He wasn’t sure if her parents would like him or not, since he was roughly seven years older than her. Well, maybe they would work it out.
Scar knuckle-bumped his friend through the gate. “Lollipop, this is Kansas. Kansas, Lollipop.”
Lollipop turned to her and opened the gate. “You already got a nickname from the lieutenant, I see.”
The gate opened, and she and Scar walked through. She narrowed her eyes at both of them. “I guess you served together.”
Scar smiled and jerked a thumb at Lollipop. “Joe Saunders, but Lollipop to me.”
Lollipop waved them forward, and they fell into step with him. He turned to Shayla. “Don’t even tell me where you got your nickname. Lieutenant isn’t that creative.”
She laughed. Scar could tell she felt comfortable, but she still gave him a crazy look like she was about to explode. “What are we doing?”
Lollipop raised an eyebrow at Scar. “You haven’t told her?”
Scar loved this. They got to the tarmac, where a helicopter awaited. “Helicopter ride over Oceanside.” He presented the copter to her like Bob Barker would show a special piece of gold jewelry.
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my gosh.” She stared at the helicopter, tears swimming in her eyes. “No way.” She shook her head back and forth, then grabbed his arm and jerked him closer, murmuring, “Way more than fifty dollars.”
He shook his head and turned to Lollipop, who was busy doing a safety check. “Nope, not for friends.”
An amazed look, filled with gratitude and humility, washed over her face. She blinked and wiped at her nose as she sniffed. “Scar.”
Scar knew, as his heart froze, that he wanted to see that look of love and hero-worship on her face for the rest of his life. He grinned and pulled her roughly into a hug. “You’re fine, Kansas.”
She hugged him, but blinked and pulled away. He could see she was getting herself under control as Lollipop moved back to them.
Lollipop took in the scene and gave Scar a look like, What the …?
Scar shook his head and let her go, keeping her hand. “We’re ready for the big tour.”
Lollipop went over safety concerns and directions with the headphones and how you had to speak into the microphone. He explained they were on a special frequency so no one could hear them talk, even though they would hear some air traffic.
She shook her head. “I cannot believe you did this.”
“It’s only a twenty-minute ride,” Scar said. “It’s not like I gave you the moon.”
“No,” she said. “This is over the moon.”
As they got in, Scar insisted she sit in front. This was for her. He’d been in plenty of helicopters.
Lollipop took them up and headed straight for the ocean.
She turned back and grinned at Scar. “I had no idea the freeway was so close.”
He nodded, loving her excitement.
The helicopter got to the ocean, and he saw her pull out her phone and start recording. Lollipop was the perfect tour guide, explaining all the tourist spots. “Over there is where the best whale watching is.” He took them back toward the coastline and pointed. “There is Camp Pendleton.” He looked back at Scar. “That’s where Scar and I were tortured for a couple of months while going through training.”
Scar thought of the waterlogged days and endless nights they’d spent on the beach doing drills, all to push them to their limit and test their mental stability. Hell Week with Lollipop had been brutal.
Lollipop turned to him. “Bet you’re glad you’re with a pretty girl today and not doing drills.”
Scar laughed. “Ah, yeah.”
She kept the camera on and turned to record him. “He is my hero. He talked his buddy into giving us a tour.”
Scar waved at the camera and pointed back to the ocean, trying to distract her from recording him. Hero? Hmm, he didn’t like that word. He pointed. “There’s the house that was in the movie Top Gun.”
Distracted, she turned, still recording.
Lollipop continued. “Yep, Top Gun was recorded at Pendleton. That’s the famous house of the girlfriend.” Lollipop pointed farther down. “That’s the street the famous motorcycle scene from the movie was filmed on.”
She kept recording and turned to look back at Scar.
Unable to resist, he pulled his own phone out and snapped a picture of her in the headgear, gazing out. She looked ecstatic. Seeing through her eyes, he shared the joy of the moment. It was awesome.
Lollipop continued down the coastline. “There’s Oceanside Beach, best surfing anywhere in Cali.” He smiled at her. “I hear you’re giving it a shot today.”
Shayla shifted in her seat. “I’m nervous.”
Lollipop winked at her. “Don’t be. Lieutenant’s a great teacher. He taught me.”
Scar nodded.
Lollipop pointed to the pier. “If you go on that pier, you’ll run into Ruby’s. It’s a great diner. Have Scar take you.”
Scar didn’t want to tell Lollipop he had plans for that already.
It wasn’t long before Lollipop turned around and headed back. Shayla asked Lollipop questions about himself and found out he was from Louisville, Kentucky. They shared some midwestern jokes for the rest of the return.
After they landed and waited for the helicopter to stop, Scar asked Lollipop to take some pics of them in front of the helicopter.
When Scar ran over to give him the phone and position him, Lollipop said, “She’s a keeper.”
Scar turned, surprised he’d said that. “You think?”
“Never seen you look so whipped before.”
Scar slugged him in the arm.
Lollipop just laughed.
As Scar posed with Shayla for the picture, he thought about how he would remember this day forever.
Chapter 22
To say that Shayla was in a daze by the time they parked at Oceanside would be like saying a Category Five hurricane was just a little breeze. She was overwhelmed that he’d taken her on a helicopter, and now they were going surfing.
He opened her door for her, and she grinned up at him, knowing she’d never felt this way for any other man she’d ever dated. Not that
she’d dated that much, but Jason from back home felt like an amateurish boy compared to Scar. Wanting to see if he remembered the joke, she said, “Hey.”
His lips settled on hers, and he pulled her closer to him.
She laughed, guessing he’d gotten it.
As he placed his hands on her cheeks and trailed kisses down her jawbone and back to her lips, she knew she was gone. This man, everything about him felt breathtaking and invincible. Everything was excitement, and there was the way he took care of her. Not that she ever felt like she needed to be taken care of, but he made her feel cherished.
Her mother often said, “Your father cherishes me.” She’d thought it was kind of stupid, but at this moment, that’s exactly how she felt.
Scar pulled back. He searched her face and grinned, sending her stomach fluttering. She thought about how handsome he was with his blue eyes and his blond hair, which looked like it’d gotten blonder since they’d been together.
“You cannot not tell me what you are thinking.” He kept her locked in his arms.
Embarrassed, she tried to get out.
He wouldn’t let her. “No way.”
She sighed and quit fighting. The only place to look was those beautiful blue eyes. “It’s going to sound stupid.”
“I like stupid.”
It was funny, coming from this man who had been through war and had the scar to prove it. He seemed so sure of himself, yet he was holding her like he would hold something very valuable. She relented and reached up, gently tracing the scar on his face.
He relaxed his grip, closed his eyes, and groaned. “You cannot touch me like that, woman, and expect me not to kiss you again.”
She let him kiss her. This time it was light and sweet.
He kept her close. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“My mother has always said my father cherished her, treated her with kindness and love. I could see that he did. My brothers and I would tease that he went about doing nice things for my mom too much, leaving her little flowers in season on the table for her and cheesy things like that.”
Scar lifted his eyebrows.
“I was just feeling that same way about you a second ago. You open doors for me. You plan amazing things for me and kiss me like you mean it.” It was stupid, but it made her almost tear up to say this.
He squeezed her. “I do mean it.”
She blinked. “Exactly. You take me on helicopter rides, and you’re gonna teach me to surf—all so I can live my dreams.”
Holding her gaze for a second, he leaned down and kissed the tears forming in her eyes. “Shh, you’re just going to have to get used to it.”
This made her smile, and they held each other for a few more minutes.
Abruptly, he let her go, keeping her hand as he pulled the door shut. “Because I’m thinking I might have to relocate to San Diego.”
Her heart leapt. “What?” A million thoughts flitted through her mind. “What?” She jumped next to him as she walked.
He laughed. “It’s not final, but I’m thinking about it.” He tapped his head.
Elation swept through her. He could be here. He could do things with her all the time!
He laughed. “Focus, Kansas. Today we’re teaching you how to surf, and I’m all business.”
She got serious. “What about football? You clearly love it.”
He hesitated. Then he let out a breath and stopped walking.
She stopped with him. “You can’t give that up.”
A troubled expression darkened his face, and he looked toward the ocean. She could feel the conflict inside of him. “I love the game. I love everything about playing professionally.” He turned back to her. “But when I was a SEAL, it felt like more than a job, more than something I did for a living, it was a calling. It was something—” He broke off and rubbed a hand over his face. “I guess, it felt like God wanted me to do it.”
Chills washed over her, and she felt herself open up even more to him. He’d been directed by God.
“I was so dang confused when I took a bullet and got discharged, because it felt like God had given me mixed signals.” He put a hand over his chest and smiled at her. “Sounds funny, doesn’t it?”
She put her hand over his. “Not at all.”
He let out another breath. “What I have going on with the vets, it feels like maybe I was meant to do this the whole time.”
She could see this. She thought of seeing him interacting with the guys at the gym.
“I love the vets. I love the idea of ‘Sparring for Vets’ around the country, helping thousands of vets. You saw the other night at the gym—it doesn’t matter what problems any of us have. When we’re together, we feel better.” His brow furrowed. “I’ve been trying to figure out a way to spend more of my time doing what matters. And …” His lip quirked up. “Maybe there’s this girl who might be worth putting down roots for.”
Crazy, hyper energy pulsed through her. Would he come here for her? It was overwhelming, but was it right?
Gently tugging her, he went across the street to a surf shop and stopped, pulling her close to him and peering into her eyes. “Hey.”
This made her laugh. “Hey.”
They kissed again. So many thoughts whirled around her mind. She focused on the kiss, because the way he kissed her pulled her out of her confused thoughts. She was getting used to the feel of the softness of his lips and the smell of his cologne, but she wondered if she would ever be used to the pull this man had on her. Once again, her knees went weak, and she felt herself leaning into him.
In response, he held her closer.
Pulling back, she was breathless and laughing. “Focus, Lieutenant.”
He sighed. “Okay. So I was going to pull in a favor because I know the guy, so I could get by with him letting us use all the stuff for free. However, when I called him two days ago, he mentioned his wife is about to have a baby, so I need a pass on the spending money part right now. Because we need boards and wet suits, but I want to help the guy out.” When she started to protest, he put up a hand. “I have money, Kansas. I wish you would stop making this such an issue.”
It bothered her to have him spending what would probably be at least two hundred on this excursion.
“How about, in exchange, I’ll let you cook dinner tonight?”
She rolled her eyes. “With the food you bought me.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “The food was outside of this deal.”
Glaring at him, she sighed, thinking she could cook him a fantastic dinner with all the things in her pantry. “I’m not happy about this.”
“Hey,” he said, and waited.
She shook her head. “No.”
Gently, he reached out and touched the end of her nose. “You stay here, so you don’t have to witness the money spent, even though you should know I do cherish you, and I would, I will, continue to spend money on you.”
“Not for this deal,” she said, knowing it was futile.
He rolled his eyes. “Fine.”
“Fine.”
Letting go of her hand, he stepped into the surf shop.
She thought about how she’d just let him do whatever he wanted, and she wasn’t even really mad at him because he was kind, thinking about how his friend could use the money. Dang him!
* * *
Twenty minutes later, Shayla was wearing a wet suit and she and Scar were standing on Oceanside Beach. The waves rolled in and out enticingly. There were other surfers scattered along the shoreline. She noticed most of them were male, but there were a couple of women. Even though it was early, there were two families setting up umbrellas and kids running around.
The smell of hot dogs wafted through the air. Once in a while a homeless person would walk along the pier, carrying a backpack.
They both stood on the surfboards. Scar pointed to the board. “Put your dominant leg in back.”
Listening intently, she put her right leg in back.
“N
ow, transfer your weight to your back leg and kind of sit into it. Keep your stomach tight and use your core.” He pointed to the ocean. “The best thing about learning to surf at Oceanside is the waves crest closer to the shore. That’s why it’s the best for surfers, especially for beginners. In other places, like Coronado Beach or Hawaii, the surfing demands a lot of strength to get out far enough to catch a good wave. Here you can get up pretty easily.”
“Because I’m just a puny girl.” She said it sarcastically.
He grinned back at her. “I didn’t say that.”
She rolled her eyes.
“But … yeah.”
She laughed. “There’s the egomaniac I love.”
He froze. “You love?”
“It’s just a saying.” As she peered into his eyes, she wondered.
He held her gaze for a long moment before going back to teaching her. “Okay, the basics of getting up.” He dropped to a push-up position on the board. “Come down here.”
Taking a second to get down on her knees one at a time, she grimaced at him. “Show-off.”
He laughed as he straddled the board. “When you first climb onto your board you’re going to straddle it like so. Then you’ll kneel on the board. Then you’ll put your left leg out front and balance on your right knee—good.” He put his hands out. “Use your hands for balance, but remember that balance comes from your belly button. From contracting those muscles.”
She mimicked his stance and focused on her core. “Okay.”
“When I say ‘Up,’ you’ll go here.” He pushed himself up to the classic surfing position you always see in the movies or on television, and she followed suit. “Good.” His hands rested on her waist. “You get your hips to the side, but you look down the front of the board.”
It always amazed her that his touch could send fire through her.
For once, he was clearly not in that flirty mindset. He was in teaching mode. He pulled his hands away and looked at her stance. “Good. Now back to your straddle position and let’s go through the moves a couple of times so they are fresh when you’re in the water.”
They went through it ten times, until Shayla was mostly sure she had it down.