“Sounds dangerous.”
I played it off and shrugged. Because in the grand scheme of things, it was dangerous, but what I did saved countless lives. So in that sense, the danger was worth it.
She frowned, and for a moment I swore I saw a bit of anger in those baby blues of hers. “Do you purposely put the plane in bad situations?”
With a wink, I replied, “Yes, ma’am, I have to do that very thing. That’s my job.”
Linnzi drew in a sharp breath and then attempted to play it off. She was affected. I could see it in her eyes, in the way she was breathing. In the way she looked at me.
“When did you start flying, Nolan?”
I smiled once more. “When I was fourteen. My daddy wanted me to learn. He was a pilot in the Air Force himself, and he taught me to fly.”
“Crop planes,” she whispered so softly I barely heard her.
“I’m sorry?” I asked as I leaned in closer, which was a bad fucking idea. I hadn’t been this close to her in eight long years. I could smell her perfume, hear the slight hitch in her breathing, and it invaded my senses. She thought the things I did in planes was dangerous, but being this close without being able to touch her was the most dangerous thing I’d ever encountered.
“Nothing,” she said, an obvious attempt to change the direction of our conversation.
“We should probably get out there and join the party. Are you feeling better?”
Linnzi gave me a bright smile. “Yes, and you’re right, I’ve kept you entirely too long.”
“Nonsense, I’ve always loved talking to you, Linz.”
As we walked out of the kitchen and out toward the backyard where it sounded like everyone was, Linnzi asked, “What type of planes do you fly, Nolan?”
“Fighter jets. F-22, F-35, F-16, T-38, to name a few.”
“Wow!” she said with a laugh.
“I like planes, what can I say,” I replied with what I hoped was a sexy smirk. I liked seeing the way Linnzi reacted to me.
She tripped, and I quickly reached out and grabbed onto her. “You okay?”
With a quick nod, she replied, “Fine. I’m fine.”
“Good, wouldn’t want to see you get hurt,” I said with a look of concern in my eyes.
“Thank you. By the way, what’s your rank in the Air Force?”
“Captain.”
She smiled softly. “Captain Nolan Byers.”
I stopped in my tracks, and we faced one another. “You know my last name?”
With a slight frown, she thought for a moment. “I guess I do. I think Saryn might have mentioned it when she told me you were coming to the party, but yeah. I guess I remembered.”
Before I had a chance to say anything, I heard a sweet little voice call out to me.
“Uncle Nolan!”
Linnzi and I both turned to see Liliana running toward us. She had obviously not seen me earlier in the kitchen.
I bent and scooped her up and started to kiss her as she let out a string of laughter.
“I missed you, Uncle Nolan!”
“Aw, I missed you too, sweetheart. Don’t tell anyone, but I brought you a gift too!”
She covered her mouth and giggled. “I won’t! Promise!”
I set her down and fixed her party dress. She grabbed onto my hand and started to pull me away. “Come on, you have to meet my friends!”
With a quick glance over my shoulder at Linnzi, I shrugged. “Talk later?”
Linnzi chewed on her lip for a moment before she called back, “I’d love to.”
And just like that, a five-year-old girl pulled me away from the woman I loved, the same woman whom I hadn’t been able to talk to in eight years. My heart pounded in my chest, and I wanted nothing more than to run back to Linnzi, to see what other things about us she remembered. But I knew I couldn’t. I was as scared as I was excited to find out what she remembered.
As Liliana dragged me over to her little group of friends, I caught a glimpse of Linnzi following behind us. I wasn’t sure about the feelings that were assaulting me right now. A part of me was over the moon that she knew who I was. Or at least she had seen me in Paris and felt the need to follow me. It was clear she knew we had a connection. I could tell by the way her eyes kept drifting down to my mouth, and by the way she studied me, that she knew we had been more than friends. She felt the pull between us as much as I did. At one point during the party, I caught her giving me a good once-over, and it made my cock jump in my pants.
After giving a few of the kids airplane rides, I was worn out.
Saryn called out for everyone to come over to the table where all the food was set up. I was glad it was a warmer day for February, so most of the party was held outside.
“Let’s get this cake going before Nolan Jr. finds the second one!” Truitt called out.
Nolan came running up to me, and I reached down and picked him up, putting him on top of my shoulders as we made our way over to his birthday cake.
Truitt looked at us as we walked up and broke out into a wide smile. “He somehow knows he has a connection with you,” he said as he reached up and tickled his son, who pulled on my hair. I had long since given up on my cowboy hat.
“It’s the shared name. Isn’t that right, little man?” I said as I looked up at the little boy. He had chocolate all over his face. At least, I hoped it was chocolate. He grinned back.
“Okay, on the count of three we’ll all sing happy birthday!” Saryn called out.
I lifted Nolan off of my shoulders and handed him to Truitt.
“One! Two! Three!” Saryn cried out. We all sang happy birthday as Nolan beamed and looked around at everyone. When we got to the end, Liliana told Nolan to blow hard so that the candles would go out. He did, which resulted in him sneezing all over the cake.
“That’s gross!” Liliana called out.
Saryn held up her hands. “No fear, I bought an extra cake because I knew Truitt was picking up the original cake.”
“Hey!” Truitt said, looking hurt, even though he had done the very same thing.
After the cake was cut and passed around, I caught a glimpse of Linnzi talking to some guy I didn’t know.
“Who is that?” I asked as I elbowed Truitt in the ribs.
He followed my gaze and sighed. “That’s Mitchel Browning.”
“That’s a stupid name,” I said.
Truitt laughed. “It’s a normal name, dude.”
Linnzi laughed at something this Browning guy said, and I felt my hands ball into fists.
Placing his hand on my shoulder, Truitt gave it a squeeze. “Don’t worry, he’s not interested.”
“How do you know he’s not interested?”
Truitt looked back at the two talking and frowned when he saw Mitchel appear to brush something off of Linnzi’s shoulder. “He’s engaged.”
“How do you know him?” I asked.
“He’s one of the architects I use for the playhouses.”
I turned and looked at him. “So you’re not really friends, then?”
“Well, yeah, I mean, I consider him a friend. He’s at my son’s birthday party.”
“Where’s his fiancée?”
Truitt laughed. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask him?”
I looked back at the two of them and nodded. “Okay, I will.”
“Wait. Now? Nolan! Nolan!” Truitt called out as I headed over to where asshat and Linnzi were talking.
I walked up and they both turned to look at me. Linnzi smiled and Mitchel gave me a sharp look before he plastered on a fake smile.
Even though I had never in my life laid eyes on this douchebag, I acted as if I knew him. “Mitchel, did you bring your fiancée with you today?”
He opened his mouth and let it hang open. I nearly reached over to close it for him. “Um, I, um…”
“Oh, you’re engaged?” Linnzi asked.
Mitchel turned and looked back at her. “I am. Was. Yes.”
She lifted
a brow and let out a laugh. “Which one is it?”
He looked at me, then at Linnzi, and then back at me as he answered. “I am engaged. Yes.”
“How nice! When is the wedding?” Linnzi asked, honestly sounding interested.
Mitchel looked at his watch and then back at Linnzi. “Gosh, I didn’t notice the time. It was nice talking to you, Linnzi. Enjoy the rest of the party.”
She gave him a sweet smile. “Nice talking to you too.”
As he turned and walked away, I felt her look at me. Then, she laughed, and I nearly closed my eyes at the beautiful sound. “I had already figured out he was with someone. You didn’t have to come over and save me from him.”
I gave her a surprised look. “Really? How did you figure it out?”
She motioned with her head toward a path that led through a garden—honestly, an oasis that really should have been featured on some home and garden show. “Walk with me, and I’ll fill you in.”
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. “I’d love to.”
“Earlier I overheard someone ask him about his girlfriend and how she was doing. He told them they had recently gotten engaged.”
“Oh.” It was all I could say.
She laughed again and wrapped her arm around mine, nearly making me trip over my own feet.
“So, another piece of the puzzle has surfaced,” she said as she looked up at me.
“What do you mean?”
This time she stopped and faced me. She crossed her arms over her chest as she slowly shook her head like she couldn’t believe I hadn’t figured it out. “You…were jealous.”
I laughed, but there was zero humor in the sound. “What!?”
“Don’t even try to act like you weren’t. I saw the way you speared poor Mitchel with those lethal eyes of yours.”
“Lethal?” I asked with a bark of laughter. There was still zero humor in it but one-hundred-percent intent.
Linnzi walked again as she went on. “Well, the way you were looking at him was pretty darn lethal.”
“How is that a piece of the puzzle? And what puzzle are you talking about?”
She remained quiet for a few moments before answering. “The puzzle about us.”
“Us?”
“Yes, Nolan, us.” Her voice held the slightest bit of frustration in it.
She stopped once we got to a gazebo and then stepped up into it. She turned around and sat down as I leaned against it and watched her every move. “I may be out of practice with this, but I feel something between us. It’s not a love-at-first-sight kind of thing. It’s something else entirely.”
I placed my hands over my heart and looked wounded.
She smiled and I felt my knees give out slightly. “But…but…” she said as she pointed a finger at me. “There is something there. Do you deny it?”
I drew in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. I was so tired of hiding from this. “No, I don’t deny it.”
She chewed on her lip. “Did we date, Nolan?”
“Do you think we dated, Linz?”
Her breathing picked up, and I watched her chest move up and down. One part of me wanted her to remember—the greedy side of me—so that I could kiss her. The other part was scared to death she’d remember. Because if she did, she would surely hate me. It was a fine line I was teetering. on right now.
She abused her bottom lip, catching it with her teeth as she stared at me. “I don’t know.”
A part of me deflated. But what could I expect when she hadn’t remembered me in eight years?
“Would you do something crazy, Nolan?”
I tossed my head back and laughed before I settled my gaze back onto her. She grinned and tilted her head, waiting for me to explain my laughter. “I just jumped out of a helicopter last week for the fun of it, Linnzi. Crazy is my middle name.”
Her cheeks flushed as she looked down and then back up at me. “Would you ask me out on a date?”
That was not what I was expecting. I swallowed hard. “Um…”
“If you’re dating someone, I…”
“No!” Shit, that sounded like I was desperate. “No, that’s not it at all. I’m only on leave for a few days. I go back on Tuesday.”
“Oh.” Her mouth tilted up ever so slightly. “Tomorrow, then?”
I drew my brows in and pushed off the gazebo. “Are you asking me out now?”
She nodded. “Clearly you’re not going to ask me, so yes, I am. Tomorrow. Do you have any plans?”
Slowly, I shook my head. Knowing that this was probably the best and worst turn of events.
Linnzi stood and clapped her hands together once as she walked over to me. She was still standing on the steps of the gazebo, so she stood directly at my eye level. Our eyes locked on one another. “Good. Then, it’s a date. Do you need my number?”
My eyes were transfixed on her lips, and I nodded—even though I already had her number.
A wide smile broke out on her face as she reached up and slid her fingers through my hair. Again, it was the best and worst turn of events, but I wouldn’t change a thing right now. Instead, I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh. She would never know how amazing it felt to have her touch me again.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Linnzi’s tongue sweep over her lips. “I want to kiss you,” I whispered.
Her hand moved down and she stepped closer, wrapping both arms around my neck. “Then maybe you should kiss me, because I don’t make it a habit to kiss strangers.”
I smiled. “But we’re not strangers, Linz.”
Her eyes lit up as she glanced down to my mouth before our gazes met once again. “So it appears.”
Her fingers moved up and played with the hair at the back of my neck. It took every single ounce of strength I had to simply stand there and let her touch me.
She frowned and spoke in a voice so soft I barely heard her. “Why am I so drawn to you, Nolan?”
“Because we were much more than just friends, Linnzi.”
Her frown was replaced by a brilliant smile. “Another piece of the puzzle just fell into place.”
I tried to say something but couldn’t seem to speak.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
I placed my hand on the side of her face and then gently ran my thumb over her cheek.
“Please…” she said.
I lost the battle. But I would lose it all for this woman. With my fingers on her chin, I leaned in and swept a soft kiss over her lips. A jolt of something so powerful I couldn’t explain it raced through my entire body. I was positive Linnzi felt it too, because she moved closer to me. I wrapped my arms around her and gave in to the temptation. To hell with it all. If she remembered, she remembered. Right now, after eight years of dreaming of this moment and more nights of celibacy than I cared to think about, all I could do was want this. Want her.
It was the kind of kiss you had on a first date. When you weren’t sure how things would progress. Soft and sweet, at first. Then, she melted into my body and dug her fingers deeper into my hair as she moaned and opened more to me. We were both lost in each other as our tongues did a slow, familiar waltz. She tasted of sweet tea, and I felt a low growl form at the bottom of my throat. I wanted to lie her down in the grass and give myself entirely to her. God, it had been so long. So fucking long since I held her. Felt her body against mine. My body shook and I didn’t even care. I had Linnzi in my arms again. She was here and I hated myself for feeling so damn happy.
Then the kiss turned passionate, and I knew I needed to stop it. I dragged my mouth from hers and leaned my forehead against hers. Our breathing was ragged as we both attempted to calm down.
“Okay, wow,” Linnzi gasped as her hands slid down my chest and rested there. Damn it. I wanted to tell her the truth. I was dying inside. Eight goddamn years of pretending she didn’t mean anything to me. Eight years of letting her live her life because I thought she was better off without me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered as I re
ached up and placed my hand on the side of her cheek once more.
“What for?” she asked, our foreheads still pressed together.
“For kissing you like that.”
Linnzi drew back and smiled at me. In that moment, I questioned everything. Every decision I had made up until this point. For the first time, I truly doubted I had made the right call.
“I’m not sorry, Nolan. I asked you to kiss me.” Then, she winked.
All I could do was swallow hard.
“There is no way we could share a kiss like that and not have been more than friends,” she said.
I pressed my lips together tightly. I wouldn’t respond to that. I needed her to remember all on her own.
She let out a soft laugh and patted me on the chest lightly. “I get the feeling there’s a good reason you’re not telling me what I want to know, and I’m going to let it go for now. For the first time in eight years, I feel alive. It’s like a piece of me that was missing is back and I…I don’t want to know anything else other than the way I felt when you kissed me just now.”
“Linnzi,” I whispered.
She shook her head and placed her fingers on my lips. “I’m going to assume you know where I live.”
With a nod, I replied, “I do.”
Another beautiful smile spread over her face. “What time should I expect you to pick me up tomorrow?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “When did you become so bossy?”
Her brows lifted. “Haven’t I always been bossy?”
“Linnzi, I…”
“Nolan, please, don’t say anything. Please.”
My throat bobbed as I fought to swallow the lump in my throat. If she had any idea what I had done, she would walk away from me right now and never look back. But she didn’t, and I was too much of a greedy son of bitch to care.
“I’ll pick you up at nine.”
“I’ll be ready. Here’s my number. You can text me in the morning and tell me what to wear for our date.”
I exhaled, a bit more dramatically than necessary. “The pressure is on.”
She winked. “Somehow I think you’re up for the challenge, flyboy.”
Linnzi
I STARED UP at the ceiling and replayed Nolan’s kiss in my mind. What in the world had come over me? I nearly threw myself at the man. It was like my body was in control, and she had a whole been-here-before attitude.
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