by Maggie Way
Getting off the bed, she slipped into the heels and blew out a breath, only to find Jaxon grinning wickedly at her.
“What?” her hands tapped on her hips as she glared at him, not seeing the amusement in her mad dash.
“You can put the dress on, hell you can even smooth it out, but you cannot fix your hair to the way it was.”
“Oh hell.” She raced out of Jaxon’s room towards the hall bathroom and flicked on the light only to stare at her reflection in horror. The ponytail was almost gone, the band at the final inch of her hair and the tight curls had fallen to mere waves. “She’s going to kill me. She’s going to know I screwed someone at her wedding and she’s going to kill me.” She was speaking to her reflection.
She watched as Jaxon stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her as he dropped a kiss to her shoulder. Watching it happen was nearly as intimate as experiencing it. The motion was so very not like Jaxon, but it was as if he’d been coming up to hold her like this forever. Whatever was occurring, she wasn’t certain if it was moving too fast, or if it was too good to be true.
“She most likely will.” He tugged the thin white band and dragged his fingers through her hair as intimately as a longtime lover. “Just tell her it gave you a headache.”
Leaning her head back she looked at him, shocked. “You remember that?”
“I told you. I was paying more attention that you realized. And yes, I remember almost everything.”
She flushed, watching herself in the mirror as the bright red color crept up over her cheeks. “I didn’t think you had it in you.” She stepped away from his embrace, knowing it was time to return outside.
“Like I said, I’ve always been attracted to you.” He turned and started down the hallway without so much as waiting.
“Some things are apparently the same,” she muttered.
“I heard that.” Jaxon practically sang as he started down the stairs.
Probably better to not come down together. She smiled again, unable to stop the small smile from slipping into place at the thought of being with him. Nothing about this seems legit, but far be it from me to question it.
Flipping the light off, she took a deep breath and headed down to the wedding. She could see Jaxon already outside, engaged in conversation, as she started down the stairs. The cool temperature seemed to mock her as she opened the French doors and was hit with the humidity. Scanning over the crowd she found Kailey and Jim, dancing rather hysterically in the center of the dance floor. If anyone had noticed her missing, no one had said.
“Drink?” Jaxon asked as he sidled up next to her, grinning like a loon.
Accepting the pink drink from him, she laughed softly. “What is this?”
“Sex on the beach.”
Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes. “I repeat; some things never change.”
“There would be no fun in that,” he raised his glass in cheers.
Giving his glass a gentle tap with hers, she took a sip. “So...”
“About that amazing sex?” He supplied, eyes twinkling with mirth.
“Exactly.” She didn’t want to be the one to push anything, especially since she’d damn near thrown herself on his cock out on the street.
“If you’re up for dating a man in the military, I’d like to see where we can take this.”
The sudden seriousness in his voice shocked her.
“You think I’d say no?” she asked, sucking down more of the damn drink to avoid continuing to talk.
“I think most women don’t want to get involved with military men. I believe that starting to date someone who lives overseas isn’t the best way to start off and I know that the version of me that lives in your head has to be less than trustworthy.”
She wanted to kiss him, to show him he was wrong on all three counts, but she wasn’t ready for that much public attention. “Well then, you don’t know me very well. I’m saying yes. I know it’s going to be harder than I’d like, but I know you’re pretty much making teenage Adrianna the happiest girl alive, so why not let adult me get a chance?”
“How on earth are you my sisters best friend?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Just lucky I guess. I have an amazing, if not high strung, best friend and now a sexy Marine to date.”
“There you are!” Jim shouted, interrupting anything else they were going to say. “I just wanted to say thanks again, Jaxon. You saved my ass, and maybe even my marriage before it started.” He kissed Kailey’s hand as they got closer.
“You didn’t.” Kailey groaned, her eyes shifting back and forth between them. “You did.”
Kailey’s eyes squeezed shut, and if Adrianna knew her friend, she was counting to one hundred. However, when they opened, Kailey was smiling nearly as wide as she had during her first dance with Jim.
“How on earth can you know anything we did or didn’t do?” Jaxon asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Oh please. I’ve watched that look on your face hundreds of times.” She turned to Adrianna, “and I’ve known since we were thirteen that you were going to marry my brother. It was impossible to not see how you looked at him when you thought I couldn’t see.”
Choking on the drink, she sputtered and laughed. “I am a little shocked you knew, and a lot shocked that you are so calm.”
“Like I said, I’ve known you were going to marry him for years. Sure I wouldn’t allow it if Jaxon hadn’t stopped being a pompous douche, but he has.”
“So you noticed?” Jaxon spoke, disbelief coloring the question.
“It’s impossible not to. Even when you were only home for days at a time, I knew. You were different, are different. You stopped messing with me every chance you got and each time you came home you spent more and more of it with family, instead of a random girl.”
Adrianna watched as Jaxon appeared to be baffled by his little sister.
“It means a lot, sis. I didn’t think you and dad even knew what the things I’ve seen were doing to me.”
Adrianna filed that comment away, feeling there was something more to it than a passing remark.
“Well, I’m fairly certain the pair of you aren’t getting married right this moment, but if you ever do, I’d be honored to return the favor.” Jim smiled, shaking Jaxon’s hand.
“Whoa there, we had sex. We’re not engaged.” Jaxon laughed and caused Adrianna to flush a deep crimson yet again.
“If we’re all quite through, I’d like to not make this the next human interest story for the news. Can we just enjoy the wedding?”
Jaxon slipped his arm around her, tugging her close and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “I’ve got two days of leave, and I think enjoying them is the perfect solution.
Chapter Six
“This might be the hardest time I’ve said goodbye,” Jaxon looked into her eyes and offered up a sad smile.
“After each time you left, I’d secretly wonder if the plan got where it was going safely, now I’m going to know for sure because you’re going to FaceTime me from the airport so I can see another country.” She grinned at him, even though it was the absolute last expression she felt like giving him.
Two days had gone by too quickly. They’d spent much of it together – both learning new facets of each other in bed and out. There were faint traces of the conceited jock she’d been enamored with as a teen. Yet, those traces were so easily mitigated by the man that had come home for his sister’s wedding. He owned a home in Germany, near Böblingen, and he didn’t think he would sell even after his stationing there ended. There were no pets in his life, but he often went to shelters to donate supplies to make up for not having a job that allowed him to adopt a pet of his own. It was apparent in every curve of his body that he still held physical fitness in high regard, but he didn’t talk about how perfect he was any longer.
It wasn’t just that he’d grown up in terms of responsibilities though, it was his personality that held the big changes. While he could b
e playful, there was a serious side of him that thrilled her and a look of fear he had in his eyes when he woke from a nightmare that made her want nothing more than to hold him. He had seen horrors, and she suspected he had committed a share of his own, but she wouldn’t pry. They had agreed to look at the relationship as if they hadn’t known each other prior, taking things slowly and learning one another.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t help compare him with the boy he’d been. It was more than likely he was doing the same, but there was no way to be certain. When he watched her, she felt special. He looked at her the way woman wanted to be looked at, like they were the only person in the room. There had been no cheesy commentary since the wedding, no useless remarks about her beauty, but his eyes told her he was thinking them. From the time they woke up, until the time they lay, snuggled together in bed, she couldn’t help but think she’d been waiting her whole life for someone like Jaxon to look at her the way he did.
Yesterday, he’d gone to the station with her and she’d found the way he watched her exciting. His eyes had never left hers and by the time the newscast had finished, she’d been aching to have him touch her.
Everything was a new experience. She’d never been a prude, but Jaxon awakened a part of her that craved sex, particularly from him. Nothing existed when they touched, it was as if they were on a different plane of existence. A part of her knew it was simply because she’d dreamed about him for so long, but another part believed it was because they just fit together the way a couple was supposed to.
A couple, she thought with a mental snort. More like a few dates and in a week he will realize whatever this was is nothing more than a flirtation.
“What’s the matter?” he took her face in his hand, rubbing his thumb along her chin as his blue eyes stared into her hazel ones.
“Just thinking.”
“Destructive thoughts if the look in your eyes is any indication.”
She smiled, and tilted her head to the left, lifting it out of his palm. “Were you always so observant?”
“Most likely not, but when you are the only thing between your partner and a bullet, you learn to have keen eyesight.”
“There’s so much that has changed.” The words slipped, unbidden and unneeded.
He gave a bark of a laugh and picked up his duffle, draping it across his body. “Well, hopefully you find this version of me as dream worthy as the bratty kid I used to be.”
Twining her fingers with his in his free hand she leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I can promise you, I like adult you more than I could have imagined.”
He kissed her, deeper this time, and the sounds of the airport faded into nothingness. Focusing on the feel of his tongue as it grazed against hers sent a shiver through her, but she continued to think of nothing else. She wanted to memorize him, memorize this kiss, as a parting gift should her suspicions be correct.
The air conditioning seemed cold against her wet lips as he pulled away, reminding her once more that this might be the final kiss. “You’re serious about giving this a shot? About dating a woman thousands of miles away who can’t exactly pull random vacation hours.”
“As serious as you are about dating a Marine who lives in Germany.”
“American Airlines flight A106 to Stuttgart is now boarding zone one. All passengers please begin boarding.”
“I didn’t realize we’d actually hear flight announcements out here – or that I’d kept you so long.” She glanced toward the rather short security line and knew it was time to really let him leave.
“I can’t think of a better reason to nearly miss it – but I do have to go.” He dropped his lips to hers, chastely, and smiled as he pulled away. “We will figure out a way to make this work, or at least try.”
He did the most romantic thing she could have ever imagined next, he walked backward to the security line. She had a feeling had she waved and turned to go, he would have continued right on looking at her. A mess of emotions played through her, tossing and turning like a ship in turbulent seas. On one hand, as she pushed open the door to leave MSY airport, all she could think about was how if they’d waited so long, there was no way they could fail. However, as she crossed the taxi lane to rush to short term parking, she knew that they were not going to make it work as a new couple in a long distance relationship, those factors just didn’t add up to success.
Sighing, she pulled her phone out of her bag when she felt it vibrate. Unsurprisingly, Kailey’s name flashed across the screen. Even on her honeymoon it was very like her best friend to remember small details. Blowing out a breath, she slid her finger over the screen to answer the call.
“You are supposed to be enjoying the beaches of Maui.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t at least think about you right now.” Concern laced her friend’s words.
“You set an alarm for the time you thought he would be gone, didn’t you?”
“Jim agreed it would be best. I mean, we’re kind of responsible for you two after all.”
A genuine laugh burst free as she pulled open her Camry door. “I’m not going to waste my time explaining why that doesn’t even begin to the be case, because I know it will be like talking to a brick wall.”
“But you’re good?” Jim shouted from wherever he was in relation to the phone.
Starting up the car she waited until the chime let her know the Bluetooth had kicked in. “I’m fine. I’m a big girl who has no need for check-ins from her favorite people.”
Kailey giggled into the phone. “I think it’s safe to say that at least for right now, my brother is your favorite person.”
Shaking her head she realized she was grinning and had needed the small, yet thoughtful, gesture from her friend. “I promise I’m fine. I have to work tonight and that will be enough distraction. Your brother and I will figure out how to do this, if it’s even worth doing.”
“You take that last part back. I’ve been planning this since we were preteens and I saw you staring at him. You’ll figure it out.”
Her best friend could be a lot of annoying things, and overly optimistic was one of them.
“Goodbye, Kailey. Enjoy your honeymoon. Bye, Jim.” Reaching out she cut the connection to the call and leaned her head back into the seat.
There were so many reasons why a relationship with Jaxon was not only going to fail, but destined too. Yet, she couldn’t think of a single reason not to ride it out. She wasn’t looking for the wrong person, and there was a chance that Jaxon Donovan was the right person.
His eyes skimmed over the email, a knot already forming in his stomach. Ever since he’d gotten on the plane he’d known something was coming. Sitting in the conference room, looking at the sixteen other faces in his unit and his Officer In Command, he knew they were about to be mobilized.
Of course you are. It’s been too serene the past fifteen months as you’ve plodded about here. He wondered if a snarl played at his lips, because he could hear it in the tone in his head. His entire stationing in Germany had gone without interruption. Of course with less than a year left, something would happen.
“I’ll make this brief because you all know there’s only two reasons you could be here, and unfortunately, I’m here to tell you it’s not a morale day.” His officer spoke, standing behind the podium with a grave look on his face.
The room remained silent, though he’d bet his left nut every person alongside him was cursing in their head.
“We’re sending you all on a short deployment to Iraq. This is strictly a security detail to protect those continuing to work on improving conditions there. It is our utmost wishes that this deployment is peaceful, albeit warm as fuck.” A small crack at joke did nothing to diffuse the tension in the room. “You will leave in a week, and god willing, be home before the end of summer.” His officer stepped out from behind the platform and paced across the front of the conference table with short, staccato footfalls. “This isn’t the
first time out for any of you, but I wanted to take a minute to remind you to get things settled up with your bills and for those of you with family, power of attorney and emergency lists completed. I wish you all the best of luck, and will be there to see you off at the airfield. That is all, dismissed!”
Each person in the room saluted back, the motion so ingrained into each of them that they could have done it in their sleep at the sound of a dismissal from their commander. Despite being alone in the room, it remained silent, free of complaints and gripes. He knew each person in the room form their time together, and they all did their duty with honor, regardless of the sacrifice.
Adrianna.
Her name flashed through his mind and he nearly leaped out of the chair to call her, not even thinking about the time difference. It’s been less than forty-eight hours and already I’m going to give her a reason to end this.
The past few days were still locked vividly into his mind. He’d longed for Adrianna for so long he had woken up the day after the wedding shocked to find her tucked against his body in his childhood bedroom. He’d always heard stories of other military members reconnecting with a past flame after a dangerous deployment, but he and Adrianna had been nothing more than acquaintance, and he hadn’t deployed in nearly four years.
With a brief nod to Tanner on his right he pushed the chair back and exited the room. The door slammed into the frame behind him, but his feet were already racing toward the building exit. He could leave at any to make preparations for a sudden deployment, but save for calling Adrianna, there were none.
Muggy spring air crashed over him as he walked out. Germany had nothing on New Orleans, but it sure as fuck was still oppressive. He could hear the harsh pounding of his boots into the cement as he damn near raced to his car. All calls had to be done out of public walking spaces. Reaching it, he ducked inside, his hand already slipping into his pocket to snag his phone.
It was only halfway through the third ring when he realized it was somewhere around four in the morning in New Orleans.