I find myself agreeing to spend more time with her without a second thought. It’s easy to listen to her talk, and she isn’t pressuring me to talk either. Maybe we can be friends. We just need to keep clear of dangerous situations . . . like alone time in a hotel room.
Somehow we both walk toward my truck without speaking, in tune with each other in a way I’m not sure I’ve ever been with another. Not even Amelia. She heads to the passenger side, and of course the gentleman in me follows to open her door. She just smiles sweetly at me. I try not to let my mind wander and just enjoy the day with her . . . as friends. Something I haven’t had in a very long time.
“Feel free to put the radio on whatever you want.” I’m actually curious about what kind of music she listens to. And I’m hoping that she’ll hold off on any heavy talking until we get to the shore so I can concentrate on driving.
“I really don’t care what we listen to. If you have a preference, you can control the radio.”
We laugh about how neither of us cares much about what we listen to while we drive, and somehow have a comfortable conversation about nothing really, jumping around from music, to movies and television, and even food. We laugh about each other’s quirks when it comes to why we don’t like certain things. The funniest thing I learn about her is that she loves to eat almonds, but can’t swallow them without drinking something because they’re too dry. I think I must laugh for ten minutes when she tells me that. It sure has my quirk of not eating applesauce because it feels like I’m eating almost soft, rotten apples.
We do find we both like a lot of the same movies, mostly the comedies. Of course I like military movies more than she does, and she likes romantic movies more than I do, but that’s probably normal for men and women. However, our taste in music is so opposite of each other. I like rock, non-mushy music, and she likes pop and R&B. It crosses my mind that we could still make it work despite our musical differences, and it hits me . . . she is worming her way into my life, albeit slowly, but she is scaling the walls I thought I had protected nicely.
Our day at the shore goes along much the same as the drive. Nothing heavy is discussed, just lots of getting to know each other. Many times I catch myself wanting to hold her hand as we walk around. It’s a strange feeling to want to touch her. I swore I’d keep her from my hell, and I was determined to keep that resolve. That is, until today when she came up with this ploy to make us friends or whatever. I’m sure she knew what she was doing, and I’m afraid it’s working. She may break me down. It actually feels good to spend time with someone. It’s been a lonely few months.
Back in my hotel room, which I never checked out of, I’m lying here alone reminiscing about the day. The best part was sitting next to Dawn on the sand with ice cream cones, while the sun set behind us, just relaxing in silence. She surprised me, breaking through my defenses and showing me how to live again. Somehow, sitting here alone in my hotel room with the time to really think about what today was like, I’m not drowning in guilt like I thought I’d be. Being Dawn’s friend might be easier than I expected.
I find unwinding easier than it’s been in a long time. The restlessness I usually have as I lie down isn’t present. The fresh air was refreshing, and I’m actually feeling tired. The last thought in my head as I drift off to sleep is that I’m a little disappointed that I have to head home tomorrow afternoon. Another day like today would be amazing.
A soft knock at the door wakes me, and I’m a little disoriented upon being pulled from the dream I was having, although I can’t remember what it was about for the life of me. Another knock gets my ass up and headed to see what is needed.
“Sorry to wake you,” the sweet voice says as I crack the door a bit. “I didn’t want you to leave before I had the chance to talk to you.”
“Why didn’t you call or text me?”
“I did text you. You didn’t respond, and it’s getting late in the morning. I didn’t want to miss you.” She looks shy all of a sudden, like she is afraid of how I’m going to react to her.
“Sorry, I think last night was the best night’s sleep I’ve had since before enlisting. Come in.”
“I just wanted to see if I could catch a ride home with you today. I don’t’ need to come inside. ”
“You didn’t drive down here by yourself?”
“No, Craig’s girlfriend came down from the same area, so I rode with her. She wants to stay with Craig another couple of days. I was just going to catch the bus home. They don’t get a lot of time together, and I didn’t want to make her leave. But since you’re going home I thought maybe I could ride with you.”
She doesn’t look at me when she speaks. I can tell she’s nervous about pushing her luck with me.
“Sure. We can eat lunch and get on the road. I just need to shower and check out. Give me an hour?”
“Thanks, Jason. And yeah, you don’t have to rush on my account. I’m off tomorrow, so I’m in no hurry.”
“It really won’t be long. I’ll text you when I’m headed to check out and we can go wherever you want for lunch.”
“Sounds good. I’m almost packed, so I’ll be ready.”
Watching as she walks away from my room, but knowing she’s going to be with me the rest of the day, gives me a little warm sensation deep inside, hitting a place I thought was dead. It’s been nine months since the accident that took my family, six since I got here, and maybe for the first time I’m feeling like having people in my life won’t kill me. Maybe friends are a good thing. I might even try hanging with the guys after work now and then. It feels like it’s time to live a little again.
IT’S BEEN TWO weeks since my trip, and Dawn comes in daily to have lunch. She must have a deal worked out with Brandon, since he seems to disappear and leave me behind the desk with just enough time to enjoy lunch with her before he gets back.
“I do no such thing, Jason,” she says with a giggle, twisting her hair with her fingers, and playing the role of the innocent one.
“Trying to play innocent is a dead giveaway for guilt, you know.” Each day it gets easier to just relax and enjoy her company. Of course I’m attracted to her, but I don’t act on it, and she never pushes. The sexual tension is crazy when we’re together.
“Well, I better get back to work.” She avoids the conversation and hurries to clean up our mess.
“Dawn, stop. I’ll clean up. You bring food every day and always clean like it’s your job. I can take care of it so you can get back to the diner.”
“I’m good. I work a split shift, so I’ve got time.”
“I always wondered how you had time to come over here for so long. That explains it.”
“Well, it’s really dead after the lunch rush, so I don’t want them to pay me to stand around. I’ve always enjoyed coming and spending time with Uncle Brandon.”
“If you’re here to spend time with him, why does he always leave when you’re coming in?”
The pink on her cheeks spreads down her neck, showing how embarrassed she is that she got caught. But man, is that a pretty color on her. I get lost in thought wondering if that color covers her whole body when she clears her throat to let me know I’m caught not listening again. Damn. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”
“No worries. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“I’ll be here.” And out the door she goes. I don’t realize I’m watching her walk across to the diner until Ty starts laughing, then I know I’m caught.
“Dude, Brandon know you look at his niece like that?”
“Just watching to make sure she makes it back okay.”
“Right, man, cuz it’s such a dangerous parking lot to be walking through in broad daylight.”
“Fuck you. It’s not like that. We’re friends.”
“That was not the look of a friend.” He chuckles. “It never has been. The air crackles around you two. Just be good to her. She’s been through a lot.”
“Nothing to worry about. Like I said, we’re ju
st friends.”
“Sure, man, you just keep telling yourself that.” Ty just says his peace and heads back to work. None of the guys give me a hard time, but I know they’re all thinking the same thing, it’s in the looks they give me.
The day flies by, and I finally agree to go out with the guys after work. Ty harasses me about women all night, thinking he’s proving that there’s something going on between Dawn and me. The guys all laugh and encourage him. He’s so set on seeing me hook up, that I’m actually laughing at him too. He’s bought drinks for so many women tonight, telling them they’re from me, that his bill has to be close to a hundred dollars, and there’s no end in sight.
“Ty, buddy, you should save your money. My turning them all down has nothing to do with Dawn.”
The guys are having a great time with this show. “Sure, whatever. Why else would you turn down some of the hot ass offered to you if it wasn’t for someone else?”
“It’s not a story for tonight, that’s for sure. But the story has nothing to do with her, I swear. Can you leave the poor women here alone now?”
River, one of the other guys from the shop, the quietest of the bunch, says, “Yeah, man. Leave him and the women alone. It’s kinda bordering on cruel now. It was fucking hilarious at first, but now I think you may end up with an angry mob of women waiting outside for you if you don’t let it go.”
Everyone agrees with River, and Ty finally settles into joking with the guys around the table instead of scoping out women for me. The guys keep the conversation easy and fun, leaving my story for another time, which I appreciate. However, turning these women away tonight has everything to do with Dawn, and I don’t know what I’m going to do about that.
We’ve been here about three hours and, although we’ve eaten a little throughout the night, I can feel the beer and shots giving me a nice little buzz. I know I need to slow down a little because it’s hell working with a hangover. I start looking for the waitress to grab a glass of water, when I see her on the edge of the bar with a man leaning in awfully close.
The waitress steps into my line of sight and, instead of water, I order the guys another round of tequila shots. Watching her talk to that man makes my gut tight, and yet I know I can’t drag her into my life. She deserves more than the pain I will cause her. But fuck if I can make myself understand that right now as I watch her tilt her head back and laugh at what the man next to her says. When she places her hand on his forearm, I growl, catching Ty’s attention. Thankfully, the shots arrive and I can focus on the burn of the liquid going down my throat.
River orders the next round and keeps my attention at the table, bullshitting about a couple of women sitting a few tables away. I’ve almost forgotten about Dawn at the bar until I hear her laughter again. When I look up, the guy is even closer, and his hand is resting on the small of her back. Without a second thought, I head in her direction. In a few short strides, I’m pushing my way between them, not caring that I had to move his hand from her to do so.
“She’s with me.” My military voice comes out and, while I make the man nervous, I pray I don’t make her nervous too.
“She said she was here alone,” numbnuts says as he takes a step back to keep from making me feel threatened. He’s not a very big man and, with my training, I’m sure I could take him with one arm tied behind my back while blindfolded.
“Jason . . . stop it, now.” I’ve never heard this level of anger from her before.
“Tell him you’re with me, Dawn.” I can’t tame my anger, and that drill sergeant tone gives her little room to argue right now.
“Sorry. “She offers a small smile to the man and he turns and walks away. “Happy now? It’s not like you’re going to do anything besides be friendly, so why would you chase away a perfectly nice man?”
“He wasn’t for you.”
“Then who is? I’m not attached, so I should be able to have some fun.”
“Not that kind of fun.” My clipped sentences and harsh tone are pissing her off. I can see it in her eyes, and I am powerless to change it.
“Jason, please calm down. I wouldn’t leave with someone I just met. I’m not an idiot. But I will talk to people here. I know most of the people around here, so sometimes it’s nice to shoot the breeze with a stranger for a bit. I never take drinks that Bobby back there”—she points to the bartender—“didn’t pour and hand me. Please don’t act like this. You have no claim.”
The noise that comes out of my throat in response to her startles me. I’ve never been this possessive, but damn if something in me isn’t broken. I can’t stand the thought of another man touching her. I’ve dreamt about her almost every night since that trip. The guilt of Amelia’s death lessens each day, and the nightmares are almost non-existent, having been replaced with fantasies of Dawn in my bed.
“Come home with me.” I’m not sure where it comes from, but I find the words tumbling out of my mouth. Her eyes are as large as saucers, proving I caught her off guard too.
“You can’t say things like that just to keep me from talking to men.”
“That’s not it. You’ve been wanting me to admit the chemistry for weeks. Here ya go. Let’s do something about it.”
“Jason, I don’t do one night stands, especially with friends.”
“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” When her face drops, I know I disappointed her. She wanted me to offer her more, and I just can’t. “At least let me drive you home.”
“I’m not going home, and I’m not letting you drive anywhere. I can smell the alcohol on you.”
“You gonna take me home with you?”
“Yes, but you’ll be sleeping on the couch. I can’t have you getting in an accident on the way home. I’ll bring you for your car in the morning, with enough time to get home and still get to work on time.”
I close out my tab and say goodbye to the guys. Ty, of course, ribs me about leaving with Dawn. I just flip him off behind my back on the way out the door so Dawn doesn’t see the gesture. The guys find this hilarious and their laughter makes Dawn stop and roll her eyes at me.
“You guys are all the same. They should all know better. I don’t do one-night stands. Never have. Never will.”
“I think they’re laughing at me, not you. They’ve been harassing me about saying we’re just friends. Now, us leaving together gives them the wrong idea.”
Just as we get to the car, I hear Ty’s voice call out, “Wait up a second.”
“Shit.” Dawn giggles, since I apparently said that out loud.
Ty catches us as we reach Dawn’s little car. “Dawn, I’ll can take you home if you need a ride.”
“I’m good, Ty. I promise.”
He pulls Dawn away from me to where he thinks I won’t be able to hear, and lowers his voice when he says, “I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret in the morning. If you want to spend the night with Jason when you haven’t been drinking, then I’ll be okay with it. But I want you thinking clearly when you make that decision.”
I know these guys think of her as a little sister, but never thought they’d go this far into meddling.
Thankfully, Dawn sets him straight. “Ty, I’m just keeping him from driving home. I know where I stand with him. I know what I’m doing.”
“Then let me take him home in his truck and you follow me to take me home.” Ty is persistent, that’s for sure.
“Ty, man, I can hear you. Why don’t you just take my truck and I’ll get it at work tomorrow. I’ll grab my bag from it real quick, and I’ll be good for work tomorrow.”
Dawn agrees with me, and says she’ll make sure I’m in on time. “I don’t like this, man, but if you both are sure. I don’t want to see either of you do something you’ll regret in the morning.”
“We’re fine,” Dawn reassures him. “Thanks for taking his truck. See you in the morning, Ty.”
Somehow, Dawn gets past Ty’s warning and still takes me home. The alcohol running through my system is slowly b
lurring the line that I know I shouldn’t cross. By the time she gets me into her small house, the sexual tension between us is zipping along my skin, making me want to reach out and touch her. Damn, those last shots with the guys crept up on me and hit me hard. This could make tonight a disaster for my resolve.
After guiding me to the couch, I place my bag down, lie my head back, and sit. I’m not sure how much time passes when I hear her voice say, “Want anything to eat? I know it’s late, but you had a lot to drink.”
I can’t see her from the couch where I am, so I get up slowly and head in the direction she went.
“That sounds good, actually,” I respond as I make my way toward her voice.
I’m not expecting what I see when I get inside the kitchen. There she stands, bent over, looking inside the refrigerator, her hair up in a messy bun thing, short ass shorts that expose every bit of her gorgeous legs and even the bottom curve of her tight ass, and a tiny, skin-tight tank top. She’s probably not wearing a bra with the way her tight nipples push at the fabric from the cold of the open refrigerator. She is a vision from heaven.
She doesn’t hear me come in, so I stand and enjoy the view, before making my way closer. When I come up behind her, I get close enough to touch her with my hand, but stay far enough away that she can’t feel my erection up against her ass. Slowly, I lean over, brush her hair away from her ear, and whisper, “Are you trying to kill me?”
“Um . . .” She startles and stands up quickly, putting her backside flush against my front. “Oops,” she mumbles as it hits her what she’s feeling pressed against her back.
“I know I should walk away, but I really want to touch you, Dawn.”
“I really want you to, but I can’t do just tonight. I won’t. So, I’ll wait for you to be ready for more, or we’ll be friends. That’s it.”
I can’t help it, but while she’s speaking, I run my lips along the back of her neck; not kissing, just skimming. I can feel her body shiver while her skin breaks out in goose bumps. I know I’m affecting her, but she still pulls away.
A Soldier's Dawning (The Happy Endings Resort Series Book 8) Page 6