“No chance.” Things were getting back to normal. “Race ya?”
“You’re on.” He took off before I could say start.
“Jackass.” I laughed and hit the trail behind him.
We volleyed for the lead all the way up the eight miles to the top. There were a few places that still had a bit of ice from the frost we recently had, but other than that it was the same gorgeous view Eagle Crest was known for. We both reached the top just as the sun was rising high above the pine and aspen trees.
I loved this view. Most people liked it because you could see the base and all of Pine Valley, but it was the surrounding mountains that sold it for me. The way they wrapped around reminded me of parts of Georgia, and it made me feel closer to my family.
“I won.” Devon was breathing as heavily as me.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. At best, it was a tie.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it, but I’m gonna let you have that.” He gave me a half smile. “Especially considering you’re still on restricted duty.”
I flipped him off with a laugh. “What does that say about you, considering you were never injured?” He’d been one of the lucky ones. He’d walked away with a few scratches and nothing more. I’d been the same until I pulled a disk helping to lift part of the truck off Andre, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
“That I took it easy on you.” He pulled out his water bottle and took a drink. “Are you excited about going home soon?”
I looked out at the view. “It will be nice to see my family.” I took a drink of my own.
Honestly, as much as I was looking forward to going home, I really wanted to ask Rita to come with me. I wanted some time alone with her where we didn’t have to hide. I wanted to be ableto hold her hand, take her out to dinner, and if I didn’t get inside her soon I was going to fucking keel over. I loved our nightly calls, but I wanted my arms around her. I wanted her body next to me. I needed to taste her. The one night we had in Colorado Springs wasn’t enough.
I knew I was the one who said we could keep things secret, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could do it. I was falling for her, and I was falling fast and hard. Every conversation I discovered something new about her that made me smile.
I loved that she didn’t cook, but one of her goals was to go on a food tour of Italy and learn how to make authentic pasta. I found it adorable that her go to comfort food was ice cream, but she wasn’t a fan of sweets. Like she didn’t even put sugar in her coffee. It was fun watching basketball games with her on the phone, but I wanted to see her face in person and not through a video call. She was so excited for her Storming Cobras being in the playoffs. She went on and on about how they were going to the big game this year, and when she said it all I could think was how fun it would be to have a party and invite the team over. That would definitely be breaking all the rules.
“You got quiet all of a sudden.” Devon was stretching out his legs. “What’s going on? Are you worried about going home?”
“What?” I’d forgotten he’d asked me about my trip. “No, I can’t wait.”
“Then what’s up?”
“I…It’s just…well…” Was I really going to tell him? Rita would kill me if she found out, but I trusted Devon with my life. I knew he wouldn’t say a word.
“What’s going on?” He stood back up.
“I’ve been seeing someone, and I want to ask her to come home with me, but I’m worried it might freak her out.” That was about as specific as I could get.
Devon stared for a moment. “You’ve been seeing someone? I thought you weren’t interested in settling down until you got out of the service.”
It was true that I’d felt that way, and if Rita hadn’t walked into my life, I’d probably still feel the same way.
“It came out of nowhere.” That was the best I could explain it.
“I see.” He nodded. “Why do you think asking her to come with you would freak her out? Is it because it’s too soon?”
I hadn’t thought about that. Was it too soon for her to meet my family? We’d barely known each other a month, and under normal circumstances I might say so, but who knew when I’d get back home again. It could be another year before I had the chance to introduce her. Would we still be together by then? I didn’t like the idea that we wouldn’t.
“It’s complicated, but we’ve been keeping it a secret because of what she does.” I explained.
“Oh, shit.” His eyes got huge. “Are you fucking an officer?”
“What?” I rubbed my hand over my face. “No, I am not fucking an officer.” Hell, I was an officer, but I got what he meant. It wasn’t against regulations to date someone of a higher rank than you, but most everyone avoided it. The power dynamic made things too complicated.
“Okay, then why would her job be a big deal?” He let out a quick chuckle. “Is she a stripper?”
“NO!” I shouted. Not that there was anything wrong with someone choosing to do that, but Devon was being ridiculous. “She’s…she works in an office.”
