Chapter 21
Link had already hadhis first mug of coffee when he heard Ansley in the bathroom. He was glad she was awake. He planned on taking her out for a walk, something to get her muscles moving. Long drives across country were hard on him, and with her recent injuries, he knew she had to be hurting.
She stumbled into the main room, looking much more refreshed than she had the day before. She’d pulled on a T-shirt and shorts, along with pink fuzzy socks that didn’t match anything else she was wearing.
Ansley flashed him a warm smile. “Good morning.” Her smile seemed to light up the room.
“Good morning.”
"I need to move some this morning. I'm a little stiff."
"Cool. After coffee and something to eat, how about we go for a walk on a nice path?"
"Sure. And yes, for coffee. I need something to get me going."
"The group is having a cookout at one. So we can go for our walk, come back and eat a snack, then head over at one."
She nodded and grabbed the mug, then poured some coffee in. "Milk or creamer?"
“Sure, in the refrigerator.”
“Thank you.”
“So you don’t take it black?”
She shook her head. “No. When I decided to leave, I decided to stop taking it black.”
“Makes sense.”
She took her first sip and moaned. “This is good. Thank you for inviting me out here.”
“Sure. I know it’s weird, but I wanted to spend more time with you.” He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little strange. “I’ve never met anyone on a mission who I wanted to spend more time with.”
She nodded. "Yeah. It's different. I've spent time with thousands of people since becoming a Marine, from being on a Navy ship to postings at various bases, but I've never really connected with any of them like I connected to you."
The connection was obvious to him, and he was glad it was obvious to her. "Connection, hmm. I wonder if we would have ever met if I hadn't been on that mission."
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s weird that we did meet.”
“True. But I’m glad we did.” After holding her in his arms yesterday, he had little doubt that they were meant to be. Maybe he was jumping the gun, but being with her felt so right, like she fit into his life.
Ansley wantedto strip off her clothes and press her body up against Link’s. It would feel good to get close to this man. Heck, just the few kisses they’d shared felt better than other kisses she’d experienced.
She should take it slow. Jumping into bed with Link right now would feel good, but she wanted to get to know him. Could they actually make a life together?
She needed to move her body. Her muscles felt abused from driving for four days. She’d stretched and walked around at each stop, but sitting in any car for that length of time was draining.
Before they left his house, Link insisted on emptying her truck. She tried to help, but he told her it would be better for her to stretch so they could go out for the walk. She relented at the stubborn look on his face.
Link drove his car, which she was thankful for, and they ended up at a small parking lot. “The trail starts not too far from here.”
She glanced around, taking in the area. “Cool.”
“You okay with walking, or do you want to jog?”
She exited the car and stretched her hands over her head, bending left then right. “Maybe jog and walk. How about two minutes walking and one minute jogging?”
“Sure. Do you want me to keep time on my watch?”
