“Your flair for dramatics is impressive. You get used to the heat,” I reply, smirking. Magnolia’s naked, sweaty body comes to mind, and I have to control my wild thoughts. “There are tradeoffs. Jaws isn’t prowling here.”
“The sharks never fuck with us,” he counters. “The chicks are hot here, but I miss the northern weather. I was in San Diego before Harbour Point, remember that. The sun is manic here,” Colton says, moaning. He’s shirtless, wearing a pair of black issued workout shorts that hit thigh-high. The sun is already set, and he’s still complaining. It’s amusing. “Is dinner almost ready?”
“Yes, darling. It’s almost ready,” I coo in a sarcastic voice. “Are you going out after we eat?” I ask, curious if they are prowling tonight like I used to. It’s not jealousy that drives the question because the mere thought of the work that goes into hooking up for one night and ditching them is pretty extensive. There’s always the risk of a stage one clinger, like Wildcat.
Colton sits up and rests on his elbows. “I don’t know. It’s so hot. I might just go home and turn the A/C as high as it will go and see if I can break the unit. That sounds like a good time, doesn’t it?”
“No,” I deadpan. “It doesn’t. But you’ve always been a bit of a pussy, so it doesn’t surprise me.”
“Fuck you, man. Speaking of, aren’t you the one banging the same pussy every night?”
I scoff. “No.” The lie came without my permission.
“No?” Colton quirks a brow and then aims his gaze up toward base. I turn my head and glimpse Magnolia standing in a group of guys. There are a couple of other women mixed in, but it’s primarily my teammates. Slamming the rest of my beer, I jump up and jog to the powwow just in time to hear Mercer’s high-pitched chuckle.
“And that’s when I knew there was no other job for me,” Mercer finishes, flexing his bicep in an over-exaggerated way.
I roll my eyes and groan. “Is this buffoon bothering you?” I ask, snaking an arm around Magnolia, claiming her.
Her eyes light when mine meet hers. The crackle of sexual tension buzzes where my clothed body presses against hers.
“No, he was just explaining the finer nuances of grilling,” Magnolia says, smiling wide. “I think?”
Glaring at Mercer, I thump him on the shoulder harder than a friendly tap.
“Hey man, you weren’t here to greet your woman, so I did it for you. It was a pleasure to meet you, Magnolia Sager. I look forward to visiting your shop soon.” Mercer bows, putting the spatula against his chest.
“He’s not right in the head. Too many explosions,” I counter. “Let me properly introduce you to everyone,” I say, my words clogging in my throat. Am I doing it right? Can she tell I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing—mixing two worlds without an instruction manual?
“Calm down,” Magnolia whispers as I guide her by her elbow away from the crowd. “I’m here for a cheeseburger, Aidan.”
Closing my eyes, I sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. This isn’t a big deal.”
“It’s really not. Normal, average people do this sort of thing all the time. Introducing one friend to another. It’s casual,” Magnolia says, squeezing my hand in hers. “You like that word, right?”
When we’re far enough away, I spin her toward me. “There’s nothing normal about me. Or average about you. There’s nothing casual about us. I’ve never done this before,” I admit, trying to control my heart rate. “I don’t have family. This is the equivalent of you meeting my mother.”
Magnolia laughs, her bright white smile melting away any residual fears that linger. “I’m honored to meet your mother. Even if she’s a beastly six-foot-four shirtless creature who wears boots to the beach. It’s a bit odd, but you know, I can’t judge.”
“Mercer is a little much. It would have been better if we started introductions with the tamer variety.” I see a few who meet that criteria and flag them over. I introduce Magnolia to them, and they are gracious, and for reasons I can’t fathom, they don’t try to fuck me over. They only say good things about me and talk me up. Magnolia is animated as she asks questions about their lives and our chosen career. They answer, and one by one, I see the spark, the glamour in their eyes as they see what I do—recognize Magnolia for what she is and mostly for what she is not.
She’s safe enough enveloped in Colton’s rant about humidity and sweat, so I grab a couple burgers from the grill, tuck beers under my arms, and find an empty spot at a picnic table. I fix the burgers, trying to sort what I think Magnolia would like on her burger. In the end, I fix it the same as mine: all the way.
I’m walking over to tell her it’s ready, but Leo stops me, a tight hand on my arm. “I got second dibs,” he says, eyes never leaving Magnolia. The nefarious flicker warns me he’s serious.
“Fuck you, Leo. This is a no-dibs thing. She is not the kind of woman we normally hang out with. You know that, though, or you wouldn’t be interested.” It’s a new relationship, so my single friends will test the boundaries. Will we take sloppy seconds in a different scenario? Sure. If it’s a one-night stand, chancesare we’ve double-dipped unaware. “Stay away from her,” I say, driving my point home. “Magnolia is off-limits.”
“Is she?” Leo smirks, and my stomach coils. Why do I care that he’s being a smarmy bastard? I’ve been the same smarmy bastard in the past when I was younger. I get it now—how a woman, the right woman, can change almost everything in the blink of an eye. Leo is heading to Harbour Point soon. He was a trade for Colton to keep the bases evenly staffed. He’s from Cape Cod and has been trying to work his way back there since he recently graduated BUD/S. He is a fresh nineteen-year-old and doesn’t have any limits—a mere child in the arena of seasoned pros. If our current conversation has anything to say about his maturity level, he has much to learn. And he will probably learn it the hard way.
“Leo. I’m fucking serious,” I growl under my breath when I see Magnolia peering around Colton’s shoulder to catch my eye. “Stay the fuck away from Magnolia.”
“I will stay the fuck away from Magnolia,” he says, repeating my words back to me, slithering away, back from the shadows he crept from.
My skin prickles, and I fucking hate the feeling. Throwing up a hand, I hike my thumb over my shoulder at the table. Magnolia excuses herself from Colton’s whining tirade and approaches. Her tank top is tight, and her shorts are short. The light from the scattered tiki torches lends just enough to make her glow. As she walks toward me, she looks like an angel, one that every other man here is watching in this moment. Her smile is only for me, her gaze all fucking mine, and all hesitations melt away. Her gait pauses when she’s standing in front of me.
“Burgers ready?” she asks, licking her lips.
I take her face in my hands, a tender gesture I’d second-guess any other time given the circumstances, and I shock all of these bastards when I lean in and kiss Magnolia with pent-up passion.She folds into me, pressing her body against mine, her chin tipped up to take anything I’ll give her.
