“Listen, Brooks didn’t mean to scare you. He’s worried about you. He’s worried for you.”
“Why? He doesn’t know me and doesn’t owe me anything,” she said.
“Well now, that’s a loaded question,” he said looking down the aisle as Brooks spoke with Gator and Ham.
“Try to answer. Please,” she asked.
“We don’t let anyone face danger alone if we can help it. Those two men you see back there are part of our family. Very important parts of our family. We would never leave you, even if you had said you wanted to stay alone. That’s not how we’re built.
“But it’s not just that. I think my brother is developing feelings for you,” he said with a grin. “That never happens. Brooks and I both are extremely cautious men when it comes to romance. A lot of men in the military do the rounds, as we would say, when it comes to women. Brooks and I were raised differently. That’s not who we are.”
“B-but we barely know one another,” she protested. Mitchell laughed, shaking his head. He stood to give up the seat for Brooks now walking toward him.
“Believe me, honey. It doesn’t matter.” Mitchell nodded at his brother, walking back to speak with Gator and Ham.
“Is everything okay?” he asked Lennon.
“I think so. Brooks, I’m sorry I kissed you at the house. I think I thought it was a dream.”
“A good dream, I hope,” he smiled. She nodded. “Well, then. If it was a good dream, I hope the kiss lived up to the hype.”
“Very much,” she whispered. Brooks nodded.
“I’m not sorry. I’m glad you kissed me. I can’t explain it now, Lennon but you’ll meet enough people where we’re going, you’ll figure it out. Our family rarely has long-term dating relationships. When they find the one, that’s it. They’re done. They marry, have children, usually, and live happily ever after.”
“I’m not sure I believe in happily-ever-after,” she said looking down at the basket again. She picked up what looked like a homemade brownie and bit into it, nearly melting with the chocolate inside her mouth.
“Aren’t your parents happily married?” he asked.
“They’re married. They seem happy. But I’m not sure it’s a happily ever after scenario. I think it’s more of a ‘we’ve been at this too long to stop now’ scenario.”
“That’s sad,” said Brooks. “Relationships become comfortable but there should be surprises as well. Always keeping it fresh and exciting. That’s what our parents do. They still have date nights once a week. They go on little weekend getaways all the time. They’re not afraid to show their affection to everyone.”
“I love that,” she smiled. “I’ve probably only seen my father kiss my mother on the cheek. Never on the mouth.”
“Well, they can’t have stayed together this whole time just for convenience’s sake. I’m sure they love each other, it just looks different, that’s all.”
“I’m sure,” she nodded. “But let’s not talk about love.”
“Why not?” he asked with a grin. “It’s the most natural thing in the world. From the moment we’re born we experience the love of our parents. I was lucky enough to experience the love of my brother and sister. Mom said the sonograms always showed us cuddling each other and holding hands. There’s even one where Mitchell is sucking my thumb and I’m sucking Marilisa’s thumb.”
“Oh, my God, that’s too precious,” she laughed. They both nodded, smiling and then Lennon sobered. “What’s going to happen to me, Brooks? I get the feeling that this man, Sgt. Major Bora is very dangerous. But aren’t you, too?”
“We are. We all are,” he nodded. “But you’re not wrong. Bora is dangerous because he doesn’t want to get caught. He wasn’t smart about what he was doing, and worse than that, he didn’t care. That alone tells me that someone is covering for him. Someone big.”
“But who? Surely not someone at the White House or the Pentagon?” she asked. He just shrugged, smiling at her.
“Get some rest. We’ll be home soon,” he said standing to speak with the others again.
“Where is home, Brooks? Where are we going?”
“I’ll explain everything soon enough,” he said leaning over her. He cupped her chin, then swiped across her mouth with the pad of his thumb. He licked it and grinned. “Chocolate. My favorite.”
She watched him walk away and nearly jumped from the plane. How was she going to control herself around this man and still do her job? Did she even still have a job? Another thing she needed to figure out when they landed.
Closing her eyes once again, the feeling of Brooks’ lips on hers was the last thing she remembered. A memory she would hold onto forever.
CHAPTER EIGHT
