Chapter 11
Mike’s whole body was shaking, cocooned around Destiny’s. He didn’t even know what he was shielding her from. He just heard the warning and reacted. His only thought was keeping Destiny safe. There had been a thud seconds after he had knocked her to the ground not to gently, but her safety had been his only priority.
“Mike?” Destiny’s voice was muffled under his chest. “I can’t breathe.”
Shit, he hadn’t considered his weight fully on top of her. He could have crushed her in his attempt at keeping her safe. “Sorry.” He didn’t trust his legs to hold him up yet, the adrenaline still running high, so he sat up on his knees. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” He had tried cushioning her fall his with arms as best he could.
“I’m good,” she assured him, looking around confused. “What the hell happened?”
“Are you guys okay?” A woman came up to them, looking them over. Mike recognized the voice as the one who called out to them.
“We are. Thanks for the warning.” Mike stood, helping Destiny to her feet now that he was assured she was alright.
“What happened?” Destiny asked again, dusting herself off.
“I just saw a ball heading straight for you guys. I knew I was too far away to do anything so I just yelled,” the woman explained.
A ball?
That would explain the thud. Looking around the tree behind them he saw the ball the woman was talking about. It was a blue golf ball. Not a common color for a golf ball outside of putt-putt, but it did match the color of the sky. He was surprised the woman noticed it. He glanced up at the golf course, but no one was there.
Stupid ball. It would have hurt being hit by it, but it wouldn’t have killed them. The way the woman screamed you would have thought it was a missile coming at them.
“Well I’m glad you guys are okay,” the woman said then left.
“Stupid golf ball,” he growled, clenching his fists at his side. Once again they were halted from kissing. He must be cursed. That was the only explanation.
“Figures.” Destiny’s face reflected his own in sadness. “We just can’t seem to catch a break.”
No they couldn’t. He glanced over at her, wondering if he should try now or wait.
Destiny checked her watch. “I need to get back. See you tonight?” she asked. He waited too long to decide. He and his overactive brain. When it came to work, he was a man of action, already knowing what he needed to do and every possible outcome. When it came to women, he was constantly second-guessing himself. Some women misinterpreted his silence and thought that he was dimwitted. Not Destiny. She knew he was terribly shy and always gave him time to work out his thoughts, except when she was upset. Then she forgot and took his silence as rejection.
“Yeah, I’ll come pick you up at six.” That gave him enough time to get through his meeting with his commander and Ben. Destiny had been right earlier, guessing he was leaving on a mission. It wasn’t for a couple weeks. At least that was the hope. Their timetable could be jumped up considerably if the situation changed. That’s why they were doing the meeting now, to go over possibilities.
“It’s a date then,” Destiny beamed. “See you then.” She lifted on her toes and kissed his cheek before leaving.
Mike stood dumbfounded. A date. He was going on a date with Destiny. He hadn’t even had to ask her. His heart started thundering. His knees felt weak. Maybe he was even a little nauseous. He hadn’t been on a date in years, and that woman had only gone out with him to make her own boyfriend jealous. Other than that, it was the occasional pickup at Marshall’s, the local military bar, when he was feeling lonely.
He needed advice, but first, the meeting.
~
“You’re going on what?” Ben asked, staring at him in open-mouth shock.
“A date, and I need your help.”
“A date,” Ben repeated in wonder.
“Don’t be such a prick. I have dated,” Mike hissed in annoyance.
Ben raised a mock eyebrow.
“Okay one or two years ago,” he conceded.
“A date.”
“Can you stop repeating that. It’s not that strange,” Mike snapped.
