“How do you know him?”
“He was my spotter.”
“Spotter? What’s that?”
“He monitored things like wind, trajectory, and temperature and helped identify targets for me.”
It took me a moment to understand what he was saying. “What, you mean like for a sniper? Is that what you were?” I remembered the big gun and the scope on the top of it.
“Yeah,” was all Jace said. From his tone, I gathered it wasn’t his favorite thing to talk about. “Dalton,” – he motioned to the guy – “got out about a year after I did. He bought this place a few years back. I come out here sometimes when I need to decompress.”
I glanced back at Dalton. He was about the same age as Jace and had black hair that was a little longer on top and shorter on the sides. His stance was rigid while his eyes stayed on Jace as we made our way toward the dock, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. Did the two men have a history that went beyond their time in the military?
I hated the burn of jealousy that went through me.
“So, what, he’s agreed to let you use his boat? Just like that?”
Jace glanced at me, then at Dalton. “Just like that,” he agreed.
I fell silent as I followed Jace onto the dock. The boat was big, but not like the fancy yachts I’d seen at the marina my father had kept his own fishing boat in. Jace helped me climb aboard and while he got the engine started, I explored the boat. It was surprisingly well appointed with a small kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. The bedroom had a full-sized bed in it, as well as a television and a DVD player. Several plastic bags sat on top of the bed. Curiosity got the best of me and I looked through a couple. There was an assortment of new clothes in the bags, in two different sizes. There weretoiletries too. A glance in the kitchen showed the fridge was full, as were the few cabinets.
I went above deck in time to see Jace throwing off the lines securing the boat to the dock. Jace gave Dalton a final wave before maneuvering the boat out into open water. I knew we were likely on Chesapeake Bay. My father, Nick, and I had spent a lot of time fishing in Chesapeake Bay. It was only later that the fishing trips had stopped being about fishing.
I felt a wave of cold go through me and I automatically wrapped my arms around myself as I made my way to the front of the boat. It was late spring so the weather wasn’t particularly cold, but as the boat picked up speed, the wind bit at my skin.
I wasn’t sure where on the bay we were at, but I felt some of the anxiety start to ease as we got farther out onto the water. There were other boats around, but it wasn’t particularly busy, and seeing regular people just going about their day as they fished or just explored all the little inlets made things feel a little bit more normal. It was easier to pretend that the events of the morning had just been some hellish nightmare.
We traveled for a good twenty minutes before the boat slowed enough so that there was barely any wake as we cut through the water. I lost myself in the sensation of the sun trying to warm my body as the sounds of seagulls and passing boats filled the air around us. I nearly jumped out of my skin a moment later when I felt something at my back. A hand came out to grab my arm.
“It’s just me,” Jace murmured softly from behind me.
I felt like a fool. We were alone on the boat, for God’s sake.
Something warm was placed over my shoulders. Jace’s hands appeared in my vision as he wrapped the small blanket around me from behind. Since the boat was still moving, I had to assume he’d made use of the autopilot feature, which would keep us traveling in a straight line.
I grabbed the corners of the blanket with my hands to hold it in place, but to my surprise, Jace’s hands lingered on my waist. And was he…?
God, he was.
I closed my eyes as Jace’s stubble scraped over the skin along the back of my neck for the briefest of moments as he nuzzled me. My body reacted to the contact and it was all I could do not to lean back against him.
It was the stinging sensation from my arm that reminded me that I couldn’t lean into him.
Or on him.
I’d done that once before.
Never again.
It took every ounce of willpower I possessed to step forward just a little. I felt the fingers at my waist press into me just a little bit before completely falling away. I risked turning around and saw him staring at me, his expression shuttered. As he turned to walk away, I grabbed his wrist. I didn’t say anything as I pulled him to the back of the boat. Before we went below deck, I quietly asked, “Will the boat be okay for a few minutes?”
Jace scanned the horizon, then nodded.
He didn’t resist me as I tugged him down the stairs with me. I released his hand, but he continued to follow me. I led him past the kitchen, then motioned to the bed. I waited until he sat down before I went back to the kitchen and found what I was looking for beneath the sink. I’d spied the first aid kit earlier when I’d been checking things out.
I returned to the bedroom and felt something clench deep inside of me at the sight of Jace sitting on the bed. As I approached him, I wondered what he’d do if instead of slowing when I reached him, I just kept moving forward until I was pushing him back on the bed. Would he go pliant beneath me? Would he finally kiss me? Would he roll me so I could know what it was like to feel the full weight of his body on top of me? He’d given me a hint of that last night when he’d hovered over me, but I wanted more.
I shouldn’t, but I did.
