Chapter Two
Bree
I kept expecting to see his booth empty. After the mysterious man came back to finish his burger, I gave him 5:1 odds of sticking around. Not that I minded, he was certainly easy on the eyes. There was just something off about him, a worrying blankness that entered his eyes every now and then.
"I'm not much for blonds but I wouldn't push those wide shoulders away," Janice, my co-worker, said.
I elbowed the older waitress. "Stop."
Janice bumped me with her hip. "I see you looking over there. Big, blond, blue eyes, nothing wrong with any of that."
I hoped to god he couldn't hear her over the clatter of the dinner rush. He'd stayed through the afternoon and showed no signs of moving. A few of the truckers on their regular route had offered to give my friend a lift, but he had politely said no.
"I don't know why he's sticking around," I told Janice.
"Don't be an idiot," Janice said. "You gave him those big doe eyes. And then you gave him a burger platter. Strays tend to stick around if you feed them and show them a little love."
"He's not a stray. I think he's a SEAL."
Janice licked her lips. "A SEAL, eh? I could get on board with that."
"Stop!" I swatted at her before grabbing two hot plates of fried chicken for the booth at the back.
Janice's suggestive eyebrow-waggling and the stranger's hunky good looks aside, I had an uneasy feeling about him. Sure, it was tinged with attraction and excitement—we didn't get a lot of guys that looked like him in our little diner—but I couldn't afford to get involved with anyone. Not even a sexy stranger who was obviously down-on-his-luck and probably needed my help.
Especially not a sexy stranger. I had waited this long to give myself to the right man and I wasn’t going to be tempted to lower my standards.
I dropped off the fried chicken and forced myself to stop at his booth. "All good?" I asked him. "More coffee?"
He glanced up. "One more for the road. Thanks, Bree."
My name on his lips gave me a shiver of delight. Then I saw the dark shadows under his eyes. "When was the last time you slept?"
He shrugged his muscular shoulders. "I'm fine."
"No," I said. "I'm switching you to decaf and finding you a place for the night."
He scowled up at me. "My name's Nathan, by the way. If you're going to waste your pity on me, you might as well know my name."
I straightened my shoulders and looked down my nose at him. "Pity? How about you say 'thank you' when someone's just trying to be nice, Nathan."
He smiled at that. "Thank you."
I shrugged, relaxing again. "Plus, you're helping us clear out the kitchen. Speaking of that, I'm bringing you a piece of pie. Janice made too many apple pies; don't want the last slices to go to waste."
On the way back behind the counter, I considered the locals I knew at the diner. None of them would be willing to bunk a perfect stranger, and I quickly realized I was out of options. Either I set Nathan up in a motel and paid for it myself or he'd have to come home with me.
The thought of his tall frame sprawled out on my saggy couch jumped to mind. He looked about 6' 3", almost a foot taller than me, and I couldn't imagine him fitting on my sad, secondhand furniture.
I could, however, imagine him stretched out across my bed. The sudden fantasy brought a blush of heat to my cheeks. I’d never had a man in my apartment, much less on my bed. It was all Janice's fault for putting dirty ideas in my head.
Janice cooed over my shoulder as she looked at Nathan again. "I'm telling you, I wouldn't mind a slice of that."
I grabbed one of the leftover slices of apple pie and tried to ignore her. She'd been my last-ditch idea for a place where Nathan could crash, but even I couldn't submit a stranger to my lascivious co-worker.
"Wait, what about coffee?" Janice asked as I rounded the counter again.
"Decaf for him and draw one in the dark for me," I called over my shoulder.
"In the dark?" Nathan asked when I reached his booth.
My breath caught, wondering how much else he had heard. "What? Oh, I like my coffee black," I explained.
I put the slice of pie down on his table and slid into the booth across from him. "So, it must have been some bender, huh?"
Nathan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "How can you tell?"
I shrugged. "Seen it before. Plus, you're real fuzzy on the details of where you've been the last few days and why you're not on your base. Having trouble remembering?"
"I'm not a black-out drunk, I swear," he said.
"I know." I leaned back and wondered how I was so sure. Nathan might have been off but something about him assured me he was usually a straight arrow.
He picked up his fork and then put it down again. "Well, I should get out of your hair."
I shook my head. "Nah. I'm hanging up my apron in a minute. My apartment's not too far away, and I have a couch you can sleep on."
"Is that a good idea?" Nathan asked.
My eyes dropped from his five o’clock shadow to his chiseled chest and felt a burst of heat low in my belly. "You tell me," I said.
He sat up straight and looked me dead in the eye. "I'm not a bad man, Bree."
"I know. You're just tired. And I can help." I slipped out of the booth and untied my apron. "I'll meet you in the side parking lot."
He grabbed my wrist. "Why?"
I gulped at the jolt I felt from his touch. Then I tugged my wrist free and smoothed down my waitress uniform. "Let's just say I could use a little good karma."
* * * * *
I stepped out into the cool evening, expecting to see an empty parking lot. How desperate had I sounded? Coming off a bender or not, there was no way a man like Nathan would be interested in me. Yes, I really was just trying to be nice, but to him I probably looked like a small-town girl dying for any kind of excitement.
"So, where are you from?" Nathan appeared behind me.
I pretended like I hadn't just jumped a foot in the air. "What? Oh, what makes you think I'm not from around here?"
He smiled and opened my car door for me. "Just a hunch."
I slid into the driver's seat and waited for him to get in and shut his door. We both cringed as my old rusted car rattled to life.
"I'm from Tennessee," I said.
He sensed I didn't want to elaborate. "Opposite corner of the nation from me. I grew up in Tacoma, Washington. From a long line of Navy men."
I drove the short route to my apartment complex. "Navy? And you went into the Navy SEALs?"
Nathan gave a short laugh. "You following in your parents' footsteps?"
There was a dull throb of grief in my chest. "My parents were both musicians."
He glanced at me under the passing streetlights. "Were? I'm sorry."
I waved away his apology and gave him one of my own as I pulled into my apartment complex parking lot. "It doesn't look like much. Really, I know it looks pretty dismal, but my apartment is clean."
"I'm used to barracks," Nathan reminded me.
Still, my hand trembled slightly as I unlocked my second-story apartment door. I flicked on the lights and winced at the sight of my small and sparse home. I was sure Nathan would notice the furniture was all secondhand. Maybe it was too dim. I could only afford a few old lamps, one of which stood on a stack of apple crates in lieu of a table.
"The customers at the diner aren't what you'd call big tippers," I said. "But I did just get new pillows and blankets. They were on sale at the big box store down the way."
Nathan's eyes traveled over my tiny living room and the small galley kitchen behind an open counter. One lonely placemat, a single coffee mug, and an open paperback practically screamed 'I'm single and live alone.'
"I like it. Comfortable," he said. Nathan shrugged off his coat.
"Are you bleeding?" I squeaked.
He glanced down at the dried blood on his sleeve. A fresh stain was starting to spread. "I was. Must have bumped it on something."
"Sit down." I pushed him onto one of my mismatched stools. "I've got a first aid kit in the bathroom."
When I came back, Nathan had rolled his sleeve up to reveal a long jagged cut. He tugged at his t-shirt, trying to reveal the section of scab that had broken open, but it wasn't working.
"You'll have to take your shirt off," I said.
"I can handle it," Nathan said.
"What, do you think I'm the kind of girl who faints at the sight of blood?" I asked.
I immediately regretted my choice of words as he peeled his shirt off and my head spun. I tried to keep my eyes on Nathan's dog tags but the contours of his body were too hard and too fascinating. My eyes trailed over his strong chest and down to the chiseled muscles of his stomach. As if he could feel my eyes, Nathan flexed and shifted in his seat.
"What's your boyfriend going to think?" he asked in a gruff voice.
"Boyfriend?" The word came out vague and breathless. All I could think about was testing the solid flesh of his biceps with my fingertips. Or teeth. My cheeks burned with a red-hot blush.
Nathan tipped my chin so my eyes finally met his again. "I haven't seen much of Wichita but I'm assuming the men around here aren't blind. You're telling me you're not dating anyone?"
"Oh, what? No." I busied myself with the first aid kit in hopes it would bring my overheated thoughts back to a manageable temperature. "I mean, a couple of guys have asked me out. I went bowling once. But, no, I'm not a big fan of dating, and I don't have a boyfriend."
"I don't blame you if the best option was bowling," Nathan said.
"Very funny," I said. "I think I should probably clean this cut up a little. This might hurt."
Nathan didn't flinch, he didn't so much as blink, instead he caught the swinging end of my ponytail. He rubbed the end between his thumb and fingers.
I was the one squirming. There was so much heat radiating off his half-naked body that I felt the urge to peel off layers as well. His arm was relaxed underneath my administrations, but the muscles were still heavy and hard. Nathan was more intimidating without his shirt on. There was no doubt in my mind he could overpower me, but I found that idea exciting.
I cleared my throat and reached for a packet of sterile gauze. "What about you? No girlfriend wondering where you've been for days? Or was a woman the reason for your whole bender in the first place?"
Nathan thought about that, his mouth screwed down into a tight frown. "I'm not sure it was a bender. I just can't remember. But, no, it wasn't caused by a woman."
I taped the gauze into place and reluctantly stepped back. He hadn't answered my question about a girlfriend, and I had to force myself to let go of his arm. Sometimes it felt like everyone in the world had found the perfect mate except me.
It was ridiculous, but part of what I liked about working at the diner was the hope it allowed. Strangers blew through every day, and I foolishly believed there was a chance that one day one of those strangers would change my life. Janice was content with one-night stands, no strings attached, but I wanted more. My sister would have teased me for still believing in fairytales.
Nathan tugged his t-shirt back on. "You know, having a girlfriend is not easy for a SEAL. I find that women don't like being reserved just for weekends. And I'm not much of a poet over text message."
I shrugged, pretending I wasn't relieved to hear he was single. "I bet it's just more fun to be single. I've heard stories about what happens when a group of military men comes to town for weekend leave."
Nathan chuckled. "Wichita isn't really on our party route."
"But Topeka is?" I asked.
His smile slipped a little. I was shocked when he caught my hand and tugged me closer. Nathan studied my fingers, turning my small hand over in his wide palm. Little bolts of electricity raced up my arm from his innocent touches.
"I'm actually not much of a partier. I don't know what happened," he said.
Nathan looked so sad that I lifted my other hand and laid it on his stubbled cheek. "It'll come back to you. You just need a little time. And some sleep."
"Thanks for letting me stay here," Nathan said. His voice had dropped to a soft timber that sent fissures of pleasure up and down my spine.
My logical brain screamed that he was a stranger, a very big and very strong stranger, but my body was not listening. The hand I had lightly laid on his cheek slipped around the back of his neck. I stepped closer, standing between his long, stretched-out legs.
Nathan shifted on the stool and drew me in. He lifted my hand and placed it on his chest, leaving his hands free to find the curves of my hips. I still had to tip my chin to meet his eyes as he was much taller than me even sitting down.
His blue eyes darkened, heavy-lidded, and he leaned down to brush his lips against my startled mouth. I gasped then tipped up on my toes to try the same. His fingers tightened on my waist, and his shoulders flexed under my hands.
"Bree," he whispered against my lips.
"Yes," I answered. "Please."
The kiss was like turning the ignition on a race car. All I could hear was the roaring in my ears as my pulse leaped out of control. Nathan growled, trying to control himself until I pressed against his chest and wrapped my arms around his neck.
Then he stood up, lifting me easily to wrap my legs around his waist. "Bedroom?"
I nodded to the short hallway, and we were there in five long strides. I couldn't contain myself and slipped my tongue along his lips, tasting more and more. We didn't even make it to the bed.
Nathan stumbled then pressed me against the wall. My waitress dress slipped up to my waist before alarm bells went off in my head.
What was I doing?
One kiss and I was ready to let Nathan, a complete stranger, take what I hadn’t felt any man was worthy to even know about. I didn’t go around telling people I was a virgin at my age. What was I going to tell Nathan?
He felt me tense up and released his grip immediately. As I sunk back down to the floor, he gave me one last soft kiss. Then he pulled away and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Thanks for helping me, Bree. Good night.”
All I could do was nod as he stepped back into the living rom and contemplated the sagging couch. I shut the bedroom door behind him and collapsed onto the floor in a heap of embarrassment.