CHAPTER FIVE
Lisa walked out of the women’s lavatory and felt a thousand times better. Clean hair and brushed teeth were the secret to sanity and anyone who told you different was lying. Sliding her sunglasses down, she walked slowly in the direction of her barrack and thought about which fast-food place she wanted to hit up first when she got home. It was a toss-up between Chick-fil-A and In-N-Out.
The fries were better at In-N-Out, but a perfect piece of fried chicken on a soft bun with pickles could not be undervalued. Maybe she should go to both and call it a day.
Hearing her name, she turned and saw Ace jogging in her direction with a cup of coffee in his hand. God bless him; he brought the perfect thing. “Morning.”
“Hey, honey.” He handed her the coffee and took her shower bag. “Better?”
“Yes. I just need to put the ointment on my shoulder, and I’ll be good to go.”
“I’ll do it if you want.”
“You trying to see me naked, sir?”
“There’s no way I can answer that and not come off like an asshole, so I’m pleading the fifth.” He bent down and kissed her cheek. “After you get dressed, will you have breakfast with me?”
Sipping her coffee, she let her eyes roam over his pulse-quickening smile and noticed the energy simmering around him. He was as still as a statue but looked ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. Maybe that was normal operating procedure for a special operator, whether he was taking care of you or tackling the world’s horrors.
Or she was letting her writer’s mind go and painting a picture that fit the narrative in her head.
Either way, he had a determination that probably shouldn’t be underestimated.
“I’ll have breakfast with you, and then I need to write.”
“Good enough. I have a briefing at thirteen hundred hours, so the morning is yours.”
“Another op?”
“Not sure yet. The fighting in Adan might’ve changed the landscape enough for us to get pulled out. Yemen is a failed state, and there might not be much more we can do for the time being.”
Walking in the direction of her barrack, she nodded. “There were more than two sides going at it yesterday, so I imagine selling our involvement to Congress is going to be damn near impossible.”
“The state of the world is never going to leave us short of options, so it’s always a matter of the best worst choice.”
“Seems I’ve been chasing that best-worst choice for the last couple of years and writing about it.” She opened the door to her place and stepped inside. When she stopped in the doorway, Ace almost plowed her over. “What are you doing?”
“Coming in, so I can put a fresh dressing on your wound.”
“I can do it.”
“I’m a trained medic; let me do it.”
Looking down at her feet, she studied the pattern of dust and then finally looked up. “I don’t want you to freak out and start yelling. I’m too tired to deal with your opinions, recriminations, and judgment.” Inhaling deeply, she met his eyes. “I’ll meet you later in the mess.”
He took her hands and frowned. “Am I that bad?”
Huffing out a long breath, she nodded. “Yeah, kind of.”
“Lisa, I freaked the fuck out when I heard the mortar and gunfire. I have this weird possessive, protective thing going on and it’s so out of control that…”
“Ace, I’m a reasonable, intelligent adult and this isn’t my first rodeo. I’m not taking senseless risks to get my job done.”
“See, I think that’s where we might have differing opinions.”
“And why do you get an opinion on my life?”
Raising his eyes, he shrugged. “I have no good answer for that. All I know is that whatever is happening between us doesn’t leave a lot of room for control and it makes me feel helpless. The only way I know not to lose my shit is to make sure you’re okay and safe.”
“Well…”
“I know; that even sounded crazy to me.”
“You’re not the only one with a little crazy.”
“Yeah? I’d love to hear it, so I can feel better about what’s running around in my head.”
“I was infatuated with you almost from the moment I laid eyes on you. A big old-fashioned adolescent crush that had me almost doodling your name inside hearts.”
“No shit?”
Nodding, she felt her face heat. “It made absolutely no sense since I knew hardly anything about you. I took one look at your face, and I thought: yes, sir, sign me up because it’s him I want.”
Closing the door behind him, he took the coffee cup out of her hand and lifted her in his arms, sitting on the bed roughly. “Am I being punked?”
“No, it’s the truth.”
“God damn.”
“But…”
“I don’t like that word.”
“Infatuation by definition is a fleeting feeling. A short-lived passion or admiration. Not something that can hold up to the reality of every day.”
“I don’t think I like where this is heading.”
“I like my irrational, non-realistic passionate feelings for you, but they’ll be gone in an instant if you don’t stop giving me the vibe that you know better than me.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re a whole lot smarter than I am, so me knowing better shouldn’t be an issue. But I’m a protector by nature, and that’s not going to change. If I think something or someone is going to cause you harm, then I’m going to be loud and firm in my response. You might not like it, but it’s not going to change.”
“I’m not sure what to do with that.”
“Can you take a leap of faith and let me do my thing since it’s coming from a good place?”
“I suppose I could try.”
Nodding, he kissed her head. “I swear; I’m mostly normal.”
“You’re no such thing, Ace. What you do every day is the exact opposite of normal.” Covering his hand, she looked up. “Would you like to go on a date with me when we’re home and see what happens?”
“I’d love to, and I already asked you out, so this is really you accepting the invitation that I already put out there.”
“And pointing that out was important, why?”
“Not sure, just wanted you to know that I’m kind of infatuated with you too.”
Resting her head on his shoulder, she bit back a laugh. “So, do you want to take this little crush home and see what we can do with it?”
“Yeah, I’d like that, Lisa.”
“Mmmkay.”
“Can we make out after I get your dressing re-done?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Lifting her head, she ran her hand over his face and nodded. “I like you, Ace Henderson.”
“Pretty sure I like you a whole lot more.”
Pressing her mouth to his, she tasted the unnamed thing she always wondered about. The thing she thought didn’t exist.
Why she had to come to Yemen to find it wasn’t immediately evident.