Walker smiled down at her. “God, you’re so refreshing,” he said softly. “You really do say it like it is, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Right, well, I don’t watch those fancy shows with people wearing ridiculous fashions, and I don’t have time to look at magazines like Maxim and Playboy. What I do like is how you feel in my arms. Against me.” He pushed harder on the small of her back until she was plastered against his chest. Gillian could feel his erection against her belly, and she swallowed hard.
“I’ll be sure to stock up on chocolate so you can have some when you get the hankering for a snack. And chips and salsa is one of my favorite things to eat as well. Spicy or mild?”
“Medium,” Gillian whispered, resisting the urge to wiggle against him.
“I like it hot,” Walker said suggestively.
Throwing her head back, Gillian couldn’t stop herself from laughing. When she had herself under control, she looked back up at him. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
Walker was grinning down at her. “Because even after such a short time, you know me,” he said.
They stayed like that for a long minute. Not speaking, simply enjoying being next to each other. Gillian could feel his heart beating fast under her hand and loved that he wasn’t unaffected by their proximity.
Walker took a deep breath, then said, “And now we really need to get going.”
“Right, I’m sure you made reservations,” she agreed.
“Because of that too,” Walker said.
Gillian couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped. She loved that he wasn’t bashful about letting her know how much he wanted her. She wanted him too, but she wasn’t ready to sleep with him yet. She wanted to get to know him better. Her heart said he was the man she could spend the rest of her life with, but her brain was telling her to slow down and make sure.
They walked to her door together and he locked it behind them. They went down the stairs hand in hand and out to his Blazer. Once again, he opened her door and helped her put on her seat belt. Then he shut the door and walked around to the other side.
Gillian felt safe with him. As he pulled out of her apartment complex and headed for the road that led north to Killeen, she relaxed. The night was just starting and it had already been one of the best dates she’d ever had.
Trigger sat across from Gillian at his favorite barbeque restaurant in Killeen and realized he couldn’t take his eyes from her. When he’d first seen her in her apartment, he’d acted without thinking. He’d had her pushed inside and up against her wall before his brain had engaged.
She looked adorable. Her braids, the boots, the tight jeans…it all made him want to take her right then and there. Luckily, he’d come to his senses. He never acted impulsively. That would get him killed on a mission, and over the years his common sense had taken over all aspects of his life. He was always methodical and cautious…except when it came to Gillian Romano, apparently.
He’d loved talking to her throughout the week. She was funny and entertaining. She didn’t monopolize the conversation, and she asked him questions and had no problem answering his as well. He hadn’t even realized they’d been talking for hours until he’d looked at the clock and had been shocked as hell to see the time.
She had a bit of sauce on her chin and, without thinking, Trigger reached over to wipe it off. Instead of being embarrassed, she merely laughed. “Am I covered in the stuff?” she asked with a smile as she brought a napkin up to her face.
“Naw, just a little bit on your chin,” he told her with a smile.
The restaurant was crowded, as it was a Saturday night and they had some of the best barbeque in Killeen. Most of the patrons were soldiers from the base, but there were quite a few families there as well. It was an unconventional place to bring Gillian for their first date, but he wanted her to be comfortable. And there was nowhere more comfortable than here.
“Tell me about your team?” she asked as they chowed down on their smoked brisket and chicken. “I mean, I saw them all in Venezuela, but didn’t really get to meet them.”
“They’re some of the best men I’ve ever known,” Trigger said honestly. “They’re hardworking, brave, and loyal, and they’re also assholes.”
Gillian chuckled.
That was another thing Trigger loved about her…she seemed to know when he was joking with her and when he was being serious. He’d once dated a woman who took offense to everything he’d said when he was being sarcastic or just kidding around.
“But seriously, they can be a bit rough around the edges, but I think we all are. We’re all single, and have been most of our adult lives. The Army’s been our mistress and it can be hard to change our mindset on that.”
Gillian was giving him her full attention. “How long have you been in?” she asked.
“I’m thirty-seven. I joined the Army relatively late compared to some others. I graduated from college and started a job, then realized I hated being cooped up in an office all day. There was a recruiting station across the street from where I worked, and one day on my lunch break, I found myself in their office, talking to them about joining. That was about thirteen years ago.”
“So you’re a lifer then.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah, I haven’t thought about when I’ll retire, but I’ll do at least twenty years,” Trigger said. “I met my team in training.” He had to be careful about telling her too much, but she’d already pretty much guessed that he was special forces, so he kept going. “Lefty, Grover, and I were in the same recruitment class. We slogged through mud, puked, got rained on, got shot at with rubber bullets, and nearly drowned together. We forged a bond that’ll never be broken, no matter what we do in the future or where we go.”
“Well, that sounds fun…not,” Gillian said with a smile.
“It wasn’t, but it was,” Trigger said with a smile. “I knew I was going to be doing something that would make a difference in the world. Even if I couldn’t talk about it to anyone, I’d know.”
“Like rescue hostages from a hijacked plane in Venezuela,” she said quietly.
“Exactly,” Trigger agreed, reaching across the table for her hand. He caressed the back of it with his thumb and didn’t break eye contact with her. “We met Brain, Oz, Doc, and Lucky later, when we were teamed up together. Sometimes I feel as if I’ve known them all my entire life. We can finish each other’s sentences and when they hurt, I hurt, and vice versa. It’s a bond I always wished I had growing up. I’m an only child and always wanted a brother or sister.”
“And now you have six brothers.”
“I do.”
Gillian smiled, then she licked her lips and looked down.
“What? What’s wrong?” Trigger asked, holding on to her hand when she tried to pull back from him.
“I just…what if they don’t like me?”
Trigger couldn’t help it. He laughed.
When he got himself under control and looked back at Gillian, she was glaring at him. Once more she tried to pull her hand out of his grasp, but he held on.