Gillian: Bye.
Gillian sighed and put down her phone. Everything she’d said to Andrea was the truth. She couldn’t have done anything differently. If she’d fought Luis, and refused to do what he wanted, he would’ve killed her. He’d already proven he had no problem using and hurting people to get what he wanted.
She thought about Janet and her daughter. Luis had threatened to hurt the little girl over and over if Gillian didn’t do what he wanted, and she knew without a doubt he would’ve followed through. He’d even let one of his friends use little Renee as a shield when they’d bolted for the Beechcraft airplane. Using women and kids to make their getaway was low. Really low. But Gillian wasn’t surprised. They were drug-dealing terrorists, after all.
Trying to shake off her sudden bad mood, Gillian headed into the kitchen to find something to make for dinner. She wasn’t really hungry anymore but knew she needed to eat, otherwise she’d feel sick tomorrow when she had to talk about the hell she’d been through two months ago.
She was staring blankly into her pantry trying to decide on what to make when the buzzer for the downstairs door sounded. Frowning because she wasn’t expecting anyone, Gillian went over to the wall and pushed the intercom button to see who was there.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me.”
Immediately, Gillian’s mood shifted. “Walker! What are you doing here?”
He chuckled. “Let me up, and I’ll tell you.”
Gillian immediately pushed the button to unlock the door to the building. She ran a hand over her hair, wondering what the hell she looked like. Walker had made it very clear he liked her exactly how she was—with mussed hair in the morning, or all made up for one of their dates—but she still couldn’t help wanting to look her best for him.
She’d never seen Walker look anything but completely put together. Even down in Venezuela. He was dirty and sweaty, but she’d still thought he looked intimidating and hot in his black soldier ensemble. Not only that, he had confidence and manliness oozing from every pore at all times.
Gillian had the door open and was waiting impatiently for him when she saw him exit the stairwell and head her way. He was holding a large bouquet of flowers, and inside, she melted a bit. Seeing such a tall, masculine man holding a delicate bunch of flowers made him even more heart-stoppingly gorgeous.
The smile on his face as he approached made her heart rate pick up, and she tipped her chin higher as he got near. The feel of his lips on hers made an electric shock shoot from her lips to her toes. As usual, however, he didn’t deepen the kiss, but put his hand on her waist and encouraged her to step back inside her apartment.
When the door shut behind them and he’d locked it, she asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Can’t I come visit my girl?”
“Of course,” she told him with a smile. “But it’s Wednesday.”
“I can’t come visit in the middle of the week?” he asked.
“You can, but you have work tomorrow. PT early. And it’s not like you to just pop in on a random Wednesday.”
The small smile that had been on his face disappeared and he put the flowers down on her kitchen counter. Then he leaned in and held her face in his hands.
Gillian loved it when he did that. She stared up at him as he spoke.
“Tomorrow’s gonna be hard on you. There’s no way I wasn’t going to be here to support you through that. You don’t need me here, but I need to be here.”
Gillian couldn’t remember a time when a man’s words felt so good.
“And PT?” she asked.
“The guys know I won’t be there.”
“That’s two,” she told him.
“Two what?”
“Two times you’ve missed PT because of me.”
His smile was tender. “And I’d miss a hundred more if you needed me.”
“Walker,” she sighed.
“Come ’ere,” he said and pulled her into him.
Gillian went willingly. Without shoes, she was quite a bit shorter than him, and she could easily bury her nose in the crook of his neck and shoulder. She inhaled deeply, loving the way his woodsy scent made her feel safe and cared for.
They stood like that for several minutes before he pulled back. “Your appointment is at nine, right?”
She nodded against him.
“Austin traffic sucks, so we’ll leave at seven-thirty and if we’re early, we can stop and get some chocolate doughnuts for you.”
Smiling, Gillian raised her head. “What’d I do to get so lucky to find you?”
Walker didn’t answer, but his smile said it all for him. “How’d your call for the Howard anniversary shindig go today? You find a venue?”
“Yeah, The Driskill Hotel agreed to my terms. The party’s less than two months away.”
“That’s good they agreed,” he told her.
“Next weekend, I’ve got a corporate event I organized. It’s a casual family thing the president is throwing to show his appreciation for his employees. He’s rented out the Austin Zoo for four hours, and I have four food trucks parking nearby where everyone can get lunch and drinks for free…do you want to come with me?”
“You want me to?”
“Well…yeah. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”
“I won’t get in your way?”
Gillian chuckled. “Well, if you insist on following me so closely I bump into you every time I turn around, and if you don’t let me do my thing, making sure everything is set up and good to go, then yes you will. But I think I know you well enough to know that you’ll stand back and watch me from a distance, so no, you won’t get in my way.”
He smiled. “Then I’d love to come and watch you work.”
“Have you been to the zoo before?”
“Di, do I look like a man who spends his time at zoos?”
“No.”
“Right.”
“So you haven’t been before?”
He grinned. “No, Gilly, I haven’t been to the zoo before.”
“You’ll like it.”
“No offense, but I don’t normally like zoos. Or circuses. I don’t like seeing animals penned up for the amusement of humans. But that aside, I can’t fucking wait to go to the zoo next weekend, for the simple fact it means that I’ll get to hang out with you and see you kick ass at your job. I can’t wait to see that. And after you’re done corralling food trucks and making sure every man, woman, and child has had an amazing time, I get to stroll around with you, hand in hand, and feel proud and honored that you’ve chosen me, not any of the other men chomping at the bit to have their shot with you.”
Gillian rolled her eyes. “No one’s ‘chomping at the bit’ to go out with me, Walker. You seem to have a warped idea of my appeal.”
Walker leaned in. One arm went around her waist, pulling her against him, and the other snaked behind her head and gripped her nape. “No, I don’t. You’re just clueless. You don’t see the way the stock boys check out your ass in the grocery store. You ignore the guys who live in this apartment complex who practically drool as you walk by, and you’ve taken no notice of the scores of soldiers on base who can’t keep their eyes off you. I don’t give a shit if they look, but as long as you’re with me, I’ll make sure they know you’re off limits.”