Looking up, Kenna gasped. Right in front of her was the USS Arizona Memorial. The one she’d taken a boat to when she’d visited it. She was now looking at it from the other side. She could hear birds chirping and, in the distance, children playing on a playground somewhere.
“Here, sit,” Marshall said, nodding to a large flat boulder on the shoreline.
Without taking her eyes from the memorial, Kenna sat. It was more than obvious Marshall had been here before. He sat next to her on the rock and she leaned against him. They didn’t talk, just absorbed the view.
After a while, Marshall spoke. “I come here sometimes when I get frustrated with the Navy. When it feels as if what I’m doing doesn’t make a difference. I look at that memorial and remember that I’m doing important work. If we can eliminate one enemy who might come over to America to try to kill as many people as he can, then what I do is worth it. If my team and I can take out a terrorist leader who might be planning a sabotage like the one that happened here in nineteen forty-one, it’s worth all the angst and hardship.
“I’m only one man, but so were each and every one of the men who died on that ship all those years ago. They had loved ones, doubts, and they were all still serving their country on the brink of war. I respect them, and being here helps ground me.”
Kenna gripped his hand harder. “I’m proud of you,” she told him softly. “Just like I’m proud of those men under the waves that I never knew. They had families who worried about them, worried what the war would mean for them. While I have a feeling I’ll never be all that comfortable when you head off on a mission, that doesn’t mean I’m not proud of you for doing it in the first place.”
Marshall nodded.
They sat on the rock, listening to the waves splashing at the shore lazily for a while longer.
“You ready to go?” Marshall asked.
She wasn’t, but Kenna nodded anyway. He had to get back to work and couldn’t sit out here with her all day. “Thanks for bringing me here.”
“Anytime. I mean that. If you need a break, just let me know and I’ll bring you out here and you can hang with my homies as long as you want.”
Kenna laughed. “Your homies? Who talks like that?”
“Well, no one. But it made you smile,” Marshall said.
“It did.”
He stood and pulled her up next to him. The ground must’ve been uneven, because he seemed taller by more inches than usual. He looked down at her with an intense expression on his face.
“What?” Kenna whispered.
“I want to kiss you but I’m trying to decide if it would be weird. If it’s too soon.”
“It’s not too soon,” she encouraged.
She saw his lips quirk upward before his head lowered. Kenna went up on her tiptoes to meet him halfway.
The second their lips met, she jolted as if she’d been tased, but she didn’t pull away.
God, this man was lethal.
His head tilted and one of his hands came up to rest on the nape of her neck. He didn’t grab her, didn’t force her head one way or another; his large palm just rested on her skin. Goose bumps broke out on her arms as he slowly and tenderly kissed her. His mouth sipped at hers, and when she thought she was going to go crazy, his tongue licked along the seam of her lips.
She opened to him eagerly. Even then, he didn’t get aggressive. He lazily twirled his tongue with hers as they learned what each other liked. Truth be told, Kenna liked everything about this man. She pushed her tongue into his mouth, and he let her take control of the kiss.
When it felt like she might pass out from lack of oxygen, Marshall finally pulled back. But his hand stayed on her nape. He stared down at her as if she was a mythical creature. “I didn’t think this place could get any more special,” he said. “I was wrong.”
Shit. He was killing her. Instead of responding, Kenna put her cheek on his chest and leaned into him. His arms immediately went around her, holding her close. The hug felt amazing.
She felt more than heard him sigh right before he pulled away. “You have no idea how much I hate saying this, but I need to get going.”
“I know,” she said. “How come when something amazing is happening, time seems to race by? But when shit hits the fan, time crawls?”
Marshall chuckled. “Right? I feel that deeply. Sometimes it feels as if our missions are weeks long when in reality they’re only days. And of course when I’m on leave, time flies.”
Kenna smiled. “Same with crappy shifts at work. When I have obnoxious customers, they seem to sit at their table all night. And when I have lovely, kind patrons, they eat and run.”
They smiled at each other for a moment.
“Seriously, thanks for showing me your special spot,” Kenna said.
“You’re welcome,” Marshall said, then he leaned down, kissed her on the forehead, and grabbed her hand once more, starting back through the bushes toward the path and the Jeep.
Before she was ready, she was once more in the passenger seat and they were headed for the bridge. Wanting to lighten the mood, she asked, “Do you see Elodie and Lexie a lot?”
“A decent amount. Why?” Marshall asked.
“I just wanted them to know that people are still talking about the mysterious waitress who has connections to Jurassic Park. I think Paulo and Kaleen are spreading the rumor every shift they work, but it’s been amazing how much nicer people have been acting over the last week.”
“I’ll make sure they know their plan was, and still is, a success. Although I’m equally sure they’d prefer to hear that from you instead of me. I can give you their numbers.”
“That would be weird,” Kenna protested.
“No, it wouldn’t,” Marshall countered. “Trust me, they’d love to hear from you.”
Kenna wasn’t sure about texting people she didn’t really know, but then again, she’d really liked both women, and wouldn’t mind getting to know them better. Besides, if she really was going to date Marshall, she’d probably be seeing them more often. “Okay, I’d like that.”
“Great.”
Before she was ready, Marshall was pulling into the parking lot where she’d left her car. He pulled up behind it and, leaving his Jeep running, got out. Sliding out of her own seat, Kenna met him at the back of his Jeep. They walked toward her Malibu and after she’d unlocked it and put her purse inside, she turned to face him. “I had a good time.”
“Me too.”
“Since you showed me around today, you want to come with me on Sunday to try out a new private beach?” Kenna blurted. She’d been trying to think of how to ask him on a date, but had been nervous, which seemed silly now.
“Yes.” His answer was short and to the point. “You’re working tonight, right?”
“Yeah.”
“How’s Carly doing?”
Kenna wasn’t surprised he’d asked after her friend. “She’s okay. She’s been on edge since the protection order was delivered to Shawn, but she hasn’t seen him.”
“Good. Do you think he’ll come back to Duke’s?” Marshall asked.
“I doubt it,” Kenna said honestly. “I mean, he’s not allowed within five hundred feet of her, and there would be way too many witnesses to him being there if he showed up. He’s more the type who will try to catch her at her apartment or something.”