“I didn’t jump on your head,” she protested automatically, as she always did. “And yeah, I think we have. I’ll miss you too. But you need to go and do your thing.”
Aleck nodded.
Kenna gave him a little push. “Go. I’ll clean up our dinner stuff.”
Reluctantly, knowing he really did need to get moving, Aleck headed for his bedroom. By the time he’d packed, Kenna had filled the dishwasher and put away the leftovers. She was standing on his balcony looking out at the ocean when he returned to the living area with his duffle bag and wearing his camouflage uniform.
She obviously heard him and turned. She gave him a wobbly smile and walked toward him. “I don’t know how much this place costs, but that balcony makes it worth every penny.”
Aleck knew she wasn’t fishing to find out how much the condo was worth. She was making small talk to try to make his leaving easier. He met her halfway across the room and cradled her nape in his hand, his other arm sliding around her back. It felt natural now to hold her like this. “I’m coming back,” he said gruffly. “There’s no way I’m fucking dying before I taste your pussy. Before I get inside you.”
She choked out a laugh. “Okay. Good. Because I haven’t gotten to suck you off either,” she returned.
Aleck lowered his mouth and kissed her long, hard, and deep. He was only torturing them both, but he couldn’t seem to stop. He’d always assumed that deployments were harder on the ones left behind. Mustang and Midas always talked about how difficult they were for their women. But he hadn’t realized how tough it would be for him to leave her behind.
When he finally pulled back, they were both breathing hard. Kenna’s fingers were digging into his chest and as he stared into her eyes, a tear finally broke free and fell down her cheek. She immediately used her shoulder to wipe it away.
“I’m fine,” she said almost defiantly.
“I know you are,” Aleck said gently, then kissed her forehead. “Stay here,” he said. “You don’t need to walk me down.”
She shook her head. “No, I want to—”
“It’s hard enough for me to leave you,” Aleck interrupted. “I’d like my last sight of you for a while to be here. In my space.”
Kenna took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said, giving in immediately.
He stared at her for a long moment before swallowing hard and backing away. He needed to just leave already. Staying here looking at her longingly wouldn’t make his departure any easier. “Like a bandage,” he muttered.
“Get it over with fast,” Kenna agreed, on the same wavelength as him, as usual.
Aleck backed away, not taking his gaze from hers until he almost tripped over his duffle bag.
Kenna giggled, and Aleck knew the sound would stay with him the entire time he was gone. He smiled and winked at her, picked up his bag, then backed toward the door. He opened it and gave Kenna a chin lift, then turned, exited his condo, and shut the door behind him.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to walk down the hall toward the elevator. This sucked.
This sucks, Kenna thought to herself as she stood in the middle of Marshall’s empty condo. She wanted to run after him and tell him not to go. But he had to. It was what he did. Who he was. She’d so wanted to ask where he was going and if it would be dangerous, but of course it would be. He was a SEAL, for God’s sake.
Sighing, she headed into the bedroom and got ready for bed. It was early, and she’d planned on doing something much more exciting tonight, but perhaps it was for the best. She and Marshall had been moving really fast. Maybe some time away from each other would be a good thing.
She headed over to the panel on the wall to black out the windows, then hesitated. Why should she? The windows faced the ocean, and the sun rose on the other side of the island, so she wouldn’t be blinded by it in the morning. In fact…
She pushed a button that opened one of the windows a couple of inches, letting in the breeze. The opening was a portion of the window near the ceiling, so no one could accidentally fall out. She couldn’t quite hear the ocean, but the fresh air felt great.
She backed away from the wall of windows and fell onto Marshall’s bed. Immediately she was surrounded by his scent. She had no idea how to describe it, but knew she’d never forget it. She pulled one of his pillows into her arms and buried her face against the softness, inhaling deeply.
Then she cried.
Cried because she was disappointed that Marshall wasn’t fucking her brains out right this second.
Cried because she was scared to death for him.
Cried because she already missed him and he wasn’t even off the island yet.
It had been a long time since she’d bawled that hard, but by the time she got herself under control, she felt a little better.
Marshall would be back; she refused to believe otherwise. In the meantime, she had friends and her job to keep her busy.
She fell asleep in Marshall’s big bed and dreamed about him all night.
Kenna woke up feeling slightly sad, but not quite as scared as she’d been the night before. She took a shower in Marshall’s amazing bathroom and decided that even though it might feel weird, she was totally going to hang out here whenever she could while Marshall was gone. The heated tiles under her bare feet and the warm towel from the heated rack were decadent luxuries, and she had a feeling her own shower would feel totally inadequate now.
But more importantly, being in his space, surrounded by his things, made her feel as if he was still with her.
She rummaged in the fridge for some breakfast and ate out on the balcony, enjoying the view once more. It was around eleven o’clock before Kenna decided she had to get going. She had to work in a few hours and needed to stop at the store on her way home for her weekly groceries.
She packed her things and found a reusable grocery bag she could use to carry the leftovers from last night. Putting the containers in the bag made her relive yesterday all over again, how great it had been…before he’d left, of course. Kenna loved cooking with Marshall. And the fact that he’d wanted to go out of his way to make something special for her put a smile on her face.
She made sure the windows were all closed, the bed was made, her towel was hung up, and the balcony doors were closed and locked, then she picked up her bags and made her way to the door. She looked back before leaving and sighed. She’d been a bitch about the people who lived at Coral Springs, and had judged them unfairly. It was clear it wasn’t cheap to live here, but she had to admit, Marshall’s condo had totally spoiled her. She was officially a fan.
Taking a deep breath, she closed the door and heard it latch behind her. Just to test it out, she put her hand on the reader next to the door. It immediately opened. Kenna smiled and pulled the door shut once more.
She was still smiling as she headed down the elevator and into the lobby. She walked toward Robert, who was sitting at the security desk once more. She assumed he hadn’t been there all night.
“Good morning,” she said cheerily.
“Ms. Madigan, good morning,” he returned as he reached for an electronic device on top of the desk and pushed some buttons.
Kenna had no idea what it was, but supposed it didn’t really matter. “I guess you work days?” she asked.