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  “I do. Does the thought of me in fatigues turn you on?”

  Little did he know the thought of him wearing drag would turn me on. But instead I shrugged while trying to appear nonchalant. “I’m just curious.”

  He cut his eyes down toward mine, not buying my statement. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

  “Mine?”

  “Yes, a picture of you. One I can conveniently pull out when I need to.”

  “I don’t have a picture of me in fatigues,” I said, teasingly bumping with my hip.

  “A bikini. That would be a good comparable trade.”

  I stopped walking, causing a traffic jam behind us on the crowded sidewalk. “How is a picture of me in a bikini the same as a picture of you in your uniform?”

  “I don’t know, it just is.” Groans from the annoyed pedestrians did little to deter him from bending to firmly kiss my lips. Once he straightened, he pulled me toward a storefront where a pocket of open space allowed us to continue our conversation without causing a bottleneck.

  Pulling out his phone, he tapped the screen and twisted his wrist to show me an image of him in camouflage pants, a tight ribbed tank top, and his dogtags around his neck.

  “This was halfway through my first tour in Iraq.” Desire instantly flooded in my veins. Shit…he was hot as hell. The tank top left little to the imagination, showing his bulging biceps and well-muscled triceps. He wore a dark pair of aviators over his eyes, but the smirk on his face meant they were crinkling in that adorable way behind the tinted glass. “You like?”

  “Um…” If his eyes weren’t focused on my face I would have licked the screen.

  He tapped his phone a few more times and my phone pinged with an incoming text. “Now it’s yours. Your turn.”

  “I don’t have a picture of me in a bikini, and if I did I wouldn’t send it to you.”

  “Well, that’s not fair.” His beautiful full lips formed a pout.

  “Such is life.”

  “Well, then, I’ll just have to imagine it until a better visual replaces it.”

  “And that would be?”

  “You in nothing.”

  The desire in my veins a few moments ago came to a full boil, and based on the crooked grin that spread over his lips…he knew it.

  David

  The only thing that kept me calm among the thousands of people surrounding us was Maygen. I hated crowds, despised them…especially in one of the most popular tourist attractions in this city. Sitting ducks, I thought. One lunatic would be all it took….

  While she chatted adorably, pointing out things she saw or asking questions referring to my likes and dislikes, my eyes focused on every face of every stranger within ten feet of us. The lack of security in this fucking metropolis infuriated me. If I allowed it to, the paranoia would eat at me to the point I’d never leave the house.

  But I fought for this country, for the right to walk around our city and stare at a massive Christmas tree. The contradiction boomeranging within me between the deep-rooted animosities I had toward how we ran our country and my deep-rooted love of it caused my anxiety to spike.

  “I used to love coming here with my mom. While she stared at the tree with her face lit up, I stared at her.” We stood side by side, Maygen taking in the magic of this holiday, and my eyes taking in her. “The tree is that way.” She pointed ahead, smiling shyly when she saw my eyes trained on her face.

  “I’ve seen it. I like my view better. Tell me about your mother.”

  “Well, she died in an accident when I was twelve. My mom was spectacular. I miss her so much.”

  “I’m sorry. So it’s just you and your dad?”

  “Yeah. My father has been great picking up the slack, but there are just some things a dad doesn’t understand about a daughter.”

  “You mentioned some guy, a half brother?”

  “Reed?” I leaned in closer, having a hard time hearing her. “Not a brother. He’s a very good friend, but like family.” If possible, the crowd had thickened even more during the last ten minutes that we stood in Rockefeller Plaza. I kept her protectively within my arms, but she was still jostled from people bumping into us as they tried to capture their perfect picture.

  When an older gentleman practically pushed his way between us, I tightened my grip and threw him a death stare.

  “Are you ready to leave this madness and find a quiet place where I can enjoy you?” I asked Maygen.

  “Sounds nice.”

  “Good. Hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  “I know just the place.”

  With great difficulty, I managed to navigate us out of the plaza and away from the masses.

  “Where are we going?” she asked when we were finally away from the chaos.

  “You’ll see.” We headed west before switching north and fifteen minutes later I stood proudly before another one of my best-kept secrets.

  “The Burger Hole?”

  “Life altering.”

  Finding an empty booth, I pulled her toward the back of the restaurant. We peeled off the winter layers and sat across from each other in the two-person booth. Amused, I watched her take it all in. It was decorated as if Ronald McDonald had thrown up in a Taco Bell.

  “This is nice,” she wisecracked.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Of course.” Her response was immediate and sincere.

  “Good. You’re about to eat the best burger of your entire life.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  “One question, Pepsi or Coke?”

  “Pepsi.”

  “Oh, thank God. I’d have to dump you if you said Coke. Stay here.” I left her in the booth and ordered two cheeseburgers with the works, two fries, and two large Pepsis.

  Her eyes bulged when I carried a loaded tray back to where she waited. “Those burgers are huge.”

  I raised my brow. “Size does matter. Once you get a taste, you’ll devour the entire thing.” Her cheeks blushed while her lips quirked to the side. “What?”

  “You’re very suggestive.”

  “I’ve been called worse.” I lifted the massive burger, took a huge bite, and motioned with my chin for her to follow. I watched as she stared the thing down like it was going to charge at her. Once I swallowed, I said, “Go on, it won’t bite.”

  Adorably, she pushed up her sleeves, picked the burger up, and chomped down. From where I sat I could barely see her face behind the pile of bun, meat, and toppings. I heard a moan right before she lowered it to her plate while sporting a shit-eating grin.

  “Good?”

  I think she said, “It’s delicious.” But it came out sounding like “Itzdagishis.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the way her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk’s. We spent the next hour talking in between bites of our food. She told me more about her mother, and her very overprotective father. I questioned her on this Reed dude she kept mentioning, and had to admit I felt slightly better after hearing he had a pregnant wife.

  She gave me a glimpse of what her job was like, and how much she loved designing clothing. Our walk down Fifth Avenue came to mind. She looked so ridiculously in her element, so fittingly comfortable among all the poshness. We were from two separate worlds. I had nothing to offer her but a fucked-up man with many demons.

  Barry would have been better suited for Maygen. His father attended Harvard, his mother Princeton. The Prices came from old money, the kind that traveled over on the Mayflower. It was Barry who belonged with a girl like Maygen, not me.

  “Hey, where did you drift off to?” she asked, with concern puckering her forehead.

  “I’m here,” I lied. Glancing down at her plate, I pointed to her half-eaten burger. “You eating that?”

  Her eyes bulged and her mouth gaped open. “You’re still hungry?”

  “I’m good, but it’s a Burger Hole burger,” I noted, as if the logic were obvious. Her eyes widened farther as I leaned over,
picked up the half she’d left, and gobbled it down in a few bites. Once done, I asked, “Dessert?”

  Chapter 9

  Maygen

  “Would you like to come up?” I asked when we got to my building.

  “Are you tired? You have to work tomorrow.”

  “No, it’s only nine. I feel bad I stopped you from having dessert. I do have ice cream.” I felt strange prodding, but I wasn’t ready to end this day.

  “Whipped cream?” he asked, surprising me.

  “No, sorry.”

  “Hmm…tough decision.” He pretended to ponder the options, and sighed. “Okay, I guess.”

  “Well, I don’t want to force you or anything.”

  “It’s okay. I really have nothing better to do.” A stunning grin spread across his face, lighting up his emerald eyes and revealing his perfectly white teeth. The rarity of it caused me to audibly suck in a breath. “What?”

  “Nothing.” I shook my head and looked away. With my eyes elsewhere, I was able to add, “Come, let’s eat some ice cream….I’m freezing out here.”

  He wrapped a protective arm around my shoulders and kept it there until we walked into my apartment.

  Once inside, he removed my coat and gloves, and clasped both my hands between his own. “Your fingers are frozen.” Pulling them to his lips, he blew his warm breath on them. “I kept you outside a long time today. I’m sorry. I tend to forget most people don’t have the same tolerances that I do.” The sadness in his eyes was unmistakable.

  “David, please don’t apologize. I had the best day. Thank you.”

  “You did?” His normal arrogance was nowhere to be found. He didn’t tease or joke. This David looked vulnerable, unsure of himself.

  I noticed he drifted often, and I could always tell when he was far away. During dinner earlier, even though our conversation was light he’d suddenly zoned out. I took the opportunity to study him, my chest aching for whatever it was he’d experienced during his deployment. I was desperate to get to know him better and the questions that plagued me sat on the tip of my tongue, but he needed to want to open up. He might never feel comfortable enough to do so, but regardless, it had to be his decision.

  I still couldn’t help wonder what it was he saw that caused that look of despair to suddenly darken his eyes. I kept my questions to myself, even though the desire to want to console him had become overwhelming in the short time I’d known him.

  “I really did.” I slid one of my hands from between his and placed it on his face. “And I really like you.”

  He pulled me against him. “I am irresistible,” he said huskily.

  And…he’s back.

  The air between us crackled uncomfortably with so much sexual tension it bordered on being painful. “Um…ice cream?” I asked, just above a whisper.

  “Will you share it with me?” On my slow nod he gave me his half smile. “Well, then, that’s an offer I can’t refuse.” His eyes shifted to my lips just as he pressed his against them. All too soon he pulled away, leaving me wanting more, so much more.

  He released me and moved to the couch to get comfortable. A few long moments passed before I moved, and with a quick glance his way I could tell he was getting off on my response to him.

  While in the kitchen, I pressed the message button on my phone.

  “Hey, bitch. Where the hell are you?” Betha’s voice barked through the receiver. “Are you with Mr. Hottie? Are you eating his sausage? Ooh, is he having you for dinner?” She waited a few long seconds and added, “Is that a yes? Call me!”

  The second message was from my dad; the third was another from Betha in which she now detailed what she thought we were doing together….Most of her theories involved me on my knees.

  Thankfully, I didn’t have the speakerphone function going while listening to her X-rated messages.

  I scooped some ice cream out for David and poured wine. When I walked into the living room, he had made himself at home and was flipping through channels on the TV.

  “I hope cookie dough is okay. I’m out of vanilla.”

  “I prefer eating cookie dough to plain old vanilla, anyway,” he teased.

  He accepted the huge bowl I offered and dove right in. My mouth went dry watching him lick the spoon after each taste. After the fifth spoonful, he made it clear he wasn’t sharing.

  “Good?”

  “Delish,” he said, pretending to be engrossed in the movie he chose. Shifting his eyes toward me, he raised a brow and said, “Did you want some?”

  “I was wondering if you were going to share.”

  “Baby, anything I have is yours.” He loaded the spoon up and instead of offering it to me, he slowly placed it in his mouth. Dropping the spoon in the bowl, he then pulled my head toward his. Instinctively, I opened my mouth as our lips met. He used his tongue to force what was left of the lump of ice cream onto mine. “Good, right?” he asked when he pulled away.

  “Very.”

  “That’s enough. I don’t want you to get used to the taste of ice cream from my mouth. It would forever ruin your ice-cream-eating experience and you’ll always want me around to make it taste better. That could be problematic to your life.”

  “I appreciate your concern.”

  “I’m sensitive like that.”

  I received a few more spoonfuls, in spite of his declaration not to spoil me. Once he was done, I settled against him while he draped his muscular arm around me. It felt like we’d done this before, like I’d had him in my life for years and not merely days. We got along so well. It was obvious he liked me, too, even though he didn’t say so. Why would he be here with me if he didn’t enjoy it?

  With his comforting hold on me, I wondered what this was between us. Yet at the same time I couldn’t help but feel the excitement that came from the early stages of a new relationship. Nestling in closer, I fell asleep with a smile on my face that David Cavello was solely responsible for.

  David

  With her thick honey-gold hair lying on her shoulders and spread across my arm, her full pouty lips parting every so often to release a small sigh, and her small frame snuggled up against me, she looked angelic.

  Could life be so kind as to finally gift me with someone filled with so much light she automatically killed the darkness with her presence? The pessimist in me chastised that I couldn’t be so lucky, while my heart felt that I was definitely due for some light in my life.

  I hadn’t moved a muscle since she fell asleep against me. Afraid to ruin this absolutely perfect moment. I didn’t have many moments to cherish. I knew without a doubt this would be one I’d think of often. Afraid to invite my demons by falling asleep and afraid to break the good karma that surrounded her, I spent the entire night thinking of my life before Maygen stepped into it.

  Funny how something could come along and suddenly alter the pattern of your thoughts. I wondered, if I had met her in college, what path would I have taken? I couldn’t fathom walking away from her to voluntarily walk toward hell. Yet I couldn’t imagine not having those years that I served that had become a part of me, as if I grew an extra limb.

  She stirred against me when a ray of sunlight fell across her face. I raised a hand trying to shield her from it, but the brightness relentlessly woke her up.

  Her body stiffened when she realized where she was. “Oh my God. What time is it?”

  “Just before six.”

  She flew out of my arms and the loss I felt was instantaneous. “David, I’m sorry. I can’t believe I slept on you all night. Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “I didn’t want to.”

  “But you couldn’t have been comfortable.”

  I reached for her and brought her closer. “Just the opposite.”

  Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes glassy from sleep, and if at all possible, combined they made her even more beautiful. My breath hitched in my chest while I struggled to control the effects she had on me.

  “Um…I have to get ready for wo
rk.” She stood while her hands nervously fiddled with the hem of her sweater. “Dax is back today, and I’m going to be crazy busy.”

  “Okay. I’ll hail you a cab once you’re ready.”

  “I usually walk.”

  “Really? It’s like twenty blocks.”

  “It’s how I get my exercise.”

  “All right, then I’ll walk you to work.”

  “David, that is so unnecessary. I can’t expect you to—”

  “Maygen,” I said, stopping her words. “I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to. This way I’ll know you got there safe and sound.”

  “But—”

  “Stop arguing, woman. Go get ready.” When she still hadn’t moved, I added, “Do you need me to dress and bathe you too? I’ll do it!” I turned her around and swatted her ass. “Go.”

  “Yes, sir, Mr. Control Freak,” she muttered as she walked toward what I assumed was her bedroom.

  “I heard that. Do you have coffee?”

  “Yep, on the counter. I take mine with milk and sugar,” she called out right before I heard a door close shut.

  I stood in the middle of her living room, torn with what I wanted to do versus what I should do. An internal debate ensued…either follow her and bury myself in her as she held on to the tiled wall in her shower, or make us coffee and ignore the hard-on that had set up camp in my jeans. If my cock had hands he’d no doubt have tried to claw his way through the teeth of my zipper.

  “Settle down, dude,” I informed him when logic kicked in. “It’s not happening for you today.”

  Maygen

  Normally, Monday mornings at Dax Storm Studios consisted of chaos—pure and utter chaos. Monday mornings after he returned from a trip were chaos on crack.

  The upside: My days went by very quickly. I had no doubt I’d be running around these offices all day like a chicken without a head. Before I knew it, it would be 8 or 9 P.M. and I’d have had little time to eat, drink, or pee.

  Regardless, I still loved my job.

  DSS comprised four floors, with the top floor holding the creative team and Dax’s office. A private elevator accessible only to DSS employees connected the different levels as well as an express down to the lobby. Dax had no patience for waiting around when he needed to zoom down to the sample room or make a quick exit.