Make Mine A Marine

“You can sit back here,” he said, patting the seat behind his. “Be careful of your calves with the exhaust pipe. Keep your feet up on the foot pads and you should be good.”

She did as she’d been told, but considered if her sneakers would have been a better choice, instead of the flip-flops. Though he was wearing flip-flops, so she wasn’t worried. What she didn’t know was where to put her hands. “You can wrap your arms around my chest or hold on to my shoulders. I recommend the chest since it’ll be easier where we’re going.”

He started the bike and the monster rumbled between her thighs. She wrapped her arms around his hard chest. He must work out every day, she thought. Her fingers itched to slide down and feel the rigid abs she knew were only a few inches below.

She was concentrating so hard on him that it was a good five minutes before she realized Matt had already driven them to the beach. The salty smell bit into her senses. She loved the water.

He steered into a burger joint and turned off the bike. “I’ll be right back, I’m going to grab us some dinner. Anything you don’t like?”

She shook her head, still trying to deal with the throbbing between her legs.

“I won’t be long.” Five minutes later he came out with armfulls of food, sodas and bottles of water. He stowed them in one of the side compartments of the bike.

“I could have helped you,” she said as he climbed back onto the motorcycle.

“No problem. I’m pretty hungry so I got a little of everything. We’re heading over there.” He lifted his chin toward the nearby hill and then put the bike into gear.

They rode right out onto the beach. It was slightly elevated and marked private. He stopped the bike and she climbed off.

“Is it okay for us to be here?” she asked.

He pulled a blanket out of the other side compartment and handed it to her. “It’s owned by some friends of mine. They let me use it whenever I want. Their place is up there.” He pointed up the hill again to a stunning beach house. “They’re gone this weekend, or there would probably be a whole crew of people running around. It’s the go-to spot for a lot of us on the base, especially on the weekends. Put the blanket by the fire pit. I’ll bring the food and meet you down there.”

The sun was just above the horizon, and the reflection was unforgettable on the blue water and white sand. The waves were calling to her. “Do you mind if I swim before we eat?”

“That was the plan,” he said as he stripped of his tank and took off his flip-flops.

Oh. My. Those abs. Seriously. She had to stop herself from gasping. They made men well in Texas. Very well.

After he’d gone into the ocean, she took off her top and shorts and adjusted her bikini, eager to cool her too-heated body. The water was actually warm. Still, it was wet and it felt good to ease the tension from her body. She followed Matt out to a sandbar.

“This is my favorite place to watch the sunset,” he said. She could see why. The water was shimmering, as if topped with sparkling diamonds.

“Are those starfish?” she asked.

“Yes. Last winter there was a cold spell and a lot of them washed up on the beach. Volunteers helped get them back out to sea. Marine biologists say their efforts helped save more than half the local population.”

“I’ve always been fascinated by starfish and seahorses,” she said, and she bent down to get a better look.

He cleared his throat. “We have those, as well, though you probably have to snorkel in one of the coves to see them. We also have a great aquarium in town.”

“Cool. I’ll have to check it out.” It felt a bit strange, hanging out with this man she didn’t know, yet she was more relaxed than she’d been in months. Maybe it was the water, or the pure exhaustion of the day.

Then, from the corner of her eye, she spotted something. She reached out to touch Matt’s arm. “Fin,” she said quietly as she backed away and tried to step off the sandbar for the shore.

He took her hand tightly. “Not what you think,” he whispered into her ear. “Watch.” Suddenly, a dolphin leaped through the air, splashing them on the way down.

Chelly let out a strangled laugh. “That totally scared me.” The dolphin leaped again and then there was another one. It was almost as if they were playing a game.

He laughed, too. “They come around this time to play and eat. You do have to watch for sharks, though, but that’s usually later in the summer. We have bull and tiger sharks that can sometimes be aggressive. But the dolphins are here pretty much year round, unless the water cools too much and then they swim south to Mexico.”

Sharks were on her list of things she never wanted to meet, but she trusted Matt to keep her safe. As the sun set, shivers traveled up her arms. He must have noticed because he glanced down to where he held her hand and let go. “You ready to eat?”

“Sure.”

Back on the beach he got a couple of towels from where the blanket had been stored on his bike and he handed her one. They ate their burgers and fries as the sun went down.

But it was far from dark. The moon was a bright globe in the night sky.

“This has been one of the best days I’ve had in a while,” she murmured. “Sitting here, watching the waves, I can almost forget all the crazy.”

“It’s the best place to just be. Sometimes I have trouble with that,” he said. “Sitting and being still. I prefer to stay busy. But this is the one spot where it’s easy for me to catch my breath.”

She had a feeling there was more to that story. What military men and women went through tore at her heart. But, like her, they didn’t appreciate pity, either.

“I have that same problem. Always on the go. I always have too many irons in the fire, but I kind of like it that way. However, I could do without the recent drama.”

Shoot. That just slipped out.

He leaned back on his arms and glanced over at her. “If it helps, you can talk about it. I’d assumed you’re on the run from something or someone.”

She grinned. “So you think I might be a criminal, but you’re hanging out with me, anyway?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You’re a really good salesperson, so I’m not complaining. Hey, the fact is you made me thousands of dollars today and gave me every cent. You refused the cash even though you deserved it for all the hard work you did.”

She took a deep breath. “I’m not on the run from any criminal activities. And I’m not a con man or—con person—or...whatever—” She gave an unladylike snort. “Sorry. That’s just funny to me. The sales thing, well, that’s a passion for old stuff, really. I mentioned it’s my thing.”

“You drove all night from Nashville, why the rush?”

I had to get the heck out of Dodge.

When she didn’t answer right away, he said, “You don’t have to tell me.”

“My ex,” she said. Why not say it? This guy had been nothing but kind to her, and she’d probably never see him again. “We broke up a while ago, but he didn’t seem to get the memo. When he threw a tantrum at the diner where I was working, I realized it probably wasn’t safe for me to be there.”

Matt quickly sat up. “Did he hurt you?” He very nearly growled the words.

“No. He scared me...bad. Frightened me, actually. I wanted nothing to do with him after that. And when I wouldn’t accept his apology... It’s complicated.”

“What happened?”

“He came to the diner again, caused a big scene in front of everyone. I’d been full-time there so a lot of the customers knew me. It was creepy, embarrassing. I took off and never looked back.”

She shifted to her side. Her story sounded like an episode from one of those crime shows on TV. How had her life slipped so far out of control? “That was the second time it had happened, and my boss said if it happened a third time, he was calling the cops. I couldn’t blame him. I was thinking the same thing.”

“I hate jerks who harass women. They should be locked up.”

Yup. She really liked this guy.