Page 38

Boston, MA

Will

I heard her snort at the top of the stairs, and my balls tightened, a little unsure. I’d asked Marisol’s father for a favor, and now I wasn’t sure what drove me to do it.

“Sweetheart?” His accent was thick. “There’s a young man down here. He looks very nervous. Do you want me to scare him off, mija?”

Louisa went still on the landing. I couldn’t see her, but I heard the quiet catch of her breath.

He leaned closer, whispering just to me, “Bueno?”

I nodded. “Si. Gracias.”

He flashed a proud smile and stepped back.

Louisa peeked her head over the railing, eyes round and darting between us, teeth pressed into her bottom lip. Then she squeezed her eyes shut and the handrail at the same time, just briefly, and a grin spread over her face.

“Papi, no!’’ She giggled. “I’m coming!”

She practically skipped down the stairs, no shoes on, and threw herself into Mr. Delgado’s arms. She didn’t bother with the graceful descent from every prom scene in the movies—hips swaying, hair bouncing—but I swear my tongue rolled out like a cartoon character anyway.

She looked like she did at the awards ceremony, but this dress was a thousand times hotter. The back was open from her nape to the top of her ass, no bra. Fucking hell. Mr. Delgado looked caught between pride and panic about where to place his hands, and I laughed under my breath at him.

Lou turned to me, cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling.

“A classic Movie Dad moment and a handsome man in uniform? Are you trying to get laid, Sergeant?”

I chuckled, shaking my head at her bare toes, “Where are your shoes?”

And then she hugged me—warm and happy. A simple thank you. My hands slid up her bare back, fingertips brushing over her spine, and I wrapped my arms around her, nose in her hair.

In that instant, I understood Has—how he could love her without needing more than she could offer. Every sense of mine was tuned to her, my body humming from making her smile. My dick was hard, yes, but he could be trained.

I’d thought I couldn’t play this part, being just friends, but it felt too good to give up.

Ah, we all need wit, warmth, and a wee bit o’ trouble to keep us sane. She’s all three, yeah?

Has had politely declined Miller’s offer to find someone to take him to the ball, which was just as well since the only female Marines he knew in Boston told Miller to suck their dicks when he’d asked. Jackson, Miller, and Brooks all had dates of questionable origin, and I laughed to myself, enjoying the familiar rinse-and-repeat stupidity of every unit event—Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children.

Lou was beside herself with barely restrained excitement when Rachel and Jaimie seemed to hit it off with Hasan. She was obviously looking forward to seeing her friends become friends, bouncing on her toes and trying to be cool about it at the same time.

While I was helping Lou into her coat, Has locked eyes with me and held them for a long moment. I broke the connection to open the door for her, but tipped my chin to him, Don’t worry, I got you, before I guided her out, hand hovering low on her back.

The ball was being hosted downtown, and Lou and I opted to get drinks together first—silently agreeing we needed to loosen up. I explained the standard order of events at the Birthday Ball while we sipped cocktails and I tried to keep my eyes up and off of the little bit of thigh visible through a slit in her dress.

The nice thing about one-on-one time with Louisa was without the pressure of what we were supposed to feel, we fell into an easy rhythm. Like we had for weeks on FaceTime. She never brought up what happened, so I dropped the walls I’d put up. Just for the evening.

“I don’t know how I’m going to keep from compulsively saluting people tonight,” she said, straw clasped between her teeth, eyes dancing.

“I’ve got rope in the car if I need to tie you down.” I realized how it sounded as soon as it came out of my mouth.

Her cheeks reddened, and she looked away, blinking. “I don’t know if I should make a joke about murder or sex right now.”

“Both.” I chuckled.

“Mmm. Imagine the chalk outlines.”

I grinned widely, shaking my head. High-five.