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Seven
MERRICK
I’d seen her photos for weeks now, but those photos didn’t do her an ounce of justice. They couldn’t convey the charm and charisma of being around her in person, or how her smile grew even more beautiful the wider it spread across her pretty face.
No, the photos Jace showed us didn’t prepare us for how cute she was when she laughed, or how instantaneously sexy she looked through the simple act of biting her lower lip. They spoke nothing of her personality either, which was as warm and casual as if we’d known her for months instead of mere minutes.
It almost wasn’t fair, him bringing her over like this. Super cool, perfectly matched. Breathtakingly beautiful inside and out, and yet wholly untouchable and beyond reach for any one of us.
Right now, perched on her barstool, Dakota smelled like vanilla and coconut and all things delicious. I couldn’t stop staring at her legs, either. Mostly because those legs were longer and smoother than just about any woman I’d ever seen, but also because she kept crossing and uncrossing them beneath her short yellow sundress.
She grilled me about Jace, asking question after question about what he did, who he was, and how he’d ultimately arrived here. In many ways it was like she didn’t know him at all, and that’s when I realized she didn’t know the same person I did. Her memories and recollections ended exactly at the point where mine began. She knew the boy who’d grown into the man, and I knew the man who’d grown into the selfless, unstoppable soldier who was now a brother to me.
But Jace wasn’t just a soldier. He was a man whose friendship — along with Aurelius — had been forged in the fires of combat. A fearless warrior who’d risked his own life to save mine, and in doing so, indebted me to him forever.
“Merrick, can I ask you something?”
Our drinks were almost gone. Our time together, almost up. Even though I was taking her to hang out with us tonight, it felt bittersweet.
“Shoot.”
“Does he like me?”
The question was so unexpected it nearly knocked me over. I paused a little too long before regaining my composure.
“Jace?”
“Yes.”
I laughed nervously. “Are we back in high school? Do you want me to pass him a note for you, or—”
“C’mon, you know what I mean,” Dakota smirked. “Look at it from my perspective. I haven’t seen or heard from him in years, and suddenly he’s sending me a ticket to Hawaii?”
“Well he needs you,” I countered. “You’re his date to the officer’s ball.”
“I know, but look at him!” she cried. Her gorgeous blue eyes flitted over me, up and down. “Look atallof you, really.”
I felt ten degrees warmer all of a sudden. “What are you talking about?”
“Jace could have any pick of the island,” she said. “He could bring any girl to this thing that he wanted. So why send for one back home? One that he barely even knows anymore?”
I wanted very badly to order us another round of drinks, but I suspected Jace might kick my ass if I did. Or at leasttryto kick my ass, anyway.
“It’s because of the general,” I explained simply. ““Jace already showed him your photo. He’s committed. The wife he’s been pretending to have isyou.”
Dakota stared back at me, trying to understand. Not knowing Jace as well as I did, I had to continue.
“Look, the general isn’t just his CO, he’s practically Jace’s father, his mentor. The last thing in the world he’ll ever do is disappoint this man.” I maintained eye contact as I drained the rest of my beer. “It’s bad enough he already lied to him about being married.”
She bit her lip, once again driving me crazy. God, shehadto stop doing that!
“So you don’t think he likes me?”
“Well I didn’t saythat,” I grinned back at her. “He’s talked you up an awful lot, actually. Maybe a little too much, now that I look back on it.”
Dakota’s eyes flared. They seemed to come alive with a mischievous inner light.
“So have I lived up to the hype?”
