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“That one, too,” she says, and I grab the second bag.
“How many are there?”
“Three.”
I nod, stacking the second bag next to the first.
“That one,” she says, and I hurry to grab the last suitcase.
“I’ll get these two,” I say, taking the bigger bags.
“Where are you parked?” She asks as we make our way toward the parking garage.
“Fourth level.”
She nods, and we walk in silence for a moment, both of us eager to get away from the crowds pouring out of the airport.
“Right here,” I say, leading her over to my black Jeep.
I open the trunk, stowing her bags, and then hurry to get her door for her.
“Still a gentleman, I see,” she says with a warm smile, and my heart flips in my chest.
“Only for you,” I murmur.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
I close her door and try to get it together as I head around to the driver’s side.
I was invisible in high school. Well, as invisible as a six-foot-six-inch guy could be. I stuck to myself, never quite fitting in. I was smart but just okay at school. Having to work a full-time job and struggling to take care of the bills and buy food probably had something to do with my mediocre grades.
My life was going nowhere fast. I had no real options, and I always knew that I was going to have to fight to claw my way out of the gutter that my mom seemed to be so happy for us to live in. Joining the military was the fastest way to do that.
When Dillon was approached by a modeling agent in our senior year, I knew that I couldn’t stand in her way. She was meant to do big things, and I wasn’t going to be the one to hold her back from that.
Now she’s here, though, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s finally the right time for me to tell her how I feel.
TWO
Dillon
The jet lagis starting to catch up to me as Gates shows me around his place. We’re upstairs, checking out the bedrooms, and I hesitate as we pass by his bedroom. The big king-sized bed in the center of the room is starting to call my name.
What would it be like to curl up in his bed? His scent would be all over the sheets, and I just know that would help me drift off to sleep even faster.
His room is pretty plain. It looks like a typical bachelor bedroom. The walls are white, he probably never bothered to paint after he moved in, and there’s only a bed, dressern and bedside table filling the space. No artwork or pictures, no mementos or dirty clothes in sight. Everything is a dark woodn and I love the masculine feel of the space.
I’ve been feeling so exhausted and burnt out lately. That’s part of the reason why I decided to retire from being a plus-size model. The fact that this feeling all started when Gates told me that he was getting out of the military isn’t lost on me.
I’ve always loved Gates. He’s so unlike anyone I’ve ever met, and I’ve always wanted him. How could I not? He’s so hot with his midnight black hair and those green eyes that have me feeling like I’m burning alive every time he looks at me.
It’s not just his looks, though. He’s also just such a sweet person. He was a medic in the military, and that fits him perfectly. He was always so smart, so I know that he must like healing people.
He thinks I don’t know that he was basically a parent to his mom in high school, but I did. I was watching him just as closely as he was watching me. I never mentioned it because I didn’t know how to help him. He’s always been mature for his age and so capable.
He used to follow me around in high school like my own personal bodyguard. Everyone else was always so intimidated by Gates. He was head and shoulders taller than everyone else, and had the silent, mysterious thing down to a science.
