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“Oh, wow.” I sat up in my seat.
Ricky drove along the top of the embankment that led to a clearing and then turned the truck with the tailgate pointing toward the view. He threw it in park and opened his door. “Stay there.”
He walked around the back of the truck and pulled the tailgate open. I watched him through the window behind the seats. He arranged the blanket on the bed of the truck. He unpacked the contents of the bag. A couple of beers, a bag of chips and what looked like cookies. When it was situated to his liking, he came around to get me.
“You ready?” Instead of the piggyback ride, Ricky reached in with one arm around my waist and his other hand under my ass and lifted me in his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He walked to the back of the truck and sat me down on the tailgate, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he captured my lips with his and kissed me until I could no longer think straight. When he finished, he leaned back and search my face.
“How do you like your date so far?” He swiped his nose across mine and grinned.
“I love it.” I gripped the side of his shirt and leaned up to kiss him again.
My hand pushed under his T-shirt and he shuddered. My nails rain up his sides.
He captured my hands. “Haven’t you had enough?” He kissed my cheeks. “You came three times already.”
“I want more.” I ran my hand down the front of his jeans. “And it was five times.”
Ricky narrowed his eyes and looked up. He mentally counted. “I missed some.”
“Twice the first time and the shower.”
“Ah, yeah.” He chuckled and jumped up on the tailgate beside me. He cracked open a beer and handed it to me. He did the same for himself.
I grabbed the chips and opened them.
“Barbecue.” I smiled up at him. “You remember.”
“Remember,” he scoffed. “You would have eaten them breakfast, lunch and dinner if your mom would allow it.”
I grabbed a cookie, peanut butter. “You are spoiling me.” I laughed and took a bite out of the peanut-shaped cookie.
“Not yet, but I will, just wait.” His voice sounded a little sad.
“How long?” I took a sip of my beer. It soured in my mouth as I thought about how to word my next question. “How long exactly will I have to wait?”
RICKY
How long would I make her wait? The better question is how long would she wait for me.
I meant what I said. I didn’t want her to put her life on hold for me. She had so much out there waiting for her. An exciting new job. She was at a time in her life when she only needed to worry about herself. It was an important step she needed to take alone.
She would never be alone. With the guys looking out for her, she would always have a safety net. We looked after each other, but she had to try. How did I convey to her I needed her, but I didn’t want her to need me? Not yet anyway.
She had her own life to live, and I had to keep my promise to her brother.
“Two years.” Where did that come from? It was a case of my heart speaking for my head.
“Two years?” She looked over at me like I had said two hundred years. Did I say two hundred?
“Yeah, two years.” I sipped my beer and tried to come up with a practical excuse. “My enlistment will be up in two years, and I’ll be ready for a change. Ready to acclimate to civilian life.”
“Isn’t it difficult for some guys coming out to live a normal life?” She sighed. “You seem all right now, but a lot can happen in two years.”
“Baby, I’m not coming out of prison.” I turned to her. “There is a lot of secrecy around my job, but the things you think I do are typically a lot less dangerous than you are imagining. I will fight with every fiber of my being to come back to you no worse for the wear than I am now.”
“For two years?” She hopped off the truck bed and paced in front of me, biting her nails.
“We’ll talk all the time.” I tried to waylay her fears. She ignored me. I grabbed her hand on the next pass and pulled it away from her face. “Pendleton and Vegas aren’t that far away when I’m Stateside. I can visit. You can visit.”
