AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Geneva blushed again, shifting her weight as she stared at her feet buried in the thick sand. It took all the restraint in my body to resist reaching out and snaking my arms around her perfect slender waist—all in the interest of making sure she kept her balance on the sand, of course.
“Yeah,” Ethan laughed and elbowed me in the ribs. “Are you sure you didn’t bump her with your volleyball on purpose?”
“Knock it off.” I directed my focus on Geneva, “It was a happy accident.”.
“Are you all Military Police?” Tamara asked, her gaze floating between the three of us. The hardness hadn’t quite left her eyes, and I realized we had been rudely ignoring the other woman.
“We’re pilots.” I pointed to me and Ethan. “We’re the ones who refuel the tanks on those huge C-17s you see soaring in the sky.”
“Oh, okay. That sounds pretty cool.” The words were right, but her voice came out flat.
Then there was an awkward pause as her brunette friend turned to give Geneva a look. I’ve seen it before between two ladies. It was a can you believe these guys? look.
“Well, at least let me make it up to you,” I blurted, trying to salvage the situation.
“No, really…” Geneva trailed off.
“Let me buy you dinner.” I didn’t want to come off as too dominating to this beautiful girl. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was scare her away, but I couldn’t let her go so easily.
Geneva gave me a pained expression, as if she were accustomed to receiving a substantial amount of flirtatious attention from men. How could anyone blame her for that assumption? She was gorgeous.
“Thank you,” she politely declined with a glance toward Tamara, “but it’s not necessary.”
My ego was only slightly bruised, but I was able to bounce back, recovering fairly quickly. “Well, if you change your mind—”
Tamara stepped in with a smile that rang false. “We’re just finishing up our shots,” she explained, waving to the crew behind her.
“What is the shoot for, if you don’t mind us asking?” Caleb asked, clearly as desperate as I was to keep the conversation rolling.
I smirked at him. Good man.
“Um,” Geneva glanced at her friend, suddenly seeming rattled. “It’s a vintage swimsuit brand we’re promoting for a magazine. The theme is retro.” Her expression lit up as she explained her job. “The spread will be an advertisement.”
“That sounds awesome,” I said while Caleb and Ethan nodded in agreement.
Geneva’s face switched over to stoic professionalism. “Anyway, thank you for being so apologetic and kind. I assure you I’m not hurt. If you don’t mind, I must be getting back to my group now.”
She turned around, waving behind her shoulder as she strutted off, trekking through the sand back in the direction she initially came. Her friend, the overprotective wingman, was by her side.
I didn’t understand the empty void in my gut, but something told me that it wouldn’t be the last time I laid eyes on the gorgeous face of Geneva Danes. If it were truly fate, maybe our paths would cross again. I was a patient man, I was willing to wait it out. In the meantime, I needed to distract myself.
I turned back to Ethan and Caleb. “I guess that’s it,” I shrugged. “Who wants to finish the game?”
Ethan and Caleb gave me a knowing smirk. If there was anything I knew about myself and my friends, we never quit. We always finished what we started.
Chapter 3 - Worth
I held a sleek glass of scotch, neat, as I always preferred to drink it. The refreshing amber liquid ran through my veins, consuming me with a relaxing, wavy sensation.
As an Air Force military pilot, I didn’t endorse heavy drinking, but all bets were off when I was on vacation with my friends.
I gripped the iron railing of our hotel room’s balcony, glancing out at the little courtyard beside the parking lot. We had a meager view of the ocean, but it was still there, nonetheless. A tiny slice of aqua blue sea was glistening just off in the distance.
A couple wheeling a stroller with a snack-toting toddler walked through the courtyard, and a dog owner threw a yellow Frisbee to his enthusiastic golden retriever. For the moment, life was good.
“What are you doing out here, man?” Caleb approached me from behind, smacking my shoulder.
I shrugged, glancing at him. “Just people watching.”
