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When neither Olivia nor I say anything, he takes pity on us and spells it out.
“Would you like to move into a Quonset? Together?”
Why is he spearing me with his piercing blue gaze? It’s not my call.
Leave it to Olivia to smooth things over. She steps in between my feet, tucking herself close, and rising on tiptoe so we can speak quietly.
“I don’t know if we’re ready to do all the things we’ve both been fantasizing about, Ty, but perhaps we could figure that out in private?”
“You’d like that?” I’m stunned and overwhelmed and feeling more joyous than when I’m dancing, which is saying a lot. I focus on her mouth so I can read her lips because my heart is pounding so loudly, I’ll never be able to hear her response.
“Yes, Ty. I’d love to move into the Quonset and see how things progress.”
I don’t know who moves first, but we clash together, kissing each other deeply. I’m about to experiment with all the things I’ve been dreaming of, but when I remember we have an audience, I step back and focus on the Colonel. He’s turned his back on us and is pretending to be engrossed in watching bugs swarm the new Main Street lights.
“Yes, Sir. We’d like to take you up on your offer.”
Chapter Thirty
Olivia
We bypass the dorms and head directly to the military area behind them. Quonsets must be cheap and easy to build because the area is full of the arch-roofed metal buildings. Some are long. I imagine they’re the enlisted barracks, mess hall, and offices.
To the north are small Quonsets that must be the ones the Colonel was talking about.
“Nothing fancy,” he says as he swings open the door, “but it’sprivate. No one will bother you here.”
As soon as we cross the threshold, he takes a step back and shuts the door, only to quickly open it to add, “Don’t worry about reveille tomorrow morning.”
Perhaps I imagined it, but I think he winked.
I thought the weird roundness of the building and all those corrugated angles would make this place cold and ugly. Just the opposite. The arched ceiling is at least twenty feet high, and the rear wall is a bank of windows.
When the Colonel said it had a few sticks of furniture, he wasn’t kidding. There’s a table, two chairs, and a bed.
Ty and I are still holding hands, fingers entwined, as we stare at the bed, which looms larger as every second passes. All the sexy things I’ve imagined doing with Ty disappear like smoke when I realize that now we can do them. Am I ready to go forward with a guy I’ve known for a month? Atiger-guy?
“There’s something I’ve fantasized about.” His voice is barely a whisper.
For a virgin, he doesn’t seem to be wasting any time.
“There’s a lot of pressure here. Maybe we could just take a shower together? I imagine we both need one after a long day of rehearsals and then our performance. We could see how that feels? Take things slow?”
That he thinks being naked in a little shower together is the definition of taking things slow just proves he’s a virgin. Somehow, though, his inexperience and gentle offer put me at ease. I’m glad he doesn’t assume we’ll jump into bed together just because we finally have access to one.
Instead of heading straight to the bathroom, he goes to the wall of windows and draws the vertical blinds.
“Some of the wild ones wander at night.”
Moonlight beams through the skylights, which provides just enough illumination to see the shy dip of his head when he turns to look at me.
He’s breathtakingly handsome in his white wedding costume. The form-fitting pants and long brocaded jacket look dazzling against his orange and black markings.
“You were amazing tonight, Olivia. Of course, you danced well. I knew you would, but you were so brave. It took guts to go out there and dance when you didn’t feel prepared. But the way you stood up for Chance… if I didn’t love you before then, I certainly would have after you championed his right to live in the dorm.”
He’s looking at me with such pride, as if my accomplishments are his own. And he said he loves me, which means the first time he said it wasn’t an accident. This allows me to take my first deep breath since Slater closed the door.
“Let’s put a hold on the shower, Ty. How about we start with our clothes on, with a kiss?”
