No one ever sits at the table in the corner. Carlos keeps the oversized round booth indefinitely reserved for his own personal use. In the few months that I’ve worked here, I’ve only seen anyone there two or three times. And it’s always well-dressed men who never seem to use the front door.
“You need me to grab that one?” I ask Jaxon one Thursday night when I find the ominous table occupied. The restaurant is uncharacteristically busy for a weeknight, and Jaxon doesn’t have an empty seat at the bar.
“No thanks, babe,” he says as a tiny droplet of sweat drips from his brow.
Jaxon throws around terms like that as though they’re everyday language for him. After the first four times, I stopped thinking anything about it. However, if Reid ever overheard him use the generic nickname, I’d probably be unemployed.
He drops a tray of water glasses off with the men in their custom suits then hurries back to his patrons at the bar. He never misses a beat, and the smile on his face illuminates the entire room. I don’t know how he does it.
“Have it your way, Superman,” I yell over my shoulder just before bumping into a very tall, very hard body. Instinct has me gripping his biceps to keep from falling flat on my ass. Even through his dark gray dress shirt, it’s obvious he doesn’t miss a day at the gym. He grabs me at the elbow, stopping me from face planting right into his chest. “Oh my God. I’m so—” My voice leaves me. Full stop.
I forget how to speak. His eyes capture me, holding me in place. I have to force myself to look away. He’s so familiar. My brain files through all its memories until I finally place him. It’s the man Jaxon was talking to behind the bar when I first started working here. I don’t know this because I recognize his face. I never saw his face. I know this because I recognize this feeling.
“I’m sorry,” I try again, focusing my attention anywhere but on his face.
This man is gorgeous—the kind of beautiful that shouldn’t be humanly possible. The kind of gorgeous that I have no business staring at.
He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t have to. I really don’t give him time to. As soon as I spit my apology, I make sure to get as far away from him as possible. I’m pretty sure he joined the men at Carlos’s table, but my mind is too frantic to process. This is the second time in a matter of months I’ve seen this guy, and both times he’s rendered me helpless.
Get a grip, Makenna. Finish your shift then go home to Reid.
That’s exactly what I do. I don’t ask Jaxon about him. I don’t glance in his direction, even though I feel his eyes on my back. I don’t wait to watch him leave. Instead, I finish my night without giving mystery man another thought.
Seven months later…
It’s an official diagnosis. My boyfriend is crazy.After a solid year of hard work, Reid has decided to drop out of school to join the Marines.
The madness stems from a conversation he had with a guy at the bar where he works. Reid is an adrenaline junkie. He loves running and working out until he’s ready to throw up. He loves picking fights with people twice his size. He loves sex in public places. He loves pushing himself to the brink and challenging everyone around him. This is my Reid. He knows no boundaries.
Law school is his father’s dream, not his. I can’t count how many times he’s told me how boring it all is, and how he wishes he could do something more with his future than sit behind a desk hiding behind the law. But the Marines?
“You’re not serious?” I ask as I finish washing the last of our dinner dishes.
“The only thing I’ve ever been more serious about in my life is you.” His eyes are wild with excitement, and his voice trembles when he tells me his plans. “The guy is a sniper, Makenna. He protects people, important people. He protects you. He’s seen parts of the world most people only dream of seeing. And… he’s a certified bad ass. How cool is that?”
I shut off the faucet then turn to face him. “Reid, isn’t that dangerous?”
He takes my face in his hands and looks me in the eye. “I want this, babygirl. I really want this.”
That’s it then. Once Reid has his heart set on something, he’s an unstoppable force. I know there’s not an argument nor plea that I can give that will truly change his mind. Sure, he may decide to listen to me and follow in his father’s footsteps, but inside, there will always be that small voice reminding both him and me that it’s not what he really wanted. I immediately feel selfish for even wanting to try. He’s done so much to please the other people in his life, never putting his own desires first. The fact that he waited a year to have sex with me just to make sure I was ready, and the fact that he has been chasing a dream that doesn’t belong to him are clear examples of that. I don’t want to take this from him just because I’m worried something bad might happen.
“So, when do I have to start saluting you, sir?” I pick at a piece of lint that isn’t even really on his shirt. I just need something to keep my mind somewhere light.
The smile on his face is worth all the money in the world. He whisks me up and spins me around, and I squeal. A moment later I’m backed up against a wall with my legs circled around his waist, staring deep into those bright green eyes.
“You’re really okay with this?” he asks.
My honest answer? I have to be.
The answer I supply him with?
“I’m really okay with this.” For the first time in our entire relationship, I lie. And the taste of my sin is not bitter, but sweet, because as soon as the words have left my mouth, his lips are on mine.
Reid takes me right here, against the wall. Then before I can catch my breath, he has me on the kitchen table, my body his champagne glass as he opens a bottle then laps the liquid from my belly button and tastes it on my breasts. From there he carries me to the shower where he worships every inch of my skin with his skilled hands and mouth. Finally, the celebration ends in our bedroom where once again, he fills me completely, proclaiming his journey into manhood by owning my body. He wraps my long hair around his fist while he kneels behind me, not as a gentle lover satisfying a carnal need, but as a confident man taking what he wants. I welcome the pain and discomfort, and soon I find myself actually enjoying it.
Being with him like this, over the past two years, is going to make the next few months some of the longest days of my life. I almost want to join the Marines just to be with him, then I remind myself this is something he needs to do for him. He deserves it. So, I convince myself to want it too.
After Reid leaves for boot camp, I bury myself in school and work to keep from thinking about how much I miss him. I hadn’t realized until now how much of my world revolved around him. Outside of Brynn and Reid’s sister, Ryleigh, I don’t even have friends. I talk to girls at school, but we don’t share life stories or hang out.