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A very tight, almost entrapping hug that made her whimper as she pulled back, breaking the kiss.

“Mary?” he whispered hoarsely – and dropped his arms, immediately stepping back away from her. “It’s okay. I promise. I’m not touching you right now and…”

“It’s just a lot and this might take a while,” she stammered, feeling embarrassed and not wanting to be seen at this moment.

“Hey… hey. It’s okay. How about we make that popcorn and give ourselves a little space,” he offered gently. “Or I can go if you need me to leave.”

“No.”

“Perfect,” he said easily, holding out his hand. “Let’s go watch the television and we can just cuddle.”

“You don’t mind?”

“It’s our first date,” he smiled. “Of course, I don’t mind.”

“I guess technically the bonfire was our first meeting, then we had coffee, and…”

“First dates are magical,” he said easily, smiling at her. “And this feels like our first date.”

Mary shrugged and smiled shyly at him. It was a little odd to think that he didn’t consider the other two times an actual date, but that was okay with her too – because she’d told him repeatedly that she wasn’t looking for a boyfriend…

As they walked back to the kitchen, Jax pointedly threw away the purple wax pot that had cooled, making Mary laugh as he arched an eyebrow at her, smiling. He poured two tall glasses of iced tea while she stood there, microwaving a bag of popcorn, before pouring it into a bowl.

“Movie time, my sweet…” he said playfully, grinning at her, beckoning her towards the sofa.

As she started to sit down, he was setting down the glasses and picking up the small containers of water that they’d been soaking their feet in, moving them out of the way without question.

Within a half hour, they were talking, smiling, and laughing at the cheesy costumes, the intensely dramatic acting, and she was enjoying the movie more than she ever had in the past. It was so great to share this with him, and knew he was having a good time, too.

As they started Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, Mary tucked her head against his shoulder, finding an easy comfort just sitting with him. It wasn’t long before he ‘yawned’ and put his arm around her shoulder, making her smile, because it was so obvious as to what he was doing… and surprisingly?

She didn’t mind.

CHAPTER11

GHOST

Spendingthe day with Mary yesterday had to be like finding a pot of gold. Beautiful, unexpected, magical, absolutely treasured, and he was grateful for the gift of her presence. He never expected them to kiss – nor imagined what it would feel like.

Everything in him was clamoring to hold her, tell her how he felt, or claim her, wanting to make her his… yet none of that could happen. She would bolt – and he couldn’t blame her.

Doing something like that so early in the game was a stupid move on his part, and he needed to cool his jets, just like his friends had cautioned him. Plus, while he had plenty of time because of his commitment to the Air Force – he also knew that his days were numbered here. He had two days left before he had to fly back, and was surprisingly dreading the separation.

He never expected to like Mary this much – nor to have so much fun with her. She was great! He felt like he could be himself and she didn’t think he was dumb or pushy, and there was just this undeniable bond that seemed to click. It was completely okay that she felt cautious, because whatever was building there needed to be strong enough to last, built on trust, and there had to be a sense of independence there also, because of his job.

When Uncle Sam called – he answered.

It was his duty… and now he felt torn.

There was also a burgeoning sense of duty deep within him, wanting to provide and take care of her as well. It was part of the reason he wanted to take her to that supply store that specialized in self-defense and weapons. It wasn’t because he was some weird militant guy, but rather a very concerned being trying to protect someone who was so fragile and precious before him… a lovely being that would be alone much too soon.

Mary was working this morning and he was going to be meeting her later this afternoon, so they could spend the evening together. He had it all planned out and hoped that she was receptive to his little surprise. The idea of simply taking her to dinner had dawned on him, but he wanted to make her feel special.

… And the rest of the team was completely behind him the moment they found out he wanted to borrow a plane, and why.

“Okay, we can have everything wrapped up easily before three today,” Harley said, making a list quickly. “Houdini is teaching a class with Romeo today, so that leaves a few of us available to help.”

“I’m still waiting on the supply order to arrive, so I’m good,” Glory announced. “And Cessna 631 is ready to go.”


Tags: Ginny Sterling Romance