“Thank you, sir.”
“Why were you looking for me?” Ainsley asked.
Her dad frowned. “Had someone I wanted you to meet, but it can wait.”
Probably another one of the rich dudes he wanted her to marry.
“Maybe you can convince my lovely daughter to give up this fool business of hers and help me run one of my companies,” he said.
Ainsley stiffened in front of him. A direct attack probably wouldn’t be the best course of action—especially since this was her dad.
“I’m not sure what you mean, sir. I’ve found her to be incredibly talented and intuitive in her business. She comes highly recommended by her clients. I was reading some of the reviews about her company after she agreed to help me, and she never has less than five stars. I’ve always been so impressed with her. You must be really proud.”
Her father raised an eyebrow and acted like he was about to say something and then stopped himself. “Why don’t you introduce the Major around to our guests?”
“That’s where we were headed,” she said. And pulled him away quickly. “Well, that happened,” she laughed nervously. “At least he didn’t catch us kissing.”
“Kind of felt like he did,” Ben said as she guided him to a larger room on the other side of the big rotunda.
“I know, right? I felt like I’d been caught making out in the closet with Tommy Williams.”
Ben froze, and then started laughing. “Did you really?”
“Yes. He promised to teach me how to French kiss. We were thirteen. Turned out he didn’t know what he was doing and he slobbered all over my face and I threw up on him. Dad heard me, and jerked open the door and I’ll never forget the look on his face. He was so fierce and then he almost fell over laughing. I’d never been so mortified.”
Ben laughed even harder.
“You two are having way too much fun for this particular party,” her sister, Megan, said as she came up to join them.
“I was telling him about Tommy Williams.”
Megan smiled. “I swear every time I see him he turns and goes the other way. She definitely made an impression that has lasted a lifetime.”
“Did that happen here?”
“Oh, no. It was at the Corpus house on Ocean Drive. Haven’t you taken him over there?” Megan asked. “You guys have been dating a few weeks. You should have been using that hot tub. Best view of the gulf is from there.”
They had another house on Ocean Drive? Nothing there was less than a couple of million. This was nuts.
“We’ve both been really busy,” Ainsley interjected quickly. “And mom closed up the house last time she was there. Speaking of Mom, we’d better go find her. If she discovers that I didn’t bring you right over to say hello, she’ll be mad.”
They left Megan and started toward another room crowded with guests. “Thank you,” Ainsley said to him, “for earlier, with my dad. He just doesn’t get what I do.”
“Maybe you should explain it to him the way you did me the first time we met.”
He always wanted to kiss her, especially now, but he didn’t. This wasn’t the time or place for a PDA. “I’ve tried. He was upset when I got a philosophy degree and then didn’t go into law or apply to study for an MBA. It wasn’t what he wanted.”
“That’s crazy. You’re incredibly successful. It’s his problem, not yours. You have to live your own life.”
She squeezed his arm. “You truly are amazing,” she said. “I know people use that word all the time but I can’t figure out a better way to describe you. Seems like you always know the right things to say. And I don’t care about admitting that I needed you with me tonight. I need a man who stands beside me.”
That’s what he had to focus on. She cared for him, and he was good for her. Didn’t matter what her father thought. Well, it did. But she was her own person and could think for herself.
They could sort the rest of the mess out later.
“I feel the same about you, and have from the first moment I met you.”
She smiled and the stress from the encounter with her dad seemed to have dissipated.
By the time they made it to the ballroom—yes, they had a ballroom in their house—he’d met well over sixty people. The uniform was something different to the crowd. He could tell from the surprised looks as they passed through the room. They’d eye him up and down, glance at Ainsley and then smile.
They were polite and respectful. Many even thanked him for his service. A number of them couldn’t tell what branch of the military he was from, but he was used to that.
But they couldn’t hide their curiosity. Who was the guy in uniform with Ainsley, daughter of one of the richest men in the country? The question was easy to see on their faces.
He had nothing to prove to these people, but at the same time he wanted to be good enough for Ainsley.
Even though he was pretty sure he wasn’t.
“There they are,” her mother said, as they approached. He still couldn’t believe how young Ainsley’s mom looked.
“Ma’am, it’s good to see you again.”
“‘Ma’am.’ I love that. Always so polite. I was delighted when Ainsley told me she was bringing you.” Her mother crooked her arm in Ben’s. “So, are you having fun?”
He smiled at her. “I just arrived—” he glanced down at his watch “—but yes, I’m always happy when Ainsley is around.”
“Good answer. My daughter tells me that you’ve been busy with charity duties, helping children and the elderly.”
He looked over at Ainsley, but she shrugged and smiled.
“Yes, we’ve had a couple of events for Toys for Tots. My base also works with nursing homes in the area. A lot of my team members are away from home, and some of the old folks don’t get a lot of visitors. So we take them gifts and visit with them.”
They were surrounded by a group of women, who all said “Awwww” in unison.
“I told you he was a keeper,” her mother said.
“Mom. Please.”
“What?” Her mother smiled. “Strong, handsome and does good work in the community. You could do worse.”
Ainsley rolled her eyes. “Ben, please forgive my mom. I’m not sure what she’s up to, but we may need to have a talk about what’s appropriate and what isn’t.”
“There’s no reason to apologize,” he said. “She’s right. You could do worse.”
Everyone laughed around them.
Her mother patted his back. “You kids have a good time. Ainsley, you should take him on a tour of the house and find him some food. Big strapping man like him needs to be fed often.”
Once again, Ainsley pulled him in a different direction. “We could just hide in my room until it’s over,” she said.
“Now there’s an idea.”
“Trust me, if I could we’d be up there. My mom and dad tend to have extra radar at these events. If Megan and I try to sneak off they always find us. Like Dad with the study. It’s weird. Anyway. I do want to show you the house.”
He had a feeling that in a house like this, her dad probably had an app on his phone that kept in touch with everything. Oh, and he’d counted at least ten rented security types in suits with earpieces since he’d arrived.
“I’m curious about something,” he said.
“What?” They were going down what was the main staircase after seeing so many bedrooms that he’d lost count.
“Why doesn’t your dad have full-time security watching your house? It’s all sort of hitting me, but you do need to be protected at all times. Kidnappers, anyone, could use you as a pawn. He should have an entire team following you around,” Ben said seriously. The more he thought about it, the more worried he felt. She ran all over Corpus by herself. She could have been nabbed
at any time.
She sighed. “My house has a security system. And when I went away to college, I don’t know. The media quit following me. I was the boring one. And then when my family moved here, I stayed in Corpus. No one really cares there. It isn’t a small town, but it kind of is. It’s the one place I don’t feel like I have to worry.”
He guessed she was right, since he’d never really heard of her until they’d met. She was good at keeping her private life private. The only time he’d seen her picture in the paper had been after the bachelor auction, and she’d been with him.
They finished the tour and he bet they’d covered about thirty thousand feet.
“I saved the best for last,” she said. “Well, the pool and kitchen outside are actually my favorite. But this room is a close second.”
They stepped into a room that had just about every arcade game from the eighties one could imagine. Centipede, Tron—they were all there. When he was a kid he’d been invited to a couple of birthday parties that weren’t much different than this. Okay, with the exception of the marble floors, massive bar with every kind of liquor and pristine machines.
“It’s too much, right?” She grinned. “I love Centipede. Dad had to unplug it for a while when I was in the eighth grade so I’d get all my homework done. He told me it was broken. I was so gullible back then. I came in and saw him playing it one day, and I was so mad.”
“Your dad plays these games?”
She nodded. “He started installing the machines in convenience stores when he was still in high school. Then he bought his own machines to go into bigger retail places like arcades and movie theaters. Then he invested that money, and well, if you looked on Google you know the rest.”
“He really is a self-made man.”
“Yes, which is why I don’t understand why he keeps pushing these shallow, good-for-nothing twits—that’s what Bebe calls them—on me.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s a dad thing,” he said, honestly. “I haven’t known you that long and I feel pretty protective of you, even though I don’t have any right to. And he is your father. He thinks he knows what’s best for you.”
She paused with a hand on her hip. “You feel protective of me? That’s really sweet.”
He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him. He never tired of her scent. For of the rest of his life when he smelled vanilla, he’d think of her. “I want what’s best for you, too, and I’m pretty sure that’s where your dad’s head is at.”
“Maybe. But it’s annoying the way he does it. Your way, however, is superhot.” She kissed him, and he couldn’t stop himself. He only stepped back when he heard voices coming down the hall. She once again wiped the lipstick from his face.
“I’m going to the ladies’ room. I’ll be back in a sec,” she said. “Or maybe meet me in the kitchen? I could also use a snack, and I don’t want to try to maneuver through the crowds at the buffet tables. And while I’m a horrible cook, my mom knows how to hire some great caterers. We always have excellent food.”
“Sure. I’ll meet you in the kitchen, if I can remember how to get there.”
They shared a laugh. She turned to walk away, but then glanced back. “It’s the second hallway on the left, go all the way to the end.”
He was glad she clarified because even though he had a head for maps and directions, the house was massive.
Before he could get very far, her father rounded the corner. This time he wasn’t smiling. “Is Ainsley with you?”
“No,” he said. “She’s—”
“Good,” her father said. “Look, son. I’m sure you’re a nice guy and a brave soul. What you young people do, it’s admirable. But I think you know it’s not going to work between the two of you.”
The man was direct, he’d give him that. “Ainsley and I are friends,” he said. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I think you do,” her father repeated. “You have a solid record. I had one of my staff check you out. And you do seem like a good man. But you aren’t the right one for my daughter.”
Hitting him is not an option.
Ben had never considered himself a violent man, not without provocation. But he was tempted.
High road. He had to take it. “The great thing about Ainsley is she has her feet on the ground and makes smart choices. I believe she’s able to decide who she wants to be friends with, and perhaps is a better judge of character than most. You could perhaps learn a lesson or two from her, instead of trying to push her to accept any Fortune 500 CEO that crosses your path. You could perhaps listen to what it is she wants. You raised her to be an incredibly thoughtful and brilliant human being. You should be proud.
“To your point, if I’m good enough for your daughter, I never said I was. But she’s absolutely the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
He had to leave before her father had a chance to say something else, because Ben wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold on to his temper.
He didn’t run, but it was definitely a fast walk down the hall. Head spinning, he stopped at the entry to the busy kitchen. Caterers were going at warp speed. He didn’t see Ainsley.
About to go in search of her, he heard her voice. “I told you no.” She was annoyed.
“Why are you so prickly? You know your dad wants us together,” some guy said.
Seriously, did the universe want him to get arrested at this party? He forced himself to stay where he was. Ainsley could handle herself.
“What my dad wants and what I do are two very different things,” she said. “And I told you on the plane last night, I’m dating someone.”
“Yeah, your dad said he wouldn’t be around long. Come on. No way that guy is going to give you what you really need.”
That was it. He couldn’t take anymore.
Ainsley was shaking her head as he walked up behind the guy.
But the man shook his head right back. This guy was disrespecting her wishes.
“I don’t know who you are but I promise you I’ve got her needs covered,” Ben said. Okay, that came out wrong.
Ainsley rolled her eyes.
The guy turned around and glanced up at Ben.
“Go ahead,” Ben said. “Say something.”
The guy just stared at him. “It’s going to take more than some tough guy to take care of Ainsley the way she expects.”
“Oh, hey, I’m standing right here. And for the record, I don’t need any man. I don’t need anyone to take care of me. Todd, you have to give it up because you and me are never going to happen.”
“You heard her, Todd. Trust that you’re not the kind of man she needs.”
“And you are? She’s just getting her hands dirty with you. I know what’s best for her.”
Ben might have growled at that point. “I’m going to suggest you leave now, Todd. And never say she doesn’t know what’s best. That woman is smarter, funnier, more thoughtful than most people, and she doesn’t need some two-timer like you trying to make her think otherwise. That’s right, I saw you twenty minutes ago with your hand up some brunette’s dress. So get lost before I rearrange your face. That’s what we tough guys do, ya know.”
“He’s serious,” she said to Todd, shoving him quickly into the next room. “I suggest you leave before the tough guy throws you off the property. You and I need to talk,” she said to Ben.
Fine, he had it coming. But he’d had to set the jerk straight.
Ben shook his head. Stupid. That was really stupid what he’d done. But he was frustrated, feeling so out of place. And her dad was right, he’d never fit in. He couldn’t kiss up like these people. It just wasn’t in his nature.
“Ainsley, I...”
She held up a hand to cut him off. “Wait until we are at the be
ach.” Crap. She was really mad. He’d never before heard that edge in her voice.
He shouldn’t have engaged. But he was tired of her father and Todd treating him like less than he was. He’d gotten rid of the chip on his shoulder the second day of boot camp. Yep, he came from poor, but he’d made something of himself. And he was proud.
But her father’s words tore at him. Was he really not the right guy for her? And it wasn’t about taking care of her. She could do that herself. True, he couldn’t always be there for her. He was a career Marine. If she wanted something more permanent, and she’d hinted she did, this was never going to work.
How would she deal with him possibly being on the other side of the world? And it could happen. Maybe her dad was right, but not about the money. Everything was good for them, but they’d spent nearly every day together since they’d met. That wasn’t how it would be when he was on tour. And he could be deployed at any time.
He followed her out to the pool area. There were a few people, and she pulled him off down a path that eventually led to the beach.
“I’m sorry,” he said, knowing he had to apologize. “It’s no excuse, but your dad said a few things to me, and then I walked up on you talking to that guy. And you’d said it was only family last night. But that guy was on the plane with you.”
Dang. He hadn’t meant to say that. What was wrong with him?
She blew out a breath and then took off her heels. “I can just imagine what my dad said. I should apologize for him. I like to think he has my best interests at heart, as you said, but I’m tired of this. All the fighting.”
That was a knock.
“What do you mean?” he asked, carefully.
She tossed the shoes to the ground. “I don’t need a man to protect me or take care of me. I thought we’d covered this. I can handle it, remember? If you see me as some damsel in distress, then move along. Please. I’m beginning to think you are all the same.”
“You’re lumping me in with those creeps you’ve dated?”
“No,” she said. “Not really. But I’m mad. I don’t need you to fight my battles. I was doing just fine with Todd.”
Christmas with the Marine Page 14
