Attached (Coronado Series Book 3)

by Hart, Lea

  “Are you telling me that you’re going to swing off the side of a helicopter and do pull-ups?”

  “Yeah, it’s not that crazy.” A look of horror passed across her face as she studied him. Maybe he didn’t need to tell her about what went on at work. They could just skip that part. He kissed her head. “Do you want to go up in the chopper?”

  “I don’t trust any of you, because you all are crazy, and I mean lock you up crazy.” She continued to shake her head and look at the men in the hangar. She heard the chopper and looked up as the pilot landed it with a graceful touch against the ground. She heard the engines start to shut down and the rotor blades unwind slowly. She watched three men jump out, and they were laughing and clapping one another on the back with big smiles on their face. They all looked like men coming home from the best adventure of their life. One of the men had on shorts and had a prosthetic leg. He was massively built, and the leg wasn’t something that you would notice at first. Her first instinct was to go up to him and thank him for his service, but she didn’t know what the right thing to do was. Where was the manners book in a situations like this? The guys came into the hangar and caught sight of Travis, and they all greeted one another and slapped and hugged each other.

  David walked up to Cary, put his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “We’re all bat shit crazy. That’s why they let us on the Teams. It worked in our favor when we were out there in the world.” He gave her a squeeze. “When you get tired of my best friend, you can give me a call. People always said that I was the more reasonable one out of the two of us.”

  She turned and looked at him and let out a laugh. “You’re just saying that to see if you can cause trouble. You’re really cute, but you’re trouble. No wonder none of Birdie’s matches are working out.”

  “Oh, man….you heard about that. I was out on an op last night and I didn’t mean to stand the woman up.”

  “It worked out, because her friend didn’t show, either. Apparently Birdie had to really talk her into it. She canceled at the last minute because she wasn’t able to get out of a meeting, so I think you were the one who was stood up.”

  “I wasn’t even there. How could I be stood up?”

  “I think she canceled before you called with your excuses. Her call came in before yours. You were stood up.”

  She watched him cross his arms over his chest as he looked out over the airfield. “I didn’t even want to go out with her anyways.”

  Cary patted his arm and used her soft teacher voice. “You just keep telling yourself that. Walk it off… just walk it off. I’m sure it never would have worked out.”

  He let his arms go and turned to her. “You don’t know that. Why would you say that?”

  “Birdie told me all about Gracie, and I don’t think she’s the woman for you. I’m guessing you would like someone who’s really attractive in an obvious way and has a sweet personality. How am I doing so far?”

  “I do like nice, pretty girls. So what?”

  “I’m not judging you. I just think that you and Gracie would be oil and water. Birdie told me that she’s an accomplished lawyer and a skilled negotiator. Apparently she doesn’t put up with bull shit. She looks like a dark fairy and has the sense of humor to go with it. I don’t think you two would’ve lasted ten minutes on a date-I think it worked out for the best.”

  “Are you saying that I couldn’t handle a smart woman? Are you saying that all I can handle is someone who agrees with me?”

  “David, I have no idea what you like. I’ve known you for less than a day. I’m just going by what Birdie said, and she felt that it all worked out for the best. I think she gave Derick her number and thought it might be a better match. I think you’re actually off the hook. She said something about not having any friends who were desperate….or something like that. This should be a good thing.”

  “I’m calling Birdie right now…I can’t believe she thinks that little of me.”

  “I don’t believe she thinks any such thing. She told me that it was probably best if you keep going to that bar for your dates. You should be relieved, because she’s not going to bother you anymore.”

  He heard her mumble under her breath about men who were incapable of making a decisions, and decided to ignore it. He had bigger things to think about and one of them was Birdie Frazier. How could she lose faith in him? That really chapped his hide. He was going to go over there tomorrow and discuss this with her. He turned around and noticed that Cary had wandered off and was talking to Frank. He hoped she was sharing her sunshine with him.

  Travis looked around for Cary, finally spotted her talking to Frank, and relaxed. He figured they were talking about Catalina…at least that’s what he hoped they were talking about. He watched them for a moment longer and realized that Cary was back to pouring her charm out. The last couple of days had just been a blip. She was back to enchanting everyone in her path. Great, he’d brought her to a place with twenty-five guys. Not a smart move. David came up to the group and had a scowl on his face, “What’s up with you, man?” Travis asked.

  “Nothing. I need to call Birdie. I just talked to Cary. She shared some stuff with me, and I’m not happy about it.”

  Travis pulled his friend away from the group for a moment. “What the hell is going on? Cary is one of the most charming women I’ve ever met. There is not a person alive who can resist her charisma. It comes pouring out of her. Half the time she’s not even aware it’s happening.”

  “I didn’t get charming Cary. I got tell like-it-is-Cary. She was very nice about it, but she didn’t spare my feelings.”

  Travis shook his head. “I’m the only person that she acts that way with. Why would she act that way with you? Were you flirting with her?”

  “I didn’t do a thing. She just told me that Birdie isn’t going to set me up anymore. They both apparently think that I should just keep going to the bar and forget about any of Birdie’s friends. Do you know what Birdie told Cary? She told her she didn’t have any friends who were desperate enough to want to go out with me? I always liked Birdie, but I’m starting to change my mind. That woman has a cold heart underneath all that warmth.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? You’ve been complaining about Birdie for six months and have told everyone that you were fine how you were. Now Birdie calls you on it and you’re complaining about it.”

  “Maybe I am ready to meet someone.”

  “Well, you’re shit out of luck with Birdie. Once you are off her list, you’re never getting back on. Maybe it all worked out for the best.”

  He gave his friend a dirty look. “Thanks for your faith, man. I appreciate it.”

  They both looked over as Cary walked up. She smiled warmly at them until she noticed both of their expressions. “What happened to the two of you?”

  They both said “Nothing” at the same time.

  “Well, I’m ready to go home,” Cary said, “because I have a lasagna to make.”

  David looked at her. “Lasagna is my favorite.”

  “You’re invited for dinner. You can come over around seven, and I promise I won’t try and set you up.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you then. I need to make a couple of calls and finish up here.” He stalked off, and they both watched him.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  “Sure. Let me say goodbye to a couple of the guys.” He led her over and noticed that charming Cary was on full display. She was friendly with every person she’d met, and he started to feel a little better. He was still worried about what happened with David. As they made their way out to the truck, he finally couldn’t wait any longer. “Why did you give David a hard time?”

  She turned on him and gave him a dark look. “I did no such thing. Did he say that?”

  “No, he just said that you were really honest with him. You didn’t try and charm him at all. You treated him the way you treat me. Are you attracted to him?”

  “What are you talki
ng about?”

  “You give the world charming Cary. You’re nice with everyone. No one can resist. You never act that way with me, and I thought it meant that you were willing to show me the real you.”

  “I do…I am. David told me that you two are more than best friends. You’re brothers. I treated him like your brother, because he needed a little tough love regarding his dating habits. He just missed out on dating a terrific woman, and I merely illustrated that it had worked out for the best. I might’ve suggested that he wasn’t ready for a real woman. He didn’t seem to like it. In fact, he took it as a challenge. Who would have guessed?” She shrugged and gave him the smile of someone who was an innocent.

  Travis stopped walking and looked at her with newfound respect, because she’d just played David. The woman had talents that he wasn’t even aware of. He would need to stay sharp, because her charm was just a cover for a devious, sharply tuned mind. He didn’t think he could fall harder, but apparently he was wrong. He took her hand, walked up to her and twirled her into him as he plastered his body against hers and looked down into her eyes. “I guess it’s a good thing that you’re mostly on my side, because I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side.”

  He felt her rise on her tiptoes and slip her arms around his shoulders. She gently placed her mouth against his and proceeded to kiss him like she meant it. He held her face as he returned her kisses with eagerness. He faintly heard wolf whistles and shouts from the open doors of the hangar. He lifted his head and looked at a bunch of the guys standing there, making idiots out of themselves. He wrapped Cary back up, gave her one final kiss and flipped his friends off. They could go and find their own amazing women. He finally released Cary and looked at her dazed expression. “I want to make sure that you always look like this when I’m done kissing you. I’m going to keep kissing you like it’s my job.”

  ********

  Travis walked back to the bedroom to see what Cary was doing. “Baby, don’t you want to come out and watch the game with us?”

  She looked up from her iPad. “No thanks. I’m watching House of Cards. I’m obsessed with this show.”

  Travis admired her sitting on the bed folding laundry. She had on one of his T-shirts, and her wet hair was up on top of her head. He could smell freesia again and liked that the bedroom now smelled like her. He looked around the room for a minute and noticed that her stuff was on the chest of drawers, and he liked how the room felt now. He leaned down and kissed her head. “OK. Tell me when you want some ice cream.”

  She smiled at him and turned back to watching her show.

  He went back to the living room and sat on the couch. “She’s watching her show and folding laundry.”

  “Should I go back and thank her for dinner?”

  “No, she doesn’t have enough clothes on.”

  “Well, then I definitely need to go back and say thanks. It would be rude not to.”

  “Sure, go ahead and try it. I promise to break only a couple of bones.”

  “So she’s the one…this is it?”

  “Yes, this is it.”

  “Congratulations, man. How does she feel about it?”

  “She’s in denial right now about her feelings. It’s going to take a while for her to come around. I’m not worried. Eventually she won’t be able to reject the truth.”

  “Let’s just hope her truth is the same as your truth.”

  Travis nodded, watched the game and tried not to let doubt enter his head.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Cary was very quiet in the car.

  “We don’t have to jump if you don’t want to,” Travis, said.

  “I definitely want to jump! I’m scared out of my mind, but I want to do this.”

  “I think once we’re out of the plane, you’re going to be glad you did it.”

  “How many times have you jumped out of an airplane?”

  “Probably thousands of times. It’s the most common way we get to our insertion point. We enter from either the air or the sea. Most of the time, no one ever knows we’re there.”

  “Did you like jumping out of airplanes?”

  “It’s one of my favorite things in the world. I loved how quiet it was up there and the view below. It gave me a real perspective on my place in the world.”

  “You’re a lucky man to have had all of the experiences you did and even luckier to have survived them. I guess I’m lucky too because you went to work every day and put your life on the line to protect this country.”

  He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “I will protect you for the rest of our lives.” He watched her eyes go big and a small smile play at the edges of her mouth. She squeezed his hand back and looked out the window. Good enough for now.

  “So, what’s going to happen this morning? What should I expect?”

  “You should expect to have the time of your life.”

  “What am I going to do during the jump?”

  “You’ll be looking around, probably screaming your head off. Baby, I’m going to take care of everything. All you have to do is hold on and enjoy.”

  “OK. It seems too easy.”

  “It’s one of the many advantages of having a boyfriend who is a retired SEAL. Stuff just gets taken care of.”

  “I didn’t know I was your girlfriend.”

  “We’re living together and spending our time together. I think that makes us boyfriend and girlfriend.”

  “Huh!”

  “That’s all you’ve got?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Impressive.”

  “I thought so. Do I get some kind of class ring or something? Oh….I want one of your sweatshirts. If I have one of your sweatshirts, then it will be real.”

  Travis reached around to the back seat and pulled an old sweatshirt off the seat. “Here you go. Now it’s official.”

  She raised it to her nose. “Well, at least it’s clean. All right.”

  He looked over briefly and nodded his head, then returned his attention to the road. Damn right it’s real.

  ********

  Cary followed slowly behind Travis as they walked up to the building next to the airfield. He held her hand firmly and almost carried her along, because her steps were sluggish.

  He looked back and stopped as she caught up with him. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Why do you keep asking me?”

  “Because you’re walking slowly, and it makes me think you’re having second thoughts.”

  “Quit asking me. Let’s just do this.”

  He kissed her on the head, took her hand again and led them in. A rough-looking man came out of the back, and they greeted each other loudly. “Kevin, you ugly son of a bitch…how are you?”

  The man let out a bark of a laugh as they clasped hands and shook. “Travis, good to see you, man. I can’t believe they let you out.”

  “I can’t, either. Got too banged up on the last one. I guess I have to let the young guys have a chance now.”

  “I hate those young kids. I guess they said that about us at one time. Introduce me to the lovely lady.”

  “Kevin, this is my girlfriend, Cary Simmons.” He watched Cary step forward and put her hand out to Kevin and smile. It wasn’t her usual megawatt smile, and he attributed this to her nerves. He wrapped his hand around her waist and gave her a squeeze of reassurance.

  Cary tried not to fidget. “Are we ready? I’m ready and I think we shouldn’t wait.”

  “So, this is your first jump?” Kevin asked her.

  “Yes and I would like to get it over with.”

  “I think that’s the right attitude. Let’s get you guys suited up.”

  Travis followed his friend towards the back, where they had all the equipment stored. “You left everything out, right?”

  “Yes, you can check everything and pack your chute.”

  Cary tugged on Travis’s arm. “Why do you have to check everything?”

  Kevin answered for him.
“We were taught to check all of our equipment before any jump. Every guy has his own ritual and it’s one that’s as unique as his thumbprint. I never met a SEAL who will jump without checking and packing his equipment.”

  “So, you two served together?”

  “We were in a platoon together for about a year. When you’re out in the field, you learn every man’s habits.”

  Kevin showed them where everything was. “Come out to the plane when you’re ready. It’s a beautiful day to jump.”

  ********

  Cary looked out the window as the plane started to level out and watched Travis throw the door open. The sound was deafening. It felt like she was hit with a wall of sound. She looked over and noticed that Travis was completely unaffected. She watched him check the equipment one last time and move next to her as he attached their harness. He checked everything several times and adjusted some of the straps so that they were tightly secured.

  She felt him lean over. He whispered in her ear, “Keep your eyes open and enjoy.” She felt him kiss her cheek, and she squeezed his hand.

  Kevin gave him a signal, and Travis told her to get on her knees and slide over to the door. She followed instructions, looked outside and felt a huge rush of adrenaline. It was euphoria mixed with fear. She felt Travis at her back as he guided them to the door, and they leaned out of the plane together. It felt like the whole world was open beneath them, and she appreciated the opportunity to get this sort of perspective. She knelt at the door with Travis securely behind her. She looked around and felt her heart open up to all of the possibilities of the world. It felt as if a lifetime passed before she felt Travis push off with his legs and they were outside the plane.