Forget Me Not (Love in the Fleet) (8 page)

Right there on a public beach. The Ice Queen. He was definitely going to have to come up with a better nickname for Daisy Schneider now. But not this minute, thank you. He had his hands full—literally—trying to get them and other body parts to behave. But he wasn’t having much luck. At least his feet were still capable of rational thought
,
as they jockeyed to keep him standing.

But the next wave knocked them over and water shot up his nose when he laughed at the wrong moment. It was like somebody had turned a fire hose on them. Certainly what they deserved, carrying on like that in public. It had been the most amazing kiss Sky had experienced in his entire life, which had entailed a lot of kissing. But never with a woman standing in the surf, her soaking wet body plastered up against him, her willing mouth hot under his. Because when she’d jumped up and wrapped her legs around him? He was certain he’d died and gone to heaven. It was sexier than full out intercourse. Right out there in public.

The Ice Queen? There was no way he was letting this chick—this
woman
—get away.

Sky swam under the wave and caught Daisy, bringing her up to the surface where he tried to reignite the kiss. She giggled
and pushed him away, coughing and choking. “I’m dying here.”

He dove under again and pulled her legs out from under her. Daisy laughed as she went back under. When he offered his hand to help her up, she yanked him under with her. After dipping and diving a few more times, they rode the next wave in to shore. Then lay there in the spent surf, looking intensely at one another in the shallow water.

He’d been hungry for her for days, and now that he’d tasted her, he was addicted. “What do you say we get out of here, darlin’?”

Daisy gave him her reproving look. He cocked his eyebrow. “So are you saying if I don’t call you darlin’, you’ll come home with me?”

“Maybe. Let’s go eat.” She pushed herself up out of the water.

He followed. Took her arm and pulled her to him, eyes intense. Sky had never been more serious in his life. “I’m not hungry anymore.” He couldn’t imagine eating food when he still had her flavor in his mouth. “I mean, I can wait for dinner.”

“But I can’t. I worked up quite an appetite sanding all afternoon.” She disengaged herself and headed up the beach, leaving him to follow her. Reaching their blanket, she began to unpack the meal.

“Daisy, really. We can pack this up and take it home. You know, get a shower, clean up. Then, you know, have dinner later.”

“Hold your horses, Romeo. We’ve got all night.” Daisy popped open a beer and handed it to him.

“We do?” Sweet. Warmth flooded him as he
anticipated a night of lovin’ before heading out for Norfolk in the morning. It sure would put a smile on his face all week during those boring drug interdiction classes.

Daisy sniffed her T-shirt again. “Well, that washed a little of the sweat away. Really, it was a good idea to just jump in. The ocean, that is. I wonder what Captain Duncan would say if he was here. Isn’t it amazing how he always knows I’m around by my scent?”

Sky propped himself up on one elbow and looked at her like she was supper. “Yeah, I could get used to that.” He sniffed the air.

Daisy blushed. “You were so funny at coffee hour after church today. I guess I never told you George was in the choir. What did he tell you, ‘Just because I can’t see, doesn’t mean I can’t sing?’ Pretty funny.” She picked up a sandwich and started to eat, but stopped when she saw the intensity of his look. “Don’t you think it’s interesting how he always says things like ‘I smell Dr. Daisy at nine o’clock?’ And ‘You’re a sight for sore eyes?”’

Sky wasn’t falling for her distracting chatter and he wasn’t eating either. He sat up and leaned in close to her. “I don’t want to talk about George. I want to talk about you and me and kissing. Better yet? I want to kiss you some more.” He pointed to the ocean. “You can’t sit here and tell me that kiss wasn’t amazing.”

Daisy stopped chewing, paused, and swallowed. No, she couldn’t sit there and tell him that kiss
had not been amazing. And sitting on the blanket with Brian looking at her like she was something good to eat was pretty amazing too. He was a mighty fine specimen, shirtless in the late afternoon sun, all smooth, tanned skin and muscles. And oh, how those muscles had felt as he’d held her up in the ocean with one arm. He’d probably called in all his reserves to do that, so his other hand could... Daisy blushed and had to turn away, remembering the feel of his thumb stroking her nipple. It had been way too long.

“Well?” he asked again.

“Yes, it was amazing.” She turned back to see the setting sun glinting off his red-gold stubble. Probably hadn’t shaved since Friday morning. She couldn’t believe he’d shown up for church like that. Yet he didn’t look scruffy, more sexy as all get out. She’d sat through church with him
that
close to her, smelling his fresh, clean, right-out-of-the-shower-soap-and-water scent. She was afraid to turn her head to breathe him in, fearing she wouldn’t be able to tear herself away. All the time fully aware of the looks she received from the women in the congregation. Some gave her a secret little smile as if to say, “You, go, girl.” They all probably wondered what in the world was going on with Daisy Schneider? She didn’t know, but whatever it was, she wanted more of it, even though it scared the tar out of her.

“But we have to eat now.” Daisy bit into her sandwich. “So tell me about your trip.”

“There’s nothing to tell.” He flipped to his back, obviously resigned to the fact that there would be no more kissing until later.

Brian locked his hands under his head and gazed at the clouds, tinged with pink as the sun settled lower in the sky. “Flying up to Norfolk in the morning for training all week. I’ll be back Friday.”

“What kind of training?”

“Drug interdiction stuff. Mostly theory. Mostly BS. We do the really cool stuff when we go out on patrol, like we’ll do next month. That’s the real deal, and maybe we’ll even bag some bad guys. Nothing I like better than to ruin a drug runner’s day. This week’s probably going to be a waste of time. But at least I’ll get to see my buddies.”

“Bill Gates? And
Lacey
?” A smile lit her face. “Tell me about them.”

Sky turned his head, hand shielding his eyes from the sun. “You’re not going to kiss me again until I do, right?”

Daisy laughed. “You got it, Romeo.”

“Okay, well, there were three of us guys at Annapolis who are still really tight. My shipmates from Plebe Summer and beyond. We named ourselves the Highwaymen after a night of drinking illicit beer under a highway overpass when we were at the Academy. Well, actually when we were
AWOL
from the Academy. But those beers are still the best tasting ones I’ll ever drink in my life. Anyway, Nick’s on an amphibious assault ship out of Norfolk. Due back from deployment soon. I haven’t seen him in awhile, but we stay caught up online. He can be a pretty funny guy when he wants to be.”

“Funnier than you?” Daisy grabbed her sweatshirt, the late afternoon took on a chill, and she didn’t want to sit in a wet T-shirt. She felt herself blush thinking of his thumb stroking her in the water.

“Honey, nobody’s funnier than me. Anyway, what’s cool is I fly with Nick’s little brother, Mikey, who’s an honorary Highwayman, and he keeps me up to date on what’s going on in Nick’s life.”

Daisy took a sip from her beer, then set it down in the sand. “Mikey? Sounds like a little boy.”

“That’s why it’s so funny, ’cuz he’s six-foot-four. Both he and Nick are giants, played basketball at the Academy. Their last name is Nikolopoulos which is a mouthful, so Nick got the name ‘Nick the Greek’ the second he stepped onto Academy property—and trust me, nobody envied him having to stencil his last name into his skivvies.”

Brian rolled to his side and leaned on an elbow. “When his little brother, Mike, showed up three years later, all it took was Nick calling him ‘Mikey’ one time and that was it. Drives Mikey crazy too, but few people in the service actually like their nicknames. They’re usually bestowed on them.”

Brian was a natural storyteller and Daisy found herself lulled into the rhythm of his stories. Between a day well-spent volunteering, the gentle cadence of Brian’s words, and the late afternoon sun warming her—let alone the heat left over from those kisses in the surf—she hadn’t felt this relaxed and languid
in a long time. She had no idea what the evening held, but was game for just about anything.

“And then there’s Bill. He’s the one who’s married to Lacey. That’s who I’m staying with this week in Norfolk. They’re going to have a baby pretty soon. Man, that makes me feel old. My best buddy married and about to be a father. Anyway, you’d really like Bill and Lacey. They’re good people. Course you’d call them Philip and Hallie, since you don’t like nicknames.”

Daisy knocked her beer over grabbing his arm, as puzzle pieces flew into place. “Philip and
Hallie
? Not Hallie McCabe? From the
Blanchard
bombing?”

“Yeah, well they’re married now so her name changed.”

“You know Hallie McCabe? The McHero who was all over the news a couple of years ago?”

“Yeah, she married my buddy, Bill. I was best man in their wedding.”

A fist closed around Daisy’s heart and squeezed. “You were on a Med-Evac flight with
them
? You were on the
Blanchard
when it was attacked?”

“I was.”

“In the Persian Gulf?” 

“Yeah.”

Daisy’s heart hammered, her stomach churned. She attempted to keep her voice light.

“And you were involved in...?” Combat? Were attacked? Could have been killed? Maybe killed somebody?

“Yeah, I helped defend the ship.”

Daisy found it hard to breathe. “Does that ever bother you?”

And do you suffer from PTSD like Jack did? 

“No.”

“I just thought you did what you told the children. Flew up and down the shoreline, keeping us safe. And maybe did some Search and Rescue when someone got in trouble. I didn’t realize you…”

“It’s a scary world out there, Daisy. And there are plenty of bad guys making it worse. So, yeah, I’ve hunted down my share of pirates, and killed terrorists who needed to be killed, and disrupted my share of drug deals at sea.”

She had the urge to run away as fast as her little legs could carry her. He’d been in combat and killed people? Nobody escaped unscathed from doing that.

“I guess I didn’t—so tell me again about being evacuated with them. I mean, I didn’t realize it was
them
when you mentioned it yesterday.”

Brian smiled at her. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather talk about kissing.”

“No, tell me.” Daisy fought to keep the tremor from her voice. “This is fascinating.”

Brian settled back on the blanket, gazing at the clouds. “Well, it was pretty scary. Not the attack. We took care of those guys. Actually that was thrilling. You know. Doing real world things we’d only trained to do before. But the fact that Bill was in a coma. I felt pretty powerless.”

Afraid he’d see the panic in her face, Daisy busied herself, managing to dish out fruit salad and hoping Brian wouldn’t see her hand shaking.

“I didn’t have control over much that night. I mean, I couldn’t bring him out of the coma or anything. So I did what I could
do. I flew them to Bahrain, then I promised him I’d take care of Hallie if something happened to him. You know, if he didn’t make it. He’s been my wingman since the day we met, and I knew how much he loved her.” He turned and looked at Daisy. “I swear I would have married her if I thought that’s what he’d wanted me to do. And if she’d agreed, of course.”

The tightness in Daisy’s chest constricted even further.

“You would have
married
her? Did you ever tell him this? You know, after he was okay?” She tried to choke down the fruit, but gave up.

Sky
chuckled and turned back to cloud gazing. “Yeah, he said, ‘Gee, I don’t know whether to shake your hand or punch you in the nose.’ But he got it
.
He knew I would have done anything for him. And I know he’d do anything for me. That’s what brothers do.”

“But he’s not your brother.”

“I like to think he is. Funny, I’ve got two brothers of my own, but I’m closer to Bill and Nick and Mikey than either of them.” He turned to her. “Okay, that’s it. Can we get back to kissing now?”

Daisy ignored him as she packed up the food. She was paralyzed by the thought that not only had he been in combat, but he’d somehow felt obligated to Hallie McCabe if her husband had died. She couldn’t imagine how Brian might behave if he knew about Jack. And she didn’t want to find out. “And you felt responsible for his wife?”

“She was his fiancée at the time. But, yeah, I would have taken care of Hallie if he’d died.
Because I promised him I would and…I should keep quiet, right?”

“But marriage is a pretty big deal.”

“So is keeping a promise to your buddy.” He rubbed the top of his head over and over. Then he turned to her. “Way to kill the mood, huh?” He paused, but she just sat there and stared at him. “Anyway, she never came back to the ship. I don’t know how she got permission to go with him all the way to Bethesda, but she got to stay with him the whole time he was at the Wounded Warrior Barracks. She said she knew people in high places and she’d called in a favor. Must have been some favor. So she didn’t need me to take care of her, but I would have.”

“Because you felt obligated
.”

“Yeah.” Brian helped her pack up and turned the charm back on all at the same time. “So can we get out of here now? Go somewhere a little more private and talk about other things?”

“No, Brian, I have to go.” Daisy couldn’t even look him in the eye as she shouldered the picnic bag.

He bolted up. “Already? What happened to ‘maybe?’ What happened to ‘We have all night, Romeo?’”

She worked to keep the desperation from her voice. “Sorry, I’m on call tonight. I don’t have to be there the whole time, but I do have to anticipate being called.”

“Can I come and anticipate with you? I love to anticipate,” he said with the smallest twitch of his lips.

“No, why don’t you go home and anticipate your trip. Surely you have packing to do or something.” Daisy headed toward the parking lot. He chased after her.

“I’d fly up tomorrow in wet clothes with no luggage if it meant I could spend more time with you tonight, Daisy.”

She looked straight ahead, making a beeline for her car. She unlocked the Jeep from the street. Her feet couldn’t carry her away from him fast enough. Daisy climbed into the Jeep and turned to him. “Have a safe trip. I’ll see you when you get back. I’m sure Daisy Mae will have some infirmity from missing you all week.”

She saw the desperation and confusion in his face. “Daisy, what just happened here?”

But she didn’t answer. Just slammed her door, put the car in drive, and left him standing in the dust. Surely she’d confused him. He was probably still stuck on that mind-blowing experience in the surf, but Daisy was stuck on two words:
combat and obligation.

Chapter 10

“Dude, you
did
that? I’m in awe of you, man,” Sky said to Philip as they assessed Hallie’s very pregnant belly, where she sat on their living room sofa. Philip, or “Bill Gates” as Sky called him, was the first of the Highwaymen to marry and certainly the first to become a parent.

“Hello. I helped,” Hallie piped up.

Philip
and Sky turned to each other, shook their heads, then looked back at her.

“Nah, it’s a guy thing,” Sky said.

“Do you want to feel her kick?” Hallie asked.

“Oh, I don’t think so, Hallie. It would be a little weird.”

She looked conspiratorially at her husband, “Did you ask him yet?”

“No.” He turned to Sky. “We’d like you to be godfather to Suzanna.”

“Me? A godfather? To a girl? Come on, Bill, you’ve got to be kidding. What could I do for a little girl?”

“Maybe you could teach her about the kind of guys to stay away from?” Philip
laugh
e
d as he sat down and mindlessly stroked Hallie’s stomach.

Sky had to look away from the intimacy. He glanced back when he realized he wanted exactly what Philip had. Suddenly he longed to have a woman in his life that loved him with her whole heart. And who he loved back. A woman who would welcome him sitting with her, stroking their unborn child together. Didn’t know if he deserved to ever have that, but he damn sure realized he wanted to try.

“Now don’t laugh, but I’ve changed my ways. Well, sort of.” Sky pulled up a chair and joined the intimate family gathering. “I kind of met somebody.”

“What else is new?” Philip asked, but changed his tune as soon as his wife reprimanded him with
the look
.

“No, I mean it. Daisy’s different.”

“Daisy?
Sky has a Daisy?” Philip said. He and Hallie looked at each other in disbelief.

“Yeah. She makes all the other women I ever dated seem like bimbos.”

“That’s because they were bimbos, Sky,” Philip suggested.

He looked pensive for a moment. “Well, there’s that.”

“Tell us about her,” Hallie said.

“Well, she’s a vet. Not a military vet; a real vet. You know, a veterinarian. And see, I got this cat.”

“You got a what?” Hallie asked.

“A cat
.
Okay, so I took Daisy Mae—that’s my cat—to the vet and—”

Hallie’s eyebrow arched in amusement. “You named the cat after your vet?”

“Yeah. So that’s how Daisy and I met and we, um, spend a lot of time together.”

“I bet you do.” Philip grinned knowingly as he coaxed him on.

“It’s not like that. We do volunteer work and stuff.”

“Volunteer work? You?” Philip and Hallie exchanged glances.

“Yeah, like community service with old people and little kids.”

“You’re doing community service with old people and little kids?” Philip repeated, incredulous.

Sky’s eyes darted back and forth between them. He was probably shocking them. Hell, he was shocking himself. He shrugged as if it was nothing. “Yeah.”

Philip turned to Hallie. “Honey, do we have a thermometer or should I call the EMTs?”

Hallie’s eyes danced with amusement. “Sorry, but you couldn’t have shocked me more if you told me you were going to church.”

The look Sky gave them said it all. Philip flew from the couch, his hand to Sky’s forehead, feigning distress. “Who are you and what have you done with the Skylark?”

“Hey, cut it out. Her church is working on a Habitat thing and I can hammer as well as the next guy.”

“So is it safe to assume the sex is that
good for you to be doing all this?”

“Philip…” Hallie admonished him.

Sky’s mouth twitched in a wry grin. “I sure hope so.”

Philip tried to keep a straight face, but failed. “You don’t know?”

“Nope. Haven’t had sex since Daisy Mae moved into my apartment.”
And Daisy moved into my heart.
Where the hell had that come from?

“Look, maybe you guys need to take this conversation somewhere else? This is way too much information for me.” Hallie readjusted her maternity top and reached for her book.

“Come on, Sky. Let’s go get a beer. Somewhere we can talk man to man.” And then under his breath, he muttered, “Sky’s got the hots for someone he is
not having sex with. This I gotta hear.”

“Wait. Hallie, you’ll like this. She calls me Brian.”

“Ooh, sounds like a grown-up relationship. You know,
Bri-an,
I’ve never called Philip anything but ‘Philip.’ Well, you know, when I’m not calling him stud muffin.”

Sky put his hands over his ears. “Talk about too much information.”

Hallie and Philip laughed.

She shifted her bulk on the sofa. “My point is, you guys with your sophomoric nicknames—especially you aviators—I think they serve to keep you wallowing in immaturity. Maybe it’s time for you boys to grow up.”