Soft Place to Fall (Navy Book 4)

Chapter 23

"You must be Carmen's mother, Adrianna. Although, I find it hard to believe that you could have a daughter Carmen's age," Will greeted as he ushered the two people into the apartment. Carmen's mother was with the man from the Landau party, Kelly's date, Xavier.

Adrianna gave a little giggle, and Carmen couldn't help rolling her eyes when she realized that she had fallen for Will's pathetic line. Will caught the movement and grinned, and Carmen was pleased to see a bit of his old self suddenly return.

"How old do you think I am exactly?" Carmen insisted, pretending to be upset by the comment.

"Not a day over eighteen," was Will's quick response.

Adrianna was looking from one to the other before she looked at Xavier and then away. Carmen followed her mother's gaze and noticed that the man's cheeks had turned red, suggesting that his blood pressure was a little high.

"Adrianna, this is Will, my...friend." She raised her eyebrow in question.

Will walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, which left little doubt as to exactly what she meant by friend.

Carmen watched Adrianna's eyes dart to Xavier one more time, but this time she licked her lips, it was the nervous tell she had that let anyone who knew her know that she was uneasy

"This is Xavier Ochoa, he's the one I was telling you about, the one with the security company. I think he will do a much better job than the man that you have now..." Adrianna's voice died out when she saw something in the man's gaze that made her uneasy while he watched Will's hand splay across Carmen's stomach in a possessive manner.

Carmen leaned back into Will as if she had been doing it forever and covered his hand with hers.

"I think we got our man Honey, he's not very happy that you have the just been kissed look about you, and he's not happy I'm holding you close either." He nuzzled her ear and Carmen couldn't help the blush that stole across her cheeks as his warm whisper tickled her ear.

"Would any one care for anything to drink?"

Adrianna and Xavier both declined so she motioned to the sofa, inviting them to have a seat. Carmen sat in a chair across from them, and Will perched on the arm of the same chair looking completely relaxed as he pulled out his phone and started to type something with a smile.

Adrianna cleared her throat as she looked away from Xavier. "How long have you and Will known each other?"

"Not long, he works for the people who own the ranch where I stayed." Carmen looked up at him and smiled, he looked up from his phone and returned it.

"What did you do there?" Xavier asked, his gaze zoning in on Will's typing fingers just as Will made a fist and pumped his arm in a motion the signified success.

"Sorry, my horse just won me a pretty penny. What was the question?"

"What did you do at the ranch?"

Will shrugged. "I worked with the horses. I know a lot about horses. He showed Carmen the phone which was just his main screen with icons. "Look babe, that's enough to have one amazing a night out on the town."

Carmen sighed as she turned her attention back to her mother and Xavier. He was playing at something but she wasn't sure what so the less she said the better. "So, Mr. Ochoa, what can you do for me that my current security man can't?"

Xavier gave a tight smile before he placed his briefcase on the coffee table in front of him. "This is what you currently have and this is where I can improve it." He started to walk her through everything and it made her shudder as she realized the amount of detail he had on her current security.