I stared at the bouquet of tropical flowers in a giant vase. My porch looked alive, as if the portal to a mystical place, where ancient Hawaiian spirits would pop out. I was dumbfounded. How long it had been since anyone gave me such a gift. Or any gift at all.
Pulling into the covered carport, I turned off the Jeep and climbed out. I swallowed my anxiety at finding such a token and gingerly went to the front porch. There was a card tucked in between the lushness. My name was printed on the parchment. Upon turning it over I read the message.
Hoping you feel better soon.
Lex.
Receiving a gift from a guy should be something that makes you happy, fills you with joy. I only felt anxiety, and a tad bit of shame. I was not the type of girl to string guys along. Wasn't raised that way. I had to do the honorable thing.
Sitting on the front steps, I called him. He picked up quickly, not giving me too much time to think.
"Mila, hey! Are you doing ok? Need anything?"
He sounded so happy, it tore at my resolve slightly.
"Thank you for the flowers...they are lovely. It was far too generous of you though."
"I'm glad you got them! I wanted to knock but I didn't want to wake you up if you were sleeping."
Now I really felt guilty. Lex was the nicest guy, in every possible way. Was it worth it throwing away a chance with him, for a chance with Luca? My mind was racing....but my heart was giving me a nudge.
"Lex, I need to tell you..I can't really pursue anything and it wouldn't be fair to you to not tell you. Even if you are about to leave."
There was a pause on the line then he cleared his throat.
"I get it. You probably already have a guy you're interested in. Could it have been the one sitting in the Jeep across from your house last night?"
How did he know about Luca?
"I...well...I'm not dating anyone if that's what you mean. I'm very single. I just..." I sighed, this was hard. "I just can't start anything else right now until I figure things out."
"I hope he treats you well. And he damn well better send you flowers like I did, you deserve them and more." He said. "But in case he doesn't, I'll text you my email. Stay in touch if you want."
We ended our conversation shortly after that, only mildly easing my mind. I could still talk to him if I wanted to. But what guy wants to be second best? Even though I was naive about this stuff I did have the smarts to not promise him anything. I picked up the flowers and went inside.
Tomorrow would bring a beach date of sorts.
For that, I'm ready.
💋💋
I woke feeling refreshed. My mind was somewhat less jumbled now. I had one man in mind today and not multiple. It felt more clear, more normal. Yep, I was a one guy kind of gal. It was just part of my personality. I hoped this time, it wouldn't be my downfall.
Picking out an outfit took a bit longer than every other day. I wanted to look better than I had the last time we argued on the beach. I wouldn't swim, but merely sit and read, until I saw Luca.
Luca...
I slipped on a bikini, then a slinky tank with tiny flowers printed on it and a worn loose pair of Levi cut offs. Perfect for a casual picnic. I even clasped my favorite delicate wave necklace on my neck. It was my favorite piece of jewelry and the first thing I'd bought myself once I moved here. I pictured Luca's eyes and his dimpled face, tanned and sexy, smiling at me as he approached. He would be in uniform. The fitted ones that hugged his muscles oh so perfectly.
Stop or you'll need another shower!
The man was simply something else. I never in my life imagined such an Italian stud would or could be a guy I'd date.
You're not dating him. Not yet.
Ugh...I needed to calm down. Looking at him through the lust only lens wasn't good. It could end up breaking my heart. Especially if he turned out to be like my ex. Instead, I resolved to try my best to get to know him more today. Ask him more questions about his interests. Outside of the marines. Who knows, maybe I could convince him to go fishing.
Yes...Luca helping me hold his pole while he reels a big one in...
Before I got myself too worked up, I added some red lip gloss and mascara, then headed out. The beach was waiting!
💋💋
Men lay prone like cinnamon dusted donuts on the sand.
It was quite the sight. I found a nice shaded spot to spread my towel out and proceeded to watch them. Marines in charge yelled at the those on the ground. Their exposed forearms glistening in the sun, slick with sweat and saltwater. It appeared that the sergeants had gotten wet as well, at some point. I scanned for Luca.
There he is..
He was pacing towards the end. His uniform was wetter than the others, and clinging oh so perfectly to his tight and oh so muscled ass. His back and shoulders popping under the fabric. I suddenly felt sweaty and grabbed my book to fan myself. I needed to calm down. Stop imagining him sweeping me up and having his way with me, the two of us tumbling in the surf, ripping clothing off. My overactive mind and libido had me blushing.
Before I knew it, Luca had turned around. He spotted me instantly and walked to one of the other sergeants. They whispered to each other and then did a complicated handshake. Luca broke off from the training with a sly grin. The sight made me flush all over. Excitement hit me like a wave, threatening to drag me under. He stopped briefly to pick up a cooler that was laying in the sand. Our lunch.
"Mila.."
His voice was all male and directed only at me. I swallowed back a tiny moan and smiled. He returned the smile with those dimples and those eyes.
"You're wet." I stated.
He flushed slightly, or maybe it was my imagination.
"You're not.." He winked.
Oh yes I am!
Stifling a laugh I shook my head. My face must have given my thoughts away because he looked at me as he sat on the edge of the towel.
"We can talk about that later." He teased.
Lord! I could use a cold dunk in the water right about now! If only the water wasn't so warm in Hawaii. Darn tropics. He took out a plastic bag I recognized from the taco joint in town, not far from here. I smiled as he opened the to-go plates and handed one to me.
"Thank you, these are my favorite!" I said.
"Oh really? Good to know...and a good guess on my part. I thought you'd like them."
"But when did you get them? It's barely lunch time now and you've clearly been here for hours.."
His eyes crinkled as he grinned, an air of mischievousness oozing off of him. It made my skin warm.
"I have my ways. Plus I promised to bring in more business for the owners of the taco place in the way of catering gigs for the unit, if they opened early this morning for these.."
Ok. Now I really felt special. This was on par with Lex's flowers. Luca obviously liked me, this much was finally clear. Realizing this was freeing. But also terrifying. How would things go from here? Once he wanted me to open up more...and we actually hopefully began dating, that's the part that scared me. That's when it all went wrong with my ex. A wound like that is very hard to get over.
I stuffed the thoughts back inside and took a bite of my first taco. It was just as good as always, even hours after being made. I let a moan slip out and some of the mango salsa juice dripped down my lips and chin, landing on the skin above my breasts. Luca stopped chewing and swallowed, his eyes watching the dribble. They flashed something else now, desire possibly.
"Mila.." He softly said.
I took a napkin from beside the cooler and quickly wiped my face and chest, flushing with embarrassment. Good grief, of all the times to have a food mishap. I looked back up at Luca and our eyes locked. He was so flipping sexy. Food could never compare to staring at him.
"You better be careful doing that." He said.
Neither of us spoke. Just looked at each other. Then he gingerly took a bite of his taco and licked his lips when sauce tried to escape. I did the same but watched him eat. Imagining what those lips could do beyond food. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife and I was pretty sure we both knew it. Before long, we'd eaten all of the food.
"How much time do you get for a lunch break?" I asked, handing him my trash.
"A good bit. I had to bribe one of the other gunny's with top shelf liquor though. To take care of my guys."
"Oh...I don't want to mess with your training.." I said.
"You're not. I asked you to have lunch with me. I wanted to." He replied. "I thought you'd be more apt to say yes for a beach lunch than out to dinner in Honolulu.."
He smiled and chuckled. Was I being so difficult that he felt this was the only way I'd say yes to hanging out? The horrible realization hit me, he wasn't wrong. But just thinking of riding in his Jeep, in nice clothes, on our way to a romantic dinner in Honolulu...well that sounded good.
"Gunnery Sergeant Ajello?" A female voice called out, breaking our picnic spell.
A medium height blonde strode over from the side, through the trees. I looked at Luca in confusion. He seemed as surprised as me but quickly recovered and answered back.
"Sergeant Leer."
**This story is only found on Wattpad. If found on another site, it was stolen. Thank you for reading.💋**