Devil’s in the Details (41 page)

I looked up at the blonde, standing in front of a sports store that had Navy apparel in the front window. Her eyes roaming over the t-shirts, scarves and flags that boasted the blue and yellow that encased her life. I wanted to ask her why she loved the Navy so much, especially after what happened to her.

What struck me the most, was how calm and at peace Victoria seemed standing in front of a window. I had never seen her like this in the entire span of our friendship. Gone were the serious and cautious lines around her brow, like she was always thinking carefully what to say and do next. Instead, her face seemed more open and relaxed, and I had seen her smile more in the last few hours than I had in a year. A happy, relaxed Victoria made her a million times more beautiful, sexy and I felt myself sigh just staring at her.

I loved her so much.

The stupid sentence repeated in my head over and over every time I looked at her digging out doughnuts, catching her staring at my ass or just looking at me with a soft smile handing me a package of cheese.

I loved her so much I ached for her. Everywhere.

The ache had been a mild one for the last few days, only growing when we kissed or hugged and I inhaled the smell of her laundry detergent or her shampoo. The smells sending my pheromones to crash into raging hormones, forcing me to control my body and back away from the woman.

Now the ache was growing too unbearable, notably after I had gotten a full glimpse of what was hiding under those ratty Navy t-shirts and those perfectly tailored uniforms I sometimes saw her in. Barging into her room had been the best mistake I had made in a long time. Then I ruined the moment by spilling the beans about my inexperience.

I grinned at Victoria as she moved away from the window and went into the store. I shook my head and followed after her, knowing she was probably stocking up on more Navy shirts.

Victoria's reaction to my revelation that ladies had not been my forte was amazing and made me fall deeper in love with her. Yes, it was embarrassing and yes, she had laughed at me, but she also made me feel safe as much as she made me feel wanted. Her comments in the grocery store and ogling of my ass, was making it easier for me to get over my fears of being with her, made the ache grow and move further down my body. I was beginning to crave the woman.

Walking into the store, I caught Victoria with a pair of Navy sleep pants and a few shirts in her arms. I grinned, shaking my head, "I can't leave you alone for one minute."

Victoria turned to the sound of my voice, grinning back at me, "These aren't for me." She nodded to the sizes, "They're for you, since you keep stealing mine."

I plucked at the sleep pants and shirt, still grinning when I saw she had specifically picked out ones with the angry goat on the front and side. "Excuses, Commander." I lifted one shirt up and pointed at the tag, "What about this one? It isn't my size."

Victoria's face turned a soft pink color, "Um, I ripped a hole in mine helping Dale fix the fence a week ago."

I laughed at how embarrassed the strong woman was, "Victoria, you don't need to explain it to me. As long as you're happy." I leaned on the counter as she paid for the clothing, "But I do want to know why you love the Navy so much that you practically live and breathe it."

Victoria's smile faded a little as she handed over her credit card to the clerk, "That is a story better left for pizza and beer." She glanced at me, "Just know the Navy is only my second true love."

The way Victoria looked at me, made my heart skip a few beats. I had to look down at the glass display case to hide my own blush. "Fair enough." I looked over my shoulder, afraid to look in her eyes and dug out my phone, searching for O'Toole's number to start ordering the pizza. "Hurry up while I call in the order."

I turned to walk out of the store, sucking in deep breaths. The effect Victoria had on me was profound and I wouldn't have it any other way. I felt the ache inside of me reach between my legs, forcing me to squeeze my eyes shut and curse my conscience. Going slow was going to suck far worse than fumbling through an awkward first time like I could have this morning.

The cheery voice on the other line startled me, asking if I was calling in a carry out or a delivery. I cleared my throat, "Carry out, please."

Two hours later, Victoria and I were elbow deep in beers and pizza. She was in the middle of telling me a story of how the Navy became so ingrained into her life.

“One summer when I was nine, my grandmother took me to the local shipyard and I got to see the biggest aircraft carrier up on dry-docks. They were repainting it and repairing it to send it to Virginia to be sent back out onto the seas. There was something about the sheer size of the ship that captured me as much as it overwhelmed me. Then I saw the sailors walking in and out of the docks. They were just the ship's security, but there was something about that uniform and the way all of the men and woman seemed so happy and proud about the giant ship. It sunk into my young mind."

Victoria looked up at me from the other side of the couch where she sat facing me with her legs crossed, cradling a beer and a plate full of deep dish pizza on her lap, "I became obsessed immediately. I went back to my grandmother's house and pulled out her dusty old encyclopedias to read everything I could about the United States Navy. The history of how it came to be, their uniforms, their influence in all of the wars and I just couldn't get enough."

I smiled softly, twirling my half empty beer in my hands. I was stuffed and falling into a delightful beer buzz, but I was hooked on hearing more about Victoria. "Is that where you also became a history buff?"

Victoria nodded sheepishly, "Sort of. I would ride my bike to the library and pick up all the books I could find on famous Naval officers. Then books written by sailors, soldiers and what not." She sipped her beer, "That lasted until I went to high school and fell into teenage angst mode. Hiding my nerdiness with aloofness and being the science fiction nerd who would read books in the bathroom rather than eat lunch with the others." She picked up her slice of pizza, taking a bite, "I was an honor student and was chosen as valedictorian three months into my senior year. I had maintained a perfect GPA from freshman year on. Nobody knew who I was, though, I always hid in the shadows and studied. I applied to a bunch of universities and was accepted to the best ivy leagues with full scholarships. I was going to get my bachelors and head into the Navy after. Then one day a letter from the Naval Academy fell into my mailbox. Seems my grandmother had sent them my SAT's and ACT's test scores along with my school records. She was the only one who really knew about my obsession with the Navy and wanting to sail the world on one of those big ships."

Victoria began to smile genuinely, picking at the label on her beer, "They offered me anything I wanted. I was a perfect candidate and I signed that day. I graduated a month early so I could start my first semester as a first year and I never looked back. The Navy felt like the home I never had. The way it felt like I had a place in this world.” Victoria frowned, her voice softening, “The only other time I felt like that was during the summers I spent with my grandmother. Watching old movies, riding bikes around the town, making crab cakes and chowder. The Navy gave me the same stability and strength my grandmother did." She sighed, taking another drink from her beer, "I will always love the Navy for the life they gave me."

Victoria looked back up at me, "It wasn't their fault I ended up in that desert, it was the fault of others. Singular people who had very singular ideas about how a war should end." She cleared her throat, picking up her pizza to take another bite.

I set my empty down and stood up, pointing to the fridge, "Another?"

Victoria nodded and I grinned, she was starting to get buzzed from the four beers she had polished off. "What about your parents? You never really talk about them, Victoria."

"That's because there is nothing really to talk about." She kept her head down, focused on the beer bottle in her hands. "My grandmother wasn't my maternal grandmother. She was a grandmother in law of sorts and kind of got stuck with me when I was two. My parents were more interested in lord knows what instead of raising a kid." She sighed, "She raised me like I was hers, and in many ways she was my only family."

I could see the sadness in her eyes. Victoria had always been tossed to the side, a second thought to everyone around her, it was no wonder she had trust issues and preferred the solitude of her life. I stared at her, "What was her name?"

Victoria smiled, cocking her head my direction, "Edith. Edith Lamont." She laughed, "A name fit for the old movies she adored." Victoria finished off the rest of her beer, "What about your mom? I know you've talked about her and Bill a little bit."

I continued to take in this version of Victoria, the one I knew was hiding under her cold exterior. I was so happy to finally see it, be a part of it. I smiled, scooping up the beers and the brochures, to walk back over to the couch. "There's very little left to know about mom and Bill. I've probably worn out my welcome nagging about my mom and how protective she can be." I held up the brochures, before setting them on the coffee table, "You can look at these later, but there is one small boring thing that I have to ask you about."

Victoria looked over at the brochures of boring things I had picked out. Museums, rock formations in Georgia, the handful of Civil War battlefields I wanted to visit, and lastly the stupid water park Stacy told me was amazing and worth every penny. "And that boring thing is?"

Handing her another beer, I scrunched up my face, "My mom has cordially invited you to a Sunday dinner with the family. Family meaning Bill, mom, me and the dogs." I sat on the edge of the coffee table closest to her, "I might have told her over the weekend that you and I were working on something more than a friendship. She went into excited mom mode and thinks it's finally time for you to come over and endure a Sunday of meatloaf, gin rummy and walking the dogs as she fills us in on the latest neighborhood gossip."

Victoria looked up at me, her eyes wide with something I couldn't place. Whether it was uncomfortable surprise that I had brought up meeting the parents so soon, or if it was just a look of trying to search out an excuse to get out of it while on a beer buzz. "This coming Sunday?"

I shrugged, "Maybe?" I shook my head, "You don't have to. Things are too new with you and I, and I told mom it might not be a good idea.  Family dinner so soon might scare you off."

Victoria's hand fell to my knee, "Can you promise there will be meatloaf?"

Giving her a strange look, raising my eyebrows. “Probably?"

"Then Sunday it is, Alex." She leaned forward, trying to move up to kiss me but stopped mid-way, "I want to do this with you Alex, and I promised that I would be more open, more of what you deserved." She paused, "But only if there is meatloaf."

I laughed, shaking my head, "There will be meatloaf." I squinted my eyes at her, "How tipsy are you? I vaguely remember you offering to tell me about some awkward high school days."

Victoria glanced at her beer, "I might need a few more to break out those stories and how I had a different X-files shirt for everyday of the week and had the biggest crush on a certain redheaded federal agent." She smiled and went to reach for me, tipping the plate of pizza over on her lap. She hopped up as she saw the tomato sauce smear over her shirt, "Shit!"

Before I could help, Victoria was up and running into the bathroom, stripping off her shirt the second she reached the sink. I heard the water run along with vigorous scrubbing sounds. I giggled hearing Victoria curse under her breath as she tried to get the greasy tomato stains out before they set in.

I went to set my beer down and go help her when she rushed out of the bathroom and towards the one large floor lamp I had by my bed, holding up the wet fabric to the light to see if she had gotten all of the grease out. She was still grumbling and mumbling, but I didn't hear one word. I was transfixed by the sight of her without a shirt, the light in the room catching all of her curves and angles in a way that made her glow.

I clutched tightly to the glass beer bottle, hoping the cold condensation would curb some of the rising heat, but it didn't. It only made it worse as I continued to stare. Watching Victoria bend and move, the muscles in her arms and stomach, twist and flex.

"Shit." The curse word blew out in a breath and I bit my bottom lip as my body began to throb, eyes running up and down the blonde standing oblivious to my staring, examining her wet shirt. I sucked in a deep breath, hoping it would help calm me down, but somehow my body saw it as incentive and motivation to stand up and start walking over to the half-naked woman who was now digging in her shopping bags for a clean shirt.

There was only one thought in my head as my liquid courage drove my feet to take step after step. Fuck going slow. I no longer cared if I was a fumbling idiot, I had to touch Victoria. I had to run my hands over those muscles, feel them against me as we made love. I wanted to know how to touch her and turn her into jelly like she did me, and I wanted to know right now.

Slowly walking up behind the distracted blonde ripping off price tags of her brand new shirt, I slid my hands onto her sides, waiting only a second for her to acknowledge and relax as my hands moved further to rest against her warm stomach.

I moved closer until I was fully pressed up against her body, soaking up the warmth that was distinctly Victoria, letting it flood my body with a million sensations and even more courage to follow through.