Invincible

18.

I drove back up to her house to pick her up for Vic’s party. I hoped her dad wasn’t home but I honestly didn’t give a fuck. I doubted that he would tell me off in front of his daughter and risk looking like a fucking hypocrite.

I pulled up and she was waiting outside the gates. She pointed me to a parking space in front to the house. I looked up at the expansive glass windows, and could see her dad watching me. I wasn’t intimidated by him; he wanted to watch? I’d give him something to watch.

“Can we get some coffee first? There’s this great little shop up the street. I traded my addiction to heroin for caffeine.”

“Yup. Let’s go.”

I checked her out. She was wearing a pale peach dress that clung to her body. I couldn’t tell if she had a bra on or one of those camisoles. Either way, I could see the outline of her nipples. I remembered how they felt pulled into buds, how they tasted. The scent of her skin on the curve of her neck.

Her perfume wafted around me. I leaned into her and kissed her, not caring about who saw or my own objections. The words spilled out of my mouth, though the look on her face made me happy I said them. “I’m glad you came and greeted me off the ship. Honestly, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

She touched my face. “I missed you, too.”

We walked up the street.

We ordered two cold-drip iced coffees from Lofty Coffee, this coffee shop a block away from her house. A few people stared at us; I’m sure recognizing her from the magazines. I kept my sunglasses on.

“I’ll be right back, babe.” She nodded and I slipped out the door to The Den, a boutique next store.

The designer clothes and lingerie wasn’t what I was looking for. Then something caught my eye at the counter. “I’ll take this.”

The shop girl grabbed the item and packaged it up. “Is this for your girlfriend?”

I couldn’t tell if she was hitting on me, but I didn’t care. “Something like that.”

I paid, and then went back to the coffee shop.

Annie was turned toward the coffee bar adding milk and sugar to our drinks. Some dickhead handed her the plastic covers, and said something to her to make her blush. I wanted to punch him.

She handed me my coffee. Her cheeks were red.

I put my arm around her and headed back to my truck.

I texted Vic and told him we were on our way. I really wanted to see how she would act around the other team guys and their wives. I wasn’t trying to test her, but I couldn’t help but be curious if there was any possibility that she’d ever fit into my world. I mean, I was still going to ship out and never see her again, without a doubt. But it was like there was a part of me that wanted to know for sure, wanted to see just how stupid any vague lingering idea of us…. No. Annie had been raised with money; I could never give her the type of life that she had been accustomed to before she had been taken. Just no.

God, but she looked hot in that dress.

Forty minutes later, we arrived at Vic’s family’s house. The smell of cumin and lime wafted from the backyard.

I didn’t need to knock. We walked around the back and opened the gate.

About twenty other Team guys, their wives and kids, were milling around the yard. There was one of those bouncy houses for the kids. Vic spotted us. He poked Kyle to get his attention and they both came over.

“Annie! You look great.” Vic hugged her. “Thanks for coming.”

A hug wouldn’t satisfy Kyle. “Hey, sweetheart!” He lifted her in the air. She seemed more excited to see him than she had to see me. But I doubted that she wanted him. Kyle had just never been a jerk to her like I had. Not that I had anything to worry about—we never ever hit on another Team guy’s woman. “How you’ve been? Where are all the hottie friends you promised me?”

She smiled. “I’ll hook you up next time we go out.”

Vic’s mother walked over to us, clutching Vic’s daughter Carina’s hand.

“Mama, this is Annie.”

“Hola, mija. Bienvenida.” I loved Vic’s mom, she was like a second mother to me. She never hesitated to make food for an entire SEAL team or drive downtown in the middle of the night to pick one of us up if we were smashed.

“Encantada, Señora Gonzales. Soy Analía.”

Vic’s mom seemed impressed by Annie’s fluent Spanish. Three-year-old Carina looked up at Annie. Vic’s little princess was adorable: huge brown eyes, long wavy hair. I admired that he made her his top priority when he was in town, knowing that as long as he remained in the Teams they would spend more time apart than together.

“You wanna see my dolls?” Carina asked Annie.

“I’d love to, sweetie.”

Annie followed Carina into the house and Vic’s mom went to the kitchen.

Kyle gave me a devilish grin. “Couldn’t stay away from her for a day. We’ve been back, what, five hours? Have you already hit that?”

“Two days, asshole. She fucking greeted me at the dock. Welcome home sign and everything. Conned me into going to see her family. Dad’s a ring knocker. Tried to bribe me to stay away from her.”

Vic raised his eyebrow. “What’s the problem? You didn’t want to see her anyway.”

“Yeah, man. Take the money and run.” Kyle raised his eyebrow. “Unless there’s something you’re not telling us.”

I glanced inside the kitchen; Annie was on the floor playing with Carina. She gave me a big smile and waved at me.

“I don’t know man. There’s something going on with her parents.”

Kyle glared at me. “Keep talking.”

“I mean, they’re loaded. Like they have this mansion on the beach in Encinitas. And they redecorated her room. I don’t have anything yet, but something doesn’t add up. I mean, I found her and I wasn’t even looking. You think with all that money they couldn’t hire a contractor group to go find her?”

“I thought they hired some guy who took their money?” Vic said.

“That’s what the news stories say, but I mean her dad’s a former Naval Officer—he couldn’t check out this guy’s credentials before giving him three hundred thousand dollars?”

“You’re right. That makes no sense,” Kyle said.

I nodded. “I’m going to put some calls in with some friends who work in security contracting firms. See if they know anything.”

“Let me know if you need anything.” Kyle paused. “So that’s it? You’re just worried about her? Nothing else.”

“I don’t know, man.”

Vic jumped in. “Walsh, she wants you. She’s a good girl. You have nothing to lose. Stop being such a closed-off prick and give her a chance.”

I was going to respond, but Annie walked out of the house, carrying a beer and some food.

She smiled and I couldn't help but think that even though I didn't fit in her life, she sure seemed at home in mine.