Devil’s in the Details (24 page)

I went to hold the shadowbox in better light when I heard a grunt and groan from outside, followed by something heavy hitting the ground. Setting the shadowbox back in its place, I rushed back into the kitchen and towards the back porch doors.

Pushing them open I was given a clear and full view of a huge backyard that did indeed look like it fell straight out of
Bringing Up Baby
. I smirked for a moment before turning to my head in the direction of more groans.

Over the medium high white picket fence, I immediately spotted Victoria's blonde hair up in a ponytail. She and an older man were on each side of a large seedling, dragging it towards a hole in the ground. I walked slowly to the fence, my eyes never leaving Victoria. She was sweaty and dirty, and as she lifted her end of the tree's root ball, I could see the muscles in her arms flex and strain. Making me lick my lips and suddenly feel very warm on this cool spring morning. She was stunning, even in the sweat soaked grey t-shirt she wore with her hair sticking to the sides of her face. Victoria was entrancing, and the feelings I felt looking at her bed, tripled. My breath quickened and I had to resist the urge to climb over the fence, grab her and kiss her senseless. Forget this cautious route we were taking and take her to bed.

"Hello Alex!" A soft woman's voice pulled me away from my impolite thoughts. I turned to see the woman who had delivered the flowers and gift to the hospital. I swallowed hard to try and force the desire out of my voice, "Hi! Mary is it?" I cleared my throat, sneaking one more look at Victoria before walking over to the fence. I dipped my head down to try and hide my blushing face, before reaching the fence. "It is." Mary smiled at me in a way that told me she knew exactly what I was staring at, but didn't embarrass me by calling me out on it.

She motioned to the man with Victoria with a dirty garden glove, "That's my husband Dale, he wrangled Victoria into helping him plant the maple tree we bought yesterday." She shook her head, "He wanted to do it himself, but I talked him out of it. He can be a silly old man sometimes." Mary turned to look at me, her eyes scanning me like a protective mother would, "I see Victoria's surprise did the trick."

I blushed again, "Yes ma'am. Thank you for delivering it." I felt like I was center stage.

"You don't need to thank me. I volunteered to do it after Victoria explained the situation to us." Mary reached over and patted me on the shoulder. "I'm a sucker for romance." She let out a soft sigh, turning to look at her husband and Victoria finally succeeding in getting the root ball seated in the hole. "It's good to see someone bring a smile to that girl. She's lived here for years. Always alone. Goes to work and comes home at the same time." Mary turned to me, "I knew when she talked about you that there was more to this story than just friends."

I looked at the older woman, smiling at the way she was so forward and to the point. "There always has been on my side."

I smiled tightly. "I've liked Victoria for a very long time. Probably since the first day I met her and she saved my life." I suddenly laughed, rolling my eyes, "That sounded really cliché, sorry."

Mary squeezed my shoulder, "It's not cliché, it's a true love story." She winked at me just as Victoria straightened up, wiping her brow as she looked directly at me. A big grin spreading across her face as she waved lightly, taking long strides over to the fence.

"Morning Alex." She headed to the open gate next to where Mary and I stood, looking over her shoulder, "Dale, I think you’re good. Call me if you need more help." Dale waved her off, thanking her and then waving at me before he hollered at Mary to follow him inside the house, claiming they needed to leave us kids alone.

I laughed, shaking my head before turning to look at the dirty grinning woman. I looked her over, shaking my head dramatically, "You're filthy."

Victoria laughed, wiping her hands down the front of her shirt, "It happens when you plant trees." She folded her arms across her chest, "How did you sleep? You were passed out and I didn't have the heart to move you from the couch."

I shrugged, "Okay I guess, I mean my couch is more comfortable." I grinned back at the woman who suddenly looked very concerned, "I'm kidding. I slept great." I wanted to reach for her, grab her hand, do something physical to feel closer to her, but I was nervous doing it out in the backyard.

Victoria nodded, "Good. You found the coffee and everything okay?" She turned to move towards the open back door.

"I did. And the flowers." I followed her, stepping closer to her side as we walked back to the house. "They’re beautiful." I brushed against her bare arm with mine, "Thank you."

Victoria smiled, letting me go inside first, "They are, but nowhere near as beautiful as you, Alex." Her voice was soft but confident, making my insides melt into a puddle.

I closed my eyes, "You're just saying that to be polite." I tried a joke to push out the rising desire to follow through on lunging her, but she was making it harder and harder. I walked to the coffee pot, clearing my throat, "Did you want me to pour you a cup or make an iced coffee?"

"Alex." Her voice was right behind me, sending shivers down my spine as I turned to face her. Her hand reached up to the side of my face as she looked in my eyes, "I mean it. You're beautiful. You're intelligent, funny, kind, loving and a million other things that I will find the time to tell you." Victoria moved closer to me, her voice dropping, "You're very beautiful, and even though I smell like a dirty wet dog covered in mud, I'd really like it if you would kiss me."

The air was sucked out of my lungs and all I heard was the intense pounding of my heart. I held her eyes, taken aback by this bold side of Victoria I had never seen before. I felt my hands tremble, and the only thing I knew to do to steady them, was to grab Victoria's hips and pull her closer to me as I bent forward and honored her request.

I kissed her with everything I had, pouring all of the nerves, the excitement and lust I felt for her into that kiss. Squeezing her hips harder when I heard her soft moan as my tongue passed over her bottom lip asking for more. Victoria's hands soon found their way into my hair and held me in place as she kissed me back. Our tongues meeting as we both moaned at the feeling. The way our lips seemed to fit together in a way I knew I would never find the same in another man or woman. Victoria was the only who could kiss me like this and I would probably never want another to kiss me like she was now.

I felt myself being turned and pushed against the counter, still holding onto her hips as she pressed our bodies together. The kiss grew in intensity to the point that my body was slowly building an all too familiar pressure that started between my legs and went to my heart. I moved my hands from her hips to the small of her back. Holding her still and trying to keep my hands from roaming any further. I could smell the fresh dirt, her sweat and the lingering aroma of the tulips on the island behind us. All of it was intoxicating and I couldn't help but slide my hand under the edge of her shirt. My fingers brushing the warm and sweaty skin exposed to me right above the waist of her jeans.

I moaned against her mouth when I felt the one thing I had dreamt about for far too long, moaning harder when it felt exactly how I imagined. Victoria nipped at my bottom lip, pushing her hips against mine as our kiss turned into unrestrained making out. I wanted her, my body ached for her, and I was losing control of my thoughts and the promise I made to myself to wait.

My hand moved further to the side, reaching to grab the edge of her shirt when the side of my thumb moved from soft skin to a patch of bumpy, rough skin. Skin that felt puckered and a lot like a thick scar. I felt my brow furrow as my mind struggled to connect what I was feeling and pull me from the haze Victoria's kisses kept me in. I moved my fingers up to run it over the patch my thumb had just brushed across, when Victoria suddenly parted from me and stepped back out of my arms. She was red face, panting as heavily as I was and when I looked in her eyes, I saw the faintest set of clouds forming in them.

She licked her lips and smiled bashfully, pulling her shirt down as she took a step away, "Oh Alex, I'm sorry for losing my head there." She let out a heavy breath, reaching for my hand, winding her fingers in mine, "We should probably take it slow for a bit, I have so much to tell you."

I smiled back, semi grateful for the break, but now curious. Curious what Victoria was hiding under her shirt. I knew for certain it was scar tissue I felt, and it was the reason she stopped kissing me. "I'm just as much to blame, Victoria." I looked down at her hand, running my thumb over her knuckles, feeling the small patches of scars she had on the first three knuckles, "I can never say no to a sweaty and dirty woman when she asks me to kiss her."

I tilted my head up to her, smirking, "But I can and will wait for you." I leaned forward, kissing the corner of her mouth softly as I murmured, "Go and get cleaned up. You're taking me to brunch."

I leaned back still smiling as Victoria looked at me confused, "I am?"

I nodded, "You are." I then gave her a playful frown, "Have you forgotten our Saturday tradition? You take me to brunch after I buy you drinks all night on Fridays?"

Victoria laughed, bringing our hands up to kiss them. "Of course." She then dropped our hands, "I will only be fifteen minutes." She kissed my cheek, smearing some of the dirt on her face on to mine purposefully, laughing softly, "By the way, my shirt looks really great on you."

I groaned, wiping away the smudge of dirt, swatting her arm as she passed me to go upstairs, "I will not fall for your dirty tricks to get me to shower with you." I looked over my shoulder to see the heavy blush rise up her cheeks as she ran up the stairs.

I sighed at myself, if she only knew how badly I did want to shower with her.

Instead I retrieved the battleship mug from the den, rinsed it out and set to making iced coffees for both of us. Today was definitely a new beginning. I had already seen sides of Victoria I longed for and was excited she was showing me, but deep down, I knew there was more of a mystery to her and I wondered if she would reveal it to me, or if I would have to dig it out of her.

Chapter 8

"How many Navy shirts do you actually own, Victoria?" Alex raised an eyebrow as she lifted a forkful of her potatoes and egg mash, a favorite of hers, which she ordered at the diner down the street from my house. I had taken Alex there a handful of times, hoping that if I got her close to my house, I would eventually break through and actually bring her into it. Bring her into the parts of my life I so badly wanted her to be a part of, but couldn't figure out how to do it just yet.

I smiled, pouring syrup over my waffles, "Maybe a hundred, maybe two hundred?" I set the syrup bottle down. "It comes with the territory. The Academy always gives us faculty wearables as free advertising, add that on to my own little collection and it's literally become a wardrobe of its own. That, and I tend to be lazy about clothes when it's not about uniforms or business suits", I shrugged, "I'm more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl." I smiled, pointing at Alex's shirt with my fork, "And I’m pretty sure you have one or two of my shirts stuffed away in your laundry hoping I won't ever find them." I winked at her, "By the way, you can keep this one and the others you stole from me."

Alex's mouth fell open in mock surprise, "I would never steal from you!"

I laughed, "Really? I am pretty sure you have my grey Academy zip up that I let you borrow when you were cold after the movies last fall. Then my dark blue Go Navy, Beat Army shirt, and lastly, I still can't quite find my favorite faded USNA rugby shirt." I picked up a chunk of waffle, smiling at how red faced Alex had become.

"I can give them back." Alex mumbled softly, poking at her plate. She sighed looking up at me with slightly sad eyes, "To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to ever see you again. Considering how the last few months had gone and then seeing you at the hospital. Dean..." Alex shrugged as she realized that she was slowly filling the air with the inevitable elephant we both tip toed around for months until it sat squarely between us. I knew the second elephant, the one that was still hiding in the secret closet in my bedroom with the black gear bag, would eventually work its way out.