“I never needed to know that.”
“Me neither,” Fitz said. “Anyway. When it comes to any man you’ve ever dated that I’ve met, you’ve always played it safe and that’s why you’ve never found the person for you, and you’re the kind of man who needs a partner in life. Someone to share your hopes and dreams with.”
“Do you fucking hear yourself? You sound like Jackie, the social worker.”
“You’re my little brother. I love you. And I saw the way you looked at Navy. It’s more than raw sexual attraction. You’re interested in him as a person. Go for it. Take a risk. Jesus. You’ve never been in love. You should try it sometime.”
“This coming from a man who hops from one woman to the next, fucking anything that will open her legs for him.” Bobby hadn’t meant to be so crude, nor had he wanted his tone to come across judgmental, but the last thing he needed was a lecture from a man who thought women were an accessory, even if he did treat them nicely and each one knew exactly what they were getting into.
“I was in love once. Or have you forgotten about Alice?” Fitz arched a brow. “I know I was only nineteen, but I nearly fucked up my career over that girl.”
“Oh. I remember.” No one in the family would soon forget how Alice took Fitz’s heart, ripped it from his chest, and stomped on it a few times.
The worst part about that time in Fitz’s life had been how much it affected his game and how everyone in the hockey world thought he had tossed his future away.
Fitz managed to pull his head out of his ass, but he’d never fully recovered when it came to women, and his family feared he’d never, ever settle down.
“She was a piece of work,” Bobby said.
“Did you hear she’s getting married and she had the audacity to invite me?”
“Mom said she and Dad also got an invite. They weren’t too happy about that, regardless of the fact they are acquaintances with the groom’s parents.”
Fitz raised his mug. “I wouldn’t even go as far as to even call them that.” He set his coffee on the counter. “I’m going to go for a run on the beach. Is it okay with you if I crash here for a couple more days before I head back home? Just to clear my head? Training starts soon and I need to get the partying and drink out of my system.”
“You know you’re welcome for as long as you need.”
“Thanks. Now please tell me you’re going to go meet that Navy guy.”
“If I tell you that, do you promise to keep it to yourself? The last thing I need is our sisters up my jock.”
“You bet.” Fitz slapped him on the back. “Now go have a good time. I expect a full report over steaks on the grill tonight.” Fitz winked. “If you make it back.”
“Deal. On the steaks.” Bobby’s pulse kicked up a notch. He hadn’t been this excited about spending time with a man since his first real relationship in college. “I’ll be home by seven. I expect corn on the cob and baked potatoes, loaded.”
But he needed to squelch that feeling real quick. This wasn’t a date.
It was just an afternoon with someone he shared a common bond with.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
4
Navy stepped down from the cockpit of Destiny and stared up at the sky. Not a single cloud. He couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. He reached for his soda and took a hearty gulp. A slight breeze rustled the treetops. The bright sun stung his eyes through his shades. By the position of the fiery ball, he could tell it wasn’t quite one yet.
He really needed to put a sock in his excitement. He was just taking a friend of his boss’ girlfriend up for a ride. He did this kind of thing all the time. The fact Bobby was a NY Times Bestselling Author had nothing to do with it, and that was the truth.
However, Navy hadn’t stopped thinking about the young gentleman since the second he’d laid eyes on him at Ethel’s party. He hadn’t been this physically and emotionally attracted to a man since Shamus and that disturbed Navy because he wasn’t sure he’d ever completely gotten over Shamus to begin with, and that’s one of the many reasons he hadn’t ever gotten into a deep relationship since that time in his life.
A black Range Rover turned onto the road heading toward the small aircraft hangar and the small private airstrip where Navy kept his plane and helicopter. His heart beat a little faster than normal, and he bet if he checked his blood pressure it would be elevated.
All normal right before flight. That was if he were flying a fighter jet. Something he hadn’t done in fifteen years.
Fuck. He needed to tell Bobby what happened. It wasn’t fair to take a man up in a homemade plane and not tell him that the pilot had crashed and burned.
Of course, if he had gone and flown commercial jets instead of working for Casper’s family, none of the passengers would be informed of that information, but Navy told himself this was quite different and he owed it to Bobby.
The dark SUV disappeared around the bend, heading toward the far guest parking lot. Navy hopped in the golf cart and raced off in hot pursuit.
It was just a joy ride.
The closer he got to the lot, the faster his blood pumped and the sweatier his palms became. He waved liked a frantic schoolgirl with her first crush instead of a forty-year-old grown-ass man. He swallowed his heartbeat when Bobby stepped from his vehicle wearing a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips. He enjoyed the way the fabric formed to his body, though it wasn’t too snug at the same time. He wore a teal-green T-shirt with some logo on the upper right of his chest. His thick hair, which was a bit longer than his author picture, curled at the nape of his neck.
He held his hand up and the lights on his Range Rover flashed and the horn beeped once.
“Please don’t tell me that thing flies,” Bobby said with a beaming smile, showing off his pearly whites.
Navy laughed. “If I could put wings on her and make it work I would. I hate being on the ground.”
“I’d rather float than fly.”
“Well, my Destiny can do water landings if you like.”
“I said float, not crash into the ocean.” Bobby jumped into the golf cart.
That was a poor choice of words all around. “Not the best segue into something I feel I need to disclose.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.” Bobby held on to the side of the golf cart and glanced in Navy’s direction. “Does this have anything to do with why you left the military at such a young age?”
“All I ever wanted to be since I can remember was a fighter pilot and pardon my arrogance, I was damn fucking good at it.” Navy rarely told this story in great detail in part because it broke his heart a little more each time he did. A piece of him died when he had to retire from the military.
As it did when Shamus left him for good.
“Not sure if you noticed that I walk with a slight limp,” Navy said.
“I did. My sister mentioned in passing that you had some sort of accident, but she hadn’t gone into any of the particulars.”
“I don’t know how much Ethel knows. I used to want to disclose this to everyone who flew with me, but Casper and his father thought it was ridiculous because according to them, and technically the United States Government, it wasn’t my fault.” Deep down, Navy knew that was partially true. He couldn’t have predicted the friendly skies would turn so unfriendly so quickly.