Chapter Nine

Virginia Beach, Virginia

“That ought to do it, Mr. Stevens.” Kacy slammed the rear door shut on her Volkswagen van and walked back toward the older gentleman who had paged her. “You can’t have that much stuff hooked up to that one outlet. The breaker will keep tripping like it did. But normally, the breaker would be able to be reset; you had a bad one. If you need that much stuff there, get a power strip.”

“Thanks so much, Kacy,” the graveled tone said as the man shook her hand. “I know you have a bunch of more important things to do than save my bacon time and time again.”

“Well,” she said with a wink at his wife who had joined them on the step. “Keep this up and your wife may begin to get suspicious.” Both of them laughed. “Oh, well, just my luck, all the good ones are taken.” Her cell phone began to ring and so she said, “I have to get going. Take care y’all and I will talk to you soon.” She grabbed her phone, walked to her vehicle, got in and said, “KT Electric.”

A huge grin crossed her face as she recognized the voice on the other end of the line. “Hey, Ilanderae, how are you doing?” Ilanderae Nycks was one of the few people she considered a close friend.

“I just got the skirt and had to call and thank you. How do you always manage to find the cutest little things?” Her friend’s rich voice was easily heard across the line.

“Little being the operative word. A frickin’ size two. You are so small it makes me sick,” Kacy teased. She knew Ilanderae didn’t need clothes given to her since she was a fashion designer, but Kacy still loved to give her something from time to time.

“But you have all those wonderful curves. How are you doing? How was Hawaii? What’d we do? Hell, who’d we do?” Ilanderae asked.

There was one I wanted to “do.” Kacy’s body flushed hot at the memories of Ernst. “I had a really nice time.”

“You know I am rolling my eyes here, girl. Any men? Come on dish.”

“Well, I did meet this one guy…” She held the phone away from her ear at the piercing scream from Ilanderae.

“Details.” The order rang loud.

“I didn’t sleep with him…well I didn’t have sex with him. I feel asleep in his arms.”

“Still waiting for more details. We will get to your issues later.”

“Okay, he is about six-two and I would say around one-ninety pounds. Blond hair, these amazing-ly pale blue eyes, and—”

“He’s white?” She sounded shocked.

“Lightly tanned, but yes, technically, he is Caucasian.” Kacy smiled over her friend’s reaction.

“Well, you know I like my men dark, but hey…go with what you like. Now, tell me why didn’t we sleep with this gorgeous man?” Ilanderae questioned.

“I wanted to, Landi, so much, but I couldn’t.” Kacy said with frustration.

“Still hearing Kirby in your head?” The tone was soft.

“Every time I close my eyes, or think that I may be moving on, I see him.” Kacy pulled into her driveway and pushed the button to open her garage, parking next to her car.

“Sweetie, that man has ruined you for all men, but tell me more about this new man. Was he into you?”

“Kind of.” Kacy smiled as she remembered the hour it took them to stop kissing before he was satisfied he would make it two weeks.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Her friend demanded.

“We spent my last two days there together. Went for a hot-air balloon ride, horseback riding, pedal boating, biking, and just having fun. Landi, I have never had so much fun with a man before.” Kacy admitted as she walked into her house, closing the garage behind her.

“Sounds to me like someone is in love,” Ilanderae offered.

“I don’t know what love is.”

“Not every man is going to hurt you, Koali. I know what you went through, but you have to give this one a chance, especially when I hear the joy in your voice as you talk about him. It sounds like he was into you. What does he do?”

“He’s Navy.”

“Well, not a lot of money there. Unless he’s an officer. Is he?”

Kicking off her shoes, Kacy shook her head. “I don’t know. Landi, I barely know anything about him, except that when he touches me I feel complete and beautiful. His kisses leave me breathless and I want to be with him. I don’t know about his family; I don’t know anything. I met his teammates but only briefly.”

“Love,” Ilanderae said in a falsely disgusted voice.

“I am meeting him for dinner in a few nights at The Fisher King, if he shows up.”

“He lives in Virginia?”

Kacy opened the freezer and pulled out a microwavable dinner. “He said around Norfolk. I said I would be outside the restaurant and if he wanted to see me again to be there at seven.”

“You didn’t give him your phone number or anything, did you?”

“You know me, Landi.” Kacy shoved the dinner in the microwave and pushed the button before walking to the living room and sitting in her chair.

“Girl, if I were closer, I would kick your ass,” the sigh came.

“Tell me how Milan is.” Kacy hoped Ilanderae would get off the subject of her new man that she didn’t really have yet.

Outside The Fisher King

Kacy leaned against the stone wall and brushed her hand over her thighs. They were having an un-seasonably cool week, so she wore blue jeans, a honey-colored silk blouse, and a pair of sandals. Her hair hung past her shoulders, and as she ran a hand down the back of it she heard the voice of her dreams.

“You still look beautiful, schätzchen,” Ernst said as his body appeared beside hers.

Turning her copper eyes to him, she drank her fill. He wore jeans that cupped him so nicely. A black tee shirt and tennis shoes completed his outfit. “You still look pretty fly.”

“Hello, Kacy,” he murmured as his body stepped in to get a kiss.

Kacy kissed him back with more passion than she could ever remember having for a man. While her number of lovers was limited, what this man made her feel was off the charts. “Hello, Ernst,” she whispered against his lips.

“Didn’t think I would be here did you?” His blue eyes moved slowly over her body as he commit-ted her to memory.

“I had my doubts,” she admitted, blushing and stepping away from him. “Ready to eat?”

“More than you could possibly know,” he said in a low seductive timbre. Ernst reached for her arm and drew her back to his side. “I said I would be here unless we were deployed somewhere.”

“So you did,” Kacy agreed. “And here you are.”

Ernst smiled, breathing an internal sigh of relief. For the past two weeks, he had panicked every time the phone rang, hoping beyond everything that his Team wouldn’t be sent away on the day he was to meet Kacy. Thankfully, they hadn’t been.

However, Ernst had been a nervous wreck as he’d driven to the restaurant. What if she didn’t really like him and didn’t show?

His heart had swelled when he’d spotted her leaning against the wall in front of the restaurant. It had taken him a moment to regain his composure before walking up to her. He had missed her so much.

But the fact that she hadn’t thought he wanted to see her again threw him. What did he have to do to gain her trust?

“Well, let’s go eat,” Ernst said, filing that away for later and holding the door for her. They would enjoy their time tonight.

The interior of the place was beautifully lit with recessed lighting and fancy chandeliers. As Ernst did a once over of the place it occurred to him he was the only white person in there and the object of many curious gazes.

“Hey, Kacy!” a large black man yelled over the music that played in the building. “I’ll be with you in a moment; take your table.”

“Thanks, Darnell,” she responded with a wave. “This way.” Kacy took the lead.

At least she is still holding my hand. Ernst met the gazes of all who stared at him. No one said any-thing mean, but he could see the suspicion in their looks. “Come here a lot?” he asked as he stopped beside her in front of the booth.

“All the time,” Kacy said with a smile. “Inside or out?”

Ernst cocked his head and looked at her. “Inside or out what?”

“Of the booth.” She pointed at the seat in front of her.

He looked and looked again. It was one booth seat and a table up against a wall. They were going to sit side by side. “Well, I’m right-handed so I will sit on the outside, otherwise we will hit each other.” I don’t want the men in here looking at you.

“You remember I’m left-handed?” Kacy seemed impressed. She slid across the leather seat and closed her eyes as his warm body settled next to hers.

Leaning in close to her, he whispered in her ear, “I remember everything about you.”