Page 34 of Viking

Ryan glances at me, eyebrows raised, like he’s waiting. I let out a breath.

“She’s not like anyone I’ve met before,” I admit finally, the words coming slower than I’d like. “It’s different with her.”

Ryan’s smile fades into something quieter, more serious. He nods, his usual teasing edge replaced with something astute. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I stare out at the track, watching the airmen jog past, then look back at him. “I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s not just that she’s—” I search for the right word. “—you know, beautiful, smart. It’s more than that. It’s like she’s in my head, and I don’t even think she knows it.”

Ryan stops walking and leans his forearms on the fence railing, watching me closely. “You tell her that?”

I scoff. “What, that she’s got me wrapped around her finger? Yeah, right.”

“She doesn’t have to know you’re wrapped, but man, if she’s in your head like that, it’s worth saying something.” Ryan shrugs. “Look, I know it’s complicated with her working with us now, and you don’t have to tell her about your…baggage.” He doesn’t need to say more since that baggage feels as heavy as it did when it was new. “At least not yet. But do you really want to chance a deployment without telling her how you feel?”

I don’t immediately answer. The thought of telling Lila that I’m one step away from figuring out how to write her name in the clouds is equal parts terrifying and right. I turn my water bottle over in my hands, thinking.

“It’s been a long time since I felt this way about anyone,” I say finally. “I didn’t think I’d meet someone like her.”

Ryan studies me for a second, then grins. “So you’re serious about her.”

I nod. “Yeah. I am.”

Ryan straightens, pulling himself up to his full height. “Well, look at that. The big bad Viking’s gone soft.”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t stop the smile that sneaks onto my face. “You’re a dick.”

He laughs, clapping me on the back as we start stretching. “C’mon, let’s get this workout in before you start writing poetry or some shit.”

Hampton, Virginia

May 21, 2024

6:45 p.m.

Lila

It’s Tuesday afternoon and I’m curled up on the couch with my laptop finishing up some emails. I haven’t seen Logan since last Sunday, right before the crew and everyone who hadn’t spent the weekend in the cockpit loaded up in a C-130 to head back to Virginia. He’s been flying night sorties all week, and the hours are brutal. He doesn’t finish until as late as three in the morning some nights, and then there’s the debrief and post-flight checks. Knowing Logan’s in the cockpit at those hours, slicing through the dark sky, has fueled some rather racy dreams. By the time he gets home, the rest of the world is waking up, and I can’t help but wonder how he functions on so little sleep. He hasn’t complained once—just tells me it’s part of the job like the hours and the grind don’t phase him. But I hear the exhaustion in his voice when we talk on the phone. He’s been calling me early in the morning while he drives home from the base. We talk while I get ready for the day and he gets ready for bed.

There’s a knock at the door. I frown, glancing at my phone. I’m not expecting anyone and most of my friends text first.

I push my laptop off my lap and pad barefoot toward my front door, still in the cream, short-sleeve shift dress I wore to work.

When I open the door, Logan stands on my front porch, looking unfairly good for a man running on fumes. He’s in his flight suit, the dark green fabric stretched across his broad shoulders. His hair is still damp from the shower, and his gray-blue eyes sweep over me before settling on my face with a slow, crooked grin.

“Hey, you.”

Yep. This is how all those dreams begin.

I fold my arms, arching a brow. “Well, hi. Aren’t you supposed to be on base for more night training?”

“I’m headed there now.” He leans against the doorframe like he’s got all the time in the world, despite the fact that he’s probably due for preflight checks in less than an hour. “But I had a few extra minutes, and I figured, why not spend them doing something I enjoy?”

“And what’s that?” I challenge, even as warmth spreads through me.

His grin turns wicked. “Kissing you.”

My heart jumps as he steps forward, closing the distance between us. “You drove all this way just for that?”

“All this way?” He tilts his head slightly, his eyes dropping to my mouth. “You know you live six minutes from me, right? And actually.” He pauses letting his lips just barely touch mine. “You’re on the way to base.”