Page 15 of A Very Grumpy Marine

“Then what are you waiting for?”

His lips crash against mine, and everything else fades away. The kiss is deep and consuming, his hands sliding around my waist as he pulls me closer. I melt into him, wrapping my arms around his neck as he deepens the kiss, tilting my head to get even closer.

A sharp ring slices through the moment, making me jerk back.

“Damn it,” Camden mutters, exhaling heavily as I reach for my phone.

Lilou’s name flashes across the screen, and I answer breathlessly. “Hey.”

“Just checking in! Wanted to see how it’s going,” she says, and I can hear the amusement in her voice.

I glance at Camden, who is watching me like he’s about to pull me right back in for another kiss.

“It’s…going well,” I say, trying to sound casual.

Lilou hums knowingly. “Mmmhmm. Well, if you need rescuing, let me know. Otherwise, want to grab breakfast in the morning?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“Okay! Have fun,” she chirps before hanging up.

I sigh, setting my phone down as Camden smirks. “I like her.”

“Yeah, she’s the best,” I agree.

“I’ll drive you home,” he says, standing and offering his hand.

I hesitate, half-tempted to stay. But this is already moving fast, and I need a minute to breathe.

He drives me back to Milo’s place, and when we pull into the driveway, he leans over, brushing his lips against my cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I swallow hard, nodding before slipping out of the truck. As I watch him drive away, one thought keeps circling in my mind.

I might be in serious trouble.

SIX

Camden

I roll my shoulders,adjusting my grip on the wrench as I tighten a bolt on one of the chopper’s skids. The morning sun is blazing, baking the tarmac under my boots as I finish up the pre-flight maintenance on the bird scheduled to take off in an hour. The scent of jet fuel and pine trees mix in the crisp Wolf Valley air, a familiar combination that has become strangely comforting over the past two months.

“You planning to marry that thing, or are you gonna let it go at some point?” Huxley calls from across the hangar, his voice dripping with amusement.

I grunt, barely looking up. “If I did, at least she wouldn’t argue with me.”

Huxley snickers. “Depends. You’ve got a history of pissing off anything with a pulse.”

That gets a smirk out of me, but I don’t respond. The guys at Semper Fly are a solid crew, mostly ex-military like me. It’s been good working here—keeps my hands busy, keeps my mindfrom drifting too much. But today, my mind is all over the damn place.

Lymric.

I can’t stop thinking about her. The way she looked in that dress last night. The way she let me hold her hand like she was still fighting with herself about wanting me. The way she kissed me back even though she wasn’t ready to admit it yet.

She’s mine.

Now I just have to make sure she realizes it before she leaves town.

“Camden!” Kip’s voice cuts through my thoughts, and I look up to see him waving me over. “Can you check the tail rotor on the blue chopper? Feels off.”

---