Chapter Four

By the time Blake returned, Zandra had half wondered if he’d abandoned her. Not that she believed he truly would. The guy was overprotective to a fault, only this time, there was something comforting in the knowledge that he was with her.

Blake swung the backpack off his shoulder, his movements jerky, his gaze dark and pinned on hers. “I thought I told you to keep your stuff close.”

She bristled at the tone of his voice. “I did. I had it on the floor and stepped through the strap so no one would walk away with my bag, just like you told me. How was I supposed to know someone would try to steal anything with me standing over it like that?”

Intensity rolled off of him in spades. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t catch up with them, but now you know that I really mean it when I say you need to be aware of everything around you. Everything.”

“Because we’re not in Kansas anymore?”

“I’m serious, Zandra.”

She held up her hands in mock defeat. “Okay, okay, you’ve made your point. I’ll watch my stuff more closely.”

He frowned. “You know, for someone who’s just had something stolen, you’re pretty calm about it.”

“For someone who didn’t just have something stolen, you’re pretty intense about it,” she countered, unable to keep the irritation out of her voice. “It’s bad enough the lens cost a lot of money, but what the hell am I supposed to do about it now? Yell? Scream? Tear my hair out?” She glared. “I don’t have time for any of that.”

She reached for the handle of her suitcase. “I’m chalking this up to a Life 101 lesson because there’s nothing constructive to be done. Besides, that was an extra lens, a long-range one I’d packed in case an opportunity came up, but it isn’t integral to the assignment.” Thank God.

Most of what Flights and Sights wanted were staged photos. Not her favorite, but she’d give them what they wanted. They were, after all, paying her. She’d just take extras for herself.

Blake led her out of the stream of travelers and pulled a combination lock off his pack. “Here,” he said, handing it over. “I should’ve slapped this on your photo bag before I even got on the plane.”

“Would you stop with the guilt thing, already? It wasn’t your fault, I can take care of myself, and I don’t need your overprotective ass hovering over me this entire trip.”

“Too bad.” He held the lock out. “Jackson made it very clear that I was in charge.”

She crossed her arms and stared. “Seriously? Not even he would have been in charge.”

He blew out a breath then eased in another one. “Look. Let’s just agree that, since this is your first time abroad, you need my help, okay? And I’ll promise not to hover if you promise to take my instructions seriously.”

Seemed reasonable. “Deal.” She took the lock from him. “What’s the combo?”

There was a flash of something indescribable in his toffee-brown eyes. “427,” he said abruptly.

She stared at him and tilted her head to one side. “427,” she repeated. The numbers felt familiar, but she couldn’t place them. She snapped the lock on and stood. “What are you going to do without one?”

“I’ll manage,” he said smoothly, taking her suitcase. “Our train platform’s this way, and the Germans are sticklers for staying on schedule, which means we’ve got less than ten minutes.”

“I’ve got it,” she said, reaching for the handle. “I hauled it over here, so it’s not like I can’t take care of it.”

He hesitated, then shrugged. “Fine. Suit yourself. Just don’t tell my mom that I didn’t offer.”

With her roller bag in one hand and her suitcase in the other, Zandra took a deep breath.

She had every intention of suiting herself, thank you very much. She’d make this travel assignment a monumental success because she had to.

At least, that was the plan.

…

It was completely stupid of Blake to not have changed the lock combination shortly after keying it in the first place. What kind of idiot was he, anyway? Army life was all about details. Details were what kept a soldier safe, and while he wasn’t anywhere near the front lines these days, he knew details mattered. Like now. At least Zandra hadn’t seemed to notice.

He cast a glance her direction, noted the way she sat with her face practically plastered to the train window, her phone out and recording the scene as it flew past, and caught the hint of a smile as she turned. “Look at that old church. How cool. I love old churches.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know. Something almost…mystical about them, I suppose.”

She quickly posted the video to her Instagram and went back to gazing out the window at the passing countryside and the occasional small towns they’d passed along the way. It was a scene he was familiar with, given the amount of time he’d spent in Germany on his last tour. Of course, the majority of it was spent instructing the United Nations Special Forces out of Belgium, but he’d managed to hop a train to wherever, whenever he got the chance. Oftentimes he was alone, free to travel on his own schedule, and he preferred it that way.

She oohed and grabbed for her phone again as something caught her eye. Sunlight bounced off of the top of her head as she moved, and he fought a sudden need to reach out and touch her hair. Soft. It was probably as soft as it looked, silky, even, and would slide through his fingers…

He blinked. What the hell? Blake inhaled sharply and braced his hands on his thighs. This was Zandra, for Christ’s sake.

Off-limits.

Hot-as-fuck.

Zandra.

He gripped his thighs to stop from reaching for her. If he were honest with himself, he’d admit that he liked her so damned much, it’d been eating at him for a while now.

And although he and Jackson had never discussed the possibility of Blake pursuing Zandra, he was pretty sure he’d be breaking a Bro Code somewhere in there.

Which left him, where? Back where he started. He was on a mission to escort her on her photojournalism assignment, to act as her assistant when needed, and also to make sure she got home safely. He needed to keep his head on straight and his dick in his pants.

Should be simple enough if he could remember all the reasons to keep her at arm’s length. He ran them through his head again to re-center himself.

First, even if there wasn’t some Bro Code that led to Jackson gutting Blake for looking twice at Zandra, Blake knew their lives were on a different trajectory. While she was just starting a new career that involved traveling the world, he was more than ready to leave the Army and settle down. In fact, the only reason he re-enlisted was because of his mother.

Second, he had a Life Plan, damn it, starting with getting his mother through med school. He owed her, and every spare nickel he had was earmarked to helping her achieve her dream.

The third? He needed to get his own ass through law school. There were people out there who needed to be prosecuted when they were caught, with justice brought to those unable to defend themselves. He’d always wanted that job. And one day, he’d have it.

Which meant that until he got himself through law school, he had nothing to offer a woman, especially someone like Zandra.

This was going to be a long trip.

“How much longer?”

Her question jarred him out of his thoughts—what, was she a mind reader now?—but it was the raised hands over her head and the slow stretch that short-circuited his brain.

She frowned and lowered her arms. “Until Stuttgart. How much longer?” she asked when he simply stared.

He blinked and pulled out his phone. “Another forty-five or so. You tired?”

“Yeah. I was pretty tired when I boarded the plane from Chicago, and sleeping was pretty much non-existent.” She yawned.

“How was the bachelorette party?” The more he talked, maybe the less he’d think. It was worth a shot, given the quality of his thoughts at the moment.

Zandra smiled, and damn if her face didn’t glow. At least, she lit up in a way that teased Blake, made him wonder, made him want to see how often he could make her smile. “It was the best time.”

She shook her head, and her grin widened. “I swear we didn’t sleep more than a few hours the entire weekend. Like, total cat naps here and there, especially after the male strippers and the G-string incident the night before I left.”

The sound of her light giggle tugged at something deep in his chest and made him want to see how often he’d be able to tease one out of her.

“I’m not sure I need to know about the G-string incident.” He pulled his backpack toward him and propped an elbow on it. “Especially where naked dudes are involved.”

She got that look in her eyes, the one that said he was about to be challenged. “You got something against naked dudes?”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a dude, but I’m not into dudes, naked or otherwise.”

There was that grin on her face again, the one that he was almost sure would get him into trouble one day.

“Fair enough.” She shrugged. “I just thought you might want some insight into what women like. You know, since you most likely date women since you’re not into dudes and all.”

“I have a feeling you’re going to tell me all about the debauchery that went on, so let’s get it over with.” He slumped against the seat, careful to keep his hand firmly on the backpack beside him. Maybe it was dumb giving up his padlock, but he was much better at keeping his stuff secured than Zandra would know to be. She was smart, though, and she’d pick it up quickly.

“It wasn’t debauchery, it was a bachelorette party. And I’m happy to report the bachelorette was thrilled that her bridesmaids had as good a time as she did. I just wish Tina hadn’t banned my camera. Although there really was good reason to not want evidence.”

“Did no one think to use a phone?”

“Oh, she made sure we gave them up before we started. Smart lady.” Then Zandra let out a small laugh. “Did you know elephants have relatively small penises?”

He cocked his head to one side. “Why do you feel the need to tell me this?”

“You know that old saying about how size doesn’t matter?” she asked, clearly ignoring his question. “Well, it’s apparently true in some parts of the world.”

Her face cracked into a smile that soon broadened again. But her eyes were what captured Blake. They practically sparked with mischief, and he shifted uneasily in his seat. Damn. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear she planned to make this trip harder than it should be.

“Am I going to be subjected to penis talk until we get to Stuttgart? Because maybe I should hop off this train and head back to Seattle.”

“Oh, stop whining,” she said, settling back against her seat. “Seriously, though, Tina’s going through with this whole marriage thing, and I’m not sure I get it. She’s got a couple more years of law school, so why they don’t wait doesn’t make sense.”

Well, she had him there. She was talking to someone chomping at the bit to get into law school, only she didn’t know that. No one did. Not even his mother.

“Then again, love knows no time.” She sighed, her shoulders raising then lowering.

“I never pegged you for a romantic.”

She turned her head just far enough to eye him. “You make it sound like a bad thing. It’s not, you know.”

“No need to get defensive. I just thought that you were a numbers kind of girl.”

“Yeah, well, those came in handy in the accounting world, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a more idealistic view of life, and it doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing, either.”

“Granted.” He nodded his head slightly. “So, go on, tell me about this romantic bachelorette weekend.”

“It wasn’t the weekend that was romantic, it was the—oh, never mind. You wouldn’t get it.”

“No, seriously, try me.”

“You sure?”

“We’ve got a while to Stuttgart, so consider me your captive audience.”

She hesitated then nodded as if deciding he meant it. “Tina’s jumping the gun a bit by marrying John when she’s only got a couple more years, but life’s too short to not do what you love, what pulls at your soul to be the best you can be, you know? Even if it does mean giving up your personal freedom.” She cringed. “I guess…”

“What about responsibility? What about playing the long game so you see what’s really best for you—and others? Life’s not just about one person.” Blake knew that better than anyone.

“True, it isn’t. But how much can you fulfill someone else’s dreams when you haven’t fulfilled your own, and… Why are you grinning?”

“This.” He pointed a finger, alternating between the two of them. “This is the kind of conversations I remember having with you when we were growing up. That’s why I don’t think of you as a romantic, a dreamer, an idealist, even.”

She lifted her chin. “Yeah, well, I’m working on Zandra version 2.0, and nothing’s going to stop me from getting where I want to go in life.”

“Zandra 2.0, huh? Is that, like, an upgrade?”

“More like a reboot. And this time, I’m going to do what I want.” She stared at him. “What about you? Why are you here?”

“Like, now? On a train with you to Stuttgart? Or something more metaphysical like, why do I exist? Because if it’s the latter, it might take me a while to come up with an answer.”

She rolled her eyes. “Why did you come when Jackson couldn’t?”

Good question, but hardly one he’d answer with, “Because your brother made me.” It was far more complicated than that. “Like Jackson, I believe in you, in supporting your dreams as you reach for them with both hands.” It was true. Even if Jackson hadn’t volun-told him, there was a fairly good chance Blake would’ve stepped up anyway.

Of course, that was before he realized just how strong the pull toward Zandra would be.

“Tina’s calling the shots for her life, not conforming to what’s expected, but living life on her terms. She did it when she moved to Chicago and again when she decided to marry John now instead of waiting the way her parents wanted her to.”

Blake didn’t know about any of that stuff, but he did know one thing: Tina’s move to Chicago gave her and John the best chance to make their relationship work. He knew from watching his Army buddies that military life was hard, even if a spouse moved to where a soldier was posted. But to try and carry on a long-distance relationship? Well, he didn’t have any stats on that, but he was willing to believe that a relationship was more likely to fail than thrive.

She stared out the window. “Tina’s the one who inspired all this,” she said softly. “The one who made me realize that there would never be the ‘perfect’ time to chase my dreams, especially where my parents are concerned.”

Blake sat up straighter then shifted in his seat. He had his own opinions about the York parents, but now probably wasn’t the time to bring them up. “That why you quit?”

She faced him, an eyebrow raised. “Thank you for acknowledging that, and yes, that’s why I quit their accounting company.” Zandra slumped against the seat. “Honestly, sometimes I feel so ungrateful, you know? Like my parents had done so much for me, had given me such a head start, and here I am thumbing my nose at it, at them.”

Whoa. He might’ve agreed with her, but what would be the point? Besides, this was getting way too deep. He cleared his throat. “The important thing is that you’re doing what you want, not what’s expected of you.”

“Are you?” She focused her baby blue eyes on him and waited expectantly.

“Am I what?”

“Doing what you want? Is the Army all that there is for you?”

“No.”

“Care to expand that thought?”

“No.” This time he yawned and folded his arms across his chest, his backpack securely tucked between him and the side of the train. “I’m taking a nap. Wake me when we get to Stuttgart.”

The last thing he wanted to do was get too close, too intimate, to anyone. Even a gorgeous blonde who had the guts to go after her dream, consequences be damned. One day, it’d be his turn. Blake just had to bide his time.