Chapter 33

CHAPTER 33

Willow

"The first one was fine," Samantha yells to me from the couch.

I stare at the fourth dress I've tried on. "I don't understand why I'm so nervous," I say as I walk back to the living room.

She grins at me. "Because this is your first date. I think I like that one the best."

I stare down at the blue dress.

"It really brings out your eyes," she says.

"It's a first date with a man I've known for years. We've already had sex. I shouldn't be nervous."

"Well, tell your body that because I think it disagrees."

There's a knock on the apartment door. I panic. "That can't be him. He didn't buzz from the outside."

Samantha gets up and walks to the door. Before she can ask, he speaks.

"It's Durango."

"Tell him I'll be a minute," I say as I run to my room.

While taking a moment to breathe, I check myself one last time in the full-length mirror on the back of my door.

I'm struck by the woman staring back at me. For so long, all I've seen is the meek woman I became while with Tyler, shrinking back from everything. But that's not who is staring back at me now. No, I dare say I'm vibrant. And it's not just because I got away from Tyler. No, it's how I feel when I'm with Durango. I feel alive.

Maybe that's why I've been so nervous. I've wanted to be free to live again, and now that it's here, I'm scared something or someone might try to take it away. But that's not logical. Tyler is dead. No one else is coming for me. Durango and I can finally go out and live our lives.

I step out of the room. Durango is in the living room with Samantha.

"You don't need to threaten me," Durango says.

I still. What's going on?

"Good," Samantha says. "She's a great woman who has been through too much."

"I'm well aware. And I have all good intentions."

I chuckle. I should have known Samantha would have my back, even though it isn't necessary when it comes to that man. He's a good one.

I'm surprised to see Durango in a suit. One that fits him very well. I would have to say tailor-made because he is a large, muscular man, and the way the material clings to each muscle, including his thighs, is incredible.

"Wow, you're gorgeous." He walks over and kisses my cheek.

"You are, too," I say.

He grins.

"I don't recall ever seeing you in a suit. I like it."

"This old thing?" he asks, then spins around to give me the full view. He's smiling when he meets my eyes again. "Sometimes I have to dress nice for the job, so I have a couple of suits. A tux, too."

I can't take my eyes off this man. I've always found him attractive, but tonight, it's gone to another level.

"A tux? For security?" Samantha asks. "How does that make sense?"

"Sometimes we have to protect someone at a fancy gala," he says, never taking his eyes off of mine.

"A gala?" I ask. "Do you go to those often?"

He shakes his head. "Ready to go?"

"I am."

"Have fun, you two. I won't wait up," Samantha says.

Durango leads me downstairs and out to his car, which is parked a couple of blocks away. Once inside, he turns to me.

"Do you mind if we go to my place and order in?"

Disappointment washes over me, and I don't do a good job of hiding it.

He smiles. "I'm kidding. Sorry, that was a bad joke."

"Does that mean we will be having something other than pizza?"

His mouth falls open as he glances at me. "Please tell me Piper didn't turn you against pizza."

"Could you blame her if she did?" I ask.

He taps the steering wheel. "Okay, I will admit I may have ordered pizza a lot when we were protecting her at my place."

"A lot? According to her, it was every meal for weeks."

He barks out a laugh. "Now, that's an exaggeration. We had it three or four times in total."

"Per week, according to Piper."

He shrugs. "Well, it was good food."

As we drive, I take the opportunity to stare at him. "You wore a suit for me."

"It's a first date. I needed to make a good impression. Now tell me, how was your day?" He glances over at me. "That's a first-date question, isn't it?"

"I guess it is. Let's see. I worked on a couple of projects and had a few meetings from the comfort of the couch. How about you?"

His brows go up. "Well, I spent the day in the office writing up my report for my last assignment. It was a quiet day. No one was shot or hurt."

I laugh. "That shouldn't be funny."

"And yet it is. We have to have some humor about our jobs to take the stress off."

"Speaking of humor, Piper told me you guys prank each other sometimes."

He shakes his head. "No, that's not accurate. Lightning tries to prank the guys, and it usually backfires. We recently learned that Thunder has been in on some of them. And we only know that because Piper set up a gold-confetti glitter bomb to get him. But Lightning was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got it instead."

I'm laughing too hard to ask questions. Finally, I catch my breath. "You made that up, right?"

I shake my head. "Ask Piper. I wish they would all cut that crap out. It's not funny and a waste of time."

"Wow. Are you the wet blanket in the office?"

He arches a brow. "Wet blanket? No. I know how to have fun. Their pranks aren't it."

I stare at Durango. He's definitely changed from ten years ago. I would never have guessed he'd become this serious.

"Remember back in Virginia when you and Ozzie would get up and sing in front of everyone at the bar?"

He cringed. "Don't remind me. God, we were terrible."

"No, you weren't. You entertained the crowd, that's for sure. We should find a karaoke place."

"No, I'd rather not," he says. He parks the car and turns to me. "The place is about two blocks away. Are you good to walk?"

"I am."

We get out of the car. He takes my hand and leads me to the restaurant.

"This is the best steakhouse around," he says. "You'll love it."

We step inside, and my eyes need time to adjust. The lights are low, and the main light in the waiting area is coming from a large aquarium.

"This way." We follow a hostess to our table.

"What are the odds?" a familiar voice asks.

I glance at the table next to us and spot Ozzie and Piper grinning at us.

"High, apparently," Durango says.

"Why don't you guys join us?" Ozzie says.

I glance at Durango, who is frowning. We can't exactly say no since we are literally sitting next to them.

"That would be lovely. Thank you," I say.

"I'll order us champagne," Piper says as she gets the waiter's attention and puts in the order before we can object.

"Why?" Durango asks.

Piper smiles. "Because Willow is finally free of Tyler. That's something we should celebrate."

Well, so much for our date. Joining friends is one thing, but now celebrating the death of my ex? I sigh quietly. Piper means well.

Ozzie and Durango discuss some case in vague terms, so I turn my attention to Piper.

"Do you two come here often?" I ask.

"No, but after Durango mentioned it, I wanted to try it."

"Durango mentioned it?"

Piper shrugs. "He just asked me if I had heard if it was good or not."

The champagne arrives, and after having a glass and sharing an appetizer, I'm feeling relaxed.

"You two never told me how you got your nicknames," I say.

"Durango has a cool story about his," Ozzie says.

Durango shrugs. "My commander called me that one time, and it stuck."

I frown and glance at Ozzie because that was not a cool story.

Ozzie rolls his eyes. "Way to tell a story. Our commander was calling everyone something, but when he got to our friend here, the commander looked him up and down and said, ‘You're a big guy. Like a truck. Durango.' Then he walks on to the next guy. We liked it, and it stuck."

He is large and muscular, so I can see why it was chosen.

"Some of the other guys were getting called some nasty things, so I kept quiet and just went with it," Durango says.

I turn to Ozzie. "Is that how you got your nickname? From a commander?"

He grins. "No, it was from Coff, actually. I had a jacket with my initials on it, BOZ."

"That was a terrible jacket, by the way," Durango says.

Ozzie shakes his head. "No, it wasn't. It was great."

"Who puts their initials on the outside of a jacket?" Durango asks.

"Anyway," Ozzie says, ignoring him. "Over time, the B started to peel off, leaving only the O and Z. Coff saw it and called me Oz. Some of the other guys heard it, and that's what everyone called me from then on. Oz or Ozzie."

"Huh," I say. "Does anyone get a nickname because of something they've done?" I ask.

Durango and Ozzie laugh.

"Actually, yes. Next time you see CT, ask him how he got his," Ozzie says.

I glance at Piper, who shrugs.

"I might never see him again. Why can't you just tell me?" I ask.

"Trust me, it will be worth the wait. And you'll see him again," Ozzie says. "We work with the Seattle guys quite a bit."

Over the course of the dinner, Durango smiles more and his shoulders relax. It's good to see him around his friends. They bring out the Durango I used to know.

Piper leans over to me. "I'm so happy for you two. You are really cute together."

"Thank you," I say.

After dinner, Durango declines their invitation to play cards at their place. Instead, he drives us to a dark road and parks.

"I'm sorry. That wasn't quite what I had in mind for the first date."

"I had fun. I like Piper and Ozzie."

He nods. "They are great. But so is what I want to show you next."

We get out of the car, and he leads me down a path in a park to the water's edge. From here, we can see Manhattan.

"It's beautiful."

He wraps his arms around my waist from behind. "I like to come here at night sometimes and stare at the city lights. It's so peaceful."

"Thank you for bringing me here," I say.

"For our second date, I was thinking we might head to Jersey for dinner."

I turn in his arms. "Jersey? Why so far?"

He grins. "So we won't have to worry about dining with any of my coworkers."

"I thought New Yorkers didn't like going to Jersey?"

He shrugs. "Maybe some don't, but I'm from Montana. I go where the food is good. And the best Italian restaurant is in Hoboken. Trust me."

"Italian? Is this a pizza place?"

He laughs. "No, it's not. Trust me, you'll love it."

I will. Anything that makes him light up like this must be great.

"It's a deal."

"Now, are you ready for what I have planned next?" he asks.

"Does it involve your place?" I ask.

"No, but I think you'll love it."