Page 3 of Quarantined With the Soldier

Chapter Two

It was like Ava hadn’t aged a day.

He didn’t understand how she’d managed to do it, but somehow, she’d found a way to stay exactly the same. She had the same hair, the same smile, the same laugh. They’d been apart for four long years, and he’d missed her every day that he’d been gone. When he’d come back to Willowton, he hadn’t expected her to be so happy to see him, but she had.

He’d walked into her bakery that morning and she’d stopped counting change for a customer and run around the counter completely. Then she’d thrown herself into his arms, and that had been the best feeling in the world.

She’d missed him.

Being in the military hadn’t been easy. He’d seen her only in pictures and online. They hadn’t been able to meet up, and his leave time had always been issued so last-minute that plane tickets home had been impossible to afford. He hadn’t seen anyone in the time he’d been gone, but oh, he was glad to see her.

Now he drove to her house. He didn’t bother to tell her that all of his belongings were in the back or that he hadn’t unpacked at his mama’s house. They hadn’t talked in years. He’d driven by to sneak a peek, of course. He wanted to know if she was okay. From the looks of things, she was back in her old routine of drinking with anyone who was willing to come by. Sometimes Dylan missed his mother.

Other times, not so much.

He drove silently, only occasionally sneaking peeks at the little baker who was with him. He wanted to know so very many things about her. Yeah, they’d been connected online in the time he was gone, but that was different.

Following someone on Facebook was totally different than hanging out with them in real life. There were so many tiny little things people didn’t like to bring up in real life that they’d bring up online: things like how they were feeling or someone who irritated them. People would chat in real life about a great burger or a new dress, but those weren’t really things they put on their Instagram pages.

Not always.

Not Ava.

Her Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feeds were all pictures of her creations. Sometimes she’d include a picture of herself, but most of the time, it was all business, all the time. He admired that about her, but he also worried about her. Didn’t Ava have someone who would take care of her?

Especially at a time like this, he wanted to know that she was being looked after.

Was she?

He cleared his throat and prepared to pester her. He had so many questions he wanted to ask her.

“So, are you seeing anyone?” He asked, blurting out the question. She looked at him sharply, and it took all of his self-control to stay focused on the road in front of him. Oh, he really, really wanted to look at her.

“What’s it to you?” She snapped, and he shook his head.

“Watch the tone, sweetheart,” he said. She was bratty. That much was for sure. He’d never been with Ava before. It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted to. Oh, he’d wanted to since about forever. The problem was that she was an innocent and he…

Well, he was dark.

Damaged.

Broken.

He wasn’t exactly a good guy.

He had weird kinks and fetishes and needs: things that would scare a sweet girl like Ava away if she found out too much about him.

But she was definitely a brat.

And he was itching to pull her over his knee.

He shouldn’t, he knew, but oh, he wanted to. In the military, he’d learned a couple of important things: like how to clean and how to be on time. He’d learned how to handle a weapon and how to take care of himself. He’d learned loyalty and how to watch out for the people who were with him. He’d gained incredible skills and had wonderful experiences, but oh, more than anything else, he’d learned that there wasn’t anyone in the world as sweet or lovely as Ava was.

“No, I don’t think I will,” she said, and she turned and looked straight ahead.

Something in him snapped. The last ounce of self-control he had just fizzled, and he pulled the truck into an empty parking lot and killed the engine. Ava looked over at him again. This time, she was confused.

“What the fuck are you doing?” She asked.

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