Page 83 of Her Marine
Once in his car, he drove the forty-minute drive to his condo, stopping at his mailbox to check it.
Stepping into his condo, Killian pulled his phone from his back pocket as he went down the hall. He was in the mood for Mexican food and placed the order before tossing his phone onto his bed. He entered his bathroom and started the shower, removing his clothes as the water heated up.
Killian’s mind went to Journee as he showered. He hadn’t seen her in person since he’d surprised her for Valentine’s Day. She was coming to see him after the wedding she was planning at the end of the month, but he was considering surprising her for her birthday next week. He always had plenty of days to take off since so many of them rolled over, and now that he had a reason to use them, he was going to.
When he finished his shower, Killian moisturized, slipped on a pair of boxers and sweatpants, and grabbed his phone, entering his living room. He sat on the couch, turning on his television while waiting for his food.
His wait was short-lived as a knock came on his door ten minutes later. Killian retrieved the food from the delivery person, thanking them as he closed the door, having already tipped them on the app. As he ate, he watchedSportsCenterand waited for the game to come on.
Halfway through the game, his phone rang. Killian glanced down at it expecting to see Matteo calling since their teams were playing against one another, and Killian’s was currently losing, but they still had two quarters left to play. Instead, he found that it was his little sister.
“Hey, Ziggy.”
“Hey, Kil. Can you do me a favor?”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“I’m atArtie’sand somehow locked my keys in my car. I called roadside assistance, but it’ll be an hour before they can get here and—”
“I’m on my way, Zig,” Killian cut her off as he pressed the record button on his television. He had her spare key since he lived closer than their parents did.
“Thanks, Kil,” Ziggy responded, and the two hung up as Killian pulled a t-shirt and socks from his drawers.
He put them on and grabbed some shoes and his jacket from his closet, slipping into them before grabbing his keys and leaving his condo.
Killian made the twenty-five-minute drive to the restaurant. He found Ziggy standing outside, some man talking to her as he pulled up beside her car and got out.
“I said, I’m okay. I’m waiting for my brother.” Killian heard Ziggy state as he approached them.
“Come on; it’s cold out. We can wait in my car.”
“No,” Ziggy responded.
The man reached out to grab his little sister’s wrist, but Killian caught his first, holding it in a bruising grip.
“Do we have a problem here?” he questioned, staring at the other man. Killian didn’t give him a chance to answer, squeezing his wrist tighter, and the man winced. “Because if I didn’t know any better, I would think you were about to touch her without her consent.”
“I was just—”
“About to go away,” Killian cut him off, letting his wrist go. Without another word, the man turned and hastily walked off. He turned his attention to his sister. “Why are you standing out here? It’s cold, and men like that exist.”
“I got hot in the restaurant. I’ve only been out here a minute. Besides, I have my taser,” Ziggy informed him as she pulled the hand in her purse out to show him. “I was fully prepared to tase him in the nuts.”
He chuckled because he knew that she was telling the truth. It would not be the first time she’d tased someone in the nuts or the second. They reached her car, and Killian used the extra key fob to unlock her door. He watched her search for her keys before finding them between the driver’s seat and the console.
Ziggy thanked him for coming to unlock her door, which she didn’t need to do. He’d be a terrible brother if he hadn’t. Killian also decided that he would follow her home to ensure she made it okay.
Once he watched Ziggy pull into her apartment complex lot and walk into her apartment, he headed back home. He figured the game wasn’t over yet because he hadn’t received a call from Matteo gloating. Either that or Killian’s team had turned it around and won. In this case, Killian would give Matteo a taste of his own medicine.
When he made it home, the game was over, but instead of checking the final score, he watched it to see who won and discovered that his latter thought was true. His team beat Matteo’s, which was why the other man hadn’t called to gloat.
Killian sent him a text that included the nose-blowing emoji, saying it was okay to cry. It didn’t take long for him to receive a response telling him that he wasn’t funny, to which he replied that he may not have been, but at least his team won. Matteo sent him the middle finger emoji, and Killian tossed his phone aside as he flipped through the channels looking for something to watch.
It was a little after nine, and he figured he’d call Journee in half an hour to see how her day was. He knew she was working on finalizing details for the wedding she was planning, and she’d told him it might be late when she left her client. So, he’d wait a bit longer. Until then, he would kill time watching the documentary he’d just stumbled across.
«-•-•-•-•-•-•-»
Journee watched Alijah as she looked at the digital model she’d created of the wedding venue. She was looking at the ceremony model. It included where all the chairs would go, the altar, the arch, and the decorations she’d selected for the ceremony. Whenever Journee planned a wedding, she liked to show the bride what things were expected to look like on their special day.
