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CHAPTER SEVEN

Casper felt on top of the world. The flight trials had been flawless.

The chopper responded beautifully to his commands and all the bells and whistles the Army had invested in, the radars, night-vision, missile launchers…

everything worked perfectly. And he could tell Laryn had outdone herself on the engine, as it felt more responsive than the one in his last bird.

Which was impressive, considering that had been the easiest helicopter he’d ever flown.

His mechanic hadn’t been far from his mind all day.

He couldn’t stop thinking about how Laryn admitted that she hadn’t felt as if she was a part of a team.

He was ashamed and blamed himself for making her feel that way.

He knew better than most how important it was to make everyone he worked with feel valued.

As the highest-ranking pilot in his team of Night Stalkers, he felt it was his responsibility to take a leadership role.

And he’d failed where Laryn was concerned. So badly that she’d been job hunting.

Of course, she was a grown-ass woman who could, and should, make her own decisions about her life, but he couldn’t help but feel as if he’d let her down.

That somehow, she was in the situation she was in partly because of his actions.

If Casper had opened his damn eyes and realized how the lack of inclusion was making Laryn feel, maybe she wouldn’t have asked her friend to be on the lookout for potential contractor positions.

He wanted to fix this. One way or another.

And the first step toward that goal was to include their mechanic in their traditional celebration of a successful flight trial.

Still feeling the rush of adrenaline from putting the chopper through its paces with Pyro at his side, with the rest of his fellow Night Stalkers playing the roles of both ally and enemy birds, depending on what system was being evaluated—it was always a challenge to take on one of his friends because they were all unparalleled behind the controls of a helicopter—Casper walked toward where Laryn was standing with two of the younger mechanics who worked for her.

“I’ll know more once I talk to Casper, but it seemed to me that she was pulling right.

We need to double check everything to make sure the stick is properly aligned.

Being off even half an inch could mean devastation for everyone on the chopper, especially when the pilots are maneuvering between mountain ranges. ”

She wasn’t wrong. And once again, it reminded Casper of just how much this woman knew about their machines. He often took for granted how flawlessly they performed when he was flying, but Laryn was exactly right. If something was off even by the smallest margin, it could be a huge disaster.

“I didn’t notice it pulling right, but if you say it was, it was,” Casper said as he approached. He slung an arm over Laryn’s shoulders and gave her a quick one-armed hug. “She performed beautifully. Thank you all for your hard work to get her up and ready to go.”

The younger mechanics’ faces lit up at the praise, and it hit Casper then that it wasn’t only Laryn he should’ve paid more attention to. Building these men up would help not only him and his friends, but any future pilots these mechanics worked with.

As the two men—boys, really—babbled on about specific maneuvers he’d performed in the test flight, Casper was acutely aware of the woman at his side.

He hadn’t removed his arm from around her, and she hadn’t shrugged him off.

It might’ve been his imagination, but he could’ve sworn she leaned closer as he patiently listened to the effusive praise her coworkers were giving him on his flying prowess.

This would’ve been the perfect time to improve the relationship between him and the mechanics who worked on their choppers…but Casper was only interested in improving one relationship right this moment. The one with Laryn.

“Thanks, guys. But I truly believe a pilot is only as good as the machine he’s flying. And thanks to Laryn and everyone who worked on my MH-60, today I got to be one of the best. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to steal Laryn.”

“Of course.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you guys have an AAR to attend.”

A pang of guilt hit Casper. He wasn’t stealing her to go to a boring After Action Review. No, he wanted to convince her to go to Anchor Point with him and his fellow Night Stalkers to celebrate the successful trial.

He dropped his arm from around her shoulders and instead took her hand, turning her around and walking away from the mechanics who were still staring at them with interest. Reluctantly, he dropped her hand when they were out of hearing range of anyone around them.

It was crazy how right her hand felt in his.

“What’s up?” she asked with a slight tilt of her head.

“Come to Anchor Point with us,” he said without preamble.

She blinked as if surprised. Then let out an adorable little huff of breath. “I thought you wanted to talk to me about the chopper leaning to the right. ”

“Nope. I want you to agree to come to the bar to celebrate with me and the guys. It’s tradition.”

“I don’t know,” Laryn hedged. “I have paperwork to do, and I want to take a look at the bird before she gets loaded up to head to the destroyer. Make sure nothing shook loose in the trials or needs to be replaced.”

“The chopper is fine. Your guys can do that. Come on. Come out with us.”

“You’re just asking because you feel you have to babysit me after hearing about that call last night,” she accused.

“I’m not,” Casper said. “Remember, I told you last night that I wanted you to come with us when we celebrated the flight trial. And I’m asking because I honestly want you to come.

I’ve been a shit team leader because I’ve excluded one of the most important people on my team for way too long.

We all want to celebrate with you. Share in the triumph of being back in the air after losing that bird in Iraq.

I’ve felt naked without a chopper, and now I can get back to doing what I’m good at. ”

He considered using the magic word that seemed to make this woman agree to whatever he wanted, but he didn’t want to abuse the power that word seemed to have over her.

“I promise it’ll be fun. The guys and I want to get to know you better. We never get hammered, and we won’t stay out too late.”

Laryn sighed, looking back at her employees, then over at the MH-60 sitting in the hangar, then finally back at him. “Fine. But not for long. It’s already way late.”

It was. It was twelve-thirty. “Awesome. And it won’t be for long, as the bar closes at two.

” He wanted to grab her hand again but was cognizant of the many eyes on them, and the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her or make her have to answer any uncomfortable questions from her staff.

There were no rules against her dating a sailor or soldier, but instinctively, Casper knew she’d be uncomfortable with any attention being drawn to herself or her actions.

She was much more comfortable flying under the radar.

The thought made him smile, as that’s where he was comfortable too…literally. Flying his chopper under the radar, so he was invisible to enemy forces.

Instead, Casper put his hand on the small of her back as he urged her toward where his friends were waiting patiently.

He hadn’t had a chance to talk to most of them privately about what was up with him and Laryn, and honestly, he wasn’t sure what he’d tell them.

That he’d suddenly noticed she was a very attractive woman?

That he was drawn to her? That he felt like an idiot for overlooking her for so long?

All of that was true, but he was still formulating a way to inform the others what was going on.

But then again, he probably didn’t really have to.

He’d never brought a woman to PT before.

And while Laryn technically was a part of their team, it was still unusual enough for him to have taken such an intense interest in what was going on with her.

So much so that his friends—other than Edge and Pyro, who he’d already had conversations with about Laryn—probably had an inkling his interest wasn’t entirely professional.

“High-five!” Buck exclaimed as they neared.

Laryn smiled and smacked his hand.

“She flew sweet and strong!” Pyro added, pulling Laryn into a bear hug.

She squeaked, but was still grinning as she returned his exuberant embrace.

“Did you see Casper turn her practically on her side as he circled around to get behind us?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Yeah,” Laryn said with a nod, after Pyro let go of her.

“I almost shit myself when he cut the engines, dropped four hundred meters, then started her up again and came up behind us,” Edge said with a shake of his head.

“Casper, you’re a crazy son-of-a-bitch, and I’m glad you’re on our side,” Chaos agreed .

“You’re coming with us, right?” Buck asked Laryn. “To Anchor Point?”

“For a while, yes.”

The men all cheered.

“Let’s get going then. Time’s a tickin’,” Pyro said as he looked at his watch.

“Climb on,” Chaos ordered as he turned his back to Laryn and crouched down.

“Pardon?” she asked with a furrow of her brows.

“Climb on,” he repeated. “I’ll give you a ride to Casper’s car.”

She laughed. “I don’t think so.”

“Come on…it’s a victory walk thing.”

“Thank you, no.”

“But—”

“She said no, Chaos,” Casper said firmly, shoving his friend.

Chaos lost his balance and almost fell over, but he managed to keep his feet and snort-laughed. “Fine, but never say I’m not a gentleman and didn’t offer.”

“I’ve been walking on my own for as many years as I can remember. I think I’ll make it,” Laryn told him dryly.

They all headed out of the hangar toward the parking lot, and the mechanics still around called out farewells and more congratulations. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, and Casper was still riding the high of the complicated maneuvers he’d executed earlier.

As soon as they exited the hangar, he put his hand back on the small of Laryn’s back and led her toward his Taurus. When they got close, she smiled, reminding him how excited she was when she’d first seen his car.

“The two thousand five models have had issues with the engine misfiring at freeway speeds. You experience that?” she asked.

“No. ”

“What about the idle air bypass valve? That can sometimes cause engine performance issues.”

“Not with this baby.”

“The camshaft sensor magnet has been known to damage synchronizers.” She was talking more to herself now, and her hand brushed the hood as she walked around the front of the vehicle.

Casper had a feeling she was itching to raise the hood and check things out.

“Have you ever blown a gasket? Or had white smoke coming from the exhaust? That could be why.”

In response, he walked up to her and took the hand resting on the hood in his own. Without a word, he led her to the driver’s side and opened the door. Gesturing to the seat, he said, “Why don’t you drive and see for yourself how she goes?”

“Really?” Laryn asked, her eyes sparkling with eagerness.

“Wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t serious,” he told her.

She lifted an eyebrow, looking skeptical. “Most pilots I know are control freaks. They would never let anyone else drive their cars. Especially a woman.”

“I’m not like most pilots. And it’s obvious you know more about cars than I ever will. I trust you with my life when I climb into that MH-60. Why would I not trust you behind the wheel of my car?”

Still, she hesitated.

Casper took a chance. He stepped into her personal space, not touching but definitely crowding her. To her credit, she didn’t cringe away or push him back. She simply lifted her chin to continue to be able to meet his eyes.

“I’ve seen your car, Laryn. Early nineties Honda Civic. Looks like a piece of shit, but purrs when you start her up. The state of someone’s car tells me a lot about them as a person.”

“What does mine tell you about me?” she asked quietly.

“That you’re a hell of a mechanic, which I already knew. That you take care of what’s yours. That just because something looks a little rough around the edges, doesn’t mean it’s not worth loving. That you value what you have. That you’re practical. Should I go on?”

She shook her head silently.

Taking another risk, Casper lifted a hand and brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek in a barely there caress.

Her skin was soft and smooth. And even in the crappy lights of the parking lot, he could see her skin flush at his touch.

She was so responsive, so honest with her unconscious reactions to him.

It was heady to know he affected her so much, and not for the first time, Casper wanted to kick himself for not noticing sooner.

“Thank you for tonight. For making sure everything in my bird was top-notch. Safe. Perfect. For agreeing to come to Anchor Point. For being who you are.”

“You’re welcome.”

Forcing himself to take a step back, Casper grabbed hold of the door frame with a white-knuckled grip.

It was either that or wrap his arm around this woman and pull her against him and find out if her lips were just as soft as her cheek.

“Go on. Have a seat. You can tell me everything she needs when we get to the bar.”

She grinned and sat in the driver’s seat.

Casper closed the door and jogged around to the other side, looking around to check the area automatically.

In the air, he felt fairly confident that he could see danger coming his way…

or the instruments around him could. But evil could hide more easily on the ground.

And while he felt safe on the naval base, that didn’t mean it was completely danger free.

He and his friends were trained to always be on the lookout for anything that seemed out of the ordinary.

Thankfully, the parking lot at the hangar appeared safe enough at the moment.

He climbed into the passenger side of his car—which felt weird, but he’d never admit that to Laryn—and smiled as she gestured with her head to his seat belt impatiently. He buckled himself in and nodded at her.

She’d moved the seat up so she could more comfortably reach the pedals. Then she revved the engine and pulled out of his parking spot as if she were in one of the dirt races she’d attended so regularly as a child with her dad.

Casper laughed out loud and grabbed hold of the oh-shit handle above his head. He wasn’t nervous, wasn’t afraid. Laryn was full of surprises—and he couldn’t wait to discover each and every little thing she hid under the stoic and serious face she showed the rest of the world.