Fitz stood and smoothed down his black shirt, then walked over to the glass wall of Colton’s living room in time to see Jack open the pilot’s door and jump out. The aviator sunglasses and flight jacket Jack wore had Fitz’s pants feeling tight all of a sudden.

  “Oh my God, you’re dating Maverick,” Laz said excitedly from beside Fitz.

  “So help me, I will give you a buzzcut the next time I do your hair.”

  “What?” Laz said with a laugh.

  “You’re making me nervous.”

  “No, Maverick is making you nervous.”

  “I will strangle you with my bow.” Fitz absently touched the thin black bow that hung from his shirt’s collar. “MacGyver, Maverick. You all need to watch something not set in the eighties.”

  Laz snickered.

  “What’s going on?” Colton asked, coming to stand on Fitz’s other side. “Oh my. That is one studly Italian.”

  Fitz playfully shoved Colton. “You already have a man, you hussy.”

  “Nothing wrong with making an observation,” Colton replied.

  What they must look like, the three of them standing at the glass wall ogling Jack as he made his way up the balcony stairs. He opened the sliding glass door and grinned cheekily at them, his dimple making an appearance. Good God, the man was hot.

  “Good evening, gentlemen.”

  “Good evening,” Colton and Laz replied in unison. Fitz shook his head in amusement. His friends were such dorks.

  Jack stepped in front of Fitz, smile wide. “Hi.”

  “Hi.”

  Jack motioned to the helicopter. “Your chariot awaits.”

  “Does that make me your princess?”

  “That makes you whatever you want to be, as long as I get to be by your side.”

  A collective “aww” echoed behind Fitz. He smiled sweetly at Jack. “What was that recipe for homemade pepper spray you were telling me about the other day?”

  Jack chuckled and opened the door for Fitz. “Good night, guys.”

  “Don’t wait up,” Fitz singsonged as he wiggled his fingers over his shoulder in goodbye. He headed down the stairs after Jack, his body thrumming with excitement. As they neared the huge black helicopter sporting the white Four Kings Security logo on the side, Fitz could barely contain his excitement. He’d had guys pick him up in fancy cars before, hoping to impress him, but all that did was put his guard up. Fitz didn’t need to be impressed, and knowing Jack the way he did, Jack had either chosen the helicopter because it was needed, or he thought it would be fun for Fitz, because that was Jack.

  Opening the passenger side door, Jack helped Fitz up into the seat, then shut the door for him and ran around the front to get into the pilot’s seat. After closing his door, he turned to Fitz with that big boyish grin of his.

  “Okay, buckle up. Have you ever ridden in a helicopter before?”

  “Nope.”

  “It’s okay. I’ve been flying helicopters for almost fifteen years.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep.” He handed Fitz a headset. “Here, put this on.”

  Fitz brushed his hair back and secured the large headset on his head before Jack did the same. “Okay?”

  “Can you hear me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Perfect.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  Did he? Fitz shook his head. “No. I like surprises.”

  “I thought you might.”

  Fitz could have melted from that smile. He sat, fascinated as Jack hit switches and buttons, telling him what he was doing with each step. The propeller came to life like rumbling thunder, and Fitz got swept up in the excitement of watching Jack at work. He caught a glimpse of the soldier behind the bright gray eyes. It was in Jack’s intense focus, in the confidence he exuded as he got the helicopter in the air. Despite having fifteen years of experience, Jack didn’t cut corners. He followed flight protocol to the letter.

  “How often do you fly?”

  “Not as often as you’d think. I’m not the only pilot on staff, and we tend to use the helicopters only when necessary.”

  “You mean Ace doesn’t rope you into flying him all over?”

  “Not anymore. If he wants a couch moved, he can use his fiancé’s private plane.”

  “Wait. I’m sorry, did you say couch? Are you telling me Ace got you to transport a couch via helicopter?”

  “One of Ace’s boyfriends lived in an apartment building on the top floor, and Ace promised to help him move, which means he promised we’d help. The moment we got there, we knew no way in hell that monster couch was going to fit in the tiny elevator, and no amount of maneuvering was going to get that couch up those narrow stairs. The apartment did, however, have a wall of glass doors, since it had a rooftop balcony. We loaded the couch up into one of the helicopters and made the delivery.”

  “And King didn’t mind?”

  “Are you kidding me? We ended up on the news. We’re still paying for that stunt. King makes us sign a declaration every time we fly that we’re not going to use the helicopter for ‘furniture related services.’”

  “Poor King. The guy certainly has his hands full with you four.”

  “Four?”

  “Are you seriously going to tell me that Red goes along with your shenanigans?”

  Jack’s grin was wicked. “The things I could tell you about our sweet Red.”

  “No,” Fitz gasped. “You horrible tease! You can’t just say something like that and not tell me the juicy details. You’re so mean!”

  “I know. I’m terrible,” Jack said with a naughty grin. “Get a couple of drinks in him and he’ll spill everything.”

  “Hm. I’ll have to remember that.” Fitz turned his attention to outside his window. “Everything looks so beautiful from up here.” So quiet and peaceful. The traffic and buildings disappeared, replaced by a highway flanked by water. “Wait, are we going to the Keys?”

  “We’re going to that tiny island up there on the right.”

  “I’m not familiar with it.”

  “That’s because it’s privately owned. It belongs to an old client of ours and his wife. They were one of our first cases after opening Four Kings Security. It was a protection job for the wife, who’d received several death threats. She was the head of a charity that helped abused women escape their abusers, and one of those abusers decided she was personally responsible for his wife leaving him. He started threatening her, so her husband hired us.

  “During a charity gala, the guy knocked out one of the caterers, took his place, and tried to shoot her. King had seen the guy reach back and covered her, while Ace and Lucky took him down. Sadly, it wasn’t the first or last time someone tried to hurt her, so we provide twenty-four-hour protection for her and her husband, even when they’re abroad for half the year. Since the island is empty for six months during the summer, they insist we use it. King tried to refuse, but Mr. Boutros said he’d take it as a personal insult if we didn’t accept, so we did.”

  “That’s incredible.” Fitz’s could barely contain his excitement. The sun had begun to set, casting the sky in stunning hues of reds and oranges. They made their descent toward the landing pad, not far from a wooden path lined by tiki torches on each side. The path disappeared into dense palm trees, concealing whatever treasures lay on the island. The whirring blades slowed, and Jack shut everything down before removing his seatbelt. He got out and jogged around to Fitz’s side, where he opened the door for him and helped him out.

  The salty ocean breeze ruffled Fitz’s hair, the humidity a stark contrast from the delicious air-conditioning inside the helicopter. His heart was all but ready to escape his chest when Jack slipped his hand into Fitz’s. They walked hand in hand down the path, and Fitz was thankful for the torches and the light from the setting sun, or he would have missed the gorgeous tropical garden. There were various species of palms, cycads, mangroves, and stunning flowers. In the distance he spotted several fruit trees.

  “Oh my God.” Fitz stopped as the garden ended and opened up to reveal a gorgeous beach house that looked like something out of Swiss Family Robinson, if the Robinson family had been filthy stinking rich. It was huge, made of wood, with upper levels and several multilevel porches.

  “Dinner’s being prepared for us in the outdoor kitchen and will be set up in the next twenty minutes. How about a tour?”

  “Like you have to ask.” Fitz looped his arm through Jack’s and followed him up the stairs to the two large screened doors. The inside of the house was as impressive as the outside. Fitz loved the antique nautical motif and brown bamboo furniture. The whole place screamed tropical island. Posters of classic Hollywood movies lined the walls, and the shelves running above the wall-to-wall windows were filled with seashells, colorful fish models, and seaside decor.

  Fitz explored every inch of the house with Jack, following him quietly, Jack’s smile reaching his eyes and making those little creases in the corners Fitz loved so much. His bright gray eyes were filled with so much emotion as he watched Fitz that it was hard for Fitz to meet his gaze without blushing. Jack probably thought Fitz found the upstairs bedroom’s sea turtle pattern fascinating. Damn it! He was a grown man, for crying out loud. Since when did he blush because a guy looked at him? Right, because Jack’s just a guy. Not like you’re falling for him or anything.

  Oh my God! The idea that he might be falling in love again and in such a short period of time had him literally falling. He short-circuited and forgot how to walk, tripping over the rug in the center of the room. Flailing, he braced for impact, but instead of meeting with a hard floor face-first, he fell into Jack’s arms.

  “Who put that there?” Fitz murmured, clutching Jack’s arms, his face on fire.

  Jack ran a hand through Fitz’s hair before resting it on Fitz’s cheek. “You okay?”

  “Yep. Thanks to you. Talk about reflexes. Thank you for catching me.”

  “Always.”

  At the softly spoken word, Fitz lifted his eyes to meet Jack’s. He seemed to be searching Fitz’s gaze for something, but what? Did he feel the same? Was he as confused as Fitz? This sort of thing didn’t happen in real life, did it? His entire relationship track record should have been all the evidence he needed to prove there was no such thing as “the one,” right? Destiny was a drag queen he’d met in a club in London, not some mysterious power controlling his future.

  “Do you believe in destiny?”

  Jack tilted his head in thought, and Fitz could tell he was trying to pick his words carefully, most likely not to offend Fitz in any way, because that was Jack. “I believe our actions lead us on certain paths.”

  “So… no?”

  “No, but that in no way invalidates what you believe.”

  Fitz smiled at him. “You’re very sweet. To be honest, I’m not sure what I believe. It feels like we’ve known each other so much longer.”

  “Well, we’ve technically known each other over two years.”

  “But we barely spoke.”

  “Doesn’t mean I didn’t think about you every day.”

  Fitz sucked in a sharp breath. “You thought about me every day?”

  “I tried not to, but that just made it worse. I know we didn’t talk, but it felt like you were there.” Jack shifted and ran a hand through his hair. “Laz would call almost every day and talk to me about you.”

  Fitz stared at him. “What?”

  “I know how that sounds.” Jack cringed. “I didn’t ask him to, he’d just start telling me about your day and what you were up to, and I didn’t stop him. It was nice.”

  Fucking Laz. Fitz bit down on his bottom lip. “I should have known he was playing matchmaker even while I was being an idiot.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He did the same with me. Every day he would update me on all things Jack.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. Between Laz and Ace, I probably know more about you and your ex-boyfriends than you do.”

  Jack let out a surprised laugh. “Holy shit. I should have known Ace was up to something. I mean, he’s always sticking his nose in everyone’s business, but over the last two years, I swear he was channeling his mother, the way he got me to tell him everything going on in my very sorry dating life. So as you can see, you weren’t physically around, but you were around.”

  Fitz threw his arms around Jack’s neck and kissed him. He couldn’t take it anymore. Who the hell cared how they’d gotten here? The point was here they were. Fitz was tired of questioning every little thing. Overthinking was a talent of his, and he was done with it. Jack was an amazing guy with a wonderfully crazy family that Fitz loved. Call it destiny or whatever the hell, Jack had been there, either at the front of his thoughts or the back of his mind for two years. He was done wasting time.

  Jack held Fitz against his hard body, his hands sliding down Fitz’s back before coming to grip his waist, drawing a groan from Fitz. He slipped his fingers into Jack’s hair, their kisses growing hungrier as heat flared through Fitz. Forcing himself to step away, Fitz kept his hands to his sides out of fear he’d launch himself at Jack again.

  “Dinner first,” Fitz said. “This is our first real date outside the house, and I have every intention of getting to experience it with you. Pants party later.”

  Jack laughed, and it made Fitz smile. He loved the way Jack laughed. It was loud, genuine, and sexy as fuck. “Okay. Let’s go.” He led Fitz back downstairs and toward the back of the house.

  The porch outside offered a breathtaking view of the ocean, the twinkling lights running along the balcony’s roof charming and delightful. A table for two had been immaculately set up, with an antique gas lamp providing a romantic glow beneath the cloudless night sky filled with millions of stars. The rustling of palm leaves mixed with the sound of crashing waves.

  Jack pulled Fitz’s chair out for him and told him he’d be right back. In the meantime, Fitz inhaled the fresh seaside air, enjoying the stillness around him. An old tune from a long-gone era played softly from the hidden speakers, and if he closed his eyes, he could imagine himself in an old Hollywood movie where he was stranded on a deserted island with the handsome hero, a pilot and military man with black hair and piercing gray eyes.

  “You look happy.”

  Fitz opened his eyes and smiled. “That’s because I am.”

  “I’m glad.” Jack placed a plate covered with a silver dome in front of Fitz. “Don’t worry, a professional chef cooked this. No kitchen appliances were harmed in the making of this dinner.” He picked up the bottle on the table and popped the cork. “Champagne?”

  “What kind of man do you take me for?” Fitz held up his glass and tapped the side of it.

  Jack leaned down and pressed his lips to Fitz’s. “An incredible one.”

  “Don’t forget pretty,” Fitz teased.

  “Gorgeous.”

  The way Jack said that one little word had Fitz feeling light-headed, and he hadn’t even had any champagne yet. Champagne poured, Jack sat across from Fitz, and they talked as they enjoyed the mouthwatering three-course dinner. The first bite of jerk-rubbed salmon had Fitz moaning.

  “This is amazing.”

  “You mentioned you love salmon, so I asked the chef to make you his best salmon dish.”

  The warmth that spread through Fitz had nothing to do with the champagne and everything to do with the thoughtful, attentive man sitting across from him. Over a week ago they’d had a conversation about the guys cooking, where Fitz made a passing comment about how much he loved salmon while they’d been discussing Joker’s aversion to seafood. He hadn’t expected Jack to remember, but that was Jack.

  In the time Fitz had known Jack, he’d come to realize Jack was a small-gestures kind of guy. He let Fitz know how much he cared in all the little things he did, whether it was stopping by the grocery store on his way home from work to buy Fitz his favorite ice cream or grabbing the one blanket out of dozens when Fitz had said he was cold because he knew that was the one Fitz liked most. Or the drool-worthy key lime pie with whipped cream and berries Jack had just placed in front of him because it was Fitz’s favorite. Fitz blinked back the tears threatening to pool in his eyes. If his granny were alive, bless her soul, she would have said, “Fitzy, you marry that man right now!”

  “Can I ask a bold question?” Fitz asked as he tried his hardest not to lick the plate clean. My God, that had been the best key lime pie he had ever tasted.

  “Always.” Jack stood and held out a hand, which Fitz took without hesitation. He followed Jack down the steps and past some palms to a clearing on the beach that revealed two beach chairs flanked by tiki torches. Fitz took a seat, waiting for Jack to sit beside him.

  “If I hadn’t been the winning date, would you have still brought your date here?”

  “Nope.”

  The complete lack of hesitation sent a shiver through Fitz. Jack had picked this place especially for him.

  “In fact, I’m the first to bring a date here.”

  “Really?” That surprised Fitz. This place was incredible and made the perfect romantic getaway.

  “This place is special, and not just because it’s beautiful. When we opened Four Kings Security, we had no idea how the whole private security thing would work out. We were still finding our footing with so many things, trying to adjust to our new norm. Mrs. Boutros, who I mentioned earlier, wasn’t just one of our first clients; she was the first life we saved as civilians. We felt useful again. It lit a fire in us we thought had been extinguished.”

  “I’m so very happy to hear that, Jack. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it must have been for you all.” Fitz dropped his gaze to his fingers. “Everyone needs to feel useful.”