Protecting Ellis (Loved by the SEAL #1)

Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Trip stopped at a fast-food place, and Ellis ordered a chicken sandwich and nuggets. He raised his eyebrows at her order but didn’t say anything. She wondered if he thought she was eating too much. She needed calories if she wanted to keep going all day.

The drive passed quickly, and they were at the lot for the trailhead long before she expected. “Was that really a forty-minute drive?”

Trip looked at his watch and nodded. “About forty.”

“Wow.” She pulled out her camera and attached the lens she wanted to use today.

“Nice camera.”

“Thank you.”

They headed away from the car, her taking in the area, noticing things she might want to take photos of. She had her telescoping monopod to help her steady the shot. It was one tool she took everywhere.

Trip wasn’t moving too fast, so she didn’t have to run to keep up. “You could go ahead if you like.”

He shrugged. “I’m good. My job has a lot of physical activity. This is more for me to relax and reconnect. I need to center my thoughts.”

His words shocked her a little. Few men she knew were aware enough to think about recentering and connecting with their inner selves. “That’s very healthy of you.”

He snorted. “I don’t want you to think I’m better than I am. I don’t do this enough and sometimes leave it until I’m frustrated as hell and out of sorts.”

“Well, I’m glad you wanted to come out today. I need to be here.”

“Do you always bring your camera everywhere?”

She shrugged. “Often. I don’t want to miss a shot.”

She paused as she noticed movement in a field a few hundred yards away. Luckily, she already had her monopod attached and extended it, stabilizing her camera as she pinpointed the location through her viewfinder and snapped a shot before zooming in. She was rewarded with an awesome sight.

A little gasp escaped her lips, and she felt, rather than heard, Trip move closer. “What is it?”

“Just a…got it.”

After snapping multiple photos, she smiled and leaned away from the camera so Trip could see the photo she’d just taken. A cougar was moving through the field but had stopped and was staring at a monarch butterfly.

“Damn, that’s amazing. How did you know to stop and take that photo?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t. I just got lucky.”

Trip hadn’t thought Ellis lucky this morning after her tires had been slashed, but that photo she took was amazing. He knew nothing about photography, but when he saw amazing shots like what she’d taken, he was impressed.

“Can you sell something like that?”

She nodded. “But only because I’ve been in the business for over a decade.”

He snorted a laugh. “A decade. What are you, twenty-five, maybe twenty-six?”

She rolled her eyes. “Hardly. Thirty-three. Though I do get carded all the time still. Your guess isn’t too far out there.”

“Wow, I’m thirty-three, too. But you look amazing. I have sun damage from spending so much time outside.”

She glanced at him, then her gaze shot away quickly as she shortened the stick she’d set the camera on to take the photo. He liked this woman, which probably wasn’t good. He didn’t need any involvement. He’d been a free agent for years, never even bringing a woman back to his place. Encumbrances would bog him down. His job was a big enough reason to stay alone. He also was very independent and didn’t want anyone hanging around.

“Who will you sell that to?” Why was he asking her questions like he was interested? He shouldn’t care, but he was interested and he did care.

She shrugged. “It depends. I might do a special treatment and put it up in a gallery. Or I could contact one of the magazines I work with. They may have an article coming up that features cougars or butterflies.”

“So you been working in the industry for a while? How did you get started?”

She glanced up at him, her eyes filled with delight. His stomach tightened, and he had to fight to push the lust away. He wanted to hear what she had to say and what delighted her. The happiness in her eyes was much better than the sadness he’d seen this morning when he’d bumped into her outside their apartments.

“After college, I was lucky enough to travel to Europe. I spent a year backpacking. I took a lot of really good shots and ended up in a youth hostel owned by someone who was in the industry. He saw my work and asked if he could put some of it in his gallery. They all sold and sold well. Instead of coming back to the States after a year, I did more backpacking, taking photos all the way. I had more showings and made some money.”

She paused, setting up to take another photo. He was curious but patiently waited for whatever she had to show him. It was a group of five hummingbirds with a hawk sitting on a tree limb behind them.

“How did you even know to take that?”

“I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.”

“You’re very observant.”

“Usually. But I stayed with that jerk for too long so I guess I’m not that observant.”

“We all make mistakes.”

She shook her head. “I’ve made plenty.”

“If you’re popular in Europe, why are you living here in San Diego?”

Her expression flattened, and he saw annoyance flash across her face. “Him.”

“Oh. Will you leave?”

The sigh she gave made him wonder how tied to him she was. “I can’t. Not yet. I have a studio storefront where I do photos in a lab environment. It’s the opposite of my nature work. I take photos of products. I’m good at it. And I’m booked out for a few months. I also have a small gallery that features photos from the area. You know, all the stuff tourists like, but my work is better than other people’s stuff because I get out and get the difficult shots that other people take from sidewalks. I plan, find different angles, go out on boats, or use drones where I can.”

“Oh, drone use is highly restricted around here.”

“Trust me, I know. I can’t send up a drone where I want because of the Navy.”

“We have our reasons.”

“I’m sure you do. I mean, I don’t like my privacy being invaded any more than Uncle Sam likes it. Bennet tracking me is freaking me out. Thank you for taking me out here to get my mind off things. It helps.”

They walked a little farther, him keeping it slow so she didn’t have to run. Eventually, he glanced over and met her blue gaze. Something sparked inside making him wonder what could be between them, but he pushed it away. Leading her on wouldn’t be fair. “I’m sorry he’s being such a jerk. It sucks.”

“Yeah, well, that’s dating in this age. I didn’t know until it was too late that I had an insane person on the line.”

He chuckled. “Sorry, I don’t mean to laugh, but you’re right, it’s rough out there.”

“What about you? Have you dated people who take it too far?”

He made a face and rolled his eyes, emphasizing the movement. “It can be bad. I’ve had women stalk me to the point that I have to change which bars I go to. Right now, I’m favoring Aces Bar because the new owner doesn’t put up with the BS pickup games.” He shouldn’t tell her where he was hanging out. What was up with him? It was like she drew words out of him without even trying.

“Oh, that’s nice.”

“It’s close to the apartment. A lot of Navy and military types go to decompress. There are a few women who show up to pick up guys, but it’s not awful.”

“I’ve taken to only drinking at home. It’s just safer.”

Trip thought that was one of the saddest things he’d ever heard, but he understood. He knew plenty of women who had been drugged at bars. He’d seen it more than once and interrupted the process at least three times back when he was more active at finding women to hook up with. It was another reason he usually stuck to Aces nowadays.

Ellis thought the hike had been spectacular even though she was out in the wilderness with a stranger. Ginger would be pissed that she’d gone out to the middle of nowhere with this guy. But for some reason, Trip made her feel safe.

He hadn’t made one sexual joke, hadn’t asked if she actually had breasts or tried to force her to prove it. That one always pissed her off. Like guys expected her to pull up her shirt and show them her tits just because they were small. Small or not, she didn’t owe anyone a look at her body.

“You’re frowning. Everything okay?”

She shook off the anger from past experiences and tried for a smile. “Sorry, just thinking. Thank you for making today better. I needed to get out and take some photos and clear my mind.”

“Same about clearing my mind, not the photos. I’ll leave that up to you. I’m amazed at what you got.”

“Thank you. I’m thrilled by the cougar shot. That was cool. I’d say that’s one of my all-time favorites.”

“I’d love to see your other stuff. I mean, if that’s okay. I don’t want you to think I’m pressuring you to invite me into your personal space.”

“My studio is a better place to look than my apartment. I moved somewhere cheap and small after realizing that Bennet was going to be a problem, so I don’t have much there.”

“Did you break up with him right before you moved in?”

“That’s the odd part. No. I broke up with him about six months ago, but he keeps thinking that I’m going to get back with him. I don’t know if he told his parents that we ended it. He mentioned them a few times when we were talking after the breakup. Also, they contacted me four weeks ago to talk about wedding plans. Stuff like where they should stay, I told them flat out the wedding had been called off months ago. That’s when Bennet started getting mean.”

Trip clicked open the locks on his car and opened the trunk so she could store her camera in the back. She made sure all the zippers were closed before shutting the trunk. The last thing she wanted was something small to fall out and have to ask him to open his car. He would think she’d done it on purpose.

“He never told them that you’d broken up?”

“I guess not. His parents want him to marry and have kids before they’ll give him money. At least, that’s what I understood.” She shook her head. “Really, I don’t know what the truth is, I only know what he told me.”

“He could have spent the last six months finding someone to be with who wanted some money.”

She shook her head. “They require him to marry a woman who has her own money and a career.”

“Well, I’m glad you figured it out before you married the jerk.”

“Yeah. I wish I would have listened to Ginger, my best friend. We almost lost our friendship when she came to me a few weeks after I started dating him and told me to drop him. I didn’t listen. We got into an argument. I’m lucky she’s such a good friend. She didn’t rub my face in any of it. When I found out he was cheating, Ginger held me and never once said I told you so.”

“She sounds like a good friend.”

Ellis never regretted being friends with Ginger. The woman was amazing. “She is. The best.”

Now that they were back in the parking lot, she had cell service. Her phone buzzed, and Ginger’s name popped up on the display. “Speaking of Ginger, she wants to know where I am.”

“That’s good that you have someone watching out for you.”

Ellis texted Ginger, telling her that she was okay. That she’d lost cell service because they were hiking. Her phone buzzed with a reply text, causing her to bark out laughter.

“She is demanding to meet you. Says it’s not okay that you took me out into the wilderness, and she hasn’t met you.”

“Well, we could fix that.”

More laughter spilled out. “What? You’d be willing to meet Ginger? She’s fierce.”

“I can take fierce.”

Ellis shook her head. “Okay, tiger, calm down. I’m not going to toss you to the lioness just because you had the unfortunate timing of coming outside when the cops were there and my car was being towed.”

He chuckled. “I’ve enjoyed spending time with you. Honestly, it has been one of the best days I’ve had in a while. It’s been relaxing, plus you’ve given me the gift of seeing some awesome photographs.”

“I know you’re kidding about meeting Ginger.”

“I’m not.”

“Well, now she’s calling, so you’re going to get an earful.” Ellis answered the phone, smiling to herself as Ginger launched into admonishing her for traveling out to a place where she couldn’t be tracked.

“You do know that’s what serial killers do, right? You’re with a stranger, some loser you met at your apartment, and you went out where you couldn’t be tracked. You’re lucky I didn’t call the cops.”

Trip’s lips spread into a huge smile. “Hello. I’m the loser, Trip.”

His words silenced Ginger. “That’s a first. You silenced her,” Ellis said as laughter spilled out.”

“Are you still with him?” Ginger asked.

“Yeah. My car won’t work. Someone slashed the tires.”

“Bennet, you mean.”

Ellis snorted, sure Ginger was rolling her eyes. “Probably, but the cops said there has been some other vandalism like this in the area, so they can’t say for certain it was Bennet.”

“I don’t trust Bennet. He’s a creep. Trip, are you a creep?”

Ellis gasped at Ginger’s question. She was going to tell Trip he didn’t have to answer.

“I don’t think so, but I’m probably not the best judge of my own character. I mean, we never are, right? We always end up discounting our mistakes and pumping up our successes.”

Ginger was quiet for another moment. “I need to meet you before you take Ellis out again.”

“Jesus, Ginger. I’m not dating him. He just lives in my apartment community and was nice enough to take me hiking.”

“I know what that’s like. How do you think I met Kent? Now we have a baby. So yeah, I’m meeting Trip. What are you, the third of your family with the same name?”

“No, ma’am. It’s my nickname.”

Ginger snorted. “What’s your real name? I need to look you up on social media.”

“Um, well, I don’t have social media.”

“What kind of weirdo doesn’t have social media?” Ginger asked.

“Military weirdo. But my name is Greer Merano.”

“Greer, I’m writing that down.”

“Good. I like that you’re looking after your friend. We all need good friends to keep an eye on us.”

Ginger let out a laugh. “Ellis, this is just plain weird. Either he’s the real deal or a psychopath.”

Ellis cringed as Trip chuckled. She shook her head, hoping Trip didn’t hold Ginger’s words against her. “I’m so sorry. And Ginger, be nice.”

“This is as nice as I can get with so little sleep.”

“Wait, why didn’t you sleep?”

“Nick has an ear infection, and she hates life right now.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Get some rest. I’m fine. Give Nicky a hug from her auntie.”

“Sure thing, doll. And Trip, you’d best behave because I’m not someone you want to mess with.”

The call ended, and Ellis had an apology on the tip of her tongue, but Trip started speaking.

“I like her. She’s spunky. It’s cool that she wants to protect you. Too much weird stuff happens in the world, and you have to keep yourself safe.”

“Wow, I’m surprised. You really aren’t a jerk, are you?”

He shot her a questioning look. “What do you mean?”

“Guys get offended when girlfriends demand they behave. Bennet hated Ginger.”

“Well, that’s not me. I mean, some women may think I’m a jerk, but that’s because I don’t normally do long-term relationships. My work is hard and all-consuming at times. I’ve been spending loads of hours working on something that I can’t talk about with you or anyone else outside of my team. In my experience, most women don’t like the long hours. I disappear for weeks at a time, and I can’t say where I’m going or when I’ll be back.”

“I know my work isn’t like yours, but I will sit at a spot for hours to get a photo I want. Today was easy. Stuff like that doesn’t happen often. I mean, there have been a few times I’ve gotten the photo quickly, but usually, I spend hours sitting and waiting. I may not be reachable during that time. If I have to go out for an assignment, I’m going. Like last year, I ended up in Zimbabwe for two weeks. I never turn down those assignments because they pay well and I love photography.”

He nodded as he turned down the street they lived on. “I get that. I would be worried about you, but I wouldn’t demand you not go.”

They pulled into the apartment’s lot, and she shook her head. “What are we talking about here?”

He parked the car and sat there for a moment. “I don’t know. Honestly, hanging out with you is the best date I’ve had in years.”

“Was this a date?”

He shrugged. “What do you think? Would you be willing to go out with me? I mean, even if you aren’t, I’d like to see more of your work.”

She bit her lower lip. “Are you free tomorrow afternoon? Would you be willing to go to the studio?”

His eyes lit with excitement. “Yes. I’d love to spend some time with you and see your work.”

“Good. How about three tomorrow? We can head over to the studio and spend time together.” In the back of her mind, she thought going to her workplace the next day would allow her to check if Bennet had done something stupid, plus she really would like to spend more time with Trip and get to know him.

“I’m looking forward to it. Tomorrow at three.”

She nodded and stepped from the car. Today had started out terrible, but it was getting better by the minute. Trip wasn’t only sexy, he was nice, too. Was he really interested in dating her? Guys who were as good looking as he was didn’t stick around. She wasn’t super sexy, and there wasn’t much she could do overnight to improve her looks. If he wasn’t interested, she would find out soon enough.