Free Navy Seal's Innocent Italian by Leslie North

*****
    “Hello?” Alex queried, hoping the call was from Marco. They were supposed to go to dinner in five minutes and he hadn’t come upstairs yet. She knew he was in the building, as Jake had dropped her off an hour ago and she had stopped by his office to tell him she was back.
    He’d been on the phone and given her a distant smile and waved her away.  Alex had passed his actions off as those of a man very busy with a myriad of business deals.
    Now that he hadn’t come up to change for dinner, she was beginning to get concerned.  Heading towards the elevator, she rode it down to Marco’s personal office. His secretary had already left for the day and the door to Marco’s office stood ajar.
    Alex approached the office door and then pushed it wide open. Marco was still on the phone, and he gave her a sheepish look before covering the mouthpiece and whispering to her, “I’m not going to make dinner. Why don’t you and your new friend enjoy a night out on me?”
    Alex watched him for a moment, noticing the stress lines around his mouth and how tired he looked. She hated when her father looked thus, and tried to get him to take a small break. “Why don’t you come to dinner with us and then you can get back to work? You need to eat, and I’d really like for you to meet Jake.”
    Marco finished his conversation and then disconnected the call, “You are correct. Let us go find some dinner and then I will come back to work.” He gave her an encouraging smile, unrolled his shirt sleeves, and grabbed his jacket. Leading her to the elevator, he asked, “So tell me about this man you met.”

Chapter 13
     
    “His name is Jake Travers and he just finished a stint in the military. He grew up in New York City and he showed me around this afternoon.”
    “That was very nice of him.” Marco finished making himself presentable as they rode the elevator to the ground level. “He’s meeting us for dinner?”
    Alex nodded, “He should be waiting for us downstairs.” I hope he’s waiting for us downstairs!
    “So you enjoyed seeing New York?”
    “Yes, but after spending a day amidst all of these people, I’m very glad that we’re leaving for Colorado tomorrow. Oh, that reminds me, Jake is moving to Colorado as well. He was only here getting his stuff from storage so it could be shipped out there. Isn’t that a coincidence?” Alex asked him.
    Marco slowly nodded, “That is amazing. What is he going to be doing in Colorado?”
    “A friend of his from the military has a business out there and Jake’s going to work with him. He doesn’t have any family, and he said his military friends filled that void for him. Isn’t that sad? I’m glad he has someone.”
    Marco nodded his head, “Yes, being alone isn’t all that great. So, is that your young man there by the motorcycle?” He was talking about the large man standing outside, talking to the driver of the limousine.
    Alex smiled and then waved to Jake as she and Marco exited the building, “Yes. That’s him.” She walked directly to Jake, Marco following in her wake. Stopping, she was secretly thrilled when Jake leaned down and kissed her cheek in greeting. Swallowing, she introduced the two men, “Jake, meet Marco. Marco, this is the man I was telling you about – Jake Travers.”
    Marco shook the man’s hand, pleased when he felt the strength in his grip. He hated a limp handshake, and often his first impression was bolstered by how one shook his hand. Jake’s first impression climbed significantly after their handshake.
    “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” Jake offered him a smile of greeting, but Marco noticed his eyes were drawn back to Alex quick enough.
    “Likewise. Thank you for showing her around the city today. I would have done so myself, but several things have come up with my business that required my attention. Shall we go?” Marco gestured towards the car.
    When Jake and Alex nodded, he waited to see if Jake would play the