Kitabı oku: «A Wicked Persuasion», sayfa 6
7
CHASE WANTED NOTHING MORE than to get Kate Fitzgerald settled in her own quarters so that he could get away from her, even for a few hours. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t stop his imagination from retreating back to his housing unit at Bagram, and his bedroom, where he could once again envision her spread out beneath him. He hadn’t meant to kiss her, but when she’d pressed her lips against his own, he’d been unable to resist her softness.
She’d smelled like sugar and vanilla and he’d wanted to consume her. He still couldn’t believe he’d lost control the way he had. His only excuse was that he’d been in Afghanistan for way too long, away from everything soft and feminine and sexy. But goddamn, when he recalled how gorgeous she’d looked on his bed, with her luscious breasts in his hands, he grew aroused all over again. He could have taken her right then; could have used her welcoming body to satisfy his own raging desire.
But he didn’t want her like that. He had nothing to offer any woman right now, not when he was committed to the Army and still had six months left of his current deployment. Kate didn’t deserve to be used, and he wouldn’t let himself take advantage of her, even if she thought it was what she wanted.
After he’d left her, he’d gone over to his command headquarters building, intending to catch up on the reports he was required to submit regarding the hunt for Al-Azir. But he’d been so distracted and aroused that he’d finally headed across to the fitness center and worked out his frustration on the treadmill and weight machines. Then he’d found himself in front of his housing unit just before dawn, imagining Kate inside, sleeping in his bed. He’d been tempted to go in and wake her up and finish what they’d started, but common sense had overcome his libido.
For the first time, he wished he could be more like his twin brother, Chance, who never passed up an opportunity to get busy with an attractive woman. At least, he used to be like that. Now Chance was fully committed to the pretty Black Hawk pilot, Jenna Larson, who had flown them from Bagram to Camp Leatherneck. They weren’t talking marriage—at least not yet—but Chase knew there was no way his brother was going to let Jenna get away. He was happy for both of them, but he wasn’t looking for something similar. He didn’t need to complicate his life with a relationship that had zero chance of going anywhere, no matter how appealing he might find Kate.
When he’d first learned that he would escort her to each of the bases, he’d contacted the USO at Camp Leatherneck and had learned that Kate could stay in the tent designated for the other performers. Chase suspected it would be very much like the one at Bagram Air Base, only this time there would be no other women bunking with her; she would be completely alone. Since he didn’t have his own housing unit on Camp Leatherneck, Chase wouldn’t have the option of letting her sleep in his quarters.
As he suspected, the Humvee drew to a stop in front of a large tent, nearly identical to the one at Bagram. The wind had picked up and buffeted the canvas sides, causing them to billow out and suck back in. Kate stared out the window and Chase was unable to read her expression.
Climbing out of the Humvee, he opened the back and whistled to Charity, who bounded down and began exploring the area around the tent. He grabbed Kate’s duffel bag and waited for her to join him.
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” she asked. The wind picked up tendrils of her hair and blew them across her mouth, and Chase had to resist the urge to brush them away with his finger.
“I doubt there’s much difference between these accommodations and where you stayed at Bagram,” he said reasonably. “I spoke to the woman over at the USO, who said this is where all the entertainers will stay while they’re here.”
He pushed through the entrance of the tent, sensing Kate directly behind him. The tent was larger than the one at Bagram, with at least three dozen bunk beds lined up along the walls. The USO staff had hung curtains between the bunks in an effort to provide some privacy. But where the other tent had been sparsely outfitted, this tent was equipped with metal lockers and several small refrigerators. Chase set the duffel bag down inside the door and turned to look at Kate.
“Please tell me you’re joking,” she finally said, turning to him. “There is absolutely no way that Tenley can stay here.” She gave a disbelieving laugh and gestured toward the cots. “She’s the only female in her band! Are you actually suggesting she sleep here with a bunch of guys, with only a scrap of material separating her from them?”
Chase crossed his arms. “Well, she’ll have you to protect her.”
“No way. There must be somewhere else. What about the time Carrie Underwood visited? Are you telling me that she stayed here?”
“No. She stayed in a private housing unit, but unfortunately we don’t have any available at the present time.” He gestured around him. “This is the alternative, and if it’s adequate for the other performers, I have to believe it’s adequate for you and your sister.”
Kate blew out a hard breath. “I knew the conditions over here would be harsh, but to have her sleep in the same tent with a dozen guys?” She gave Chase a helpless look. “Really, Chase? There’s nothing else available?”
“Is she in any danger from her own band?”
He could see Kate considering this before she shook her head. “No, but it’s not … appropriate. The point is, she shouldn’t have to bunk with her band. She’s an impressionable young girl, and she should have her own private accommodations. Wait …” She turned and stared at him. “Did you say I’m also staying here?”
“I did.”
Chase watched her expression turn from dismay to horror.
“Am I supposed to sleep here tonight? Alone?”
Oh, man. He knew her words weren’t an invitation, but he couldn’t prevent his imagination from surging.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have my own private housing unit for you to crash in,” he said.
Kate’s gaze locked with his and awareness flared in her eyes. Chase knew she was remembering what had happened between them, and when her lips parted on a soft “oh,” he realized he had to leave. He couldn’t stop thinking about the previous night, and now it seemed he couldn’t stop talking about it, either.
“You’ll be fine,” he assured her. “Let’s go over and check out the concert venue, and then grab some lunch.” He glanced outside. “This storm is going to be here before dark, so we should go soon.”
“Before we do that, is there someone at the USO that I can talk to?” She gave him a pleading look. “You don’t know Tenley. She’ll be miserable if she has to stay here.”
“Kate, trust me when I say I do understand. But this isn’t Bagram Air Base, and they just don’t have the resources here that Bagram has.” He gestured toward the metal bunk beds with one hand. “This is what’s available, and I’m sorry if it’s not up to your usual standards, but it’s what you get.”
Blowing out a breath, she picked up her pink duffel bag and dropped it onto the nearest bunk. “For myself, I don’t really care where I sleep. But Tenley deserves better.”
Chase found his resolve crumbling beneath her obvious distress. At the same time, he couldn’t help but admire how doggedly she looked out for her sister.
“Okay, look,” he said, scrubbing a hand across the back of his neck. “Let’s go over and talk to the USO folks. Maybe they can figure out alternate arrangements for the two of you.” She gave him a grateful smile, and he raised a hand to forestall the words of gratitude that he knew hovered on her lips. “Just don’t get your hopes up. They may not have anything else to offer you. When I talked with them, it sounded like they were stretched pretty thin.”
Kate made a sound of frustration and sat down heavily on the bunk. “I don’t know why I came over here,” she lamented softly. “What was I thinking? Russell tried to talk me out of this, but I thought it was our only chance to save Tenley’s career.”
Chase had no idea who Russell was, but he felt a surge of jealousy that Kate somehow relied on this man. Worse, it sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. He could handle her anger and her indignation, but he wasn’t sure how he would deal with her tears.
“Okay, c’mon,” he relented. “Let’s go over to the USO and then we’ll take a quick look at the concert venue, okay?”
Kate didn’t meet his eyes, but she nodded. “Okay.” Her voice was subdued.
Chase frowned. Was she crying? He was torn between wanting to go to her, and wanting to run as fast as he could in the opposite direction. In the end, cowardice won out and he retreated toward the exit.
“I’ll wait for you outside,” he said.
The Humvee had departed. Chase would spend the night bunking with a Marine Corps battalion, and had given the Humvee driver instructions to drop his protective gear and duffel bag off at their tent. Now he wondered if he hadn’t been a little hasty in sending the guys off. The wind was still blowing, and the small rocks and dust that it kicked up made it unpleasant to be outside for any length of time. When Kate finally emerged from the tent, she looked composed, but resolute.
“All set?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes.”
She didn’t say anything else, and Chase didn’t ask. He was just relieved that she wasn’t crying. He could pretty much deal with anything, but not tears.
“The USO office is about a ten-minute walk from here,” he said as she fell into step beside him. The wind was at their back, so they avoided the worst of the debris that was flying around. But when they finally reached the office, they were both covered in a fine coating of dust. The USO was housed in a large, one-floor building and consisted of a lounge equipped with oversize leather chairs, flat-screened televisions and a bank of computers and telephones. At least a dozen soldiers were sprawled in the chairs watching television, or sat at the computers, connecting with family members and friends back home. Chase could see two civilians inside the office, and pointed them out to Kate.
“Do you want me to come with you when you talk with them?”
“No, I can take it from here. This is what I do.”
Chase sat down in a chair where he had a clear view of the office, and watched as Kate went in and closed the door behind her. Through the glass windows that separated the office from the public lounge, he could see her negotiating with the two USO representatives. She had her little planner with her, and was busy taking notes as she talked with the women. They were smiling and nodding, and she reached into her oversize shoulder bag and withdrew what looked like a handful of oversize glossy photos of Tenley Miles. She handed one to each woman. They spoke for several more minutes, and then Kate came out, looking extremely pleased with herself.
Chase rose to his feet. “All set?”
She smiled at him and tucked her planner into her bag. “They’re going to provide a semi-private housing unit for Tenley when she arrives. She’ll stay in a unit with me and two other women, but at least she won’t have to sleep in the tent with the band members.”
Chase had to give her credit. He had talked with the USO representatives in the hours before Kate had arrived and had been told in no uncertain terms that the only option was for her to stay in the tent.
“I’m impressed,” he said to her as they left the building.
She gave him an arch smile. “It’s amazing what a little bit of charm can get you. You should try it some time.”
He grinned. “Didn’t you notice? This is me at my most charming.”
To his relief, she laughed. “Yeah, right.”
“So where are you staying tonight?” he asked. “I’ll make sure your gear gets moved to the new location.”
“Unfortunately, it looks like I’ll be in that tent by myself until the performers arrive. Then the two women at the USO are giving up their own beds for Tenley and me.”
“Really? And where will they stay?”
Kate shrugged. “They said they can put some cots in the USO office and sleep there for a couple of nights.”
“And you’re okay with that? You don’t mind displacing other people for your own convenience?”
Kate gave him a level look. “Not for my own convenience, for Tenley’s. And it’s not as if they’ll be sleeping outside. They offered to do this. I didn’t ask them to.”
Chase didn’t know why he should feel so disappointed, but he did. He admired the fact that she would go to any length to ensure her sister’s safety and comfort, but he didn’t like how easily she could disrupt other people’s lives to do so.
“Does she have any idea that people bend over backwards to accommodate her, or does she just expect it?”
He watched as Kate drew in a deep breath, and then stopped to face him. “If you have a problem with this, Major Rawlins, maybe you should assign somebody else to escort me around. This is why I came over here—to make sure Tenley has everything she needs. She has no idea how much work goes into preparing for a concert. Like I said before, she’s just a kid. She has enough to contend with, without having to worry about the logistics of where she is going to eat, sleep, etc. That’s my job.”
Charity gave a soulful whimper, as if sensing the tension between them.
“Okay, then,” Chase said. “Let’s go over and make sure the concert site meets with your approval.”
They walked in silence after that. As much as Chase was attracted to Kate, he couldn’t help but think this assignment was a waste of his time. She could clearly take care of herself. Meanwhile, part of his team was up in the mountains doing his job for him. He wondered how they were doing, and how soon he could rejoin them.
Beside him, Kate’s shoulders were rigidly set and she stared straight ahead. Even as they toured the staging area where the bands would perform, she pointedly ignored him. She made some notes in her planner, and examined where the bands would wait backstage, but didn’t give him any indication of whether she approved of the site or not. But he’d seen Kate’s face when she’d thought Tenley would have to stay with the other band members, and he knew that her misgivings stemmed from a true concern for her sister.
After viewing the concert venue, they walked over to the dining facility and had lunch. But unlike the day before, there was no small talk. They might have been complete strangers for all the attention Kate paid him. Chase tried several times to make conversation with her, but after receiving short, polite responses, he gave up. He told himself that if she wanted to keep him at arm’s length, then he was fine with that. In another week she would be gone. He had no desire to get to know Kate Fitzgerald. He told himself for the hundredth time that she was simply an assignment, and once that assignment was over, he could get back to what he should have been doing all along: hunting and capturing Al-Azir.
This was exactly why he avoided women and tried not to encourage those who did show an interest in him; they were a distraction. Even now, when he should be spending his spare time coordinating with his team members and laying out a plan for their continued pursuit of Al-Azir, he found his thoughts consumed by Kate. He needed to get away from her, even if it was just for a couple of hours. He wondered if his brother was at Camp Leatherneck.
Chance was an Apache helicopter pilot, and his missions took him to many of the U.S. bases, although he was stationed at Bagram. But it hadn’t escaped Chase’s notice that his brother somehow managed to fly into Camp Leatherneck about once every two weeks, and it was no coincidence that the trips just happened to coincide with those times that Captain Jenna Larson was also at Camp Leatherneck. On second thought, he decided that even if his brother was on the base, Chase was unlikely to get any quality time with him. Chance would be fully occupied with Jenna.
He watched Kate eat her lunch. Although she deliberately ignored him, Chase could see that she was acutely aware of him. She watched him when she thought he didn’t notice, and she was attuned to every movement he made. He hadn’t been in his line of business for nearly eight years without being able to read body language, and everything about Kate screamed awareness of him.
He couldn’t believe the difference a day made. Just yesterday, he’d been chomping at the bit to return to the field and resume his hunt for Al-Azir. Now, for the first time in years, he wasn’t thinking about duty and country. With a sense of dismay, he realized he wanted more.
He wanted Kate Fitzgerald.
8
ON A PRETEXT OF having business to attend to, Chase left Kate at the USO for the afternoon. He needed some time to get his head together and put things in perspective. Colonel Decker had made it clear that his only mission for the next week was to take care of Kate and her sister, but he also needed to touch base with the rest of his team. Even if the stand-down order was lifted in the next day or so, he was committed to remaining with Kate until the tour had ended.
Kate seemed happy at the prospect of spending time at the USO. She would have internet and phone access, and had insisted she needed to reach both Tenley and Russell. He’d desperately wanted to know if Russell was a boyfriend, but pride prevented him from asking. They had agreed that he would return to collect her after dinner. The dining facility was located directly next door to the USO, so she didn’t need an escort. He felt a little disgruntled by the fact that she seemed happy at the prospect of eating a meal alone. She hadn’t talked about staying in the large tent by herself, but the more Chase thought about it, the less he liked the idea, especially with a storm moving into the region. He’d already made up his mind to hunker down outside the entrance for the night, just in case she needed him. He’d slept in worse places, in worse conditions, so the idea didn’t faze him.
By the time Chase jogged over to the USO to get Kate, the temperatures had dropped significantly, and the wind had kicked up a notch. Dust whipped across the ground in swirling clouds, and he could hear the patter of tiny stones as they clattered against the metal buildings. In the distance, flashes of lightning briefly illuminated the mountain peaks.
The storm was rolling in quickly, and it promised to be a good one. Kate was waiting for him by the entrance, her enormous shoulder bag over one arm. Even in the dim light he could see the apprehension on her face as she looked toward the northwest.
“C’mon,” he said briskly, “let’s get you back to your tent before the rain starts.” He indicated the road, which was packed dirt and rocks. “You don’t want to be out here once the ground gets wet.”
“Is there any chance I can take a shower before I turn in?” she asked hopefully.
Chance had already planned on hitting the showers after he dropped her off at her tent, so it would be no big deal to walk her over to the bathrooms. “Absolutely,” he assured her. “I’ll leave you at your tent while I go and grab my own gear, and then come back for you.”
The wind kept her from responding, so she just nodded and then put her head down. She kept pace with him as they walked quickly across the base. On the left, he pointed out the nearest bunker, illuminated by an orange safety light. The exterior of the concrete bunker was packed high with sandbags.
“There’s another shelter just beyond the bathrooms,” he said, drawing her close and raising his voice to be heard over the wind. “If the sirens go off while you’re in the shower, use that bunker instead.”
He left her at her own tent and then quickly jogged to the Marine battalion quarters, and stuffed a clean uniform and his shower gear into his backpack. Other soldiers were running to reach their destinations before the storm hit, and Chase looked to the sky, trying to estimate how much time they might have before the heavens opened up. They didn’t often get storm fronts of this magnitude in southern Afghanistan, and when they did, they usually took the form of sandstorms. But he already knew that this particular storm was packing a lot of moisture, and the troops were battening down the hatches in preparation for a significant amount of rain. He knew that Kate would be okay; her tent had been erected on top of a wooden platform, so she would be safe from flooding. But the tents were prone to seepage, and there was a good chance that she would have several leaks during the course of the night.
It was almost completely dark by the time he returned to Kate’s tent and found her waiting for him just inside the entrance. They jogged the short distance to the bathroom, not wanting to get caught in the threatening downpour.
Chase stepped into the entry with Kate. “I’ll be right next door,” he assured her. “Wait for me here. I’ll give you a shout when I’m ready to walk you back to the tent, got it?”
Kate nodded. “I’ll be quick.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll be back in ten minutes to get you.”
Ducking into the men’s showers, on the opposite side of the same building, Chase quickly stripped down and stepped under the steaming water, grateful to scrub away the dust and grit from the base. Since it was still the dinner hour, he had the entire facility to himself. He could easily have stayed under the hot water for hours, but sensitive to the fact that Kate would be waiting for him, he rinsed the soap from his skin and turned off the tap. Then, wrapping a towel around his hips, he stood over a sink and used a razor to scrape the beard growth from his jaw and neck. Scrutinizing his reflection, he decided he still looked rough around the edges, but at least he no longer resembled a mercenary.
He was wiping the last traces of shaving cream from his jaw when the lights in the bathroom flickered. Outside, he could hear the wind whistling across the base. The doors rattled on their hinges. Chase turned swiftly toward the stall where he had left his gear and a clean change of clothing, but he was too late. The lights flickered once more, ominously, before they went out, plunging the bathroom into utter darkness.
Abandoning his clothing, Chase made a beeline for the door, bolting through it and into the windy darkness outside. He knew it would only be a minute or two before the lights came back on or the backup generators kicked in, but he didn’t want Kate to panic.
He burst through the doors of the women’s bathrooms, calling her name. “Kate? Are you okay? It’s me, Chase.”
He heard her footsteps stumble toward him, and then she was in his arms, her hands groping blindly at him.
“Chase?” He could hear the surprise in her voice. “What are you doing in here? Isn’t there some rule against—Are you naked?”
Her fingers encountered his bare torso, and before he could stop them, they skittered over his shoulders and arms, drawing heat to the surface of his skin wherever they touched. Grasping her wrists, he dragged her hands away.
“No,” he snapped in irritation at himself and his body’s reaction to her. “I am not naked. I was just getting dressed when the power went out. I didn’t want you to be frightened, so I ran over. The backup generators should—” There was an audible click, then a buzz of electricity, and the emergency lights over the doors snapped on, illuminating the bathroom in an eerie red glow. “Kick in any second,” Chase finished, his voice trailing off as he got a good look at Kate.
As lights went, they weren’t much, but they were more than sufficient for him to see that she wore nothing but a pair of underpants and a bra, and his mouth went dry at the sight. He’d been right about one thing—she had curves in all the right places. Her hips flared out from a narrow waist, and her legs were slim and supple.
“Oh, my God,” she breathed, her eyes widening as they traveled over him. For just an instant, Chase saw female appreciation and raw hunger in her expression, and in the next instant she spun away to snatch a towel from the nearby sink and hold it against her. “I’m fine, really,” she said over her shoulder. “You can go now and—and put some clothes on.”
Chase stood there for a moment, dumbstruck. Despite the fact that he’d already seen her partially nude and knew she had a gorgeous shape, he was blown away by the entire package. Even her back was lovely, and he took a second to admire the elegant line of her spine and the deep curves of her waist. Her rear was luscious and rounded, and he had an instant image of himself cupping her cheeks in his hands and driving himself into her warmth as she straddled his hips. Then he gave himself a mental shake. He was losing it, big-time.
“I’ll see you in a few minutes,” he muttered, and returned to the men’s side of the shower facilities, his head still reeling.
For as long as Chase could recall, women had been attracted to him and his identical twin, Chance. But where Chance had welcomed every feminine advance and had been considered something of a player, Chase had been completely focused on his future as a Special Ops commando. He’d known from an early age that he wanted to join the elite unit, and nothing—not even a pretty face and a curvy body—could deter him from that path. He’d had girlfriends, but none of them had been more important to him than achieving his goal.
In fact, looking back, he realized he’d deliberately kept women at a distance because he’d known his dedication to the Army would prevent him from committing himself fully to a relationship. But right now, with his body aroused from just seeing her, he thought he would gladly trade his entire freaking career for just one night with Kate Fitzgerald.
Yeah, he’d definitely lost it.
Pulling on a clean uniform, Chase stuffed his dirty gear into his backpack, telling himself that he’d have no problem facing Kate. He’d seen plenty of women with less clothing on than the scraps of fabric she’d been wearing, and he’d never been so overcome by lust that he’d lost his self-control. He’d just keep it professional and act like he hadn’t seen anything. Like he hadn’t cupped and caressed her breasts less than twenty-four hours earlier. Like he had no idea how her nipple felt in his mouth, against his tongue, or how her small sounds of pleasure drove him crazy.
Yeah, right.
Bracing himself, he stepped outside. Rain was just beginning to fall in big, fat drops, and the sky flashed with lightning mere seconds before a roll of thunder caused the ground to tremble beneath his boots. He pulled a small flashlight out of his backpack and flicked it on, not because he couldn’t find his way back, or because he couldn’t see in the dark, but because he knew it would give Kate a sense of security. Standing just outside the door to the women’s showers, he called her name.
She came out immediately, although Chase didn’t miss how she avoided his eyes, concentrating instead on adjusting her bag over her shoulder. But when the first raindrops hit her face, she blinked in surprise and lifted a hand to catch several.
“Wow, this storm is moving in fast,” she observed.
“They usually do out here,” Chase replied. “We’d better hurry, or we’ll find ourselves soaked to the skin before we reach your tent. Here, let me take your bag.”
Ignoring her protests, he took the shoulder bag from her and slid a hand beneath her elbow. He sensed her surprise, but she didn’t try to pull away. The rain was coming down in sheeting torrents now, mixing with the dusty road and creating mud that had the consistency of peanut butter. It sucked at his feet with every step, and if it weren’t for the fact that his boots were laced up over his ankles, they might have been pulled free.
Kate wasn’t so lucky.
She gave a small cry of distress and stumbled heavily, pulling Chase to an abrupt halt. He steadied her as she leaned her weight against him and balanced herself on one foot. Swiping the water from his face, Chase looked down to see one of her slip-on shoes buried in the muck. He pulled it free, and she grimaced as she pushed her foot back into it.
“So much for that shower,” she shouted.
Chase peered up at the sky. “Yeah, well, you don’t know the meaning of the word shower until you’ve experienced a desert storm. This is just going to get worse. C’mon.”
But no sooner did they take another step, than Kate’s other shoe became stuck in the mud. Chase flicked his light over the ground, seeing the water pooling quickly around Kate’s foot. She could put the shoe back on, but he already knew they’d be retrieving her footwear from the mud with every step she took. The way he saw it, they had two choices: she could go barefoot all the way back to her sleeping quarters, or he could carry her. He told himself firmly that the thought of holding her in his arms for the five-minute trek did not send his pulse into overdrive.
“Okay, listen,” he said, using his best authoritative voice, “I’m going to carry you back to the tent, otherwise we’ll be playing hop-along the whole way.”
She stared up at him, and in the beam from the flashlight, her lashes were spiky with moisture, and rivulets of water streamed down her face and slicked her hair to her scalp. She blinked furiously.
“You can’t carry me,” she protested. “First of all, I weigh a ton, and second of all, it’s not necessary. I’ll just go barefoot.”
“No, that’s not an option,” he said briskly. “The road is loaded with stones and potholes. If you don’t end up with a serious laceration, you could twist an ankle. Just let me carry you. You don’t weigh a ton, trust me. I carry seventy pounds of equipment on my back whenever I’m in the field.”
