by Jenna Brandt
Adam was beginning to worry. Despite the fact they had found five bombs, with a one man disadvantage, it wasn’t going to be enough. The classic sound of popping made Adam’s heart sing. He glanced across the training ground and noticed that Colby was covered in blue paint, just like Bernard. The teams were even again. Adam’s team could take this if, they found just one more bomb; however, Adam knew better than to rush. If he did that, he could fall for a trap or decoy, and then that would leave Instructor Burnette by herself. He didn’t want to do that to her. Not that she wasn’t capable on her own, but he wanted to help her win.
Out of the corner of his eye, Adam watched as Rogers fell for a decoy and had to leave the competition. That meant that Adam was the only trainee left. He’d already found two bombs, tying him for the second most found by a trainee. Adam really wanted to find one more so he could have the most. He noticed that the edge of a passenger seat from the airplane seemed “off” to him. He guided Valor over and let him inspect the area. To Adam’s great pleasure, his suspicion had been right. Valor sat down next to a box that had been hidden under the seat. Adam raised his hand to signal they found a bomb.
“And that’s time,” Sarge declared. “With that bomb, Burnette’s team won with seven devices safely located.”
“Congratulations,” she said, patting Adam’s arm. Her touch shocked him, causing him to feel off kilter. He hadn’t expected the physical contact from her, and though he liked it, he didn’t know what to make of the warmth it caused to ripple up his arm.
Adam stumbled back, tripping over the edge of one of the nearby passenger chairs. He couldn’t rectify himself in time, and he went crashing into some rubble. His foot remained behind, stuck between the chair and a piece of metal. He let out a loud yelp of pain.
“Someone go get the doctor,” Instructor Burnette barked out with worry written across her face. “Don’t move, Reynolds. You might make it worse.”
He wanted to try to get free, but he knew she was right. If he had any chance of not making it worse, he needed to lay still.
“It’s going to be okay,” she whispered, reaching out and placing her hand on his chest in an effort to calm him. Little did she know, it actually caused his heart to speed up. “Dr. Stine is excellent. He’ll know what to do.”
After the doctor arrived and inspected his injuries, Adam found out he only suffered from a few bumps and bruises for the most part. His worst injury was a bruised ankle. It didn’t mean he had to go home, but he definitely needed to rest it over the weekend.
“You’re lucky. It could have been a lot worse,” Instructor Burnette said with a sigh. “For being so good at bomb detection, I don’t see how you managed to trip over something as trivial as a piece of metal.”
“I think he was distracted,” Colby pointed out, wagging his eyebrows up and down in a way that made it clear he thought he knew something about what had caused Adam to trip.
“Look, I’m pretty exhausted. I just want to get back to my room and lay down,” Adam said, ignoring Colby’s annoying behavior.
The group made their way out of the training grounds and headed towards the main campus. Before they reached the dormitory though, the Captain was there with a piece of paper in his hands. “Your team has a hot call. It turns out, there is a bomb threat at an outdoor mall with multiple packages spotted around the area.”
“I hate to say this, Reynolds, but you’re going to have to stay behind with your ankle like that,” Sarge said with a shake of his head. “I’m sorry about this. I’m sure you would like to go with your team, plus you would have been a real asset.”
Adam’s heart sank at the news. Of all the days to twist his ankle, it had to be on the one day they got an active call.
“He shouldn’t stay on his own. The trainees need the experience and only one instructor needs to go with them. I’ll stay with Reynolds and you can go with them, Miller.”
A momentary look of disapproval crossed Instructor Miller’s face before he quickly covered it up. He nodded, saying, “Team, go change into clean uniforms and grab whatever you need for you and your partner. Meet me back here in ten minutes. We’ll load up in the bomb truck and take off in twenty.”
Adam wasn’t sure what to make of Instructor Burnette’s offer to stay with him. If he didn’t know any better, he would have sworn her decision didn’t go over well with her colleague. Did Miller suspect something was going on between Adam and her? There wasn’t. Well, not officially, that was. Adam got the distinct impression that if they were in any other situation, he would have kissed her already, and she would have let him. With her staying to take care of him, was there a chance that maybe that could happen anyway?
Eight
While the rest of the team was off checking out the shopping mall threat, Clara was sitting next to Adam in his dormitory apartment. He was resting on his bed with Valor beside him. Clara had kenneled Rebel, wanting to make sure she was free to focus on helping Adam with whatever he might need.
“How are you feeling? Do you need any more pain meds?”
Adam shook his head. “I’m fine,” he muttered out as he shifted his position. He pushed back against the stack of pillows behind him. It didn’t seem to do the trick. He turned around and picked up the closest one, smashing it between his hands a couple of times before slinging it back down, slumping back against them with a pout on his face.
“You don’t look fine,” Clara pointed out. “What’s wrong?”
He drew in a deep breath and held it before speaking. “I just hate being hindered. I want to be out there with everyone else doing my job,” he admitted, the frustration clear in his voice. “How else am I going to be able to put these new skills I’ve learned to the test?”
“I get that, but you’ll have plenty of time to do that down the road.”
“Not here, not where I can make a name for myself that will hopefully carry back to my superiors. I’m not getting any younger, and if I want to get an assignment over in a hot zone, I need that.”
“Just so you know, I plan on writing a glowing letter of recommendation for you. I can’t promise anything with it; however, they usually carry a lot of clout since I’ve been an instructor here for over five years. I know what I’m talking about.”
“Thank you,” Adam said with a smile. “I really appreciate that. I didn’t mean to guilt you into anything though.”
She shook her head. “You didn’t. I had already made up my mind to do it a few days ago. Like I’ve told you before, you’re one of the best handlers I’ve had the privilege of working with. I know I’m supposed to be training you, but truthfully, I’ve even picked up a few tricks by watching you.”
“You’ve been watching me?”
Clara shifted in her chair beside his bed. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, let alone him, but it was more than that. There was an attraction to him that she couldn’t explain. Not only was he devastatingly handsome, but she really liked him the more she got to know him. Deciding to give herself an out, she said, “It’s my job.”
“Oh, is that all?” a look of disappointment settled on his face. “Is there any way we can start calling each other by our first names? It’s seems ridiculous to call you Instructor Burnette now that we’ve become friends.”
“Is that what we are now?” she asked, arching one of her eyebrows. “I didn’t get the memo.”
“I thought we were. I figured that was why you decided to stay here with me rather than going on the call, Clara.”
She liked the way her name rolled off his tongue. It was like it was as easy as picking out a favorite outfit to wear, warm and intimate. She immediately decided she liked it. “You can call me by my first name when we’re in private.”
“Then you should call me Adam.”
“To clarify why I stayed, Adam, I’ve gone on plenty of calls over the years. There’ll always be more bomb threats despite our best efforts to stop them. Besides, someone needed to keep an eye on you.”
/> “One of the other trainees or instructors could have done that. Was there another reason you decided to stay?”
Clara wasn’t sure how to answer him. She knew there was more to it than what she had been admitting, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. Trying to avoid giving an answer to the probing question, she changed the subject by standing up and saying, “You’re starting to sweat a bit, which means the pain is higher than you’re letting on. Why don’t I go grab you a couple of pills and a glass of water?”
When she returned with his meds, she had decided to surprise Adam with a special trip. “I have somewhere I want to take you. It’s going to do you a world of good.”
“Where’s that?”
“Let’s just say it’s better if I just show you.”
Adam shrugged. “If it means I get to spend more time with you, I’m in.”
Clara felt her cheeks blush at the flirtatious compliment. She liked that he wanted to spend time with her, and despite the warnings she kept giving herself, she liked being with him, too.
Clara took Valor over to the kennel and checked him in for the afternoon. She came back to collect Adam, who had switched out of his sweats and into a pair of jeans. Once he was settled inside her car, she went around to the driver’s side, excited to show him her favorite place to go. Twenty minutes later, they were pulling up in front of The West Side Spa and Salon.
“You brought me to a hair salon? Are you trying to tell me you don’t like my hair cut?” Adam asked with confusion, as he lifted his hand to his military high-and-tight.
“No, your hair is fine. We’re here for the other part.”
“The spa?” he asked with incredulousness. “Why on earth would I need to go in there?”
“Because, considering what you just went through, a massage is exactly what you need.”
“Couldn’t you just give me one?”
“I could, but I’m not nearly as good as Henry. Besides, I already texted him and told him we were on our way. He arranged for us to have side-by-side massages.”
“Who’s Henry?” Adam asked in a way that made it clear he was jealous of the other man.
“My masseuse—just my masseuse, though he’s made it clear he would be interested in more.”
“Can’t say I blame him. Any man would be a fool to not want more with you. I have to admit though, I’m glad to hear it’s one-sided. I would hate to find out you have a boyfriend.”
“Nope, no boyfriend. The only guys that take up time in my life are Father and Rebel.”
She wanted to add Adam to the list, but she was afraid it would reveal too much about how she felt about him. It was better to keep that information to herself. She knew it couldn’t go anywhere, so she didn’t want to encourage him to pursue her in any way.
They entered the spa and the hostess greeted them with a friendly smile, offering them both a glass of cucumber water. Her eyes lingered on Adam a little longer than Clara would have preferred, but it wasn’t surprising since he was so handsome. Who wouldn’t want to stare at him?
They made their way to the back where Henry was waiting with another female masseuse. “Good to see you, Clara. This is Jessica and she’ll be working on your…friend.”
The way Henry said the last word made it clear he wasn’t sure what their relationship was.
“He’s one of my recruits,” Clara quickly clarified. “He was beat up pretty badly during our last exercise, so I thought it would do him good to bring him here for a massage.”
“I’ll take good care of him,” Jessica said, giving Adam a little-too-eager smile.
Clara didn’t like that. She didn’t want some woman making the massage more personal than it needed to be. Deciding to put a stop to that, she said, “I was actually thinking you should work on him, Henry. You do such a great job on me; I want him to have the best. No offense, Jessica.”
It was clear the other woman was perturbed. The smile disappeared as she flippantly said, “Whatever you want; you’re the client.”
“Why don’t you both follow us this way,” Henry suggested, interjecting himself before the conversation could get out of hand. He must have noticed the tension between Clara and the other woman.
They made their way to a large room that had two massage tables ready for them.
“We’ll leave the two of you to change,” Jessica said, gesturing with her head to Henry that they should leave. Henry didn’t seem to like it, but he did it anyway.
They both moved behind the changing areas and slipped on the robes provided. When Adam re-emerged, she could see that the tattoo that she had been wondering about must move up his shoulder and finished at the edge of his chest.
“I have to ask, what do you have tattooed?”
Adam glanced down, then slowly pulled back the edge of his robe to reveal his arm and chest. Clara’s heart clenched at the sight of his golden, chiseled chest. She moved closer to inspect the tattoo.
“Death before Dishonor,” she read above the insignia of the Army. There were also several letters spread throughout the design.
“What do the letters stand for?” she said, her hand reaching out to trace them.
“Those are the initials of the soldiers I lost during my last deployment.”
“It’s stunning,” she whispered, letting her fingers linger on his muscles.
There was a knock from the other side of the door, causing them to pull apart just as Henry and Jessica came back into the room.
“Are we doing the standard massage today, Clara?” Henry asked.
“Let’s go with the works. Adam’s earned it.”
The two masseuses spent the next hour using therapeutic lotions and hot rocks on their bodies, as well as rubbing out every tight muscle.
“You were right,” Adam conceded, “this is amazing.”
“After a long month of training new recruits, this is my treat to myself. Of course, I don’t tell the other instructors about this. They would never understand and only make fun of me for it.”
“Why did you decide to trust me enough to bring me here then?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a gut instinct that you’re different. I just had a feeling you wouldn’t be like the other guys I work with.”
“Thanks for trusting me enough to share this,” Adam said. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Once they were finished with the massage, Clara changed back into her clothes and excused herself to go the restroom. Outside in the hall, Henry stopped her. “What are you doing with that guy, Clara?”
“What are you talking about? I told you, he’s one of my trainees.”
“I’m not arguing that, but it’s clear, he’s not just your trainee. Tell me you didn’t make the mistake of getting involved with him.”
“I’m not sure what you’re getting at, but nothing is going on. Honestly, Henry, jealousy is an ugly color on you.”
“I’m not going to deny that it makes me jealous to watch you with him. I can see the looks you give him when you think no one is watching. That’s not the reason I’m objecting though. I’m worried what this would do to your career if it got out. You tell me all the time how they already treat you differently because you're a woman. How do you think it would go over if they found out you were involved with him?”
Clara had been worried about the same thing. It was why she kept telling herself not to develop feelings. The problem was, she was already past that point. Her attraction to Adam had turned into something more, and she didn’t know what to do about it.
“I have to go, Henry. We have to get back before the rest of the team returns from a call.”
After finishing up in the restroom, Clara returned to the massage room. Adam was back in his civilian clothes, and for a moment, she was disappointed. She liked seeing him in the robe because it exposed his chiseled chest. Now, it was covered up by a white t-shirt, which was probably for the best since she shouldn’t be thinking about him that way. She might not like why Henry obje
cted to her feelings for Adam, but he was right; Adam was strictly off-limits.
“We need to head back.” She turned around, but before she could get away, she felt Adam’s hand reach out and grab her arm. He pulled her back towards him and before she knew what was happening, his mouth met hers. The kiss was explosive, like the strongest bomb she could ever imagine going off right between them. It pulsated with intensity, causing her to shake with shocked elation. She could feel her heart beating faster, the need to be close to him overriding every sensible part of her. She let her hands move up and wrap around his neck as he deepened the kiss.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, interrupting the moment. Remembering who she was kissing, she quickly pulled back in shame. “I shouldn’t have let that happen. It was a mistake.” This time when she turned around to leave, she made sure to keep going. Though she knew for certain now she had feelings for Adam, she also knew she was going to have to avoid him as much as possible once they got back to the academy. No one would ever understand how she fell for one of her trainees, so she had to do whatever it took to keep anyone from finding out, especially Adam.
Nine
Adam couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss he’d shared with Clara. It had been impulsive, and completely driven by the need to show her how much he cared. The problem was, the moment she pulled away, he saw the embarrassment in her eyes, and Adam regretted it. The last thing he had wanted to do was upset her.
Now she was avoiding him. They were firmly into the middle of the third week, and every time he tried to strike up a conversation with her, she would treat him like he was any other trainee. Though he knew there was nothing he could do about it, her reaction to him since their kiss still hurt.
Today, they were working on searching unusual items for explosives. This would work well in his wheelhouse of skills and look great on his resume for when he applied to be stationed overseas in a hot zone. He’d be able to show that he was capable of finding hidden and complex IEDs.