“What about you?” Darien questioned, hurrying to catch up with her.
“Me?”
“Do you want me to come to dinner too?” Darien searched her face.
Courtney shrugged.
“I’m sorry if you feel like the other night was a mistake, but it wasn’t to me. I care about you, Courtney.”
“I don’t know what it was.” Courtney shook her head. “I don’t know what we are,” she snapped. “Every time I start to let my guard down, my heart tells me to run to you, but then I feel like you’re a stranger. Damn it, I’m falling for you and I know nothing about you.”
Darien stepped closer. “What do you want to know?”
“Why are you so secretive about your mail? You took off up to the apartment earlier like you didn’t even see me standing there.”
“It’s just mail from home; mostly bills.”
“See, I don’t even know where that is. Where is your home, Darien?”
“Oceanside, California.”
“Is there anyone else there? In your house, I mean?”
“No.” Darien shook her head.
“What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know,” Darien sighed. “Something led me to you. I felt like this is where I was meant to be,” she answered honestly.
Courtney saw Ernie walking towards them out of the corner of her eye and backed away to put some distance between them.
“Do you want me to leave?” Darien questioned.
“What? No. Beverly would be devastated.”
“You keep talking about her, but I’m asking you. What do you want, Courtney?” Darien demanded.
“Is everything okay?” Ernie asked, causing Darien to nearly jump out of her skin. “You are the most skittish woman I’ve ever seen.” He smiled, shaking his head.
Darien took a few breaths to slow her racing heart and calm her nerves. Her first instinct had been to fight off the enemy, and she’d nearly hit him. Darien was finding that it was easier for people to sneak up on her now that her sight was back than it had been when she was completely blind.
“We’re fine.” Courtney reassured him. “Just discussing a few things.”
Ernie nodded. “Are you going to add in that last section of piping tomorrow?” he said to Darien.
She cleared her throat and answered. “Yeah. That was my plan. I’ll have everything connected in the morning, then I’ll finish burying all of the lines. You can start tilling behind me.”
“That’s great. I need to get those new rows of squash and okra seeds in the ground.”
“It sounds like you two don’t need any direction from me, so I’ll leave you alone,” Courtney added before walking away towards the section she was harvesting. “Dinner’s at six-thirty,” she called out to Darien.
“Sounds like you’ve been summoned.” Ernie grinned. “I had my doubts at first, but you fit right in.”
“Thanks.” Darien looked at him through the dark lenses of her glasses “Do you think she’s going to fire me?”
“Nah, that would be stupid and impulsive.” He shook his head. “If there’s one thing I know about Courtney Hoffman, she’s very smart. That woman plans out everything she does. It drives me crazy sometimes.”
Darien nodded. The Courtney she knew was quite the opposite and often unpredictable.
Chapter 17
Darien knocked on the door to the house and walked inside when Courtney answered. She was freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt that had the words: First In, Last Out written on the back of it with the Marine Corps logo in black on the front upper left chest.
“She’s upstairs,” Courtney mumbled, biting back the urge to kiss her.
“Can we talk later?” Darien asked, stepping closer.
Courtney nodded. She felt intoxicated by Darien’s clean scent and quickly turned away before she gave in and took what her body was desperately craving.
Darien watched her walk away before taking the stairs two at a time.
Beverly was flipping the pages in a magazine when Darien popped her head through the open doorway and knocked on the wall. She smiled brightly and waved for her to come in.
“How are you?” Darien asked, removing her sunglasses.
“I have good days and not so good days.”
Darien pulled the chair over to the bed. “And today?”
“It’s a good one.”
Darien smiled. “So, where did we leave off last time? I think I was telling you about my times as a Corporal. Is that correct?”
“I think so.” Beverly smiled.
“I spent those two years doing reconnaissance training missions as a gunner and a scout as I continued earning more respect among my peers. One thing about the Marines, respect will get you everywhere. It’s a brotherhood, so to speak, but there’s a huge difference when a group of men respect you as a person, look up to you as their superior, and trust you with their life.”
“That sounds deep,” Beverly stated.
Darien laughed. “I guess it does, doesn’t it?” She nodded. “I started doing everything I could do early on, so I’d keep advancing in rank when the time came. It had only taken me five years to reach Corporal, and by that point, the war on terrorism had started in the Middle East.”
“How many years did you do?”
“I was coming up on my fourteenth year when I got out of the service.”
“Oh, wow.” Beverly grabbed her hand.
“I was promoted to Sergeant right before my first tour in Iraq where my battalion had been assigned to what was then called ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’. We were an armored assault vehicle battalion and our job was reconnaissance missions. We drove our LAVs all over the country doing area, route, and zone recon patrols, as well as low-level evacuations.” Darien paused, taking a breath as she remembered the first time she killed another person.
“You just got a sad look on your face,” Beverly said, squeezing the hand she was holding.
“It’s funny how little things trigger the memory. Thinking back to my time in and around Baghdad and Fallujah made me remember some things—”
“Were you in heavy combat?” Beverly asked.
Darien nodded. “Off and on. We took on fire during our recon missions more times than I could ever count. I spent a year over there the first time and was promoted to Sergeant because of my impeccable record and the way I handled my leadership duties. I became a squad leader towards the end of my first tour. That promotion also made me a vehicle commander. A VC is responsible for the light armored vehicle, but also for the well being of the crew. It was a huge responsibility, but I’d earned it.” Darien crossed her legs at her ankles.
“I spent a total of three years in Iraq during my four and a half years as a Sergeant. I saw various levels of combat, totaling about fifty percent of my time over there. We weren’t combat patrol, but that’s what we wound up doing on many occasions. You never knew what you were going to find around the next corner. Our entire battalion lost about a dozen Marines during my time there. Only two of them were with my actual company, but they’d been part of our battalion nevertheless,” she sighed. She didn’t need to go into the details of how many people she’d killed. She wasn’t even sure of the numbers herself. It was a war zone full of bloodshed and hatred.
“Anyway,” she continued. “I finally came home for good when our regiment was pulled out of Baghdad. I spent a lot of time leading training missions with my squad, as well as throughout the platoon until I went before the review board for the first time. I had an impeccable record with high marks, and all of my fitness tests scores had been some of the highest in my platoon, so when my platoon commander put in the recommendation for me to be promoted to Staff Sergeant, the board approved it. At this point, my career changed dramatically.”
“How so?” Beverly asked.
“Well, as a staff sergeant, you’re also the platoon sergeant, which means you’re second in command for the entire platoon
. You’re also a section leader, which means you control two convoy squads, and you’re the vehicle commander of one of those squads. Staff sergeants have a huge responsibility within their platoon. It’s actually one of the hardest ranks to make in the Marine Corps, and only a small percentage of active-duty Marines can hold the rank at one time. It took me ten years to reach that level in my career. I was extremely honored.”
“So, what made you get out? It seems like you loved what you were doing.”
“With my new rank came a new company since you can only have one staff sergeant per platoon and all of the positions within Charlie Company were taken. I’d been moved to Alpha Company-First Platoon, which was a totally different group of Marines. I’d worked with a number of them on training missions, but I had to learn everyone’s strengths and weaknesses very quickly because I was in control of the Bravo Section for the platoon, and I was also the Bravo One Squad Leader. This meant I was indirectly in charge of the fifty Marines in my platoon as the Platoon Sergeant, but I was also directly responsible for the twenty-five in my command. I know that’s a lot of military jargon,” she laughed.
“Basically, you were in charge? Is that right?”
“Correct.” Darien nodded.
“That’s impressive.”
Darien smiled and continued. “I trained in my new position for about six months, running combat drills and mock recon missions. Camp Pendleton is the prime place for recon training. Anyway, not long after that, maybe a couple of months at most, my battalion was deployed to Afghanistan and assigned to Operation Enduring Freedom. Once again, I was riding all over the desert on recon missions, mapping out territory and battling insurgents with my platoon. Only this time, I was in charge of my own section, which was a convoy of two vehicles. We were basically the forward movement for the ground combat element of the war.”
Darien’s thoughts turned to her last weeks in the Middle East. They’d been taking on heavy fire from insurgents daily that seemed to come out of nowhere on every little turn they’d made. All of the Marines in her company were exhausted. Her platoon had been doing day and night recon patrols of different zones, on top of being sent off on special recon missions.
They’d been deployed off and on for over two years, doing two eight-month tours with only about four months at home in between. They were five months into their third tour when the attack on her convoy had happened.
Darien shook her head, trying to calm her nerves when she felt her chest tighten. She didn’t know how she would ever recover from the fact that many men, women, and possibly children, were killed on her orders. And having her fellow Marines, who put their lives in her hands, also die under her command, still haunted her. She knew the convoy attack hadn’t been her fault, and although the investigation proved she had known they were headed in the wrong direction, it had also shown how she honored the Marine buddy system code and chose not to break up the convoy. Those were the details that Beverly didn’t need to hear. No one needed to really know the absolute hell she’d witnessed during her tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Had you simply had enough of the war?” Beverly asked, breaking Darien’s concentration when she saw her demeanor start to visibly change.
Darien looked up, taking a breath as she squeezed her eyes closed. “Something like that,” she murmured with a nod.
“You don’t have to tell me any more about the war. I can see how much it pains you. No one will ever be able to thank you enough or repay you for the service you gave this country.” Beverly clinched her hand. “Leading those men and women had to have taken an act of bravery unlike any other. I think you are definitely the strongest and most courageous person that I have ever met. It’s truly an honor to call you my friend.”
“Thank you.” Darien smiled.
“When you first arrived here, I knew you had a commanding presence and now I see where that comes from.”
“There’s an old saying, ‘You can get out of the Marines, but you can never get the Marines out of you’. I’m pretty sure whoever said it first was right.” She grinned. “Those fourteen years define me, whether I want them to or not. The things I witnessed and took part in, as well as the achievements I accomplished during that time, will stay with me for the rest of my life.” She smiled softly. “Anyway, I better go see if Courtney needs a hand with dinner. I’ve been up here for a while.”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s ready by now. You go enjoy yourself. I’m feeling tired, so I think I’ll rest for a while. Tell her I’ll let her know if I’m hungry later.”
“Okay.” Darien walked out of the room, wondering if she should back out of dinner since her invite was from Beverly and not Courtney.
Chapter 18
Courtney stood at the sink washing dishes. She rushed down the stairs as soon as she’d heard Darien get up from the chair and headed directly for the sink to make herself look busy. She didn’t want Darien to know she’d been standing outside the door of Beverly’s room, wiping tears from her cheeks as she listened to her telling her story.
She’d learned more about Darien’s life in that hour and a half than she ever could’ve imagined. Her private nature and noble work ethic were starting to make more sense. She stared out the window at the dusk sky as the last of the tears dried on her cheeks.
Darien was leaning against the doorjamb between the kitchen and living room when she turned around, causing Courtney to gasp loudly with surprise. She still wasn’t used to Darien’s eyes. Seeing the bright turquoise color across the room had also stunned her.
“How long have you been standing there?” Courtney asked, wiping her hands on a dishtowel as she glanced past her.
“Not long, maybe a minute or two.” Darien shrugged. “Beverly’s not coming down,” she added, watching Courtney’s eyes.
“Is she okay?”
“Yes. She’s a little tired. She told me to tell you if she gets hungry later, she’ll let you know.”
Courtney nodded.
“Did you finish cooking?” Darien raised an eyebrow, looking around at the clean kitchen as she walked further inside.
“No, I haven’t even started. I got busy doing other things.”
Darien sighed, knowing she couldn’t prolong the inevitable. “Do you want to talk about what happened earlier?” she asked, taking a seat on a stool at the corner of the island.
“It’s nothing. I was just frustrated and I took it out on you. I’m sorry,” Courtney murmured.
“Are you sure? It seemed like more than that.”
Courtney moved closer, placing her hand on Darien’s cheek. “Yes,” she said smiling softly.
Darien turned on the stool, leaning into her touch. Courtney stepped between her opened legs, running her hands through Darien’s short hair and across her shoulders, before leaning down to kiss her. Darien ran her hands under Courtney’s shirt to the soft skin of her back, kneading the muscles up and down as she held her close.
Both women were nearly breathless as their passionate kiss ended. Courtney grabbed Darien’s hands from her waist and pulled her to her feet. She raised up to her full height, which was only a few inches taller than Courtney, and immediately pulled the smaller woman into an embrace as their lips met again in another sultry kiss.
Darien saw the desire in Courtney’s eyes when she stepped back, putting a little space between their heated bodies. She watched the turmoil cross Courtney’s face as she looked up at the stairs towards the bedroom, then down at the floor.
“It’s okay,” Darien whispered, stepping closer and lifting her chin. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She smiled and kissed her softly, before turning and walking away.
Courtney sighed as she watched her go. She simply couldn’t stomach being intimate with anyone in that bedroom—the one she had shared with her now dead wife. She had no idea how to start over with someone especially while she was also living in Janice’s childhood home. No matter how long it had been since Janice died, sleeping with someone else in t
hat bed felt wrong. But everything about the woman walking away from her had felt so damn right.
She glanced back at the stairs once more before running out after Darien. “Wait!” she yelled as she crossed the gravel driveway.
Darien spun around and smiled as Courtney jumped into her arms, kissing her with everything she had. Thunder cracked loudly and lightening lit up the night as the sky opened up with a heavy downpour. Darien set her down without breaking their arousing kiss or their carnal contact as the rain showered them. Water pelted their faces and completely soaked their clothing, but nothing seemed to penetrate the bond between their bodies.
After a very close lightning strike, they ran together towards the barn and up the stairs to the apartment. Both women were completely soaked, and the crisp air felt cool against their skin as they removed their wet clothing. Courtney noticed the tattoo on Darien’s upper back between her shoulder blades. It looked like her flesh was torn open, and underneath the skin was the Marine Corps logo with two dog tags hanging on it. Deeper into the tattoo was the symbol of a fallen soldier—a rifle in the ground between a pair of recon boots with a combat helmet on the top.
Darien turned around before Courtney could read the writing on the tags as she finished kicking off her wet jeans. Then she led Courtney to the bed where she ran her tongue over the water droplets running down her wet body.
Courtney bit her bottom lip as she leaned on her elbow, watching Darien work her way up. “Come here,” she said huskily.
Darien’s eyes met hers as lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the room. She moved up, meeting her lips in a sensual kiss. Courtney wrapped her arms around Darien’s back and drug her short nails across her skin as their hips met in a frenzy, rubbing back and forth.
Courtney pushed one hand down between their heated bodies, until she found the wetness she knew was waiting for her. Darien rose up slightly and mimicked her position, running her fingers through Courtney’s wet folds as they lay together, trading teasing kisses and touching each other with gradual, delicate strokes.
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