“So tomorrow then?” he asked, as they came to the top of her steps. He stopped and took her hands in his. “Thanks…for a very interesting day…ma’am.”
Kira felt her heart almost leap out of her chest. She ached for more. Despite everything in her screaming, “No, this is a bad, bad idea,” the thought of seeing him in the morning was exhilarating. Before she could say anything he was heading down the stairs.
“See you tomorrow,” he called over his shoulder, “0600.” And with that he was gone into the darkness.
* * *
How can I be so stupid? Kira thought as she slipped into the shower. The hot water relieved her aching muscles. But, God, he is so enticing. It’s been so long…I just want to touch him. Kira stood in the shower, breathless, thinking of the sensual man who had held her hands in his just a few minutes before. She leaned back against the shower wall, letting the day’s events play over in her mind. She felt a shiver travel all the way down to her sex as she recalled standing close during his exam, touching him, smelling him. Fervently she wished for him, imagining his hands on her, holding her, those lips on hers. After her shower she slipped into an old T-shirt and slid into bed. As she wrestled with sleep, she was tormented with dreams of past losses, new fascinations, and dark new possibilities.
Kira’s alarm blared to life at 0530. Ugh! I’m not ready to get up. Suddenly she remembered Stark would be there in thirty minutes and she was up like a shot. Donning her workout clothes and brushing her teeth, she was almost ready. The last minute battle of getting all her long brown hair into a ponytail was still underway when the doorbell rang. Even though she was expecting him, the sound at the door sent a jolt through her. Opening the door, her breath caught at the sight of him. Damn, how does he look this amazing at six in the freaking morning? He was leaning in the aged doorway of her bares-bones apartment, somehow looking like a Calvin Klein ad in the faded T-shirt and gray running shorts he wore.
Yes, please, she thought. I’ll buy whatever you’re selling!
“Hey there. You still have that headlamp?” he asked “If we hurry, I have something to show you.”
“Oh. Yeah, it’s right here.” She had set it out to return to him, but the sight of his magnificent frame in her doorway had sent her mind to other places.
“Let’s get it on you. You can keep this one and I brought you a CamelBak. When you run or hike, you should carry water and basic supplies, Captain.”
“Thanks, Sergeant,” she snapped, stressing his rank, feeling a mix of inadequacy and gratitude.
They started off into the darkness. I Will Follow You Into The Dark. She smiled at the thought of one of her favorite Death Cab for Cutie songs. He led the way up a different route than they had taken before, which was a mix of trail running and climbing. Their pace was fast as they scrambled and raced up the mountain. “Stay behind me up here,” he commanded, not wanting a repeat of the race from the night before. “It can be treacherous in some places.”
Kira was careful to stay in his tracks. Oh, this takes me back. Kira thought fondly of her dad. A strange joy welled up inside her. She was taken back to memories of running behind her dad, excited that he was taking her with him, a feeling that bold new adventures lay ahead, waiting for her to explore.
Suddenly Stark stopped, bringing her back to the present as she collided with his warm back. He reached and took her hand. “Come with me. We’ve just made it. I want you to see this.” He pulled her up onto the rock, never letting go of her hand. They were standing on the edge of a cliff in a small clearing that opened up over the vast expanse of the valley below. The first hint of light was beginning to peek out from the far rim of the mountains. The clouds were below them, giving the impression that they could just walk off into heaven. The light became brighter, spreading across the sky in a bright array of pink, gold, and blue. The bright sun became more apparent, splashing everything in gold. The clouds slowly dissipated, revealing the valley below and welcoming it to a new day.
Kira’s heart melted. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed. She realized Stark was still there beside her, still holding her hand. “It’s so lovely.” She said this softly, turning to look at him. The golden light across his strong features made him look more like a Greek god than a man.
“Yes, very lovely.” He wasn’t staring at the sunrise. He was staring at her.
Overwhelmed by the beauty of the moment and the intensity of his eyes upon her, she started to pull away and stumbled. At once his arms were around her as he caught her to keep her from falling. “Careful there, ma’am. We are on the edge of a cliff.” His husky voice, so close, caused a shiver all the way through her. His arms were so strong and she felt warmed all over, overtaken by the uncontrollable desire to be kissed by this Adonis. I want to feel those lips. All over me.
“Owen,” she whispered breathlessly as she gazed up at him, her eyes saying more than she dared. He was so close, bending near her face and a rush of anticipation flooded her. She could feel the warmth of his skin and eagerly breathed him in.
Then he stopped. With a pained expression on his face, he gently brushed against the top of her head and pulled away. “Come on. We’d better get you back.”
What. The. Hell? What was that? She thought. They ran back toward base. She was confused, angry, and disappointed. He had built up to the most amazing moment, then—nothing. All the way back she fumed silently, fighting tears. As they approached her apartment he turned to say good-bye. “So I’ll see you this evening,” he asked awkwardly, “for our run?”
“No,” she blurted. “I won’t be running tonight, or tomorrow either. I have the confidence course in the morning so I’ll get my workout there.”
“You’ll be doing the confidence course?” he asked with a sly grin, his eyes lighting up in amusement. “Well, in that case you probably won’t feel like running on Thursday. We’ll see about Friday then.” And with that he was gone, heading down the street before she could respond.
Kira went inside, slamming the door harder than she meant. She was frustrated, turned on, and hurt. Cursing, she jumped into the shower to get ready for work. Why doesn’t he like me? Why the hell do I even care? I don’t want to get involved with him anyway. This is exactly why I have to stay away! The memories of that exquisite sunrise, the golden light on his face was all too overwhelming. She chastised herself for being so easily charmed. No, this has to stop. I can’t spend any more time with him. Period. Friday I’ll just tell him I’ve found someone else to run with.
Hustling to work, Kira busied herself with patients, hoping to not think of him anymore.
“So how was your run this morning?” Abbey prodded, the look of anticipation in her eager eyes telling Kira she must have had something to do with him finding her on that trail.
“It was OK.” She said it flatly, hoping to avoid an inquisition.
“Encounter any savage sex gods out there in the wilderness?” Abbey continued. “Sure would be a shame to loose one’s sour mood to such a glorious beast,” she teased as she walked to get another patient
Kira was left standing there, mouth open, holding her coffee cup. “I’m not in a sour mood!” she hissed.
The rest of the day dragged. Kira saw patient after patient, trying desperately not to think of Owen, but wondering what had gone wrong that morning. That afternoon, just before heading home, Abbey popped into her office. “You heading out for another run after work?” Abbey’s eyes looked hopeful.
“No, “Kira said softly. “I have the confidence course tomorrow.”
“You’ve been quiet all day. Did something happen this morning?” Abbey asked, looking concerned.
Perhaps because it had been weighing on her all day or because she really had no one else to talk to, Kira opened up to Abbey about her encounters with Stark: the run, the beautiful sunrise, and the almost-kiss. “I just don’t think he likes me that way,” Kira finally said. Saying it out loud, she realized how much it hurt. “I know
I shouldn’t care because it’s more trouble than it’s worth but…”
“But you can’t help it. I think he likes you more than you realize. But honey, he’s Special Forces. He’s been places, seen things, and done things you’ll never be able to understand.” With a look of guilt on her kind face, she continued, “Maybe he would be better just as a friend.” The look of pity on Abbey’s face told Kira she knew it was already too late for that.
Kira made her way home and crawled into bed. Pulling the covers around her she closed her eyes, thinking of the breathtaking colors of the sunrise. The pinks, blues, and gold splashed across his glorious face.
CHAPTER 3
0600 came early. Kira jumped out of bed, excited and nervous for the confidence course. She knew there would be several obstacles and running intervals. The running she was sure she could handle but the obstacles could be anything. She had heard horror stories of frigid water and high ropes, but the course was an unknown. Kira hated cold water. Hated it. She buttoned up her ACUs, scowling as she looked in the mirror. She knew that they were necessary in a theater of war, but severely dreaded the idea of running fifteen miles in heavy wet canvas and sloshing in wet boots. Suck it up, Captain! You knew this was part of the deal.
She would be going through the course with other officers. Several of the other medical officers were previous military; others, like her, were fresh from school. Kira reported for duty and loaded on a bus with about twenty of them. She looked around, recognizing a few of the faces. The major at the front of the bus was going through a list of rules and precautions, as well as a talk about leadership and teamwork. He stressed the importance of staying on the course, as there were live fire ranges off to the right and a controlled burn area to the left. The course stretched over fifteen miles of rugged terrain. There would be significant elevation changes over the course. He explained that this would be a timed course and was an individual race rather than a team building experience. Helping one another was allowed, but they would be judged by their individual times.
Kira felt a twinge of anticipation as her competitive spirit came alive. From the time she started school Kira had been the smallest of the army brats but one the toughest. Throughout school she had raced and usually placed with the boys. Kira loved races and the adrenaline release as every fight-or-flight neuron came alive. While she wasn’t as strong and probably wasn’t as fast as most of the guys, she knew she was light, agile, and was eager to see what she could do on the course. She wasn’t going to worry where she placed since there were only six other women in the group. She got off the bus, the nervous energy that she’d always got right before a race coursing through her.
With the shot of a gun, the course began. Kira raced forward. The first two miles were a narrow single-track trail up and down rolling hills with one final steep climb. She was in the middle of the group. The other female captains were farther back. She set her sights on one of her male counterparts up ahead. This had always been her game plan in high school track— chasing the man in front of her. Kira set her pace just a little faster than his so that she gained ground on him with each stride. They approached the first obstacle group, the red group. The first was called Belly Buster. Lovely name, Kira thought. OK, I can do this one. Belly Buster was comprised of a series of logs suspended at chest height. The idea was to run and push up onto the log, and roll or flip over it.
Kira was thankful for her background in gymnastics and all the cross-fit classes she had done in college and medical school. She knew she was at a height disadvantage for this one, but she ran hard and jumped with every bit of strength in her legs to be able to push up onto each log, propel herself up, and drop over the other side. Up and over one after another she didn’t look back. She finished with surprising speed for someone so small. Her size had been viewed as a disadvantage by every coach she ever had except in gymnastics. Kira made up for her lack of physical strength with sheer determination. She could hear her aunt’s words, “There will always be someone faster, someone stronger, but on race day it comes down to who wants it more.” Kira pushed on through the series. I want it more!
Next up was the reverse climb, which involved climbing up the underside of an inclined ladder, flipping over the top, and climbing back down. Kira felt a moment’s hesitation as she neared the obstacle. She clenched her fist and reached inside for strength. Her aunt’s weathered voice rang clearly in her mind. “Love it Kira. Don’t be afraid.” Her aunt had been an inspiration and always encouraged Kira to keep fighting. She scrambled up, hanging on with all her might, and flipped over carefully at the top. She quickly climbed down the other side. The Weave looked like a monkey bar created by sadists. She hung suspended from it, going over, then under each of the beams. Despite her limited reach and modest upper-body strength, she managed to complete these without losing much time. In fact, she thought she was doing quite well as she progressed through the course.
Then she came to Hip Hip. This was significantly more difficult as it required high stepping or climbing over rungs of logs set at a man’s hip height, but without any distance between each rung to run. I can do this. Love it. Love my fate. For some reason Kira remembered getting her brothers ready for school each day to get them on the bus and then sprinting through the woods to get herself to school since she had been kicked off the bus. She laughed recalling the reason for her exile. The stunned boy’s face and broken glasses when she had decked him square in the face for grabbing her butt as she exited the bus one afternoon was still etched in her mind. That was the last time that year she had been allowed to ride. The race through the woods each morning had made her stronger and faster. She remembered having to climb and jump over logs and fallen trees in the thick undergrowth. Love it. Kira’s heart was racing as she completed the obstacle bursting out of the other side and sprinting on.
The incline balance logs and island hopper were no problem. She sped through those, thankful for her excellent balance. This was one obstacle where she had the advantage. Like a gymnast on the beam she navigated logs on delicate and carefully placed toes. As she hopped off the last log of that group, she caught sight of Stark. What’s he doing here? She started off on her next running portion, another three miles of steep terrain. She pushed hard, hoping to make up time during the running portions. This, she had been training for all her life. But her mind was reeling. Was that really him? It had to be—that dark hair. There was no mistaking him, with those rugged good looks she found so unnerving. She fought to keep from thinking of being in his arms and how badly she wanted those lips on her skin. The adrenaline of the run combined with her wicked thoughts of being ravaged by those strong hands brought her to a new level of runner’s high. She pushed forward, running with all she had toward the next obstacle. Kira wondered if she was running away from something or toward it. Knowing the dangers that lie ahead she pressed on. Surely this was insanity. Would Owen Stark turn out to be her greatest victory or her ultimate defeat?
As she climbed the last hill she was shaken from her delicious thoughts by the sounds of splashing and the shrieks of soldiers. Her heart sank. She knew the sound was coming from soldiers as they plunged into a frigid obstacle ahead. Oh, fuck! Why, why, why cold water? Seriously! As she crested the hill she could see it. At the bottom of the embankment was a large body of water with some sort of floating barricade out in the middle. She saw soldiers ahead of her swimming like mad, scrambling to climb onto the barricade and over the other side, back into the frigid water, and swimming to the bank. As she started down the hill toward the icy water she knew that if she simply splashed in, she’d lose her nerve and wouldn’t be able to go in at all. Kira hated cold water. She could hear her cousin Byron taunting her for not wanting to play in the pond with him and her brothers. She could already feel the icy chill on her skin. Not wanting to look like some scared little girl, she took off running full-force down the hill and jumped out at the last minute so that her first contact with the glacial water would be as she p
lunged into its depths. No going back. Kira held her breath as the icy water engulfed her. She surfaced and began to swim for all she was worth. The frigid water stung her entire body. Involuntarily, she gasped as she fought to swim, her body trying to acclimate to the extreme change of temperature. Finally she reached the barricade and attempted to haul herself onto it. She struggled, since there was nothing to hold onto and her arms were fatigued. She couldn’t touch the bottom; the water was just too deep. In an attempt to propel herself onto the barricade, she lowered herself as far under the water as she could reach while still touching the barricade and kicked her legs, pulling up at the same time. As she did, she felt two very strong hands grabbing the shoulders of her ACUs and pulling her up onto the barricade. Their combined efforts brought her up right on top of her helper and they toppled back. Kira looked down to see the face of the soldier who had come to her aid. His blond hair was soaked and stuck to his face. His bright blue eyes were wide with surprise. Kira rolled off him. “Sorry.” She smiled. “But thanks.”
“Trust me, it was my pleasure.” He grinned, still looking up at her. He jumped up to finish the race. “I’m Captain Holt. You’re doing great! Keep it up.” And with that, he jumped off the other side and began to swim.
* * *
Stark had been sitting on a bank watching the race. Earlier he had been to the red course and was surprised at how well she was doing. He cut through the woods and now was watching the water obstacle when he saw Kira crest the hill. The look of horror on her face when she saw the water obstacle was amusing and rousing. What is she doing? He’d watched in astonishment as she barreled down the embankment and jumped into the water. Man, she is really going all out. He admired her courage as he watched her struggle to swim to the barricade. When he saw her attempt to get onto the barricade, then go under the water, he jumped to his feet. God, she went under. Before he could move, he saw another soldier grab her as she crested the water and pull her up. His relief was short-lived as he saw she’d been pulled onto the other soldier as they fell back onto the barricade. The soldier was holding Kira on top of him. Stark’s blood boiled, a blistering vengeance brewing as he watched the soldier staring up at her. Get your fucking hands off her, you piece of shit! He watched Kira roll off. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could read the other soldier’s face well enough to know what he was thinking. Jealousy had never been an issue for him before. Lila, Paige, hell even Zoe could do what they wanted and he never thought twice about it. He watched Kira jump back into the murky water. He had to resist the urge to go down there and escort her through the rest of the course. This is crazy! He thought. Everything in his life was calculated and controlled. She was a liability, an unknown variable. He should just walk away, but he couldn’t dream of it.
Stark September (Stark Trilogy Book 1) Page 3