by Petrova, Em
He jogged to her side once more. “Please talk to me.”
“All you soldiers are the same. I knew I shouldn’t have let myself get carried away with thinking things could be different.”
He pressed his lips tight. “You mean with Knox?”
“With anybody. You guys think you own a woman, that you’re entitled to something because of your positions. And I was dumb enough to fall for it twice now.”
“Wait.” He pulled her to a stop, and she stood glaring up at him, a flush high on her cheekbones and her eyes bright with unshed tears. His chest walls flexed, and he wanted nothing more than to pull her close and comfort her.
And tell her she might be wrong about Knox and whoever else had hurt her, but not about him.
“Please don’t do this, Gunner. Let me go and don’t mess with me again. I’m glad your foot is healed.” She jerked forward, moving around him. He stood on the sidewalk for a moment, watching her go. His heart in his throat and an unreal ache in his body.
After she made it to the corner and rounded it, he brought a fist to his mouth. “Fuck. Goddammit fucking hell motherfucker!”
A guy in uniform gave him an amused glance, and Gunner turned from him before he beat the shit out of him too.
The worst was knowing she’d gone out with Knox. Was this the first time? Gunner had served with Knox—they’d fought together, shed blood together. They hadn’t been getting along for a while now, but he respected the hell out of the guy. He was good at soldiering and never let their team down.
As Gunner headed back to the barracks, he let his mind wander. He’d probably get called in for an inquisition about the event in the Fox Hole. He didn’t give a damn about that, nor did he care about smoothing things over with Knox.
At least she wouldn’t be in Knox’s arms or bed. The idea made Gunner grind his damn teeth. Since the moment he’d set eyes on Abigail, he’d felt something there. A kindred spirit kind of thing, and if he believed in soul mates, then he’d call her that.
“Shit.” He couldn’t believe he’d lost her before he’d had her.
There had to be a way to bring her around. She’d looked at him with those big blue eyes and he’d felt their connection bloom. She was resisting this pull between them, but only because of some hang-up from her past. Whatever it was, he wanted to help her work through it. And he wanted to be the guy who came to her rescue, swept her up and let her see how worthy she was of love.
No matter what she’d said, all soldiers weren’t cut from the same cloth. He was different, and he had to get close enough to prove it to her.
How was a huge question mark in his mind. As soon as he walked into triage, she’d find someone else to take care of him, no matter what injury he faked. No, he had to find another way to speak with her, to make her see that her fears were unfounded and he wasn’t somebody to run away from.
As far as Knox was concerned, Gunner hoped he’d taken care of his rival. Knox wasn’t right for Abigail—the way she looked at Gunner was proof of that. Now he just had to make her see that the right man for her was one who’d lay down his life for her, shed blood for her and give his all for her.
He’d never felt so strongly about a woman before, and he wasn’t a quitter. The Army had trained him well.
***
“Stupid.” Abigail tossed her flats into the corner of her room and went into the bathroom to splash water on her face. She’d cried all the way to her apartment and felt hot and sticky after the long walk.
Her apartment was too hot after baking all day in the North Carolina heat, but she didn’t have enough money to buy one of those small air conditioner units to fit in the window. Her apartment building was old and off the beaten path, unlike some of the new places for rent.
In some ways, she was glad to be farther from the base. It meant she wasn’t seen often, and maybe Knox and Gunner wouldn’t know where to find her.
She looked into the mirror at her tear-tracked face and red-rimmed eyes.
Her last boyfriend had gotten possessive and controlling. He’d flip out over who she’d treated that day and what body parts she’d seen. He’d question if the guys had hit on her at all.
Part of the reason she’d accepted some of Knox and Gunner’s advances had been pure rebellion against her ex. Like saying look at me, I’m touching this guy, he’s touching me.
But all of her choices lately weren’t right for her. She had to cut off her desire. When she thought of a long, lust-filled night, Gunner came into her mind. Visions of his strong body working over-top her as he plunged his cock deep into her pussy. Their gazes locked and all of the fireworks blasting between them.
She pushed out a breath. “You don’t even want Knox. You shouldn’t have gone out for drinks with him,” she said to her reflection.
Knox was a convenient distraction for what she’d really been feeling since meeting Gunner. And the way he’d stared down at her on the sidewalk made her wonder if he felt the same.
With a noise of annoyance at her racing thoughts, she ripped off her clothes and got into the cold shower. Instead of the cold spray cutting her desires, her skin pebbled and her nipples hardened. Her clit pulsated between the lips of her pussy, and she couldn’t stop it anymore.
She ran her fingers down between her legs and gasped as she circled her hard nub. Juices soaked her folds, much hotter than the water in the shower. She sank one finger deep in her pussy and continued to stroke her clit. Pressure built in her core and tendrils of pleasure radiated through her system.
Leaning heavily against the wall, she imagined kissing Gunner and his rough fingers doing this to her. Driving her wild. She bucked her hips into her hand, and cried out again. Breathing hard, she finger-fucked herself. Gunner loomed in her mind. His eyes, mouth on her nipples, teasing her as he stole her sanity.
She peaked too fast, suddenly exploding in a blinding glow. She screamed his name, and it echoed off the walls. Contraction after contraction hit her body, and slick juices ran over her fingers.
“Gunner,” she almost sobbed as her bliss came to an end. She hung against the wall, forehead pressed to it, wondering how the hell she was going to stop thinking about him and if he’d really abide by her wishes and leave her alone.
She hated herself right now, because she didn’t want that—not one bit.
Chapter Five
“You’ve gotta be kidding. You’re allowed back in this bar after that fight the other week?” Rocco’s drawled words reached Gunner where he sat on the stool nursing a beer.
He lifted his bottle toward Justice, the beautiful bar owner who was serving drinks to several men at the other end of the bar. “She said she understood that affairs of the heart could get out of hand.”
Rocco sank to the stool next to him. “This is your trouble? An affair of the heart?”
He broodingly stared at the row of glass bottles along the back of the bar. “I just spent two days cleaning the heads as punishment for fighting with Knox.”
Rocco let out a whistle followed by a low chuckle. Gunner glared at him from the corner of his eye. “Man, that’s rough. I try to avoid the heads if possible.”
The toilets on base were never pristine, but Gunner had been assigned to clean those in the barracks where the new recruits were staying. He remembered the nerves that went along with the first week of basic training all too well, but he didn’t need to see it firsthand.
But his commanding officer had said it was this or have an official inquiry, and Gunner didn’t want that on his record.
“What’d Knox get for punishment?”
Gunner lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “Don’t know. Don’t care. Whatever it is, I hope it’s double mine.”
“Because he was dating your girl?”
A growl shot up his throat before he could stop it. “Damn him, he knew I had my eye on her.”
“Apparently that didn’t matter. You and Knox always did have the same taste.”
“Don’t remi
nd me.” He raised his beer to his lips. “Thing is, I think Knox is a decent guy. I just wish he’d stay away from Abigail.”
“Nice name,” Rocco said, finally getting a beer into his own hands.
Gunner shot him another glare. “Not you too.”
“No, not me. I’m not interested in fighting over a female. They’re more trouble than they’re worth.” He looked toward the corner of the bar where Justice was talking to some guys. She and Rocco were on again, off again. Or fuck buddies one minute and enemies the next. Looked to be enemies right now, the way Rocco was grinding his teeth.
“Abigail’s not trouble to me.” Gunner chugged half his bottle.
“What are you gonna do about this? Have you spoken to her since the fight?” Rocco asked.
He shook his head. “Don’t know where to find her. I asked around a little, but I won’t risk acting like a creeper-stalker. She works in triage, but I haven’t been back there. She requested that I stay away.”
Her words still stung, but he knew she was just protecting herself from more pain. Damn whoever had hurt her in the first place. He’d made Gunner’s job twice as hard, but he was determined.
“She wants you to stay away, so is it smart to keep thinking about her?”
He set the bottle down a little too hard, and Justice gave him a warning look. She was one hard-ass woman. Barbed wire spritzed with alluring perfume. Nobody fucked with her. The only one she let close enough to think about it was Rocco.
“I can’t just stop thinking about her.”
“You have feelings for her.”
“I don’t know how, but I do. We’ve seen each other very few times, but I have this connection to her I can’t explain.” He raised his bottle to his lips, only to find it empty. When he waggled it to call for another, Justice lifted her chin in acknowledgement.
Rocco leaned his elbows on the bar. “Sounds like you need to get around seeing her in triage, and it’s unlikely she’ll come back here.”
“Right.”
“So you need to get creative with your strategy. What does the Army do when we can’t get through a roadblock?”
Gunner pushed out a breath and stared at his friend. “Send in reinforcements.”
Rocco grinned as he took a swig of beer.
“Great idea, Rocco. You’ve just been deployed.” He clapped him on the back. “Your first mission is to carry a message to her.”
“How do you propose I get in there?”
“You were shot in Syria, right?”
He nodded.
“Old injury flaring up.”
Rocco shared a grin with him. “What’s the message?”
“You mean you’ll do it?” Gunner shouldn’t be surprised—they all had each other’s backs.
“Of course. Tell me what you want to say.”
Gunner thought for a long minute, formulating the words. When he finally told them to Rocco, he made his friend recite them twice to make sure he wasn’t improvising. No, this message had to reach Abigail exactly as stated.
***
“Abigail, we need you over here in bed three.”
She looked up from the man whose breathing she was monitoring to Trina peeking around the curtain. “I’ll be right there.”
Trina gave a shake of her head and a contagious smile. “We’re slammed today. What are these soldiers doing out there? Must be something in the air.”
Abigail smiled back and looked down to the man lying on the cot. “I think you just have some heatstroke. It causes you to feel lightheaded and you breathe faster to get the heat out of your core. I’m going to get an IV started and administer fluids, which should help you feel better.”
She just got out all the equipment needed to start the IV, when Trina was back. “Abigail, I need you now.”
She glanced at the man lying there with reddened face and wide eyes. He was young, weeks into his basic training, and scared, she could tell. But this was triage, and you helped the victims in order of who needed it most. Her patient was starting to cool down and sweat, his body already helping itself.
“I’m coming.” She patted his leg as she went out. “You’ll be fine for a minute. Just rest.”
When she moved aside the curtain screening bed three, she saw a huge guy with muscles for days and dirty blond hair lying there, looking dazed.
“Corporal Rocco was brought in by friends with a report that he hit his head and passed out,” Trina filled her in.
She knew Trina had most likely checked his eyes already, but Abigail moved to the head of the bed, her pen flashlight in hand. She placed her hand on his forehead as much to calm him as to hold him still while she checked whether or not his pupils dilated and at the same rate.
Both black dots shriveled to pinpoints as she flashed the light across them. She caught her lip in her teeth and asked some questions to Trina as well as the patient. Head injuries were serious things, especially if he had a brain bleed. He could need immediate surgery.
But this man didn’t seem to be displaying the classic symptoms. Of course, with a concussion, they only needed him to report a blow to the head and a headache to be diagnosed.
“What happened out there, Corporal? Can you tell me how you’re feeling?”
Trina was trained well but Abigail had a little more experience on her, which was probably why she’d called her in. She looked a little flustered and was wringing her hands.
Abigail glanced up at her. “Why don’t you see to the heatstroke victim while I assess this one? I’m worried about him.”
“Okay.” Trina disappeared, and Abigail opened her mouth to question Rocco.
He sat up, looked her in the eyes, and cut across her. “I’m carrying a message from Gunner.”
She blinked. What was this? He was faking?
“I can see why he’s obsessed with you.” Rocco gave her a once-over. Meanwhile, her brain caught up and anger struck.
“You faked a head injury and wasted our time in order to tell me something from Gunner?” Her voice pitched higher and louder, she couldn’t help it. She set a hand on her hip.
Rocco gave her a sheepish smile. Damn, he was cute, but it wasn’t giving him any brownie points. “Yes, he was afraid to come in himself. I can see you’re mad. Just hear me out.”
She expelled a sharp breath through her nose. “Fine. Say what you’ve got to say and then get out of my unit before I have you tossed out.”
“Feisty too. Hmm.”
She shot him a glare.
“Fine, fine. Sorry. Okay. He says, ‘I know I can’t tell you why I’m different from the other soldiers who hurt you. But I can show you. Give me a chance.”
As he spoke, she pictured Gunner as clear as day, and her heart tumbled over and over. She pulled in a ragged breath, trying not to show Rocco that the message affected her at all.
“That’s it?”
“He wants you to meet him after your shift at the corner.”
Something warm and liquid slid through her body. Damn Gunner. He knew how to get right to her softest spot. And how he knew that there was no man on earth who could talk her out of her beliefs that she shouldn’t be with a soldier was a mystery. But he knew that he could show her, and that would be infinitely different.
She gulped and looked away from Rocco, who must be memorizing her reactions to carry back to his buddy.
His determined buddy.
The one with the great eyes that looked right into her soul.
Crap. She was a goner. “Fine,” she bit off. “Now get out.”
He hopped off the bed. “You’ll meet him.”
“Yes. Leave.”
He gave her a grin and a salute before vanishing through the curtains in a swish of hard male.
When she returned to the man Trina was tending, she found him sitting up and sipping some sports drink. “Did you send him on to the neurologists?” Trina asked.
“No, he was faking. I sent him back out into the field.”
Trina’s
eyes popped open wide. “Faking? Are you serious? He was so dazed and muttering gibberish that I was sure he was a wreck and just not displaying the symptoms.”
“It can happen at times. There’s always an anomaly, but not in this case.” She moved closer to her friend, needing to lean on someone and share the message from Gunner.
She felt shaken and out of her element. She was meeting Gunner, which was much bigger than agreeing to a drink with Knox. The prospect made her insides flip and little bubbles to float upward. She wanted Gunner—bad. And he wanted her enough to keep trying.
She pulled Trina off to the side and filled her in.
“Well what are you going to do?” her friend asked.
“I’m going.” She chewed her lip and then released it. “I’m stupid, aren’t I?”
Trina shook her head. “Maybe more stupid if you don’t go. I mean, not everyone gets that spark, Abigail. Not ever. You can’t just let it slip away without exploring it further.”
She nodded. “You’re right. It’s exactly what I’m thinking. I just needed to hear it from someone else.”
Three hours later she was standing on the corner waiting for Gunner. When she looked around and spotted him coming from several hundred yards away, she sucked in a gasp. Tall and proud, a true soldier. And he was carrying flowers.
Happiness filled her heart and spread through her veins. She’d made the right choice in meeting him, and now she wasn’t going to let anything spoil it. She’d forget about her past for one night and give Gunner her all.
Chapter Six
When he’d chosen the flowers for Abigail, he’d tried to pick a bouquet that matched her beauty. Now he knew that was impossible. What he held in his hand felt like a bunch of dead stems compared to her radiance.
She had her hair down, long and loose around her shoulders, swirling lightly in the breeze. Wearing a short sundress in a beautiful blue color that matched her eyes perfectly, she stunned the breath from him.
He increased his pace, but found she’d started walking toward him too.
His heart rocketed with happiness. His message had worked, and she was not only here but obviously eager to see him.