by Cat Johnson
She let out a big sigh. “If you could arrange for the pills, I’d be willing to take them.”
He nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”
Matt was obviously still eavesdropping, since his voice filled Trey’s ear once again as he said, “I’ll take care of it, Trey.”
Nothing like living life on constant display.
Trey should tell her the rest too, though he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be pretty. “Carly, there’s one more thing.”
When she spun her head to face him again, he saw the weariness in her. They both needed a good night’s sleep. She looked like she couldn’t take much more on her shoulders right now and he was about to dump more on top of her.
How he would love to say never mind and forget about the whole thing. Unfortunately, he couldn’t. She needed to hear this.
“He wasn’t supposed to be there, but Jack walked in and saw the live feed of us last night.” Trey felt like he needed to explain and apologize even though there wasn’t anything he could have done about it. “I’m pretty sure it was only for a few seconds before Matt got him out of there, but I thought you would want to know. I’m sorry.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Yeah, me too.”
CHAPTER 17
Carly stepped onto the tarmac and fought the urge to drop to her knees and kiss the ground as relief overwhelmed her.
She’d never been so happy to be on American soil in her life. More importantly, she was one step closer to being free of this military bullshit and Trey so she could get back to her bar and her life and forget any of this had ever happened.
As if she could really do that.
Trey must have seen the need to bolt reflected on her face. He touched her arm for a second and then dropped his hand. In fact, unlike the flight there, he’d barely touched her at all since they’d had sex. Wasn’t that ironic?
“You’ll have to come back to the base with me to be debriefed by the commander. Then you can go home.”
The thought of how Trey had already debriefed her in Kosovo flew into Carly’s head. A short, bitter laugh burst out before she could control it. That juvenile reaction made her realize she was most likely starting to lose her mind. Either that or she was giddy from lack of sleep.
She glanced at Trey as he raised a brow over her outburst like the staid poster boy for military protocol that he was. His words on the flight echoed in her brain, fueling her anger.
Standard operating procedure clearly states . . .
How could he be so cold and businesslike after the night they’d shared? His quoting SOP to her after what they’d done together had left no doubt in her mind that what she’d been stupid enough to assume was a real attraction between them had been nothing more than a job to him.
Maybe it was her pride hurting more than anything else, which was exactly what she deserved for breaking her own rules and letting herself succumb to temptation.
In any case, he was still waiting for her to say something. “I know I have to go in. You already told me. Believe me, I’m as anxious as you are to have this thing over and done with so I can get back to my life and forget it ever happened.”
His calm demeanor didn’t crack at her comment or the less-than-nice tone in which it was delivered. No surprise there.
At least she’d been able to change into her own clothes on the flight. That helped her feel more grounded, more normal. She’d had enough of Candi’s clothes, especially those damn high heels. They caused too many memories, not to mention blisters.
With the blisters making even her sneakers hurt, Carly limped into the meeting room behind Trey. There she faced five men whose heads all swiveled immediately in her direction when she entered.
Wishing she could crawl beneath the linoleum, she wondered exactly how much they all knew.
From the doorway she spotted Matt and felt her face heat at the knowledge he for certain had watched the whole sordid performance Trey had put on the night before.
That pissed her off all over again until the sight of Jack made her forget her anger and embarrassment took over.
She didn’t have long to feel ashamed however, because they were barely inside the room when Jack leapt forward, red faced.
“You rotten son of a bitch.” He pulled back his fist and let the punch fly, clocking Trey with a blow that would have leveled a smaller man.
Carly hopped to the side to avoid Trey who took a step back when the blow threw him off balance. The entire team seemed to hold its collective breath, but no one moved a muscle to either help or stop the fight. Carly too stood frozen in place except for the wild pounding of her heart.
Trey’s head had whipped back from the hit, but he stayed put and didn’t even raise a fist. He stared calmly at Jack as if waiting for the next punch, but it never came.
Instead, Jack stepped forward and grabbed Trey in a bear hug, audibly squeezing the breath out of him. “Thanks for helping to save my brother.”
She saw the expression of shock cross Trey’s face as he accepted the embrace. When they broke apart, he touched his jaw, working it from side to side. “You’re welcome.”
Jack came to her next. He forced a small closed-mouth smile. “Hey, darlin’.”
Carly returned his smile hesitantly.
How exactly should she act in this situation? This guy had an obvious crush on her and had just seen his best friend screwing her on camera. She’d like to know the standard operating procedure for handling that one.
“Hi, Jack.”
He leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss across her cheek. “I’m so glad you’re home safe.”
The commander stood in his office doorway, watching the whole exchange and not looking very happy. “You three, in my office.”
“Three? Me too, sir?” Jack sounded surprised.
“Yes, you.” The man turned and walked to his desk obviously assuming they’d follow, which they did.
Carly walked behind Trey and Jack when Matt grabbed her hand and slipped a pill bottle into it. Managing an embarrassed nod, she clutched the prescription in a tight fist.
Could this get any more embarrassing? As she entered the office behind Trey and Jack, she had a feeling it could.
“Close the damn door, McAfee.” The commander delivered his order like a man who was used to being followed without question.
“Yes, sir.” She did as she was told.
He waited until she had before he turned toward Jack. “What the hell is going on, Gordon?”
“Nothing, sir.”
“It didn’t look like nothing to me.” When Jack remained silent, the commander swung his focus to Trey.
“Williams, would you like to fill me in?”
“No, sir. I mean there’s nothing to be filled in on, sir.”
“So you’re going to tell me you two beat the hell out of each other after every mission?”
Trey kicked at the floor with the toe of his sneaker. “He didn’t exactly beat the hell out of me, sir.”
The commander raised a brow. “No, I suppose he could have hit you harder if he really wanted to. I’m going to assume your little show out there was a one-time event. Am I right?”
“Yes, sir.” Jack and Trey spoke in unison.
“McAfee.”
Carly jumped. She had been eyeing the water cooler and deciding if she could take the pill without anyone noticing when he called her name. “Yes, sir?”
“Good job. Go home.”
“Sir?” She frowned, wondering what had happened to the debriefing.
“Go home. Williams can handle things here for both of you. If I need you for anything, I know where to find you.”
She was being dismissed and she wasn’t going to argue. “Okay. Thank you.”
He smiled. “No. Thank you, McAfee. Oh and remember, not a word to anyone.”
A bitter laugh burst out of her before she could stop it. “They wouldn’t believe me if I told them. But no, I won’t say a word.”
; She couldn’t wait to be on the other side of the door and away from them all. Being the third side in this messed up triangle was more than she could deal with right now.
Glancing from Jack to Trey, she got out of the office as fast as she could. It would feel very good to get home.
Time to start getting things back to normal, though she had a strong suspicion she’d never feel normal again.
CHAPTER 18
Trey gladly handled the mission follow-up without Carly. Having her there would have taken more mental capacity than he had after the night they’d spent together doing everything except sleeping.
Of course, Jack was still there right next to him like the living breathing personification of his own conscience. A constant reminder he’d not only stepped across the line with Carly, but had also trampled all over Jack’s toes in the process.
To Jack’s credit, following the initial punch he’d thrown he’d acted pretty much normal as he and Trey waited on line with the rest of the team to turn in all equipment they’d been issued for the op.
Then came the paperwork—the bane of the existence of every man and woman in the US military. Trey sat at his desk with a form in front of him and a pen in his hand, but being prepared with the necessary items didn’t get the papers filled out any easier.
The task was simple enough. He was going to have to write an account for the expenses he’d charged to John Smith’s credit card for things like the rental car and the taxi, but he’d barely filled out his name because he wasn’t really there.
Instead, his mind was at Carly’s bar as he wondered what she might be doing.
Jack sat at the desk next to him, scribbling away.
Trey looked down at his own nearly blank page. This was going to take a long time at this rate. He sighed.
Jack glanced up at the sound. “That paper’s not going to fill out itself while you stare at the wall.”
Trey snorted. “I guess I didn’t take whatever speed writing course you did.”
It seemed he and Jack were just going to forget about the obvious and go back to being friends even though his jaw still hurt like hell. The bruise was already starting to show but it didn’t matter if getting it out of his system had helped Jack get over what he’d seen. He owed Jack that much.
“You just need the right motivation, that’s all. The sooner I get done, the sooner I can go get a beer.”
That captured Trey’s wandering attention. No wonder Jack was in such a hurry to finish his paperwork. He was anxious to get to Carly.
Trey bit the inside of his cheek to try to stop himself from asking the question, but it came out anyway. “You going to Carly’s?”
“Yup.” Jack’s single spoken word carried far more meaning today than it normally would. He was in fact telling Trey he was still going after Carly, no matter what had happened in Kosovo.
His stomach clenched. “Maybe you should give her a little time. It’s been a tough couple of days.”
“Are you going to ask Carly out?” Jack stared at him waiting for an answer.
“Me?” Trey’s eyes widened at the question. “No, of course not.”
Jack cocked up one brow. “Why not?”
“I don’t need the distraction of a girlfriend right now.”
Glancing down, he tapped a finger on Trey’s blank report. “You look plenty distracted to me already.”
For a man who talked like a back country hick most times, Jack could be really perceptive. He was dead-on this time.
Trey had a feeling his distraction wasn’t going to get any better either, particularly if Jack ended up dating Carly. He shook off the unpleasant thought.
“Yeah, well. It’s been a tough couple of days for me too.” Trey sighed and then dropped the pen. “Look, Jack. I have to say this. I’m sorry. I’m sorry it had to happen and I’m really sorry you had to see it.”
Jack shook his head. “I know. You had to. Matt explained it to me. It was his idea and it saved Jimmy, so how can I hold it against you?”
The first time had been Matt’s idea and necessary, but the second time? That incident was all Trey and the guilt over it nearly overwhelmed him as he took in the sincerity of Jack’s expression.
“I’m fine. We’re fine.” Jack waved a hand to indicate the two of them. “And I’m sorry I punched you. It’s just . . . no stud likes to share his filly, you know?”
Trey wouldn’t have worded it that way exactly, but . . . “Yeah, I know.”
“Finish that up. I’ll wait for you.” Arms folded, Jack leaned against his desk.
Trey shook his head. “No, you go ahead. I think I’m going to try to stay out of her face for a while. Things have been a little awkward since we um . . . you know.”
Jack laughed. “Yeah, I can imagine. Actually, that’s all I can do is imagine, not having experienced it myself.”
Trey winced. All may be forgiven, but it was obviously not quite forgotten.
“But it’s fine,” Jack continued. “One day, when Carly and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary, the three of us will all get together and laugh about this.”
Anniversary? Shit. The thought of Jack and Carly married didn’t even remotely make Trey feel like laughing.
“Yeah.” He forced a smile, even as the iron vise tightened around his chest.
CHAPTER 19
Carly wiped down the bar. She was so happy to be home and back to her life again, she didn’t even care she was tired or that her feet radiated pain every time her sneakers rubbed the blisters on her heels.
Nope. Everything was fine. Good. Back to normal. She’d only grabbed a few hours of restless sleep on the plane, but she’d had to take the shift tonight since no one else was scheduled.
That was okay, though. She was back in her own bar where she was the boss and didn’t have to follow anyone else’s rules, and she’d already taken the pills Matt had slipped her.
Things were back to normal. Her usual, boring and predictable life looked pretty damn good after the past couple of days . . . until she looked up to see Jack walk through the door.
She held her breath and waited, but Trey wasn’t behind him.
Carly tried to deny the fact her heart had just stopped beating as she said, “Hi, Jack.”
“Hey, darlin’.” Jack’s glance swept the nearly empty bar as he perched his butt on a bar stool directly in front of her. “Slow day?”
Slow didn’t come close to describing it.
“Yeah, but that’s fine. I’m a little jetlagged.” Knowing she couldn’t tell anyone the truth about her absence, Carly kept her voice low.
She’d told her relief bartender she’d packed a bag and gone out of town to help an old college girlfriend who had an emergency. Since she lived in an apartment above the bar, there’d been no way to avoid someone noticing she was gone.
Pressing his lips together, Jack nodded. “I’m glad it’s slow. Not for your business of course, but it’ll give us a chance to talk.”
Talk? Carly didn’t know if she was ready for this discussion right now.
Swallowing hard, she steeled her nerves. “Talk about what?”
“About that maybe you gave me the other night to us going out on a date. I’m hoping you’ve decided to turn that answer into a yes.” His slow, sweet smile was enough to melt any woman’s heart. Any woman who wasn’t fighting it as hard as she was.
“I don’t date military guys, Jack. You know that.”
Maybe she should have that credo made into a sign and hang it behind the bar.
If nothing else, it would serve to remind her what happened when she gave in to temptation. That she’d seduced Trey in the darkness only to have him act like it was all a job the next day proved she obviously needed reminding.
“I know that, darlin’, but you forgot about your rule with me the other night. I may have been drunk as piss, but I remember that kiss and it was real nice. Wasn’t it?”
“Yes.” She couldn’t deny it. It had been nice. Just l
ike Jack was nice and sweet, and kind and funny.
He was just the kind of guy Carly should like, and she did like him in spite of her saying no to all his invitations.
She held firm on her rule with Jack, who was so obviously interested in her. Meanwhile, she’d let herself get attached to Trey, who had no interest in her at all now their assignment was over.
Even so, the thought of Trey took her breath away and made her heart begin to pound. She’d watched the door for him to come in all day.
She craved him like an alcoholic craves a drink. Why? Probably because he didn’t want her.
Typical. All of her quoting her rules to any man who asked her out was obviously just crap because she’d gone and let herself get attached to the wrong man yet again.
She was going to have to get over Trey because she had meant nothing to him except as part of his job.
“Darlin’?” Jack touched her hand lightly and brought her attention to the present.
“Sorry. I’m a bit distracted.”
Jack raised his brow. “I see that. You’re not the only one.”
Assuming he was talking about himself being worried about his brother, she lowered her voice as she asked, “How is your brother?”
Jack smiled. “Good. Thanks for asking. He’s pretty banged up, but he’s alive. You can’t ask for more than that. He’s still in the hospital in Germany, but they should be transporting him home before too long.”
Carly grabbed two beers out of the cooler and popped the tops. She slid one to Jack and kept the other for herself. She needed it after what she’d been through.
“On me. Here’s to a complete recovery.” For all of them . . .
“Amen.” Jack raised his bottle in a toast and then sipped the beer. He played a bit with a bead of sweat running down the glass bottle before he raised his gaze to her. “What’s with the military-men rule, darlin’? Who hurt you?”
Carly looked at him with surprise. This guy was either really perceptive or she was an open book. She had a feeling it was the latter. “Just some asshole.”
He tilted his head. “Some asshole ruined it for all the rest of us? Where is he? I’d like to show him what I think about that.”