Red Blooded (Red Hot & Blue)

by Cat Johnson

  Jimmy pulled her closer and touched his lips to each of her eyelids. “Maybe.”

  It didn’t matter. He’d grow to love the real her. She’d make sure he did.

  Lia moved over him, straddling his thighs with her own. She grabbed his face in both hands and kissed him hard. She felt his growing arousal beneath her. “Make love to me again.”

  Groaning, he rolled her onto her back. “My pleasure.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Jimmy opened his eyes and stretched. Judging by the sun it must be late morning. He’d actually slept really well once they’d gotten to sleep.

  He looked down at Lia next to him and smiled. She was the reason they’d been up until the wee hours of the night, and she was also the reason he’d slept better than he had in months.

  It felt good waking up next to her. Right. Perfect. He’d be happy to wake next to her every day for the rest of his life . . .

  His blissful bubble was broken when he heard the front door open and voices in the living room.

  A moment later, his bedroom door burst open and Jack flipped the light switch on.

  “Jeez, Jack. Close the friggin’ door. I’m not alone.”

  Lia, apparently not fast to wake, sat up sputtering. “Wha-what’s going on?”

  Jack’s eyes bulged as the sheet fell away from Lia’s naked breasts. Jimmy reached out and pulled it back up to cover her, but not before Nicki, who’d just walked in and taken stock of the scene, smacked Jack.

  “God, Jack. Give them some privacy.” She yanked him out by the arm and pulled the door shut behind them.

  “You better get your naked butt out here, big brother.” Jack’s voice came through the closed door. “You’re in deep shit. Don’t be surprised if the next person to come knocking is the commander.”

  “What? Why?” What now? He glanced down at the still-groggy Lia. “I better go out there and see what’s up.”

  Sleepy and tousled and looking far too tempting, she nodded. Jimmy hopped out of bed before he lost interest in Jack and whatever bad news he had to deliver in favor of staying in bed with Lia.

  He pulled on a pair of PT shorts and a T-shirt and went to investigate what the hell Jack was so flustered about.

  He didn’t have long to wait. The moment he entered the living room, Jack flung a newspaper on the table and pointed to the front page. “Good thing Mama still gets the newspaper delivered at the farm. Just imagine my surprise when over coffee this morning I see this.”

  The headline above the half-page photo of him and Lia kissing outside of the party last night read, Mystery Military Man sMooches Miss Monroe-Carrington.

  Jimmy groaned “Aww, shit.”

  “You gotta give them credit for creativity, getting all those Ms lined up like that. The press will do anything for a witty headline, but yeah, shit is right. Good thing you had your hat on and it hid your face. They haven’t figured out who you are yet, but you keep seeing her and they’ll figure it out soon enough. Jesus, Jimmy. You gotta fall for the governor’s daughter? The commander is going to flip. Dating her will mean your face will be in the paper all the time. You can forget about going undercover ever again. That part of your career will be over.”

  Jimmy shook his head. “I don’t care. I’ll leave the task force if they ask me to. I’m staying with Lia.”

  God, he hoped they wouldn’t ask him to.

  “No. I won’t let you sacrifice your career for me, Jimmy.”

  At the sound of Lia’s voice, he turned and saw her standing in the bedroom doorway wearing his shirt from last night. The sight only served to steel his stance. “It’s not your decision, darlin’. My mind is made up. I’ll change and go see the commander right now.”

  She shook her head and was about to protest when he walked to her, laid one finger over her lips and then kissed her. “I know what I’m doing. Please trust me.”

  “I do.”

  “Good.”

  She followed him into the bedroom and sat silently on the edge of the bed, watching him while he got changed into clothes appropriate for begging forgiveness from your commander.

  Then that was it. He couldn’t procrastinate any longer. “Guess I better get going. Will you be here when I get back?”

  “Do you want me to be?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Yes. Please.”

  Today and for every day after that.

  Lia nodded. “Then I’ll be here.”

  He led her to the bedroom door by the hand. Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him with tears in her eyes. “Good luck.”

  After seeing that, he didn’t worry any more about the fact that he might be forced to leave Zeta. It would be worth it to have her in his life.

  Jimmy glanced back into the living room at Jack sprawled on the couch while Nicki was in the kitchen filling the coffee pot with water.

  “I’ll see you two when I get back?” he asked his brother.

  Jack sat up. “Um, maybe not. Shit, I know you got other things on your mind, but I was planning to start moving out today.”

  Jimmy groaned and ran a hand over his face. He couldn’t deal with this now. “Jack. I’m sorry I snapped at you, but it’s nothing to move out over.”

  Jack broke into a crooked grin.

  “You know me better than that, bro. If I didn’t want to go, you couldn’t get me out of here with a bulldozer. I’ve been thinking about getting my own place so Nicki and I can be alone when she’s visiting.” Jack paused long enough to glance at Nicki in the kitchen. “Carly’s moved in with Trey, so her old apartment above the bar is available. She said I can have it. And now that you’re with Miss Monroe-Carrington in there, I figure you’ll be wanting the extra privacy too.”

  What Jack said made sense, but it still seemed like a huge change in their lives just when things were changing too fast for Jimmy. Jack had lived with him since the day he’d joined the team.

  Jimmy moved across the room and pulled Jack into a hug. “I’m gonna miss you, little brother.”

  Jack laughed. “Jeez, one near-death experience and he’s all sappy. I’ll miss you too, big brother. Good luck with the commander. Call me the minute you get out of the meeting.”

  “Will do.” Jimmy nodded and with one final glance back at Lia, biting her lip and looking worried, he headed out the door.

  CHAPTER 16

  All too soon, he was on base and standing in the commander’s open doorway.

  “Sir? May I speak with you?”

  Jimmy had both the newspaper and his note from the doc rolled up in his hand. He only hoped he would need the second after he showed the commander the first.

  “Gordon. Come on in. It’s good to see you back, son.”

  The question remained, was he back to stay?

  Jimmy swallowed and gathered his nerve. “Sir. I have to show you something. I want you to know, if you want my request for transfer after seeing it, I’ll give it to you.”

  He unrolled the paper and laid it on the desk facing the older man.

  The commander read the headline then cocked one brow high. “Well, I have to say, that headline is far more creative than the one I read.”

  Reaching under his desk, he pulled a different paper out of the garbage and pushed it toward Jimmy.

  Dickson’s Fiancée and ???

  Heart pounding, Jimmy shook his head. “She was never engaged to Senator Dickson’s son, sir. I swear.”

  “Oh, good. That makes it all right then.” The commander rolled his eyes. “Tell me this, why is it every time one of you Gordons falls in love, it’s a headache for me? First your brother is pummeling Williams over that bartender . . .”

  Jimmy frowned at that revelation. Trey and Jack had fought over Carly?

  The commander continued, “Then I’m hearing rumors about Jack’s new girl being involved with the mob.”

  How the hell had the commander heard that?

  While Jimmy pondered that, the commander kept ranting, “And now, you and the governor’s daugh
ter.”

  He leaned way back in his chair, leveled a stare on Jimmy and waited.

  “I apologize, sir. I didn’t know who she was the night of the party when we met—”

  Jimmy’s explanation was cut short by the commander’s creative and colorful cussing. “Now I recognize her. She’s the redhead from the party. The night you—”

  “Yes, sir.” No need to rehash that again. He’d already gotten enough of a reminder about his breaking protocol from the commander the morning after and from Jack yesterday when he’d recognized Lia. “I swear, sir, I hadn’t contacted her at all after that night. We ran into each other purely by accident yesterday and that’s when I found out who her daddy is. You need to know, I’m not willing to give her up. I realize undercover work is a major part of our missions and that dating a politician’s daughter will put me in the spotlight no matter how hard I try to stay out of it, which is why I’m ready to transfer out of the unit if you ask.”

  The commander let out a frustrated sigh. “You’re a stupid man, Gordon.”

  Uh, oh.

  “You have the kind of night I heard over the comm unit with a girl who looks like that and you don’t call her?”

  Once he got over the surprise, Jimmy couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, sir. She wasn’t happy about it either.”

  “Listen, Gordon. Your undercover career was already over. You were compromised in Kosovo. You don’t think your face hasn’t been sent to every terrorist in the known world already?”

  “I guess I hadn’t thought about it. Yes, sir, you’re right.”

  “But that doesn’t mean I want you to leave. You’re a valuable member of this team, with more skills than just the ability to go undercover with terrorists. And I’m thinking having you be the heartthrob who’s dating the governor’s daughter will make you kind of the poster boy representing all the brave, red-blooded troops on this base. That would make it look really bad if the governor allowed Senator Dickhead to shut us down.”

  “Yes, sir. It would.” Jimmy smiled.

  The commander chuckled at that idea before turning serious again. “I’d watch my back for a while, if I were you. Dickhead Junior isn’t going to be too happy about being made a fool of on the front page.”

  Jimmy nodded.

  “Go on home, Gordon. I’ll see you tomorrow with the rest of the team for a zero-seven-thirty, end-of-this-fucking-furlough briefing. Oh, and if you want to marry her and pop out a few cute babies, I wouldn’t be opposed to that either. The press loves babies.”

  Jimmy wouldn’t be opposed to that himself, in time. “Yes, sir. Thank you.”

  He arrived home feeling far lighter than when he’d left.

  Dressed in a pair of his navy cotton sweatpants and a grey USMC T-shirt, Lia greeted him at the door.

  He lifted her in his arms and kissed her hard.

  She pulled away and he saw the concern on her face. “Tell me what happened. I’ve been going crazy.”

  He smiled, going a little crazy himself at the sight of her wearing his clothes. “Everything’s fine. Move in with me, Lia.”

  “What?” She frowned and laughed at the same time.

  “It felt really good waking up next to you. And coming home to you just now. I want you here every time I walk in that door. I know this place isn’t much. If you want we can move into a better one, but live with me, wherever we end up.”

  A smile lit her face as she nodded. “Okay.”

  “Really?”

  She laughed. “Yes, really.”

  He squeezed her hard and then realized he was hard too. Lifting her off her feet, he headed for the bedroom. “Let’s go celebrate.”

  “James Gordon, is this what my life is going to be like when I live with you? Nothing but sex day and night?”

  she asked.

  “Yup.” He grinned at the thought.

  She pursed her lips as if considering the idea. “I can live with that. It’s one of the many reasons why I love you.”

  He stopped mid-step. “You love me?”

  “Yes.”

  Lia loved him. With a whoop, Jimmy spun her in a circle while she laughed and kissed him.

  He stopped their motion so he could stare into her sky-blue eyes. “That’s a very good thing, darlin’, because I’m completely and absolutely in love with you.”

  Since he still held her in the air, Lia was eye level with him. He saw the emotion in her eyes when she said, “I believe you really are.”

  “Of course I am, woman. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it. Now can we go to bed?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood before he teared up.

  “Yes, unless you’d rather take me directly to the shower instead.” She raised one red eyebrow prettily.

  “Damn, I’m going to really like living with you.” He carried her toward the bathroom, and this time he was locking the door behind them.

  Look for the rest of the Red Hot & Blue titles for more stories about the red hot and true blue heroes of Task Force Zeta and Pigeon Hollow!

  RED HOT & BLUE

  Red Blooded (Trey, Jack, Jimmy compilation)

  Smalltown Heat (Jared, Cole, Bobby compilation)

  A Few Good Men (a RHB novel)

  BB Dalton (Bonus Read)

  Model Soldier (a RHB novel)

  A Prince Among Men (a RHB novel)

  True Blue (Bull, Matt, The Commander compilation)

  Visit CatJohnson.net for dozens more titles including the USA Today bestselling Hot SEALs!

  Next in the Red Hot & Blue Series

  SMALLTOWN HEAT

  SMALLTOWN HEAT

  "wickedly entertaining" ~Romance Junkies

  You met them in Red Blooded. Now fall in love with the men of Pigeon Hollow...

  JARED

  Everything is just right…until a big city girl and her reality show turn Jared Gordon's simple life upside down.

  COLE

  Pro ball player Cole Ryan discovers that one fateful night from their youth can leave a trail a decade long for him and his best friend's sister.

  BOBBY

  When the cameras stop rolling, things really start to heat up between a small town deputy and the girl willing to trade the big city for country life.

  CHAPTER 1

  Jared Gordon considered himself a lucky man.

  He had a steaming hot mug of coffee and a piece of mile-high lemon meringue pie in front of him. The diner’s AC unit pumped cool air out of the vent just above him, allowing him to forget the beastly southern summer heat outdoors. Directly opposite him sat Bobby Barton, one of his best friends and the town’s deputy sheriff, which was handy in case he ever got into trouble.

  Life was good . . . until she walked through the door.

  “Aw, shit.” Jared slumped down in his seat and shielded his eyes with one hand.

  Bobby glanced up from his own plate of Apple Crisp a la Mode and smirked. “You brought that one on yourself, buddy.”

  Just what Jared needed at this moment in time, a smart-ass attitude from his best friend. “Yeah, thanks. Nice way to be supportive there, Bobby.”

  Bobby continued to look too amused at Jared’s expense. “You know damn well I warned you off her. She wants a wedding ring on her finger in a big way. Hooking a successful horseman like you would have been right up her alley.”

  Jared risked a glance at Sue Ann, the woman in question, as she sashayed her shapely hips over to the counter.

  Those hips had been his downfall to begin with. Sleeping with her was a risk he should never have taken, just like daring to sneak a look at her now. He was punished for both by a wicked glare over her shoulder before she leaned in and started whispering with Misty, the waitress behind the counter.

  From the way they both looked at him, it was pretty obvious what the topic of conversation was.

  He groaned and Bobby laughed again.

  “This town is too small, Jared. You can’t go fishing in the local pond if you’re only going to throw your catch
back after you’re through with it.”

  Pigeon Hollow was a small town, way too small to avoid running into a pissed-off ex. Bobby was right about that much, but Sue Ann had convinced Jared she was in it for the same thing he was. Sex.

  Armed with that, Jared felt compelled to defend himself. “She agreed it was just a casual thing. Just two adults scratching an itch every once in a while.”

  That elicited a rude noise from Bobby. “Yeah, right. Jared, what women say and what they mean are usually the exact opposite in my experience. You better give up on women and stick to horses. At least you know something about them.”

  “Hey, I knew enough to get the hell out of there when she started hinting marriage.” Jared wasn’t a complete idiot. He simply hadn’t anticipated her reaction to his maybe-we-should-just-be-friends speech.

  “You were lucky. I wouldn’t put it past that one to try anything to snag herself a hubby.” Bobby bobbed his head with a wisdom-filled nod.

  “Oh, no. I’m too smart for that. She kept telling me she was on the pill, but I still took care of things myself. With two older brothers, that message has been drilled into my head since long before I hit puberty.” The three Gordon brothers had done their share to keep the drug stores in the area in business over the years just from buying condoms.

  Brow raised, Bobby looked impressed. “Good to hear. How are Jack and Jimmy anyway?”

  “They’re back at the base, happily protecting the country from the bad guys. They call a couple of times a week. It keeps Mama happy. She misses them a lot.”

  “And you don’t?” Bobby looked skeptical.

  “Yeah, I do. It was nice having them both home for a while.”

  Jack and Jimmy being home on leave earlier in the summer had made Jared realize how much he missed having his brothers around. But at least he still had his good old friend Bobby here.

  “Hey, do me a favor.” Bobby glanced up from his plate. “Next time Jack and Jimmy are fixin’ to come home for a visit, can you give me a little notice? It seems trouble follows those two around.”