Recon Marines II: Marine's Heiress, The

by Susan Kelley

  The others surely heard every word. The marines stopped digging and stared at her and Joe.

  Joe picked up her boot and handed it to her. “The sun will set within half an hour, Lady Callie. All of you will be frozen within another hour if you don’t join us in our field beds. Though I’d guess the children won’t last even that long.”

  He gathered up his supplies and walked away to join his men. They exchanged no words and started digging again. Callie winced as she slid her foot into her hot boot. She hobbled over to the other women. They lifted their frightened gazes to her.

  “What was that about?” Yalo asked.

  “He wanted me to decide which one of them each of you would sleep with.” Saying the words added fuel to Callie’s anger.

  “So?” Riba asked.

  “Riba! I know they’re pretty to look at but…”

  “Callie,” Riba interrupted. “What are you thinking? We’ll have to sleep together to keep warm. They’re not digging those holes so they can have their way with us. Roz said they have special sleeping sacks to hold in the heat.”

  “They must have some advanced gear to allow them to survive the extreme temperatures, or they wouldn’t be able to cross this desert,” Yalo offered.

  Callie winced as she recalled her words to Joe. She watched the marines as they went about their preparations. They pulled more thin sheets like the one the women rested on from their packs and lined the holes. No words passed between them as they worked in perfect efficiency.

  How could she apologize for her harsh words? If she hadn’t been thinking about how beautiful Joe was, she wouldn’t have jumped to such an illogical conclusion. No matter the marines’ rudeness and social ineptness, the men had been nothing but helpful. They’d asked nothing in return and perhaps that was why she couldn’t bring herself to trust them.

  * * * *

  Joe set aside his shovel as Callie walked toward him. It might be best if the men didn’t hear more of her opinions of them. “Tar and Roz, set up the condensation nets for the night. Vin, see about food for everyone.”

  Callie stopped in front of him. “I misunderstood your intentions, Joe.”

  He tried not to stare at her pale, smooth skin, so fragile appearing against the unforgiving backdrop of the desert. “Have you decided on the sleeping arrangements?”

  “I’m trying to apologize.”

  Joe thought she looked more angry than sorry. His mind raced to interpret her meaning. She said she misunderstood, but she was still upset. Perhaps more details would help. “I will take the baby. Roz volunteered to take the child and her mother. Vin will take only one as he’ll be the last settled.”

  Red color rose to Callie’s cheeks. Could the thorns cause a fever so quickly? She spoke through clenched teeth. “Are you some kind of robot? Having a conversation with you is like speaking to my computer.”

  Joe repeated her words in his mind. Did she expect an answer to the robot question? He feared to say the wrong thing so said nothing.

  Callie sighed. “The baby’s mother must sleep with her. Sally still wakes up to eat in the middle of the night. Yalo can sleep with Vin and help him to whatever it is he needs to do.”

  Joe gave a quick nod, eager to agree and move away from the confusion of her earlier anger. He knew his intelligence quotient topped the abilities of most men but being around Callie proved his ignorance of so many things.

  Callie broke eye contact, and the fever rose in her cheeks again. “As the leader I should stay close to your leader. I’ll sleep with you and Riba and the baby.”

  “The plan is good,” Joe agreed without hesitation. “Vin has food for your people.”

  “Thank you.” But she didn’t move away.

  “You’ll be safe tonight.”

  “I know.”

  Joe wondered if he hadn’t responded fully enough. Civilians had conversations, did they not? “The food is the same but it has many nutrients.”

  “Joe!”

  “Yes?” He stood right beside her. Why did she call him?

  Callie laughed, a musical sound from deep inside her. “What goes on in your head, and why am I trying to figure it out? The food is wonderful, especially compared to what we had.”

  “You said you didn’t have any food.”

  Callie laughed again and walked away to join her other friends. What the hell had she meant about the food?

  * * * *

  “I feel like I’m going to suffocate,” Riba said.

  “Yalo said there’s a sophisticated ventilation system to keep the oxygen levels high enough.” Callie slid in the sleeping sack beside Riba. Sally sprawled in satiated slumber on her mother’s chest. “I don’t like these cramped quarters either, but we’ll be warm.”

  Callie snuggled as close to Riba as she could, but how would even a lean marine like Joe fit in the bit of space left? The same, thin material as the soldiers’ uniforms had been used to construct the bags. A small mechanical unit attached to the head of the sack as Vin had explained. He would cover all but the hose venting the air unit right before the sun set and trap the heat of the white sand around them.

  “I hope Sally sleeps through tonight,” Riba said.

  Before Callie could add her wish for the same, Joe lifted the edge of the bag. He slid in beside her, his body brushing along her length. He’d taken his boots off and pulled his shirt over his head before reclining flat beside her.

  “Ready, Vin.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Callie caught a glimpse of Yalo and Vin before Joe sealed the sack with some type of clever zipper. Joe reached over Callie’s head and switched on the ventilation unit as the hot, heavy sand dropped on their legs.

  The sack inflated along its length and lifted the weight of the sand off of them. The top of the bag expanded to nearly a foot above their bodies. The air circulated like a light breeze across their faces and alleviated some of the claustrophobic feeling of being buried. A soft glow from the air unit added to the comfort.

  Joe settled on his side facing her. He lifted his shirt in front of her face and offered it to Riba. “Take this. It will get much colder later.”

  “Thank you.” Riba took the shirt and wrapped it around Sally. She tucked the edges around the baby as if it were a blanket of fine organic wool instead of a shirt smelling of warm male.

  Callie ordered her body to relax despite the press of Joe’s chest against her arm. His feet brushed hers, and his knee bumped into her thigh as he adjusted his position. She thought about turning away from him but didn’t want to turn her back to him. She now saw the ridiculous nature of her earlier fears. The sleeping arrangements left no room to stretch let alone to do anything requiring disrobing and vigorous movements.

  Riba’s breathed settled into the even rhythms of sleep and why not? The previous days of dread, inadequate food and water and then trudging through the sand compounded the fatigue expected of a new mother.

  But Callie couldn’t sleep. Now while his breath stirred her hair. She sought conversation to distract her from the stirrings of attraction.

  “Why do you help us?” The question formed the heart of her distrust. What payment of recompense would the marines eventually expect or demand?

  “You are civilians.” Joe’s spoke with the wary, hesitant quality she’d noticed earlier. He obviously recognized the words but he seemed to take time to interpret them and form his answers.

  “Civilians?”

  “The primary duty given to the Interplanetary Marines is the protection of civilians.”

  “You feel you have a duty to protect us?”

  “Yes.”

  Could their actions really be so unselfish? Callie tested her hope that her staff might be safe while in the care of these soldiers. “Duty is important to you?”

  “Duty is all there is.”

  “No,” Callie said even though he gave the answer she wanted. She turned her head toward him and found his face closer than she’d expected. “There’s
much more to life than duty.”

  His gaze dropped to her lips, before he rolled to his back. His arm and thigh pressed tight against hers. “What more is there for such as me, Lady Callie?”

  All the vicious things Yalo had said about their rescuers and Callie’s own harsh words rose in her thoughts. What indeed was there for such as Joe? He closed his eyes and fell asleep within a few breaths.

  Callie stared at him and wondered if a soul swirled inside the angelic, warrior body? Was there more depth to the man than his incredible physical presence and an ingrained sense of duty? On what scale did one measure a man constructed so unnaturally?

  * * * *

  Something woke Callie. She burrowed closer to the heat against her front. It moved. She opened her eyes and saw an expanse of smooth, bare skin. A steady thumping beneath her ear sung of life and strength. Joe.

  Sally whimpered, the sound that had awakened Callie. Joe held his breath and his heart pounded faster. Sally quieted, and he relaxed.

  Callie lifted her head off his chest so she could look at him, wondering when she’d shifted to such an intimate position. Her legs tangled with his, and her hips pressed against him.

  Joe stared over her head at Riba. Callie had only seen minute traces of emotion on his face before and struggled to decipher what she saw now. Wonder? Disbelief?

  Callie could hear the baby suckling and surely Joe could see Riba’s breast as she fed her daughter. No lust gleamed in his eyes. After a while Sally burped and Riba made a soft sound of amusement.

  Joe shifted, his legs pushed hers from between his as he tried to move away. But he had no place to go.

  Callie laid her head back on his shoulder and reclaimed the tiny amount of open space between them. He was warm. She was tired. Trust was a worry for the morrow. Again he held his breath for a moment. He carefully wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer.

  Sleep tugged at her, muddling her thoughts. She slid one of her legs back over him so her thigh brushed against his abdomen. She slid into a comfortable blackness of slumber and wondered dreamily why he’d brought one of his guns to bed. It made such a hard lump on his belly.