FOR HIS EYES ONLY

by Candace Irvin

  "I just realized I have no idea whether we played roulette. What's more, I don't care." She grimaced. "And for the DCA of a ship, that's a pretty scary admission."

  He grinned. "Does this mean I get a kiss if I tell you I took care of it?" He sighed and dropped his head to hers. "Though how I managed to get that bloody condom on, I'll never know. Personally, I think I deserve one of your medals for it."

  She smiled in relief and slid her fingers underneath the water, caressing his rear. "You're right, you do deserve a medal. And when you're up to it—" her fingers inched around to the front "—I'll show you right where you can hang it."

  He drew back slightly. "Why, Ms. Parker, I'm shocked." But he was smiling as he cupped her cheek. "If I'd have known what it took to cool your blushes, I'd have dumped you in my pool weeks ago."

  She pinched his waist. "Hey, that's Lieutenant Parker to you, Macbeth." Her groan nearly matched his as he shifted her in his arms—but hers wasn't playful.

  He froze. "Honey, what is it? Your stitches?"

  She shook her head, wanting to tell him it was nothing, but it wasn't. "My back. I think I must have scratched it against the pool when we—uh, well—a few minutes ago." Only she'd been so involved it was just now starting to smart.

  He released her instantly—so fast, she slipped straight down into the water. He grabbed her arms and hauled her back up.

  She spluttered and coughed for a few seconds, wincing as he slapped her back—right over the sore spot. She hiccupped, adding dryly, "Thanks. Is this how you get rid of all your girlfriends after you've had your fill? By drowning them?"

  He shrugged lightly. "I wouldn't know, you're the first one I've had over."

  Her breath caught, and the words slipped out before she could stop them. "But I thought you said you've lived here for three years?"

  He smiled, answering both questions, spoken and unspoken, at the same time. "True. So I guess I'd better keep this one alive, huh? Since she's obviously too important to lose."

  Reese held his breath, waiting for the meaning behind his words to sink in. He was terrified he'd pushed Jade too hard. But after the most incredible experience of his life, he was afraid of not pushing hard enough. Whoever said there was a world of difference between having sex and making love was absolutely right. Because, while he'd had his fair share of sex in his life, today—right now—was the first time he'd ever made love. And he liked it.

  A lot.

  So much so, he was ready to get out of this pool and carry her into his bed just so he could make sure it hadn't been a fluke. And then he'd make sure again.

  And again.

  For the rest of their lives.

  But first, he wanted to get a look at her back. Lord knew Karin was going to kill him if she ever found out he'd dunked her stitches in water. In his own defense, though, he thought he'd done a damn good job of keeping Jade's head above water once they'd gotten going.

  He grinned as he hiked his arms onto the cement and pulled himself up out of the water and then reached back to help Jade out. And then he frowned as he turned her around. Damn. He smoothed his finger alongside the scrapes on her back and cursed beneath his breath again. He thought he'd exerted a hell of a lot more control than this.

  "Well? How bad does it look?"

  He scooped her into his arms and headed for the house. "Bad enough."

  She looped her arms around his neck and snuggled deeper. "You know, I could get used to this. First my head, then my back. What should I bump the next time I want to get you to hold me in your arms?"

  He dropped a kiss on her lips as he padded down the hall to his room, then kissed her again as he lowered her to his bed. "I'll give you a laundry list after I soothe some cream into your back."

  She tightened her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her, her wicked smile sending a fresh bolt of lust through him.

  Or was that her busy hand?

  She cocked her head toward the other two condoms he'd left next to the bottle of wine on his nightstand. "It's a good thing you have refills handy, because the only soothing I'm interested in right now is the internal kind."

  He tried to protest. Really, he did. But her busy hand suddenly got busier.

  And by then, he wholeheartedly agreed.

  * * *

  Reese hitched the towel around his hips as he stopped short in the doorway of his room, his breath catching as he watched Jade pick up the white panties she'd laid out on the bed prior to her shower. She lifted first one dusky leg, then the other, sliding the silk slowly up her thighs, totally unaware that she was turning him on for the hundredth time in two days. Oh, God, she was beautiful.

  And hot.

  He thought about saying something as she picked up the bra. He really couldn't bear to see her cover those perfect breasts. It shouldn't be so hard to watch her conceal them after spending all afternoon stroking and tasting them. But it was. He sighed softly, cursing the evening ahead for the thousandth time since he'd left the shower.

  She turned back to his dresser, picking up the brush she'd dug from her bag when he'd finally bothered to go out and retrieve it last night. Of course, he'd only gone to stock up on the refills Karin had so thoughtfully provided. And if he hadn't, who knows how long Jade would have made him wait to see that tantalizing wisp of silk that had come along with them.

  He grinned at the memory, growing hard yet again. Yeah, he much preferred keeping the scarlet off her head and on her body. For one thing, it was a hell of a lot more fun peeling it off.

  She glanced up at the mirror, her brush in mid-stoke as she finally noticed him watching her, turning as red as the nightie in question as she read his thoughts. He was pretty sure it was his mind she was reading—since the towel concealed the most obvious clue. For a bit longer, anyhow.

  "Hi, handsome."

  He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face into the mass of damp silk trailing down her back. He inhaled her heavenly scent for a few moments, then raised his head and took the brush from her hands.

  She sighed as he smoothed the bristles into her scalp and down her back.

  "Don't," he choked.

  Another sigh, deeper this time. "Hmm?"

  "Don't make that sound or we'll never make it out of this room, let alone all the way back to the base and into the Officer's Club." He glided the brush down the glistening strands, clenching the handle as she did it again.

  "Why?"

  He curled his fingers into her hair and swept it away from her ear as he leaned close. "Because that's the exact sound you make the moment I enter you."

  "Is it?" Damn her, she sighed again. His hands trembled as she met his gaze in the mirror. "Then don't run your fingers over my hair with that look in your eyes."

  "What look?" But he knew.

  "The one that says you'd rather be running your hands down my body."

  He tossed the brush to the dresser and turned her around in his arms. "You're right," he confessed, just before he kissed her, letting his fingers do what she'd accused him of.

  It was a full five minutes before they came up for air.

  "Reese?"

  "Hmm?"

  "If you don't leave me alone, we're going to be late."

  This time he sighed—deeply. "I know."

  She tiptoed up and kissed his chin. "Don't look so glum. The sooner we get there, the sooner we get back. Who knows? I might even be in the mood for another midnight swim."

  That got him motivated. He checked his lust long enough to snag the brush from the dresser and turned her around so he could finish her hair. Half of him still couldn't believe he'd agreed to spend their Saturday night at this damn party in the first place. But the other half knew why. Jade had been persuasive.

  He grinned.

  Very persuasive.

  He ran the brush through her hair again, freezing as she gasped softly. Damn. In his haste, he'd dug the bristles too deeply into her hair, scratching her sor
e back. He dropped the brush and swept the length of her hair over her shoulder, leaning down to kiss the reddened area above her bra strap. "Honey, I'm sorry. I guess I'm a brute tonight."

  She chuckled softly as she turned. "No, you were a brute this afternoon. But I don't recall complaining."

  Neither did he. He grinned in memory. In fact, if she'd done anything, it was to encourage him. Still, she'd taken quite a beating since she'd known him—because of him. He lightly traced the stitches that should be coming out tomorrow.

  She caught his hand. "Oh, no, you don't. Don't you go blaming yourself for that again." She frowned and trailed a finger down his abdomen, tracing the faint lines left by her keys. "Besides, if I remember correctly, I got a few licks in myself."

  "True, but I don't recall complaining when you took the sting away." He sucked in his breath and grabbed her wrist as her fingers followed the faint trail below the edge of the towel. He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers one by one, smiling as her lids lowered. "But you never did tell me who taught you that particular move."

  Please, God, let it be her father and not Jeff. He'd hate to be beholden to his ghostly nemesis.

  She smiled. "Greg."

  "Greg? As in Lieutenant Coffey?"

  "The one and the same. Hey, don't look so surprised. He and some of the other guys in my ROTC unit gathered up the women and taught us a few things after we had a rape on campus."

  Reese felt his jaw set. Damn, right now being in debt to Coffey sat just about as well in his craw as being in debt to Jeff. Especially after that little impromptu search he'd conducted during sea-and-anchor detail early yesterday morning. He glanced back at Jade—only to panic. She was looking at him funny. Which meant he needed to divert whatever thoughts his face had revealed.

  Now.

  Before she got suspicious. He did not need to put her in the position of lying to one of her best friends tonight. Not if he could avoid it.

  He took a deep breath, grasping the only other topic he could find in his head. "So was Jeff one of the other guys who helped the women out?"

  For a moment she just stood there.

  And then she blinked.

  He clenched his fingers together as he waited for her to say something—anything. Oh, God, what if she didn't say what he wanted? What if she didn't laugh the man off and tell her he'd never meant anything to her? Or worse, what if she said something that sounded like he still did mean something?

  "What exactly do you know about Jeff?"

  Crap. That note didn't bode well. He took a deep breath and formed his next words with extreme care. "Not much. Why?"

  Her shoulders relaxed slightly. "Thank God, I was so sure Dillon had already gotten to you with Jeff's version of events."

  He nearly choked at that. Dillon? The guy had known something about Jade all along, something that might have made pursuing her easier, and he'd kept it to himself? He was going to kill the bastard when the case was over, anyway.

  Reese cupped her cheek. "Dillon and I never got beyond small talk where you were concerned."

  Her eyes closed in relief.

  Yeah, he was definitely going to murder the man. "You want to tell me about it?"

  She opened her eyes. "No." But then she shrugged. "What the heck, you could hear the story from Coffey just as easily as from Dillon. Though I like to think Greg would be a little kinder in the telling." She picked up the green tank dress from the bed and slipped the soft cotton over her head. It skirted low on her calves as she sighed. "There's not really much to tell. Jeff was in ROTC, too. We met our freshman year, we dated, we fell in love, we planned to marry."

  He stood there, rigid, as each razor-sharp sword sliced into his gut, trying to keep the agony from his voice. "And then?"

  She pulled her hair back and started to braid it. The anguish in his gut eased slightly as he realized she was keeping her hands busy so she could get through this. He pulled her fingers from her hair and squeezed them. "You don't have to tell me this."

  She smiled at him softly, almost regretfully. "Yeah, I think I do. For me."

  He nodded. "Okay. But will you leave your hair down? For me?"

  She stared at him for a few moments—the decision warring in her gaze—and then nodded. "Okay."

  He caressed her cheek. "You really don't have to tell me."

  She took a deep breath and ignored him. "Anyway, I didn't know Jeff was seeing another girl—one of the Anchorettes—on the side."

  Now there was one he'd never heard. "Anchorwhat's?"

  She smiled. "That's what I said during freshman orientation. It's sort of a little sister sorority for the midshipmen—emphasis on men—at the University of Texas at Austin. They're supposed to bake cookies and date the guys."

  He didn't bother hiding his disgust. "Swell."

  She laughed. "Isn't it?" Then her smile faded altogether.

  He nudged her gently. "So you called off the marriage because Jeff was sleeping with another woman?"

  She shook her head. "Actually, I didn't find he was doing that until a few weeks later. No, I broke off the engagement because he told me I had to make a choice—I could marry him or I could join the Navy."

  "What?"

  "He told me later he knew I didn't love him enough, that I'd never be able to put any man before the fleet." She sighed. "I guess he was right."

  Reese stood there, rocked to his core as Jade pulled his world out from under him and slammed it into the garbage. His blood was thundering so loudly he could barely hear. And he certainly couldn't speak.

  He was dimly aware of her telling him she had to touch up her face in the bathroom. He nodded numbly as she passed, still rooted to the spot, trying desperately to suck up the agony as reality smashed into his hopes and dreams, grinding them into dust as he realized the woman he loved more than life itself would never marry him.

  * * *

  Chapter 15

  « ^ »

  "Well, it's about time you two showed. I was beginning to think you were trying to use the whole box by Monday."

  Reese snagged a clean plate from the buffet table and turned to Karin, his smile real for the first time since he'd arrived. "We're working on it. And, by the way, thanks."

  Karin laughed as she took the plate from him. "Good—and you're welcome." She loaded on the jumbo shrimp as he retrieved another. "I suppose I should warn you, the Captain trapped your date five minutes ago. If you want another crack at that box tonight, you'll wait five more and then spring her." She snared a champagne flute and took a sip. "So tell me, just how did you get Jade to come to this shindig?"

  Huh? He shook his head, more than a little confused. "I don't understand—she invited me. Why does everyone keep thinking it's the other way around?"

  Karin choked, slamming the flute back down to the buffet as he patted her back. "Sorry, I could have sworn you said Jade asked you to come tonight."

  "I did." Wasn't that the way it worked? Didn't the social scene go with the job? Sucking up to the brass, pressing the flesh, anything and everything to get promoted?

  "Jade asked you?" She shook her head slowly. "We can't be talking about the same woman."

  She seemed so certain, he glanced across the room to where Jade was standing with the Captain and now the Baddager's executive officer. He stared in shock and then stared some more.

  Damned, if Karin wasn't right.

  Even from here, he could see her eyes glaze over. She kept blinking them, as if she knew and was trying her damnedest not to let the boredom show. Her relief when the Supply Officer interrupted was practically palpable—at least to him. Reese grinned, because he had to agree. Snoozing through your Captain's sea stories probably wasn't the recommended path to promotion.

  But still, how could Jade not get off on this crap? Hell, his old man had lived for it. Still did. His breath caught as her gaze found his. There was no mistaking the relief in her eyes, nor the look she sent him.

  Save me!

  Was it pos
sible? Could she really have nothing more in common with his father than the uniform? He'd thought so—until she'd told him about Jeff. Afterward, he wasn't so sure. Now he didn't know what to think. All he knew was he couldn't marry her if the Navy came first. He just couldn't. Because he wouldn't survive.

  Not this time.

  He glanced back at Jade. She was smiling at him now, the look in her eyes definitely giving him hope.

  I want you. Now. He heard the words as clearly as if she'd shouted them.

  Karin tapped his arm. "Reese?"

  He couldn't seem to break his gaze away as Jade made her excuses to the Captain and wove a path to him. "Sorry, what did you say?"

  He heard Karin sigh. "I asked if you were okay."

  He nodded, still watching Jade, smiling when she tossed him a look of total exasperation as someone else stopped her. "Yup." He was just fine—and getting better by the second.

  "Damn."

  He finally glanced down as Karin's beeper went off.

  She dug through her purse and groaned. "Rats, it's the ship. Tell Jade I had to go, will you? I've got a patient in sick bay I need to admit to the base hospital."

  "Sure thing." He turned back to the buffet as she left, intent on loading a plate for Jade. Maybe he could use it as an excuse to get her away from the Chief Engineer. They needed to talk. About Jeff—and whether or not she really believed what she'd said.

  "I think you're going to need the entire Fifth Fleet to help you eat that." Evidently she'd managed to escape without his help.

  He smiled as he piled on another shrimp and turned. "Nope, you do. It's yours."

  She shook her head, laughing as she stared at the plate. "Reese, there is no way I can finish all that."

  He grinned. "Sure you can. And you'd better eat every bite. I don't want you fainting on me again." His grin spread as indignation competed with the pink he loved so well.

  "Hey, I did not faint. I was tired. Good grief, you ought to know. You're the one who wore me out."

  His grin turned downright wicked as he heaped another spoonful and passed her the plate before snagging a flute of champagne for her as well. "Then buck up and eat, because I plan on wearing you out again—and again."