A cute sergeant gave me the eye as she walked by, but I couldn’t muster much interest. One, I knew the fraternization policy and wasn’t risking anything for a piece of tail. Two, I’d sworn off women in general. What was the point working my ass off to get here if I let myself get distracted?
Not going to happen. No woman was worth jeopardizing my dream for.
Well, maybe… Nope, not even that one.
Green eyes skipped across my memory. Where was she? I should have asked where she went to school. I should have asked her last name. Yeah, like you’re anywhere near good enough for a girl like that.
I beat my father’s voice out of my head. It didn’t matter anyway. Paisley was long gone.
“Lieutenant Bateman?”
Here we go. “Major Davidson, sir.” I stood, ready to face my fate.
“In my office, Lieutenant.” He turned in to his office, leaving me to follow.
The room was sparse but orderly. He leafed through a file on his desk with one hand and motioned to the seat in front of his desk with the other. I took it. My uniform squeaked against the pleather of the military-issue chair as I shifted my weight.
He took a deep breath, and I held mine. “Anything you’d like to tell me about last night?”
Last night? “Sir?”
“You have one chance to come clean, Bateman. After that you’ll be out on your ass. The CG doesn’t tolerate liars any more than he does unexpected lawn ornaments.”
Wait, this was all about the bear? My breath exhaled in sharp relief. “What exactly would you like to know, sir?”
He leaned back in his chair. “I’d like to know how a fifteen-foot-tall, fifteen-hundred-pound polar bear wound up on the CG’s lawn.”
“Fifteen hundred pounds? Huh. It didn’t really feel that heavy.” That thing was a behemoth.
The major’s mouth dropped slightly before he caught himself. “So you admit to stealing Sergeant Ted E. Bear?”
Every muscle in my body contracted. Do not laugh. Don’t do it. “That’s really his name?” I kept a straight face. Booyah.
His jaw flexed. “That polar bear is part of Fort Rucker tradition, Lieutenant, something you show a fatal lack of respect for.”
I kept my mouth shut. Sure, I liked to stir the pot, watch the shit fly. But when it was my career on the line? I knew when to play the good boy.
“Did you vandalize the bear?”
“Technically, he came to no harm. He’s standing guard.” With about twenty-three PT belts wrapped around him.
Major Davidson took a large breath. “Last chance.”
Shit. I couldn’t lie. There was no one else out there in the hallway; they already knew I’d done it. How? Wait… I was the only one out there. They don’t know about Josh and Grayson.
“Yes. I relocated Sergeant Ted E. Bear from his post to the CG’s lawn.” Boom. Fell on the grenade. I just hoped it didn’t blow my future to pieces.
“How?” The major’s eyes were wide—surprised I’d told the truth? Yeah, it was a novel concept to me, too.
“With my truck.”
“You expect me to believe that your truck hauled a fifteen-hundred-pound statue three and a half miles?”
“Three.”
“I’m sorry?” He leaned forward in his chair.
“It’s exactly three miles, not three and a half.” They happened to take forever when hauling a fucking statue.
“Right. And you did this with your truck?”
“It’s a very powerful engine, sir. You’d be amazed what a super winch and a trailer will do.”
“Why?” His tone rose in blatant curiosity.
“Never could back down from a dare, sir. Gaping flaw and whatnot.”
“A dare? You did this on a dare?”
A wry grin escaped. “Looks like it.”
“And the PT belts?” He arched a sardonic eyebrow at me.
My thumb grazed the Bateman tag at the back of my cover. “Social commentary on the new uniform policy.”
His lips twitched upward, but he stifled it before I could call it a grin. “On a dare. Right. And who helped you?”
There it was. My gaze didn’t leave his. My jaw clenched once. Twice. There was no way in hell I was ratting them out. Not going to fucking happen. But I couldn’t lie, either. “I didn’t need any help.”
He laughed. “Son, there’s no way you did that alone. Name the others, and there’s a slight chance you’ll be able to stay in flight school.”
And for thirty silver coins… “I alone strapped the bear to the winch. I alone towed that thing exactly three miles.”
He smoothed his hands over the papers in my file. “And you alone lifted a fifteen-hundred-pound statue onto the lawn?”
Poker face. “I’m freakishly strong, sir.”
“Son, I admire your loyalty to the others, but you need to start naming names, or it’s going to get very bad, very quickly.”
“Mine is the only name I’ll be stating, and I have not spoken a single lie.” I didn’t. I hooked up the bear. I unhooked the bear. I drove the Defender. The others had nothing to do with those parts. My file slammed shut, smashing my dreams to smithereens.
“You have until end of duty day to change your mind.”
Four years of ROTC, a private pilot’s license, endless nights studying for the flight aptitude test, and I was about to get kicked out of flight school over a fucking polar bear. Sure, it had been stupid, but seriously. A statue?
The sun beat into my uniform as I sat outside HQ my last five minutes before reporting to Major Davidson. Fuck, I wanted those wings on my chest. I wanted to climb into an aircraft, fly into battle, defend something larger than myself. Now I’d be packing my shit before the weekend.
For the first time in my life, I’d felt like I could do it—break away and make something of myself. As usual, I’d gone and fucked it all up. It was my specialty, after all.
Time was up. I savored the walk to his office, breathing in the scent of possibility for what I feared would be the last time. I knocked on his door.
“Come in.”
I hardened my resolve and opened the door. What the hell? The seats in the office were already occupied. Shit. No. “Walker? Masters?”
Josh made a face that was half smile, half grimace. “Did you really think we’d let you take the fall for this?”
“No chance. You’re not falling on the sword,” Masters added. His knuckles were white where he gripped his cover.
“How did you know?”
Major Davidson answered. “Your friends came forward about an hour ago.” He turned his back to us and stared out the window. “What am I going to do with you?”
We stayed silent while he deliberated. “You clearly disrespected and vandalized a cherished piece of Fort Rucker tradition, but you showed unwavering loyalty to fellow officers. On the other hand, they came forward of their own volition, showing remarkable integrity. What to do?”
A thousand smart-ass remarks raced through me, but I kept them all to myself. Now was definitely not the time to let my mouth loose.
His head cocked to the side. “You boys have any experience working with your hands?”
“Yes, sir. I grew up building boats,” Masters answered.
“Yes, sir,” Josh echoed.
“Yes, sir,” I added. If you counted the hours I’d put into the Defender, taping my hockey stick, or assembling my dorm room Ikea furniture, then sure, I had experience.
“Perfect. You’ll be working off your insult.”
Chapter Five
Paisley
15. Accomplish something meaningful without Dad’s help.
“Have a good day,” I whispered to the lady at the counter as I handed her the Wi-Fi password on a scrap of paper.
I grabbed my cell phone from my handbag. Nothing from Will yet. I couldn’t wait to see him tonight—another perk of having my own place. I left the phone on the counter and gathered a manageable pile of books. “I’m goi
ng to file these away,” I said to Alice. She waved me off with a small smile, wrinkling her gently weathered face. She was easily eighty but wouldn’t give the library up. It was her home, and I understood completely. It was quiet here. Calm enough that I could think.
“Just got a call—they’re sending over a few men to fix up your back room so we can get to that door. They’ll be here to check it over and estimate it for us.”
My mouth dropped open. “Really? I’ve been requesting all summer. Why now?”
“Well, someone up high must have heard you.” She patted my hand. “It will be nice to have that storage room put together.”
Higher up. Daddy. My stomach sank, but I forced a smile onto my face. “Sure will.” I stacked the books and headed for fiction. I’d purposely followed the correct guidelines, completed all the right paperwork, and never mentioned it to him. I didn’t want to get this done because he waved his magic wand and made it happen. Even my name tag said Paisley here, just to distance myself a little more from his Lee.
I filed the books, then came out of the stacks, passing the tables where flight school students studied. Fort Rucker, the home of army aviation, was a high-pressure environment. Flyboys who wanted wings had to pass flight school here. That girl in the corner looked particularly stressed out, so I passed her the snack-size Skittles package I’d had in my pocket. “Sugar always helps,” I whispered with a wink.
She smiled in gratitude, and I headed back to the desk, taking the small stairs in a couple strides. “Ah, there she is!” Alice’s voice was abnormally high-pitched and overly sweet.
Coming around the corner, I smacked right into the reason. Hands steadied me, thank goodness, because once those electric-blue eyes met mine, gravity ceased to exist. “Jagger?” Oh, no, did that come out breathless?
His eyes widened before a smile lit up his face. “Paisley?”
I opened and shut my mouth, blinking rapidly as I struggled to find a coherent thought. I must have looked like a fish out of water. My breath hitched, and my lips tingled. I hadn’t imagined the effect he’d had on me in Florida; it was real.
This was not good.
“Hey, you know her?” a guy behind him asked.
Jagger’s eyes swept over me. “You could say that.”
I had to get some distance. The dark jeans and worn Harley-Davidson tee weren’t a big enough barrier for me when he stood this close. I moved back, but luckily his hands were still locked on my forearms, keeping me from falling down the steps. “Whoa. I’d rather avoid the doctor this time.”
My breath expelled in light laughter. He pivoted away from the staircase, and I retreated. With space between us, I could breathe again.
“You going to introduce us, or just stare at her?” the guy asked again.
“Shut the hell up, Walker.” Jagger tore his eyes away from mine. “Paisley, this is Josh Walker.”
Josh nodded at me. He was maybe an inch taller, with a gorgeous face and killer smile, but nothing like Jagger’s. Then again, I wasn’t sure anyone was made like Jagger. No. No. No. Don’t think like that!
“And that”—Jagger pointed to another guy behind them—“is Grayson Masters.” Grayson gave me a miniscule wave with no smile in his gray eyes. He was slightly shorter than Jagger but built like he could charge down a bull, or maybe lift one.
“They’re here for your back-door project, dear,” Alice whispered loud enough for the entire floor of the library to hear.
Jagger, God bless him, didn’t laugh, but a simple glance showed the sparkle in his eyes and a bitten lip. I wanted to bite that lip. You’re so going to hell if you don’t knock this off, Paisley Lynn. “She means clear a path to the back door. Of the library. Right.” I hurried past that statement before it could get any more awkward. “The room is a mess.” I blinked at him, nothing better to say.
“No problem, we’re happy to help,” Jagger answered.
“We are?” Grayson asked.
“We are.”
“So, you live here?” I spit out, trying to hold on to a coherent thought.
His smile flipped my stomach. “I do.”
I swallowed. “And you work construction?” That would explain the cut muscles.
He hooked his thumbs through his belt loops. “At the moment it seems so, and I couldn’t be happier.”
I pulled the edges of my black cardigan across my midsection. It was usually cool in the library, despite the sweltering Alabama heat, but I needed more layers than the cashmere to protect me from the energy pouring off him. “Okay.” Okay? Mercy, think of something, anything better to say!
“Show us the way?”
I forced a smile with closed lips and led the way past the tables of studying students, through the quiet stacks, past the small alcoves and the meeting rooms, to the room with the sign reading authorized personnel only. I pushed the door open and flipped the light switch. The strong smells of dust and paper permeated the air.
“Whoa.” Jagger slid in behind me, making room for the other two.
“Exactly.” Ceiling-high boxes cluttered the room and left no direct path to the hidden back door. The room was a good size, easily thirty by twenty feet, but we couldn’t even see the walls.
“This is not a one-day thing,” Josh muttered.
“This isn’t a one-week thing,” Grayson agreed. “Not with our schedule. We can’t even get started for three weeks.”
Jagger ran the stud in his tongue along his teeth. That thing was so unbelievably sexy. “What do you need done, Paisley?”
Snap out of it! “What do I need done? Or what do I want done?”
He leaned against the one cleared section of wall, folding his arms across his chest. One of his tattoos peeked out along his bicep. I had to get out of this room and away from him.
“Both.”
Concentrate. I surveyed the absolute chaos. “I need a path cleared to the back door at least. We’d never pass code this way, and I know an inspection is coming. But what I’d want?” I pointed to the walls. “Shelves built and installed there. A workstation there to receive new orders. More shelves built and installed there and there to handle the overflow, and a central space for repair.”
Jagger lifted one of the boxes. “Damn, these things are heavy.”
“Well, books usually are.”
He laughed and set it down. “We’ll need to know where all of these things go once the shelves are up.”
“I don’t mind helping.” Control was appealing, but I knew it was going to be a battle with Will.
“Then I guess I’ll be seeing you a lot.”
A lot. How long could I spend around him without doing something stupid? “Just…make a list of what you need, and I’ll see about getting it.” I grabbed a legal pad and pen from the long, cluttered table and thrust it toward Josh. “I need to…file some books.”
Jagger raised his eyebrows at my hasty retreat. “There’s three weeks to get everything together, and then we’ll get to work,” he promised. “I’ll see you soon.”
I managed a nod, then fled.
“You didn’t lift any of those boxes, did you?” Alice asked, checking out two books.
“No, ma’am. I know better.”
“Handsome man, the blond one.” She stacked a group of books and slid a sideways look at me. “How do you know him?”
“I’ve only met him once. I wouldn’t say that constitutes knowing him,” I answered, taking the stack. “He’s just…a guy.” Liar.
“Well, if I was young enough, I’d say that he’s more than enough guy.”
“I reckon for some lucky girl, he is.”
“Well, I’d sure let him leave his boots under my bed.”
I was not letting that thought anywhere near my brain. Too late. I slipped the books into my arms and headed to file them, trying desperately to ignore the fact that Jagger was actually here. How often had I thought about him since Florida? Not just those eyes, as beautiful as they were, but the way he’d pulled me
from the water. He was the only reason I was still alive.
I lost myself in the process of filing books, the quiet monotony. I relished this silence, the way my thoughts could focus or scatter, depending on what I needed. There was no more perfect place in the world for me than the library, surrounded by thousands of stories waiting to be discovered. I filed the last Philippa Gregory and glanced at my watch.
Five until seven. Time to lock up. I walked the floor, clearing the meeting rooms and hidden alcoves so I didn’t lock some unknowing patron inside. “All clear,” I told Alice as I retrieved my handbag from under the counter. “What about the crew in the back?”
“You just missed them, but I bet if you skip out there, you could still catch him.” Her silver eyebrows wiggled.
“No need. I just didn’t want to lock them in.”
“Mmm-hmm,” she replied. “You head out. I’ll lock up.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you after class tomorrow.”
I waved at the door as she cranked the key. I walked under the trees to where my car was parked. Jagger’s reverse lights were on across the parking lot as I slid behind the wheel of my car and turned the ignition. It cranked but didn’t turn over. This is not happening. My car was only two years old; there was no way she wasn’t going to start. I tried again with the same result.
No problem. Will wouldn’t mind taking a study break to bail me out. I opened my handbag for my cell phone…that wasn’t there. Oh, no. I’d left it on the desk…in the library…that was locked. Wasn’t that craptastic?
The horn blared when I knocked my forehead into it. This was my punishment for looking at someone other than my boyfriend, right? I popped the hood and stepped out of the car. I got it raised and propped and then looked down at the engine, lifting my eyebrows.
“Well, what do you think is wrong?”
I didn’t need to look to know that Jagger was standing beside me. “I have no earthly idea.”
“Then why are you looking at the engine?”
“Because that’s what people do, right? If the car won’t start, you pop the hood and take a look.”
Eyes Turned Skyward Page 4