Encounter with a Commanding Officer

by Charlotte Hawkes

  Her breath lodged in her throat like a tiny bird fluttering its wings, unable to get out of its cage. The old concrete roof was covered with a large rug, a picnic basket and two fold-out chairs on top. A fire pit threw out heat from the front whilst military glow sticks lined the three sides of the perimeter like an Army version of fairy lights. For an instant it evoked memories of being on the viewing point with Ash when they’d watched the carnival floats and something twisted inside Fliss. Hot, red, sensual.

  But it was only when she turned around that the full extent of Ash’s military make-over became apparent. The fourth perimeter wall which formed the back of the building was two metres high and—right now—it was covered in a mural. The most stunning graffiti art Fliss had ever seen and there was no doubt that it was a faithful representation of the view from the rooftop of the MERT compound back at Camp Razorwire.

  ‘It’s stunning,’ she breathed, spinning slowly to look at Ash. ‘But how...?’

  ‘You remember Corporal Hollings? Andy Hollings?’ Ash prompted.

  How could she forget the soldier she and Ash had first worked together to save? The reason Ash had come up onto that rooftop back at camp, to tell her the lad had been deemed stable enough to fly back to hospital in the UK.

  ‘Of course I remember.’

  ‘Well, his brother does this for a living; commercial businesses and local councils commission him to paint the gable walls of buildings, under bridge arches—you name it.’

  ‘How do you know that?’ She shook her head incredulously.

  ‘He had an unusual tattoo so I asked him about it during that period where he was slipping in and out and you were trying to keep him awake.’

  Fliss nodded slowly. ‘I remember, but I never heard what he said.’

  ‘He told me it was based on his brother’s first piece of work. When I thought about doing this for you—for us—I thought it would be a nice touch. I had a photo from that rooftop so...’

  He shrugged, tailing off, but Fliss was still waiting for her heart to start beating.

  ‘So there is an us?’ The grin spread through her body like warm honey.

  Smiling, Ash led her to the chairs, helping her sit down in one whilst he sat in the other; they leaned into each other, his fingers still laced with hers. She didn’t even bother trying to drag her eyes from his until he answered.

  ‘There is, without a doubt, an us.’

  The heat of the fire was much more apparent here but Fliss suspected it wasn’t what was causing the warmth to seep through her body, through her very bones, right now.

  ‘You’re strong, Fliss. And you’re driven. You have so many incredible qualities, from your empathy and loyalty to your passion and dedication. And I have to tell you, you’re damn sexy too. You affect me in a way I can’t control.’

  ‘I’m glad,’ she murmured.

  ‘And I love that about you.’

  The words slid through her. So subtly she wasn’t sure if she was hearing things.

  ‘You still love me?’

  She swallowed. Hard. It seemed almost too perfect. Too unreal.

  ‘I love everything about you, Fliss. You turn my heart inside out.’

  ‘I do?’ she breathed, marvelling at the man facing her. The same one she’d challenged in that office, in the supply room, in the hotel room. And yet a completely different, more open person.

  But only open to her, which somehow made it all the more incredible.

  ‘I love the doctor you are, Fliss, I love the Major you are, and the person you are. Most of all I love the woman you are. The way you make me want to be a better soldier, better leader, better person. I love the way you make me feel, the way you get under my skin like no one else, the way you challenge me and don’t let up. And, for the record, I love the sexy way you bite your lip like that.’

  ‘You love me,’ Fliss repeated, the confusion of emotions that had been jostling in her brain finally settling down enough for her to understand his declaration.

  It was more than she had dreamed of. A passionate, heartfelt, amazing declaration of love she had never thought anyone would ever say to her. It made her feel part of something special. It made her feel they were something special. Not practical, logical, or sensible. But unrestrained, emotional, intense.

  ‘I love you too.’ She stumbled over the words in her haste to say them. To hear what they sounded like when accompanied with all these sensations tumbling around her heart.

  They sounded magical. Unparalleled. Perfect.

  The feeling started in her curling toes and permeated up through her legs, her body, her chest, fixing an outrageous grin on her mouth as it continued right up to the top of her head. She felt as though together they could face anything.

  Together.

  She started as Ash slid off his chair in front of her, simultaneously retrieving a neat green leather box from beneath her fold-out chair.

  ‘Marry me, Major.’ He grinned. ‘It isn’t practical or logical but I don’t want to do the practical thing and wait until we’ve dated for a while, because it won’t change anything. No other woman could match you. No other woman could affect me the way you do. There will never be another one for me. So I don’t want us to wait.’

  Fliss could scarcely breathe. It was as though he’d read every last emotion written in her heart and he was rewriting her future even as he did so, throwing out her old rulebook and giving her more freedom. A future with Ash sparkled in a way she’d never dreamed possible.

  ‘I don’t want to wait either,’ she breathed as he slid the ring onto her finger, then cupped her jaw and drew her into the sweetest yet most intense kiss.

  It seemed to last an eternity, drawing her down into its aching longing and beauty. She wrapped her arms around Ash’s neck and held herself as close to his body as she could, as if to convince herself that it truly was real and not one of those bubbles about to pop any moment.

  By the time they eventually came up for air, Fliss felt more at peace with herself than she ever had.

  A sliver of mischief slipped into her head. Sliding off the chair, she pushed Ash’s shoulders until he was on his back on the rug, then she moved astride him.

  ‘What, exactly, are you doing?’ Ash demanded, the cocked eyebrow suggesting he knew exactly what was on her mind.

  Leaning forward, she dropped a kiss to his lips as she shushed him.

  ‘Last time we were outdoors like this, back at the carnival, you taught me something I’d never done before. But when I tried to do something for you, you wouldn’t relinquish the reins.’ Reaching down, she began to unbuckle his belt, thrilling in the sensation of him finally allowing her to take control.

  ‘I think it’s time I repaid that favour.’

  His body, already hard against hers, now reacted even further under her touch, making Fliss feel more powerful than ever before.

  ‘Fine,’ he managed through gritted teeth. ‘But, just so you know, I intend us to spend a lifetime learning new things about each other. And for us to repay each other so many favours that we lose track of whose turn it is, and we won’t even care.’

  ‘I can’t wait,’ Fliss managed, as Ash shifted deliberately beneath her.

  And then she resumed her own task, feeling him give himself up to her the way she always did for him. The way she would for him later that night. The way she knew they both would for the rest of their lives.

  Because sometimes it was good to lose control.

  * * * * *

  If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Charlotte Hawkes

  THE SURGEON’S BABY SURPRISE

  THE ARMY DOC’S SECRET WIFE

  Available now!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from REBEL DOC ON HER DOORSTEP by Lucy Ryder.

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  Rebel Doc on Her Doorstep

  by Lucy Ryder

  CHAPTER ONE

  DR. PAIGE CARLYLE jolted awake from her first decent sleep in over a week. One minute she was dreaming about lying on the deck of a sleek boat while a hot captain rubbed oil all over her body, the next...nightmare city.

  Frozen with fright, Paige strained for the noise that had awakened her. Vaguely aware that her heart was pounding like that of an overexcited kid pigging out on Halloween candy, she held her breath until... There, she thought when the sound came again. There it is. A heavy thud followed by...cursing?

  In the darkness her eyes widened and her heart rate doubled, banging against her ribs like it was practicing for a world heavyweight title.

  You have got to be kidding me!

  An intruder?

  What the heck had happened to the Chamber of Commerce’s pledge that crime was non-existent in Port St. John’s? What about her landlord’s blithe assurances that she could sleep with her doors unlocked?

  Yeah, right, she snorted. Try telling that to her intruder.

  A large male intruder by the sounds of it.

  Had she locked the front door? The sliding French doors leading to the deck? Dammit, she couldn’t remember. But she’d been in the seaside town eight months and hadn’t developed any reckless habits of leaving everything unlocked, so she was almost certain she had.

  But “almost” wasn’t certain enough, she told herself frantically. Not when a woman’s worst nightmare was about to unfold. Oh, God. Not when she didn’t have a weapon to defend herself with.

  Why hadn’t she just stayed in the city where everyone locked themselves behind thick doors and deadbolts? Yeah, and while she was at it, why hadn’t she just robbed a bank to pay for med school instead of signing her life away on a scholarship?

  If she had she wouldn’t be here now. Instead of paying off her debt, she’d be working as a pediatrician. Probably from behind bars but, what the heck, at least she wouldn’t be—

  Black dots began to appear in her vision and she realized she was still holding her breath. Expelling it on a quiet rush, Paige tossed back the covers and eased to the edge of the bed, searching in the dark for her cellphone.

  It wasn’t there and for one panicked moment she couldn’t remember where she’d left it... Instead, her hand came into contact with a heavy flashlight she’d used a few nights earlier when they’d had a blackout.

  Okay. Weapon? Check.

  Nerve? Oh, boy.

  With the heavy weight in her hand, her head cleared enough to recall the brotherly advice she’d received over the years. But actually doing it was a far cry from practicing on three hulking males who thought it hysterically funny to simply put a big hand on her head and hold her an arm’s length away while she “practiced” taking them down.

  Bolstered by the fact that she knew a few badass moves and could totally defend herself—she hoped—Paige breathed in and out a few times then headed for the door. She carefully poked her head into the passage, swallowing a squeak of terror when she heard a crash and another round of inventive cursing.

  Gulping, she slapped a hand over her galloping heart before it crashed right through her ribs and went tearing off down the stairs, probably to escape out the front door.

  Oh, yeah. She was totally kicking this badass thing.

  But that was okay, she thought, lifting the flashlight like a baseball bat and giving it a practice swing. The flashlight could probably crush a skull or break a kneecap. Maybe. Probably...in the hands of someone weighing more than one twenty-five soaking wet...but it was all she had.

  Tiptoeing to the landing, Paige peered over the railing where light from a nearby streetlamp shone through the stained-glass door inset, illuminating the entrance like a church. She hoped it wasn’t a sign that she was about to sing with the angels.

  Squaring her shoulders, Paige descended the stairs, bare feet silent on the treads, muscles tensed in preparation for a quick getaway through the front door, and...rolled her eyes.

  Look at her, all brave and fierce.

  If her brothers could see her now they’d probably die laughing. Or disown her.

  There was another loud thud and a couple of beats later a round of pithy curses. Huffing out a breath that disturbed tendrils of wild bed hair, Paige tightened her grip on the flashlight and reached for the landline phone mounted on the wall. She heard the voice of the 911 operator in her ear asking about her emergency and it took a few seconds to realize the intruder was moving again.

  Towards her.

  Eek.

  She caught a brief glimpse of a huge black shadow, arm outstretched like the walking dead, and before she could stop herself she opened her mouth and let rip with a scream worthy of a B-grade slasher flick.

  The hulk stopped, swayed for a second before shoving out a hand to steady himself against the wall. A deep voice snarled, “What the—? Who the hell are you?”

  She let out another shriek and reacted by heaving the heavy flashlight at him. She heard it connect solidly, he gave a soft grunt, and the next second toppled. Just like a giant redwood. Whomp! Landing hard enough to shake the earth.

  For several long moments he didn’t move and neither did Paige as the flashlight spun in crazy circles on the wooden floor. The impact must have switched it on and with each rotation its beam briefly illuminated the man lying face down on her entrance floor.

  Just like a corpse on TV.

  When he remained motionless, Paige grabbed the flashlight mid-spin and trained the beam on him, ready to whack him if he so much as twitched.

  Beam wobbling in her sweaty grasp, she edged closer and gingerly stretched out a leg to poke him with her foot. He gave a low groan and she jumped back, a strangled squeak catching in her throat.

  After a minute of nothing but Paige’s ragged breathing, she prodded him a bit harder. Okay, so it was more of a kick but she needed to make sure he wasn’t lulling her into a false sense of security before grabbing her and giving her a coronary before she turned thirty.

  When he didn’t move or make any more creepy sounds, she leaned a little closer...and... Holy cow...sucked in a shocked breath.

  He was gorgeous.

  At least what she could see of him under all the scrapes and bruises. She didn’t know what she’d expected an intruder to look like, but yeesh, gorgeous wasn’t it.

  Damn. What a waste of man candy.

 
Had she...?

  Her heart skipped a couple of beats until she saw that his right hand and arm was encased in a cast. Exhaling in a gusty whoosh, she decided that no way had she done all that. Besides, she was five-five and he was...over six feet...and solid looking. Big enough to squash her like a bug if she hadn’t panicked and thrown the flashlight at him.

  He was all hard angles and masculine power, with the face of a warrior angel...fierce and awesome male beauty relaxed in...

  Paige gulped.

  Oh gosh, she thought a little hysterically, had she just killed the hottest guy in the northern hemisphere? A guy who looked like he’d gone a couple of rounds with the Exterminator and survived. Only to be felled by a...a—

  Reality finally hit her and she sagged against the wall, a shaky laugh escaping. It was filled with more than a little hysteria because... Wow. She’d done it. She’d totally taken out the bad guy.

  In her head she did a little victory dance. She was awesome! Who’s the girl? Who’s the—?

  From down a long tunnel she heard a tinny voice telling her to remain calm, that the police were on their way. Baffled, Paige looked around and noticed the receiver hanging from the wall unit by a long spiral cord. And blinked.

  Oh. Right—911.

  Eyes locked on the hot guy, she fumbled the receiver with shaking hands and lifted it to her ear, managing to whack herself on the cheek in the process.

  “Ouch.”

  “Hello, ma’am. Ma’am, can you hear me? The police are on their way. Are you hurt?”

  Blinking back tears that were most likely from fear and the massive doses of adrenaline still pumping through her system, Paige managed to croak out, “N-no, I’m n-not hurt. But I’m p-pretty sure I just k-k-killed the hot guy.”

  Her breath escaped in a loud whoosh. A seriously hot guy came willingly into her house and what did she do? She killed him, that’s what, she thought with a splutter of hysterical laughter. Frankie was going to disown her.