She took a deep breath before reaching for the doorknob and twisting it open. Her heart skipped a beat when she clapped eyes on Ethan. Like the previous evening, he was dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt, the light tan color accentuating his brown eyes.
“Hi,” he said after a few heartbeats. A flush of heat suffused her cheeks; she’d been staring at him.
“Hey, come in.” Isabella took a step back to allow him to enter her house. Their eyes clashed and her fingers gripped the door a little tighter.
His musky scent enveloped her and she swayed toward him. She couldn’t deny her growing attraction for the man standing in front of her. It seemed the feeling was mutual. Ethan leaned down and closed the small gap between them. His warm lips landed on hers in another one of his sweet kisses.
Only their lips were touching, but it was enough to ignite a fire inside of her. How the heck was she going to survive the night without jumping his bones? Never had she wanted to sleep with someone after just meeting them. Meredith would tell her to go for it. Then again, her best friend grasped life with both hands after almost dying in a car crash as a teenager.
Ethan broke the kiss and smiled, and her already weak knees went a little weaker. “Well, that’s certainly one way to say hello,” she said as she closed her door.
“It’s the way all hellos should be.”
Isabella headed down the hallway to her kitchen. “If that’s how you say hello to everyone you meet, we could have some issues.”
Ethan laughed. “Yeah, the guys generally run in the opposite direction when they see me arrive at work.”
She shook her head, enjoying their banter. “Can’t say my fellow colleagues, or parents, would enjoy me saying hello that way. Although some of the single dads might.”
Oh, shit, why would she say something like that?
“Hmm, get hit on by a few of the dads, do you?”
She opened the fridge and shoved her face inside, hoping the cool air would reduce the heat enflaming her cheeks. After a few moments, her self-control in hand, she grabbed the salsa and closed the door. “No. I’ve never been hit on by any parent, single or otherwise, but I know a couple of teachers who have.”
“Well, I’m glad for your sake, but those dads must be blind.”
He was being sweet, but the whole topic made her uncomfortable. “Let’s not talk about this anymore. There’s something wrong with the discussion.”
Ethan smiled as he dipped a corn chip into her homemade salsa. “You’re right. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” He crunched down on his chip, and she paused, her own chip midair. She liked her salsa with a bit of a bite, so she always added more spices than most people. “Oh, wow, this is good.” He grabbed another chip and dug out a big dollop of the tomato mixture.
“Good, and there was supposed to be guacamole, but I dropped the bowl, so salsa it is.”
Ethan waved away her comments as he reached for the glass of water she placed in front of him. He drank down most of the glass. “Your salsa packs some punch.”
“I know. I like to spice it up more than most people.”
His eyebrow rose at her comment, but he let it slide and finished off his water. The timer on the oven went off and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Do you need any help?” he asked as she opened the oven door, taking a step back to let the steam rise and swirl in the air.
“Nope, I’ve got it all under control.” She placed the steaming lasagna pan on top of her cooktop. “I thought we’d eat outside. The sun sets at the front of the house, so the back patio is cooler now.”
“Okkkaaayyy.”
She turned to look at him. “Is something wrong?”
“This is going to sound super wimpy considering my job and all, but I hate bugs.”
Isabella stood there for half a second before laughing. “You hate bugs? Kind of hard to avoid when you’re in the middle of the desert.”
A cute shade of red filtered up Ethan’s face. He was the total opposite of what she knew a military man to be. She’d expected him to be arrogant, all look at me. She’d seen plenty of those types of guys during her brief marriage. Yet Ethan was very down to earth.
“You’re not the only one to laugh at my disdain for all things bugs. The guys in my squadron are forever giving me shit about it. If my canine partner could talk, I’m sure she’d tell me to suck it up. I swear I can cover myself with half a can of Off and they still manage to bite me.”
Isabella walked over to Ethan and placed a hand on his arm. The heat from his skin immediately transferred to her hand, warming her blood. “I get the yard treated every month for mosquitos because, like you, I get eaten alive, but I also like to sit outside, and I won’t let little bugs stop me from enjoying my backyard.”
“Well, then, we can have a competition to see who will be the first one bitten.”
Her lips stretched into a smile and she shook her head. How romantic were they, discussing bug bites?
But she wasn’t supposed to be thinking anything romantic with Ethan. All day, she’d teetered on canceling because she didn’t want to get involved with him. After this dinner, they would go their separate ways and never see each other again. They’d given it a chance and it hadn’t worked out.
Keep telling yourself that, because deep down you know that’s not true. You want to see where this connection leads.
The voice needed to go on a holiday somewhere far, far away, maybe Antarctica where internet and communication with the outside world was limited. Regardless of the truth of her inner thoughts, pursuing anything with Ethan would only end up in heartache—mainly hers.
She’d already lost one military man. She didn’t want to lose another.
*
Ethan placed his beer bottle on the glass-top table. Darkness had fallen and solar powered lights glowed among the flower beds.
The sound of a hand slapping flesh made him turn to Isabella. This was the fifth time she’d slapped away a bug. “I guess your blood is sweeter than mine.”
“Shut up,” she grumbled, but her smile suggested there was no malice in her words.
“I don’t have a problem if you want to go inside. I know it’s not my place, so I don’t want to be presumptuous and all.”
Her sigh sounded heavy in the still, night air. “The least the bugs can do is annoy you too.”
Ethan threw his head back and laughed. “Oh no, trust me when I say I’m very glad I’m not being eaten.”
“You know a real gentleman will tell the bugs to attack him first and not his companion.”
“Are we really having this conversation?” he asked, enjoying every single second of it. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so much.
“Well, it’s a common enough type of conversation. Lots of people have issues with bugs, whether it’s a fear of spiders or cockroaches. What would be nice tonight would be if the mosquitos didn’t veer off the direction they were heading just to get a taste of my blood.”
He didn’t blame the bugs for wanting a taste of Isabella; after the short sample he’d had of her lips the previous evening and when he’d first arrived, there were plenty of places he’d like to discover if they were as sweet.
Now that was a conversation he didn’t want to start—perhaps it was better to talk about night insects. Any topic was better than awkward silences between them.
“Summer vacation is a couple of months away. Do you have any plans?” he asked.
“Other than sleeping in beyond six a.m., nope, nothing planned at all. The break isn’t really as long for a teacher as it is for the kids. I have to review lesson plans and adjust accordingly to any changes the district might make for the coming year.”
“Does that happen often?”
“Pretty much every year. There’s always changes to the way they’d like student assessments done. So I have to adjust my class plans to fit in those assessments while making sure my students absorb what I’m teaching them. Fifth grade i
s the big transition year for most kids.”
“How so?” he asked. He’d never given much thought to what teachers had to go through year after year.
“Well, they’re the ‘seniors’ of the elementary school, the leaders, you could say. I like the kids in my class to help out with the kindergarteners, read them stories. It’s not always easy to get that to happen, but I’ve pushed for it over the last couple of years, and the relationships that have been generated between them are really sweet. There are always tears at the end of the year.”
“I’ve never heard of that, but it’s a cool idea. Quite a few guys on base have kids, and when we’re deployed they’re always getting letters from them, but there’s never been anything mentioned along the lines of what you do. I remember fifth grade; some guys I knew would bully the younger kids. I often got into trouble because I’d confront them.”
“It’s one of the reasons I do it. It also gives the kids in third and fourth grade something to look forward to. I’ve had a couple of former fifth graders visit the school on their building’s days off. They have lunch with the kids they’ve mentored. It really is a wonderful sight.” She paused and gazed out into the darkness. “Dammit,” she murmured.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he stood and scanned the backyard.
He’d been so lost in enjoying the moment with Isabella he hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings. Anyone could’ve jumped over the fence and attacked them. This was where he missed having Sam by his side—any potential threat and she’d growl in alert.
Fuck, this was the second time he’d lost his focus in Isabella’s presence. The first being their disastrous blind date.
He was marching toward the dark corner of Isabella’s yard when her hand landed on his arm. “Nothing, I just got bitten again. Maybe we should head inside.”
The aroma of her wildflower scent wafted up to him, frying his senses once more. It was different to the one she’d worn the last couple of times they’d been together, and he liked it as much as her other perfume. He pulled her tight against him and looked down into her face. The glow from the patio lights highlighted her blonde hair. He brushed a stray strand behind her ear before closing the distance between them. Her lips had been tempting him ever since her kiss welcoming him into her house. His eyes drifted shut the second their lips connected.
Ethan tightened his grip around her waist and teased her mouth open with his tongue, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Her arms wound around his neck and their tongues dueled.
The kiss they’d shared last night was out of this world, but nothing compared to the rush of sensations filling him now. Would it be so wrong to suggest they take this kiss into her bedroom? This was kind of their third date, and he couldn’t deny how much he wanted to make love to Isabella. Kiss every inch of her skin. Find out what made her moan, and how she sounded when she came apart in his arms.
He needed air; he broke the kiss. He rested his forehead against hers, their ragged breathing sounding loud in the still, night air. “I’ve had a really good time tonight, Izzy.”
“Me too,” she replied, almost sounding surprised.
He filed that little tidbit away to look at later; right now, he didn’t want to spoil the magic growing between them. He had an inkling her surprise was because she didn’t want to enjoy spending time with him. Just like her dinner invitation the previous evening.
“I should go. I’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow’s Sunday though,” she said, pulling out of his arms and going over to the table to collect their dessert plates.
“My team does PT every morning, come rain, hail, or shine. The earlier we do it, the less sting the sun has.”
He followed her back into the house, hoping she’d ask him to stay, but he wasn’t holding his breath. He placed the glasses he carried into the sink next to where she placed the plates. “Can I help you clean up?” he asked, another attempt to prolong the evening.
“Thanks, but no, I have it all under control.”
Well, he didn’t need to be told twice. That was a brush-off if he ever heard one. An awkwardness that had been missing all evening sprouted up between them. “Thanks for the invitation.”
Geez, now that sounded really stilted.
Slim arms encircled his waist and instinct made him close his own around her warm body. “I had a nice time too, Ethan.”
Ethan brushed his lips across the top of her hair. It was now or never. He had to take the plunge and see if Isabella was as invested in this as he was. “I’d like to see you again.”
“I…uh.”
Her hesitation killed him.
“Take a chance, Izzy. I promise you won’t regret it.” Damn, making promises was never a good idea. Some promises were impossible to keep, especially in his job. This one, however, he could keep without a doubt. No matter how long they had together, he would make sure she didn’t ever regret taking a chance with him.
The silence stretched between them, and with every passing thump of his heartbeat, hope died a little more. It appeared they were destined to have only two and a half dates. If he was going to be rejected, he was going to take it like the warrior he was and never look back.
He pulled away and Isabella’s beautiful blue eyes widened.
“Bye.”
Chapter Seven
Ethan checked his uniform before he knocked on Lieutenant Colonel Shawn Blue’s door. Being summoned to this office usually scared the shit out of Ethan, meant he’d fucked up on something. He didn’t think he’d done anything, but his focus had been a bit scattered lately.
The abrupt way he’d walked out on Isabella after dinner at her place hadn’t sat well with him. Yet she had accepted his apology, and they’d had a few fun, slightly flirty, text conversations. His last text was that he’d be in touch—that was five days ago.
He wanted to ask her out again, but hell, their track record for dates was abysmal. Why was he still trying?
Because you like her and want to get to know her better.
It was her hesitation when he asked about seeing her again that still confused him. At the time, he was sure she wanted to say yes, because her eyes had lit up when he asked her, but then dimmed.
Damn, he couldn’t spend all day thinking. If he wanted to know the truth, he would have to ask her straight out rather than make assumptions. The question was, would she tell him when he asked?
Raising his hand, he rapped his knuckles against the wood. He needed to concentrate on this meeting. Never a good thing to get summoned to your commanding officer out of the blue.
“Enter.”
Ethan walked in and nodded at his superior officer before standing, back ramrod straight, in front of the desk.
“Take a seat, Staff Sergeant Masters.”
Ethan did as instructed, and waited for him to speak. The man seemed to enjoy dragging out the process, flicking through the papers on his desk before gathering them up and slipping them into a folder.
“How are things, Ethan?”
Okay, so it couldn’t be too bad if Blue was calling Ethan by his first name. “I’m well and things are good, sir.”
The other man picked up another file and opened it. “You’ve been with the 805th Security Forces Squadron a while now, haven’t you?”
“Yes, sir.” And he loved every single second of it. He couldn’t imagine doing anything different.
“And you’re scheduled to leave in just over a month for another stint overseas, correct?”
“Yes, sir, that’s correct.” The question seemed out of place considering the lieutenant colonel knew everything that went on around base. Well, at least he should.
Was his deployment being put off?
Was he being transferred to another squadron? He hoped not.
“When you return from your deployment, your reenlistment papers will come in.”
Shit, he’d forgotten it was getting to that time again. Well, it was a no-brainer; he
’d be signing up again for another go around.
What about Isabella?
No, the voice in his head didn’t know what it was talking about. There was nothing going on between the two of them. Why would she even factor into his decision of whether he reenlisted or not?
“I’ll admit, sir, that it slipped my mind.”
“Have you considered what you might do in the future? You’ve been with the service for a while now.”
What the hell? Does he think I want to retire?
This was a subject he wasn’t expecting to discuss when he entered his commanding officer’s office. Retirement for Ethan wasn’t on the cards, not at least for another five years anyway, when he’d have completed twenty years of service. At that time, he didn’t have to retire if he didn’t want to.
“No, sir, I concentrate on the here and now.”
His leader nodded and kept perusing the papers in front of him. This whole conversation seemed surreal. He had no idea what track his lieutenant colonel was walking down, but he hoped he’d find out soon.
“A position has become available that I want you to consider.”
“What’s that, sir?” Ethan sat a little straighter in his chair.
“Kennel master. You’ve got an impeccable record, and your commitment to the K-9 unit is second to none. This could be a Stripes for Exceptional Performers promotion. It’s the next step in your career as well.”
Definitely the last thing he was expecting when he walked into the office. It was an honor to be considered for the position, to know his hard work was recognized and it paid off. On the other hand, the thought of not being on the front line and helping his fellow airmen in his squadron was one he needed to get used to.
But the lieutenant colonel was still waiting for a response. “Thank you, sir, for believing me to be a suitable person to fill the role. It’s a lot to consider.”
The man leaned forward and clasped his fingers together on his desk. “You’ve been a handler for a while, so this is a natural progression for you in your career. It will also help you in whatever you decide to do after your time with us. Of course, it’s a moot point if you decide not to reenlist. There would be no point going through the process of the promotion if you decided in six months’ time you’d like to leave the service.”
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