Danger Zone: Tales of Military Passion

by Marie Harte

  April made herself dinner, watched some mindless television, then took Lobo for a leashed walk down the beach—the one great thing about watching Jane’s place. Jane, like Thorn, lived in Emerald Isle near the beach. Though Thorn’s house had been a street over from the beach, Jane looked right over the ocean. Only a small stretch of sand sat between her and salt water.

  As April enjoyed the evening air and the sand between her toes, she ran into Matt Sayers, a handsome vacationer enjoying some time with his parents a few doors down.

  “Hey, Major Soames.” He had a nice smile. Short blond hair, green eyes, and a nice enough build.

  Oh boy. She’d used the word nice twice to describe him. He hadn’t yet annoyed her or attracted her to distraction, which according to her friends meant she wasn’t into him. But she could be. He didn’t wear rank, didn’t have a girlfriend, and had thus far been respectful in their limited dealings with each other.

  “Matt.” She smiled back at him. Perhaps she should go against her usual type and ask him out. Something to stem her summer boredom at least and hold her anxiety about her future at bay. She had so many issues about her life, and—

  “You look great, as usual.” He gave her an appraising onceover. “How would you like to go out with a civilian tomorrow night? And by civilian, I mean me. Maybe hit a bar or two?”

  The idea held appeal. Something to shake up her normally ordered little world, something different that she could still control. But at a bar where she might run into some of her Marines?

  She knew asking him to stay in might send the wrong message. Matt was cute but not someone she planned on jumping into bed with. An image of a sneering Gunny Thorn came to mind, and she hastily wiped it away. “I’d like that, but I’m not really into the bar scene. How about we do dinner and a stroll on the beach afterward instead?”

  “Sounds great.” He did have a nice—handsome, not nice—smile.

  They walked together before he asked, “So how long have you been in the Marines, Major?”

  “It’s April, Matt. Not Major…anymore. I know, once a Marine, always a Marine.” A credo she firmly believed. “I just started my terminal leave today, so I’m practicing before I’m officially a civilian.”

  “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  She sighed, then seeing no one around, let Lobo off his leash. The fool dog barked at some approaching seagulls then splashed his way into the water. “It’s a good thing, but I’ll miss it.”

  “So why did you get out?”

  “Lots of reasons.” None of which she wanted to get into with a stranger.

  “Should I be saluting you? I mean, you said today was your last day, but the day’s not over yet.”

  She chuckled. “I don’t think that’s necessary. But you do have to call me April.”

  “I can do that.” He gave her a subtle glance and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I can do a lot of things. But only if you’ll let me.” He winked. “I live to serve.”

  She liked that he found her attractive and knew to step lightly. “A funny guy, just my type.”

  “Then you’ll love me. I write sitcoms for television.”

  “No kidding?”

  They watched Lobo play while they chatted about his work on the West Coast.

  “I’ve been meaning to come out and visit the folks for a while. Glad I finally did.”

  “Me too.” She meant it. “It’s getting late. I’d better get Lobo in before he swallows half the ocean.”

  “That is one big dog.” Matt shook his head. “You’re braver than I am.”

  “He’s family, what can I say?” She couldn’t help comparing Matt’s response to the fact that Thorn hadn’t seemed to mind dealing with the dog. Ack. Get out of my head, you big Neanderthal.

  Lobo bounded over to them then made sure to shake his coat free of water, drenching them both in the process.

  Matt gritted his teeth. April swore.

  He blinked at her. “I guess you really are a Marine. You sure swear like one.”

  She grinned. “What can I say? Lobo has that effect on me.”

  They parted ways, and she took Lobo home, rinsed and dried him off outside, then settled in for the night. With her luck, she knew she’d dream about a certain obnoxious Marine with arms like cannons.

  But since it was her dream, she decided to add some fantasy to the mix and closed her eyes. Envisioning Thorn in nothing more than a tiny bathing suit, she ordered him to strip down to nothing, then crawl on his hands and knees begging her to forgive him in the best way he knew how. With his head between her spread thighs, his mouth working its own magic while never saying a word.

  Chapter Two

  ‡

  THORN BANGED ON her door the following morning at eight a.m. sharp. He knocked for a while, knowing she most likely wouldn’t be awake. Rumors at work had it that Major Hotness wasn’t a morning person. She had a sweet tooth, an intolerance for fools, and no bend in her whatsoever. Her way or the highway, though she could also admit to being wrong on occasion.

  Thorn could work with all that. Especially when that came packaged in shorts and a tee-shirt showing off a body that made his mouth water.

  Barking then swearing filtered through the cracked-open windows in front. Fool woman should know better than to leave her windows up overnight.

  She yanked open the main door, leaving only the screen door to separate them. Seeing him there, she gaped. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I’ve got a problem.”

  “More than a few,” she muttered. “Lobo, shut up!”

  Lobo whined and backed away, then came back shoving against her, his tongue hanging out while he pushed past her to thrust his nose against the screen.

  Thorn held his hand close for Lobo to sniff, which excited the dog into a new frenzy of dancing and wagging.

  April glared at the dog.

  April. He’d been thinking about her like that since she’d admitted to leaving the Corps. And damn if his dreams hadn’t been hot enough to wake him out of sleep with a hard-on the size of Texas. Sure he’d gone without a woman for a few months. The battalion’s op tempo had been crazy the past year. But he’d been celibate for longer stretches of time and not had such vivid fantasies of a woman before.

  “Cut it out,” April snarled when Lobo nudged her knees, almost knocking her over.

  “Whoa. Easy, Major. I come bearing gifts.” Thorn held up a cardboard tray holding two coffees and a bag of pastries. Even he had a tough time resisting the call of the sweet smells coming from the bag.

  She didn’t blink. “What do you want?”

  Hardball then. “Hey, I’m trying to be nice about this.”

  She mumbled something about the word nice he couldn’t quite make out. “What do you want, Gunny?”

  “Restitution.”

  She just stared at him. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” He could wait her out. All damn day if he had to. To his bemusement, he realized that sparring with her instilled the same sense of fevered anticipation he experienced when going on a mission. But this time he wouldn’t be trying to rescue anyone or pin down a horde of rebels. He meant to outflank and seriously bed the woman scowling at him.

  “Restitution? For what?”

  “We’ll start with my dead tomato plants. And the beans, the mangled peppers… And hey, how about the planters Lobo ruined, as well as the sprinkler system that cost an arm and a leg to install? It’s got sections chewed up. Shall I go on?”

  She groaned and gripped her hair by the temples.

  He almost would have preferred her with bedhead and an unpleasant morning face, something to make her appear less goddess-like and more human. But even roused out of bed she looked gorgeous, sexy, and—hell, he’d just admit it—fuckable. Her long honey-blond hair reached the tips of her breasts, hidden behind a short, ugly, terrycloth robe. But that hair looked soft and silky. Her lips were rosy, parted on a swear, so of course
he immediately imagined them wrapped around his cock.

  Stifling that thought took effort, because she glared at him with eyes that struggled to be blue or green, or maybe both. Teal, he thought, and wondered if she knew her eyes were the exact same color as the crisp, clear waters off Key West, one of his favorite places in the world.

  It wasn’t like Thorn to wax poetic. Hell, the last woman he’d been head over heels for had ditched him for a guy she’d been crushing on forever. He’d made peace a long time ago over losing Maria to an idiot Marine who didn’t deserve her. Even the last woman he’d been seeing, a pretty engineer with a big brain, a terrific sense of humor, and a yearning for kids—all traits he shared and admired—hadn’t gotten to him on this level. Something about April Soames put his back up, his cock up, and his temper to simmering.

  He gave her a baleful look. “If you’d rather I just sent you the bill or took you to court, I’m game. Hell, we’ll throw Lobo in the pound and call it even.” He turned, as if he meant to walk away.

  The screen door slapped him in the ass before she bodily dragged him inside with her.

  “Fine. Come in, come in.” She shut the door behind him. “You, stay.” That said, she darted down the hallway.

  He glanced at the dog, who looked back at him and cocked his head. “She talking to you or me?”

  Lobo chuffed and took a good sniff in the direction of Thorn’s pastries.

  “Hell no. Back off,” he ended in a growl, and the dog stepped away without a fight. At least Lobo recognized who was alpha. Now he had to make the woman understand so they could get better acquainted.

  April returned moments later wearing shorts and a tee-shirt, like him. Unfortunately, she’d donned a bra as well. The lady had a nice set on her, one that needed support he would be only too happy to provide. He glanced at his palm, mentally sizing the fit.

  “Hello? And I thought I was bad without coffee.” She grabbed the tray from him and entered the kitchen.

  He took a good look around him as he joined her. From what he could see of it, the beach cottage looked to be smaller than his home. Pale blue walls decorated with lighthouse prints and nautical themed knickknacks graced shelves in the small but tidy living room. A modest television sat in the corner. A cushy loveseat, matching chair and coffee table occupied the rest of the space. Along the far wall, shelves upon shelves of books lined the built-ins. His mother would love the place.

  The dining area flowed off the living room into a small but efficient galley kitchen. And to the side, a small dinette with four chairs provided seating. April sat at the table drinking coffee. She’d set the treats on a plate and hadn’t waited for him to dig in.

  He watched her while she ate, and she watched him right back, still not in the least bit cowed. He liked her more and more.

  He sat, took a bite of an apple Danish, and washed it down with strong black coffee. They ate together in silence, each gauging the other.

  “Okay, I give,” she said, finally caving. “What exactly do you want from me?”

  He raised a brow and gave her an appraising stare.

  Her cheeks turned pink, but she didn’t look away from him. “Gunny, you are seriously trying my patience.”

  “Yeah? Well try dealing with a busted sprinkler system, more dead plants, and a ruined container bed. Look, I’m all about letting dogs be dogs, but Lobo has attacked my poor plants for the fourth time in a month.”

  “Lobo, really?” She stared at the dog currently slinking from the kitchen.

  “Really. I know you just took on the responsibility, but I let this go long enough.”

  “Any idea why he keeps heading to your place?”

  “No. When Captain Morrow was stateside, I saw him once or twice walking Lobo. He lives down the street from me.”

  “Yeah, I know.”’

  “But that was it. Now Lobo acts like he owns my house, and he’s not choosy about where he likes to dig.”

  She sighed. “Fine. What do I owe you?”

  “You’re not going to try to weasel out of it?”

  “You are really on my last nerve.”

  “I try.”

  She worked to bite it back, but he saw her grudging smile.

  He stilled. His chest felt tight and he had shortness of breath, in addition to a flutter in his gut that made him uneasy.

  Damn, this attraction felt weird. Deep. He wanted to hear her laugh, to watch her eyes light up when she smiled, to see the joy when she—Cut it out, Thorn. Man up. You’re too old to be crushing on a woman. She’s good looking. So what? Get over it.

  “Smart move, bringing coffee and sweets,” she said.

  Getting a hold on his uncharacteristic emotions, he forced a grin. “I’m much brighter than I look.”

  “Good to know.”

  “Swing on by my place and fix what he broke, we’ll call it even.”

  “I can do that. But I warn you, I’m no fix-it girl. I can plant and water veggies. Sprinkler lines aren’t my thing.”

  “I figured as much.” He sighed.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Why? Because I’m a woman I won’t know how to fix things?”

  “Because it would be a stroke of luck if you were a master plumber who could save the rest of my garden before it dies. As to how capable you are with tools, that remains to be seen.”

  She took a sip of coffee, glaring at him over the brim of her cup.

  “Anyone ever tell you you have anger issues?” he taunted, wondering if he’d get a face full of coffee for his bravado.

  “Didn’t you say something about being brighter than you look?” she said sweetly and swirled the coffee in her cup, eyeing him with deliberate mischief.

  He couldn’t help it. He laughed. “If you’re trying to scare me, you need to try harder. That death glare you’re using is turning me on.”

  She flushed.

  “Sorry. Did I embarrass you, Major?”

  Her jaw clenched. God, she was fun to rile.

  She stood and gave him an insincere smile. “Thanks for the coffee and the food.”

  “I get the sense you’re kicking me out.” He tried to grab another Danish but she moved the plate out of reach. “Yeah, totally getting the vibe you don’t want me here.”

  “I have things to do, Gunny. And you’re bothering me.”

  “You bother me too. I guess we’re even.” He stood and decided to be bold. Thorn pulled her into his arms, startling her with the suddenness of his action.

  “Wha—”

  He kissed the question out of her. As he’d expected, a jolt of lust hit him squarely between his legs. His heart raced, his entire body tensed, and the scent and taste of her went straight to his head. Not wanting to totally freak her out, he didn’t hold her too close, just kept his hands lightly on her shoulders so she could pull away at any time. Never let it be said Bobby Thorn forced himself on a woman who didn’t want his attention.

  But when she softened and opened her mouth, he couldn’t stop himself from penetrating with his tongue. He deepened the kiss, guiding her with the press of his lips.

  She seemed to melt under him, and he wondered if shoving her against the wall and fucking her before she’d had a second cup of coffee would be too much for her to handle.

  With a groan, he pulled back and stared into her face, committing her features to memory. The flushed cheeks, the shiny, ripe lips, the cloudy pleasure darkening her eyes… He had to see her this way again, and soon. His cock felt so hard he hurt, and if she gave him the slightest invitation, he’d take her up on it without question. The overpowering attraction stunned him.

  Thorn worked to subtly even his breathing.

  April seemed to come back to herself and stared at him. She took a step away, breathing hard, as though she’d just run a marathon. “W-why did you do that?”

  “Just thought I should let you know what to expect.”

  She took a deep breath, let it out, and crossed her arms over her delectable chest, but no
t before he noticed the hard nipples straining beneath the cotton. “Excuse me?” Her tone was that of a superior chastising a subordinate.

  He grinned. “Major, after you make good on the damages your dog made—”

  “My sister’s dog made.”

  “—then you and I are going to see where this attraction takes us.”

  “Attraction?” She automatically glanced at his erection, which had yet to go down, and her eyes widened.

  “I know you’re not denying that kiss.” He raised a brow, mostly because he knew it annoyed her. “I’m hard as a pike, and you responded, sweetheart.” Thank God this pull between them wasn’t one-sided.

  “Look, Thorn, you took me by surprise.”

  He laughed. “Right. So when you returned the kiss, when I swallowed that little moan of pleasure, that was you being shocked.”

  She scowled.

  “I bet if you uncrossed your arms, your nipples would still be hard.” His mouth watered at the thought of sucking on the ripe buds.

  “Shut. Up.”

  He took a step closer, knew it wasn’t wise, and said in a low voice, “What if I slid my hand between your legs? Would I find you hot and wet for me? You as ready as I am?” He nodded down at his front. “’Cause Major, I have to tell you, I think we could be really good together in bed.”

  She stared at his arousal before whipping her head back up. Then she seemed to get a grip on her control, because her voice sounded even as she replied, “Yeah? How do I know you aren’t all talk and no action? So you have a big dick.”

  Did she just say what I think she said? That had been blunt, even for her.

  “Doesn’t mean you’re any good at sex,” she continued. “And I have to tell you, I’m not interested in being one of your conquests.”

  “I don’t kiss and tell,” he growled. “Never have.”

  “I don’t make a habit of dating Marines. Want to know why?” Before he could respond, she said, “Because you all like to act tough, but you can’t back it up. You’re either assholes or braggarts, and I’m done being a source of gossip for the masses.”

  “I told you I don’t talk—”