Model Soldier (15 page)

Mel nodded. “His helo should be arriving any tic of the clock now. I talked to some of the blokes in the control tower. They said he’d be here today.”

Emily raised a brow that Mel could get an answer so easily when all she got from the military for the past week was the runaround.

“Holy moley! Who’s the stunner? She the star of this show?” Mel asked, elbowing Jai in the side and staring across the airfield in Little Miss USO’s direction.

With a sideways glance at Emily, Jai grinned. “Yup. That’s Kerri London herself. She and Emily are going to be good friends by the end of this tour. I can tell already.”

Emily shot him a nasty look before watching the object of all the male attention make her way across the airfield in skintight red leather pants, four inch heels and a rhinestone-studded denim jacket, her long red mane blowing in the wind.

“Better watch it, mate. I bet this one here gets mad as a cut snake.” Mel smiled good-naturedly in Emily’s direction. “Fair dinkum, Emmie, she does look like she’s keen to get a bit, but don’t you worry. She’s a bit of alright, but she’s got nothing on you, love. Besides, there are more than enough diggers around here for both of you, plus some.”

Emily frowned. “What’s a digger?”

“Military men,” Jai supplied with a grin.

She was beginning to feel as though she needed a translator or an Australian/American dictionary to speak to Mel. Even so, she got the drift of his last statement and scowled at him.

“I am here to work, not find men.”
Or diggers
.

That statement was truthful. She wasn’t looking for “men” plural, only for one particular man. And actually, after his recent behavior, she wasn’t all that sure she wanted that one anymore.

Emily watched the wide sway of her competition’s shapely hips and the energetic bounce of her more than generous chest and sighed. Hawk ignoring her she’d prepared herself for, but watching Hawk hook up with Miss Sex on Heels might just be more than Emily could take.

Suddenly, a warm friendly arm was around her shoulders. “Come on, love. Hot pants has her own transportation. So let’s get your things and you loaded into my jeep. You keen for some tucker or a cuppa?”

Emily wasn’t sure if she was keen for some tucker or not and was afraid to answer lest she commit herself to an orgy with some diggers or something. With a silent plea, she raised a brow and glanced at Jai.

Laughing out loud, he answered her unspoken question. “He means food and a cup of coffee or tea, Em. You’ll get used to him, don’t worry.”

Somehow, Emily doubted that but answered anyway, suddenly realizing how chilled she’d become from the helicopter ride and now, from standing in the wind on the airfield.

“Sure, Mel. Some food and hot coffee would be great.” And getting away from Ms. Kerri “Hotpants” London even better.

“Bloody good and then I can show you to your lush accommodations for the duration of your stay.” With a wink at Jai, Mel asked, “So, Emmie, have you ever slept in a tent before?”

Emily groaned. This was going to be one heck of a trip.

“Hey, Grandpa. They still letting you fly? I’d thought you’d be back in the nursing home by now!” Wally joked with the helicopter pilot who’d brought Hawk and the squad to their secluded camp weeks before.

Wally had explained to them all then that since he and the pilot were both from Alabama, he figured it gave him teasing rights with the old guy. So far, the elder man gave as good as he got from Wally, which never failed to amuse Hawk.

“Listen here, boy. I was flying when you weren’t even a gleam in your mama’s eye and I’m still here. What does that tell you?”

“That the Army is desperate and has to hit up the senior citizen centers back in the States to recruit?” Wally shot back with a smirk.

“Ha, ha. Real funny there, kid.”

The man was in his sixties and had actually flown CH-46's for the Marines in Vietnam. The reality was that the wrinkled, grey-haired reservist was nearing the upper age limit to be allowed to fly and would soon be forced to retire, but the old coot was determined not to quit before they made him and for that, Hawk had to admire him.

In any case, it was nice to see any familiar face again out there, even one he’d only met once. Hawk smiled at the pilot now. “Hey, Lou. Glad to see you again.”

“You, too, Hawk. Didn’t think I’d be picking you up again so soon. What’s up? You and your two boys here giving up already? Heading for home?”

Hawk snorted out a laugh. “Not exactly.” He almost wished that were the case.

“I tell you what, it’s way better than that, Grandpa. Well, maybe not better than going home but still really great. Wait until you hear the news,” Wally began excitedly.

“Wally,” Hawked growled in warning.

He looked innocently at Hawk. A bit too innocently. “What? I can tell him about my promotion, can’t I?”

“Yes, you can tell him about your promotion,” Hawk gritted out between his teeth, silently warning Wally not the spill the rest of the news as well. The news about the newest orders that had Hawk far from happy.

It seemed Hawk’s captain and his good old friend Commander Hank Miller had been busy in the weeks Hawk and his squad had been downrange. Between the two of them, and thanks to some marketing genius’ idea, Hawk was now part of a frigging USO handshake tour with some country singer he’d never heard of.

But that wasn’t even the worst part. Thanks to some strange twist of fate, Wally’s advancement had just come through from the promotions board. Someone decided it would be good press to incorporate the promotion ceremony into the tour. Of all people, now Wally was in on this secret, too, and Hawk had a horrible feeling that would cost him. He’d probably have to barter his sister for Wally’s secrecy.

Traveling conditions in the area were volatile enough that Hawk was instructed to take both Wally and another soldier with him. Pettit had been the no brainer decision since he was already privy to Hawk’s secret hell. So here they were, the three amigos, heading for a frigging USO tour.

Hawk wrestled himself out of his own misery and listened as Wally excitedly told Lou his news.

“I finally made it, Grandpa. No more Specialist Trent Wallace. When you fly us back, you’ll have to call me Sergeant.”

“You’ll be lucky if I don’t call you the one who accidentally fell out the chopper door,” the old pilot said, then was so amused at his own joke he laughed until he coughed so hard he had to snub out his cigarette.

As the pilot lit up another one, Hawk smiled at the one bright spot to this trip—the fact the old coot pilot took no shit from Wally even though Hawk feared, unless he decided to pull rank on Wally, he would certainly have to take some shit from him about this modeling gig.

Then Hawk considered that in under an hour he’d be with Emily again. Okay, maybe that made two bright spots in this trip. He’d get to see Emily after what seemed like a very long separation and find out if this near physical ache he felt whenever he was alone and thought about her was strictly horniness and the loneliness of being deployed or the real thing.

He was really hoping it was the former. This was neither the time nor the place
for the real thing.

Chapter Fourteen

Taking a long, steaming sip, Emily was enjoying a nice hot “cuppa” in the dining hall with Jai and her new Aussie pal when she literally felt his presence and knew without turning around that Hawk had arrived.

Jai’s wave in the direction of the door behind her confirmed her intuition. Her heart kicked into overtime. Somehow, Emily didn’t think that was caused by the caffeine.

“Sergeant. Glad to see you made it,” Jai greeted the trio of men who strode into her sight line as one to stand next to the long table.

Emily knew the moment had come, that she would have to greet Hawk, and yet she still didn’t know how she should act. Angry? Which she was. Indifferent? Cool and friendly like nothing had happened between them? That would require an award-winning performance on her part.

She had no clue what to do or say. Worse, she had begun to wonder if her voice would give her away no matter what she chose to say.

Luckily for Emily, Jai made the introductions and gave her a small reprieve.

“Mel, this is our man for the shoot, Staff Sergeant Hawkins. Sergeant Hawkins, meet Mel Townsend, our video man for the next few days.”

Mel rose and shook Hawk’s hand. “G’day, mate.”

Hawk nodded a greeting in return and hooked a thumb at each of the two men on either side as he introduced them. “Sergeant Ryan Pettit and Specialist Trent Wallace…”

“Call me Wally. And after tomorrow, it’ll be Sergeant instead of Specialist,” one of Hawk’s entourage added.

Feeling ridiculous that she had yet to speak, Emily jumped in. “I saw that your captain had added the promotion ceremony to the schedule of events. Congratulations, Wally.”

That earned her a wide grin from the man. Paranoid, Emily had the bad feeling Wally recognized her from the Ratskeller and was imagining how exactly his sergeant and she had spent that night in Germany.

Wally took a step closer and extended one beefy hand in her direction. “Well, hello there. And what’s your name?”

Hmm. Wally was flirting with her. What exactly did that mean? He wouldn’t do that if he thought she’d been with Hawk, would he?

Or would he? Especially if Hawk had told him that he was finished with her and Wally could have her next.

Seething at this newest theory, Emily answered briskly, “Emily Price.”

“Wally.” The warning in Hawk’s voice was evident.

“Just being friendly, sir.” Wally grinned at his superior as he took Emily’s offered hand in both of his and shook it warmly. “Polite and friendly like my mama taught me.”

“Your mama didn’t teach you what you’re thinking,” Emily heard Hawk mumble. He took a step closer to them both and Wally dropped her hand in response and took a step back, conceding to Hawk.

This was interesting.

Hawk hadn’t made any contact with her in months, but in true caveman fashion, he had sent a definite signal to Wally to back off immediately. He might as well have peed on her leg and marked her as his territory like a damn male dog.

Well, well, well. Apparently he didn’t want her but no one else could have her either. Lovely, but actually, knowing Hawk, not that surprising.

Emily couldn’t avoid it any longer. She finally looked directly into Hawk’s gaze, finding it focused singly on her.

He smiled. “Hey there, Goldilocks.”

The deep timbre of his voice and his small crooked smile melted her frozen heart, while at the same time reignited her anger, particularly when Emily noted she was back to being Goldilocks again, reaffirming that any closeness they’d attained that one night in Germany had expired.

As flippantly as she could, Emily answered, “Hi, Hawk. Glad to see you’re still alive.”

He smirked at that. “It takes a lot to kill me, doll.”

Of that, she was certain, at least at those times when she was royally pissed off at him, like now. Although, during other times when she forgot to be angry, believing Hawk would be hard to kill didn’t do much to ease all those ridiculously pointless nights of worrying she’d done for this man. And Hawk? He probably hadn’t given her a second thought since they’d said goodbye in Germany.

Feeling mean, she smiled sweetly back. “Good, because I’d hate to have to start the ad campaign from scratch with a new model. So much work…” She shook her head dramatically.

As Hawk laughed aloud Wally raised his hand to get her attention. “I’m available to model if you need me, Ms. Price,” he offered.

“No, you’re not, Wally,” Hawk said, his eyes never leaving her face.

Wally grinned in her direction, nodded and mouthed behind Hawk’s back, “Call me.”

“Nice to see you both again, Miss Price, Mr. Devereaux.” Pettit, ever polite, stepped forward and shook her hand, then Jai’s, then turned to Mel. “Very nice to meet you, Mr. Townsend.”

“Pleasure’s mine, Sergeant,” Mel answered warmly.

The male bonding and testosterone level around the place was starting to stifle Emily.

“Well, great. Now that everyone’s been introduced perhaps we should review the schedule,” Emily suggested, starting to feel uncomfortable under Hawk’s gaze.

He held up a folded piece of paper he’d had hidden somewhere in his uniform. “I’ve got the schedule. It’s simple enough. I’ll be where I’m supposed to, when I’m supposed to be there. Don’t worry.”

“I wasn’t worried,” she bit out quickly.

“No?” Hawk returned skeptically. “Good.”

She hated he knew her so well. Not reviewing the schedule with all the parties involved would up her stress level considerably and Hawk darn well knew it.

Emily was considering how to suggest again they all go over the schedule together while not sounding obsessive compulsive, thereby proving Hawk right, when she noticed she was suddenly the subject of Jai’s smirk and Mel’s interested stare.

If she weren’t careful, not only Jai, but also Mel would know about her little indiscretion with Hawk.

“Um, Jai. Don’t you think we need to review the schedule with Mel?” Emily suggested.