Wyne and Dine (Citizen Soldier Series Book 1) (6 page)

“I can assure you, they are,” the
colonel said with a shake of his head. “They cost a pretty penny.”

Lea started to shake. “I can’t
believe I’m eating off of sixteenth century china.”

“Believe it,” Mrs. Dankirk said,
big smile lighting her face. “What do you think of the candle sticks?”

Ben spent the next half-hour eating
in silence, enjoying Lea’s expressions from shocked to delighted to awestruck,
as well as her explanation for each piece their host mentioned. His date
practically vibrated in her seat. Before he knew it, dinner was through, and he
survived without being groped once.

A novel experience for him in that
house.

“Well, my dear, why don’t you show
Lea our art collection while the guys and I shoot some pool?” the colonel
suggested, pushing back in his chair.

Lea stilled. “Art collection?”

“Yes, we have an extensive one in
the other room,” Mrs. Dankirk replied, rising to her feet to hook elbows with
his
girlfriend
and lead her from the room without once subjecting him to
an inappropriate stare.

Yeah, he owed Lea big time. All
evening, she held everyone’s attention and worked the table like a pro, without
even trying. She was just being Lea. Her usual
well
of knowledge. This
allowed him to actually enjoy a meal at the colonel’s house, for once.

Best damn idea he’d ever had was
bringing her along.

He stepped into the study, ready to
talk shop, curious to know if the colonel had heard about gaining another
company, but as soon as the door closed behind him, he received backslaps and
handshakes from the snickering guys.

“Wow, Serge. You’re a sly dog.”

“And a lucky one.”

“Now the truth is out. All these
years of warnings, biting everyone’s head off and threatening to spit it down
our throats if we even so much as looked at Brandi or Lea the wrong way had
nothing to do with Lea being like a sister to you.”

Yeah, it did.

“Truth is out, Serge. That was
bullshit.”

“You just wanted her for yourself.”

Damn. He’d forgotten about that.
Once the girls had turned fifteen, he and his brothers had taken it upon
themselves to warn off any of the soldiers who showed interest. It had worked
for the most part. But the guys were right, he was still doing it. Just last
week, he caught a new transfer eying up Lea’s legs when she’d leaned across a
table. He’d ripped the kid a new one. She deserved better. Someone without
possible deployment and uncertainty in their future.

Brandi is happy with Kade
,
his mind interjected. He ignored it.

“Na, he’s just smart,” Colonel
Dankirk said, shoving a drink in his hand. “That woman’s a keeper, and he knows
a good thing when he sees it.”

“Yes, sir.”

But he didn’t. Not really.

Ben had no idea what a good thing
was because he avoided it like the plague. Lea was definitely white-picket, and
he was camouflage. Hell, until a few days ago, she was like his little sister.

Not after that kiss today
.

He’d never consider her that way
again.
Damn
. He lifted his glass in a salute, then drank the scotch and
contemplated his dilemma as the liquid burned a path to the knot in his
stomach. It felt as if he was in a sinking rowboat in the middle of a lake with
no paddle.

“So, Colonel, is it true we’re
acquiring another SIGNAL company?” one of the lieutenants asked.

Ben welcomed the change of subject,
even if he’d already heard the news unofficially last weekend when he’d drilled
down Fort Indiantown Gap. More communications equipment to inventory and add to
the books.

“Yes, as of fifteen May
twenty-fifteen, the armory at Myersville will be under our command.” His
superior hit him with a frank stare. “That means, Ben, we’ll need to make
provisions for their equipment and so on.”

He nodded. “Yes, sir.” He knew the
drill. The amount of companies they’d gained and dropped in the past two years
kept him hopping. 

Another scotch and two games of
pool later, Ben emerged from the house in search of his
girlfriend
who
was supposedly outside watching the sunset. He’d had about all the shop talk he
could take, and as much as he wanted to avoid the new temptation, he couldn’t,
in good conscience, let her alone, or worse, at the mercy of Mrs. Dankirk.

“Ah, so you’ve emerged outside
without peril,” Lea said when he rounded a tall hedge in the garden.

“Yep,” he replied, having
truthfully forgotten
Mrs. Velcro
was on the loose. “How was your art
tour?”

A laugh escaped her throat and
echoed around them. “Swell, got any valium?”

Ben’s smile disappeared when he
stopped next to her, noting the head-to-toe tremors wracking her body. He
grasped her shoulders and twisted her to face him. “What’s wrong? Are you
okay?”

Weird, he hadn’t sensed anything,
and he usually did when family and friends were in some kind of trouble. A type
of sixth sense he’d inherited from his mother’s side of the family.

“Swell, got any valium?”

“Lea, I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

Cursing under his breath, he
dragged her to a nearby bench and forced her to sit down, then sat next to her,
rubbing her arms. “What is going on?”

“Oh, nothing. I just ate boxed
macaroni and cheese off a rare Victorian plate worth more than I make in a
month.”

He let out a breath, and swallowed
a few curses. “Is that all?” Jesus, she scared him.

“Is that all? Is that
all
?”
she wailed, punching his shoulder.

She certainly seemed to enjoy
punching him today.

“Didn’t you hear me? It’s
priceless. Rare…as in antique. It should be in a museum, not soaking up grease
and cheese and placed in a microwave.” She sucked in a breath and squeezed his
arm. “Oh my God. You don’t think they put it in the microwave, do you?”

Ben had no idea, but for the sake
of his arm and blood supply to his fingers he shook his head. “No.”

She exhaled and released her hold,
but she still shook. “I won’t even tell you where they’re hanging their
Rembrandt.” She swallowed visibly. “On a wall, in direct sunlight.”

He didn’t know much about the arts,
but even he knew that was a big mistake.

She stood, then began to pace. “I’m
not sure I can do this, Ben. I want to help you. I really do, but they have
such incredible treasures with no regard to their preservation.”

He shot to his feet and stepped in
front of the distressed woman. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, grabbing her hands
and placing them on his chest. “It’s okay.”

“How?” she asked, shaking beginning
to subside. “Didn’t you hear me? They’re washing King George I’s dishes in the
dishwasher
.
How is that okay?”

He bent at the knee and smiled down
at her. “Because he doesn’t need them anymore.”

Big blue eyes blinked twice before
her gaze cleared and she slapped her palm off his chest. “You’re a goof, you
know that?”

“So I’ve been told.”

She laughed, then wrapped her arms
around his neck and hugged him close. “Thanks.”

He tried not to notice the generous
breasts crushed against him, but without the jacket of his uniform as a
barrier, he felt every delectable curve. “For what?” he drew back enough to
stare down into her pretty face. “I owe
you
the thanks. You saved more
than my ass tonight at dinner.”

The left-side of her mouth tugged
upward into a grin. “What? She didn’t get to play hide the sausage?”

This time he laughed, then groaned
at the thought. “No, and it would be
grab
the sausage.”

“Not if I were playing.” Her hand flew
to her mouth as her face turned beet red. “Tell me I didn’t say that out loud.”

God
, she was adorable.

“Okay,” he answered, unable to stop
the smile from spreading across his face. “But you did, and I’d really like to
know what you meant by that.”

As her color deepened, so did his
attraction.
Damn it
. He was playing with fire. He needed to release her.
Get as far away from the temptress as possible. Once his hands and feet
complied, he’d hightail it up to their room for a cold shower.

“Uh oh.” She glanced at something
behind him. “I think I saw someone.”

Ah, hell
. Just what he
needed. Now, he had to continue to hold her close, which made his body yell,
Hell
yeah
. Then she really kicked up his pulse when her hands inched back up
around his neck, and she tugged his face toward her.

“Don’t freakout,” she whispered a
mimic of his earlier words. “But I’m going to kiss you now.”

For a beat, they shared a breath
before her sweet lips took his, tasting and nibbling. And heaven help him, her
tongue lightly brushed his lower lip, shooting a spike of heat to his rapidly
tightening groin. That was it. He didn’t give a shit about who was or wasn’t
watching them. Even King George I himself. All Ben knew was he wanted to taste
more of the amazing woman.

A lot more.

Cupping the back of her head with
one hand and her supple ass with the other, he crushed her close, thrusting his
tongue inside her warm, wet mouth, exploring her hot taste fully for the first
time. She was exquisite. Her soft, sexy moan wreaked havoc with his pulse, and
when their tongues touched, his erection throbbed.

Jesus
, he’d never been this
aroused this fast by just one kiss. Damn woman had him so off kilter he lost
sight of the horizon. He couldn’t get enough. She was addicting. Even when they
broke for air, he needed to taste her, had to keep his mouth on her delicious
body. With her hair piled on top of her head, he had full access to her throat
and began to kiss a path down her neck. Her second moan, and the way she
clutched at his back, stiffened his groin until the zipper bit into his flesh.

So he bit into hers. Behind her
ear.

The hitch in her breath fueled his
hunger, and if it hadn’t been for the sound of laughter and approaching
footsteps on the garden pavers, he might’ve taken the embrace a lot further.

Which pissed him off.

He was acting like a horny teenager
again. The lack of control was disturbing. Especially since his good friend was
the cause. He’d watched her grow up. They’d shared triumphs and sorrows, and a
lot of pizzas in between, but through it all, they’d remained friends.

Where the hell had this attraction
come from? Better yet, where the hell had it been?

No, that was not a good question.
Not a safe one, anyway. He had to keep his wits about him. Today was almost
over. He just had to make it through one more day. 

“There you two are,” Mrs. Dankirk
said, rounding the corner with one of the officers and his wife. “I was just
showing the Bartons the garden, but it’s getting dark.”

“Yes,” Lea said, voice still a
little throaty and way too sexy. “But it’s still lovely.”

Their hostess smiled. “Thank you.
We’re getting ready to turn in. It’s been a long day.”

“Us, too.”

Lea shifted closer, and his heart
dropped to his ribs. He was in no condition to be alone with the woman.

“Wonderful. Before you go up, Ben,
my husband said he wanted to see you in the study.”

Thank God
. “Okay.”

With a nod, their hostess and the
Bartons headed back the way they came. Leaving him alone with Lea.

He released her and stepped back.
“I’d better see what the colonel needs.”

They walked back in silence, mostly
because he had no damn clue what to say. Hopefully, she’d believe his kisses
had been for show. Because, regardless of his arousal, he had no intention of
acting on their unexpected attraction.

Leaving her at the bottom of the
steps, he waited until she cleared the second landing before he pivoted around
and marched toward the study, thankful for the reprieve.

Twenty-four hours to go. How hard
could that be?

He walked into the darkened study
and stopped dead. Where was the colonel?

“I was beginning to think you
weren’t going to show,” Mrs. Dankirk said, pushing him against the door that
shut behind him, while sneaking a hand beneath his shirt as she kissed his
neck.

Son-of-a-bitch!

He grasped the woman by the
shoulders and shoved her none-too-gently away. “Enough.” He flipped on the
light. “We’ve been through this before. I’m not interested. Your husband’s a
good man. Show him some respect.”

“I know he is,” she replied,
straightening her dress. “He’s just not…enough.”

“Well, look elsewhere. I’m not
interested.” Without waiting for a reply, he whipped open the door and strode
out.

The unfaithful woman just
solidified what he already knew: Relationships and the military did not mix.
He’d tried and failed. Mason had tried and failed with his bride walking away
the day of the wedding. His dad had tried and failed, once; the second to
Brandi’s mother didn’t count since Catherine’s life was cut so short. Then
there was his older brother Ethan. His wife had died in a skiing accident while
he’d been deployed, but Ben had suspected the woman had been cheating. Not
something his older brother needed to know. But it had certainly added to his
own disillusionment.

And what the colonel’s wife just
pulled cemented his views on women and relationships.

They weren’t worth it.

With a new resolve strengthening
his control, Ben entered his room and shut the door, relief easing the tension
from his shoulders. At least he’d be safe from their hostess for the night.  He
turned around…and stopped dead.

Holy hell…

Stopped breathing.

Didn’t blink.

Mind blanked.

Again.

The most beautiful, erotic vision
emerged from the bathroom, gorgeous breasts spilling out of the light blue silk
and black lace corset thing causing a stranglehold on his breathing and tight
grip on his groin.