Marc beamed. “That is lucky.”
Jane’s smile grew impossibly big, and she didn’t take her eyes off him when she said, “Arabella, why don’t you grab the corporal a cup of coffee?”
I wasn’t her errand girl, and had the coffee been for anyone else, I would have been pissed. But since it was Marc and I knew he was only asking so he had an excuse to see me, I was thrilled. I did my best to tamp down my excitement, though, as I set down the dishcloth I’d been using and moved to the stacks of clean mugs.
Behind me, Jane continued to chat with Marc.
“Where are you from, Corporal?”
“Here and there,” he said, his tone light. “I’ve moved around since enlisting nine years ago, between training and different assignments. I’m originally from California but have been stationed in Ohio for the past couple years.”
“Ohio? So far away from home, you poor thing! I hope you didn’t have to leave too many family members behind,” Jane said, showing more sympathy for his plight than she’d ever shown any of the women in the program. “I know how difficult that can be.”
“Just my mom,” he said, “but she’s doing well, and we’ve been able to talk every day.”
Every day? It made me sick when I thought about how cut off the women in the program were. It wasn’t fair. Not that any ofthis ever had been.
Jane continued asking Marc questions, and I listened to their conversation as I filled the mug, grinding my teeth and silently begging my minder to go the hell away. Seriously, she never hung around this long after cleanup. What was she doing?
When the mug was full, I headed back over, doing my best to be nonchalant as I held it out. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, Arabella.”
The smile Marc gave me was no more friendly than the one he’d offered Jane, but the expression in his eyes was very different. He took the mug, his fingers brushing mine, and it was like an electric current moving through me, only in a good way. It sent tingles shooting up my arm and through my body, made my heart skip a beat, and I had to work doubly hard to keep my expression neutral.
After a few seconds, Marc looked at the cup and frowned. When he was once again looking at me, he had a sheepish smile on his face that reminded me of a kid who’d been caught doing something wrong. He was a good actor.
“I should have asked for creamer to begin with. Sorry.”
Jane, who was now thoroughly under his spell, grinned. “No worries!” She looked at her wristband, frowned, then focused on me. “Can you get it for him before you finish up, Arabella? I have an appointment to get to.”
“I guess so,” I said, trying to sound put out.
When I headed for the refrigerator at the back of the kitchen, Jane sighed and said, “I swear, some of these girls have such an attitude problem. You’d think they’d be grateful for everything the Department of Fertility was doing for them.” She lowered her voice but not enough that I couldn’t hear when she whispered, “She’s one of the worst.”
I curled my hands into fists, wishing I could show her just how bad my attitude could get and punch her in her stupid face.
“It’s a difficult time,” Marc replied. “Not everyone handles stress well.”
“Yes, well,” Jane sniffed, and then as if not sure what else to say, replied, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Corporal Ramirez.”
“I’ll be here,” he said in a jovial tone.
Footsteps thudded against the tile floor, fading as Jane put space between herself and us. A few seconds later, heavier ones headed my way.
Not even bothering to open the fridge, I turned around. Marc was walking toward me, his steps sure, his gaze on mine. He set his mug on the counter when he reached me, then swept me into his arms, kissing me like we’d been apart for weeks instead of only a few hours. It made my knees weak, made my legs tremble so much that I was pretty sure they would have given out if Marc hadn’t pinned me against the fridge.
His kisses were hungry, possessive, like he was trying to devour me, and wanting to be closer to him, I lifted myself on the tips of my toes. He hoisted me up, his hands gripping my ass as I wrapped my legs around his waist, and I could feel every inch of him. It made me dizzy with desire.
Somehow, despite the fog clouding my brain and the urgent need to be in this man’s arms, I registered the sound of voices coming from the other room. This was dangerous. Stupid. Too risky.
“Marc,” I gasped, pulling back. “We can’t. Not here.”
He closed his eyes and exhaled.
A second later, he lowered me to the ground. My legs were still wobbly, and my heart was thudding like mad, and part of me wanted to grab him and pull him into the janitor’s closet again, but instead I forced myself to turn away. We had to be smart about this.
Marc was still so close I could feel his body heat and hear every breath he let out, which made images from the night before come rushing back, so I distracted myself by retrieving the creamer. The cool air that swept over me when I opened the fridge wasn’t quite the equivalent of a cold shower, but it helped me calm down a little.
