“First off,” she began, “you’re on Bagram Airfield, and while there are some Air Force troops here, it’s a mix of all the services. But it’s an air base, commanded by the Army.”
“So?”
The colonel’s lips lifted with a smirk, but he remained silent.
“Forest, this shit matters.”
“Um, so?”
“You can’t go around telling a bunch of soldiers they’re in the Air Force or airmen that they’re soldiers, not unless you want to unleash World War III. You’d be hitting on sibling rivalry between the services. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Soldiers are Army. Navy has seamen. The Air Force has airmen.”
“And the Marines?”
She laughed. “The Marines are crazy. If you don’t want a PR disaster on your hands, I suggest you learn the lingo.”
“Okay, consider me schooled.” He turned to Colonel Vane, dismissing her with a smirk. “Anyway…what do you think? Ash would like to play for those who aren’t here. Is there a way to do a mini-tour of the smaller bases?” He tossed an arm over her shoulders and tugged her in tight. “Tia, it would be super great if you could come.”
That would give her more exposure to the band and more time to accomplish her goal. She’d have to speak with Skye and make sure her friend was okay with it. Unlike Lyons, who had no business in this part of her life, she valued Skye’s opinion.
“I don’t know…” She glanced at the colonel.
Deep in thought, Vane seemed to be considering the idea.
“It sounds a bit complicated, to be honest,” she said, “and above my pay grade.”
Vane rubbed his chin. “No promises, but it does have merit. I’ll bring it up at our next meeting and let you know if we can make it work.”
“Brilliant,” Forest beamed. Power and an overwhelming presence made Forest, a massive man, ferocious most of the time, but when he beamed that honest smile, his inner child shone bright and true.
Tia knew of the horrors of his childhood. When he’d rescued her from a similar situation, the first thing after seeing to her safety had been a conversation about how hope and light existed in the darkestcorners of the world. Like all his other rescues, she didn’t believe hope existed. After he shared his story, one which was the same as Skye’s, she had looked forward to living another day for the first time in a very long time.
Forest had given her a precious gift, one she thanked him for nearly every day. Without knowing it, he would be giving her another—a way to forget the heartache of Scott’s betrayal.
PART II
Ryker
EIGHT
Smiley
T’s DearJane letter had fucked with her head, and if Ryker didn’t do something about it and quick, she was going to flush her entire career down the drain. No way in hell was he going to let that happen. Not after he’d been looking after her for all these months.
Yes, she’d earned her spot on the team, but that didn’t change the fact that things were harder for a woman. Their job sucked monkey balls most days. The physical demands were hell on a man who had more strength, more weight, and a larger frame than a female. She humped her pack with the rest of the team and never complained. He’d seen few women with the grit to endure what their job demanded, and he respected the hell out of T, except when he wanted to throttle her and slap some sense into her thick head.
Why the hell had he given her his last condom? As if he were giving tacit permission for her harebrained plan to fuck the first man in her path. And there were more than enough horny men who would be eager to have her for a night.
She should’ve come to him and let him ease her pain. She shouldn’t have pushed him away. There were a lot of things that should have happened, but the stubborn streak running through her veins drovehim crazy. No way was she going to push him away. He wouldn’t allow it.
“Fucking douche bag,” he said with a growl.
He’d never liked her fiancé. The emails she’d received from Scottie boy seldom left her happy. If Ryker had sent her messages, it would’ve been impossible to wipe the smile off her face. Bottom line, there would be no other man making his way into T’s bed. All he had to do was figure out a way to keep her safe and not destroy everything they’d worked to achieve.
While he’d left T to her grief, he didn’t move far. She needed his protection now more than ever. All he needed was to keep her out of another man’s bed until this deployment ended. He’d be separating from the military upon his return, and all the rules and regulations keeping them apart would no longer hold any sway. Until then, he would watch over her and find a way to place a permanent smile on her face.
He still had the laptop clutched under his arm and no idea who the thing belonged to.Where the hell had Warren run off to?
The formidable form of Forest Summers passed in front of where he waited. He needed to get together with Forest if he wanted to have a chance of jamming with Angel Fire. Maybe sticking close to Forest would keep him near T. It wasn’t a bad plan.
