“Empty?”
“Odd for a rock star, I know, when an easy lay is never far away, but I believe he’s wired for one woman. I think it has to do with his upbringing and his family.”
“I can’t imagine how that went, considering how you and Ash got hitched.”
“How what went?”
“You meeting his family.”
“Well, his father didn’t approve at first, but his mother was okay once she realized I was more than a groupie. I think they always worried their son would get snagged by a money-grabbing whore. They were surprised I was a doctor.”
“Isn’t his father a minister?”
“He is. A lot of his music came as a rebellion against his upbringing. Little did he know, it would turn into this.”
“I’m sure his parents worried, but I’m glad they accepted you.”
“It took some doing, but they accepted not just me, but also Ash back into the fold. But that’s not what we were talking about. I want to know what’s going on with you.”
“Nothing is going on with me.”
“Liar!” Skye laughed. “You asked me about the band. I say, have at it, just know what you’re getting into. Those boys are a one-and-done kind of proposition.”
“You make it sound so cheap.”
Skye shrugged. “Cheap but effective, considering what you told me. But, and I say this with love, I couldn’t help but notice that you couldn’t keep your eyes off Ryker.”
“There’s nothing going on between me and Lyons. Besides, he’s strictly off-limits.”
Her face screwed up. “I don’t get all these names. I never knew Ash as anything other than Ash, but all his fans scream Blaze. It messes with my head. It’s the same with the other guys, but you military types tip it on its edge. Lyons is Ryker, right? I don’t have that mixed up?”
She laughed. “Yeah, I guess it’s just what we do. It’s more common with the enlisted. Since we’re always referring to each other by rank, that gets shortened to just the last name. Instead of Technical Sergeant Ryker Lyons, I can call him Tech Sergeant Lyons orSergeant Lyons or just Lyons. Over time, it kind of boils down to a last name.”
“So, why does your entire team call you T instead of Meyers? Shouldn’t Ryker call you Meyers and not T?”
“To be honest, it’s a sexist holdover. Men can’t seem to do that with women. I think it depends on the last name. Meyers is a fairly masculine-sounding name, and they couldn’t call me by my first name without it being all awkward and potentially insulting. Nicknames are an entirely different matter, and once bestowed, they stick for life. Colonel Collins was the first to call me T; now, the whole unit does.”
“See, that’s another thing I don’t get. Isn’t he a lieutenant colonel?”
“Yes, but colonel or lieutenant colonel, they’re both referred to as colonel.”
“It’s weird.”
“Not when you live and breathe it.”
“And are you happy? Are you happy living and breathing such a dangerous life? Don’t you ever think about quitting?”
“I love my job.”
“Do you see yourself doing this forever?”
The doors banged open, bringing the rolling thunder of Angel Fire. Boldly beautiful, Bash entered first. Given a choice—and she felt she had a good chance at whomever she wanted—he would be the one she spent her one steamy night with. All brawn, the drummer had a muscular physique—nothing like Lyons, but also nothing to discard out of hand. A tall man, Lyons had height on all the men of Angel Fire and muscles, too. The only person of the group who was bigger, taller, broader, and more muscled was Forest. And she had zero interest in him. Bash, however, had a take-no-shit attitude.
He sauntered in and dropped into the barely functional couch at the far end of the room. He already scanned the room and fixed a scowlto his face, making her wonder what might be going through his head.
Sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll.
Skye said the men’s appetites for sex were huge. As a powerhouse band, they’d managed to avoid the pitfalls of drugs. It had something to do with history involving Ash and Bash, a falling-out that had nearly destroyed the band. According to Skye, alcohol flowed easily, except this was Afghanistan and such things were frowned upon. She supposed that left not only Bash, but also the entire band of Angel Fire with only one thing to pursue. As one of the few females on base, she counted her chances of getting laid pretty damn good.
