“How do you do that so damn fast?”
“Years of practice,” she said with a smile.
The voices grew louder.
“We need to get out of here,” she said, her voice hushed.
He pulled her back, drawing them deeper into the maze of pallets. With an ear out for the voices, they moved off in another direction.
“Tia,” he soothed, “it’s okay. We’re going to be okay.”
She pushed his hand away, and a tear spilled down her cheek. “You just don’t get it, do you?”
“Get that you’re worried about your career? About getting caught? We’re going to be careful. I swear to you—”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then, what is it?”
“You weren’t supposed to be it.”
Be it? Like it?His heart lifted to think he might mean more to her. He hadn’t examined his thoughts, but the idea appealed to him.
She spun and walked away as she whispered, “You weren’t supposed to be my rebound guy.”
Those words slammed into his gut, and he would have let them take root, except he knew something she didn’t. He wanted her, and one way or another, he would have her. Not just in his bed—there would be plenty of that in their future—but in his life.
EIGHTEEN
Convoy
TIA
Somehow,Tia made it back to her barracks…alone. Lyons had tried to tag along, overly protective yet again. As if a female walking alone near midnight in the middle of a military air base was somehow dangerous.
They hadn’t talked much on the walk across base and barely said a word when they separated to head to their very separate barracks. For a heart-wrenching moment, she considered inviting him back to her small slice of heaven. The other bunk remained vacant, but bringing him back would mean a chance of being seen. If she did, what would they do? That had been the only condom between them. Not that it mattered really. They could have sex without protection. Annual blood testing assured neither of them was infected with HIV, but there was no telling about other STDs.
She was clean. She and Scott had had themselves tested after he proposed.
A wail nearly escaped from her throat when she thought about Scott. Wondering if she had been the only one of them to remain monogamous.How long had he been having an affair? Had it started beforeor after she left for deployment?The ache in her chest returned, more painful and poignant than before.
It had been blissfully gone during her time with Lyons, but that brought a different kind of pain.Of all the men to have sex with, why had she had the poor judgment to choose him?
She clutched at the fabric of her blouse, right over her heart, as if that could make the terrible ache go away. There was no healing a broken heart. With Lyons? Well, she’d just fucked up a perfectly healthy working relationship.What was she going to do in the morning?
That answer remained only a few short hours ahead of her on the other side of this terrible night. Worrying over what if and what might be yielded nothing but a sleepless night. Not that she slept well.
Morning came all too quickly and with it came the marching orders for the day. She met with the team at the chow hall. Somehow, Warren had appropriated that far corner table as theirs for their stay at Bagram. Like the day before, she sat beside Warren, sandwiched between him and Collins. Lyons sat opposite Warren with Drummond and Marks filling the bench.
“Everyone’s gear packed?” Collins asked.
“Yes, sir,” she said.
The others chimed in, acknowledging they were ready to go.
“Convoy leaves at noon.”
“Sir,” Lyons asked, “I’m just curious, but did you have a choice in this? Because I have no problem telling them to shove it. I played with the band last night. It was epic and awesome, and the idea of playing with them again is pretty amazing, but I can be satisfied with one night. I hate to break up the team.”
