Page 27 of Confessions of an Apache Pilot

“These are National Guard pilots and mechanics. They have different rules and can get exceptions to policy a lot easier than we can. It's not uncommon in a Guard unit for family members to be in the same brigade, or battalion. Imagine how thrilled Jim was to have James Junior come along with him.” He looked at Junior, who was still covering his eyes and then glanced back at me. “As to your original question, whenever there’s tits on the screen everyone yells at him to cover his eyes, since he’s barely eighteen.”

I thought about that briefly, what it would be like to be deployed with my mother, and quickly shook that idea out of my head. That’s all I would need, her following me around telling me to eat better and to stop slouching. Not to mention harping at me about keeping my hands—and all my other parts—to myself so I didn’t get a ‘reputation’ and embarrass her. I shuddered as I heard her voice nagging in my head. That would be cruel and unusual punishment.

Smiling as everyone gave the all clear, Junior uncovered his eyes with a blush and grin. Envy filled me. What must it be like to have a relationship like that with your parents? I wouldn’t know. My mother had been an Army Officer, climbing the ranks as quickly as she could and always claimed she didn’t need a man. I’d never met my father. I didn’t even know his name.

“Tomorrow the mechanics and the crew chiefs will fly out to Pamir and get things staged for the aircraft. After a few days Jim and his crew will fly out to join them.”

I focused on Sheppard again as he spoke and tried not to lose myself in his eyes. When he grinned the corner of them crinkled and for reasons I couldn’t explain I found that really appealing. Maybe because it meant he smiled a lot.

Mark stood and walked back to the row of chairs I was sitting in. “Move,” he told Brady.

Brady had just shoved a fistful of popcorn into his mouth, the pieces he missed hitting the floor and piling up around his chair. “What? I’m-”

“Move,” Mark said again, cutting him off.

Grumbling, Brady started to argue then he caught sight of me. His brows drew together then understanding dawned on his face. Had he not realized I’d been sitting next to him this entire time?

Apparently not, because a sly grin spread over his face and he hopped up from the chair. “All yours, Shep.”

Mark rolled his eyes at his buddy’s lack of discretion, but took the seat next to me. I coughed and reached for my water bottle, my mouth suddenly dry as he sat sideways in the seat, his knee brushing my thigh. I turned slightly as well, moving my legs away from him, lest he brush them again and cause me to overheat. Trying to befriend this man and his crew while keeping my thoughts and motives pure was hell. And I wasn’t doing a very good job of it. I’d woken up this morning, panting and sweating after nearly orgasming in my dream. A dream centered around him.

“How are you settling in?”

“Fine,” I told him, the word sounding breathless, even to me. We’d been here for just over a month, though it seemed like a lot longer. It took time to acclimate and learn the lay of the land. Thankfully, we seemed to be fitting in much better than the previous crew had.

“Haven’t seen you around much the last week or so.” There was a spark of amusement in his eyes and his lips twisted into a grin.

“I’ve been busy learning, flying, training, you know how it is,” I said, feigning aloofness. Inside, my heart jumped for joy that he’d noticed. It didn’t matter that I was trying to convince myself to behave. My heart was firmly on the side of love, no matter how ill advised. I searched the sea of faces and found Laura’s. I stared at her intently until she felt someone watching her and met my gaze.

Help me. I tried to silently project the thought to her. I was drowning in Sheppard. If I was left unsupervised much longer I would give in to my earlier desire and crawl into his lap. Which would be incredibly stupid.

She must have read the intention in my eyes because she just gave me a shit-eating smile and shook her head. All I saw after that was blonde hair as she turned her back on me in my time of need.

Bitch. There was no real heat behind the thought. At least not compared to what was building between my legs. From day one, Mark had intrigued me. A month of holding out—especially when he was looking at me the way he was, like I was some kind of treat he wanted to sample—was pretty damn good. I could be proud of that, even if I gave in to my inner hussy and threw myself at him.

I turned back to Mark and blinked in surprise when I realized everyone who’d been sitting within arm’s reach of us had cleared out. Narrowing my eyes, I looked at Mark and found him sitting there trying to look as innocent as possible. It didn’t work. Every time our gazes clashed he gave me those ‘fuck me’ eyes and I was back on the verge of losing it.

I searched frantically for something to say. Something to keep my raging hormones under control. “How have you been settling in?” I asked, then mentally slapped myself on the forehead. He’d already been here. What the hell was wrong with me?

He barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Good, other than the fact that the new MEDEVAC Commander seems to be avoiding me.” He cocked a brow at me. “Any reason you know as to why she’d be doing that?” he asked, his voice dipping down to sultry levels.

Good God, he should be narrating romance novels with a voice like that. I swallowed. Hard. It hadn’t occurred to me that he’d even notice that I was going out of my way to avoid him until he’d mentioned it before. I wasn’t avoiding him, not really, just not being alone with him or sitting so close that my body started to betray me. Heat licked along my skin and I fought the urge to lean in close when he sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. His left hand was now resting alongside my thigh and I’d swear I could feel little electrical impulses where they brushed, even through my pants. Thank God everyone else in the room was glued to the TV.

“I haven’t been,” I stuttered. Inwardly, I cringed. I sounded like a bumbling idiot, not a cool, collected woman. Why did he have the power to reduce me to either a turned on pile of mush or a raging angry version of myself? There didn’t seem to be an in between for me when I was around him.

“Hmmm,” he practically purred and I nearly melted in my seat. “I guess that’s my mistake. I’m sure you’ve been busy,” he offered, giving me the out I couldn’t seem to manage on my own.

“Very,” I told him, desperately trying to get my body under control. It wasn’t easy to do with him invading my senses.

“Mmhmm, you know I can help you with...anything you might need.”

My eyes widened. Was he being nice and actually offering assistance, or was he alluding to something else? It was hard to tell with my brain turning anything that involved him into a sexual fantasy. My inner sex goddess desperately wanted it to be the ‘something else.’ She hadn’t been let out to play much in the last few years. That, plus the alluring man sitting in front of me had her fighting me to take the reins.

I managed to resist the urge to scoot closer and instead leaned back a bit, creating some space. It didn’t help my overheated skin or my inability to breathe properly, but it was something at least.

“Yeah, sure. The next time I find something I need help with I’ll ask you.” Oh, thank God. There was the calm, even voice I usually had.

He sat back in his chair, his eyes all but smoldering in the darkened room. “That sounds good.”

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