Page 4 of Falling Fast

Oh no you’re not. Not this time.

He was almost to the door when Charlie called out to him. “You leaving?” she asked, stepping around the corner into the hallway so they had privacy.

He stopped, turned to face her, his face unreadable. No trace of guilt at all, or the heat she’d seen and felt from him earlier. “Yeah.”

She frowned, trying to figure him out. “So you were just going to leave without saying goodbye?” It was totally shitty of him to sneak out on her after everything that had happened tonight. She didn’t care if he was trying to keep her at arm’s length because her dad and two brothers were present. It was wrong.

He lifted a shoulder in an indifferent shrug. “You were busy with your family and I didn’t want to take you away from them.”

She hadn’t pegged him as the kind of guy to make excuses and she was way too tired to pretend she wasn’t annoyed by having to guess at whatever game he was playing. “Were you going to call me at least?”

“Yeah, I was. I need to go now, though.” He turned to leave.

“Wait,” she exclaimed, and rushed over to him. He stopped again, seemed to tense as she drew near, those warm amber eyes locked with hers. She halted a foot away from him and put her hands on her hips, his vitality and their unresolved sexual tension crackling in the air between them. Impossible to ignore. “When will I see you again?”

“Depends.”

She lifted an eyebrow at the cryptic comment. “On?”

“On what you’re willing to give. Because if you want to see me again, there’s something you should know.”

Well, this should be enlightening.

She folded her arms across her chest, deliberately bringing his gaze to her breasts, and cocked an eyebrow. His lips quirked in acknowledgment. “And what’s that?” she asked, the edge of a taunt in her voice. She was no man’s toy and refused to let him think he had the upper hand here. He wanted her every bit as badly as she wanted him, so as far as she was concerned, that put them on an even playing field.

He stared into her eyes for another long moment, all that formidable control and leashed male power making her shiver inside. “I play for keeps.”

Charlie stared at him a moment, hardly able to believe her ears. What the hell was he talking about, playing for keeps? They barelykneweach other, and she wasn’t about to dive into a serious relationship with him just because he demanded it.

Before she could think of a decent comeback he leaned down to brush his lips across her cheek. “See you later, Trouble,” he murmured. “Say goodbye to your family for me.”

Then he picked up his bag and walked out into the cold night air, leaving her staring after him with a strange ache building in the center of her chest.

Chapter Two

Arlington, VA

Seven months later

Jamie bit back a wince as he pulled his body armor over his head and hung it up in his locker. It seemed like every muscle in his back, arms and shoulders were on fire.

“Dude, you gotta try this massage therapist I’ve been going to the past few weeks. She’s little, but strong, and her hands…” Kai rolled his eyes heavenward before looking at him again. “I come outta there feeling amazing every time.”

He shot his teammate a wry look. “I’m not into those kinds of places, thanks.”

Kai’s black eyebrows crashed together in a mock scowl, the swirling black tribal tats on his bare chest and shoulder rippling as he ran a hand through his short hair. He was half-Samoan with a lot of other Pacific Islander blood in him, and the biggest guy on the team—tallandstacked. Dude looked like he could bench press a small Volkswagen if he felt like it. “It’s not like that. It’s totally legit.Medical. Covered by our extended health.”

“I’m happy for you, man. Think I’ll stick to a shower and then a soak in the hot tub for now though, thanks.”

“I’m down with that,” his best friend Easton said from beside him, peeling his sweat-soaked T-shirt off. “Damn, I’m wiped.”

No surprise, after the day they’d put in. Two hours of PT, followed by four hours of rappelling practice, topped off with a five-mile run in full tac gear. Just part of the conditioning routine he and his FAST Bravo brothers had to maintain to stay at peak physical performance now that they were back stateside again. Different from his days back in the Army, but the aches and pains were the same.

Jamie took his cell phone from the shelf in his locker and checked it, smiled when he saw the message there.

“Hot date?” Kai asked from behind him, trying to peek over his shoulder.

Always so nosy. But the only woman Jamie wanted was off-limits, and had been for the past year. Another reason why he never should have kissed her again that night last fall. “My mom,” he said, holding up the phone so Kai could see the text she’d sent.

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