LITMIR.BIZ

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thinking that whoever the guy was, he was a complete ass.

      “So where’re you from, soldier?” she asked, giving him a look that could only be described as hot. Chase’s body reacted immediately to the implicit promise in her eyes, and he struggled to think coherently, to remind himself that he was so not going there. No matter how much he might want to.

      “I grew up all over the place,” he replied. “My dad was in the military, so we moved around a lot. But his last assignment was in North Carolina, and I did most of my high-school years there.”

      “Ah. Fort Bragg or Camp Lejeune?”

      He smiled. So she knew something about North Carolina’s military bases. Why did he find that so appealing? “Camp Lejeune, actually. You know it?”

      “Only by reputation. Do you still live in North Carolina?”

      “I’m based out of Camp Lejeune, and my folks still live in the area.”

      “Like father, like son.”

      “I hope so,” he said seriously. His dad had been a career marine who’d retired after nearly thirty-five years of distinguished service. He was a tough son of a bitch, but he’d always made sure his family knew how much he loved them. Nothing had made him prouder than the day Chase had been accepted into MARSOC, the elite Marine Corps Special Operations Command.

      He’d redeployed back to Camp Lejeune six months ago after spending a year in Iraq, and had been glad for the opportunity to spend some time with his parents and sisters. But when his team had been called up to Afghanistan, he’d been happy to go. Too much time in the States made him feel as if he was going soft.

      They reached her floor, and now Chase guided her out of the elevator with one hand at the small of her back. He could have simply let her find her own way, but told himself that he had an obligation to see her safely to her room. He also knew he was full of shit. He simply wasn’t ready to say goodbye to this woman.

      They came to her room much too quickly.

      “Here you go,” he said gruffly. He inserted her key into the door, pushing it open for her and then stepping back.

      Away from temptation.

      She didn’t go in. Instead, she leaned against the door frame and considered him. The silky fabric of her blouse stretched taut across her breasts, emphasizing the thrust of her nipples. Chase swallowed hard. He could easily spend hours exploring her lush curves, but it was the expression in her eyes that made it impossible for him to move away. She was looking at him as if he were the most desirable man she’d ever seen, and his own body pulsed hotly in response.

      “I wish I wasn’t leaving tomorrow,” she finally said. “I’d have liked to get to know you better.”

      Chase gave her a rueful smile, feeling her regret. “Just bad timing, I guess.”

      She laughed softly. “You’re not kidding. I’m the queen of bad timing.” She glanced into the open room and then back at Chase, and he knew what was coming before she said the words. “We could get to know each other tonight … if you want to. It’s still early.”

      Chase blew out a hard breath and rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, hoping she didn’t see his body’s instant response to her words. Visions of her, lying across the sheets, her skin warm and smooth, filled his head. His cock swelled as he imagined himself filling his hands with her breasts, kissing her softness. Did he want to stay? Hell, yes. The problem was, he knew he wouldn’t want to leave, and he had an 0430 bird to catch.

      “Forget it,” she said quickly, misinterpreting his gesture. She crossed her arms defensively around her middle and gave him an overly bright smile. “Not such a great idea, I get it.”

      “No,” he said roughly, stepping toward her. “That’s not it at all.”

      He had a thing about honesty, sometimes to his own detriment. The only time he lied was when he absolutely had to, like when he was on a mission. Then, he could lie so beautifully that his own mother wouldn’t doubt he’d told the truth. And he had no problem with small white lies if they were harmless, like telling a woman that no, those pants did not make her ass look big. But he had a sinking feeling that now was going to be one of those times when he’d look back and regret his own inability to completely dupe a woman. It was important to him that she understand his reasons for turning her down.

      “You’re a beautiful woman,” he continued. “Being with you tonight would be … amazing, but it couldn’t be anything more than just one night. I leave at dawn for a twelve-month deployment, so anything more would be impossible. I wouldn’t want either of us to have regrets about it tomorrow. Especially when one of us has had too much to drink.”

      She pushed herself away from the doorjamb, and Chase could see the resignation and regret in her luminous eyes.

      “I understand, and I think you’re really sweet.” She smiled at him. “Leave it to me to find the one guy in the world with scruples.”

      Scruples he’d rather do without, Chase thought grimly. He had to be the biggest idiot on the face of the planet to turn down what she was offering, but he knew from experience that casual sex never made him feel better, either about himself or the woman involved. Nope, better to let her go now and keep his fantasies about whatever might have been.

      “Nobody has ever described me as sweet,” he said sardonically, to cover his own conflicting emotions. “If any of my men overheard you say that, you’d completely destroy my reputation as a hard-ass.”

      “It will be our secret,” Elena promised, “so please don’t change.” Standing on tiptoe, she pressed a kiss against his cheek. At least, Chase suspected the kiss was meant for his cheek, but he instinctively turned his head to follow her movement, bringing his lips into direct contact with hers.

      She stilled for a moment, and Chase realized his hands were resting loosely at her waist, while hers were pressed lightly against his chest for balance.

      “I’m sorry,” she breathed, just before she pressed her mouth fully against his.

      FOR AN INSTANT, Elena thought he would either pull back or push her away. He held himself so rigidly still that if it weren’t for the warmth of his lips beneath hers, he might have been carved from stone. Elena knew she’d had too much to drink, but she hadn’t consumed so much that she didn’t know exactly what she was doing. The alcohol only blunted the sharp edges of her self-restraint and allowed her to loosen her tightly laced inhibitions. When he didn’t immediately move to end the kiss, Elena softened it, shaping the contours of his beautiful mouth.

      A shudder went through him, and he made a sound like a half groan. Emboldened, Elena slid her hands along his rib cage and angled her mouth ever so slightly across his, enjoying the sensuality of the kiss. There was something erotic about being the aggressor, especially when she knew Chase could easily overpower her.

      He didn’t resist when she backed him up against the open door of her room and delicately stroked her tongue along the seam of his lips, humming her approval when they parted for her. As if helpless to withstand her sensual assault, he began kissing her back, a soft, moist fusing of their mouths that made Elena go weak with desire. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt this hot, sweet yearning for a man.

      His arms came slowly around her, holding her captive as he plundered her mouth, his tongue sliding against hers with expert precision. Elena welcomed his heat and strength, and she could feel her body blossom beneath his touch, as if anticipating their joining.

      She was unprepared when Chase dragged his mouth from hers. “We can’t do this,” he muttered, trailing his lips over her cheek until he found the soft juncture of her throat and pressed his lips to her hammering pulse.

      “We can’t not do this,” she whispered back. “Please … I really need this.”

      She needed to feel connected to someone, to be touched and held and reminded that she was a desirable woman.

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