LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter One

      A flat tire.

      Tom Hawthorne slammed the door to his Toyota SUV, slammed it hard. Why the hell had he decided to take a shortcut instead of staying on the highway? It was the middle of the night, and he was stuck on this winding gravel road in a mountain valley. No other cars. Not a cabin in sight. Only the stars bore witness to his rage. “Son of a bitch.”

      Lately, things had been going wrong more often than right. He would have felt cursed if it wasn’t for Angela.

      The thought of her cooled his temper. He carried her image with him always, through the hell of the battlefield and the horror of working triage as a Marine Corps medic. Angela’s sweet love made everything bearable.

      As he opened the rear of the SUV, he took out his cell phone. Surprise, surprise, he actually got a signal.

      She answered right away, as though she’d been waiting for his name to pop up on her caller ID. “Good evening, Mr. Hawthorne.”

      “Hello, Mrs. Hawthorne.” Though they’d been married eight months, he still enjoyed claiming her as his wife. “I’m going to be later than I thought. I got a flat.”

      “Bummer. How was your night out with the boys?”

      Boring as hell. “I’d rather be with you.”

      “But it’s traditional for a Marine to blow off steam while he’s home on leave.”

      One-handed, he hauled out the spare tire and the jack. If he’d still been a drinker, he might have had more fun on his night out with old buddies at a bar. The only alcohol Tom had consumed in the past year was a glass of champagne at their wedding. “The hour-and-a-half drive to the mountains was too long. And I lost twenty-seven bucks at pool. But you could make me feel a whole lot better, baby. What are you wearing?”

      “Flannel pajamas.” She laughed. “Are you fixing that tire or what?”

      “Give me some incentive,” he murmured. “Tell me about your sexy nightgown.”

      This was a game they’d played for years, and she was good at it. Her voice lowered to a purr. “I’m standing in front of the fireplace, and I’m warm all over. I have on a black, see-through nightie. It’s short—so short that it doesn’t even cover my bum if I bend over.”

      He closed his eyes, relishing a mental picture of Angela’s slender waist and round butt. “Your hair?”

      “Loose and tangled all the way down my back. Oh, and I have those highlights I’ve been wanting to get to perk up the brown.”

      “What kind of shoes?”

      “High heels, of course. And silky black stockings. And a lacy garter belt.”

      “Baby, I can’t wait to get home.”

      “Can’t wait for you to be here.” Her voice returned to a normal tone. “How long do you think it’ll take?”

      “It’s after ten now. I’d say eleven-thirty.” He set down the jack beside the flat.

      “How’s your buddy Max doing?” she asked. “Does he like being a daddy? “

      “Looking at pictures of his baby was the best part of the night. I’m ready to start a family of our own.” He looked up and saw headlights approaching. “Hey, there’s somebody else on this godforsaken road.”

      “Maybe they can help you,” she said.

      “It’s just a flat tire. I don’t need help.”

      The

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