Her Sexy Marine Valentine - Candace Havens

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open arms. It’d been more than a year since she’d been to Austin to see them. She was always too busy with the next project.

      Strangely, given everything that had happened, she wasn’t sure she could handle being around them. Theirs was the standard to which she held all relationships—thirty years together and they were so in love with one another it was annoying.

      Nope. She couldn’t handle being around that right now.

      There was also the fact that she’d built an up-and-coming business in Corpus, and she wouldn’t give that up for any man. No matter how embarrassed she might be about her failed romance.

      She’d have to stick it out and figure out how to hide from, or at least avoid, her oh-so-hot neighbor.

      “So play it cool. Tell him you had too much sangria and it went to your head.”

      She pursed her lips. “That might work. Or I could simply barricade myself in my basement.”

      Her friend laughed. “Mari, we don’t have basements in Corpus. How about I come help you paint one of the bathrooms this weekend?”

      “You want to secretly stalk the Marine.”

      “True. But can you blame me? You make him sound so yummy. And he didn’t take his tacos and run when you propositioned him with the worst offer ever, which means he’s superbrave. Brave guys are so hot.”

      Mari shook her head. “Don’t even go there. Though I might take you up on the offer to paint. That is if I can figure out how to get the drywall up. That stuff is heavy. I gave it a try in the dining room last night. By the fourth board I was in tears. I gave up and drank the rest of the sangria.”

      “Oh, you are so sad. You make my heart hurt. Incidentally, Mercury is in retrograde and it affects everyone in a negative way. However, it’s going to get better. All of it. The house. The men. You’re just in a downturn.”

      Mari didn’t know anything about how the planets aligned, but she definitely could use a bit of luck. “That’s pretty optimistic coming from you.” Abbott called herself a pragmatist, yet Mari had always thought it bordered on pessimism. And it was weird that her practical friend had this fascination for horoscopes, as in she believed how the planets aligned ruled human emotions. More importantly she was a brilliant designer and an even better friend.

      If only she could believe Abbott. That it would get better. But she’d been through two months of chaos and confusion, and while she wasn’t one to feel sorry for herself, her perfectly ordered life was in the garbage. For the first time, she didn’t have a plan, other than trying to get the house finished without ending up bankrupt.

      The no security thing was a big deal for her. While her business was doing well, her stash of savings had dwindled quickly, thanks to her time-money-suck of a house.

      It was a shame she’d royally screwed things up with the Marine. He was so caring. Guys normally didn’t do what he’d done for her in the grocery store. But there was also pain in his eyes, and it wasn’t due to the headaches he said he suffered from. Over the past few weeks, she’d noticed through her nonstalking observance of him that he pretty much kept to himself. If she wasn’t such an idiot, they maybe could have at least been friends.

      With benefits.

      Stop it.

      Well. Truth. No man had affected her physically like he did. She wasn’t into casual sex, but he made her think all kinds of naughty things.

      Really. Naughty. Things.

      “CO WANTS TO see you in his office.” Ben Peterson, one of the other instructors, popped his head into the classroom.

      “What kind of mood is he in?” Brody asked, though he knew the answer.

      Peterson rolled his eyes. “Let’s say I may need a new ass by the time this assignment is over. I just got chewed out for failing to enlist my fellow blah, blah blah. He starts talking and I don’t even hear what he’s saying after the fifth or six word. Good luck.”

      Brody chuckled and then winced. He’d been grading tests and his head hurt. The last thing he needed was the CO on his back. He gathered his laptop and his phone and stuck everything in his pack. Might as well get it over with, and then he’d go for a run. Get rid of the tension of the day. His Boots weren’t absorbing the test material like they should. The test scores were low. Somehow the CO saw that as his fault and not the problem of the undisciplined grunts under his command. The ones who spent a lot of time thinking they were on some sort of vacation rather than studying. Not that he had been much different when he was a grunt, but he’d quickly learned if you wanted to make it in the pilot or navigation programs, you had to be dedicated.

      He rubbed the back of his neck as he strode through the long corridors. Seemed like the harder he tried with this job, the worse things were. Some days he wondered if he should just go ahead and get cleared for active duty again. Maybe he wasn’t suited to be an instructor.

      But first he had to lose the headaches. They were a distraction that interfered with his flying. He couldn’t protect people if he had a blinding migraine.

      He partly blamed Mari’s proposal for the tension today. He’d been thinking about her a little too much. That sweet smile of hers and her ability to make such a great meal on a hot plate were turn-ons. The rockin’ bod and beautiful eyes didn’t hurt, either.

      His body tensed.

      Mind out of the gutter.

      He had a new rule. One he’d added to his code in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep. No more attachments. Ever. Life was easier like that. Mari deserved the kind of man who could cherish and protect her. A man who could make that lifetime commitment and wanted the white picket fence.

      That man is not me. Maybe he had a little of his father in him after all, because when it came to women, Brody couldn’t see himself settling down. That might make him selfish, but at least he was aware of it—unlike his dad, who seemed to be perpetually married, perpetually looking.

      He’d had a string of stepmothers, several he’d never met, since he was off serving in combat missions for the better part of the last ten years. Though his dad’s recent email had mentioned he was single again, it wouldn’t be long before his father hooked up with someone else.

      Not my thing.

      Nope. Women were a distraction that he didn’t need right now. He liked his quiet life.

      The outer office was empty, so he knocked on the CO’s door.

      “Enter.”

      Brody straightened his shoulders before he turned the knob.

      “Sir, Peterson said you needed to see me.”

      The other man nodded, but didn’t look up from the papers he was signing.

      “My daughter tells me you have a girlfriend.”

      What? Aw, man. He remembered meeting up with Carissa at the grocery store. “It’s kind of new.” That much was true. They’d only just met officially.

      “Good to see you making friends. Be sure to bring her to the picnic on Saturday.” What the...? The CO was ordering him to bring a date?

      There’s no way he’d drag Mari to anything base-related. That part of his life he wanted to keep private. Besides, the less time he spent with her, the better. The more he thought about her proposal, the more he thought it might be best to stay as far away as possible.

      “She’s pretty busy on the weekends renovating an old Victorian.” Again it was the truth. “I’m not sure she’ll be able to get away.” He stood by the door, hoping that he could make a quick escape.

      “It’s only a few hours. You’re in charge of a large squadron. We like to see our Marine instructors

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