Last Virgin In California

He actually winced before he shrugged. “He’s my C.O.,” was his only explanation.

“But you don’t want this duty.”

“Nope.”

“So why—”

“I didn’t want to go to Bosnia, either,” he said tightly. “But I went.”

Well that stung.

Still and all, it was almost refreshing to talk honestly with one of her father’s hopefuls. Usually, the men he handpicked for her were so busy trying to win his approval that they were willing to tell Lilah outrageous lies just to score a brownie point or two. At least Kevin Rogan was honest.

He didn’t want to be with her any more than she wanted to be with him.

That was almost like having something in common, wasn’t it?

“So,” she asked, “I’m like Bosnia, huh? In what sense? A relief mission or a battle zone?”

A flicker of a smile curved his mouth and was gone again before she could thoroughly appreciate just what the action did for his face.

And maybe, she thought as butterflies took wing in the pit of her stomach, that was for the best. She was only in town for a few weeks. Besides, she already knew that she did not fit in with the military types.

“Haven’t made up my mind yet,” he said. “But I’ll let you know.”

“I can’t wait.” Sarcasm dripped from her tone, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she knew exactly what his decision would be. She could see it in his eyes. He’d already come to the conclusion that this duty was going to be a pain in the rear.

And a few days alone with her would only underline that certainty.

“Look,” he said, crossing the room toward her so he could lower his voice and not be overheard. He stopped just short of her and Lilah caught a whiff of his cologne. Something earthy and musky and what it did to her insides, she refused to think about.

She blinked and tried to focus on the words coming out of his mouth, rather than the mouth itself.

“We’re going to be stuck with each other for the next month,” he said.

Okay, that helped. How charming. “And your point is?”

“Let’s try to make this as easy as possible on both of us.”

“I’m for that,” she said and inhaled deeply again, enjoying the woodsy fragrance that filled her senses and weakened her knees. She looked up into those green eyes of his and now that they weren’t scowling at her, she noticed the tiny flecks of gold in them.

Then promptly told herself she shouldn’t be noticing anything of the kind. Marine, she reminded herself. Handpicked by her father.

“You’re engaged,” he said, “whether your father likes the guy or not.”

An image of Ray filled her mind and she had to smile. “True,” she agreed and mentally crossed her fingers at the lie in a feeble attempt to ward off karmic backlash.

“And I’m not interested in changing that situation.”

“Good.” One fake fiancé was about all she could handle at any given time.

“So,” he was saying, “we strike a bargain.”

She stared at him for a long moment, trying to figure out just what he was up to. “What kind of bargain?”

He folded his muscular arms across a chest that looked broad enough to be a football field. “We play the roles the Colonel wants and at the end of the month, we say goodbye.”

Hmm.

“Sounds reasonable.”

“I’m always reasonable,” he said and darned if she didn’t believe him.

He looked so straight-arrow, gung ho Marine, he wouldn’t know a bend in the road if he fell on it. Completely the wrong kind of man for her. Exactly the kind of man she’d avoided most of her life.

In short, he was perfect.

They could get through this month and make her father happy and neither of them miserable. She smiled again as she considered it. For the first time, she and a Marine could be honest with each other. They could form a friendship based on mutual distaste.

This idea actually had merit.

“Well?” he prodded, apparently just as impatient as her father. “What do you say?”

“I say you’ve got a deal, Gunnery Sergeant,” Lilah told him and held out her right hand.

He enveloped it in his much bigger one and gave her a gentle squeeze and shake. Ripples of warmth ebbed through her, much like the surface of a lake after a stone’s been tossed into it. She blinked and held on to his hand a moment longer than was necessary, just to enjoy the sensation. Tipping her head back, she thought she noticed a like reaction glinting in his eyes, but she couldn’t be sure.

When he released her, she still felt the hum of his touch. And she was pretty sure that wasn’t a good thing at all.

Twenty minutes later, Kevin was gone and Lilah was sitting in the living room alone when her father walked into the room.

He moved straight for the bar and poured himself a short drink, then asked, “Would you like something, honey?”

“No, thanks,” Lilah said as she studied her father. A tall, handsome man, he had streaks of gray at his temples, smile lines at the corners of his eyes and the solid, muscled frame of a much younger man. Not for the first time, she wondered why he’d never remarried after her mother’s death so many years ago. But she’d never asked him. And now seemed like as good a time as any. “Dad, why have you stayed single all these years?”

He set the decanter down carefully, studied the amber liquid swirling in the bottom of his glass, then turned and walked to the couch. Sitting opposite her, he took a sip, then said, “I never met another woman like your mom.”

Her mother had died when she was eight years old, but Lilah still had a few memories. Snatches of images, really. A pretty woman with a lovely smile. A soft touch. A whiff of perfume. She remembered the comforting sound of her parents laughing together in the darkness and the warmth of knowing she was loved.

And then there were the lonelier years, when it was just she and her father and he was too busy to notice that his daughter had lost as much as he had.

She shifted, curling up in a corner of the overstuffed love seat. “Did you try?”

Again, he looked for answers in his glass before saying, “Not really.” Another sip. “I just decided I’d rather be alone than be with the wrong person.”

“I can understand that,” she said, meaning every word. In fact, she thought that if they’d had this conversation a few years ago, she might have been able to avoid the series of matchmaking attempts he’d been foisting on her regularly. “But what I don’t understand is,” she added softly, “if it’s all right for you to be single, why is it so important to you that I get married?”

Her father sat up, leaned forward and set his unfinished drink on the table in front of him. Folding his arms atop his knees, he looked into her eyes and said quietly, “Because I want you to be settled. To find someone to—”

“Take care of me?” she finished for him and felt a spurt of frustration shoot through her veins. To him, she’d undoubtedly always be his slightly flaky daughter. But it might surprise him to know that in some circles, she was actually pretty well thought of. “Dad, I’m a grown-up. I can take care of myself.”

“You didn’t let me finish,” he said and stood up, looking down at her with a fond expression on his face. “I want you to have what I had. What your mother and I had for too short a time.”

Hard to be angry at something like that. But it was his methods she objected to.

“If that’s what I want, I can find it myself,” she pointed out and gave herself points for not raising her voice. After all, he meant well.

“I’m not so sure.” He looked at her bare ring finger and Lilah curled her hands under the hem of her shirt. Blast, she should have bought herself a ring to wear. Lifting his gaze to hers, he said, “You picked Ray, didn’t you?”

“What’s wrong with Ray?”

“Probably nothing,” her father allowed. “But he’s the wrong man for you.”

In more ways than one, she thought, but only asked, “Why?”

Her father reached out and cupped her cheek. “Honey, you’d run him in circles inside a week. You need a man as strong as you are.”

“Like Kevin Rogan?”

“You could do worse.”

“I’m not interested, Dad,” she said, preferring not to think about the flicker of attraction that had licked at her insides when Kevin Rogan was too close. Rising, she stood up straight, though she was still nowhere close to being on eye level with him. “And neither is he.”

One of his eyebrows cocked up and then he played his ace in the hole.

“He’s a little down on women right now.”

“Gee, then thanks for setting him up with me.”

He smiled at her. “You’ll be good for him, honey. His ex-wife cut quite a swath through his life a couple of years ago.”

Instantly, Lilah felt a tug of sympathy she didn’t want to feel. And she knew darned well her father had been counting on her natural inclination to want to mend broken hearts. “How do you know?”

“Gossip travels on base as easily as it does in the civilian world.”

True. Hadn’t she been the subject of enough base gossip to know that for a fact?

“So take it easy on him, huh, honey?” he asked, and bent down to kiss her forehead.

Before she could answer, he left the room and she was alone. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she wandered over to the wide front window and stared out at the encroaching fog. Despite the fact that she didn’t want to care, Lilah couldn’t help wondering just what Kevin’s ex-wife had done. And what she, Lilah, could do to help.

Bright and early the next morning, Kevin reported for “daughter duty.” He parked his car in front of the Colonel’s house and turned off the engine. Silence crowded him, as for a few minutes, he just stared at the place.

Windowpanes gleamed in the morning sunshine. The lawn was neat, the house tidily painted. And inside, waited a woman who was, he knew, going to be the bane of his existence for the next few weeks.

There was just something about her, he thought, remembering that almost electrical charge he’d felt when he shook her hand the night before. He hadn’t been expecting it, and for sure hadn’t wanted it. But damned if he hadn’t felt something inside him tighten up and squeeze.

Hell. He’d been too long without a woman, that was all. Obviously. If one touch of a hippie’s hand could send his hormones into overdrive, he was due for some R and R. Fast.

But, for the next month, his personal life was officially on hold. Although, he admitted silently, his personal life wasn’t exactly jumping, anyway. Except for stopping by his sister’s house to visit his niece, Kevin pretty much centered his life around work.

Concentrating on his job and the recruits in his charge made for a nice, orderly life. He’d learned the hard way that he just wasn’t the “relationship” type. He liked his world to proceed in a precise, military fashion.

And a woman was the surest way he knew to blow that all to hell.

His back teeth ground together and he swallowed the bitter taste of bad memories. It was over and done, he told himself, his hands tightening on the steering wheel until he wouldn’t have been surprised to see it snap in two. Deliberately, he forced his grip to relax and reminded himself that ancient history had nothing to do with today. Except of course as a warning to not repeat it.

A flash of movement at one of the front windows caught his attention and as he watched, the curtains were pulled back. Lilah’s face appeared and she gave him a quick smile before dropping the curtains back into place and disappearing from sight.

He didn’t much care for the jolt of awareness that stabbed at his gut, so he ignored it. Taking the key from the ignition, he opened the car door and got out just as she stepped out onto the front porch.

Today, she was wearing a deep crimson shirt that hugged her curves, tucked into a brown suede skirt that hit just below her knees. A silver chain draped around her narrow waist and dangled about halfway down the front of that skirt. As she waved, the silver swayed and caught the sunlight, flashing in his eyes like a warning beacon.

Warning, he told himself. Good thing to keep in mind.

“So?” she called out, her voice carrying to him on the morning stillness, “do you want some coffee before we head off?”

“No thanks,” he answered. Hell, he didn’t need coffee. He needed a drink. Or his head examined. “You ready to go?”

She set both hands on her hips and cocked her head to one side as she watched him. That hair of hers fell like a golden curtain to one side of her body and drifted lazily in the soft wind. Kevin’s insides did a slow lurch before he had the chance to remind himself that this was the Colonel’s daughter for God’s sake.

Not only that, she was completely the wrong kind of woman for him even if he was interested.

And he wasn’t interested.

Dammit.

He kept telling himself that as he watched her walk across the lawn toward the car. That long skirt swayed around her legs and even though he knew damn well that he shouldn’t be thinking the things he was thinking, he couldn’t seem to stop. His gaze moved over her, from that incredible smile right down to the tips of her black, low heeled, slouchy boots.

Want dug into the pit of his stomach and he did his best to ignore it.

Stepping up alongside the car, she planted both hands on the hood and leaned forward. “My dad’s already left for his office.”

“Not surprising,” Kevin said, deliberately keeping his gaze locked with hers. Way safer than looking at the rest of her. “Half the morning’s gone.”

She glanced down at a silver-and-turquoise watch strapped to her left wrist. “Gee, you’re right. It’s almost seven forty-five. Practically afternoon.” Lifting her gaze to him again, she said, “Early rising is definitely something I don’t miss about living on base.”

“I’ll remember that,” he said. Tomorrow he’d pick her up a little later. The less time spent with her, the better. Hell, at this point, he’d take anything he could get.

Chapter Three

“You cold?” he asked.

Lilah nearly jumped, startled at the sound of his voice. For the last hour, they’d been walking aimlessly around the base and he’d hardly said more than a word or two. And she was pretty sure that if he’d been able to get by with a grunt, that’s what he would have done.

“No,” she answered a moment later, “I’m fine. You?”

He looked at her like she was crazy.

“Sorry,” she said, lifting both hands, palms out. “I forgot, Marines don’t get cold.”

His lips quirked, but otherwise, there was no shift of expression. It was like taking a walk with a mobile statue. Any sympathy she might have been feeling for him last night dissolved in the bubbling stew of frustration simmering inside her. Not being one to suffer silently, Lilah, as usual, let it erupt. “What’s the deal here, Gunny?”

“What?” he gave her another look, then absently took her elbow and steered her around a parked car.

Lilah ignored the flash of warmth that the slightest touch from him ignited inside her. On top of everything else, she didn’t need the distraction of fluttering hormones. Plus, at twenty-six, she was a little too old to be developing crushes that were destined to go nowhere.

Besides. They’d had a deal, hadn’t they?

“Excuse me,” Lilah said, flipping her windblown hair back out of her eyes, “but aren’t you the guy who just last night offered me a bargain?”

“Here I stand.”

“Uh-huh.” Did he ever, she thought, with a purely feminine glance of admiration. Well over six-feet tall, he looked like a khaki brick wall. With gorgeous green eyes. And that had absolutely nothing to do with anything, she told herself firmly. Taking a deep breath, she continued. “So, what happened to the part about how we’re going to get along and get through the month without making each other miserable?”

One dark eyebrow lifted into an arch.

Impressive.

“You’re miserable?”

“Gee, no,” Lilah told him, sarcasm dripping from every word. “So far, this is better than Disneyland.”

He stopped walking, heaved a dramatic sigh and turned to face her. “What’s the problem?”

“The problem, Gunny, is that I might as well be by myself, here.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning,” she snapped, “you could actually speak occasionally. Or were you ordered to keep quiet?”

A cold blast of air swept past them, ruffling the hem of her skirt, lifting her hair into a tangled mess and sending goose bumps racing up and down her arms. And it was still warmer than the chill she saw in his eyes.

But in a moment or two, that coolness was gone, replaced with a frustration she understood all too well. Heck, she’d been seeing it most of her life. She never had fit in and once again, that was being pointed out to her.

He shook his head, lifted his gaze to a spot inches above her head and stared out into the distance. From overhead, came the distinctive roar of a jet taking off and the sun slipped behind a bank of clouds.

“No,” he said, lowering his gaze briefly to hers. “I wasn’t ordered to keep quiet. It’s just—”

“I know. You don’t want to be a tour guide.”

“Not particularly,” he admitted, and looked directly at her.

“Well,” she said, “that’s honest, anyway.”

“It’s not your fault,” he muttered, “but this whole thing really goes against the grain.”

“Tell me about it,” Lilah said, shoving her hair back out of her face. “You think I enjoy being handed off from one Marine to another? I’m like a human hot potato!”

“So why do you put up with it?”

“Have you ever tried to say no to my father?”

“Can’t say that I have,” he said.

“I don’t recommend it.” Not that her father ever lost his temper or anything. But he just sort of steamrolled over a person’s objections. Especially, she told herself with just a touch of shame, when you didn’t speak up and be honest. Heck, she’d called Kevin Rogan a coward for not telling the truth. Yet she hadn’t either, when given a perfect opportunity. She pushed that thought aside for the moment. “Don’t get me wrong,” she added, “Dad’s terrific. He’s just…how do I say this?”

“A Marine?” he inquired wryly.

“Exactly,” she said.

Kevin stared at her. That smile of hers should be classified as a weapon. Top grade. It had the wattage of a nuclear bomb and probably had the same results on most men. Able to leave them flat and whimpering.

He, however, was a different story. Oh, he wasn’t blind. And since he was most definitely male, he could appreciate her package. Just like he’d appreciate a beautiful piece of art. That didn’t mean he wanted to take her home and hang her on his walls.

And he’d been down this route before, he reminded himself. He’d taken one look at a woman and seen everything he’d wanted to see and nothing he didn’t. He wouldn’t be making the same mistake again.

“I don’t really need a tour of the base anyway, you know,” she was saying and he told himself to pay attention. He had a feeling that not paying attention around Lilah Forrest could be a dangerous thing.

“Why’s that?” he asked. Not that he minded cutting the tour short.

“Because,” she said, shrugging, “all bases are pretty much the same.” Turning in a tight circle, she lifted one hand and pointed as she counted off, “Headquarters, Billeting, Provost Marshall, beyond that, the PX, Post Office, Commissary. And,” she said, turning back to him with another one of those smiles, “let’s not forget the theater, rec center and oh, yeah. There’re the clubs, enlisted, officers and Staff NCOs, and last but not least, the all important Recruit Receiving.”

When she was finished, she looked up at him and gave him another one of those smiles. “Same church, different pew.”

She was right, of course. Hell, she’d been raised on bases around the world. She probably knew her way around as well as he did. Which led him back to the one question that was flashing on and off in his brain like a broken neon light. Before he could stop himself, he asked, “So what are we doing here?”

“You’ve got me.”

A simple phrase. So why did it snake along his spine like a red-hot thread? Because having her implied all sorts of things that his body clearly approved of wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, though, there would be no having of any kind. Not only was she the Colonel’s daughter and Kevin’s responsibility for the next few weeks…but she wasn’t the one-night-stand kind of woman and he wasn’t the happily-ever-after kind of man.

So that left them square in the middle of “no touch” land.

Then she touched him. A simple touch, she leaned into him and laid one hand on his upper arm. Heat skittered through him, but he drew on every ounce of his formidable will and told himself to ignore it. It wasn’t getting any easier, though.

“It’s weird,” Lilah muttered more to herself than to her strong, silent type companion.

“What is?” he asked, but she had the feeling he didn’t really care.

“Being back on a base.”

“How long’s it been?”

Not long enough, she thought. But all she said was, “A year or so.”

“Why’s that?”

She slanted a look up—way up—at him. “Do you always talk like that?”

“Like what?”

Lilah sighed. “In short, three-to-four-word sentences. I mean you don’t say much and when you do, it’s almost over before you start.”

“You talk enough for both of us.”

She did tend to babble when she was nervous, she admitted silently. Which brought up the question of just why she was nervous. It wasn’t being on base. Or being around her father. Those things she was used to dealing with. She just plastered on a smile and went out of her way to point out her unsuitability herself to avoid having others do it for her.

An old trick, Lilah had been using it for years. Rather than wait for someone else to make fun of her, she poked fun at herself. Then everyone was laughing with her. Not at her.

So, if she wasn’t nervous about where she was…she must be nervous about who she was with.

Uh-oh.

“Hmm. Talk too much. Where have I heard that before?”

“From everyone you’ve ever met?” he asked, one corner of his mouth lifting.

“Wow.” Lilah stared up at him. It was truly amazing what that smile did to his face. No wonder he didn’t do it often. The bodies of women would be littering the parade deck. But she didn’t have to let him know that. “A smile. This is a real moment. Too bad I don’t have my journal with me, I could make a note of it.”

“Funny.”

“Thanks.” She laid one hand on his forearm and felt that jolt of heat again. Okay, she hadn’t counted on that. Instantly, she let her hand drop again and took a step back, just for good measure. Couldn’t hurt to keep a little distance between herself and the surprising Gunnery Sergeant.

“Well,” he asked, “if you don’t want the tour, what would you like to see?”

Before she could answer, someone shouted, “Gunny! Hey, Gunny!”

Kevin turned around and Lilah looked past him at the man hurrying up to them. Judging by his Smokey the Bear hat, he too was a Drill Instructor. He came to a stop in front of Kevin and spared her a quick glance.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” he said, “but I need to borrow the Gunny for a minute.”

“Sure,” she said.

Kevin frowned slightly. “Staff Sergeant Michaels, this is Lilah Forrest.”

The Marine’s gaze widened in surprise. “As in Colonel Forrest?”

Lilah nearly sighed. Happened every time she met one of her father’s troops. They looked at her, imagined him, and just couldn’t seem to put the two of them in the same family. But she’d long ago quit trying to be what everyone else expected her to be, so she just smiled at him. “He’s my father, yes.”

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” he said. His gaze swept over her and as he took note of the crystal around her neck and the silver chain around her waist and her boots, she could almost hear him feeling sorry for her father. A moment later though, he was all business, and turning his gaze on Kevin.