The Soldier's Twin Surprise

* * *

Erica never slept with anyone on the first date, let alone the first meet. But she’d been through a lot in the past month, suffered a tragic loss. And for some crazy reason, she’d wanted to feel a connection to another human being. To be held. To be...

Well, she didn’t expect to find love or anything like that. But she’d thought it would be nice to feel liked, valued and appreciated.

And wow. She’d gotten so much better than that.

She wasn’t a virgin, but neither would she consider herself to be sexually experienced. That was, until tonight. Bullet had taken her to a place she’d never been before—and one she feared she’d never go again.

She felt beautiful. Special. Adored.

Their lovemaking had turned her world on its axis—in a good way. While basking in his arms during a stunning afterglow, she’d been able to forget the funeral, the grief, the meetings with her parents’ attorney, the house that needed a slew of repairs before she could sell it or find renters.

But more than that, she’d found herself reevaluating the future.

Not her decision to reenlist, of course. That wouldn’t happen. She’d found strength and courage in the Army. She also had a sense of pride in herself and her accomplishments. There was no way she’d go back to Texas and to the small-town life she’d once known.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t see Bullet again. Maybe visit him sometime. She might even be able to spend her next leave with him in Texas.

Of course, she had no idea how he’d feel about seeing her again after this weekend. Either way, a future together didn’t seem likely. Not many men would want to follow their wives from base to base.

Okay, so she was putting the proverbial cart before the horse. Their heartbeats had barely slowed to normal, and they’d yet to say a word about what they’d just done, let alone discuss what might come next.

So she continued to lie with him, cuddling in bed with their legs entwined. But she wasn’t ready to move, unless it was closer to Bullet.

When he pressed a kiss on her brow, she finally spoke. “That was amazing.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

She’d hoped he’d say that, although she had every reason to believe he felt the same way she did.

“I could stay here forever,” she said, then wished she could reel in her words. She hadn’t meant to overstep or to imply something that might frighten him off. So she added a bit of a disclaimer. “I meant stay here on the North Shore. In this cute little bungalow. And if I didn’t have to go back to work, I’d stay in bed with you.”

He stroked her shoulder, which suggested he hadn’t let her comment bother him.

What would he say if she suggested they meet up in Texas in the near future? She could take personal leave so she could find renters after the handyman had made the repairs to the house. Up until now, she’d planned to hire a property manager so she wouldn’t have to do it herself.

Still, if she oversaw things on her own, she could look up Bullet. Would he be up for something like that?

He said he no longer lived on the family ranch in Wexler, but he hadn’t mentioned where he lived now. So it might not work out the way she thought it would.

Actually, there was a lot she didn’t know about him. It hadn’t mattered earlier, but it did now. She supposed they’d have to talk about stuff like that.

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Did they have time for that kind of discussion now? Or should she let it go until morning? She propped herself up on her elbow and glanced over Bullet’s shoulder to get a better look.

Apparently, he must have realized what she was attempting to do, because he asked, “What time is it?”

“Almost twenty-one hundred.”

He stiffened. “What’d you say?”

“I’m sorry.” She sighed softly. “Military time comes naturally to me.”

He didn’t respond right away, but the muscles in his arm seemed pretty tight.

“Were you in the military?” he asked.

“Actually, I still am.” She supposed it wouldn’t hurt to lay her cards on the table, to have that little talk now. “I’m going to make a career of it. Why?”

His biceps twitched. “Something tells me we just came to a place where the old don’t-ask-don’t-tell line would be appropriate.”

Uh-oh. Now it was her turn to stiffen.

“What branch of the service are you in?” he asked.

A sense of foreboding crossed her mind, and her heart hammered in her chest as if trying to break through her rib cage. “I’m in the Army.”

He inhaled deeply, then slowly blew it out. “Where are you stationed?”

“Schofield Barracks. Does that matter?”

“It might.”

Oh, for Pete’s sake. Surely he wasn’t in the Army, too. If so, was he stationed in Texas? But wait, that’s not what he’d said. Was it?

She rolled away and practically shot up in bed. Then she folded her arms across her chest and turned to him. “You lied to me. You’re not a cowboy from Texas.”

“I grew up on a ranch in Wexler, and I’ve ridden plenty of horses over the years. But I never claimed to be a cowboy.”

“So you’re in the Army, too?” she asked, dreading the response.

“Yeah, I am. And apparently, I wasn’t the only one to withhold some details over the last few hours.”

“I am on vacation,” she said. “But only until tomorrow night, when I have to check in at the base.”

Bullet sat up and scrubbed his hand over his hair. Please don’t let him be an officer. It was against regulations to fraternize.

That sense of foreboding grew, casting a shadow over her. Over them.

“What’s your rank?” he asked.

“You go first.”

Bullet swore under his breath. “I’m Captain Clayton Masters. I command a Black Hawk squadron on Wheeler Army Airfield. And you’re...?”

Rickie blew out a sigh, plopped back down on the mattress and placed her hands over her face. “Sergeant Erica Campbell—enlisted.”

What rotten luck. Her lover wasn’t a cowboy from Texas. Nor was he a tourist on vacation.

Instead, he was a Black Hawk commander. An officer in the US Army.

And they’d just fraternized.

It hadn’t been intentional. And as long as they didn’t do it again, she supposed it was no big deal.

“I guess we screwed up,” Bullet said. “Ah, no pun intended.”

She blew out a weary sigh. “Big-time. If I’d known who you were, I never would have invited you back here.”

“And if I’d known who you were, I wouldn’t have come.”

“I never expected more than one night anyway,” Rickie said, although, just moments ago, she’d begun to hope for more. To wonder how they could possibly pull that off. “So no harm, no foul. Right?”

“That’s what I’m thinking.” Bullet—or rather, Clay—raked a hand through his hair. A military cut, she now realized.

Damn. Should she call him Captain? After what they’d done, that felt awkward.

“I guess we really are neighbors,” he said, as he got to his feet and reached for his discarded board shorts.

“That’s about the size of it.” Wheeler Airfield was just across the street from Schofield Barracks.

Rickie figured she’d better get dressed, too, and climbed out of bed. Rather than put on her swimsuit, she rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out a green T-shirt and a pair of black shorts. She wouldn’t bother with a bra or panties.

“What’s your MOS?” he asked, referring to her military occupation specialty.

“I’m a sixty-eight whiskey.”

“So you’re a medic.”

“I work at a clinic unless I’m sent out for training ops.” And those often began on Wheeler, especially when she and her unit had to fly out to the Big Island. Damn, what a disappointing—not to mention awkward—mess this was turning out to be.

She slipped into her clothes, covering herself quickly as if they could pretend none of this happened. But good luck with that. The sex had been too damn good to forget.

“I suppose that means we could run into each other.”

True. So far, she hadn’t been on any missions with him, although she could. The Black Hawks usually flew soldiers out to the Big Island, where a lot of training took place. And since he was the commander of a squadron, it could happen in the future.

Yep. Definitely awkward.

“You know,” he said, “we can’t do this again.”

She wasn’t stupid, although she felt like it. “I’ve never done this before—made love with a guy I just met. This was just...one of those things. So I wasn’t expecting any more than one night.”

“Neither was I.”

She stole a glance at Bullet. Or rather Clay. They hadn’t actually lied to each other. They’d just withheld information that would have helped them avoid doing something like this.

“Are Poncho and Duck in the military, too?” she asked.

“No, they’re actually civilians visiting me. And I took a week off to stay with them. I didn’t mean to trick you...”

At this point, she figured it didn’t matter. But for some reason, it did. “I wasn’t trying to pull the wool over your eyes, either. I flew in from Houston last night and don’t have to sign in until tomorrow night. I didn’t see any point in sharing my life story.”

Although, to be honest, she wished they still had one more day together. But it wouldn’t be right.

“Well,” he said, nodding toward the door. “I’d better get out of here. Otherwise, I’d be tempted to climb back into bed.”

She smiled, clinging to the admission like a compliment.

“I wish things were different,” he added.

So did she. Their chemistry was off the charts. At least in bed. And before reality struck, she’d been ruing the thought of going back to her barracks and him flying back to Texas. But this was different. Worse.

So close, yet so far away.

She managed an unaffected smile. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

He stood in the center of the room for a couple of beats, as if he was struggling with reality and ethics and everything else. “Take care.”

“You, too.” Rickie watched him walk toward the door.

While it was possible they’d run into each other again, she hoped not. It would be awkward at best. Not to mention disappointing.

But an officer fraternizing with an enlisted soldier was against Army regulations, and since she wasn’t about to make any changes to her career plan, their short-term affair was officially over. Wham, bam, thank you...sir.

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