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He gestures for me to sit down on the cot next to his — Caleb’s cot — and I’m not about to pass up the opportunity to smell her again, so I lower myself down.
I gaze over my shoulder, meeting the suspicious eyes of the other soldiers scattered about the tent. I lean forward to whisper. “Am I gonna get a code red in here, or…?”
He chuckles, running his hand over his buzzed, brown hair. “Nah. Tensions are just a little high right now.”
“Why?”
“War.”
I smile. “Of course. Silly me.”
Fox’s attention draws behind me and I turn again to see Caleb rushing back into the tent. Her eyes are downcast. Her cheeks are bright red with a subtle, controlled rage. As she reaches her cot, she spots me sitting on it and she halts in her tracks.
“Caleb…” Fox clears his throat with playful eyes. “You okay?”
She inhales a deep breath, one that obviously fills her lungs to the very top. “I’m fine.” Her voice quivers softly.
“So…” I point around. “How long have you guys been out here?”
Fox looks up, counting in his head. “We’ve been at this camp about six months,” he answers. “Before that, it was a year in Iraq.”
“Damn,” I say. I glance up at Caleb. “You, too?”
“Yeah.” She doesn’t even look at me. Her hands rise to her hips and I see her fingertips dig into her sides.
“Wow. I’ve only been here a few days and I already can’t stand it.”
“What are you even doing out here?” Fox asks.
“Just… stuff. Hey—” I look around. “I thought they didn’t allow lady soldiers this far into the combat zone or am I wrong?”
Fox starts laughing but cuts it off quickly. “They usually don’t, but somebody assigned her without realizing her name was unisex. No one super important has noticed yet and she’s too good to trade, so… we keep it quiet.”
“Ohhh…” I look up at her and she throws me a sideways glance. “Looks like we’re both outsiders around here.”
“Excuse me,” she says again.
She spins around and swishes those little hips away. Of course, I stare at those tight cheeks as she exits the tent again.
“Does she do that a lot?” I ask Fox.
He shrugs. “I guess you just bring that out in people.”
“Story of my life.”
Caleb Fawn. My reluctant protector.
This should be fun.
Chapter 5
Caleb
“Sergeant!”
He quickens his pace in a futile effort to avoid me. Does it piss me off? You’re damn right it does. It always has ever since the moment I was assigned to his unit. The lack of mutual respect between us is wearing thin.
“Sergeant!”
