“I don’t know.” She smiled, and her entire face transformed. I caught my breath, utterly captivated. She was beautiful in an almost-otherworldly way, and I was so mesmerized that I nearly forgot to listen to what she was saying. “You seem a little different. You’re not in the middle of the action, getting your dance on with all the eligible women who would love to get their ... hands on you. You’re not taking advantage of the free liquor and getting wasted, all in the name of having a good time.”
“Maybe that’s because I don’t see the point. Not when the most gorgeous woman at the party brought a bottle of wine over and is sitting here with me in the dark.” Taking a chance that she wouldn’t pull back, I slid my hand into her hair, cupping the back of her head.
Jacqueline leaned into my touch, her eyes drifting shut. “Your hands are huge. And warm.” She shivered a little.
“Are you cold?” The evening air did have a little bit of a chill. I tended to run hot all the time, so sometimes I didn’t realize when the temperature dropped.
“I wasn’t, but the ground is a bit damp.” She lifted her backside from the grass, peering down as though she expected to see something there.
“Here.” Dropping my hand from her neck, I unbuttoned my blue jacket and eased it from my shoulders before spreading it on the grass, outer side up. “Sit on this. The cloth’s so thick, it’ll protect you from anything.”
“Are you sure? It might get dirty.” She frowned.
“Nah.” I shook my head. “I’ll have to get it cleaned after tonight, anyway. Go head, sit.”
When she did, she was quite a bit closer to me than she’d been before, and it was easy for me to drape my arm around her, drawing her slim body against me. She snuggled into my side with a sigh.
“What you said before ... about trying out my wings.” She sounded pensive. “Haven’t you ever thought about doing something else? Or living a different life? Yours has been set in stone since you were eighteen, hasn’t it?”
I nodded and swallowed, my throat suddenly tight. “Yeah. I guess it has been. I never let myself think about anything else, though. What would be the point?”
“How much time do you have left in your commitment?”
I rubbed my cheek over the silk of her hair. “I fulfilled what I owed the Army originally, for West Point. But when I went to the advanced course, I accrued six more years. I have another eighteen months on that one.”
“Why not try something else then, after that? You’re still young. You could do anything you wanted. You could ...” She buried her face in my shoulder, and I thought she sniffed, as though breathing in my scent. “Um, let’s see. You could join the circus. How are you at juggling?”
I chuckled, my chest shaking. “Not so great. I’m actually kind of a klutz, unless it’s with my weapon. And then for some reason, I seem to have this ability to move my hands the right way and not drop anything. I guess it’s all the training.”
“Your weapon, huh?” Suddenly, even in the dark, I could see the way her mouth curled up and mischief sparkled in her eyes. “Isn’t there some Army rhyme about weapons and guns?”
I maintained a poker face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, sure you do.” She jabbed my ribs with her finger. “It’s something like ...this is my weapon, this is my gun. One’s for fighting and one’s for fun.Right?”
I felt my face getting hot. One of my great mortifications in life was how easily my cheeks went red whenever I got embarrassed. I hoped that Jacqueline wouldn’t notice. “Uh, where the hell did you hear that?”
She got quiet for a minute and then coughed. “Oh, I don’t know. Television, I guess, or some movie. But the point—or maybe the question—is, can you handle your weapon as easily as you do your gun?”
“I think I’m getting lost in this analogy.” I trailed my fingers up and down her bare arm, feeling goosebumps rise in my wake. “How about we just say I don’t have trouble with either of them? I’ve never gotten any complaints from my commanders or ...” I smirked. “My conquests.”
“Conquests, huh?” Her voice arched. “Sounds like you’ve had a lot of those.”
“My fair share, I guess.” I stared straight ahead. “I’ve been a soldier for over ten years. I’m single, and I always have been. Up until recently, most of my friends were single, too. So yeah, we had a lot of fun over the years. We spent most of our non-duty weekends at bars or clubs or other places where it’s easy to pick up women. I always figured we weren’t hurting anyone—as long as the chicks were willing, and everyone knew the score. I never pretended to be anything I wasn’t.”
“I’m not judging.” Her slim fingers reached up to pat my cheek. “Really, I was just teasing you. I don’t have illusions about anyone.” She was quiet for a few heartbeats. “Or myself. I like to have fun, too. Or I did. Now I’m not so sure. It used to seem exciting, but now thinking about my life before makes me kind of tired. It’s one reason I moved out here. I guess I was just done with my old life.”
“Does that mean you’re finished with fun, too? All kinds of fun?” I wasn’t sure why her answer mattered to me, except that this woman felt damned good plastered to my side, and I was beginning to think that she might feel even better on top of me. Naked.
“I wouldn’t go that far.” She tilted her chin up so that I could feel her breath on my jaw. “I’m still interested in fun ... when it feels right.”
“Does it feel right tonight?” I thought I knew where she was heading, but I had to be sure. In this day and age, guys like me couldn’t assume anything. Consent had to be stated outright, not just implied.
“Tonight, with you ... it feels very right.” Her whisper tickled against my neck. “I mean, if you’re interested.”
“I’m interested.” I bent my head down until my lips hovered over hers. “I’m very interested.”
The initial touch of my mouth to hers reminded me of firing a gun for the first time. Although I’d been warned about it, the kick of the barrel had taken me by surprise, shaking me up. When my lips made contact with Jacqueline’s, I felt that same jarring shock. Only ... with the gun, I’d had a sore shoulder for a day or two. With this kiss, I knew for sure I’d be feeling its effects for a much longer time.
