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Shit. She’d been so selfishly fixated on her own problems she hadn’t spared a thought about how yesterday’s recklessness might impact Michael. “H-how serious?” But she already knew.
“Conduct unbecoming an officer could get me dismissed, and possibly thrown in the brig.”
“Oh, my God.” Her stomach turned to lead and dropped into her feet. “You could get dishonorably discharged and locked up because of this?”
“It’s an unlikely outcome…but the possibility exists. Right now, if Sempler tells my CO he walked into a treatment room and found USMC Major Michael McCade committing an indecent act with his massage therapist, it sounds pretty bad. The whole situation takes on a slightly different character if he walked into a treatment room and found me engaged in what I didn’t intend to be a public display of affection with my fiancée.”
“I see your point, but it’s still dishonest. Your grandmother would be rolling in her grave.”
“We’re not hurting anyone by massaging the truth, and my grandmother would understand. When I was about five, I took this ring from her jewelry box and I buried it in the backyard because I was pretending to be a pirate. When she discovered what I’d done, she calmly helped me dig it up and gave me a bunch of coins to bury instead. I complained the coins weren’t as good a treasure because they weren’t sparkly like the ring. She laughed and told me I could have the ring when she was done with it, and, at that point, I could bury it if I wanted. A few years ago…” He trailed off and swallowed. “A few years ago she was done with it.” He swiped his thumb lightly over the flat facet at the top of the diamond. “True to her word, she left the ring to me. I figure as long as I don’t bury the thing, I’m exceeding her expectations.”
Now she was choked up, a little because a girl who owed so much to her own grandma couldn’t help but be affected by the obvious affection between Michael and his. But more because both grandmother and grandson measured the value of the treasure in terms of the memories it held than the intrinsic worth of the precious materials.
She wrapped her arms around herself and wished she either had a completely clear head or a much worse hangover. Instead she just felt slow and fuzzy…and freezing. Despite the heat coming off his body, her skin chilled. Nerves. The idea of a commitment—even a fake one—left her bone cold. But her alternatives sucked.
Her parents had reclaimed their own lives the moment they’d divorced and dumped her on Grandma. She wasn’t about to ask them for any favors. Her friendships were loose and casual. After a year of traveling from job to job, they were all pretty much Facebook friends—“like” a photo, comment on a status—not the kind of people she could call out of the blue and say, “Hey, can I come stay with you for who knows how long, and, by the way, can you lend me the money to get there?” Thanks to Drew, no credit-card company would touch her with a ten-foot pole.
Even if she could scrape together an alternative, could she really leave Michael twisting in the wind, when something as simple as pretending to be engaged for a couple weeks could protect his career?
She dropped her arms and sat a little straighter. No, she couldn’t. Being a free bird didn’t mean flying off and leaving a stand-up guy in a precarious position. A short-term fake engagement was a solution to a problem, not an emotional investment or a threat to her freedom. Granted, it might have been a risky proposition for commitment-craving Chloe, but older, wiser Chloe had learned how to glide through life without getting ensnared in emotional traps.
“What do you say, Chloe?” Michael prompted. “You’re the first woman I’ve ever asked to wear my ring. Don’t start me off with a bad track record.” His grin left her a little off-center. She looked down at herself, then back at him.
“I wish I didn’t feel so naked at the moment.”
He slipped the ring on her shaking finger. “There. Now you’re not naked.”
“Perfect fit,” she whispered. It was. A shiver scurried up her spine. The sparkling traditional solitaire looked and felt more at home on her finger than her actual engagement ring ever had during the entire time she’d worn the thing.
“My grandmother had slim, gentle hands, like you. It looks good on you,” he finished softly, almost reluctantly, and Chloe relaxed a bit. He wasn’t as unfazed about their “engagement” as he seemed. Why that realization made her feel better, she couldn’t say, but there it was.
“Thank you. I’ll take good care of it, and, rest assured, you’ll get it back in the same beautiful condition. I promise.”
His grin reappeared. “I’m not worried.” Then he stood, and the play of sinew and muscle under flesh momentarily emptied her mind. “Now that we’re officially engaged, wanna move in with me?”
“I—um, yes, I guess I do.”
“Awesome.” He sat down next to her on the bed and glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. It read 6:58.
“I have to be at the base by eight,” he said, “which means I need to hit the shower and get going, but I’ll be back by four-thirty, so if there’s anything you need help moving, just leave it until I’m home, okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay,” he repeated, but he didn’t move. He just stared at her.
She stared back. “You’re sure you’re comfortable with this?”
“Yes. Absolutely. It’s the least I can do.”
Tiny flecks of gold glowed near the perimeter of his deep brown irises. How had she overlooked such a hypnotic detail? “Well…thank you.” Don’t kiss him, her little voice warned, but her body didn’t listen. It leaned in until her lips brushed his and her breasts rested against his chest.
A wide palm cupped the back of her head and he deepened the kiss. Her hands landed on the steady shelf of his shoulders and her happy nipples tightened to eager peaks. She shifted closer and rubbed them over his pecs.
His low, rumbling growl cut through the otherwise-silent room. She trembled as his hand wandered down her back and over her butt, and tucked one knee under her, preparing to crawl onto his lap when the alarm buzzed. They broke apart, both breathing heavy, and then spoke at once.
“Shit—?
?
