âYeah?â
âThe answer to your earlier questionââ
His earlier question?
ââis only when I tell him.â She was grinning broadly as she rounded the corner.
His brain tried to kick into gear. He closed the door behind him and tried not to inhale the smell. It would be windows open tonight. It didnât really matter anyway. He never stayed anywhere for too long.
A spark went off. And he smiled. The question. It had been about the Major General. How often has he bitten?
He couldnât wipe the smile off his face as he went to find the bedroom.
CHAPTER THREE
H E WAS ALREADY there when she arrived for duty the next morning.
And yep. She liked him just as much in his scrubs as she did in his dress uniform. Darn it.
âHow did you get on last night?â Frank nudged her at the front desk.
âWhat do you mean?â
The old rogueâs eyes were twinkling and she felt herself start to bristle. She had a horrible feeling she knew where this would go. Nothing on this base was a secret. âI heard you took the new boy out for something to eat, then showed him back to his place. Get back late last night?â He nudged her again. Twice.
There was a giggle behind her. Seiko. The aerospace medical technician who had seen her with Avery outside the changing rooms.
âDonât be ridiculous. Nothing happened.â She glared at Seiko and turned back to Frank. âAnd if I find out youâre saying anything else...â
Frank held up his hands and laughed as he walked away. âHeâs a good-looking guy. Got to get in there quick. Who knows who else might decide to get friendly with him?â
Something uncomfortable crept down her spine. She didnât even want to think about that. And that was even more ridiculous because she hadnât even thought to ask him last night about his family. Or any attachments. Or any children.
She felt sick. For a few seconds last night sheâd thought he might actually kiss her. Even more ridiculous. You couldnât just meet a guy and let him kiss you. News like that would sweep around the base quicker than a new karaoke song. Sheâd no intention of being the subject of anyoneâs gossip. Her father would flip.
Heâd intervened twice that she knew of. And even though sheâd joked with Avery last night, sheâd never asked him to intervene. One guy had been boasting about dating the Generalâs daughterâand boasting about a bit more than that. Heâd ended up at a different base in Japan. Another guy whoâd told her he was single had been mysteriously transferred after a few months of heavy dating. Sheâd heard later through the grapevine that heâd had a pregnant fiancée back in the US who was also in the service.
Neither guy had ever been mentioned but the General didnât take kindly to anyone making a fool of her.
Trouble was, Avery was kind of fun. And fun was what she needed right now. She might even have to warn the General off.
Sheâd heard Blake mention earlier that they werenât even sure how long his posting would be as he was covering for someone else. Her brain was telling her to back off. But she couldnât get over how comfortable sheâd been around himâor how one look had given her a tiny buzz sheâd never experienced before.
Even if it was only for a few weeks or months, what was the harm in seeing Avery Flynn?
She stalked down the corridor and checked the board to see how many patients were in the ER. A little voice drifted down the corridor towards her. âYou smell funny.â
âDo I?â
She almost laughed out loud. She peeked around into the cubicle. Avery was talking to a little girl with blonde curly hair. She was sitting on her fatherâs knee as Avery bent in front of her. The father, First Lieutenant Bruce, caught Katsukoâs eye and cringed.
âHi, Abigail. What is it today?â
She walked
Jack Coughlin, Donald A. Davis