Red, Hot & Blue 09 - A Prince Among Men by Cat Johnson Read Free Book Online Page B

glance shifted from Hawk’s annoyed expression to the female’s obviously nauseated one.
    After Ryan and Wally both arrived at his side, Hawk barked out an order. “Wally, help Lou unload the mail. Pettit. Our quarters, now.”
    Even though Ryan was sure Wally wished the assignments were reversed, he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut and do what he was told. Ryan did the same. Silently, he followed behind Hawk, who dragged the wobbly legged woman by the elbow toward the mud hut. She clutched what looked like a huge purse close to her, while Hawk carried both his duffle and what must be hers in one hand, steering her with the other.
    Ryan knew he would find out what was going on and who the woman was soon enough, but damn, the suspense was killing him now. Ryan did have opportunity to note before Hawk yanked her away that the woman was very pretty. Under the slightly greenish coloring of motion sickness, that was. Big brown eyes, a cute little mouth shaped just like a cupid’s bow and shapely curves all came together to complete one hell of a tempting package.
    When the unlikely trio reached the door of the hut, Hawk flung it open. He shoved the girl inside and dropped both of the bags he carried on the floor near her feet.
    “You. Stay in there for a minute.” Hawk went to shut the door but stopped mid-motion to pop his head back inside. “And if you’re going to be sick use the garbage can in the corner.”
    Ryan got another glimpse as she nodded, pale and wide-eyed, right before Hawk slammed the door in her face.
    He watched, curious and amused, as Hawk ran both hands over his face in frustration. “What the hell did I get myself into?”
    “I can’t help you there, Hawk, unless you tell me who she is and where you got her.”
    Hawk let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “You won’t believe me if I tell you. She’s a frigging reporter.”
    Oh, boy. It didn’t matter if she was a hottie, the fact she was also a reporter was not good. Ryan hissed in a breath between his teeth. Hawk hated reporters. He had ever since they were in Iraq and one had erroneously written an article that said their tanks were part of a mercenary force that got called into Abu Ghraib to kill innocents. Innocents Ryan’s sweet ass. If innocents were people carrying RPGs, automatic weapons and more, then yeah, they were guilty and had taken out seventy-five innocents that day.
    Why couldn’t that reporter have told people about all their humanitarian aid missions instead of making shit up?
    “Hawk, what the hell are you doing with a reporter?” And can I take her off your hands for maybe an hour…or a week?
    Ryan pushed that naughty thought aside. For now. Unlike Hawk, who’d written off the entire profession as evil, Ryan was willing to give them a chance individually. Particularly the hot one who was now in his hut.
    “Apparently I temporarily lost my sanity.” Hawk took a step closer to Ryan. “The damn woman offered to have sex with me if I brought her here so she could write a damn story about the local women.”
    Ryan’s eyes flew open wide just as his cock woke up a bit at that information. How come things like this never happened to him? “And did you… I mean did she…”
    Hawk’s deeply furrowed frown silenced the rest of Ryan’s stuttered question. “No. Of course not. Jeez, Pettit. I’m not going to cheat on Emily. Not with any woman, but especially not with a reporter.”
    Ryan stood corrected…and hopeful. “Sorry. So why did you agree to bring her here then?”
    Hawk sighed. “She’s totally clueless about pretty much everything, and if I didn’t take her with me she just would have found someone else to do it. Some guy who probably would have taken her up on her ridiculous offer. Suddenly, I pictured Emily wandering around Bagram just as clueless and helpless in the middle of that prison break and hell, I don’t know…”
    “Your protective side kicked in?” Ryan grinned.
    “Yeah.”