Back in the Soldier's Arms (16 page)

She could feel the heat of his breath against her cheek.

“And the music was a little different, too.”

She laughed. “Are we that old?”

He shook his head. “Nope. We were just really young back then.”

People surrounded them, and Penny hated it. Her role in the army had made her suspicious, made her look at situations differently. It would take a long time for her to become a civilian again, in the truest sense of the word.

“Wasn’t the night we came here …” Oh. She’d spoken before she’d thought it through.

Daniel’s fingers moved against her waist, enough for her to know that he’d heard her.

She braved a look up at him and saw the look in his eyes.

He remembered all right.

“If I recall correctly, you stayed over at my place.”

Heat hit her cheeks. That was a polite way of putting it.

He tugged her a bit closer as he secured a place at the bar, ready to order their drinks.

“And we didn’t spend a night apart until you had to leave for training.”

Amazing. “I can’t believe you remember,” she said.

He touched the back of his finger to her cheek before answering. “I can’t believe you thought I’d forget.”

The bartender leaned toward them and Daniel ordered them champagne.

“I thought you only drank beer?” Penny nudged him in the ribs.

“What, you think I’m some Neanderthal who can’t drink anything but lager?”

Penny had forgotten how good it felt to have sore cheeks from smiling too much. “Yeah, actually I did.”

He gave her what she guessed was his fiercest look. “We had it the other night to celebrate your homecoming.”

“Only because your mother would have killed you for saying no to it.”

He paid for their drinks and passed her one, before holding his little finger out at an angle and taking a sip of his. “Fancy enough for you?”

She tried not to laugh at him. “Seriously, Daniel, if that was your toughest look before, I’m glad you never tried to make it in the army.”

He spluttered, choking on his next mouthful.

“Are we seriously going to have this conversation?” he asked, one eyebrow raised.

Penny groaned. “Don’t even try to give me your navy versus army spiel, because everyone knows it’s not true.”

“Navy is tougher than army any day of the week,” he announced.

Penny leaned her back against the bar and enjoyed another sip of the bubble-infused drink.

She’d forgotten what good company Daniel was. It had been so long since they’d had time to be like this. The two of them, with no work commitments keeping them apart, without Gabby, just the two of them.

“Do you guys even go to the gym?”

“You’ve answered the question yourself,” he said with a smirk.

Penny had a feeling she was falling into a trap but she didn’t get it. Now it was her with her eyebrows raised in question.

“Guys,” he said, drawing the word out. “I hate to say it, Pen, but there were no girls on my team. I think we both know which sex is the stronger one.”

She set her glass down, arms folded over her chest. “Oh, no, you didn’t.”

He shrugged, but the grin on his face said it all. He knew he was in big trouble.

“Come on, Pen, admit it. You’ll never beat a boy in an arm wrestle.” He was smirking at her. She knew he was teasing but he had her riled.

“Well, a boy would never beat me when it came to strategy.”

Daniel threw his head back and laughed. “God, I’ve missed this,” he said when he came up for air.

Penny tried to stay fierce, to keep her game face on, but his smile cracked her frown.

She held out her hand. “Truce?”

He put down his glass and reached for her palm, tucking his against it, intertwining their fingers.

“You know I was only kidding, right?”

She narrowed her eyes. “No man will ever own up to the fact that a woman could be tougher than him.”

“Is it so wrong for me to want to protect you? To pretend that you need me in your corner to keep you safe?”

The softness of his tone made her sigh. “No, there’s nothing wrong with that, Daniel.”

Truth be told, she loved that he wanted to be her protector. When she was away, everything rode on her own shoulders. Every decision, every tactic, every operation she was involved in. She had to be as tough as the guys, as smart as anyone else out there, and when she was leading others, it wasn’t only herself she was trying to keep safe.

But at home, she’d always liked that Daniel was tough enough and strong enough to be a real man in a situation. When she came home for good, she wanted to leave her training at the front door and just be a woman in need of a man for once.

Penny gulped. Was she already presuming she’d be coming home to tic‘€Daniel? That they could repair the cracks and make them work again?

“Do you remember what you were wearing that night we first came here?”

Penny gave in to Daniel’s touch and enjoyed the sensation of his skin on hers. The way his chocolate-brown eyes focused on her made her feel like the only woman in the room.

“No, but I remember why I came here with you,” she said, thinking back to that night. “Because you made me feel like there was no one else you’d rather be with, that I was the most important person in the world when you were talking to me.”

“You were wearing a leather skirt and a silky top,” he said, leaning in close. “And heels that almost made me choke on my drink when you walked in.”

Penny tilted her head back. “That skirt was way too short. My roommate made me wear it.”

Daniel’s index finger stroked the top of her hand. “I wasn’t complaining.”

The music was loud and the crowd was getting more intense. Penny found herself pressed up against Daniel as someone bumped her from behind.

His chest was firm as her hand slid between them to push back slightly. Penny was light-headed and it had nothing to do with the half-glass of champagne she’d downed.

“Want to head outside?”

She nodded.

Daniel gripped her hand tight and led her through the people surrounding them. No one stood in his way, and she liked it, tucked behind him as he moved.

Even though she was respected by her unit and superiors, size wasn’t what made her tough. It was her mind and her attitude that had seen her succeed, not the fact that a crowd would part if she put on a tough face and strode ahead.

Daniel, on the other hand, had the brains and the brawn.

Cool air hit her face as she stepped out the door behind him.

“That’s better.”

Daniel kept leading her, out onto the patio and to the far corner where there were fewer people.

“It never used to be this packed full of people ten years ago.”

Daniel’s face was suddenly serious.

She took a step toward him that stopped as the band finished their song and the place was silent.

“We could have stayed inside after all if they’re taking a break for a while.”

Daniel shook his head, reached for her glass, and set both of them on the low ledge nearby. He returned and took her hands in his.

“Listen,” he said, the word little more than a breath of air.

“Daniel …” He held one finger to her lips to stop her from talking, then turned her around, toward the bar from where they’d come.

Daniel pulled her back against his chest, so she was leaning into him. “Listen,” he whispered again.

“We’ve had a request for a different kind of song this evening,” said the lead singer, voice gravelly, the microphone squeaking as he spoke to the crowd. “I’ve been reliably informed that it’s a firm favorite. An oldie but a goody.”

Penny shut her eyes, her body at peace against Daniel’s, immersed in the music of their special song.

She’d never imagined he would even remember the littlest of details. But he did. He had.

His lips touched the back of her head before he murmured to her.

“Do you want to dance?”

She bit down on her bottom lip, resisted the urge to grin at him.

“You sure know how to make a girl feel remembered.”

His hands traced across her shoulders then settled on her hips as she tucked her face into the hollow between his shoulder and collarbone.

“What I want is to make you feel loved.”

That, too. He did make her feel loved. But she couldn’t say it out aloud, wasn’t ready to push her feelings that far.

Penny shrugged her thoughts away, refused to over-think the situation and let her body enjoy the moment while it lasted. They swayed, the gentlest of motions, the length of their bodies pressed together as they moved in time to the music.

Suddenly nothing else mattered. Nothing else was important. Except for the slow music keeping their bodies touching, giving them an excuse to be so close they could have been one.

She’d never stopped loving Daniel, no matter how much she’d tried to think otherwise.

She’d never stopped wanting this, no matter how much she’d struggled, never stopped wishing they could step back in time and recover what they’d once had.

“And I’m free, free falling,” Daniel murmured against her cheek.

She was, too. Falling so hard that she knew she’d never survive the drop if he wasn’t there to catch her.

The song started to fade, the music stopping and being replaced by a louder, more modern song. She wondered what he’d done to convince the band to deviate and play it.

“Is it wrong that I want you to forget serving our country and stay home with me?”

Penny let her eyes slide shut again and pressed her cheek to Daniel’s as he lowered his face.

“No,” she whispered back. “It’s not wrong. It’s just.” “How I feel about the woman I love.” Penny swallowed, too afraid to respond. She didn’t want this moment to end. Didn’t want to deal with the realities of what had happened, of what had torn them apart in the first place. Didn’t want to think about what the coming months held.

What she wanted was to enjoy now. “Spend the night with me, Penny.” Goose pimples rippled across her skin. She had a feeling he wasn’t talking about sharing a bed and spending the night on opposite sides of the mattress.

“Daniel, I …” She what? She had no idea what she wanted, whether she was ready, but she wanted to. There was no denying that.

“What about Gabby? Your mother …”

“If we’re not home by midnight she’s staying the night anyway.”

Oh, hell.

Could she do this?

“But …”

Daniel’s hand slid down to her lower back, cupping her firmly, before tipping her back. His lips founds hers, crushing them, tasting her as he dipped her.

All thoughts fled Penny’s brain. All she could think about was the feel of him beneath her fingers, the way his mouth teased so gently across hers. The pull of her mind, body and soul to his.

Daniel pulled away and she pushed her stomach in toward him, anchoring them together. She didn’t need to ask him to know what he was thinking, what he wanted.

“What do you say?” he asked, dimple creasing as he smiled. The gentle, kind look in his eyes reassured her, told her she was safe with him. That she could say no and he wouldn’t push her.

But no wasn’t the answer she wanted to give him.

“Yes.”

Daniel didn’t need any further encouragement. He snaked his arm back around her waist and tugged her inside, not pausing this time to ask her if she was sure.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Somewhere we can walk to.”

Penny looked down at her feet, then at him. “In these heels?”

Daniel placed a kiss on her cheek as they walked. “No, not in those shoes.”

He swept her up off her feet, making her feel lighter than a strip of cotton candy. His arms were firm around her, holding her tight to his chest, his grip strong.

“Better?”

Penny laughed. “I think you’d better put me down.” Not that she wanted him to. Not that she wanted to take her head from his chest where it had fallen to rest, or give up the feeling of lightness, of feeling loved. “People are staring.”

He stopped and put her carefully to her feet. “I don’t care what people think, but your skirt’s probably too short for being carried like that.”

Penny’s cheeks flushed as she grabbed at her hemline. “Daniel!”

He shrugged, but the smile caught her off guard and made her laugh all over again.

“Think of this as a trip down memory lane,” he told her, eyes still smiling but his tone more serious. “We spent our first night …”

“At that little hotel a few blocks from here,” she finished for him.

“Yeah.” He bumped his hip into hers as they walked.

“What made you think of all this, Daniel?” she asked.

He stopped walking and caught her face in both of his hands, palms pressed to her cheeks.

“Because this is how we fell in love once, Penny. And I hoped it was how we’d fall in love again.” His words were tender, heartfelt, and she couldn’t ignore the way he was watching her.

Only she didn’t know what to say in response. But she did know what to do.

Penny stood on tiptoe and let her lips flutter over Daniel’s. Tears prickled behind her eyes, but she denied them access. This was not the time to get emotional. It was time to think of nothing other than how Daniel was making her feel right now.

He took her hand in his and led her down the street. Penny followe co‘€d, numb with worry, yet with a tingling in her belly that told her she was doing the right thing.

Back in the Soldier’s Arms/Here Comes the Groom

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

DANIEL’S body was thrumming with an energy he’d forgotten he could even possess. Penny’s hand in his was soft, her body skimming his as they walked.

He’d wondered if he’d ever feel like this again, and right now it was as if his life was finally back on course again.

“Why don’t you head over to the elevator and I’ll collect the keys.”

He saw a look he presumed was embarrassment cross her face. Daniel pulled her in tight and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

“I have a room booked,” he told her. “I did it just in case, and I didn’t want you to feel embarrassed about walking in off the street.”