Hot-Blooded (9 page)

Elena stared at him. “Yes, I understand. Now let go, you’re hurting me.”

Chase snatched his sunglasses off and although he loosened his grip, he didn’t release her. “I’m dead serious, Elena.”

“So am I.” She tried to disengage herself, but his fingers were locked around her arm. “Listen, Chase, I appreciate your concern, I really do. But just because we…” She broke off, not sure how to continue and then decided to just be blunt. “You’re not responsible for me just because we spent one night together.”

“I know that, damn it.” He stepped closer, and Elena felt her breath catch at the intensity of his expression. “But the fact is, whether you like it or not, we have a connection. Don’t pretend that you don’t know it’s true.”

They had a connection.
Elena’s heartbeat quickened and the air changed. She could almost feel the electric charge that crackled between them. But there was no denying that what he said was true. There
was
a connection between them.

“Yes,” she finally acknowledged. “I know it’s true. But you said yourself that you won’t give me any preferential treatment, so why are you doing this?”

“Because I don’t want you to rely on anyone else—not the female soldiers you bunk with, and not even me—to help you out if there’s an emergency, okay? You need to know exactly what to do without being told and without freaking out.”

Elena arched an eyebrow at him. “I assure you that I would not
freak out.
”

“Let’s hope we never have to find out.”

His expression was inscrutable in the hazy light, and Elena was suddenly conscious of the fact that they were alone in the bunker. He was standing close enough that she could actually smell his scent, and it brought all the memories of the previous night rushing back. The feel of his lips. The texture of his skin.

The way he tasted.

“I—I should go,” she said, aware of how breathless her voice sounded. Her gaze drifted over his face and lingered on his mouth. He still held her, but now his grip changed. His hand slid down the length of her arm and captured her hand, turning it over and stroking his thumb over her palm.

“So fucking soft,” he muttered.

The expression on his face was so sensual that Elena’s breath caught, and she couldn’t prevent her fingers from curling around his. “Chase…”

He made a rough sound of defeat and hauled her against his chest as he lowered his head toward hers. Elena had only an instant to register the unyielding surface of his protective vest and the hard jut of his utility belt when a voice interrupted them from outside the bunker.

“Sergeant McCormick, sir! You down here?”

Chase pushed Elena away from him just before a shadow appeared in the entrance to the bunker. The soldier came to an abrupt halt when he saw Elena.

“Sorry, sir,” he said in a rush, and Elena saw it was Mike Corrente. “You’re needed at tactical. Intel says a large force of Taliban fighters is congregating about six miles down the south road.”

The transformation in Chase was immediate and a little alarming to watch. In the space of a heartbeat he went from warm and intimate to cold and professional.

Gripping Elena’s elbow, he steered her toward the entrance, his strides long and purposeful. “I’ll take my men and use the north road to circle around and position ourselves above them.”

Elena had to trot to keep up with Chase as they exited the bunker, and her heart rate kicked up a notch at the thought of him in danger.

“Best we can tell, they’re hoping to overrun the compound after nightfall. Charlie Platoon was in the one of the villages outside Spera to pick up this guy who the villagers say has ties with the Taliban. But now they’re on their way to intercept these guys.”

“Tell them to avoid the wadi,” Chase said. “That entire riverbed is an ambush point.” He pulled Elena to a halt outside the Tactical Operations Center. “Go back to your living quarters and stay there, understood? Mike’ll have someone escort you to the chow hall, and then back to your hut. Under no circumstances are you to leave it without a military escort. And remember what I said. If those sirens go off, you get your ass into that bunker.”

Elena nodded. “What about you?”

For just a moment, his face softened and he reached out to stroke her cheek. “Don’t worry about me. This is what I do best. Just take care of yourself.”

But as he turned and took the stairs to the operations center two at a time, Elena realized she wasn’t afraid for herself at all.

All her thoughts were centered on Chase.

The knowledge that he might be killed caused her chest to constrict. She’d told herself that what they’d done hadn’t meant anything. They’d been two strangers who had briefly taken pleasure in each other, knowing that such enjoyment might not be available to either of them again for a very long time. Whatever connection they shared went no deeper than a physical attraction. So why, then, did it feel as if he’d taken a part of her with him when he left?

“How long will Ch—Sergeant McCormick be gone?” she finally asked.

The sergeant shrugged. “Hard to say. He and his men could be gone overnight, or they could be gone for a week.”

“What is it that he does, exactly?”

Mike slanted her a quizzical look. “You really don’t know? He and his men do recon, and they’ve actually taken out several key Taliban leaders.”

Elena frowned. “But he just arrived this morning, right?”

They’d arrived outside the door to Elena’s hut, and the sergeant paused to consider her. “This is McCormick’s fourth deployment to this region. His was one of the first special ops teams to be dropped into this zone after the war began. Hell, he helped to establish this as a base when it was little more than a series of mud huts surrounded by stone walls. If anyone knows this region, it’s McCormick.”

Elena digested this information. She wasn’t surprised that Chase was special ops; he oozed confidence and capability. It was just part of who he was, and Elena knew instinctively that she could trust him with her life.

But she also understood that a man who was on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan, after having spent a year in Iraq, was a career military guy. He didn’t have the time or luxury for long-term relationships. She couldn’t feel bitter about this, since Chase had told her up front that he couldn’t offer her anything more than one night.

Now she understood why.

Opening the door to her hut, she saw three female soldiers inside, stuffing gear into their backpacks. The one nearest the door gave her a brief nod. She looked to be in her early twenties, with a freckled face and pale blue eyes.

“Ma’am,” she said in way of acknowledgment, and bent back to her task.

The other two soldiers were slightly older, and they barely glanced up as Elena entered. At the far end of the hut, Sylvia sat on her bed watching them, her eyes wide with apprehension.

“Hey, Sylvia,” Elena called. “Sergeant Corrente is going to bring us over to the chow hall.”

One of the soldiers, a pretty girl with dark eyes and hair, looked up when Elena mentioned Sergeant Corrente. Her gaze moved beyond Elena to the door and without a word, she stood up and slung her pack over her shoulder. Squeezing past Elena, she left the hut.

“Perfect,” muttered the other woman, shoving a pair of socks deep into her rucksack. “We’ll be lucky if we get out of here today. Once those two catch sight of each other, nothing else matters.”

The freckle-faced girl laughed. “Yep, got that right. Poor Mike. He doesn’t know whether to be pissed off that Valerie got assigned to the same base as himself, or get down on his knees and thank his lucky stars.”

The first woman snorted. “He’ll be pissed until the first time she gets him alone and rocks his world. Then he’ll be thanking his lucky stars.”

Her interest piqued, Elena stepped into her little cubby and pretended to be absorbed unpacking her duffel bags. In reality, it took all her self-restraint not to peek out the window to see what was happening with Sergeant Corrente and the girl named Valerie.

She looked at Sylvia, who hadn’t moved.

“Sylvia? Hey, you okay?”

“I think your friend is freaked out over the news that the Taliban is closing in,” said the freckled-faced woman, extending a hand toward Elena. She spoke in a soft, Southern accent. “I’m Corporal Callie Linden. I told her it’s no big deal, but I don’t think she believes me.”

“I’m Elena de la Vega.” Elena frowned as the woman stood up. “You’re not actually going out there to confront the Taliban, are you?”

“I’m a gunner, ma’am. If they send a convoy out, then I’ll go with them.” She jerked her head in the direction of the third woman. “Corporal Chapman here does house-to-house searches with the guys because only female soldiers can perform body searches of the local women.” She shrugged. “Like I said, it’s no big deal.”

Elena hesitated. “What you said about your friend and Sergeant Corrente…”

“Val and Mike? What about them?”

“I know it’s none of my business, but were you referring to them having, you know, sex?”

Callie grinned. “Val’s been plotting to get that boy alone since she first laid eyes on him, and I don’t think he’ll put up too much of a fight.”

“Okay, I know this sounds stupid, but I was told in no uncertain terms that sex is strictly forbidden. Is that true?”

The first woman, Corporal Chapman, gave a hoot of laughter. “They can try to forbid it, but it’s happening whether the brass likes it or not. General Order One doesn’t expressly prohibit having sex, but it’s highly discouraged. Yeah, there are rules about how we’re supposed to behave, like we’re not supposed to be in each other’s quarters with the door closed.” She gave another snort. “Like that’s going to deter anyone. Believe me, if two people want sex, they’ll find a way.”

“Those rules,” Elena ventured. “Do they apply to
everyone?
”

Corporal Chapman sharpened her attention on Elena. “Why do you ask? Do you have your eye on one of our boys already?”

Elena couldn’t prevent the heat that washed into her face. “Of course not. I was just wondering.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” But when it became clear that Elena wasn’t about to offer anything more, she shrugged. “Even if the rules don’t apply to you, they apply to the soldier you’re fantasizing about. But like I said, if two people want to be together badly enough, they’ll find a way. We always have female soldiers turning up pregnant and trust me, they didn’t get that way by themselves.”

Elena watched as the women finished stowing their gear and left the building, before turning her attention back to Sylvia. She sat on the edge of her bed, twisting her blanket in her thin fingers.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Elena asked gently. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. We’re protected by some of the best and bravest soldiers in the world.” She adopted a brisk, friendly tone. “C’mon, let’s go get something to eat. Personally, I’m starving.”

But Sylvia only shook her head. “No, I couldn’t eat a thing. My stomach is in knots. I think I’ll just stay here.”

Elena nodded in sympathy. “All right. I’ll bring something back for you, then. Why don’t you lie down and try to get some rest? I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

Sylvia nodded and at Elena’s urging, lay woodenly on the bed with her eyes open, as if she expected the Taliban to burst through the door at any moment.

Elena left the hut and stopped uncertainly when she saw Mike Corrente in a heated, hushed conversation with the dark-haired woman who had left their living quarters so abruptly. Mike wore an expression of extreme frustration and twin patches of color rode high on his cheekbones. Valerie looked defiant. As Elena closed the door behind her, both soldiers looked up, and while Mike was distracted, Valerie took the opportunity to turn and walk away. For a brief instant, Elena was certain that Mike would go after her, before he visibly restrained himself.

“Where’s Ms. Dobbs?” he asked in a clipped tone.

“Not feeling well. Look, if you just want to point me in the right direction, I can find my own way to the chow hall.”

“No doing,” he answered, shaking his head. “I promised McCormick I wouldn’t let you go anywhere alone and I don’t intend to.”

Elena sighed. “Fine. Let’s go.”

As they made their way through the housing area and past the latrines and showers, Elena was amazed at the level of activity on the base. The sound of diesel engines filled the air as a dozen Humvees and armored vehicles prepared to leave the base and patrol the surrounding area. Two helicopters stood on the landing strip, the downward wash of their rotors creating small sandstorms of dust that rolled across the base in billowing clouds.

Elena wondered what Chase was doing at that moment. Had he and his team already left the base? Were they making their way toward the spot where the Taliban forces had been spotted? She knew for a fact that he hadn’t slept the previous night; would he get any sleep this night? Her mind whirled with all the possible scenarios. Her stomach was a knot of anxiety, and she didn’t think she’d be able to eat.

“Here we are.” The sergeant’s voice interrupted her thoughts. They had arrived at the chow hall, and the delicious aroma of grilled burgers and French fries made her mouth water. Inside, rows of tables and benches filled a large room.

“Just grab a tray and move through the line,” Mike instructed, nodding toward the hot food. “There’s also a salad bar and a dessert bar and the drinks are over there. You can pretty much help yourself to whatever you want, as much as you want.”

Elena stared around her, amazed by the selection. “I thought I’d be eating MREs,” she marveled, referring to the prepackaged field rations that the military used in combat.

Mike smiled. “No way. We’re the best-fed military in the world.” He winked at her and patted his flat stomach. “The only problem is the food is almost too good.”

Although it had seemed to Elena that every able-bodied person on the base was gearing up to confront the enemy, the dining area was about half-filled with people, both military and civilian. She saw several of the men who had flown in on the same helicopter with her, and one of them raised a hand in friendly acknowledgement.

Not feeling particularly sociable, Elena smiled but turned to Mike. “I’m just going to grab something and bring it back to my room. You don’t need to wait.”

Planting his feet apart, Mike crossed his arms. “That’s okay, ma’am. I’ll wait.”

Giving him a dubious look, Elena nodded. “Fine. I’ll be right back.”

She quickly chose some sandwiches, fruit and bottled drinks and bundled them all in a paper bag. Despite Mike’s determination to wait for her, she sensed that he was anxious to get back to his job.

The sun was setting behind the mountains as they made their way back toward the living quarters, and Elena could feel the temperature beginning to drop.

“Does it get cold here at night?” she asked.

“It can. We’re in the desert, so the difference between day and night is pretty extreme. Best to wear layers, since you never can tell what the weather will do.” He hesitated before continuing. “So, um, how’re your living quarters working out?”

Elena shrugged. “I grew up with two sisters so I’m sort of used to sharing my space.”

“Did you—did you meet the enlisted women?”

Elena glanced sharply at him. “Do you mean Valerie?”

To her amazement, twin spots of ruddy color appeared on his cheeks. “Yeah. She won’t tell me if she’s going out on patrol, or not. Thinks I’ll freak out, or something.”

“I don’t know about Valerie, but the other two women said they were most likely going out.”

They were approaching Elena’s housing unit when they heard a shrill, terrified scream from inside. Elena barely had time to register what was happening before Mike broke into a run and flung the door to her hut open, disappearing inside. Elena followed, her heart hammering. She reached the open doorway and peered over Mike’s shoulder to see Sylvia standing on top of her bed, an expression of horror on her pale face. She stabbed a finger toward the floor.

“There! Did you see it? Under the bed! It went under the bed!”

Mike worked his way through the cubicles, crouching down to check the floor as he went. “What is it? What am I looking for? A snake? A scorpion?”

“Sp-spider,” Sylvia managed in a choked voice. “A huge spider.”

“Damn,” Mike muttered. “I hate frickin’ spiders.”

Elena stood in the doorway, poised to run, when she saw a dark shape, easily as big as her hand, scuttle across the floor. Only scuttle was the wrong word, because that would imply the thing merely hurried, when in reality it
raced
across the open floor. Directly toward her.

Elena couldn’t help herself. She shrieked and flung herself outside, her eyes scanning the ground in case the thing actually decided to follow her. She was only vaguely aware of several soldiers running in her direction, and from inside the hut, Sylvia squealing in fright.

Strong hands gripped her by the upper arms and gave her a slight shake. “Elena, what’s wrong? Are you all right?”

“Spider,” she managed to gasp as Chase stared down at her. “A huge spider!”

“Wait here,” he said grimly and ducked inside the housing unit.

Elena leaned back against the wall of the hut, listening to the chaotic noises coming from inside. It sounded as if they were overturning the beds in their search for the enormous creature. She could just distinguish Chase’s voice speaking in low tones, presumably to calm Sylvia. She jumped when Mike emerged from the hut, looking a little stunned.

“Ah, you might want to move away a little,” he said when he saw Elena standing beside the door.