OBTP (11 page)

stood back grinning from ear to ear.

With a sigh and a shake of her head, Paige pushed the earrings

through her piercings and secured them in place. The jewelry did

complete the look. She couldn't believe that she was staring at own

reflection.

* * * *

had just walked in through the sliding glass doors, flicking water off

his shoulders when he looked up. His eyes grew wide and he released

a low whistle.

Paige was not used to dressing like this, nor was she used to anyone

admiring her and felt the blush of pleasure spread across her face, it

felt good.

Casey looked good too. He had showered and changed out of the

blue jeans and t-shirt, and now wore a pair of black slacks and a

button up grey shirt that made his eyes even bluer, if that were

possible.

Taxi cabs lined up underneath the overhang, but Casey guided them

past the taxis towards a black car. The rain stopped.

He quickly escorted the two women to the black car and opened the

door for Paige, handing her into the front seat, then Rosa into the

back. As soon as he climbed in the car, the rain started again and they

all laughed.

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The traffic was horrendous and Paige held a hand to her mouth to

keep from squealing every time a car swerved or mopeds pulled over

in front of them. She finally just hung her head and closed her eyes to

keep from seeing how close they were to the other cars. Rosa laughed

and poked her shoulder from the back seat and continued chattering

like she always did. "Come on Paige, I'm not that bad of a driver."

Casey teased, squeezing her thigh lightly.

"Just keep your hands on the steering wheel, drive and tell me when

we get there." She responded through clenched teeth without looking

up or uncovering her eyes. Casey and Rosa laughed again.

Finally, they pulled into the parking lot and Paige opened her eyes.

When the engine went dead, she breathed a sigh of relief. They were

at a mall. Glancing over at Casey, then back at Rosa with a

questioning look he smiled.

"There is a really nice restaurant inside the mall. Once we eat,

we're going to The Haven around the corner."

"I'm in your hands tonight." Paige responded then nearly sputtered

from embarrassment when she received a lecherous look from Casey

and a hearty laugh from Rosa.

Dinner wasn't formal, but it was higher class than she expected at a

mall. The food was buffet style, but was fresh and very appetizing.

Sitting beside her, Casey fed her foods that she would have never

otherwise tried. He avoided the shellfish she was averse to. She had

to ask. "How did you know I'm allergic?"

She caught the glance between him and Rosa and a frown creased

her brow instantly.

"Rosa mentioned it before dinner." He answered nonchalantly.

She was going to have to talk with Rosa and ask her not to tell

Casey any more about her. Then the thought hit her, when had she

had time to tell him anything? They hadn't been alone, had they?

She opened her mouth to ask when they had talked, but found a

korokke shoved in her mouth and was forced to sink her teeth into it

before it fell onto her lap. There was no chance to ask once done

chewing and swallowing because Tadd showed up and Rosa was

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eagerly greeting him with a very big hug and kiss. She obviously

didn't care that people were staring.

After dinner, they made their way to the club. It was packed and as

far as Paige could tell, there were people from different countries all

throughout the bar.

Casey leaned over and said something to Rosa when they entered.

Rosa nodded and pulled Tadd along behind her and headed straight

for the bar. Casey didn't bother finding a table because it would be

next to impossible. Instead, he pulled her out onto the dance floor.

The music happened to be a song by Duane Britton she had heard

before. He pulled her into his arms and began singing to her.

"Let me be your ride out of town.

Let me be the place that you hide.

We can make our lives on the go.

Runaway with me.

Texas in the summer is cool."

The sound of his deep voice singing to her made her eyes mist with

tears when his eyes gazed down into her eyes. He substituted Sam's

name with hers and made up words he wanted her to hear.

"
Run away with me.

Paige I know, this is fast.

I know it's crazy but

Paige, I'm in love with you.

We can make plans

Paige we can make plans."

He sang to her from the heart and she melted. Lifting up on the tip

of her toes, she pulled his head down to hers and kissed him. She

wanted the feel of his lips on hers again. She also needed him to stop

singing because she was already falling for him harder than he would

ever know.

She was not one for kissing in front of other people, but with him,

nothing mattered. Their lips clung to one another while they swayed

to the music. Throughout the evening they concentrated on one

another. Talking, learning little things about the other, where they

lived, their families, their lives in general. He was a little older than

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she had thought, thirty three, so she didn't quite feel so bad thinking

he was only twenty five. Nearly the same age as her oldest son who

just turned twenty-one.

The lighting in the bar was dim, but Casey appeared to be able to

see okay. He steered her clear of the crowd and made their way to the

table Rosa and Tadd had secured for them. Paige noticed that Rosa

wasn't dancing, but hanging at the table with Tadd, which was a little

odd. The glasses in front of them were tinted, and looked as if they

were drinking a deep dark red wine.

When she went to reach for Rosa's to take a sip, Rosa quickly

pulled it to her, covering the top with her hand. Shaking her head, she

reached over and pushed a glass of chardonnay over to her.

Paige frowned. Rosa always shared her drink with her. She sipped

from the wine while Casey drank the same drink the others were

having, and then followed it with a couple big swigs on the beer.

Odd, behavior from them all, but she was determined to have fun and

not overanalyze things like she tended to do. It was time for her to

enjoy herself.

When she and Casey danced, men and women alike complimented

them and she was proud to be in his arms. Amazed at how fast the

evening flew by, she was disappointed, but also a little on the anxious

side to be heading back to base, back to her room. She rode in

nervous silence while Casey drove and Tadd made out with Rosa in

the back seat.

Paige was afraid to turn around for fear of seeing what they were

doing with all the sounds she heard. The thoughts of the night before

flooded her mind and she moved slightly in her seat.

Casey chose that moment to reach over and hold her hand and that

small gestured made her happy. Even though the night had turned out

to be even muggier than it had been the night before, she was happy

that his warm hand enveloped hers.

Tadd and Rosa were barely in the door to Rosa's room before

clothing began disappearing. They stood in front of her door. Casey

smiled and Paige gave a nervous laugh when he held his hand out to

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her. She dropped the card key in his palm and he slid it down through

the lock and opened the door.

With her hands clasped together, she walked through the opening

apprehensively. She had only had a couple glasses of wine

throughout the evening, so she was not even a bit tipsy and wished she

was. She felt like she did when she was in high school. She thought

back to her first date with Dalton, the first time he had kissed her, she

hadn't been this nervous. The first time he had made love to her…

She jumped when Casey's hand lightly touched her shoulder.

"You looked like you were off in your own little world."

His softly spoken words brought her out of her own mind. He

seemed to read her so well. Taking his hand, she followed him over

to the couch and sank down into the cushion, tucking a leg under her.

"I was thinking of my first date with Dalton." She told him honestly

then wished she hadn't. Cutting her eyes over at him, she was afraid

he would be mad. But he just nodded, which surprised her.

"I understand you will talk about him Paige. You were with him

for twenty years." Casey pulled her under his arm and leaned back

against the cushions.

She caught the past tense he used and felt a grin spread across her

lips. She couldn't help but think.
Who would have thought I would be

in my lover's arms thinking of my husband?
It felt strange. But it felt

right for him to hold her. Resting her head on his shoulder, she

watched his hand when he picked up the remote and turned the

television on.

Military television was not known for its shows. The late night

shows were already old re-runs back in the states. She wondered

briefly how Rosa had found a porno then remembered that the lodging

provided DVD players and there were places outside the gate to get all

kinds of videos.

His finger's stroked across her bare arm, causing goose bumps to

spread across her entire body. She had a feeling he knew what he was

doing because she heard his light chuckle then he rubbed her arm

quickly, as if to rub the bumps away. Her nipples tightened instantly

at the thought of him running his hand over her body. She was a

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grown ass woman for Pete's sake! She had desires, they had already

had sex. So why was she so nervous? Shifting on the cushion, she

brought her foot over and ran it up, and down his shin, her knee

resting on his thigh.

His hand dropped to her waist. She turned towards him and his

brilliant blue eyes gazed into her bright green ones. She felt as if he

was seeing into her very soul.

"What do you want love?" His voice was a soft sexy whisper.

She gave herself a pep talk. Like she told herself already, she was a

grown woman, just tell him what you want. "I want you to make love

to me."

"You do now?" His lip twitched, but he didn't smile.

"Yes." She glanced down at her hand on his chest, and forced

herself to look at him.

"Baby, there is no reason for you to be shy. Tell me what you

want; I will always give it to you." That was a huge promise and she

knew that was impossible, but she went with it.

She worked up her courage a bit further. Her voice dropped

seductively, or she hoped it was. "I want to you to take me to bed and

make love to me until neither of us can move."

He quirked an eyebrow. . In an instant, he stood with her in his

arms, carrying her to the bedroom. He somehow turned the television

off in the process.

He had moved so quickly, it startled her.

She grabbed at his shoulders while he laughed.

Standing by the bed, he allowed her legs to slowly drop, his hand

coming around her waist, he slid her down the front of him.

She felt the hard bulge in his pants and pressed herself against him.

Gazing into each other's eyes, he lowered his head and kissed her

tenderly. His hands ran up her arms, under the wide straps at her

shoulder and slid one down her arm. The red lacy bra covered her

right breast, but her erect nipple begged for attention.

His fingers grazed lightly over the material, barely touching her.

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She sucked in a breath. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look

tonight?" He breathed on her neck, sending shivers straight to her

core.

"Only about a hundred times, but I love hearing you say it." Her

chest rose and fell with the quickness of her breathing, while his lips

danced along the skin at her throat and neck. The image of him being

a vampire invaded her mind, but she quickly pushed them away as

silly thoughts and moved her hand down to the button of his pants.

His teeth nipped at her neck.

She hissed at the slight pain, but continued until she had the button

and the zipper undone. Her fingers slid along the length of him

through the underwear.

The strap on the left shoulder dropped, exposing the lace covering

her left breast. Bending over, his teeth nipped at her through the

cloth.