The Officer Breaks the Rules (17 page)

“Uh-huh.” Jeremy side-eyed her but said nothing more.

“Are you going to sit?” Matthew patted a cushion beside him. “We can scoot over, right,
Veronica?”

“Sure,” she said with a grin. Madison watched her friend blush just a little, and
felt a tingling sense of dread. No, no. She was looking into it too much.

Madison started to walk toward the couch, but a jerk on her shirt had her plopping
down in front of the coffee table on the floor, right next to Jeremy.

“Looks a little crowded over there already,” he commented idly. “We’ll hang down here.”

“Oh, will we?” Madison asked sweetly.

“He’s probably right. I don’t mind having the couch to ourselves,” Matthew said.

She narrowed her eyes at Matthew, who gave her a shit-eating grin back in response.

Madhouse. The place was a madhouse.

After a few more minutes and a little more theatrical bloodshed, Veronica squirmed
a little. “I’m actually not great with these kinds of movies. They sort of make my
stomach ache.” She stood, shooting Matthew an apologetic grimace. “I’m sorry.”

Matthew looked concerned. “No worries. I’m not a big action man myself. Why don’t
we grab some sodas and head out to the porch? Clear night to watch the stars.”

“Sure,” Veronica breathed and followed him out easily.

“Shit,” Madison murmured.

“Jealous?” Jeremy asked, biting off the word like it tasted bad.

Madison rolled her eyes and started to stand. She couldn’t, regardless of what it
might look like, let Veronica dig herself too deep into a possible infatuation with
Matthew. She knew what Veronica was seeing. Good-looking guy, easy on the eyes, a
sweetheart with a charming smile. But despite Madison not knowing much about her past,
she got the distinct impression that Veronica was more sheltered than she would like
everyone to believe. More naive. And she feared the poor thing would hang her hopes
on a man who hung all
his
hopes on the other team.

She turned to make her excuses to Tim and Skye, only to find them absorbed in each
other. “Newlyweds,” she said with a sigh and headed for the patio.

She slid the glass door open and walked out, praying she wouldn’t have to step in
between the two of them. Hoping Matthew realized the possible problem.

“And that’s Cepheus.” Veronica pointed up in the sky. When Matthew pointed as well,
she grabbed his wrist and directed him a little to the left. “There. Now you’ve got
it.”

Madison froze. Veronica all but shied away from touching men. The fact that she felt
so comfortable with Matthew could be nothing but bad, bad news.

“Hey, guys,” she said, announcing her presence. She flopped down into another lounger
and watched for some sign of anger or frustration from Veronica at crashing the intimate
moment.

None there. Her roommate simply smiled. “Hi. I was showing Matthew the few constellations
I know. Not many, I admit. Do you know some?”

Stars? Seriously? That’s all they were up to? She glanced quickly at Matthew, who
seemed to be innocently staring up into space. “Uh, sure. Let’s see, over there we’ve
got Draco. And if you looked just a little behind us, you’d find—”

“Ursa Major.” Jeremy’s voice cut through the quiet night like a knife. He sat down
at the edge of Madison’s lounger and pushed her feet to give himself some more room.
“But it’s a little cloudy that way so you won’t see it right now.”

“Right,” Madison said, then mouthed
what
the
hell
are
you
doing?
toward him. He merely grinned, a wolfish action that made her want to shiver. Not
at all a friendly face.

“I thought you were going to head home soon,” Madison asked Matthew. Her friend raised
a brow at her and she mumbled, “Well, that’s what you said.”

He rolled his eyes, shook his head, and said, “Hey, Veronica, would you mind grabbing
us a couple of waters and maybe a blanket or two? It’s going to get chillier out here
and I don’t want you to get cold. I’d go, but you used to live here so I’m sure you
know where it all is.”

“Oh. Sure, I’ll go, no problem.” Veronica stood.

Matthew gave her a pointed look. “Maybe you could help her, Mad.”

“No, I’m not thirsty.”

“Help her,” he said again, more steel in his voice.

She wanted to argue, God did she ever. But she recognized that tone of voice and knew
that there was a purpose to Matthew’s order. So, in the trusting way of best friends,
she nodded and followed Veronica inside, closing the glass door behind her.

***

Jeremy watched Madison’s back as it disappeared into the darkened townhouse.

“What are you playing at, Phillips?”

His head snapped back to Matthew. Taking his time, he shifted so he was sitting in
the chair properly, with Matthew at his side. “I might ask you the same thing.”

The other man sighed. “I was afraid you might make this difficult. Look, we went over
this before, didn’t we? I love Madison—”

A growl escaped Jeremy’s throat, completely catching them both by surprise. Though
Matthew smiled like it was funny.

“I thought so. You’ll have to get used to that. She’s my best friend, and she will
always be my best friend. But I told you once I wouldn’t go after her, and I meant
it.”

Jeremy absorbed that for a moment. “It’s hard to believe someone who spends so much
time with her wouldn’t at least give it a try,” he admitted finally.

“Maybe,” Matthew said with a chuckle. “But she’s missing a few assets I look for in
a partner.”

“Missing a few assets?” For some ungodly reason, Jeremy felt insulted by that thought.
“What the hell is wrong with you? She’s not missing anything.”

“Except a Y chromosome,” the other man answered easily, taking a sip of his soda and
staring back up at the stars.

“Except a… oh.” Cue the
I
feel
like
a
dipshit
music. “Uh-huh.” He scratched his chin, wondering how to avoid the minefield he had
just inadvertently stepped right into.

“Don’t turn it into a big thing.” Matthew waved a hand as if swiping a slate clean.
Hopefully Jeremy’s. “It is what it is; I am what I am. I don’t make a big deal of
it. If people want to bitch and moan about me being gay, so be it. But I don’t think
you’re that kind of person.”

“No, I’m not.” And really, he wasn’t. It was the surprise, the abrupt one-eighty,
that his mind had to take to follow this new train of thought that was throwing him
off.

Matthew nodded once. “Thought so. I don’t talk about it, because it’s nobody’s business.
But when I say Madison’s safe with me… I mean it.”

“Clearly.” He settled back in the chair, feeling at once more relaxed and more ridiculous
than he had in quite a while. “Sorry.”

“It’s nothing. Between us, if I ran that direction, I’d be giving you one hell of
a fight for her. Not that it would be much of a fight, since I’d clearly kick your
ass in a New York minute.” He gave Jeremy a wink. “So count your blessings and don’t
be a dick.”

“Nice advice.” So simple, so easy.
Don’t be a dick.

He could try it on for size.

***

Madison watched as Veronica poured a glass of ice water for herself, then for Matthew.
She turned and held up the pitcher. “Did you want one, Madison?”

“No thanks.” She popped up to sit on the kitchen counter, smiling when Veronica shot
her a disapproving look for sitting up there. “Sorry, Mommy. This is just how I do
it.”

“I know.” She sighed and settled the pitcher back in the fridge. She took a sip of
her water and smiled. “Matthew is very nice.”

Oh
boy. Here we go.
Her chest tightened in anticipation of the difficult conversation ahead. “Veronica,
uh, look. I think we should have a quick chat about Matthew.”

Veronica tilted her head expectantly, a blank look on her face. “Okay.”

“I hope you aren’t, uh, aiming for him.”

Veronica tilted her head the other way, a line of confusion creasing her forehead.

“Matthew’s not available. For you, I mean.”

Veronica blinked.

“I mean, he’s not really looking to date… a woman.” Oh, this was so not going well.

Veronica’s nose scrunched up. “I don’t think I understand.”

She took a deep breath and let it out again, heat creeping up her neck. “He’s gay.
Matthew, I mean.”

“Oh. Well, yes. Of course.” Veronica grabbed the second glass with her other hand.
“Did you just find out?”

“What? No!” Good Lord.

“Did you think I didn’t realize that?”

“Uh…” There was no safe way to answer that, so Madison stalled by twisting her hair
back into a ponytail and securing it with the band she kept around her wrist.

“I think he’s a lovely person, and very sweet. Though he did intimidate me a little
at first. He’s rather big, muscular. Now I know he’s practically a kitten. I would
like to hang out with him some more. But I’m not looking to date him,” Veronica said
slowly, like she was speaking to a child. “Honestly, Madison. I think your own preoccupation
with love is making you a little crazy.” With that, she turned on her heel and headed
out the door. Just before she closed the glass behind her, she nodded toward the blankets
they’d found and set on the kitchen table. “Bring those out with you.” She shut the
glass door with a snap.

“Yes, ma’am,” Madison murmured, feeling distinctly like she’d been put in her place.
Which she deserved.

She grabbed the set of blankets and headed outside.

Jeremy waited like a freaking teenage girl by his cell phone, hoping it would ring.
He’d left Tim and Skye’s place after the movie ended two hours earlier, sure that
the others would be taking off soon after. And maybe they had. But so far, Madison
hadn’t called or texted.

And he sat around, waiting like an idiot for a call that wouldn’t come.

So he instead turned to the forms sitting on his desk. A desk he had felt such triumph
at that afternoon now felt like a millstone just waiting to hang itself around his
neck. The simple form to fill out that would cement his next three years in the Corps.
The papers felt like lead when he picked up the small folder. Dread settled low in
his gut, just as it had the time before.

It’s a good career. A fine way to make a living. Respectable. Honorable.

Oh holy shit. Had his inner monologue just sounded like his own father?

He let his head bang down on the desk, rattling the cup of pens and the mouse. Jesus.
He’d slowly slipped into his own father’s life. On purpose? Or out of sheer habit,
unconsciously?

Did it really matter?

He stared once more at the folder. God, this wasn’t what he wanted. But somehow, it
still felt like what he needed. His father’s obvious desire for Jeremy to follow in
his footsteps. To honor his father’s career with his own. Continue on the legacy.

And he owed it to his father. Right? The man could have dumped him on his grandparents
permanently when his mother died. At times, Jeremy felt like that’s what he wanted
to do. That he would have, if Jeremy hadn’t slipped so easily into his life. Claimed
to want to be just like his father. Joined the Junior Marines, then Junior ROTC as
soon as he could. Get an ROTC scholarship for college. Commission right after graduation.
Just like his old man.

If that pride hadn’t been there, would his father have kept him around? Maybe. More
often than not, though, Jeremy had his doubts.

His phone rang and he knocked it off the desk in his haste to grab it. Breathing hard
from relief, he answered.

“I’m sorry, must have the wrong number. I called Jeremy Phillips. This sounds more
like the Creepy Stalker Hotline.”

He calmed his breathing and tried again. “What’s up, Mad?”

She paused. “I was just curious if you were busy.”

The folder seemed to shift on his desk, though he knew that was stupid and impossible.
It caught his eye, nonetheless. He shoved it back, under the keyboard. “Nope. Nothing
going on.”

“Right.”

An awkward silence.

“Madison? Did you want something?”

She sighed. “Yeah. Are you going to let me have it?”

You
can
have
anything
you
want.
The answer almost flew out of his mouth. “Depends.”

“I know we said to cool it and all. But I’m… ”

What? Lonely? Missing him? Wanting more?

“Horny,” she finished, a definite hint of humor in there.

“Uh-huh. Are you sure you didn’t mean to dial one of those 1-900 numbers instead of
the Creepy Stalker Hotline? Sounds more your thing.”

She laughed, and his body tightened in response. He liked how she laughed, engaging
her whole body. When she lay next to him, sweaty from another round of mind-blowing
sex, she would laugh, and he could feel her whole body contracting with the force
of it.

“No. I called the right number. I hope.”

Those two words hung in the air like a promise. Or maybe like a curse.

Say nothing. Hang up. Don’t keep doing this to yourself. To her. Don’t.

“Wanna come over?”

“Yeah.”

Idiot. He was a total idiot.

But at least this idiot was going to enjoy his night.

***

Madison curled up beside Jeremy, warm and content and completely ready to snooze.
But she somehow knew that they needed to have The Talk soon. That their affair couldn’t
go on much longer without having a conversation about where things were honestly headed.
A serious one. One that would lay down the gauntlet.

And if he didn’t pick it up, then that would be the end of it. The final straw. No
more hope for them. No more turning back, pretending it didn’t happen. She wouldn’t
have the dreams of What Could Be with him any longer. Just the depressing memories
of What Might Have Been.

“Jeremy.”

He didn’t make a sound.

She rubbed one foot up and down his calf. “Jeremy.”

Nothing.

She rolled over, sure he hadn’t actually fallen asleep so fast. Two minutes ago, he’d
been inside her, hard as a rock and still sweating from their intense round of lovemaking.

But when she peeked, his eyes were closed, lashes set so gently against his cheeks,
breathing deep and even.

Okay. Maybe he could have fallen asleep.

So they’d have The Talk tomorrow. She snuggled back down beside him, head pillowed
on his chest, one leg draped over his. His body heat seeping into her, keeping her
warm despite the coolness of the night air around them.

They’d talk tomorrow. And if nothing else, she’d have one more night of uninterrupted
sleep to remember.

***

Dwayne tossed his cover on the bed and sat down next to it, too tired to even contemplate
bothering with his boots quite yet. Or maybe not bothering at all. Twenty-fucking-four
hours without shut-eye made Dwayne a cranky boy. He could sleep for a week, if he
only had the chance. And with the pain meds the doc gave him, he probably would. Those
things were intended to knock a rhino back on its ass.

A faint buzzing sound penetrated his brain fog, but he shook it away. He was too tired
for anything, even imagined distractions. He scrubbed one hand over his face.

The buzzing kept going, despite his willing it away. Not imagined then. He used his
good arm to push off the bed and walk toward his computer, seeing an incoming call
on Skype from Madison.

He almost turned the speakers off and ignored the call. Madison wouldn’t care; he’d
just explain it to her later. She knew the deal. Sleep came before all else, especially
when healing.

But then he wondered…

No. She wouldn’t.
Nice
dream, big guy, but there’s no way.

But if it was…

Almost on autopilot, his hand shifted to the mouse and he clicked Answer.

Like his dream, Miss Veronica appeared on the screen. Holy hell, had he conjured her
there?

“Hi,” she said shyly, a questioning tilt to the end of the word.

He thumped down in his computer chair, the rusted metal shrieking in protest. “Hi.”

She fiddled with the ends of her hair, the same long braid he’d always seen her with.
The tail draped over her shoulder and onto the desk in front of her. “I thought you
might still be in your room before work. I didn’t know what time you…” She trailed
off, squinted at the screen. “Is that a sling?”

He shrugged his good shoulder. “Yeah. Had myself a little misunderstanding.”

“With what, a brick wall?”

She was getting feistier. He liked that. “Not quite.” More like an IED and his MRAP.
The one fucking time his boots moved outside the wire and he gets hit with an explosive.
Luck was not always on his side.

But she didn’t need to know that bit. “It’s just dislocated.” Probably. “I don’t even
need the sling. But doc wants it stabilized.”

“Oh, you poor thing. Should I let you go?”

“No. No, don’t do that.” Her soft, soothing voice was like a balm to his tired, frazzled
nerves. He’d been awake all night, in and out of the infirmary, checking up on his
Marines. Being checked on himself. The word
exhaustion
didn’t begin to cover it. But the adrenaline in his system wouldn’t let him contemplate
hitting his rack. Not yet. The drugs would push him under, but the fog they created,
the alternate version of true sleep, fucked with his brain.

“Well, can I…” She grew quiet, closed her eyes, and smiled. “Sorry, I was about to
ask if I could help. But that’s silly, isn’t it? You’re thousands of miles away. Not
as if I could run over with a bowl of soup.”

“This helps. Having something else to concentrate on.” Which reminded him… “What brings
you to call?” So far each conversation they’d had resulted from an accident or being
in the right place at the right time. This was the first time she’d truly reached
out and made contact on purpose. Which felt damn good.

She started playing with the ends of her braid again, fingers nervously plucking,
pushing, and pulling at the strands. “I’m not sure. I sat down to do a little research
on a paper and send an email. And then after that, I couldn’t sleep.” She paused.
“It’s late here, you know.”

He smiled. “Yeah. I know.”

“And then I saw the Skype button and I just—” She put her hair down and looked straight
at him. “Promise you won’t laugh?”

He crossed his heart with his good arm. “Promise.”

Her nose scrunched up, as if still deciding whether to say it. But then she shook
her head and said, “I just felt like maybe you might need to talk.”

She had no clue how true that statement was. “I never mind a friendly face. Yours
happens to be prettier than most.”

She flushed, not just a faint blush of color across her cheeks, but a total flush
that crept up her neck and straight past her cheeks into her hairline. “You say outrageous
things on purpose, don’t you?”

He’d called her pretty. On a scale of one to outrageous, that ranked pretty damn low,
in his estimation. But she was clearly shy. “Just speaking the truth.” He felt his
eyes droop but fought to keep them open. “I might not be much of a conversation partner
today, just so you know.”

“You really should be sleeping, shouldn’t you?” Concern and worry laced her voice.
“I’ll hang up now. You go on to bed.”

“Can’t sleep. Not quite yet. And I don’t wanna take the meds they gave me. Knock me
on my a—butt. Don’t like ’em.”

“Oh.”

He gave her a lazy grin. “You could talk to me, though. I like the sound of your voice.”

“You do?”

“Hmm. Yup. Tell me something.”

“What do you want to know?”

For whatever reason, his video chats with Miss Veronica were becoming the highlight
of his deployment. For damn sure, they were more entertaining than the last few first
dates he’d been on. He wanted to know her inside and out. What made her tick, kept
her motor running.

What revved her engine.

He shifted a little in his seat, fighting off an ill-timed—and surprising—erection.

“You look uncomfortable. Should you still be sitting up?”

“I’m good.” That was the problem with nothing but your hand for company. Not nearly
satisfying enough, and even the hint of something sexy had you harder than Kevlar.
“Tell me something nobody else knows.”

She nibbled on her bottom lip and glanced around her as if making sure nobody would
overhear. Then she smiled a little, but this one seemed a little sad. “I didn’t have
many friends before I moved here.”

That took him by surprise. “I find that hard to believe. Sweet thing like you, I’d
think you were swimming in the deep end of the friend pool.”

“Let’s just say, I’m still learning how to doggy paddle.” She grinned. “But Madison
is the best. And Tim and Skye. Even Jeremy.”

Jeremy. Something completely unwelcome and totally unexpected reared its ugly head
deep in his gut. Something akin to jealousy. “Hanging out with Jeremy a lot, huh?”

She made a face and shook her head. “Mostly only with the group total. I think he
didn’t really want to accept me here at first. But he’s getting friendlier.”

Sounded like Jeremy. Slow to trust, cynical always. He relaxed a bit. “What do you
girls do when you hang out?”

She lit up like a Christmas tree. “Oh, well, we go shopping. I never really realized
how fun shopping was. And movies. I didn’t know how much I was missing out on with
movies. Madison is a total movie buff.”

“Yeah. We usually watch all the new releases together when I’m there.” He settled
back farther in his chair. “Who were you emailing?”

“My aunt and uncle. Skye’s parents.” She grinned again. “I lived with them for a while
before moving here.”

Dwayne let her hop from one topic to the next, never slowing down. It was the most
he’d ever heard her speak before, and he had a feeling she wasn’t a real chatterbox
on her own. So that she felt comfortable enough to keep talking with him was a little
ego boost.

Slowly, his eyes started to close. He could still listen to her with shut eyes. His
ears worked fine. And she didn’t seem to mind. Miss Veronica kept on going like nothing
was different.

And with her sweet voice in his mind, he slipped under and into the dreamless darkness
that called to him.

***

Veronica watched as Dwayne slumped forward, settled, then started breathing more deeply.
She watched his chest rise and fall in steady rhythm. She debated making a sound to
wake him so she could encourage him to head to bed. But then the thought that she
could startle him and have him fall off his chair made her rethink that plan. Though
the angle didn’t look entirely comfortable, she assumed if he started to get sore,
he would wake up and shift over to his bed.

Maybe she should be insulted that her voice had put him to sleep. But she knew it
wasn’t boredom that slid him under, but a final sense of calmness. Of being able to
relax enough for his brain to step back and give his body the chance to rest. Poor
guy. Even while he joked and tried to look calm and in control, the signs of pain
and discomfort had been written all over his face.

He was deep asleep, that much she knew. The deep rumbling snores couldn’t be missed.
But for some reason her finger hovered over the end call button rather than clicking
it. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. And really, it was a safe, harmless way
to investigate the male half of the species. Especially this one.