Hell Bent

by Arlene Knowell

  “The last supper.” Pat offered tugging at a strand of Mindy’s hair.

  She pointed at him. “Don’t go there.”

  “I’ll be good, I promise.”

  “I’m not sure we should let you go out of the house wearing clothes like that,” Pete said, biting the inside of his bottom lip.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure civilian boys can handle a gal like you,” Pete teased. “You’re a damn hottie even if you are my little sister.”

  She looked at him like he had just forecasted the coming of Christ. “Thank you, Pete, that was very sweet.”

  “Yeah, it isn’t that we won’t date girls like you,” Pat picked up the remote for the television and turned the volume down. “It’s that we know they would shoot us down.”

  She stood between them, then kissed each of them on the cheek. “Take the chance, they might surprise you.”

  She walked into the bathroom and took one more look at herself in the full length mirror. She had to look perfect tonight. She wanted Shane to look at her and think hell, yeah not what the hell did I do? Her favorite jeans were hip huggers that hugged her in all the right places, proving that it wasn’t just her brothers who ran a few laps around the track. The black belt with silver spikes gave her attitude and Shane would like it. Her shirt was simple but demanded attention; hot pink, low cut, curve fitting and hit just above the belt.

  “What time do we expect this civilian heartthrob?” Pete’s eyes teased Mindy.

  “Stop it,” she snapped. “I will be back between 18:30 and 19:00. He has to be at work at 0:400, so we won’t be late.”

  Pete burst into laughter, “How often do you have to discuss the factor of time with him?” he asked. “Do you talk to him in military time, too?”

  “That’s all I know. It took little effort for him to adjust to my knowing military time.”

  “I bet he counts on his fingers.” Pat held up his right hand and touched each finger with his left fingers one by one. “She said 17:00. Do I add twelve or subtract twelve?”

  “Hold that thought.” She pointed her finger. “You’ll see he’s no dummy.”

  Seven

  Mindy flipped her phone closed and grunted. It still amazed her that the hunk of man who was waiting at the door of the restaurant was hers. There was just something about him that made her hot the instant she looked at him and with any luck that feeling would never end. He walked toward her car as she pulled into a parking space. Mindy noted that he’d drawn female attention, but it was easy enough to see why. She stepped from the car and walked toward him.

  “You’ve drawn attention to yourself,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her close against his chest.

  “I’ve got all I want in my arms right now,” he teased as his lips to meet hers in an open mouthed kiss that left the admirers to drool.

  “Let’s go sit at the bar while we wait for our table,” she tugged his finger. “I have to get you out of sight before they out number me and steal you away.”

  He pulled her back into his arms for one last quick kiss. “Not a chance.”

  Mindy walked proudly with him as his hand pressed on the small of her back and slid more than one time over the curve of her ass. She looked at the women who still admired Shane and talked among themselves. “He’s just as good as he looks, but he’s also taken.”

  “Thank you. My ego won’t need to feed again for a long time.” He leaned into her as they made their way through the crowd and toward the bar.

  At the bar, there was just one vacant stool. It seemed

  they’d be waiting somewhere else.

  “Sit down,” he said, nudging her onto the stool as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. “I can keep myself occupied without a seat.”

  A few minutes later, the bartender set their drinks on the bar. With his chest pressed against her back and one arm wrapped around her, he reached for his beer with the other. She looked up at him when he turned the long neck bottle up and took a swig, and damn if he wasn’t about as sexy as they came.

  “You’re staring at me.” He sat the beer back onto the bar.

  “That’s because you’re so hot.” She traced her finger down his beer bottle. “If you didn’t look so good, I might be able to keep from looking.”

  “Oh hell, now you’re as full of crap as your brothers.” He leaned in and kissed her neck softly.

  “Speaking of my brothers.” She turned toward him and arched her face up at him and was pleased when his lips met hers for a soft, moist kiss.

  “What about them?”

  “I want you to meet them tonight.”

  He reached for his beer bottle again. “So, you’re bringing out the civilian hairdresser and giving up the secret?”

  She could tell that mixed emotions had swept through him when she’d asked him to meet the twins. She nodded. “I can’t keep you a secret, because you’re too good.”

  “So what brought this on?” he asked.

  “Well, obviously, I’ve got to get things under control before you and Pat kill each other. But they gave me the business for being out all night and it blew up into this huge fight.”

  “Why do I see myself being crushed when I walk through the door?”

  She swallowed and sat her drink onto the bar. “No, it isn’t like that, I’d never do that to you. I finally made them realize that I’m a real person with real feelings and I can date who I want.”

  “And they agreed with that?” Shane’s eyebrows shot up.

  “After I threatened to move out.”

  “How do you think they’re going to handle it when they find out it’s me? I think I’m at the top of their shit list right now.”

  “We’ll just explain it to them.” She shrugged. “I honestly think they’ll be pleased once they figure out it wasn’t what they were thinking.”

  “Newhope, party of two,” the hostess called over the intercom. “Newhope, party of two.”

  “Well, let’s get me some protein so I can meet your brothers.” He twisted the stool and reached for her. “I might have to fight my way back out of the house.”

  She stepped from the stool and looked up into his eyes. “You need protein, but it isn’t because of my brothers.”

  ~ * ~

  Mindy’s pulse raced as Shane followed her into the parking lot at the apartment building. She was about to introduce her brothers to the man of her dreams, and hopefully she’d have time to explain before all hell broke loose. Her charade had been fun but it hadn’t been worth the consequences. Now, she had to find a way to patch the relationship between her brothers and Shane before they killed each other.

  Shane stepped into the lot and walked up behind her, pressing his body against hers as he leaned and kissed her neck. He growled deeply. “I love that perfume.”

  “Well, I’m glad you like it,” she said as she turned toward him and planted a wet kiss on his lips. “Let’s get this over with so I can have you all to myself.”

  “We can’t go in right now.” He adjusted his crotch “Give me a minute.”

  “Don’t be nervous. They’ll understand.”

  “I’m not nervous, but I’d really rather not meet them with a hard on,” he said, glancing down at the bulge in his jeans.

  Her eyes grew large. “That might not be a good idea.”

  She watched him as he walked around in attempts to clear his mind and reduce his hard on. His jeans were fitting in all the right places, a little too much at the moment. His black T-shirt was tucked neatly into his jeans and was covered by an unbuttoned khaki brown oxford emphasizing

  his big chest.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” he said as he tried to get her attention away from his body. “Mindy.”

  It was very obvious she was drawn into a trance by his perfectly scrumptious body. “Let’s do it,” she said as she grabbed his hand. “It’s a good thing I can’t get a hard on because we’d both be in trouble.�
�

  He almost howled laughing. “Don’t make me think about that again.”

  She opened the door and Pat and Pete jumped to their feet. ”Be nice,” she mouthed silently to her brothers. She pulled the door open wider and crooked her finger toward Shane. He walked through the door and stood there like a soldier under review.

  Pat looked at Pete, then Pete at Pat. They both looked at Mindy, then back to Shane.

  “What in the hell is he doing here?” Pat shot, his face suddenly red with anger.

  She took a deep breath, holding her hand out toward him. “Hold on, Pat, let me explain something to you.”

  Pat charged around the sofa. “You can’t seriously be dating this piece of shit?”

  “Pete, I need your help,” Mindy said softly. “Keep the hot head over there, please.”

  Pete turned toward Pat and gave him some encouraging word that, at least for the moment, kept him at bay.

  Mindy glanced at Shane and then stepped closer to her brothers. “I know you’re both pissed about the way things went down after the shooting. But I need for you to listen to me.”

  If Pat was hearing her words, she couldn’t prove it by his actions. His eyes never left Shane Newhope. “This better be good, because I’ve about had my fill of him standing in my living room.”

  “Stop it!” she snapped. “We got to know each other while I was staying in VOQ because he called me a dozen times a day to check on me. The night that I left the VOQ he asked me out. In fact, he took me home from the VOQ and checked the house to make me feel better. When he brought me home later that night he checked the house again, offered to take me to a hotel or back to the VOQ. He even offered to stay with me, but I wouldn’t have any part of it. He slept outside in his car that night.”

  Pat softened his gaze and blinked as if her words were sinking in. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

  “I swore him to secrecy. I didn’t want the two of you to know that I was dating someone in the military.”

  Pete shot Newhope a surprised look. “You mean you were willing to fight this big idiot rather than tell the truth?”

  Shane took a deep breath. “I made a promise to Mindy. With all due respect, I didn’t owe Pat shit.”

  Pat’s muscles relaxed and a hint of understanding teased his lips. “I’ll be damned. He was willing to get his ass kicked to keep his word.”

  “My ass kicked?” Shane’s brows shot up. “Did you have some help on the way?”

  Mindy let out a long sigh of relief, this was what she had hoped would happen. She hadn’t been prepared for what might have happened if the two had decided to finish their fight. She didn’t feel that she and Pete would be able to do anything other than watch.

  “Wait a minute,” Pete said pulling Mindy into a headlock. “You little twit, you told us he was a civilian.”

  “No.” She struggled away. “You assumed it.”

  “You’ll pay for that one.” Pete shook his finger at her.

  “Now that we have things all cleared up, you guys remember Gunny Shane Newhope.” She lifted his shirt tale and hooked her finger in his belt loop.

  Sheer joy flooded their faces. She winked at Shane who had turned his attention down to her.

  “Hell, yeah!” Pete almost shouted as he reached for Shane’s hand again. “Damn, it’s a relief to see you.”

  Pat looked at Mindy. “You’re lucky we didn’t kill each other. You little witch.” He warned repeating Pete’s action of shaking his finger at her. “I should turn you over my knee.”

  “I had no clue that anything was even going on until I realized that the two of you had matching wounds.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Can you be friends now? Do you like him again?”

  “Damn straight, I like him,” Pat piped. “Beats the hell out of a hairdresser.”

  “Are you two going to let him sit down or bow at his feet first?” Her tone turned humerous.

  It was too funny the way they excluded Mindy from the conversation for the first few seconds as they both slapped Shane on the back and led him to the sofa. It was even funnier when they took a seat on either side of him, leaving her to sit in the wicker chair to the right.

  “I owe you an apology,” Pat said, changing the subject, allowing his eyes to meet Shane’s.

  Shane waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it, man.”

  “You should have told me,” Pat said nodding his head. “Hell, it had to be Mindy that called you when I was talking to you.”

  Shane nodded. “She had rules and I wasn’t willing to piss her off to keep you from giving me hell. The kind of hell you can dish out, I can handle.”

  “You were more worried about what she wouldn’t be dishing out, huh?” Pete teased as he glanced from Shane to Mindy.

  “Is anybody thirsty?” Mindy jumped into the conversation as she walked toward the kitchen.

  Three voices replied, “Yeah, I am.”

  There she was in the kitchen loading her arms up with three glasses of sweet tea only to realize that the one person she didn’t have room to carry a drink for was herself. She puffed a laugh and shook her head, finally realizing the reason she’d waited so long to tell Pete and Pat about Shane. She stopped before she walked back into the living room, unable to believe what Pat asked Shane.

  “Tell me, Newhope, what did you do to Mindy last night to make her chase me with a skillet this morning?” Pat joked.

  She could have curled up in under the kitchen table and died. She knew that the conversation was the kind of thing they were comfortable having, but she would rather not have been the topic. She needed to walk back out there to stop the conversation in its tracks, but her legs wouldn’t move. Truthfully, she was waiting to see if Shane would really give her brothers any details about their night together. If so, she had sadly misjudged him.

  “I plead the fifth, man, I’m not about to give details to

  her brothers,” he said. “What do you think I am, a civilian?”

  She rolled her eyes and sighed with relief. Thank God Shane had passed that test. Of course, he would tell his friends, what guy doesn’t, but telling his friends and telling her brothers was totally different.

  “Count yourselves lucky that I offered, because this won’t happen again.” She pointed out as she handed the drinks to them one by one. “I had room to carry drinks for everyone but me.” She turned and made her way back into the kitchen to retrieve another glass.

  “Careful, Newhope, that’s my little sister’s ass you’re looking at like it’s an ice cream cone,” Pat spat as he elbowed Shane to get his attention.

  Shane met his gaze with a solid expression. “She may be your little sister, but in case you haven’t noticed, she’s all grown up and I really like those jeans.”

  Pete elbowed Newhope then lifted his tea to his lips. “Don’t make us have to kick your ass, Newhope.”

  “Tell me she doesn’t have a hot ass.” Shane held his tea between his legs and lifted his palms into the air in question.

  “Fuck you, man, it’s against the rules to talk about your sister’s ass.” Pat snorted in disgust. “That’s like kissing your grandmother on the lips.”

  Mindy strutted back into the living room. “Can we talk about someone else’s ass, please?”

  “Gladly.” Pete said after taking a swig of tea. “And don’t wear those jeans around him again. Men like him are all about sex.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m somewhat familiar with the type. But I’d just as soon not have that conversation, either.”

  “I can’t believe you held out on us, Mindy,” Pat said as she sat down. “Making us think you were off spending the night with a civilian.”

  “Please forgive me,” she begged with a lopsided grin. “Maybe I knew that the two of you would steal him away when you found out.”

  “Us?” Pete asked, placing his hand on his chest in surprise.

  “Yes, you.” She said as she stood from the chair and sat her drink onto a coa
ster on the coffee table. “But I have

  bad news, we’re about to leave.”

  Shane’s eyes caught Mindy’s and he instantly rose to his feet. “You heard her, we’re just about to leave.”

  “Pussy whipped.” Pete shook his head. “It’s a damn shame.”

  Shane looked at him, an evident smirk on his lips. “Guilty.”

  Laughter caught Mindy’s ears as she walked toward the door, determined not to acknowledge those last comments between Shane and her brothers.

  Shane intertwined his fingers with hers as they stepped outside. “Could I interest you in a movie at my place?”

  “I thought you would never ask.” She turned and wrapped her arms around him. “Or maybe we could skip the movie and get right to the good stuff.”

  “Your brothers are watching us.” He glanced over his shoulder.

  “Well, by all means give them something to look at,” she insisted while pulling him into an open mouthed kiss.

  “They’re gone now.” He pulled away.

  “Now the celebration begins,” she said with a knowing voice only seconds before they watched the silhouettes of her brothers’ high five in front of the double windows.

  “Let them celebrate if they want to,” he said. “I’ve got a little party of my own planned.” He snapped as he reached and swept her off her feet and ran toward his car. “And it has everything to do with those jeans.”

  About Arlene & Judith

  Arlene and Judith are lifelong friends who share a love for writing. Both live in north Mississippi with their respective families; Arlene with her husband, Tim and their dogs. Judith with her teenage daughters Alesha and Katie.

  Arlene and her husband love to travel and she hopes that someday they can retire and travel extensively. As the years to retirement grow longer however, the rat race continues.

  Judith and her children enjoy camping and the outdoors. It is their hope that someday they can see the country as they travel by RV.

  Visit our website for our growing catalogue of quality books.

  www.carnalpassions.com