God, that had been so long ago, Julia thought, still a bit stung by the rejection, but not devastated as she had been then. She stilled. Had she allowed that old heartbreak to affect all of her relationship decisions? Had the fear of being rejected again made her play it safe? To choose only guys she could conceivably control? She wouldn’t have thought so, but... The subconscious was a powerful tool, and self-preservation even more so.
Her gaze slid to Guy once more. Now there was a heartbreaker if she’d ever seen one. Julia’s breath left her in a soft sigh. He had trouble written all over him and yet that didn’t prevent her pulse from leaping every time he aimed that smile at her. And he could fix her, Julia thought. That bone-melting kiss out in his truck had proved what she’d already suspected. When it came to the how-to’s of sex, Guy McCann was clearly an expert.
She needed an expert.
She needed an orgasm.
In short, she needed him.
“Do you really want to know why he broke up with me?” she asked.
Guy nodded.
“Fine. I’ll tell you.” Julia tossed back the rest of her wine, drawing courage from the alcohol, then straightened her shoulders and pushed her lips into a bitter smile. “Lord Boring--Eeyore--thought I was too dull in the sack.”
There. She’d either scared him off...or thrown down the gauntlet.
Time would only tell which.
CHAPTER 5
Guy didn’t know what he’d expected her to say, but that sure as hell wasn’t it. Her? The little fire cracker he’d steamed up the windows of his truck with just a few minutes ago...too dull in the sack?
He instantly relived the feel of her tongue wrapping around his, her greedy hands kneading his scalp and shoulders, her pebbled breasts raking against his chest. Heat stirred in his loins, making his dick test the strength of his zipper.
No fucking way.
Either Eeyore had an off the charts kink factor--and given his hangdog expression, Guy found that very hard to believe--or he’d been too lazy a lover to satisfy Julia, then laid the blame at her door instead of claiming responsibility for his poor performance.
That seemed more likely. He snorted and shook his head. Selfish bastard.
Still... “Surely to God you don’t believe that,” Guy told her. She was a smart woman. She couldn’t possibly believe that idiot, particularly given her response to him just a little while ago.
She shrugged, looking curiously resigned. “It’s not the first time I’ve heard it.”
“Then you’re having sex with the wrong men. Trust me,” he said, shooting her a smile. “You’re hot.”
Julia grinned, seemingly pleased, though a hint of skepticism still shadowed her gaze. “That’s nice of you to say.”
“I’m not just saying it, dammit. I know. I have carnal knowledge.”
She chuckled, propped her chin in her palm and looked away. “You have kissing knowledge. There’s a difference.”
Tell that too his dick. Talk about hard evidence. “Close enough,” Guy said. “Eeyore’s full of shit.” He leaned back in his chair and laughed as a wonderful, purely selfish idea emerged. “I’d be willing to sleep with you to prove it,” he offered magnanimously. He lifted his glass in her direction and broodingly considered her. “Just say the word and I’m there for you, baby.”
Julia chewed the inside of her cheek and knowing humor danced in her pale green eyes. “I’ll, uh... I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
“Seriously. It wouldn’t be any trouble at all.”
“I wouldn’t want you to put yourself out,” she said drolly.
His gaze tangled with hers. “I’m here to serve.” Conversation paused as their salads arrived.
“You’re supposed to be here for Colonel Garrett, not here to service me.”
He pulled a negligent shrug, forked up a bite of lettuce drenched in dressing. “I’m open to perks.”
Julia let go a shallow breath and for the briefest moment he got the impression that she was actually considering it. First order of business, Guy thought--take down her hair. He didn’t know how long it was, but given the size of the bun, he imagined that it would fall over her shoulders, possibly to her breasts. Ah...
Rosy nipple, long blonde curl...
“Well, be that as it may, I’m here to repay a debt for my father.” She grimaced. “Perks aren’t included.”
They’d get back to that later, Guy thought. In the mean time, he wanted to troll for some other information. “Garrett mentioned that you were the daughter of an old friend. What’s the connection?” He doubted it had anything to do with his own favor, per se, but with the Colonel one never knew.
“My father and Colonel Garrett were in the same unit in Viet Nam. My dad was wounded, would have died, but Garrett carried him to safety.” She chewed the corner of her lip. “For obvious reasons, Dad was grateful. He left the military shortly after the war, but he and Garrett have stayed in touch. They’re both big Civil War buffs and belong to the same re-enactment group.”
Guy inclined his head. He was fully aware of Garrett’s Civil War obsession. He’d sent Payne to Gettysburg several months ago to retrieve a pocket watch which had been rumored to have belonged Robert E. Lee and lost during the Battle of Gettysburg. The damned thing had been undetected for almost one-hundred-and-fifty years and yet Payne had found it within a week--on the chest of a cross-dressing pot-bellied pig, no less.
“Anyway, Colonel Garrett knew what I did for a living, that I have my own practice in Atlanta. I don’t know whether my input for this training session was his brainchild--if he’s pioneering it, so to speak--or if he’d gotten the idea from somewhere else, but he approached my father about it a little over two weeks ago.” She scooted a crouton to the side of her plate with her fork. “Dad said he’d seemed a little...not desperate--” She winced as though not sure that was the right word. “--but uncharacteristically anxious, at any rate, and he asked me if I could take this week off and help him out.” She lifted a shoulder. “Knowing what he’d done for my Dad, how could I refuse?”
How indeed? And Guy would dearly love to know what had rattled the Colonel’s cage enough to make him anxious. Julia was right--that was severely out of character. And he’d be willing to bet his presence here was directly related to whatever had made the Colonel uneasy.
Guy made a mental note to contact Payne when he got back to the house tonight. Instinct told him this was an important piece of information and though they’d been in the same unit, The Specialist had contacts still within the military that Guy didn’t have access to. If he’d learned anything in this business, he’d learned that significant details could be found in the least likely of places and that Brian Payne was the best man at finding them.
“So why do you think Garrett enlisted your help?” Julia asked. “You’re former military, right?”
Guy nodded, smiled as their entrees were delivered. “I’m a former unit leader,” he told her, not altogether sure he wanted to have this conversation, but unable to see a way to avoid it. He carved off a bite of his lamb. “This team we’re going to be working with is the replacement for the one me and my friends were a part of.” He felt his lips twist and tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “According to Garrett he wants the ‘benefit of my experience’ imparted to these new guys.”
“Have you had a chance to look over the curriculum Garrett gave us?”
He had. It contained the usual stuff--team building exercises, critical thinking skills, etc. Frankly, he wasn’t altogether sure what Garrett hoped to accomplish by having him here. He didn’t have anything new to impart. And the benefit of his experience? The only message he had for these guys was to expect the unexpected and know that no matter how thorough and fool-proof your plan, your intel, or your exit strategy, things could still go horribly, horribly wrong.
Danny’s smiling face materialized in his mind’s eye, causing his chest and throat to tighten. He set his loaded fork aside, unable to eat, and quaff
ed the rest of his wine.
Julia frowned. “Is something wrong with your meal?”
“No,” Guy said, attempting to shake off the dread which had settled around his shoulders. “My eyes were just bigger than my stomach.”
“Well, you’ve got to eat more than that, otherwise you’re going to make me look like a hog. This is really good,” she said, obviously enjoying her meal.
“I’m glad you like it.”
A shadow fell over their table. “Well, I’ll be damned,” a familiar smart-assed voice said.
Guy felt every muscle in his body tense and he looked up.
Richard Rutland.
The bastard he, Jamie and Payne had thrashed the shit out of right after Danny had died. The jealous SOB had wanted Danny’s spot on their team and had publicly gloated when Danny had been killed. He’d mouthed off about Danny “being stupid enough to get himself killed” and Jamie, who’d held Danny as he died and who’d carried his lifeless body back to their jeep, had roared in a rage of grief and tackled Rutland.
Honestly, they’d always hated Rutland and had secretly wanted to deck the bastard, so a part of Guy had been thrilled that he’d finally crossed a line and given him permission to do it. Even Payne, the most even-tempered of all of them, had lost it that night.
“Guy?” Julia asked uncertainly as her wary gaze darted between the two of them.
Guy leveled a lethal stare at Rutland. “I’m sure you are,” he said, referencing the asshole’s I’ll-be-damned comment.
Rutland rocked back on his heels and seemed secretly pleased, as though he was privy to some information that Guy didn’t have. “Well, well, well. I wondered how he meant to play it. Gotta give Garrett his due. He’s a crafty old bastard. Brass starts making noise about him losing his touch, touting the benefit of retirement and what does he do?” Rutland smirked. “He brings back the prodigal son he never had.”
Unwilling to be baited, Guy ignored the provoking comment. “We’re eating here, Rutland. Go away.”
Rutland bared his crooked teeth in a smile. “I don’t have to take orders from you now, former Lt. Colonel.”
Guy set his fork aside and stood. His chair legs scraped the floor as he pushed away from the table and the room around them grew quiet. “You can either go away on your own, or I’ll make you.”
Say something, Guy thought. Go ahead. I’d love to wail the shit out of you again.
Rutland sneered at him. “I think you’d find it a lot harder without your buddies. No back up this time. Even odds, eh?”
“Nope,” Guy said, moving further into Rutland’s personal space. “Just more opportunities for me to hit you.” He smiled. “Off base, again, Rutland, just like old times. Only this time the only person who’d get their ass called on the carpet is you.” He paused, letting that little detail sink in. “Like I said, you can either go. Or I’ll make you. What’ll it be?”
Predictably, Rutland backed down. Fucking coward, Guy thought, adrenaline rushing through his veins.
“Is there a problem, gentleman?” the manager asked.
Guy quirked a menacing brow at Rutland.
“No,” Rutland snarled. “I was just leaving.” He flashed an evil smile at Guy. “But I’ll see you around. Count on it.”
Guy glanced at Julia, who was sitting in frozen fascination at their table. Humiliated, no doubt, Guy thought, his own face burning, but with anger. “You ready?”
She nodded shakily. “Er...sure.”
He tossed enough cash on the table to cover the bill, then grabbed her hand and led her out of the restaurant, his thoughts still tangled up with Rutland’s parting comment. Count on it. Guy didn’t have any idea what the asshole had meant, but he knew--knew--that he wasn’t going to like it. He’d been too damned smug and too damned confident.
And if Garrett had left him out of the loop again, there’d be hell to pay.
* * *
Another unexpected personal revelation, Julia thought as they made their way across the parking lot. Evidently she had a blood-thirsty streak because she’d actually been impressed and amazingly turned on by the testosterone show she’d just witnessed.
Her? Sexually excited over the possibility of a fight?
What the hell was happening to her?
She’d pegged Guy for a hell-raising bad ass, the epitome of an alpha-male--a modern-day pirate, Julia thought and mercy, she’d always had a weakness for pirates--but watching him morph from charming date to guard dog had been nothing short of amazing. That guy--Rutland, he’d called him--had been a total ass and, after the shock of the confrontation, Julia had been secretly hoping that Guy would deck him.
He was a protector in every sense of the word and that, to her ultimate surprise, was an absolutely thrilling turn on. A sexy irreverent warrior.
Mercy, what a combination.
Guy’d gotten right up in Rutland’s face and looked like he would have not only beat the ever-loving hell out of him, but would have enjoyed doing it. He’d been provoked, he’d stood his ground, then had taken the other guy’s.
A rush of heat landed in her womb and she slid him a sidelong glance. Dear God, she was nearly giddy.
“Sorry about that,” Guy told her sheepishly as they made their way across the parking lot. He hit the keyless remote, unlocking the doors, then opened hers for her.
Julia slid into the cab of his truck. “Don’t be,” she said, still thrumming from the excitement. “It wasn’t your fault.”
He paused to look at her. “You’re not embarrassed?” he asked cautiously.
“Not at all.” She grinned, still impressed. “But I’m sure that he is.”
Guy paused and cocked his head as though he didn’t know quite what to make of her. “My God,” he said softly. “You liked that, didn’t you?”
“No,” Julia lied, blushing. “That would be ghoulish. I didn’t like that you were going to get into a fight...but I liked knowing you would win.” Talk about hot. That was hot.
He chuckled at her, seemingly bewildered, then climbed behind the wheel.
“Who was that guy, anyway?” she asked. “What did he mean about Garrett and you being the prodigal son he’d never had?”
Dusk was slowing giving way to night, painting the sky in a dark cornflower blue and the absence of light created a cozy intimacy in the small cab of his truck. She watched Guy’s jaw harden as he considered her questions.
“That guy was Richard Rutland. He’s an ass. And as for what he meant about Garrett...I’m not exactly sure yet.” He aimed his truck back toward the base and didn’t seem inclined to elaborate.
This was clearly his territory, but from if she’d followed Rutland correctly, it sounded like Garrett’s leadership was being called into question. She shared her theory with Guy. “Does that make sense to you?”
Guy nodded. “Garrett’s on old warhorse. He handpicked our team and our successes were his coup.”
“So he’s counting on the success of this new team to prove that he’s still got it, then?”
He nodded, still lost in his own thoughts. “That sounds like an accurate assessment, yes.” Guy swore softly, as though a sudden realization had occurred to him.
From what Julia had been able to make of Guy and Rutland’s confrontation, they’d tangled once before and evidently Guy’s friends had been part of it. But what had they fought over? What would make them so angry that they’d all three lay into him? Julia wondered. Yes, he was a provoking ass...but three to one? Those were hardly fair odds.
“So you’ve fought with Rutland before?” Julia ventured, mining for more details. Over a woman maybe?
A muscle ticked in his jaw and he swallowed before responding. “Yes, I have.”
Dangerous territory, she could tell, but...“Why?”
“Because he mouthed off about a good friend of mine--a member of my unit who didn’t make it back from our last mission--and, since he didn’t show proper respect, Payne, Jamie and I decided we should teach
him a little.” He paused. “Jamie, Payne, Danny and I...we’d been friends since college, met in the ROTC program at The University of Alabama. It was tough losing him.”
Julia didn’t know what she’d expected him to say, but that certainly wasn’t it. Issues, she remembered. Guy McCann had issues and she’d just learned the source behind them. Her heart squeezed. “I’m sorry,” Julia said softly, not altogether sure how to respond.
So that’s why he was former military then. She could certainly understand that. As team leader, no doubt he felt responsible for the death of his friend, regardless of whether or not he was actually at fault. Men were like that and this one in particular would be, Julia knew.
Guy pulled up in front of the duplex and shifted into park. He looked tired all of the sudden--tense, like he’d been this morning in Garrett’s office. He didn’t want to be here, Julia realized. If the death of his friend had been bad enough to send him out of the military, then being back here had to be excruciating. So why come back? What had made him leave his new life--the one she imagined he’d created to replace the old damaged one--and do Garrett’s bidding?
Julia’s lips curled as understanding dawned. He was here for the same reason she was--to repay a debt.
A snippet of conversation floated back to her, opening another window of insight.
Off base, again, Rutland, just like old times. Only this time the only person who’d get their ass called on the carpet is you...
Julia had enough military understanding from her father to know that fighting--particularly off base--was a big no-no.
“What’s Garrett got on you?” Julia finally asked, though she had a pretty good idea.
His turned to face her. “What do you mean?”
“You left the military after the death of a good friend. You obviously don’t want to be here.” She shrugged. “I’m here because my dad owes Garrett. You owe him something, too, right?”
A grim smile rolled around Guy’s lips. “You’re quick.”
“And curious,” she said, shooting his line right back at him. “What do you owe Garrett?”
Men Out of Uniform: 6 Book Omnibus Page 37
