Breaking Ties (Delta Force Strong Book 6)

by Elle James

  “Should I feel honored?” Beth asked.

  “Absolutely,” he said.

  “And I got to see the infinitely entertaining Chewy.”

  Upon hearing his name, Chewy got up out of his bed and trotted over to where Beth stood in the living room, as if remembering he hadn’t greeted her properly.

  Beth kneeled down, pulling the skirt of her short dress down over her thigh. “That’s right. I got to meet this handsome boy.” She ruffled the dog’s ears.

  Chewy leaned into her fingers and tipped his head up, closing his eyes as if in ecstasy.

  “Told you he was a lover.” Dawg’s pulse climbed at the expanse of skin exposed. He gulped and glanced away. Beth made a pretty picture, smiling and petting his dog, but he couldn’t watch without feeling a little jealous of the attention she was giving the mixed-breed mutt.

  “I think he likes me,” Beth said.

  “Yes, you’ve scored points with him. He loves having his ears scratched. He probably has memories of when I found him. He had ear mites. The other parasites I had the vet treat him for.” Dawg held up his hands. “It’s okay. He doesn’t have them anymore. He just loves having his ears scratched.”

  “He appears well taken care of. I don’t mind scratching his ears. The dog I grew up with loved having her ears scratched.” She straightened and entered the kitchen.

  Chewy trotted along behind her. When she stopped, he stopped.

  “What can I do to help?” she asked.

  He smiled and looked down at the dog behind her. “You have a friend.”

  “Best kind of friend there is,” she said with a smile. “I’d get a dog, but I’m kind of afraid to. I live in an apartment, and I don’t have the neighbor you have, who would gladly dog sit for me when I’m deployed. Besides, being in an apartment isn’t fair to a dog. He’d need a yard to run and play in.”

  “That’s part of the reason I have a house instead of downsizing to an apartment. I really think I was meant to have Chewy. A friend of mine sold me this place. It was a fixer upper. He’d started the work, but was transferred to another post. He needed to find someone who could recognize that it had good bones and someone who had the skills and commitment to see it through completion.”

  “And that person was you? Were you always skilled at carpentry?” Beth asked.

  “I worked one summer as a carpenter’s assistant on a couple of building sites. I learned enough to get by. Everything else I looked up on the internet.” He grinned. “You can find just about any do-it-yourself project on video. Thankfully, the electricity and plumbing had already been done. I refinished the wood floors to their original glory. The bathrooms got all new fixtures and tile, and I replaced all the windows with double-pane windows.”

  Beth shook her head. “Sounds like it cost a fortune.”

  “The supplies cost, but the labor was free. I have a lot of sweat equity in the place. I painted the inside and the outside.”

  Beth nodded toward the walls of the living room. “I like the color. It’s neutral. Anything can go in this room.”

  Dawg laughed. “You should have seen the colors in here before I started. The place had been built in the seventies. Everything was still in the original color palette…avocado greens and golds. The carpet hiding the wooden floors was a threadbare burnt orange shag.”

  Beth winced. “Yikes.”

  “I tore out the cabinets in the kitchen and those overhanging the bar, making it more open-concept. I had granite counters installed and did the tilework on the backsplash myself.” He waved a hand toward the kitchen wall.

  “It’s all so nice, crisp and clean. Like a whole new house,” Beth commented. “Not many people would take on such a huge project.”

  He shrugged. “I did it in between deployments over the past year and a half. Chewy got used to all the noise and could sleep through almost anything…as long as I was still there. My pride and joy is the deck I built out back. Now, I enjoy sitting outside under an umbrella while Chewy plays in the yard. The furniture I get the most use out of is the table and chair set on the deck. That, and the umbrella makes sitting outside under the hot Texas sun bearable.” He stared out the back window beyond the living room. “If I was here more often, I’d consider putting in a pool. Chewy likes to swim. I’ve taken him out to the lake several times. He gets right in and paddles around.”

  The pot on the stove whistled.

  Dawg retrieved a couple of mugs from the cabinet and set them on the counter. He placed a tea bag in each and poured steaming water over them. “Cream or sugar?” he asked.

  “You have cream?” she asked.

  “I do. I like it in my coffee on occasion. Usually, I drink it black as I’m running out the door.”

  Beth smiled. “I take my tea without sugar or cream. I’m not much of a coffee drinker. I learned to drink it when deployed, as it’s easier to find than tea.”

  “True.” Dawg handed her the mug. “Careful. It’s hot.” He carried his mug to the table, set it down and held a chair for her, scooting it in as she sat.

  Beth wrapped her hands around the mug and stared at the dog now lying in his bed. “Chewy’s a special pup.”

  Dawg nodded. “Yes, he is. I hate that I have to leave him again so soon.”

  “Do you know where you’re going?” Beth asked.

  He nodded. “But I can’t say where.”

  “I understand,” Beth said.

  Dawg found it refreshing to find a woman who knew what it was like to deploy, and the secrecy necessary to keep the team and their mission safe.

  She reached across the table for his hand. When he took hers, she said, “I wish you luck.”

  “Thanks.” He squeezed her hand gently. “I don’t suppose you’d go out for a cup of tea with me?”

  She laughed. “I’m having one now.”

  He gave her lopsided grin. “Right. But I mean tomorrow. I’d ask you out to dinner, but that might be too much of a commitment for someone trying to avoid a relationship right now.”

  She nodded. “True…but a girl has to eat, and it would be nice to have company while doing so. Tomorrow night?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Dawg nodded. “Unfortunately, I’m on a tight schedule and shipping out soon.”

  “I can do tomorrow night,” she said.

  “Great. I can pick you up at six-thirty, if that’s all right.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Chewy opened an eye, rolled onto his back and closed the eye again.

  “We should be going,” Dawg said. “I need to get you back to your place so you can get some rest.”

  “The tea was wonderful,” Beth said, sipping once more.

  “It’s just plain black breakfast tea. Nothing fancy or flavored.”

  “My kind of tea,” Beth said. “I don’t like the ones with all the flavors, either.”

  “There you go,” Dawg said. “We have something in common besides our love of dogs.”

  She took another sip of her tea. “This evening turned out a lot different than I expected.”

  “Same.” Dawg tipped his head toward the sleeping dog. “With the looming deployment, I wanted to spend more time at home with Chewy. You got me out of the hail and farewell early. I’ll be spending more time with my team in the near future. I’ll have my fill of them.”

  “What about the guy who was leaving?”

  “Mustang’s on a different team. But we worked together on several missions.”

  Beth took one last sip, stood and carried her mug to the sink. “Thanks again for the tea and conversation.”

  Dawg followed and laid his mug in the sink beside hers. Their shoulders brushed briefly. A shock of electricity ran through his arm and down to his groin. There had been no flirting between them and certainly nothing sexual. Surprisingly, he felt more of a connection with her than any other woman he’d dated in the past few years. He looked forward to taking her out the next evening. He didn’t expect it to lead anywhere since he’d deploy
shortly afterward. He’d be gone for weeks, maybe months.

  When he grabbed his keys from the counter, Chewy popped out of his bed and followed him to the front door. “Stay, Chewy,” he said firmly.

  The dog looked up at him with those big soulful eyes.

  Beth smiled down at the little mixed breed mutt. “I don’t mind if he comes with us. He can sit in my lap.”

  “It’s okay,” Dawg said. “He’ll calm down as soon as we leave.” He walked out and held the door for Beth then made sure Chewy didn’t sneak out before he closed the door and locked it.

  He drove to Beth’s apartment complex a couple miles from his home. They talked about Fort Hood, being in the Army and the changes that had occurred in the uniforms since they’d joined. He felt comfortable talking with her, and she seemed equally comfortable with him. Again, a nice change from the civilian women he’d dated before.

  When he stopped in front of her apartment complex, she started to get out by herself.

  Dawg hurried around and held her door for her as she climbed down from the truck.

  “I can make it to my door on my own,” she said with a twisted smile.

  “I know you can, and you’ve likely done it a thousand times.” He held out his hand. “But I’d feel better if you humored me and let me walk you to your door.”

  She stared at that hand for a moment, and then took it. “Okay.”

  When they reached her door, she turned. “Thank you for seeing me safely home. I enjoyed talking with you and meeting your neighbor and dog.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow around six-thirty?”

  She nodded and turned, pushing her key into the lock and opening the door. She started to step inside, hesitated, and then turned back toward him, stood on her tiptoes and brushed a quick kiss across his lips.

  Then she entered her apartment and closed the door behind her.

  Dawg stared at the closed door for a long moment, a grin spreading across his face. The evening had ended a lot different that he’d expected. And he looked forward to seeing her the next evening.

  He returned to his truck, climbed in and drove out of the parking lot. Looking back at the building, he wondered what would have happened if he’d had the opportunity to kiss her back.

  That might have pushed her to her limits, and she might have called off their dinner the following night. Perhaps it was better he’d stood in stunned silence while she’d brushed her lips across his.

  He could still feel the softness of her lips on his and was glad he’d been persistent in asking her out the following night. The next day couldn’t get there soon enough.

  His lips curled in a happy smile as he drove back to his house and his little dog.

  Chapter 3

  After Beth had closed the door to her apartment, she’d closed the door and leaned against the paneling, wondering what the hell had come over her to kiss the man.

  Nothing in their conversation had been that personal. He hadn’t come on to her, and she hadn’t flirted with him.

  Then why had she thought kissing him was acceptable? He might have asked her out to dinner because she hadn’t thrown herself at him. And there, at the last, she’d done just that. Thrown herself at him.

  Yet he hadn’t argued or turned her away. But he had stood there, looking a little shocked at her little display of affection.

  Her eyes widened. She hadn’t give him her phone number. Even if he wanted to call off their date, he wouldn’t be able to.

  For that matter, she didn’t have his number. She couldn’t chicken out at the last minute and call to cancel. Or could she? If she really wanted to get his number, she could call Nora and have her ask Rucker for Dawg’s digits. As far as that went, Dawg could ask Rucker to get her number from Nora.

  Beth sighed. She had a date for tomorrow night. A thrill of anticipation raced through her as she pushed away from the door and walked through her apartment, stripping her clothes as she went. When she reached the bathroom, she turned on the shower, adjusted the water temperature and stepped beneath the spray, letting the rivulets run over her head and shoulders. The water slipped over her breasts and down her torso. Images of Dawg joining her in the shower popped into her mind.

  What would he be like as a lover? Not that she’d ever find out. Tomorrow’s dinner was just a date. Nothing else. There was also the issue of her being an officer while he was enlisted. Fraternizing between officers and enlisted was highly frowned upon. Thankfully, they weren’t under the same command. That would make it even worse.

  The fact was that she liked him and looked forward to seeing him again.

  When Beth turned off the shower, she heard the buzz of her cellphone and smiled, thinking Dawg had gone to the effort of getting Rucker and Nora to give him her number.

  Hurriedly, she wrapped a towel around her body and ran into the kitchen where she’d left her cellphone in her purse. With a smile on her face, she fished the device out of the depths of her purse and looked down at the caller ID. Beth frowned. It wasn’t Dawg. Instead, it was her commanding officer.

  Got a mission for you. Can you be ready to bug out in forty-eight hours?

  Beth’s pulse raced. She’d never been deployed in that quick of a timeframe. Truthfully, she didn’t have anything holding her back, like a dog or children. She didn’t have a spouse to answer to, and the staff at the hospital would cover for her in her absence.

  There was the dinner tomorrow night. She could make that if her pre-deployment preparations didn’t take all day and night.

  With a sigh, she texted back.

  Can do.

  Her commander responded

  See you at the office 0600.

  Beth snorted. So much for a good night’s sleep. But then she could sleep on the airplane to wherever she was going. In the meantime, she went through her go bag, her closet and her laundry to make sure she had what she might need on a deployment. She went through her uniforms, unpacked and repacked her go bag.

  Forty-eight hours wasn’t much time to prepare, especially if she had a lengthy mission briefing to attend, medical screening or vaccinations that might be required before being shipped out.

  It was after midnight when she finally laid down in her bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about Dawg. She might still have to get Nora to have Rucker give her Dawg’s number. If the briefings went long into the next night, she might have to call off their dinner. She hoped they wouldn’t, and that she would get to see the man before she departed. It would be nice to have one last good meal before she was shipped off to who knew where.

  It would be a good send off for her, and for him, since he was being deployed as well.

  She lay awake for a long time, going over their conversation of the evening. She’d thought very little about Jonathan. And now that she was alone in her apartment, all she could think about was how she’d kissed Dawg and how she wanted to kiss him again. Only a real kiss this time.

  They had one night together before they each deployed. After that, it could be weeks, maybe months before they saw each other again.

  Beth vowed to make it a good night.

  6:25 pm the next evening…

  “I should have cancelled.” Beth threw the fifth dress on the bed on top of the others.

  “You’ll be fine,” Nora said. “How about this one?” She held up a little black dress. “It’s perfect. You can dress it up or down with shoes and accessories.”

  “I don’t even know where he’s taking me. We could be going to a brewery, in which case, jeans and a T-shirt might be the right thing to wear.”

  “You can never go wrong with a little black dress. The key is to wear it like you mean it.” Nora held the dress up in front of her. “You have four minutes to get dressed. I suggest you make up your mind.”

  Beth grabbed the dress, yanked it off the hanger and slipped it over her head. She spun around. “Zip me?”

  Nora laughed. “For someone who can be so organized and put together on t
he hospital floor, you’re a complete disaster with relationships.”

  “I can’t help it. I feel like I have no control over what happens. And you know how nutty that makes me feel.”

  Nora nodded. “I get it. Relationships can be difficult at their best and impossible at their worst. But Dawg’s a good guy. He won’t do anything to hurt you.”

  “I didn’t think Jonathan would, either.” She stared at herself in the mirror as Nora pulled the tab up on the back, zipping her into the form-fitting dress. It fit her like a second skin. The fabric stretched and moved without making her feel trapped inside. “It’ll have to do,” she muttered.

  A knock sounded on the door to her apartment.

  Nora shoved a pair of heels into her hands. “Hurry up. He’s here. Want me to get the door?”

  Beth shook her head. “No. I’ll get it.”

  “Okay, then I’ll hide out in here until after you two leave.” She hugged Beth. “Relax. You’ll be fine. And you have on your sexy underwear in case it gets interesting.” She winked. “Have fun.”

  “I’ll be fine?” she whispered. “I’m shaking like a leaf!”

  “Go, before he thinks you stood him up.” Nora turned her around and gave her gentle push toward the door.

  Beth crossed the living room floor, still holding the heels in her hands.

  Another knock made her jump.

  She peeked through the peephole.

  “Really?” Nora snorted. “Who else would it be?”

  “Shh,” Beth hissed. “A girl can’t be too careful.” The man on the other side of the peephole was the one who’d promised to pick her up at six-thirty. And he was handsome, sexy and made her knees weak.

  What was she thinking going out on a date with him? She wasn’t ready.

  But then she was heading out on deployment in twenty-four hours. What did she have to lose? She’d have weeks to regret the night, or weeks of remembering how wonderful it was. If she didn’t go, she’d wonder which it would have been.