Chains of Command

by Lily Harlem

  He released it and set his palms on the wall either side of her head, trapping her. He lowered his face. “I meant it when I said I couldn’t stop thinking about our night together and that was before I saw you again. Now I’m insane with the memories.” His warm breath washed over her face and his chest pressed into hers. “They’re filling my mind, every moment of being with you is playing out like the hottest movie ever.”

  “This is insane. You’ll get us both into trouble.”

  “Relationships are frowned upon, not forbidden.” His eyes were flashing in the darkness.

  “This is not a relationship.”

  “It could be.”

  “No, you blew it, Major Crawley, big time.”

  “I don’t think so.” He cupped her cheeks and breezed his lips over hers.

  “Seb,” she gasped.

  “You know how good we are together, don’t fight it, babe.” He kissed her again, harder this time. His tongue peeked into her mouth as he held her face steady.

  She groaned as his remembered flavor spread on her tongue. He was too damn good at kissing. She didn’t stand a chance at resisting. She melted against him and gave up the fight. How could she not when to be kissed by him again was all she’d thought of and wanted since that night.

  Eventually he pulled back. A satisfied expression lit his eyes, as if he knew the fight was going from her.

  “We can’t,” she said, placing her hands on his chest.

  “We can’t what?”

  “Do this.”

  He grinned. “I just got exactly what I wanted since the moment we said goodbye, Jenna. It can’t be undone.”

  “You didn’t want that. Not really. Otherwise you wouldn’t have walked away.”

  “We all make mistakes.” He paused. “And for the record, I’d already decided to find you when I got back to the UK.”

  “You’re just saying that.”

  “Trust me, I’m not. I…” He glanced to the left. “Shh.” He pressed his index finger over his lips.

  Jenna had heard the footsteps, too. They were heading their way. She froze. Her pulse thudded in her ears. The last thing she wanted was to be discovered canoodling in a doorway with a soldier. It would undo years of an exemplary reputation.

  Seb remained as still as she did.

  A dark figure strode past them, head down and moving with purpose.

  When he’d gone, Jenna blew out a breath. “That was close. I have to go.”

  “Not without your number so we can organize that date.”

  She pushed past him. “Get it from my file. I’m sure you have security clearance.”

  “No.” He wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “I want it from you.”

  She paused. “So order me to write it down for you.”

  “No, I want it given willingly.”

  She tugged away from him. “Goodnight, Major.”

  Quickly she slipped back onto the path, then scooted to her quarters. She’d been expecting him to grab her again, but he didn’t. And she was glad about that. Her mind was swimming. Not only had she discovered the guy she’d been having hot dreams about was in camp, he’d made it very clear his interest in her was alive and kicking.

  And her interest in him?

  Hell, yeah, she wanted him, big time. But with the damage he’d done with his clumsy goodbye, it would take more than a stolen kiss to heal her trust in him.

  Chapter Eight

  Jenna had a lie in the next morning as her shift wasn’t starting until later in the day. She made the most of resting her body, even though she was awake with thoughts of Seb spinning around her mind. Pressing her fingers to her lips, she held in a smile. His kiss the night before had been even better than she remembered. The man should come with a warning sign—there had been no resisting him.

  Slipping her hand beneath the sheets, she pressed over her knickers onto her clit. What would he have done if she’d dragged him closer, whispered ‘fuck me’, and undone his combats? Would he have gone all the way … there in the dark doorway?

  She swirled her clit and closed her eyes.

  Would he have taken off her pants, held her against the wall and shoved into her? Would he have brought them both to a swift hard orgasm, holding his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet as she came?

  Upping the speed at which she was touching herself, she imagined him spinning her to face the wall, gripping her hips and taking her from behind. He was so damn good at that. He could hit her G-spot like no other man had ever been able to.

  She held in a groan as the pressure in her pelvis grew. An orgasm was beckoning.

  A helicopter whirred outside and the canvas on her tent creaked. She worked herself harder, faster and allowed a short, sharp climax to ravish her pussy. Seb’s face flashed before her, and she bit her lip to keep from groaning his name.

  As her release abated she stared up at the sand-colored ceiling. The helicopter had gone and all was still.

  I’ll give him my number.

  What choice did she have? The guy had wheedled his way into her mind and soul. She wanted to see him again, in a romantic sense. But it would have to wait until they were both on leave, back home. There was simply too much work to do on camp and no time other than carrying out duties. And besides, she didn’t want distraction. She wanted to focus, this could be the year she went up a rank, after all.

  Shoving back the covers, she made a decision to go for a run. It was a boring circular route around the camp that had to be repeated over and over to gain any distance, but it was better than having snipers taking pot shots.

  She munched half a muesli bar and washed it down with water, then emerged from her quarters in her most supportive sports bra, a plain black t-shirt, black leggings and sneakers.

  The camp was buzzing with activity and she paused as an armored vehicle drove past. Then she headed off for the running circuit. When she got there it soon became clear she wasn’t the only one. Several other medical staff, a handful of senior ranks and a group of squaddies we’re also on the circuit.

  She shoved in her headphones and put on some beaty tune to rev her engine. Soon she was hot and her brow damp with perspiration. She kept on going, enjoying the morning sun on her shoulders.

  When she made her second circuit, signaling she’d done just over two kilometers, she spotted a group of soldiers down on the floor performing press-ups. There were about twenty in total, all were fully kitted up and working hard. Standing at their head, counting out their presses, was Seb.

  His voice was deep and booming as he paced amongst them, checking their noses were touching the ground on each dip.

  A tingle went through her. Just the sight of him had her thinking of their kiss the night before. He had the ability to make the rest of the world fade away, even the roar of a tank to her left.

  He spotted her and stopped pacing. There was a brief pause in his counting.

  She couldn’t read his expression. He wore shades and his helmet cast a shadow on his face.

  She continued to run, having to concentrate to maintain her pace. She was acutely aware of her breasts moving slightly with each step and the sweat that was no doubt staining her top.

  Soon she’d gone from his view.

  Thank goodness.

  But on her next circuit round he was still there. This time he had his men on their backs performing sit ups.

  “Forty-two. Forty-three. Forty-four. Keep going till I tell you to stop!”

  Again he ceased his pacing and stared at her. This time, though, he removed his shades and didn’t try to hide the fact he was watching her.

  She looked away. This would have to be her final run past. He’d think she was doing it on purpose. She hadn’t clocked up the distance she’d intended, but she’d sacrifice that for her dignity.

  Damn the guy was interfering with her day before she’d even had breakfast. This was what she’d hoped to avoid.

  Even so, she headed back to her tent and showered.
/>
  When she went for breakfast, Seb and his patrol had gone. She wasn’t sure if they’d headed out on a mission, or if they’d ducked out of the heat for a few hours.

  The canteen was quiet as she was late eating, but that was okay. And after filling up she returned to her pod and spent a few hours resting before she went on duty. She had two twilight shifts in a row, which meant starting late afternoon and working until midnight to help settle patients for the night. It was a decent enough shift—it meant she had some time in the day to herself, plus got a reasonable night’s sleep.

  Isabel would soon be back, too, and Jenna was looking forward to seeing her.

  Her shift started quiet and she hoped it would remain so. She was responsible for four patients, including Callum who’d had his chest drain removed, and the men were in good spirits. The banter between the four of them had her chuckling and she gave as good as she got when they teased her.

  “Settle down, now,” she said at 2230. “Sleep heals wounds, remember.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Callum said, but made no move to turn off his light.

  She stepped up to him. “You not tired?”

  He glanced away.

  “The dreams will stop,” she said. “But for now, your brain needs to work through whatever it was you saw out there, let it happen.”

  He swallowed and looked up at her. “You think?”

  “Yes, it’s a coping mechanism, don’t fight it.” She rested her hand on his arm. “And if the dreams wake you up, press the bell. I’ll come and sit with you, fetch us both a cup of tea.”

  He nodded and pressed his lips together.

  She smiled and flicked off his light. “You’re doing really well, you know. You had some nasty injuries, but you’re improving rapidly.”

  “Thanks, Jenna.”

  She turned off two more lights and the ward glowed with just the pale blue night lamps. Walking past four empty beds, she hoped they’d stay that way for a few days. They could use a break from the constant flow of casualties.

  Sitting at the desk at the end of the ward, she pulled out the notes she needed to write. Seb was never far from her mind and she hoped if he and his patrol had gone out, they’d had an easy run and gotten back safely.

  There was too much coming and going in the camp to be able to keep track, and the hospital was large and well staffed.

  After working for an hour or so and checking on her charges twice to ensure they were sleeping, she made a cup of tea.

  When she sat back down, she was aware of a large figure approaching, his soft shoes silent.

  “Seb!” she whispered when he reached the desk. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m ill.” He narrowed his eyes. “I had to come get checked out.”

  “Why? What’s the matter?” She stood, checking him over for signs of injury. His legs, encased in desert camo combats appeared fine, as did his arms and body.

  “I’ve got this headache,” he said, massaging his temples. “And this sick feeling, here.” He pressed his hand over his abdomen, squashing his pale brown t-shirt to his torso.

  “You have?” She frowned. “Have you drunk enough water today?”

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Come into the clinical room. I’ll check your blood pressure.”

  “Sure.”

  He followed her into the dimly lit clinical room.

  She flicked on a monitor and waited the few seconds it took to warm up. “Here.” She held out the cuff. “Let’s put this on.”

  He stepped close—closer than necessary.

  She got a whiff of his cologne and breathed deeper as she wrapped the cuff over his wide biceps.

  As the machine inflated the cuff, he tipped his head and studied her. “It’ll be high.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Because I’m stressed out.”

  “With the missions?”

  “No.” He paused. “There’s this gorgeous blonde who’s driving me crazy because she won’t agree to date me.”

  The monitor bleeped. His blood pressure was perfectly normal.

  He was playing with her. There was nothing wrong with him. “And this blonde is making you sick, too, huh?”

  “Love sick.”

  “Don’t be daft.” She tugged off the cuff. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Major. Stop wasting medical time.”

  “I promise I won’t waste your time, I promise to treasure it, make you feel good.” He wrapped his arms around her and hauled her close. “And you know I always keep my promises.”

  “Seb.” She rested her hands on his shoulders and glanced at the door. “We can’t. I can’t.”

  “We can, if we’re careful.” He ran his palms up her back and pressed his chest to hers. “One date, that’s all I ask. Let me make it up to you, I’m not proud of how I was when we parted.”

  She stared into his eyes. They were full of earnestness. He was no longer her superior, he was a man who wanted a woman, and that woman was her.

  “One date?” she repeated.

  He nodded. “Just one, no strings, no ranks, time together, that’s all.” He paused. “Please.”

  “Okay. One date.”

  He caught her mouth with his. Kissing her with the same intensity he had the night before in the dark alleyway.

  She moaned softly. She’d never wanted a man so much, and the fact he was pursuing her with such determination was a turn on in itself.

  He kissed over her cheek to her ear and slipped his hands to her lower back. “Holding you is like coming home.”

  “What do you mean?” Her lips settled against the stubbled flesh of his neck.

  “It feels right, as if I don’t need to be anywhere else.”

  His words thrilled her. And she kind of knew what he meant. She felt it, too. “You’ve been practicing your romance, then.”

  He pulled back and looked at her. “I’m always romantic.”

  “I seem to remember ‘you have great tits’ being one of your previous attempts.”

  “Hey, my brain was hardly functioning at that moment in time.” He ran his fingertips over her right breast. “A beautiful naked woman in my bed does that to me.”

  Beep. Beep.

  She snapped away from him. “That’s one of my patients. I have to go.”

  “Of course, go.” He nodded at the door. “But I’ll find you soon, for that date.”

  “There’s hardly a rush, we’ve got another few months here.” She slipped from the clinical room and hurried down the ward.

  Callum was awake, his bedside light on.

  “Hey,” she said. “You okay?”

  “That tea and some company,” he said, his voice a little shaky. “I think I’ll take you up on it.”

  Chapter Nine

  Jenna sat with Callum until he nodded off to sleep again. She did the same the next evening, too. Whatever had happened on the frontline was really bothering him, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet, at least not all of it. That didn’t mean their light conversation about home, and Netflix and travel didn’t help him, it did. He’d talk about the things that mattered in due course. Right now it was early days and he just had to get through this initial shock period.

  She had an hour left of her second twilight shift and was sitting at the desk when Marie came onto the ward.

  “Hey,” Jenna whispered. “All okay?”

  “Yeah, this came to the office for you.” She handed forward a sealed envelope.

  “Oh, okay, thanks.” Jenna took it.

  “Everyone all right here?” Marie nodded at the four occupied beds.

  “Yes, no problems.” She smiled. “Are you taking over from me soon?”

  “Sure am.” She rested her hand on Jenna’s shoulder. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

  As Marie’s footsteps faded, Jenna opened the letter. It wasn’t from home, it was internal and had Officer Jenna Bailey QARANC written on the front in neat block handwriting.


  She pulled out a sheaf of paper and unfolded it.

  00.00

  Location 51A

  Be there

  S

  She read it twice. What was the man playing at? She couldn’t sneak into his quarters, no matter how nice they were compared to hers, or how big, it was against the rules.

  But it seemed Seb wasn’t planning on following any rules.

  She refolded the paper, shoved it back into the envelope and then into her pocket. It was twenty minutes to midnight so she had to make a decision quickly.

  What decision? Of course she wasn’t going to creep into his tent in the dark. That was a crazy notion.

  But he’d be mad if she didn’t show, now that he’d gone to all the trouble of summoning her with a letter. Perhaps he’d pull the rank card after all and she’d get trouble for not obeying orders.

  “Oh, this is ridiculous,” she muttered. She wasn’t going to do as he told her just because of rank. Would she fuck him if he ordered her to do that as well?

  Oh, yes.

  She placed her hands over her cheeks. Damn. She had it bad. She would happily do everything she’d already done with Major Sebastian Crawley and more.

  Much more.

  ‘Holding you is like coming home.’

  Oh, he was good. Too damn good. She closed her eyes and held in a groan.

  “Hey, you okay?” Marie was at her side. “Was it bad news, in that letter?”

  “No, no it’s fine.” Jenna straightened. “Just a reminder about a book, from the library.”

  “Really?”

  Jenna swallowed, lying didn’t sit well with her, but she could hardly say she’d been summoned to the tent of the most handsome major on camp and knew full well his intentions weren’t likely to be wholesome. “You’re early, Marie.”

  “Yeah.” She shrugged. “I’m all wrapped up in the office. You get yourself off to bed.”

  “Oh, okay. Thanks.” She reached for her navy cardigan. “Have a good one.”

  She threw a last glance at Callum who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. “There’s been no change from earlier. Bed four has intravenous antibiotics due at zero two hundred hours, and you might need to change bed three’s drain, it’s not filling fast, but keep an eye on it.”