Temporary Duty

by Kandle, Tawdra

  To my relief, he laughed. “Sounds like a winning deal for you. I love Cass like a little sister, but she can be exhausting. She always was.”

  “She’s not that bad.” I tried to back-peddle. “I’m just . . . I’m boring. My life is all classes, studying and working. I don’t think I was a very good host.”

  Kade took a deep drink of his beer. “You’re in school?”

  “Law school, yes. I have two more semesters left.”

  “And you’re working, too?” He looked impressed, and I felt a surge of warm pride in my chest.

  “I’m doing paralegal work for a big firm in the city.” I tried to keep the excitement tamped down, but I’d been so psyched to get that job. Not only did it pay well for part-time hours, but it had tremendous potential to lead into a real lawyer job once I’d passed the bar in a little over a year.

  “That’s great.” Kade leaned back, gazing at me with those deep hazel eyes. “But it sounds very intense. I guess you don’t get much downtime.”

  “Pretty much none,” I agreed. “Cass had to threaten and bribe me into coming in here tonight. I should be at home, studying for a huge exam I have coming up.”

  “You’re a good friend.” He reached across to touch my hand where it rested on the table. “I’m sure Cass appreciates it.”

  “I’m not really, and I doubt it.” I hadn’t even had half a beer, so I couldn’t blame my loose tongue on alcohol. It had to be the tingle from where Kade’s fingers were currently tracing tiny circles on the back of my hand. “We were more roommates than friends, you know? Cass was always more of a party girl, and I’ve never had time for that. I think I was more frustrating to her than anything else.”

  “I doubt that. I can’t see—”

  “Kade.” Cass skidded to a stop between us. “Heyyy. Listen, Jada and the girls want to take off. They can’t get a table, and Jada said this place is a dive anyway. So we’re going to head out.” She turned to me. “Can I have your keys to get my stuff?”

  “What the hell, Cass? I drove over an hour to get up here after working all day, and you sit with me for fifteen minutes before you bail?”

  She had the sense to look chastened. “I’m sorry! I was going to see you last night, and then your plans changed, but I already had this set up with Jada . . . I know, I know, I’m the worst. Do you hate me?”

  Kade shook his head, blowing out a long breath. “Of course, I don’t hate you. But I’m annoyed. You inconvenienced me, and you also messed up Leah’s night. That’s not cool, little bit.”

  She pouted. “What do you want me to do? Blow off my friends?”

  “No. But apologize to Leah.”

  Cass turned obediently. “I’m sorry, Leah. I didn’t mean to put you out.”

  I hid a grin. “Apology accepted.” Reaching around to the back of my chair, I looped my handbag over my shoulder. “I’ll leave now, too, so you can get your suitcases from my car. How much do I owe you for my beer?”

  Kade shrugged. “My treat. Call it a thank you for your kindness to Cassie.”

  “Thanks.” I paused, somehow unwilling to leave quite yet. “It was nice to meet you.”

  “You, too. Hey, wait a minute. I’ll help you with her bags.” He dropped a few bills on the table, waving to the waitress to show her we were leaving.

  “You don’t have to do that.” But I was ridiculously glad that he was walking out with us.

  “I don’t have any reason to hang around. Might as well make myself useful.” He touched my back again, but as we began to walk toward the door, he moved his arm around my back, as though he were shielding me from being jostled by the crowd, using his own body to protect me.

  I’m as much a feminist as the next person, and I’d be the first one to declare loudly that I didn’t need any man to come to my rescue, but even so, I had to admit that there was something intoxicating about feeling cared for and almost . . . cherished. It was silly, I knew; we’d only just met, and Kade was being a gentleman. But it didn’t stop me from enjoying the sensation.

  Once we’d reached my car, I popped the trunk and reached for Cassie’s bags. Kade took them from me, leaving me with only her overstuffed backpack. Cassie herself had her computer bag and purse slung over shoulder. She chattered all the way down the row of cars until we got to the shiny red Mercedes where Jada waited. She had one hip cocked against the trunk, and her arms were folded across her chest in that classic bored-now pose I’d come to associate with the very wealthy. When she spotted us—or more accurately, when she spotted Kade—she straightened. The change in her attitude was nearly palpable.

  “Oh, thanks so much for helping Cass bring her bags over!” she cooed. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without you here.” She laid one slim hand with its beautifully-manicured fingers on his arm. “It’s such a treat to have a nice strong man around.”

  I waited for Kade to succumb to her oozing charm, but he only gave a brief half-smile—no dimple—and pointed to the back of the car. “Can you open the trunk?”

  Jada clicked a button, and the door floated up. I stood alongside awkwardly as he loaded the suitcases. When he reached to my shoulder to take the backpack, he winked at me, as though we were co-conspirators. I liked it.

  “I think you’re set now. Cassie, give me a hug, little bit. I’m still annoyed with you, but I’ll get over it.” He wrapped his muscled arms around her and lifted her in the air. “Tell Andrew that I’ll be home on leave later this year, and he better be around.”

  “I will. And I’ll be there, too. Love you, Kade. Thanks for understanding.” She transferred her attention to me for a split second, giving me a quick hug. “Thanks again so much, Leah. Good luck on your thingy. I’ll keep in touch!”

  I managed a smile and what I hoped was a perky little wave before I turned to walk back to my car. A little song of happiness was ringing in my head, because Kade was walking alongside me.

  “So . . .” He slid his hands into the front pockets of his worn jeans. “I’d ask if you wanted to go back inside and get something to eat, but that place was a zoo. It was giving me a real headache.”

  I nodded in agreement. “I know. Too much talking and too many people.”

  “Exactly. Is there some place else around here that would be quieter? A spot with good food? I know that you have to get back home and study, but you’ve got to eat, right? And I do, too. If you eat with me, I won’t feel like I wasted a trip up here.”

  I knew what I should’ve said. I should’ve very nicely said, thanks but I can’t. My notes for the exam danced in the back of my eyes, mocking me with the review I’d yet to complete. I was painfully aware that eating with Kade wouldn’t really be enough. I’d want more, and I couldn’t have more. Not yet. There was a plan, and there were steps in that plan. None of them involved meeting a hot guy who was in the Army and letting him distract me from the goals.

  I knew all of that, and yet I heard myself saying, “I don’t know of any restaurant that isn’t going to be packed on a Friday night. But if you don’t mind home-cooked food, we can go to my apartment, and I’ll make us dinner.”

  Kade’s hazel eyes went wide with surprise. “No shit? I mean, are you sure? I’d kill for a home-cooked meal. I can’t do much more than boil water, myself. But I don’t want to mess up your night, if you had plans.”

  I laughed. “The only big plans I had involved merger and acquisition agreements. And you’re right, I do have to eat. I was going to toss together some pasta with fresh veggies. If you want something more substantial, I can stop at the grocery store on the way home.” I prayed that he was okay with pasta; my grocery budget was pathetically meager, and it had already been stretched this week by Cassie’s presence. I hoped like hell Kade wouldn’t suggest buying something outlandish like steak.

  “Pasta sounds incredible.” He grinned. “If you’re sure about this, then I’m absolutely going to take you up on it. And you can put me to work as a chef’s assistant. I’m damned good at ta
king orders.”

  I tilted my head. “I like that in a man.” And then I felt a blush spread over my face and down my neck. “I mean . . . sorry, that came out wrong.”

  Kade’s answering smile was broad, and that dang dimple popped out. “I’m not sure that there’s a wrong way for that to come out. Don’t worry, you didn’t offend me.” He brushed my upper arm with his fingers. “Can I follow you home?”

  “Hmmm?” I was distracted by his touch. “Oh, sure. I’m only about ten minutes away, and it’s all back roads.”

  “I’m parked one row over. I’ll watch for you to pull out.” He dug into his back pocket and retrieved his phone. “Do you mind giving me your address, just in case I lose you?”

  “Not at all.” I rattled off the number and spelled the street name.

  “Awesome.” He tapped it into his mapping program. “I’ll see you there, then?”

  “Yup.” Still, I hesitated. “I . . . I just wanted to say that I don’t make a habit of inviting people I don’t know well home with me. This is not my norm.”

  “Leah.” Kade laid his hand lightly on my shoulder. “If you’re not comfortable with this, it’s okay. I understand. I know I’m just a friend of a friend—or whatever Cass is to you—and if you were my sister, I probably would tell you that you’re crazy for inviting someone you just met into your home.”

  “No, I want you to come over.” I stumbled over my words, anxious that Kade didn’t misunderstand me. “I just didn’t want you to think I’m some skank.”

  “I don’t. I wouldn’t.” He leaned forward. “I don’t have expectations beyond great pasta and conversation.” His finger slid up my neck, cupping my cheek. “But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t . . . interested.”

  My heart was pounding against my ribs, but I managed to cover Kade’s hand with mine as I stood on tiptoe. I was shaking a little, but I felt bold and brave as I brushed my mouth over Kade’s lips. It was a kiss, yes, but only by the broadest definition. Still, it was a huge step for me, the girl who never took chances, to kiss a virtual stranger.

  “I don’t have expectations either, and I shouldn’t be doing anything tonight but reviewing confidentiality clauses and non-competition agreements. But . . . there’s nothing wrong with a dinner between friends of friends, right?”

  “Not a thing.” Kade ran his hand down my arm, linked our fingers and squeezed. “Not one thing.”

  “Okay.” I whispered the word. “I’ll see you there.”

  I climbed into the driver’s seat and watched in my rearview mirror while Kade stalked to his own vehicle. As I started my car, I had the oddest sense of excitement mixed with an unsettling sense that I was doing something that was potentially life-altering.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” I chided myself as I eased onto the road, conscious of Kade just behind me. “It’s just dinner. I can afford to take a few hours off every once in a while. And after all, a little pasta and conversation isn’t going to change anyone’s life.”

  Chapter One

  Kade

  “Dude, you are so fucked. So totally and completely fucked.”

  Jake Robinson, one of the other company commanders in my battalion, slapped me on the back as I was on my way into the bachelor officers’ quarters. I’d just arrived here at Fort Davis, and the first order of business was to get settled in my temporary home-away-from-home . . . which would basically be a sterile bedroom in a drab building full of other sterile bedrooms. Welcome to the Army.

  “Fine by me if it’s Scarlett Johansson doing the fucking. She’s on my list of undeniables.” I punched his arm and then hesitated. “Wait. Why am I fucked? What’re you talking about?”

  “Guess who you’re stuck rooming with for the duration of this class?”

  Dread began to creep under my skin. “Don’t even. Not the mule? Say it’s not so.”

  Jake chuckled. “Sorry, bro. I saw the list. You’re with Eric Mueller, which means you get the pleasure of his company for the next six weeks. Congratulations.”

  I closed my eyes and groaned. “Fuck. How the hell did I draw the short straw on this one?”

  “Hey, everyone has to take a turn riding the mule.” He winked at me. “That’s only a figure of speech. He’s so damn full of himself, he’d never think any guy was good enough to screw.”

  Grimacing, I shook my head. “Even if I were attracted to dudes, the mule would be at the bottom of the list.” I hefted my duffle bag more securely on my shoulder and began to head for the door of the BOQ before I turned back again. “Robinson, you’ve been on TDY here before, right? What’s around? If I have to share space with Eric Muller for over a month, I already know I’m going to need some place else to be, or he’ll drive me out of my fucking mind.”

  Jake squinted. “Not too much hereabouts. Couple of bars off post, a few restaurants . . . oh, hey, there’s a mall a few miles away. I went there to get a tat when I was here last time.”

  I cocked my head. “You got a tattoo in a mall, Jake? I thought only chicks went to places like that.”

  He shot me the finger. “Couple of the local guys recommended it, asshole. And don’t be a sexist pig. Try to learn from my example: I’d never assume a woman only got her ink at a mall. You should be all enlightened and shit, like me.”

  “Yeah, whatever. I don’t see all your enlightenment getting you laid on the regular.”

  Jake pretended to be affronted. “Just because I don’t screw a girl and then blab to all you guys about it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. I get plenty of action, thanks.”

  Laughing as I walked backwards, I nodded. “Sure you do, Jakester. Surrrrre you do.”

  My humor lasted until I rounded the landing on the first flight of stairs, at which point I remembered the roommate situation. Fuck. I hated Eric Muller. I’d known him since we were both in officer basic together, over ten years before. Jake had been in our class, too, which was why he was all too well acquainted with the mule.

  We’d given him that nickname privately after two weeks of OBC. Eric was the kind of guy who was just about impossible to like, no matter how hard we all tried. He couldn’t take criticism or a joke, although he was quick to point it out whenever the rest of us did anything wrong. He showed off in front of instructors, and worse, he was underhanded: although none of us had solid evidence, we were all sure he’d done things to make the rest of us look bad.

  And living with him was apparently a real treat. He’d had three roommates during OBC, which was incredible because the Army really wasn’t that concerned with how we soldiers felt about our living situations. But the complaints had been ongoing: Eric threw a fit if a light was left on when he’d decided to go to sleep, no matter how early in the evening that was. He was fastidious to the point of obsession about the cleanliness of the room. He himself complained about all of us all the time, sneering about our lack of discipline.

  The truth was that if any of the rest of us had behaved in such a way, we’d have found ourselves shaping up or being tossed out. But Eric Muller was the son of General Ronald Muller, and consequently, the rest of the world had to put up with his shit. We’d had to keep our mouths shut and ignore him until we all finished OBC and moved on. Mercifully, our paths hadn’t crossed often over the course of our careers. But since the Army is much smaller than most people realize, I’d heard things, and I knew that the mule hadn’t made many friends over the course of his tenure.

  Rounding the corner of the staircase on the third floor, I trudged down the hallway to my assigned room. The door was closed, but I knew that didn’t mean he wasn’t inside, waiting for me.

  Turning the knob, I stepped inside, as cautious as if I expected a snake on the other side instead of a mule. And there he was, sitting at the desk, back straight, hair about a half an inch shorter than regulation . . . his Army-issued T-shirt stretched over his narrow chest without a single wrinkle.

  “Braggs.” Muller’s voice was bland and expressionless. “I was surprised to see
you were still in. I’d figured you’d quit after your first six years were up.”

  That was absolutely bullshit, because he’d have known if I resigned, and we both realized it. Asshole.

  “Why the hell would you think I left?” I tried to keep my voice mild. Eric Muller might aggravate the living crap out of me, but he was still a general’s son, and that general was now part of the joint chiefs of staff.

  Eric shrugged. “You always seemed more like a good time surfer boy than a soldier.”

  I dropped my bag on the bed that seemed to be mine. “Yeah, it’s good to see you, too, Eric. It’s been too long. How’s life been treating you?”

  He watched me, his eyes calculating. “Can’t complain. I’m on the short list for promotion. And when that happens, I expect to be assigned to Washington.”

  Of course, he did.

  “Awesome. Good to hear.” I unzipped the duffel and began unpacking my clothes. “So, you married? Got kids?”

  “No,” he snorted. “That’s not part of the plan until I make major.”

  “Aha.” I nodded as if that made sense. “Well, if you’re on the short list, do you have any potential candidates? For the wife, I mean.”

  Something flickered in his eyes. “No. I don’t have time for that yet. Once I’m ready, the right woman will be around. These things work out.”

  “Uh huh.” I opened up a drawer and dropped T-shirts into it. “That’s great, Eric. I’m happy for you.”

  I could almost feel his skepticism. “Yeah, I’m sure you are.” He frowned as I closed one drawer and opened the other, dumping in socks and boxers. “Aren’t you going to fold those before you put them away?”

  “Nah.” I shrugged, getting a little secret amusement at the idea that my unfolded clothes would drive him crazy. “I’m just going to put them on under my BDUs, right? Who cares?”