After a further five minutes, the rows of pallets ended and she came out into the space where the wall of pallets was erected. Discreetly flashing her torch around the clearing, she saw no sign of Joe. Disappointed but hopeful, she continued onward, went through the gap in the pallet enclosure and sat down on one of the overturned oil drums. She kept her torch on, a little unnerved at the darkness surrounding her. It was also very quiet, with the noises of the camp seeming distant with just the faint thudding of the generators and a distant aircraft taking off.
A further five minutes went by and Katie suddenly caught the sound of stealthy booted footfalls on the hard ground. Her heart jumped into her throat and she got to her feet. The footfalls were slow and methodical, and she waited for Joe to announce his arrival, but all remained silent. She flashed her torch in the direction of where she expected him to appear from but there was nobody there. Her expectant smile faded slowly from her face and she suddenly felt nervous.
“Joe,” she whispered, not wanting to raise her voice in case it was another couple or some other innocent person wanting some peace and quiet. There was no answer and the footsteps had ceased.
Katie started to flash her torch around her, trying to see who was lurking in the shadows. What occurred next happened in a split second. She heard sudden movement from behind, a cracking sound as though one of the wooden pallets had broken, the heavy thud of boots, and then she was grabbed from behind.
Arms wrapped tightly around her waist and she was pulled back against a tall lean body so hard that the breath exploded from her lungs. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. She expected Joe to announce himself but the person holding her remained silent, except for harsh, rapid breathing. It was then Katie knew that this was not Joe but a stranger.
She began to struggle, attempting with her hands to wrench the encircling arms away from her body, but they tightened like a vise and could not be budged. The person was strong, and although Katie was fit and strong for a woman, the stranger was stronger.
“Let me go!” she cried, her voice holding a combination of rage and fright.
“Can’t let you go now I’ve got you, Katie,” a voice murmured in her ear, and Katie froze. The hands clenching her stomach to prevent her release began to travel up her body to her breasts and the fingers began to rub her nipples hard.
“David?” she asked. “What…?” She again frantically tried to tear the hands away from her body, clawing at the skin in an attempt to get them to release her breasts.
“Knew I’d get you eventually,” Corporal Hudson murmured in a hoarse whisper and his arms tightened, his muscles clamping just beneath her breasts, crushing them painfully.
“Get your fucking hands off of me,” Katie spat angrily, fear loading her softly spoken words with venom. “You haven’t got me and never fucking will.”
She lifted a booted foot and stabbed backward, kicking the unwary corporal on the shin. His reaction was instant and shocking.
He suddenly lifted her so that her feet left the ground and flung her against the pallet fence. She crashed into it and fell, the wooden pallet falling to the ground beneath her. She landed awkwardly, and before she could scramble to her feet, Corporal Hudson had dropped to his knees and was crawling on top of her.
So much stronger than her, he landed on her legs and forced her upper body to the ground. She fought ferociously, twisting and bucking her body in an attempt to topple him sideways, but even though she used every bit of strength she had, the man did not move, only swaying and heaving with her movements. He kept her upper torso on the ground by placing his hands on her breasts and squeezing them painfully.
“We’re going to have some fun, you and I,” David Hudson said quietly, just loud enough so she could hear him. “You think you’re too good for me, so we’ll see who has the upper hand.”
Katie was terrified. The polite and friendly voice of the cook had changed. The well-spoken and sincere veneer was completely gone. In its place was a deep and sexually charged guttural growl.
“Get off of me, you bastard!” The words came out of her in a harsh croak because she was out of breath and trying to use her strength to get him off her body. She prayed that somebody out on the road would hear her, but strange noises were an everyday part of the camp and she feared that nobody would come to her aid. She could only hope that Joe would arrive soon. She was terrified. It felt like part of her was standing off to one side, looking down at the events unfolding, while another part of her cowered in the darkness of her mind, where it had fled for protection.
Corporal Hudson suddenly released one of her breasts and clamped a hand over her mouth. With the other, he reached down between them and began to fumble with the waistband of her combat trousers. Katie realized at last, shocked, and stunned, what he was after, and she began to pummel his head, shoulders, and arms with closed fists. The blows landed ineffectually and she no longer had the strength in her upper torso to fight him, the strength having drained from her body like liquid through a sieve. He suddenly slapped her face, knocking her head to one side. The soft skin on her cheek immediately sang out with pain and she opened her mouth to scream but he seemed to know what she was about to do and slapped her again. This time the palm of his hand caught the corner of her mouth, a tooth dug into her bottom lip and she tasted blood.
“Now, now,” he said nastily, “don’t struggle and you might enjoy it—or not. Whatever.”
“Never,” she spat, tears that she frantically blinked away filling her eyes. “You fucking bastard.”
Inside a corner of her mind a little voice was saying beseechingly, Joe, please hurry. Please, Joe.
Corporal Hudson had managed to undo the fastening of her combats at the waist and had pulled the zip down and now, one-handed, he was trying to tug the garment down over her legs. She pushed her backside hard into the ground to prevent the trousers from being pulled down and she could hear the man on top of her curse then growl like a frustrated animal.
Katie knew that either way, he was going to win. She was rapidly running out of energy and adrenaline and he had already hit her twice. What was to stop him from beating her if she didn’t give in?
A primal survival instinct, however, kept her fighting him, and it was paying off because he was becoming increasingly angry and finding it more difficult to remove her trousers because of her constant writhing and bucking.
Realizing that she was stronger than he had thought and that it was taking too long to get her as he wanted, Corporal Hudson clearly understood that she wasn’t going to capitulate to his arousal easily. Suddenly filled with rage beyond reason, he raised a clenched fist to hit her again, only this time his blow did not land. The arm that was raised was suddenly grabbed from behind, another arm went around his neck, and he was suddenly lifted off Katie and flung across the clearing.
Katie landed on the ground and immediately scrambled backward on hands and feet, her breath rasping in her throat, her heart thudding in her chest so hard that it threatened to choke her. Frantically she did up the zip of her combat trousers and watched as Joe Anderson stalked toward the corporal, who was attempting to get to his feet.
Joe grabbed the unfortunate man by the front of his combat jacket, hauled him up from the ground, and propelled him backward to a tall stack of pallets where he slammed him with force up against them.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Joe asked with cold fury in his voice. He followed the question up by slamming the man up against the pallets again, as if emphasizing the question.
Corporal Hudson’s head thudded back against the wood. He promptly lashed out with his foot and caught Joe on the ankle. Joe barely winced and slammed him harder against the unyielding wood.
“Motherfucker!” he spat. “What the fuck were you doing to her?”
“She’s free and easy, isn’t she?” Corporal Hudson said, his face twisted with jealousy and anger.
Joe answered the statement by lifting the corporal off h
is feet and throwing him against the pallets repeatedly. “Wrong answer!” he hissed vehemently. “You stay away from her, you fucking bastard. You. Got. That?” Each single word was punctuated by a slam against the wood. “If you don’t, you’ll be seeing the world through your asshole. Do you understand me?”
For a few seconds, Corporal Hudson hesitated.
Joe spun the corporal away from the stack of pallets and threw him on the ground. The hapless man landed with a thud and sprawled, legs and arms akimbo, like a fallen rag doll.
“You fucker!” Corporal Hudson spat out. He was no longer the good-looking corporal who had pursued Katie so persistently. His face was bright red with humiliation or fury, his eyes bulging, teeth bared like a dog defending its territory.
Joe bent over and hauled the man to his feet. “I ought to beat the crap outta you,” he said, dragging the flailing man close so that their faces were barely inches apart. “But you aren’t worth shit. But listen to this. Listen very carefully, you asshole, because I won’t repeat myself. You aren’t worth telling twice. I see you so much as look at her, I’ll kill you. And if I don’t get the satisfaction of doing it, someone else will. Get my drift?”
With that, Joe flung the corporal away from him. “Now get out of here before I change my mind, you piece of shit.”
Corporal Hudson staggered but kept his feet. He turned toward Katie, but it was so dark, she couldn’t see his face.
Joe pointed a steady warning finger at him, “Don’t even think about it, dickwad. Stay away from her. Do I make myself clear?”
Joe’s final warning sounded so quiet and dangerous that Katie herself cringed at the hate and viciousness that she heard in it.
Corporal Hudson hesitated, then turning on his heel and limping slightly, walked away as quickly as he could.
Joe stood with fisted hands on hips, watching the corporal fade into the darkness then, turning, he hurried to where Katie was still on the ground. He dropped to his knees and she instantly flung herself into his arms, her shoulders shuddering and body trembling.
Joe held her tightly, rocking her gently backward and forward. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “You’re okay. You’re safe. I’m here.”
Katie clung to him tightly, feeling, smelling him, and loving him.
“Did he hurt you?” Joe asked.
“He smacked me in the mouth a couple of times and tried to… He tried to…” Katie’s trembling voice trailed off into silence and she continued to shiver against him.
“Ssssshhhh.” He gently smoothed her short hair with one hand and rubbed her back in slow, circular motions until she began to relax slightly. He kissed the top of her head.
“Can you get up?” he asked.
Katie nodded, and winced at strained muscles in her upper torso where she had fought Corporal Hudson so frantically. With Joe’s help, she got awkwardly to her feet. Once upright, she staggered against him and he put his arms around her again.
“Let me look at your mouth,” Joe said and shone his torchlight to the right of her head so that part of the beam lit up the side of her mouth. Katie tilted her head so he could see more clearly where she had been slapped.
Katie saw a burning fury fill his eyes.
“It doesn’t look too bad,” he announced softly, clearly attempting to control his anger. “We just need to clean the blood away.”
“I have some tissues in one of the pouches on my webbing belt,” Katie answered, “and there should also be a bottle of water.”
“Let’s sit down,” Joe ordered, and with his arms still around her, led her over to one of the oil drums and helped her to sit down. Shining his torchlight at her webbing belt and its pouches, he hunted through each one until he found a small pack of tissues and the bottle of water. He soaked a tissue in some water from the bottle then proceeded to gently wipe the blood away from her face. Katie winced and hissed through her teeth.
“It looks worse than it is,” Joe reassured, and then leaning forward he gently kissed the wounded corner of her mouth. Drawing back, they stared at each other and Katie’s eyes suddenly filled with tears that she’d tried not to shed.
Seeing that she still trembling, Joe took her in his arms again, and this time began to kiss her warmly on the mouth.
Katie unhesitatingly put her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with all her heart. All the longing and separation and their love for each other was in the kiss and for a few long minutes what had just happened with Corporal Hudson and the distant sounds of the camp faded away and it was just the two of them alone in the dark. Then Joe felt a warm wetness against his face and he drew back.
“Hey,” he began gently, “it’s all right, Katie. He’s gone.”
Suddenly starting to sob quietly, Katie vigorously shook her head, unable to speak. She cried heartbreakingly for some five minutes and Joe held her tightly, rocking her gently. Eventually she managed to regain her voice and hiccupping like a child, she replied, “It’s not him.”
Joe suddenly released her, stood up slightly from his position on the oil drum, and sat down on the ground. Grasping Katie’s hand, he gently pulled her down beside him then turned her and sat her on his lap, pulling her against him so that her head was resting on his shoulder and his arms were around her.
“Tell me,” he urged softly and gently.
Sobs still hitching at her breath, Katie snuggled in against Joe. She remained silent for a while, unsure whether to disclose to him how she had missed him and how scared she had been.
Eventually she sniffed. “I missed you,” she said simply. “I missed you so much, Joe.” She glanced up at him and saw that he was looking down at her. She could just about see his face, features outlined in the shifting shadows. “I was nearly out of my head with worry when the sandstorm hit,” she continued, her voice becoming a little stronger. “I knew you were out there and I was so scared that something might happen to you. God, I’m making an utter pathetic mess of this.”
Joe remained silent, continuing to stare at her. Katie felt a twinge of fear. Have I said too much? Maybe he doesn’t want commitment. Perhaps his feelings aren’t as strong as mine are.
Chapter Nineteen
“I’m sorry…” she began.
“I love you,” Joe suddenly announced, gently and without warning.
Katie froze. “What?” she exclaimed, eyes wide, unable to believe what she had heard. “Really?”
“Yes really. I love you, Katie,” Joe repeated firmly and clearly, smiling slightly at her almost childlike question and the look of stunned surprise on her face. “I think I’ve loved you since we first met. I know it’s crazy, we’ve only known each other for a just a little while, but that’s the way it is. I can’t stop thinking about you. You are seriously distracting every good intention I have toward my concentration.” He continued to stare at her, waiting for a reaction. He could see that her eyes were still wide, and then suddenly a beautiful but shy smile touched her lips.
Reaching up a hand, Katie traced a finger across his mouth with a feather-light touch. “I love you too, Joe,” she finally responded. “I didn’t want to fall in love with you, but I have. I love you so much.”
Joe’s arms tightened around her and he lowered his head. He touched her mouth gently with his, but that wasn’t enough for them and he began to kiss her deeply, causing their passion to flare into a white-hot flame. The oil drum that Joe had been leaning against rolled away and he sprawled onto his back, pulling Katie with him. Now he was lying half on top of her and his mouth left hers, his lips burning a hot trail along her neck and down to her collarbone.
Katie moaned softly, entwining her fingers in his hair, loving the feeling of his body against hers and the hot, moist kisses that he left against the skin of her neck. Being with Joe, having him kiss her like this, pushed into the background the sordid scene with the cook. There was no comparison to the almost overwhelming feelings that this man could arouse in her. She gently left a trail of light kisses alon
g his jaw line and down to his neck where she nipped gently at his skin, interspersing the gentle sensual bites with small kisses. Joe groaned softly, his body tensing. His mouth found hers again as his hand found its way beneath her T-shirt and his fingers traced light circles on her stomach, causing the muscles there to quiver before his hand traveled slowly upward. Gently, he cupped her breast through her bra and stroked her nipple with his thumb. Katie moaned again, arching her back and pulling his head down harder so that his mouth was crushed against hers.
Wanting to feel his warm skin against her hands, Katie quickly pulled his T-shirt out of his combat trousers and placed her hands on his stomach. She felt the muscles there contract and Joe’s hand tightened almost painfully against her breast.
“God, I want you,” he murmured softly against her mouth. “I want you so much.”
“I want you too,” Katie whispered. Her hands moved around to his back under his T-shirt and she tugged on the waistband of his combats, attempting to move him over on top of her. One of his legs moved between hers and Joe’s hand went to her waistband—then he stopped.
For what seemed like long minutes, he lay there and she could feel his heart pounding heavily against the palm of her hand where it rested on his chest. His breath was hot on her mouth and his breathing was rapid and harsh. Then he pushed her away gently and sat up, head and shoulders bowed, legs bent slightly.
“Joe?” Katie lay where she was on the ground, staring up at him in confusion. When he didn’t answer, she suddenly sat up and got up to her knees. Humiliated and embarrassed, she began to tuck her T-shirt back into her combat trousers.
“I’m sorry,” she began in a trembling voice. “I’m sorry. I thought…” Her voice trailed off into a sad silence.
“Hey”—Joe suddenly turned to face her—“it’s not what you’re thinking. I want to make love to you like hell, but not here.” He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. “This place is for quickies and one-night stands. You’re worth far, far more than that. Trust me, Katie. If we were somewhere private…” His words trailed off and he leaned forward and kissed her so deeply and passionately that it took her breath away.
For the Love of a Marine Page 19
