by Fawn Lowery
When Captain Tammy Albright learns Sergeants Wayne Murphy and Lyle Collins are coming to the Army base to train helicopter pilots, she thinks the two soldiers will only be there for a few months before being discharged and she will have little contact with them. But things don’t always go as planned by the military—especially when two sexy men set their sights on a beautiful female officer. Tammy has old-fashioned values—but so do Wayne and Lyle—and neither man finds anything unorthodox about the coupling of two men with one woman. Will Tammy ignore her well-guarded ethics and have a relationship with the men? Has she gone too long without male companionship to pass up what they are offering her? How hard can it be for two virile solders to convince one petite woman that they have her back?
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Tammy’s Men
Copyright © 2010 Fawn Lowery
ISBN: 978-1-55487-576-4
Cover art by Angela Waters
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by eXtasy Books
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Tammy’s Men
By
Fawn Lowery
Dedication
To Jay and Tina.
Chapter 1
Tammy Albright watched the chopper sit down on the tarmac. Turning toward the desk in the office, she tossed her clipboard down and picked up her cap. Sweeping one hand up the back of her head, she tucked in the stray red tendrils that had escaped the elastic band holding her ponytail. Angling the Army green cap on her head, she drew in a long breath and pushed through the office door.
Sergeants Wayne Murphy and Lyle Collins, members of a Special Forces unit stationed in Iraq, sat in the back seat of the copter. With only three months of their enlistment remaining, both men had been sent back to the States to await discharge. Tammy aimed her steps toward the helicopter as the pilot cut the motor. The thought that she would be in charge of the two Sergeants for their remaining stint in the service intimidated her a little. Both men had just finished their fourth tour of duty in the war-torn nation and being reduced to training chopper pilots seemed rather mundane in comparison to all the action they endured. Who better to train green recruits than two men who have experienced everything Iraq has to offer.
Experienced pilots, both Murphy and Collins had chosen the special unit after only one tour of duty. Ambushed over Kabul while picking up wounded soldiers of their division, Murphy suffered a shot in the arm and Collins took a bullet in the thigh. Both soldiers’ anger was aroused sufficiently for them to volunteer for the ground force, hunting down insurgents and capturing rogue leaders.
The doors of the helicopter opened and Tammy stopped, her gaze on the man jumping to the ground. Sergeant Wayne Murphy. He was tall and black, with short dark hair, dressed in Army fatigues. A pair of sunglasses hid his eyes. Tammy watched his long legs as he came toward her, her stomach clenching. He walked with a loose-limbed gait, as though filled with confidence and letting everybody in sight know it. A smile pulled one side of her mouth upward. I expected nothing less from Wayne Murphy.
Lyle Collins rounded the nose of the copter, joining Murphy as he headed toward Tammy and the hangar. Oh God. He was thinner than Murphy, but just as imposing. His shoulders were wide and the loose fitting jumpsuit he wore only served to call attention to the hard muscled body beneath. Every step brought him closer to Tammy and raised her pulse a degree.
“Welcome,” Tammy said, raising her right hand and saluting the men.
The pair halted, stiffened their stance and returned her salute.
Tammy smiled and extended her hand. “I’m Captain Albright. You’ll be taking orders from me.” She halted her words, seeing Sergeant Murphy’s brows rise. He smiled and glanced at Collins.
Tammy gritted her teeth. She feared the men would resent her. She turned on her heel. It would be sheer boredom training green recruits, but she hadn’t been the one to issue the order. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing that the men were following at a polite distance. She strode to the office, stepped through the door and turned to face them.
“You both have been assigned to D Barracks.” She handed each man a single key on a chain. “This is for your footlocker. You’ll be sharing a semi-private room at the rear of the barracks. The new recruits will be your roomies for the duration of your stay on the base.” She smiled slightly, aware that she was treating the two as though they too were new recruits. “You start flight training in the morning. There are forty-two newbies assigned to the flight program.”
Sergeant Murphy stared at her, a look of compliance on his handsome face. Tammy glanced from him to his cohort. Lyle Collins was standing relaxed, the key she handed him lying across his palm.
“Is there a bar near the base? I could use a drink.”
Tammy drew in a long breath. You pompous bastard. She tipped her head and met his blue gaze. Her pulse kicked up a degree. He was incredibly handsome. Deep set eyes were framed with thick brown lashes and when he smiled, she caught the sight of a tiny dimple in his left cheek. A dark shadow of beard graced his chiseled jaw and upon further inspection, she saw his right earlobe was pierced.
“You’re restricted to base, Sergeant,” she snapped, turning from them. As she strode toward the back of the small office, she swore she could feel their heated gazes on her ass. For a second she felt utterly out of place, as though she shouldn’t be in the job of managing the garage and overseeing the upkeep of the Army helicopters. She gritted her teeth. I’ll be damn if I knuckle under to these soldiers.
At twenty-eight, she had served her country for ten years. She spent four years in Iraq managing incoming wounded in the makeshift hospital at the temporary base. She knew the devastation war brought to families of the United States. Being around all the injured men had given her a sense of dedication to the service and ten months ago she was transferred back to Virginia and placed at the maintenance garage. Keeping the helicopters serviced and ready to fly out was a task she found rewarding. When the order came from headquarters that the hangar would be used to train new recruits, she was anxious to begin the process.
She had learned the two soldiers from the Special Forces unit would be back in the States a few months before their tours were up and made it a point to learn as much about them as she could. Still, her knowledge of their backgrounds hadn’t prepared her for meeting them face to face.
By profession, Wayne Murphy was a criminal attorney in California, single, and at thirty years old, established his own law firm. He was known for his ruthless behavior in court, taking on any prosecutor that dared come up against him. She smiled at the thought of watching the imposing man in court. Surely he would be a sight to intrigue even the most jaded spectator.
Lyle Collins owned a sporting goods store in LA. He was thirty, single and well to do financially. Comparing the two men, Tammy would have to say Lyle appeared the less aggres
sive. She shrugged. Going into combat in Iraq was a far stretch from managing a sporting goods store. Still, he had managed to spend almost four years fighting insurgents and hunting down rogue leaders and come back to the States in one piece.
A swell of respect bloomed inside Tammy. The men had endured a lot overseas and she had no intention of raising their ire while they were in her midst. But I’m not taking any bull from them either.
Chapter 2
Tammy signed her name on the form and shoved it into the cadet’s hand. “See Sergeant Murphy.”
The new recruit saluted, turned and hurried toward the mouth of the hangar.
Two helicopters were being checked over and three different mechanics were busy hooking up testers and running basic numbers on one motor. Tammy had signed the order taking both crafts out of service until they passed diagnostic qualifications. The noise inside the metal hangar was almost deafening. Her temples were throbbing and she wished the day would get over.
A breeze blew through the large building, ruffling Tammy’s hair and pulling her attention to the far end of the structure. Murphy and Collins were getting ready to take up two recruits. Murphy’s loud baritone voice carried on the breeze. She walked toward the gathering of men on the tarmac, her gaze pinned on the two veteran soldiers. They had been on the base for a week and sometimes she wondered why she had been saddled with them. Surely their talents could be put to better use if they would have remained in Iraq. A surge of regret raced through her insides. At times, Lyle and Wayne weren’t easy to get along with but she wouldn’t wish another tour on either of them.
She stared at Wayne as he spoke to the new recruits. Aside from being incredibly good looking, he had a sense of humor that surfaced from time to time. At first his easy mannerisms had surprised her, since he was a seasoned soldier with numerous battle hours to his credit. Lyle, on the other hand, seemed just the opposite in nature. He seemed much too serious about everything.
Tammy had only seen them once off base, and at first she tried to pretend she didn’t see either of them. She had stopped by the bar for a quick drink after a particularly exhausting day and just as she lifted the bottle to her mouth, she saw them step through the door. Holding her breath, she hoped they didn’t see her. They were much too attractive for her to become familiar with. God knew she had been without male companionship for so long she had almost forgotten how it felt to be touched by a man. The memory was debilitating. She rubbed her upper arms with her palms and turned away, not wanting to recall how they almost seduced her that night.
“Captain, there’s a phone call for you.”
Tammy turned at the sound of the voice. Corporal Lee McCormick shared the small office with her and assisted with the scheduling of the recruits sometimes. She nodded and strode toward the office. She had begun to count the days until she could go home. Her sister wanted her to come for a visit and she had been hedging about giving her an answer. Once the Army uniform was off her back, all she wanted to do was resume her sedate life and try to forget the carnage she had seen in Iraq and the newbies she had witnessed shipping out. War is hell.
The phone call only added to her headache. Another fifteen recruits were headed her way. She hung up the phone and took a pad of paper from her desk drawer. There wasn’t enough space in the barracks for more men. Issuing the request for transfer of some of the recruits was a necessary matter. Company B had just shipped out a group after only three weeks of training. She shook her head. Three weeks hardly seemed long enough to learn all there was to know about flying a chopper in war torn Iraq let alone risking a young pilot at the helm of a multi-million dollar piece of equipment.
“Sometimes I just don’t understand the Army,” she muttered.
“Me either.”
She turned at the sound of the voice, then wished she hadn’t. Wayne Murphy stepped into the office, his large form seeming to fill the small space to overflowing. Looking at him, she realized she felt vulnerable sitting at the desk. She put aside her pen and rose from the chair. “What can I do for you, Wayne?”
He smiled slowly and came toward her.
Damn! When am I going to learn?
“Well, let’s see,” he drawled, reaching one hand to her shirt front. “You can strip off your clothes and spread your legs, Tammy.” He drew in a deep breath. “You smell a lot better than those recruits.”
Tammy slapped at his hand and took a step back. Since that night in the bar, both men had been making passes at her. Though they were arousing to the point that she creamed her panties, she knew she should find a way to put a stop to their continued advances.
Wayne threw a sheath of papers on the desk. “Sign these. Three of the recruits don’t have the stomach for flight maneuvers.”
Tammy’s brows drew together. She had witnessed one of the men getting sick earlier but she had no idea it was due to being up in one of the helicopters. She raised her gaze and stared at Wayne. “You didn’t do something unorthodox, did you?”
“No, ma’am. I just took them for a little flight and they decided they didn’t want to be pilots after all.” He stared at her. “If a recruit can’t handle being up in a chopper in a peaceful setting, he sure as hell won’t be able to fly in combat.” He pointed at the papers. “Sign the fucking papers and send the kids back to basic training.”
Chapter 3
Tammy twisted the doorknob and pushed the door into the apartment. A relieved sigh left her throat. It had been a grueling day. The new recruits arrived at the hangar, each one seeming more eager than the other to take lessons in the helicopters. All had bellowed their discord when she informed them that part of the lessons would be in the classroom. A few of the newbies had heard that Sergeants Murphy and Collins were there to teach and voiced their opinions of the soldiers. Their praise made her smile and filled her insides with pride.
As she kicked the door closed with one foot, she thought about her reaction to the young recruits’ praise for Wayne and Lyle. Was she merely reacting to the fact that she knew the soldiers? Or had she felt a bit of possessiveness toward the men?
“Either way, I’m screwed.” She removed her cap and pulled the pens from her hair, letting the thick mass fall about her shoulders. “I’m getting too attached to those guys.” She shook her head and crossed the room to the small kitchenette. Opening the fridge, she removed a bottle of beer. “They’ll be gone in a couple of months and I’ll be heading home a little later. They’ll forget me and I’ll forget them.”
She bent and untied her boots, then kicked them off. Tugging the green t-shirt from her fatigues, she headed to the couch in the living room. Dressing like a man all day only reminded her that she was a woman beneath the loose fitting fatigues and heavy boots. She settled on one end of the couch and brought the bottle of beer to her lips.
Thinking about her life only made her realize that she was getting older and there was no one in her bed. She groaned. It wasn’t easy finding a man who appreciated her for who she was. If she just wanted sex, there were plenty of opportunities to strip off her clothes and fuck. She thought then of Wayne’s words earlier in the day. He was teasing, of course. Or was he?
Since the two had arrived at the barracks, she had been bombarded with thoughts about her life. Seeing them on a daily basis, watching them with the younger recruits, seeing them interact with each other, well, everything seemed to bring more questions to mind. They appeared inseparable. She cocked her head. They weren’t gay by any means. A shiver of lust snaked up her spine, making her adjust her seat on the couch. She had never met two men who exuded sexual awareness as they did. Whenever she glanced at either of them, her nerves quivered. She gulped the last of the beer and rose from the couch.
Removing a second bottle from the fridge, she sat at the kitchen counter. It was difficult thinking about the men and deciding to resist them. They made daily passes and it was growing harder each time to ignore what they were offering her. Her brows drew together. If they were offering someth
ing more than all the sex she could crave, she might reconsider.
She laughed out loud and took a sip of beer. With the weekend lying before her, she should put her mind on something productive. Not that thinking about sex with Wayne and Lyle wouldn’t be productive—in a way. “Oh hell, get a grip.”
Stripping the t-shirt over her head, she carried the bottle of beer to the bathroom. Maybe a long hot soak in the tub would clear thoughts of Wayne and Lyle from her mind. She started the tub filling and squeezed in a hefty amount of lilac scented bubble bath. As the fragrant mist filled the room, she recalled Wayne commenting on how good she smelled. “Stop thinking about those two,” she shouted. She turned on her heel and hurried to the bedroom for pajamas. It was almost dark and she didn’t have plans of going out. “Maybe I’ll watch a movie and nibble on popcorn.”
As she pulled pajamas from a dresser drawer, she admitted that she was talking to herself far too much. But then she hadn’t always been bombarded by the likes of two virile soldiers vying for her attentions. She returned to the bathroom and undressed, glancing at her body in the full-length mirror on the back of the door. She was attractive, her hips were nicely curved and her breasts were full. She raised one hand and smoothed her palm across one mound. Her nipple peaked, making her draw in a quick breath. “Damn! I’m really horny.”
Stepping into the frothy water, she sank down to her neck and closed her eyes. Just a few more weeks and it will be all over. She would be on her way home. Her eyes opened and she grimaced. She still hadn’t decided what to tell her sister. On the one hand, she wanted to see her again, but on the other hand, she knew she would preach to her about how she was living her life. Just because Helen had a husband and three kids, didn’t mean she should follow suit. Helen might be her big sister and she had bossed her when they were growing up, but she didn’t need her advice now. She was her own person, able to manage her own affairs.
