By Request Collection April-June 2016. Оливия Гейтс

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       10

      IF IT WEREN’T FOR the deliciously tender places on her body, Kate might have imagined Chase’s heated lovemaking of the previous night. He had awakened her the following morning by calling her name through the entrance of the tent, but he hadn’t come in, telling her she had thirty minutes to get dressed and meet him outside.

      The storm had passed during the night, and the morning air was clear. Even at that hour, the sun beat relentlessly down, drying the muddy roads and promising a hot afternoon. Kate packed her bags and went outside to meet Chase. He stood leaning against a Humvee reading his handheld device, while Charity lay at his feet, her tongue lolling. She called his name, feeling inexplicably shy. He looked up and for just an instant she saw the same heat in his eyes that she had seen last night. His gaze raked over her once, before he schooled his expression into one of cool politeness.

      “Good morning,” he said, pushing away from the vehicle to walk toward her. “Did you sleep well?”

      She gave him a meaningful smile. “Like a baby. But what about you? You didn’t need to leave.”

      He paused beside her. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I did. What happened last night was amazing, Kate, but it can’t happen again.”

      Kate’s smile faltered and something twisted painfully in her chest. “You’re saying it was a mistake.”

      Chase’s expression was so intense that for a moment Kate thought he was going to pull her into his arms. “No,” he said fiercely. “Not a mistake. Just not very smart, considering our situation.”

      Realistically, she knew he was right. Last night, she’d been convinced that she could have sex with Chase and not have any regrets; that she could have a brief fling without getting emotionally involved. But recalling what it had been like … what he had been like, she knew she’d been kidding herself.

      Now she forced herself to nod in agreement. “I understand.”

      A muscle ticked in his jaw and he took a step toward her. For an instant, she thought he might actually kiss her. Instead, he made a small sound of frustration and ducked into her tent, reappearing a moment later with one of her duffel bags in either hand.

      “You can use this protective gear for the remainder of your visit,” he said gruffly, indicating the bag that contained her flak vest and helmet.

      Kate watched as he walked quickly to the Humvee and tossed the equipment into the backseat. She wanted to tell him that he could take the stuff. There wasn’t enough protective gear in the world to keep her heart safe from him.

      Drawing a deep breath, Kate walked slowly to the Humvee and climbed into the passenger seat, placing her shoulder bag on the floor at her feet. She reminded herself that she was thirty-one years old and she had wanted Chase in her bed. In fact, he’d given her several opportunities to back off, but she’d been determined to have him. He’d been upfront with her about not being able to make any commitments. It wasn’t as though he’d misled her. She had no reason to expect that he would suddenly treat her as if they were soul mates.

      So why did she feel so miserable?

      She watched as he opened the back of the Humvee and let the dog jump in before he climbed into the driver’s seat and thrust the vehicle into gear. The roads were thick with mud and washed-out in some places, but the Humvee bounced over the ruts without any problem.

      “Here,” he said, handing her a paper bag. “I brought you some breakfast. And a coffee.”

      Kate accepted the bag, expecting to find another Pop-Tart pastry. Instead, she found a hot breakfast sandwich and some fruit inside. The unexpected gesture both touched and confused her.

      “Thank you. Did you already eat?”

      “What? Oh, yeah. I didn’t get any sleep last night after we—” He broke off abruptly. “I was at the dining facility around 4:00 a.m.” He glanced at her as he spoke, and twin patches of color rode high on his cheekbones, the only indication that he was thinking about their interlude, and that he wasn’t as unfeeling about it as he would have her believe. Suddenly, Kate felt much lighter.

      “Oh, well, thanks.” She took a bite of the sandwich, realizing for the first time how hungry she was. Then she recalled the helicopter flight from Bagram to Camp Leatherneck, and felt her stomach rebel. “How are we getting to Kandahar?”

      A brief smile touched his mouth, but he didn’t look at her. “Not by Black Hawk.”

      “Perfect.”

      They headed back to the flight line, and Kate looked across the tarmac to one of the biggest aircraft she had ever seen. Stuffing her sandwich in the bag, she turned to Chase.

      “That’s a C-17 Globemaster,” he said, nodding toward the plane. “One of the Marine expeditionary units is transferring to Kandahar and bringing three Humvees with them, but they have some extra seats, so we’re hitching a ride with them.”

      Kate swallowed hard, reminding herself that at least it wasn’t a Black Hawk, and at least they didn’t have to drive overland.

      Inside the makeshift terminal, Chase took her body armor out of her duffel bag and handed it to her, and then pulled on his own protective gear. Outside, he snapped a long lead to Charity’s harness and handed the end to Kate, who watched as he threw their duffel bags on a pallet, alongside dozens of other bags and assorted gear. Several soldiers began rearranging the baggage and then strapped it all down with an enormous net.

      A military bus drew to a stop by the pallets. “This is our ride to the plane,” Chase said, taking the leash and indicating she should precede him.

      “Sir, I’m sorry but the dog isn’t СКАЧАТЬ