The Men In Uniform Collection. Barbara McMahon

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СКАЧАТЬ say,” she said. “Of course, we were the only two at the party, and of course, he’d laid in a stash of booze. I’d known that’s what he’d want, but I didn’t get it. Not really. So when it came down to it, I freaked. I couldn’t go through with it.”

      “That’s good.”

      “Not really. Because he took me home. Dropped me off at the end of the block, not even at my house. Then he put a big old chalk mark on the locker with my initials under it. He told everyone that mattered at the school that I was not only a total skank, but that I was so lousy he was sure I was really a dyke. Nice, huh?”

      “And that’s when Nate showed up.”

      “In his uniform, thank you very much. At school. With all Scott’s posse watching. Not only did Nate clean his clock, he told everyone that Scott was the most unsophisticated, foolish little boy he’d ever seen. That a real man didn’t ever need to broadcast it, that a real man had respect for women because they were the greatest of God’s gifts, and that since he knew for a fact that Scott had lied about doing anything with me, it was a sure bet that he’d lied about every other chalk mark on his locker.

      “Bet Scott’s life was never the same again.”

      “Damn straight.”

      He angled toward her, but didn’t look at anything but her eyes. “And I’ll bet you wish more than anything in the world that Nate was here right now, cleaning this bastard’s clock.”

      She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Her lips trembled and then she was crying. Eyes closed, she turned her back to him, but he could see by the way her shoulders shook that this was bad, worse than before.

      He heard her sob, and all he could think was that she looked so small, so helpless in that big old tub. And how he wished Nate were there, because she needed him so badly. She needed so much.

      Then he thought again about what his job was, here in this house, in this room. And he stood.

       7

      CHRISTIE STOPPED CRYING. Not because she didn’t miss Nate, not because she’d never felt more alone in her whole life, but because she just couldn’t. Her eyes couldn’t weep, her throat couldn’t breathe, her soul couldn’t hold up, not for another second. There was nothing left in her, just numbness. A person, she supposed, could only be so scared for so long before everything shut down. It was better this way. Easier. If she just stayed in the bathtub for the rest of her life, she’d be fine. Pruney, but fine.

      As for Boone, well, she appreciated that he was here. She wished she could believe that he would fix everything, but that was gone, too. Sure, he’d do what he could, but it was useless. Hopeless. Damn, if she wasn’t too tired to even think about that.

      She reached over and turned on the Whirlpool jets, then she leaned back so her neck was on the pillow. If she closed her eyes, maybe she could think about the water. Just the water.

      It worked for a few minutes, but then she opened her eyes. She gave a start when she saw Boone right next to the tub. His legs were bare, and as her gaze moved up his body, she saw he’d taken his clothes off. He had a towel around his waist, but he was naked, all right.

      “Scoot up,” he said.

      She heard him, but she was too confused to obey. What, all of a sudden it wasn’t about the job? “What’s going on?”

      “Let me in, and I’ll tell you.”

      She looked up even farther, until she met his eyes. He didn’t look sneaky and he didn’t leer. But she still wasn’t sure.

      “It’s all right,” he said.

      She moved until her chest hit her knees. Boone dropped the towel and stepped carefully into the tub behind her, his feet touching her hips. She got as small as she could, feeling her heartbeat against her kneecaps as she waited for him to sit. He grunted as he stretched his legs on either side of her. He had to bend his knees a bit, as he was too tall, even though the tub was way oversized. Then he gave a great sigh, which she knew had to be because of the jets. His hands gripped her shoulders and he pulled her back, against his chest.

      “Boone?”

      “Yeah?”

      “Care to share now? About what you’re doing.”

      “Getting in the tub.”

      “I know that part. Why?”

      “Because you’re scared.”

      “I’ve been taking baths for a long time all by myself. Haven’t freaked out yet,” she said, hoping he didn’t hear the banked tears in her voice.

      “You want me to get out?”

      She put her hands on his knees. “No.”

      “Okay, then. Lean back and relax.”

      She did. Her head fell back to the crook of his neck, her back was cushioned by his chest and she felt surrounded by strength. The thick cock lying against her tailbone was something to think about later.

      “What’s the first thing you’re going to do when this guy is toast?” he asked.

      “Do we have to talk about him?”

      “Yeah, I think we do. But it’s okay,” he said, as his arms wrapped around her, just above her breasts.

      She felt tiny, even though she wasn’t. She was five-seven, and she’d never been with any man who made her feel this delicate. Oddly, it didn’t make her feel helpless. Just, small.

      “I’ve got you,” he whispered, his lips almost touching her ear.

      Christie quivered, and not from fear. He had her. He had her. She closed her eyes, cocooned in this man, encircled by heat and flesh and wet, and she wasn’t just small. She was…safe.

      Her throat clenched, and it was sheer will that kept her from crying all over again. It seemed impossible that only a moment ago, she’d lost all hope, and now, with his arms, and his words, and his body, he’d changed everything.

      “You okay?”

      She sniffed. Nodded.

      “So what’s the first thing you’re going to do?”

      “Go to Disneyland?”

      “Christie.”

      She smiled. He could do stern schoolmarm so well. “Get a new bed.”

      He chuckled and she felt it all the way down her back. “That’s good. What else?”

      “Get a new job, maybe? Remind my friends that I’m still alive. Take Milo to the park.”

      “Okay. Keep those things in mind. Keep them as close as you can. What we’re going to do tonight, is get some rest. Tomorrow, we’ll start again. We’ll train in СКАЧАТЬ