Man Of Few Words (8 page)

“You haven’t noticed? C’mon, Kirsten. Seriously?”

“You’re just misreading him.” She waved over her shoulder, but Suzy’s suspicions about Boomer had raised her own. What had she been missing? And why was she still thinking about Duff? Would she ever get him out of her mind now that she’d had another glorious taste of him?

****

The afternoon was well on its way to evening as Kirsten squinted in the sun. She’d been admiring the new, sturdy staircase for the past ten minutes. The sight of it made her happy, although the cost didn’t. Even that didn’t diminish her spirits too much since she knew she had a paycheck coming at the end of the month. As she moved to the shade, she gave the day high marks despite Duff walking out on her, again.

She smiled at Boomer as he walked down the new steps from the house. The man might have retired from the military two years ago, but he didn’t look it. His kept his hair short and his body in shape. She’d jogged with him enough times to know that he had more stamina at forty-four than she had at thirty-one. The only thing that showed his age were the lines on his face. He’d done some serious worrying, as he liked to say.

“Have you walked up them, yet?”

“Three times while you were loafing inside.” She always teased him, because he did the same to her. They had an easy rapport. He was one of her father’s many friends who she didn’t mind checking on her. The others assumed she needed direction. Boomer showed only friendliness. At least, that’s what she always thought.

“Just three? We’ll have to get back to training you.”

“I could handle that. It helps keep the stress away, and I’m sure to have plenty of it. Not about the steps any longer. Thanks, and thanks for bringing such a crew. We slapped this baby up in no time.”

“You’re welcome, and I wish more homeowners were like you, getting in there along with us.”

She sat on a step and patted the spot next to her. “You mean getting in the way.”

Boomer joined her, but he shook his head. “Not at all. I think you kept the boys going, because you didn’t slow down.”

“I wanted to get this done and out of the way. It seemed like a tangible thing to check off my ever-growing list.” She sighed and closed her eyes. Every time she took a rest, she remembered all she had to do to settle her father’s estate, from bills to pay and the proper forms to file for the clerk of the court.

Boomer put an arm around her shoulders and gave a squeeze. “I’m here to help with that stuff.”

She leaned into him. For the second time in a day, she realized how much she missed the feel of a man. “I know. Maybe instead of running tomorrow, you can help me gather all of my dad’s financial papers. I’ve got to send all of the investment firms and bank accounts his death certificate, and he definitely believed in putting his eggs in lots of baskets.”

“You got it, but let’s toss in some activity, too. It’s good for you.”

“Thank you for not calling me
kid
like all the others.” She meant that. Boomer treated her like an equal, and it meant feeling more capable and less dependent on the military machine.

“Because you’re not.” He put a hand on her chin and turned her face toward his. “You’re not. Kirsten, you’re a beautiful, smart woman.”

“Caught in a storm of former commanding officers.” Although her voice was calm, the rest of her could barely keep within normal operating boundaries. The scent of Boomer’s sweat teased at her nose and lured her closer to him. Her pulse throbbed in her neck, and the place where his hand touched sent tingles of excitement to her chest. She envisioned her fingers tracing the smile line at the side of his mouth before taking his chin in hand and pressing her lips against his. Being with Duff must have amped up her sex drive. She hadn’t ever thought of Boomer that way. She wiped those crazy images from her mind.

“That you are. I promise not to tell you what to do, except…” He dropped his hand from her chin and removed his gaze from her. “Ah, never mind.”

With the connection broken, she realized what a mistake it would have been to kiss Boomer. Her heart hadn’t fully given up on Duff. Putting another man in the mix would make matters worse. She used teasing as a way to bring more distance between them. “You can give orders, but I refuse to obey. That isn’t ever going to change.”

He slapped his thigh and stood. “I wouldn’t expect anything else, professor. I’m gonna get going. Gotta squeeze in one more job before I lose all the daylight.”

“Get going, then. Call me before coming tomorrow. I may need to put off going through Dad’s stuff.” Not only did she have lessons to construct before Monday, she planned to patch up the mess she’d made with Duff, if she could figure out how to contact him. He’d told her to call, but she hadn’t gotten his number.

“Sure. It might work better for Wednesday. We’ve got a big job out here then. Let’s grab a bite and tackle it then.”

“Great. Thanks, Boomer.”

“Any time, Kirsten.”

“Careful, I may take you up on that.”

Boomer seemed like a pretty good replacement if Duff didn’t work out. That thought brought a smile to her face. She had options, and pretty damn good ones. Well, she would have options once she got Duff to relax about the other Marine that may or may not hang around the house. She’d not been very nice or understanding to him. Perhaps he’d give her another chance. She laughed. Now, that was ironic.

Chapter Seven

Duff wished the small gym in his apartment building had a punching bag. He needed to pummel something to get the annoyance he had at himself out of his system. Running three miles hadn’t helped, and pumping iron wasn’t proving to work. All he’d done was cover the scent of sex with the stink of his sweat. He wondered, not for the first time, how a man who routinely succeeded in piloting expensive aircraft could screw up his personal life.

With exercise a bust, he turned his thoughts to the other way he vanquished his emotions—flying and training pilots. He had no real reason to go to the base, but he headed that way as a reason to get out of his place. The bedroom reminded him of her, and when he straightened the sheets to make the bed her scent filled the small room. Even the bathroom got him thinking of Kirsten. He needed to surround himself with things that he could control, like green flight students and aircraft.

Duff pushed open the wooden door, worn smooth by generations of airmen entering the ready room. He wasn’t preparing for a mission. Instead, flight students would get a lesson before taking to the skies in the trusty T-34s used for initial flight training. Mike Stone’s dark green flight suit stood out in the off-white room.

“Didn’t expect you here.” Stone bobbed his head as a greeting.

“Doing some thinking and found myself heading this way.” He and Stone hadn’t ever been good friends, but, like the old naval saying, any port in a storm. Right now, his personal life had reached a stormy seas stage. “Women.”

The high beams of Stone’s teeth shined in the dim room. “When you have more than one, you’ll get challenges.”

“That’s not my problem. Just one.”

“The lady I met last night?”

“That one.”

“Is it you or her?”

“Do you need to ask that question?” Stone knew about Duff’s series of failed relationships and the troubles that still followed him because of one woman in particular.

“Right. What did you do?”

“Lost my temper. Well, not exactly.” He thought about the naked lieutenant prancing so easily through Kirsten’s house and how she stared at the younger man. His reaction was jealousy and a need for privacy—not outrage at unbecoming conduct. As he turned a chair backward and straddled it, he told Stone the story.

After a long laugh, Stone asked, “This was Groveman, the jokester?”

“Yeah, that’s the one, and he’s dating her roommate. You know I can’t kick him out. The shit’s going to cost me an amazing woman.”

Stone propped up his feet on the table in front of him. “That kid deserved whatever you gave him, Duff. Don’t feel bad about that. But, the lady and the situation. Want me to see if Groveman is real about the roommate?”

“Out of bounds, even for you.”

Stone threw up his hands. “Hey, all I have to do is suggest that I’m interested, and bam! That kid will go running.” He leaned forward. “Is she hot?”

“Kirsten? You saw her. Yes. Hell, yes.”

“No, the roommate.”

“I don’t know. Didn’t stay around to see her.”

“Let me deal with Groveman. He’s up for a flight with me. I won’t press him too hard. Whatever I learn, I’ll tell you.”

Duff rubbed his face and contemplated the ethics of it all, which he wished he’d done earlier. “Don’t tell him to dump the roommate. We can’t do that.”

Stone turned on his high beams, those ridiculously white teeth. He had to spend a fortune on whitening treatments. “I’m going to be a saint. Perfect officer. And you’ll end up with what you want. But you do know that you should get over there and apologize if she’s worth it. Is she?”

Without having to think much about how he felt with her in his arms last night, he answered, “Yes.”

“Then stop jawing at me. Go do it.”

“Sure you don’t need help with the crew about to come in.” Duff motioned with his head toward the growing rumble of conversation behind the door.

“Nah, but you stay in here until they file in. Gotta take this opportunity to make Groveman squirm.”

“You’re a cruel man, Stone.”

“It’s got me where I am today.”

Duff shook his head, but he leaned in like a conspirator when the flight students streamed into the room. He said, “If you like being alone, buddy, keep at it.” He patted Stone on the shoulder, winked at Groveman, and got a small delight from seeing the poor kid grimace. He felt better. He had a mission.

****

Kirsten braided her wet hair after her second shower of the day. She wanted to greet Duff at his apartment looking nice, but not like she tried too hard. Going as she was after finishing the staircase turned out not to be a good option once Suzy pointed out that Boomer’s cologne lingered on her. That wouldn’t make the right impression at all. Duff would only think the worst of her if she arrived smelling of musk. Even she wouldn’t forgive someone who smelled of someone else’s cologne.

Suzy yelled at her from the front door. “I’m headed to the store. Need anything?”

“More condoms.” She grinned as she walked into the common room from her side of the house. She had three left from the six she had last night. If her plan went well, she’d need more.

“Sure. There’s also a box under my sink if you want to grab a few. I doubt I’ll be using them for a bit. Aren’t you so happy that you’re back to loving life?”

“Yes and no. It’s been an up and down day.”

“Yeah, I saw that thing between you and Boomer. When it rains, it pours on you.”

“For good and bad, apparently.” She referred to dealing with the death of both her parents in the space of two years. First her mom in a car accident and then her father from a long battle with cancer. “Anyway, Boomer isn’t a problem. He’ll stay a friend.”

Suzy pursed her lips and shook her head. “Until you snuggle up tight to this new one and move away when it’s time to relocate.”

That made Kirsten frown. She’d made a commitment to this house and this new job. She wanted to teach and had been surprised at how much she enjoyed the two classes she’d taught during her father’s hospice time. Working in the industry had been interesting, but the students challenged her every day. She liked that and the variety of minds she had to deal with. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

“You know I’m only trying to help. You said you wanted to stay in one place for a while. Boomer would give that to you. He’s done his time in the military. He’s here and good-looking. Employed. Handy.” She scrunched up her nose. “You know what they say about a man with tools?”

“That he can handle his own.” She rolled her eyes, but she’d seen most of Boomer’s body when they’d jogged together. Usually, she chastised her male running partners when they took off their shirts. Never had she told Boomer to put it back on. The tanned, hard planes of his chest and abs were a welcome distraction as they pushed their limits on distance.

When they’d been close earlier, she’d been tempted to spread her hand over the muscles that she knew were there. She thought about it again, and the memory and feel of Duff’s shoulders filled her senses. After only one night, thoughts of him had her fingers itching to grab his shoulders as they thrust against each other. Her nipples tingled with desire remembering the night. At this point, no one else’s would do. “They say that about pilots and their joysticks. I’m good either way.”

Suzy laughed. “Box of condoms. That’s all?”

“Yeah, I plan to need one a night, at least.” As her roommate left, she crossed her fingers that Duff had calmed down enough for her to explain the new situation, with both her and the ousted younger officer. She longed for a reason to use the remaining condoms she had in her purse. She not only wanted his company, she needed his ass in her hands as he pumped into her. Any other ending to this night would be a failure.

****

Duff laughed as he put two condoms into his wallet. It had been years since he’d put any in his wallet for immediate use. The ring worn into the leather cradled the foil-wrapped packages. He tapped them for luck as he drove along the beach road toward Kirsten’s house. Stone had worked quickly on Groveman. His text message said, “Full steam ahead,” and Duff intended to do just that with Kirsten.

She’d been so forceful when he left last time, so much like her father. He wondered if she realized that. Her demeanor was what had him knowing that arguing wouldn’t do any good, much like the day that the commander had ordered Duff away from his daughter. Nothing about that conversation had been pleasant. Her father hadn’t greeted him with an arm around the shoulder or a hand shake. He simply said in the voice that he’d honed throughout years of command, “Lieutenant, stay away from my daughter or risk your career.”

Kirsten’s tone had been the same. If she used that in class, there wouldn’t be a student who didn’t do well. She expected excellence and obedience. She’d learned from a life with a demanding father. He had to get through that toughness somehow. He hoped an apology would be the trick.