Breaking Ties by Elle James

Chapter 3

After Beth had closedthe door to her apartment, she’d closed the door and leaned against the paneling, wondering what the hell had come over her to kiss the man.

Nothing in their conversation had been that personal. He hadn’t come on to her, and she hadn’t flirted with him.

Then why had she thought kissing him was acceptable? He might have asked her out to dinner because she hadn’t thrown herself at him. And there, at the last, she’d done just that. Thrown herself at him.

Yet he hadn’t argued or turned her away. But he had stood there, looking a little shocked at her little display of affection.

Her eyes widened. She hadn’t give him her phone number. Even if he wanted to call off their date, he wouldn’t be able to.

For that matter, she didn’t have his number. She couldn’t chicken out at the last minute and call to cancel. Or could she? If she really wanted to get his number, she could call Nora and have her ask Rucker for Dawg’s digits. As far as that went, Dawg could ask Rucker to get her number from Nora.

Beth sighed. She had a date for tomorrow night. A thrill of anticipation raced through her as she pushed away from the door and walked through her apartment, stripping her clothes as she went. When she reached the bathroom, she turned on the shower, adjusted the water temperature and stepped beneath the spray, letting the rivulets run over her head and shoulders. The water slipped over her breasts and down her torso. Images of Dawg joining her in the shower popped into her mind.

What would he be like as a lover? Not that she’d ever find out. Tomorrow’s dinner was just a date. Nothing else. There was also the issue of her being an officer while he was enlisted. Fraternizing between officers and enlisted was highly frowned upon. Thankfully, they weren’t under the same command. That would make it even worse.

The fact was that she liked him and looked forward to seeing him again.

When Beth turned off the shower, she heard the buzz of her cellphone and smiled, thinking Dawg had gone to the effort of getting Rucker and Nora to give him her number.

Hurriedly, she wrapped a towel around her body and ran into the kitchen where she’d left her cellphone in her purse. With a smile on her face, she fished the device out of the depths of her purse and looked down at the caller ID. Beth frowned. It wasn’t Dawg. Instead, it was her commanding officer.

Got a mission for you. Can you be ready to bug out in forty-eight hours?

Beth’s pulse raced. She’d never been deployed in that quick of a timeframe. Truthfully, she didn’t have anything holding her back, like a dog or children. She didn’t have a spouse to answer to, and the staff at the hospital would cover for her in her absence.

There was the dinner tomorrow night. She could make that if her pre-deployment preparations didn’t take all day and night.

With a sigh, she texted back.

Can do.

Her commander responded

See you at the office 0600.

Beth snorted. So much for a good night’s sleep. But then she could sleep on the airplane to wherever she was going. In the meantime, she went through her go bag, her closet and her laundry to make sure she had what she might need on a deployment. She went through her uniforms, unpacked and repacked her go bag.

Forty-eight hours wasn’t much time to prepare, especially if she had a lengthy mission briefing to attend, medical screening or vaccinations that might be required before being shipped out.

It was after midnight when she finally laid down in her bed and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about Dawg. She might still have to get Nora to have Rucker give her Dawg’s number. If the briefings went long into the next night, she might have to call off their dinner. She hoped they wouldn’t, and that she would get to see the man before she departed. It would be nice to have one last good meal before she was shipped off to who knew where.

It would be a good send off for her, and for him, since he was being deployed as well.

She lay awake for a long time, going over their conversation of the evening. She’d thought very little about Jonathan. And now that she was alone in her apartment, all she could think about was how she’d kissed Dawg and how she wanted to kiss him again. Only a real kiss this time.

They had one night together before they each deployed. After that, it could be weeks, maybe months before they saw each other again.

Beth vowed to make it a good night.

6:25 pm the next evening…

“I should have cancelled.”Beth threw the fifth dress on the bed on top of the others.

“You’ll be fine,” Nora said. “How about this one?” She held up a little black dress. “It’s perfect. You can dress it up or down with shoes and accessories.”

“I don’t even know where he’s taking me. We could be going to a brewery, in which case, jeans and a T-shirt might be the right thing to wear.”

“You can never go wrong with a little black dress. The key is to wear it like you mean it.” Nora held the dress up in front of her. “You have four minutes to get dressed. I suggest you make up your mind.”

Beth grabbed the dress, yanked it off the hanger and slipped it over her head. She spun around. “Zip me?”

Nora laughed. “For someone who can be so organized and put together on the hospital floor, you’re a complete disaster with relationships.”

“I can’t help it. I feel like I have no control over what happens. And you know how nutty that makes me feel.”

Nora nodded. “I get it. Relationships can be difficult at their best and impossible at their worst. But Dawg’s a good guy. He won’t do anything to hurt you.”

“I didn’t think Jonathan would, either.” She stared at herself in the mirror as Nora pulled the tab up on the back, zipping her into the form-fitting dress. It fit her like a second skin. The fabric stretched and moved without making her feel trapped inside. “It’ll have to do,” she muttered.

A knock sounded on the door to her apartment.

Nora shoved a pair of heels into her hands. “Hurry up. He’s here. Want me to get the door?”

Beth shook her head. “No. I’ll get it.”

“Okay, then I’ll hide out in here until after you two leave.” She hugged Beth. “Relax. You’ll be fine. And you have on your sexy underwear in case it gets interesting.” She winked. “Have fun.”

“I’ll be fine?” she whispered. “I’m shaking like a leaf!”

“Go, before he thinks you stood him up.” Nora turned her around and gave her gentle push toward the door.

Beth crossed the living room floor, still holding the heels in her hands.

Another knock made her jump.

She peeked through the peephole.

“Really?” Nora snorted. “Who else would it be?”

“Shh,” Beth hissed. “A girl can’t be too careful.” The man on the other side of the peephole was the one who’d promised to pick her up at six-thirty. And he was handsome, sexy and made her knees weak.

What was she thinking going out on a date with him? She wasn’t ready.

But then she was heading out on deployment in twenty-four hours. What did she have to lose? She’d have weeks to regret the night, or weeks of remembering how wonderful it was. If she didn’t go, she’d wonder which it would have been.

Beth sucked in a deep breath and opened the door.

Dawg had almost givenup when Beth’s door swung open.

She stood there in a little black dress, holding her shoes in her hand.

He grinned, his heart soaring at the sight of her standing there, even more beautiful than the night before. “I thought you’d changed your mind.”

“I almost did,” she admitted.

“But you didn’t.” He stepped back. “Ready?”

She started through the door.

“Uh,” he frowned. “You might want to put on your shoes before we leave.”

For a moment, she stared at him as if confused.

“Your shoes?” He nodded to the heels she had dangling from her fingertips.

“Do you like them?” She looked down at her hands and frowned. “Oh. Right.” Her cheeks reddened, and she leaned over to slip her feet into the strappy heels. When she had them on, she glanced up. “I’m ready now.”

When he held out his hand, she placed hers in his.

It was warm, unlike so many other women whose hands he’d held. He liked that about her. And he liked her smile and the way she wore dresses and did her hair. Hell, he liked everything about her.

“All day long, I’ve been looking forward to tonight.” He pulled her hand through the crook of his arm. “I hope you like Italian food.”

“I do,” she said.

“Anything in particular?” he asked.

“Just about everything.” Beth laughed. “I haven’t met an Italian dish I didn’t like.”

“Then I hope you like chicken parmesan.”

“One of my favorites,” she said.

“Perfect,” he patted her hand on his arm and waited while she pulled her door closed behind her.

For a moment, he thought he saw someone else inside her apartment, but the door closed too soon for him to be certain.

“Where are you taking me?” Beth asked.

His shoulders pushed back, and he lifted his chin. “To a place that makes the best chicken parmesan around.”

“And where might that be?”

“My place.”

She frowned. “Your place?”

“If you don’t mind a homecooked meal… If you had your heart set on going to a restaurant, we can do that instead. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” He stood in front of her apartment. “I just thought it would be nice to have homecooked one more time before I deployed, and I’d get to share my time with you and with my dog.”

Beth shook her head. “Stop.”

He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek. “Please don’t say you’ve changed your mind.”

She covered his hand with hers. “Not at all. In fact, I’d prefer a homecooked meal. I don’t cook often enough, and I got word last night that I’m deploying, too. The thought of months of MREs or mess hall food makes my stomach churn. I’d love a homecooked meal I don’t have to make.”

Dawg blew out a breath. “Thank goodness. If you hadn’t wanted to eat it, I’d have had to give it away or put it out with the trash.”

“Oh, please.” Beth looked at him in horror. “Don’t waste it. I love chicken parmesan.” She took his arm again. “Lead the way. I’m practically drooling.”

He laughed and walked with her to his truck. “You had me worried for a moment.”

“I had myself worried. I wasn’t sure I was ready for a real date after breaking my engagement. But when I got the news I was shipping out soon, I thought…” she shrugged, “why the hell not?”

“I should be glad you got orders?” He chuckled and then frowned. “I’m not so sure. Do you know where you’re going?”

She shook her head. “Not yet. I get my briefing in the morning and fly out tomorrow night.”

“Wow. And I thought our missions were secretive.” He covered her hand with his. “I hope they aren’t sending you somewhere terribly dangerous.”

“You and me both. But it’s a gig I signed up for. I get orders, I go.”

“How often have you deployed?”

“I’ve only gone once before to Afghanistan.” She climbed into the passenger seat of his truck.

Dawg rounded the front of the truck and got in. “That’s right. We were there at the same time as you and Nora. That’s when Rucker met Nora.”

Beth nodded. “They did meet there. Funny how small the world is.”

“Especially in the Army,” he agreed.

The drive to his house was accomplished quickly.

When they rolled into his driveway, he shifted into park, cut the engine and got out, his pulse hammering as soon as his feet hit the ground. He had Beth at his house where he could charm her with his culinary skills and his cute dog. He didn’t dare to hope it would lead to more than good conversation and maybe…just maybe…another kiss.

He wouldn’t mind if the evening culminated in more than a kiss, but he wouldn’t rush her. She deserved better treatment than that.

Dawg hurried around to open the truck door for her and helped her down and into his arms.

It felt natural. For a moment, he held her there, and then stepped back. “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.”

“No worries,” she murmured, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink.

“Chewy will be happy to see you. I thought about having Mrs. Doherty watch him tonight, but I couldn’t. I’m going to miss him a lot while I’m gone.”

“I’m glad he’s here,” Beth said. “He’s good company.

Dawg unlocked the front door and waved a hand for Beth to enter.

Chewy was there to greet her, jumping up against her legs.

She bent to scratch his ears and sweep a hand across his back. “How’s my little guy?” she murmured.

“If you two can entertain yourselves, I want to put the noodles on the stove. The chicken is in the oven warming. I finished cooking it before I came to get you.”

She straightened, smiling. “You really did put a lot of thought and effort into this meal, didn’t you?”

He lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “I like to cook, especially when the food is appreciated. If you’d told me you didn’t like Italian, we’d have gone out to eat, and I wouldn’t have mentioned the chicken parmesan.”

“In that case, I’m so glad I told you I liked Italian.”

“Give me a few minutes,” he said. “I’ll have it all on the table.”

“Let me help.”

“I’d appreciate it.” He led the way. “It’s just the last-minute things.”

Beth followed him into the kitchen.

Dawg turned on a gas burner beneath the pot of water he’d set out for cooking the noodles. “If you want to get the salad out of the refrigerator, you can set it on the table.” He pulled a long baguette out of a plastic wrapper, laid it on a cutting board and started slicing.

Beth retrieved the bowl of salad from the refrigerator and placed it on the table. When she returned, she found a stick of butter in the fridge and set it on the counter beside the bread. “Want me to slice, butter and sprinkle garlic salt on the bread?”

He stopped halfway through and handed her the serrated knife he’d been using. “For the record, you don’t have to help. I invited you out to dinner, not to cook dinner.”

“For the record…” she said with a cocked eyebrow, “I don’t mind. I like feeling useful.”

While he poured noodles into boiling water, she sliced the bread, then added butter and garlic.

Fifteen minutes later the noodles were ready, and the garlic bread was toasted. They each filled their plates with spaghetti noodles, marinara, chicken parmesan and garlic bread and carried them to the table.

Dawg opened a bottle of merlot and poured it into two wine glasses. “I had to buy these today. I don’t need goblets for beer.”

Beth laughed. “This is very much a bachelor’s pad.” She lifted her wine glass. “To you, for providing the wine and the glass to drink it in.” She lifted her glass to him. “And thank you for a last home-cooked meal before I have to leave.”

He held his glass up to her. “To you, for giving me your last night before deploying and for being flexible on where we’d go to eat.”

They sipped the wine then took their seats.

Chewy curled up on his bed nearby and snoozed while Beth and Dawg talked over their dinner.

Dawg couldn’t remember laughing so much or enjoying someone else’s company as much.

Beth seemed to enjoy it as well, chuckling at his jokes and sharing stories about some of her patients during deployment. When they were done eating, they sat longer, talking about anything and everything or nothing at all.

Beth helped him clean the table and the dishes, rinsing them off to place them in the dishwasher. They bumped shoulders often, making Dawg hyper-aware of her in that little black dress.

When they were done, he hung the dishtowel on the oven door. “Let me make you a cup of tea. Or would you prefer more wine?”

“Tea, please,” she said.

He reached for the tea kettle, filled it with water and set it on the stove.

“Where are the mugs?” she asked.

“I’ll get them. You can have a seat in the living room.”

She nodded. “Good. I want to get out of these shoes. They’re killing me.” Beth bent to slip the straps off the back of her heels and stepped out of the high heels. “They’re pretty but not practical.”

“Get comfortable,” he said. “I’ll be right in.”

A few minutes later, he carried the mugs of tea into the living room and set one down on the coffee table, the other in her hand. “Careful, it’s hot.”

He settled on the sofa beside her, placed his mug on the coffee table, kicked off his shoes and settled back. “I doubt we’ll have air conditioning where we’re going. I have to enjoy it while I can.” He leaned back his head on the cushion and closed his eyes.

Peeking between his eyelids, he studied Beth with her sandy-blond hair and blue eyes.

She laid her tea on the table, leaned back beside Dawg and reached for his hand.

Dawg gladly held her hand as they lounged together on the couch for a few long minutes. He didn’t dare make any advances. If she wanted more, she’d have to make the first move.

Hell, Dawg prayed she would, because his body was already on fire and burning to take her into his arms. They sat so closely together…yet too far apart, and he wasn’t quite sure how to bridge the gap, or if she’d be receptive to doing so.

For several minutes, Beth lay against the couch cushion, her eyes closed.

After a while, he whispered, “Are you asleep?”

She chuckled without opening her eyes. “No. I’m debating getting up to leave or snuggling with you here on the sofa. But it’s been too long since I’ve been on a date, and I just feel…awkward.” She turned her head toward him, stared into his eyes and gave him a crooked grin.

“Let me help you decide.” He slid an arm behind her neck and pulled her into his arms. “Better?” he whispered into her ear.

“Mmm. Much.” She turned a little on her side and laid her cheek against his chest. “I like this.”

He sighed and tightened his arm around her shoulders. “Me, too.”

“Is it just because we’re both about to deploy, and we’re clinging to the comforts of home that we’re feeling the need for contact with another human?”

He laughed. “Comfort is not what I’m clinging to right now,” he said. “Excitement? Yes. Comfort? No way.”

She leaned her head back and frowned. “Excitement?”

“Sweetheart, I’ve been dying to spend time with you since that last barbecue, but you didn’t even know I was alive.”

“I do now,” she said softly, her hand curling into his T-shirt. “I was too focused on not making eye contact with any of the eligible men at that event…like the hail and farewell. I didn’t think I was ready to jump back into the dating pool.”

“And now?” he said softly.

“I’m still not jumping back in,” she assured him. “Somehow, I don’t think going out with you is the same thing.”

“Because you don’t see me as date material?” he asked, his chest tightening.

“No. Because you don’t make me feel like a teen on her first date. You make me feel—”

Dawg stiffened. “If you say comfortable, we’re calling it a night, and I’m taking you home.”

Her chuckled warmed his chest. “No, not comfortable…but like I’ve come home to a very nice place. A place that stirs my heart and my blood. I don’t feel like I have to jump through hoops to impress you.”

“You don’t,” he said. “Well, maybe just one hoop might be fun.” He held up his hand. “Just kidding. I should be jumping through hoops for you.”

“You did. You made dinner for us.” Her grin spread across her face. “And it was amazing.” She tipped her head up. “Thank you.” She leaned close and pressed her lips against his.

Dawg didn’t miss this opportunity. Not this time. He tightened his hold around her and crushed his lips against hers.

When she opened to him, he dove between her teeth and caressed her tongue with his.

Cupping the back of her neck with the palm of his hand, he deepened the kiss, loving the way she tasted of Italian seasoning and garlic.

Her fingers slid across his chest and downward. When she reached the hem of his T-shirt, she shoved it upward and smoothed a hand over his naked chest.

He cover her hand with his, slowing her exploration, his breath hitching in his chest. “Are you sure you want to go this route?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Once you get my engine revving, I don’t know how easy it’ll be to shut it down.”

Beth laughed. “Really? You’re going to use a mechanical analogy?”

He smiled down into her eyes. “What analogy would you rather I use?”

She shrugged. “Maybe an animal reference.”

“Like a mouse or platypus?” he teased.

“Don’t be silly. More like a lion or tiger.”

“Oh, I get it, you want something that could hurt you, like a lobster.” He tilted his head. “Once you get my claws snapping, I don’t know if I can…” He laughed out loud. “No. I can’t do that. It loses any kind of sexiness when you have hard shell claws involved.”

She drummed her fingers on his chest. “Go back to the engine analogy.”

“As I was saying…” He gathered her closer, tipped her chin up and bent his head, his lips hovering over hers. “Once you get my engine revved, I’m not sure I can power back. You’ll have to be certain this is what you want.”

She placed a finger over his lips. “Stop talking and start living.”

She didn’t have to tell him twice.