Love Him Back Read online

  Erik and I decided to part ways for a few days, so we could check in with our new supervisors and get unpacked. His room wasn’t far from mine; I knew we’d catch up soon.

  Walking into my room, I noticed it was pretty big. I’d imagined it smaller. Directly beside the door was a large window dressed in boring green, military-looking curtains. There was a twin bed up against the wall to my left. A night stand was next to it with a tiny lamp on top. To my right was an old wooden dresser and TV stand next to a mini fridge and microwave. The walls were off-white and looked so dull.

  Yuck! I would have to decorate this place, stat.

  Straight back at the far end of the room were the closet and sink. I noticed a door beside the closet and walked through it. There was a bathroom with a shower and another door on the opposite side. Right. I’d forgotten I’d be sharing a bathroom with a suitemate.

  Please let her be nice and easy to get along with.

  The bathroom was spotless. At least I knew she was clean.

  I was too excited to unpack, so I decided to go for a walk and explore the base. It was a lovely May afternoon with a light breeze. The sun was shining and warmed my face as I stepped outside. I could smell the sweet aroma of flowers blooming as I walked by a garden near the dorm. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I’d heard this was not the norm for England. Apparently, the first thing I needed to invest in was an umbrella to prepare for the rain.

  As I walked, I tried to remember where everything was. I was so disoriented not knowing where I was going. I would be lucky to find my way back to my dorm before dark.

  Ugh, why do I have to suck at directions? I couldn’t find my way out of a paper bag with a map and a compass.

  Lame.

  There were people in uniform everywhere. I watched an airman salute an officer and offer a warm greeting. When I got to the crosswalk, I found a roundabout directly in front of me. There were more roundabouts on base than stop signs. Watching cars drive by reminded me to always look right, left, and then right again—the opposite of what my mom told me growing up—since they drove on the left side of the road here. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to the opposite driving thing.

  There were large buildings and hangars everywhere. As I approached an intersection, still near my dorm, there was a Base Exchange—also called a BX—a gas station, a few restaurants, a two-story club that looked like it would be a lot of fun, and a chow hall. At least I wouldn’t starve.

  I stopped by the hangar where I’d be working and met with my supervisor and a few co-workers. They were all very friendly and welcoming. My supervisor gave me a tour, and I was excited to find out I’d be working between the terminal and a maintenance hangar. My job would be Supply. I’d always been interested in logistics. War readiness would be my main focus.

  Looking out over the rows of airplanes and helicopters made me excited. Although my job wasn’t maintenance, I was going to enjoy having that view every day while working.

  Everyone I’d met so far had made me feel very comfortable, and I looked forward to getting to know them all on a professional and personal level. Most of them, I could tell, would be like family.

  Then it hit me…each one of them would be my family for the next three years. England would be my home.

  Holy crap, I live in England!

  The feelings starting to stir inside of me were almost too much to handle, so I decided to go to the BX and purchase my own cell phone to call my family back home. I missed them so much it hurt. It was going to be a long three years.

  MY ALARM BLARED THROUGH THE darkness, making me groan in frustration. Sleepily, I rolled over and pressed the snooze button until it wouldn’t let me push it anymore.

  Five more minutes.

  It had been a week since I’d arrived in England, but I still hadn’t adjusted to the time difference. Being five hours ahead of the time zone I’d lived in for the past twenty years of my life was hard. My body did not want to function this early with such little sleep.

  Dragging myself out of bed, I got ready for my last day of in-processing appointments. It was almost over.

  I had to be in uniform, which meant I had to throw my long, brown hair up in a boring bun, once again.

  Shower.

  Brush teeth.

  Socks.

  Uniform.

  Boots.

  Hair up in a bun.

  Makeup.

  Repeat.

  Every single day.

  I glanced in the mirror at the dark circles under my tired eyes and groaned as I reached up to trace them with my fingers. I looked like a zombie. I knew the in-processing appointments were important, but they were so long and tedious. I had no clue how I was supposed to stay alert all day.

  Once I was somewhat happy with my appearance, I grabbed my purse and headed out the door.

  I could barely hold my eyes open as I walked through the door and took a seat near the back of the classroom. Since I’d arrived twenty minutes early, I lay my head down on the table for a few minutes—just to rest my eyes.

  “Dammit!” I shouted as I swatted at my alarm blaring on the bedside table. The clock fell to the floor, and the damn thing was still screaming at me.

  I groaned as I rolled over and pulled the pillow over my head. My head was pounding. Maybe I shouldn’t have had such a late night drinking with Mikayla. The last thing I wanted to do was go teach this in-processing briefing with a hangover.

  Finally realizing the alarm wasn’t going to turn itself off, I threw back the covers, stood up, and groggily bent over to pick it up off the floor. I pushed the off button and slammed it back down on the table.

  I dragged myself into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. All the partying I’d been doing was catching up to me.

  I turned the shower on to let the water warm up then stalked into the living room to run Mikayla off my couch.

  Women were never allowed to sleep in my bed. If they’d been drinking or needed a place to crash, they could crash on my couch or in my extra bedroom, but never in my bed. If I let them sleep in my bed, they’d become clingy.

  Women were my kryptonite. I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to bring them home. I didn’t sleep with all of them. Some of them were only there for my pleasure, but I had a well-known bad-boy reputation, and I’d planned on keeping it that way. Not that I cared. I wasn’t the type of guy to show emotion, and I definitely didn’t allow myself to get attached. Most of the women I’d never see again, except for in passing. Mikayla was the only girl I slept with on a regular basis. She was the one to call if I needed a release. My safety.

  My job in Special Forces was nothing but stress—so I called her often. She knew I didn’t want a relationship, and she seemed to be fine with that. The second she decided she needed more, she’d be gone.

  I walked up to the side of the couch and bent down to wake her up. “Mikayla, you have to get up and go now. Come on.”

  She groaned and sat up on the edge of the couch. “I’m up,” she said groggily, standing and stretching that tight little body of hers. Damn, if I didn’t have to teach this class, we’d go another round.

  “Call me later?” she said with a wicked grin. She threw her long, blond hair into a ponytail and grabbed her purse and cellphone off the kitchen counter.

  “Yeah, sure,” I mumbled, walking her to the door.

  She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and walked out. I had no intentions of calling her until I needed her.

  After shaving and a quick shower, I got dressed in my uniform, sprayed myself with cologne, and ran some gel through my hair. Lacing up my boots, I groaned as I thought about how torturous today was going to be.

  Newbies were always so nervous and, well…new. Sergeant Robertson had called and asked, or more like voluntold, me to do the briefing for him since he was sick. I did owe him one. He covered for me at work a few weeks back when I’d disappeared to meet Mikayla in the parking lot. A smile spread across my lips as I thought about
what we’d done in that parking lot. Damn, why’d I let her leave already?

  Checking myself one last time in the mirror, I grabbed my phone, keys, and wallet off the kitchen counter and headed out the door.

  It was going to be a wonderful fucking day. Or not.

  Pulling up to the building, I grabbed my things and stepped out of my truck. Inside, I noticed not all the troops had arrived yet. I hated doing these things. It was more like babysitting than anything else. They should’ve learned in boot camp that if you’re actually on time that means you’re late. Everyone knew to show up at least fifteen minutes early when going to military appointments.

  Hurry up and wait was our motto, after all.

  Scanning the room, I noticed a woman sitting in the back row with her head down. A sleeper, nothing new. A smile crossed my lips as I thought about how fun it would be to go mess with her a little. I had to have some fun to keep my sanity.

  THE RUSTLING OF PEOPLE ENTERING the room and quiet chatter told me it was time to wake up. I groaned in frustration as I realized my quick nap had done absolutely nothing for me, except make me more tired. I opened my eyes but couldn’t find the strength to lift my head just yet. I blinked and then saw the most striking set of shimmering, blue eyes staring back at me from the seat next to mine. Startled, I jerked back and sat up straight, hoping I hadn’t been snoring or drooling or anything else embarrassing.

  Starting to feel self-conscious, I turned away from him and quickly wiped around my mouth to make sure.

  No drool. Whew.

  When I faced him again, he looked amused as he sat back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest. I gave him a groggy, somewhat nervous, smile.

  As he smiled back, my heart fluttered.

  This man is gorgeous!

  My entire body started to tingle. Possibly because for the last six months, I hadn’t even been able to look at a man without getting jumped by an uptight drill sergeant.

  Yeah, that was it. I had completely forgotten how to act around a man.

  I couldn’t stop staring at him. His jaw was like stone, and his lips looked so full and firm. I shifted in my seat to ease the tension that was building.

  Breathe, Chesney, Breathe.

  I wanted to laugh as I sat there beside her. I could tell she was nervous. Even though she was dressed in the same uniform as everyone else, her hair in a bun…like every other woman, there was something about her that caught my attention. I imagined pulling the clip out of that uptight bun and her long, brown hair falling around her face and shoulders.

  I need this woman rolling around in my bed.

  Yes, in my bed as I wrap her long hair around my hand and tug on it while…

  I cleared my throat. I had to stop thinking of the things I wanted to do to her, or I’d have a bigger problem to deal with.

  Getting involved with a fresh-out-of-boot-camp airman wasn’t my forte, so I pushed that thought out of my head. The last one I’d gotten involved with became a psycho stalker. Not again.

  She was fumbling through some papers in her backpack, trying to ignore me. She glanced over at me, and I could see she was blushing. My game was starting to backfire. Seeing her blush and looking all innocent made me want her even more. She peered at me under those long, dark eyelashes with the most intense brown eyes and smiled. Her eyes reminded me of warm honey with specks of amber threaded through them.

  I couldn’t help but study her full, ruby-red lips as they curled up toward her eyes. So inviting—sensual and delicious-looking. I wondered what it would be like to kiss them and suck on her bottom lip, biting it gently and…damn, she was dangerous. Time to break the silence and get the hell away from this woman before I lose it.

  “I’m Staff Sergeant Thomas. Zane Thomas,” he finally said, breaking the silence.

  He held out his hand for me to shake, but all I could do was stare at him like an idiot. His deep baritone voice reminded me of Josh Turner. Swoon. The husky sound of it sent chills down my body—reverberating all the way down to my toes. I let his name roll around in my mind, trying not to whisper it even though I wanted to.

  His eyes were the most hypnotizing blue I had ever seen. His muscular build and broad shoulders filled out his uniform perfectly, and it had me wondering what he would look like out of uniform. I blushed and scolded myself for even thinking such a thing about a man I’d just met.

  Slowly snapping out of it, I reached for his hand in return. “A—Airman Ward, Chesney Ward. Nice to meet you,” I stuttered nervously.

  Stop acting like an idiot, Chesney.

  He was probably rethinking his decision to take a chair next to mine. I didn’t know what was wrong with me.

  He leaned in closer to me, and I swallowed hard. Every fiber of my body was reeling with excitement. “Don’t worry, it gets better,” he whispered. His warm breath tickled my cheek, and prickles of goosebumps layered my skin.

  Please show me how much better it can get...

  “Um, excuse me?” I replied nervously.

  “You know, the jet lag. It gets better.” He winked, and a slow sexy grin spread across his lips. Something told me he wasn’t really talking about jet lag. “Nice to meet you, Chesney. Now try to stay awake. Oh, and welcome to England.”

  He smiled a breathtaking smile once again and stood up then made his way to the front of the room. As he walked away, I could smell a mixture of soap, cologne, and hair gel. He smelled fresh and manly. I inhaled deeply one last time and felt an ache deep between my thighs.

  This man was going to be trouble. The good kind.

  “Welcome everyone.” He addressed the classroom, and my heart sank. I’d made a fool of myself in front of my instructor. “My name is Staff Sergeant Thomas. I’m filling in for Sergeant Robertson, who couldn’t be here today. I’m here to help you with your final day of in-processing. Welcome to England.”

  Sinking down into my chair, I covered my face with my hand for a moment and tried to pull myself together by scribbling on the notepad in front of me.

  I can’t believe I thought he was actually flirting with me. I must be delusional.

  He continued, “I know the jet lag is getting to you all but try your best to stay with me, at least until lunch. There’s a lot of paperwork we must get through.” He paused, and I looked up at him. “I’ll try to make it as exciting as possible to keep you awake,” he said, looking directly at me with his piercing blue eyes. I was most certain he’d keep me awake in any setting.

  He continued, “Once we’re done, I’ll be taking those who’re interested on a quick tour of this side of the base, and we’ll break for lunch. If you have any questions as the day goes on, just let me know.”

  There was something about him I couldn’t explain. No other man had ever made me feel so disconcerted from the moment I’d met him. Just listening to him speak made me blush. It was going to be a long day.

  During our break, I’d decided to walk out to the snack machines to try to wake myself up. I’d thought Mr. Blue Eyes would keep me awake, but my body hated me today. I wanted to crawl up on one of the tables and sleep.

  “Gonna pick a snack or just stare at the machine for the entire break?”

  I jumped as Sergeant Thomas’ husky voice broke through my thoughts. He laughed, and I smiled politely. His deep throaty laugh gave me butterflies. The vibrations of his voice echoed inside of me.

  “Sergeant Thomas. You scared me. I’m pretty sure I’m still half asleep. I don’t think I’ll ever adjust to this time change.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” he promised. “I’ve been here for two years already. After about a month, you’ll be fully adjusted.”

  He paused for a moment and looked as if he had something else to say. “I’m taking a few people from class out to show them around and grab some lunch later at the food court in the BX if you want to come.”

  He grinned, and all I could muster up was a weak, “sure”.

  He was a Staff Sergeant, and I was only an Air
man First Class. There was no way he’d want anything to do with me anyway. I sighed as I got my snack and a bottle of water and headed back to the classroom. What I really needed was a huge glass of sweet tea or a back porch lemonade.

  Oy.

  WE FINISHED UP OUR PAPERWORK and headed to the BX for lunch. Erik was there, and I smiled as he approached.

  “Having fun yet?” He nudged my shoulder playfully.

  “You know it,” I said back sarcastically, rolling my eyes. “How about you?”

  “I’d much rather be sleeping the day away in my bed,” he yawned.

  “Me, too, trust me.”

  “Whoa, whoa, now.” He grinned. “You’d rather be sleeping the day away with me in my bed? Chesney, we’ve had this talk. I know you desperately want my body, but we’re just friends, remember?”

  I laughed despite myself. “You know what I meant, jerk face! Is there ever a time you don’t think about sex?”

  “I said sleeping. I never said anything about sex.” He rolled his eyes up like I was the ridiculous one. “However, now I know where your mind is.”

  I couldn’t help but giggle then. Erik always made me laugh, and I loved it.

  “No, but really,” he went on. “I met this really hot girl in today’s in-processing briefing. I’d like to have her in my bed.” He glanced over at a tall blond standing at a nearby table.

  “You want every girl you see in your bed, Erik,” I chuckled.

  “Well, what do you expect? You won’t give me a chance,” he said, sticking out his bottom lip and batting his eyelashes at me.

  “Oh, shut up!” I laughed hysterically. “I freakin’ love you, Erik, you know that?” I put my right arm around his waist as we headed over to order some food.

  “I know you do. What’s not to love?” He thrust his hips toward me.

  I stepped away and poked him in the ribs. “I’m going to pretend I don’t even know you right now.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Sergeant Thomas watching me. After ordering my food, I introduced Erik to everyone seated at a nearby table. Erik had already eaten, so he was only able to say hi, and then he went back over to sit with his class.