Love Him Back Read online

  My order was up, so I grabbed my food off the counter and headed back to the table to join my class. As I bit into my grilled chicken sandwich, I listened in on the conversation between everyone at the table. Across the way, Erik’s class got up to leave. He gave me his signature I’m-sexy-and-I-know-it wink then traipsed toward the exit with the rest of his group.

  As he was leaving, he turned around and yelled, “Hey Ward! You have a birthday coming up in a couple of weeks, right? I bet you thought I’d forget.” He pumped his fists in the air like the lovable dork he was.

  No, but I wish you would’ve.

  After giving him an I’m-going-to-kill-you look, I buried my face in my food and hoped nobody else heard him.

  “See y’all later!” he yelled, again, and disappeared out the door. Erik was always teasing me about my Southern accent and loved throwing in the occasional “y’all” during our conversations.

  I blushed as I realized everyone around me had indeed heard him. And now they all knew when my birthday was.

  I looked up and saw Zane—Ummm I mean Sergeant Thomas—staring at me with a strange look on his face.

  “Your boyfriend?” he asked, looking slightly annoyed.

  “No, my best friend,” I corrected. “We went through boot camp together, then tech school, and now here. I don’t have a boyfriend. Don’t need one,” I added a little too quickly, feeling self-conscious.

  His eyes lit up with amusement. “So you have a birthday coming up?” he said, changing the subject.

  I shrugged. “Yeah, it’s no big deal, though. Just another day.”

  “How old?” he asked, matter-of-factly, as he bit into his sandwich and then took a long drink of water.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Didn’t your mom ever tell you not to ask a woman her age?”

  “Touché,” he chuckled. Slowly leaning back in his chair, he gazed at me intriguingly. “You’re feisty, Ward. I like that.”

  “I’ll be twenty-one, if you must know,” I said sullenly.

  He stared at me for a few seconds, his eyes hooded.

  “How about you?” I asked, dipping a fry in ketchup and taking a bite.

  He grinned. “I’m twenty-five.”

  After sensuously smiling back, I took another bite of my sandwich and started to listen to a story Emberly was telling at the table, trying to ignore that Zane’s eyes were still on me.

  I really liked Emberly. She seemed like someone I could really get along with and be forever friends with. I’d heard horror stories about a lot of women in the military, though, so I had to make sure I chose my friends wisely. Most of the stories I’d heard involved other military women gossiping about their supposed friends or sleeping with their friend’s man or just being catty and jealous of each other. I didn’t have time for drama, not that kind anyway.

  My fear was to become close friends with someone and have them stab me in the back.

  After everyone finished, we all cleaned up our mess and started back to the classroom. On the way out, I noticed a flyer on the bulletin board by the exit doors.

  Free camping trip to Thetford Forest

  Friday night

  Don’t miss the fun!

  “That’s a fun trip,” Zane said, coming up behind me and pointing to the flyer. “You should go,” he said. Then, he jogged off to get ahead of the group.

  Hmm, I think I will.

  I made a mental note to go by the BX after class, so I could purchase a tent and some other gear for the trip.

  Zane didn’t say anything else to me the rest of the day. Class ended, and he told us to enjoy our weekend then sent us all on our way. As I walked past him, I studied him from his head down to his boots. I wasn’t sure if I’d see him again. He must’ve felt me admiring him because he turned his head and locked eyes with mine. I wanted to remember everything about him—the way he smelled, the way his eyes shined when he looked into mine, the way his perfectly shaped lips parted before he spoke—because memories would be all I had left of him. Or so I thought.

  His sandy blond hair was the typical military-style haircut shaved on the sides and back and spiked up in the front. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair, and I couldn’t help but wonder how his strong arms would feel around me. He was my type of guy. Muscular, but not so much that his muscles looked like balloons ready to pop.

  I smiled at him as I walked toward the door. He gave me a slight nod; then, his lips formed into a tight line, and his eyebrows knitted. There was a look of confusion with a hint of anger in his eyes. He broke eye contact with me as someone approached him with questions. A feeling of sadness arose in me as I walked out.

  What the heck was that all about?

  I was foolish to think we could have anything outside of a professional relationship. From this moment on, I’d decided to forget about Sergeant Thomas and just go have some fun. I was excited to make epic memories with some new friends.

  Later that evening, I’d finally talked Emberly and Erik into going on the camping trip with me, so I didn’t have to go alone. None of us had any camping equipment though, so we all went home to change before heading back to the BX. My jeans and crop top were a lot more comfortable. I loved wearing my uniform, but it was nice to get into clothes that reminded me of home and the country girl I was at heart.

  Emberly arrived as I was putting on my cowboy boots.

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into going camping this weekend,” she said, rolling her eyes. “If it wasn’t for Erik going, I probably wouldn’t go. He’s pretty hot.” She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

  I laughed. “I see how it is…you’re only using me for my best friend.” We walked out of my room, and I locked the door.

  She gave me an innocent look. “No, I’m going solely to make sure you aren’t eaten by some kind of wild animal.” She linked her arm with mine as we started toward the BX.

  “Thanks for the support,” I said sarcastically. “Nice to see you have faith in my camping abilities. I’m the country girl here, remember?”

  “Wait.” She froze in the middle of the sidewalk and jerked me to a stop with her. “Please tell me this place has showers and a bathroom.”

  I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. “I’ll dig a hole for you,” I giggled.

  Her eyes widened. “Oh hell no, I’m not wiping with a leaf, so you better bring me a roll of toilet paper. It’s the least you can do.”

  “Camping isn’t about showering, darlin’. It’s about gettin’ dirty, exploring, and zoning out from the rest of the world. You know, becoming one with nature,” I explained to her, excited to go camping. I used to go camping and four-wheeling all the time back home. It had become a part of who I was. I enjoyed getting dirty sometimes.

  “Tell me again why I agreed to this?” she whined. “The only thing I want to become one with is my bed. Oh, and maybe Erik.” She smirked.

  I ignored that one as we arrived at the BX and headed for the camping section. “We need to buy tents, sleeping bags, and some cooking supplies.”

  She made a face. “Why do I need to buy a tent? Can’t I just share with Erik?”

  “Sure you can,” Erik said as he strode toward us, overhearing our conversation.

  I rolled my eyes at his cockiness.

  “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked you both to come,” I said, grabbing an oversized blue sleeping bag off the shelf and throwing it into the cart.

  “Are you kidding?” He gave us both a lopsided grin. “Me miss the chance to protect women who are afraid of the dark and all things that go bump in the night? Pffft, I’m totally there,” he chuckled.

  “Oh, and of course, to protect you and be there to make sure you’re okay and not chopped up into tiny pieces by any kind of maniac on the loose,” he added, putting his arm around my neck.

  “What is it with you two?” I snapped. “I’m the only one who’s ever really been camping.”

  “I’ve been camping before. Thank you very much,” Erik
argued.

  “Camping in your Spidey tent in your mom’s living room, while playing video games, is not camping,” I said, calling him out.

  “Whatever. Close enough,” he shrugged.

  I laughed while imagining how miserable they’d both be after only a few minutes. So worth all the lame comments. I’d show them.

  Emberly started piling insect repellant into the cart. “Here, get lots of these.”

  Erik raised an eyebrow. “My god, woman, you planning on spraying the entire forest with that stuff?”

  She propped a defensive hand on her hip. “I don’t do bugs.”

  “You’re buying all of those,” I told her, pushing all the cans to one side of the cart.

  “You know, this is all you need,” I heard behind us. It was Zane. He picked up a black plastic container of bug repellant paste beside the spray.

  “No bug will come within a mile of you with this stuff on,” he said, handing it to Emberly.

  Erik went over to start putting the other insect repellant back on the shelves. “You’re not buying all of these, Em. Instead of killing bugs, you’ll kill all of us with the fumes,” he teased. “You can get two spray cans and the paste to put on, that’s it.”

  “Yes, Father,” Emberly chimed, shaking her head.

  Zane laughed.

  “Is the paste really that good?” I whispered as he approached me.

  He came closer so only I could hear. “No, but she doesn’t need to know that.”

  I giggled as he looked in my cart.

  “So you’re going on the camping trip, I see?” He pointed over at Erik and Emberly. “With them?” He raised an eyebrow.

  I glanced at ‘them’ to see they were still arguing over bug spray. Ugh, they were going to be the death of me.

  I sighed. “Well, I was. I’m starting to wonder if I’ll actually have fun or be stuck babysitting them all weekend.”

  “Do you have a tent yet?” he asked, walking over to grab a box off the top shelf.

  “Nope, all my camping supplies are back home in North Carolina.”

  He held up the box. “This is a two person tent. It’s probably going to be the best because it has a little more room, and the price isn’t that bad. And this particular brand is much easier to put up than some of the others.”

  I wrinkled my nose. What was it with people thinking I was such a camping novice? “Oh, I’m not worried about that. I know how to put up a tent.”

  He smiled. “Well then, it sounds like you’ll have no problem.” He gestured toward Erik and Emberly again and let out a low laugh. “Good luck with those two.”

  Yes. Thanks. I was going to need it.

  “Hey, are you going?” I asked in a rush before I lost my nerve.

  An amused look crossed his face. “Yes, I’m actually volunteering to be a group leader. There’s nothing like being out in nature, cooking on an open fire, and having a few beers with friends,” he said then paused for a moment as if he were going to say something else. Whatever it was, he must’ve thought better of it because he just said, “Well, I guess I’ll see you there.”

  He walked backward with a sleeping bag under each arm. “I always grab a few extras. You wouldn’t believe how many people show up without sleeping bags or tents,” he laughed, shaking his head.

  “Wow, that takes a special type of person,” I said to him, laughing back. And just before he turned the corner, I called out, “Thanks for the help with the bugs!”

  Smooth, Chesney, real smooth.

  “Anytime.” He gave me one more heart-stopping smile and was gone.

  Thanks for the help with the bugs? Really? Shoot me now.

  Erik and Emberly had escalated to play slapping each other. I had to bite back a sigh. “Come on, you two.”

  This weekend was going to be so fun…

  Erik was the first of us to get a car since we’d arrived—I still wasn’t used to the idea of driving on the opposite side of the road—so he drove us to the campsite.

  Once we pulled up, there was already a large group pulling bags and tents out of their cars. Nobody we recognized. We were still new to the base, though.

  “Did you pack your magic bug paste?” Erik mocked Emberly as he opened the trunk to get our things out.

  Not gonna lie, I chuckled a little inside. She deserved it.

  “Yes, I did,” she said with superiority. “Go ahead and make fun of me. We’ll see who’s laughing when everyone else is getting eaten by blood sucking bugs, and I’m not.”

  Erik and I laughed. “Oh, we have our own bug spray. We just don’t need fifty cans of it,” he said, closing the trunk.

  We headed toward the group, and one of the leaders welcomed us all and took us to a large opening in the middle of the woods. Everyone got straight to work setting up tents. Luckily it didn’t get dark until late in England, so we had a few hours to get everything set up. I was so excited to meet new people and relax around an open fire.

  Walking to the edge of the tree line, I picked an area that wasn’t as crowded as all the spots by the fire.

  “We’ll set up here. It’s less crowded,” I said to Emberly, motioning for her to start handing me pieces of the tent, so we could get it put together.

  She stood there looking at me, arms crossed with furrowed brows. “I don’t even know where to start.”

  “Oh no, you don’t. You’re gonna help me with this,” I scolded. She groaned and pulled the pieces out of the box.

  Okay, I may throw her to the bears. Or maybe a deer will take her since there were no bears.

  “You ladies need help?” Erik stood there, with a cold beer in his hand, smirking because he’d beaten us at putting his tent up. Lifting the beer up to his lips, I watched as the condensation rolled down the bottle, making me thirsty.

  “Thanks, but no thanks. We’ve got it,” I said before Emberly could accept his offer.

  After what seemed like forever, we got our tent up and went over to the fire to socialize. I glanced around looking for Zane in the mix but didn’t see him. Scanning the campsite, I could see a multi-colored sea of tents scattered throughout the clearing.

  It was almost ten and starting to get dark. My stomach rumbled as one of the group leaders pulled hotdogs off the grill.

  Walking over to the cooler by the picnic table, I grabbed a bottle of water and went to sit on a massive log by the fire beside Erik and Emberly. They had started talking to a couple all cuddled up on a blanket in the grass. After twisting the top off of the bottle, I chugged the water and welcomed the coldness as it blanketed my throat.

  As the sun disappeared behind the giant trees, the wind gently howled around us, making the trees bend and sway. Closing my eyes, I sat there and let the breeze blow across my face, enjoying the fresh air. I was exhausted after putting up the tent, practically by myself. Emberly had been no help, which didn’t surprise me.

  When I slowly opened my eyes, I noticed Zane on the other side of the fire pit, a beer in his hand. He was chatting with a short blond who kept twisting her hair around her fingers, acting all flirty. I rolled my eyes and took another drink of my water. Some women were so obvious. Not like I was above that or anything.

  As I was remembering what a dork I’d been at the BX, Zane looked over at me and cut the woman off mid-sentence as he started toward me.

  “This log taken?” he asked, pointing at the spot beside me.

  “It is now,” I said, smiling at him. See? I’m no better than the flirty blond.

  The wind blew so hard that it blew my hair in my face, and with it, Zane’s masculine scent filled my nose. He smelled so good that I wanted to lean my head against his chest and breathe him in.

  “I heard a storm’s coming in. Should make for an interesting night,” he said, looking up at the darkened sky. “Hey, you wanna go for a walk?” he asked, standing up and finishing off his beer.

  “Sure, let me get my flashlight first.” I motioned to my tent.

  “That’s you
r tent?” he asked as he chucked his empty bottle into the trash.

  “Don’t laugh,” I scoffed. “Emberly wasn’t much help.” I glanced disappointedly at the dilapidated structure I’d be sleeping in.

  He chuckled. “My tent is two down from yours. If Emberly gets on your nerves, you can come on over.” He gave me a friendly nudge and turned to tell one of the other team leaders we were going for a quick walk.

  What. The. What?

  This guy was messing with my head. I didn’t know if he was being serious or just flirty. I’d heard rumors about how much of a player Zane was, so I was almost sure he was just being flirty. This was probably his personality with all women.

  Quickly, I let Erik and Emberly know where I was going and headed for the tent to grab my flashlight.

  “Ches, wait!” Emberly rushed up and handed me a can of bug spray.

  I frowned. “I thought you got the paste.”

  “I did.” She grinned like she was totally crazy. “I slathered that on then sealed it with this,” she said, holding the can up in front of my face.

  I wrinkled my nose as the breeze sent a whiff of her in my direction. “Yes, I can smell that. Careful not to stand too close to the fire, or you’ll go up in flames.”

  She gave a dismissive laugh then said, “Take it with you, just in case Zane gets freaky, and you need it. I didn’t bring my pepper spray.”

  Thoughtful, I guess. I sprayed on a coat and then threw it back into the tent when Emberly turned to walk away.

  My mom would love Emberly. Mom had always been so overprotective, but I loved her for it. She was the kind of mom who’d get a guy’s license plate number and address before she’d even let me go out on a date. Just the thought made me smile.

  Zane came up behind me. “Ready?”

  “Yeah, what’s in the backpack?” I asked curiously.

  “It’s my team leader bag. First aid kit, water, blankets, and a few other supplies just in case,” he said, slinging the medium-sized camo backpack onto his back and turning his flashlight on. “Let’s go explore the spooky forest,” he said, pointing the flashlight up to his mouth while giving a haunting laugh.