Book of the Month: TAKE ME HOME: Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Ben handed each of his lieutenants a beer and took careful note of how many each of them had had to drink. Ben was the last person to nag at someone about how much they drank but then again, he was a commander now.
It was implied that he act like a damned grown-up and that meant buying his officers a drink, not multiple drinks. Every one of them would be driving away from here in an hour or two and they damn sure better be sober before they did.
Jesus, he was responsible for how they turned out. What a terrifying thought. Sergeant majors all over the Army would be tearing up trucker hats in no time. He grinned over the edge of his beer and listened to what they were saying.
“Sir, Captain Marshall didn’t like us pissing on his leg about things we could solve at our level,” Gillis said.
Ben took a deep pull off his beer at that comment. It was exactly what he’d been afraid of. “Okay, so let’s clear up a couple of things. First, I’m not Marshall. If you have questions, come ask me. I’m not going to rip your face off for asking me a question. I am, however, going to get pissed that you’ve got guys in the motor pool at seventeen hundred on a Friday night when you’re off drinking a beer, though. So whatever problem you thought you were going to solve, you’re going to have to wait until Monday.”
“But, sir-“
“No ’91but, sir’, LT. Next time, you’ll come get some guidance first. Your platoon sergeants thought this was a good idea?”
Ben looked between his two platoon leaders and his executive officer.
“Sir,” Vitaliano finally found his voice. Either that or his balls had just dropped and he was finally able to talk. “Captain Marshall told us to tell our platoon sergeants what to do. We outrank them; we’re supposed to be in charge.”
Ben choked on the sip of beer he’d just taken. He covered his mouth with his fist and barely avoided spewing the remains all over his lieutenants. “Okay. We’ve got much bigger problems than I realized. Check it out, LT. Brace yourself, I’m about to break your little heart.” He took a pull off his beer to ease the sensation of nearly choking to death. “Yes, you outrank your platoon sergeant. But nowhere on the good Lord’s green earth are we going to let you run off and take all that vast knowledge you acquired in officer basic course or ROTC and actually start running things. This is not to say that you’re incapable of doing it but there’s a lot to be said for experience. The only one in the half of your relationship who has that experience is your platoon sergeant.”
Ben took a deep breath. He could not wait to tell Sorren about this zinger. He’d have to wait until Sorren took a drink of his own beer. “Listen. You and your platoon sergeant are a marriage. And you don’t get a vote over your life partner here. Which means, you two need to start attacking problems together. There is no other way. Get me?”
The lieutenants glanced at each other like he’d just imparted some vast unknowable wisdom to them. Ben shook his head. “Seriously? You guys thought you were running things?”
Vitaliano spoke again. “Sir, it’s just the way it was. Officers run shit, according to Marshall.”
“Okay, so new rule: the next time you start to do something Marshall told you to do, punch yourself.”
“Sir?” This from Gillis, who looked like he might take Ben’s advice far too seriously.
“It’s a joke.” Ben sighed. Obviously, his lieutenants had had their senses of humor corrupted while working for that shitbird Marshall. “Look, just-if you catch yourself doing something the way Marshall wanted, I want you to step back and question why you’re doing it. And then go find your platoon sergeant and ask him what the best way to attack the problem is.” He pointed at Gillis. “Right now, you need to send your people home. You can figure out what’s going on with your platoon sergeant over the weekend.”
“Roger, sir.” Gillis pulled out his phone and stepped away from the noise.
Ben listened as Redding and Vitaliano talked about something one of the soldiers had done earlier that week involving a box of grid squares and keys to the drop zone. He scanned the bar, looking for one particular face.
And stopped when he saw her in a corner, talking to Reza. Iaconelli met his gaze, then lifted a glass in mock salute. That was water, right? Had to be. Reza was serious about getting sober this time and Ben had faith in him. He had something to live for, something other than the war and the constant deployments.
With Emily standing with him, Reza was going to pull this off.
But Ben was curious now as to just what Olivia was doing with Reza. He couldn’t see her face beneath the rim of her Stetson but the shadows caressed the back of her neck beneath her bun. A single tendril of hair escaped, resting beneath her ear.
The Stetson looked good on her. Too good. Added bonus that he’d get a chance to tease Olivia about it. Oh yes, his lieutenants were about to get a reprieve. Because he just couldn’t stay away from Olivia Hale.
***
Legends was far too small to have this many people crowded into it. Olivia was fairly certain that every inch of floor space was now filled with dusty boots, and some people were wearing actual spurs.
She couldn’t get used to the feel of the Stetson on her head. The strap pressed tight against her bun, which in turn tightened the band against her forehead.
But everyone else was wearing their headgear inside so she figured she needed to keep hers on. When in Rome and all that.
She enjoyed watching the room. Seeing the new lieutenant in the signal section laugh a little too loud. Or seeing the ops officer, Captain Loehr, stand a little too close to his significant other Captain Montoya. Olivia was going to have to make an effort to get to know Claire. She’d heard so much about her from the soldiers.
But right then, she wasn’t in the mood to go crowd surfing. It had been a long week and she was comfortable, standing off to one side, talking to Reza. He was a known good quantity, a person she trusted simply by virtue of being Emily’s other half. And the fact that he was talking to her and keeping her from standing alone in a corner of a room full of virtual strangers spoke volumes about the man himself.
She glanced at his glass then flushed when he caught her looking at it.
“Fun new side effect of being sober,” he said quietly. “I’m always hydrated.”
Olivia smiled, wishing some of the heat in her cheeks would cool. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”
He offered a lopsided shrug, taking a sip. “I know that but you were thinking it. Everyone who knows thinks it. I figure I can argue and be pissed about it or acknowledge it and move on. I’m choosing course of action b.”
“Greetings, shitbag,” said a familiar voice.
Olivia turned to see Ben weaving around a fat major and entering their small space.
Reza lifted his glass in greeting. “Nice to see you, too. I take it you haven’t managed to get relieved your first week on the job?”
Olivia raised both eyebrows and Ben shot Reza a dirty look before he turned to Olivia to explain. “I may have considered trying to get fired when I first took command,” Ben admitted.
“Oh, really?”
Ben took a deep breath and Olivia tried not to notice the rise and fall of his chest. Heat unfurled in her belly, stretching like a cat after a long sleep. She found herself wondering about the glimpse of the tattoo she’d seen. How far up his arm did it go?
“I’ve been avoiding command for a long time,” Ben said. “For a lot of reasons.”
“You seem to be doing okay so far.” The memory of his mouth against hers teased her. Made her want to stand a little too close. Want a little too much. His lips were far too soft for a man.
Reza laughed quietly, distracting her from the distinct detour her thoughts had taken. “I threatened to whip his ass if he got himself fired.”
“On purpose,” Ben clarified, holding up one finger. His lips curled into an easy grin. She’d never seen Ben this relaxed. Maybe it was because she’d only seen him since he’d taken command and command took so much out of everyone. This new side of him was intriguing and deeply, deeply sexy. “It only counts if I do it on purpose.” They were an odd little group. A senior NCO talking with a captain and a major. Most of the smaller clusters of people were wearing the same ranks. The lieutenants ran with the lieutenants, the majors with the majors. But Olivia was comfortable.
She looked up at Ben. Her fingers tingled at the memory of his mouth on her. A little too comfortable.
God, but her body ached.
“So Major Hale was just asking about your history with Foster and Escoberra and the gang,” Reza said. “I told her Escoberra saved your sorry ass when you’d gone and gotten yourself blown up.”
Ben looked down into his beer. “Yeah, Escoberra saved my ass in that fiasco,” he said quietly. He took a sip from his beer but Olivia didn’t miss the tightening of the muscles in his neck at Reza’s comment. He looked down at the bottle in his hand, rubbing his thumb absently along the lip. “And how did we repay him? By damn near ruining his career over that attack,” Ben said. His words were packed with bitterness, his eyes filled with an old, painful memory.
“Someone put Escoberra’s awards citation in the legal folder,” Olivia said. Relief pulsed through her, giving her the opening she’d hoped for to ask about the award. “I was curious because your name was on it. Unless there’s some other Ben Teague running around.”
Ben smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes and it took everything she had not to reach for him, to squeeze his hand in sympathy. To let him know he wasn’t alone. “Nope, I’m the one and only, as far as I know.” He looked at his beer. “This tastes like watered down piss,” he muttered.
Reza laughed. “Because you know what watered down piss tastes like?”
“No, but I suppose you would.”
Reza held up his glass. “Finely brewed H2O.”
Ben smirked. “Good. I’d hate to have to tell Emily you weren’t behaving. And Sergeant Major would likely have your balls if you get in any more trouble.”
Reza sniffed. “I’m not getting in any more trouble. I can’t if I want to go on this next deployment.”
Olivia frowned slightly. “You’re volunteering to go?” Unspoken was the question of whether Emily knew or not. It wasn’t her place to ask but she wanted to. Oh, but she wanted to.
“It’s not that I’m volunteering,” Reza said. “I’m just making sure I’m in the eligible pool of soldiers they can take.” He took another sip of his water. “But yes, to answer your question, I would volunteer. Emily understands that,” he said softly.
Olivia felt the emptiness on her right shoulder. These men both had multiple deployments under their belts and they would willingly go back. She had no deployment-not a real one, anyway-and fear of the unknown was a powerful thing.
“I’m glad she supports you,” Ben said softly. Olivia watched the unspoken bond between the two men. “You’re lucky.”
There was something there, beneath his flippant words. An echo of a memory. An old hurt. She looked up at his words and found him watching her, his dark eyes intense and shadowed, even for the dim light inside the bar. And in his eyes, the shadows she’d heard in his voice.
“She’s too good for me,” Reza said. His throat moved as he swallowed roughly. “And I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to be good enough for her.”
Ben pulled his gaze away and sniffed, swiping a finger beneath his eyes. “That’s so romantic.”
“Fuck you, Teague.” Reza tipped two fingers to the brim of his Stetson. “On that note, I’m out of here. I’ve been seen. My mandatory fun is over.”
Ben shifted to give Reza room to maneuver through the crowd.
Olivia watched him go, keenly aware of the man standing beside her. Standing too close, so that she could smell the lingering scent of his skin. It was a powerful lure, urging her to stand closer. She wanted to bury her face in his neck and inhale, breathing him in.
He shifted after a moment, leaning close enough that the edge of his Stetson bumped hers. His voice whispered over her ear, sending a chill down her spine. God, but this man was doing something to her, something that made her hungry and needy and achingly aroused.
“I hear you were asking about me?”
***
Ben watched a hundred emotions flicker across her face at his question. He stood too close on purpose. He couldn’t span the distance completely, not where they were, but he didn’t need to. Just watching her eyes darken, her lips part. The woman was on fire and she had no idea what her response was doing to his insides.
It did something funny inside his chest to find out she’d been asking about him.
“Don’t get excited. It was purely professional,” she said dryly. Her voice was thick. On edge.
He leaned down, closer to her ear. The temptation to nibble on that soft exposed skin beneath her ear was too much. Instead, he blew a quick breath over her skin. Saw, rather than felt her shiver. “What if I told you that hearing you talk all professional is really hot?”
This was foreplay without touching, the forbidden fantasy of not getting caught that added power to their erotic dance. She looked at him as if he’d gone crazy, her eyes crackling with dark, sexual energy. Maybe he had. That was the only reason to explain why he was standing here flirting with the sexy lawyer. But he felt something around her, something he hadn’t felt in a long, long time. Maybe never.
There was more to this woman than just passion for the job.
And he wanted to curl around her, embracing her spark for life, for energy. Just one touch of something real.
“There’s something wrong with you,” she said. But there was laughter, deep and sensual, in her voice.
There was something deeply sexy about the way she leaned against the wall, her mouth relaxed, her shoulders easy.
It was like she’d finally found her bearings. Like she was finally starting to find her place.
“What did you want to know about the award?” he asked. He had to lean close to be able to hear her. It was tempting to be that close to her neck and not be able to nibble on the spot just below her ear.
“I was curious about your relationship with Escoberra. You have so much loyalty to him.”
“You could have asked me,” he said mildly. The scar on his belly ached. She hadn’t asked him. Even after that kiss earlier, she could have asked but she hadn’t. Then again, even though he was standing there wanting to nibble on the soft flesh beneath her ear, they hadn’t exactly been friendly until very, very recently.
And he couldn’t stay mad when she angled her body toward his. “I could have but we’ve been prickly enough without me asking a question you could misinterpret.”
He smiled down at her, trying to yank his mind out of the gutter before she figured out the direction of his thoughts. “Aww. You were thinking of my sensitive feelings?”
“Something like that,” she said. She had to lean a little too close for him to hear her without shouting. It was disconcerting, getting close enough that he could catch the scent of her hair. Something clean and soft and female.
Her face was cast in soft shadows. He had the sudden urge to kiss her. Not right then, not surrounded by uniforms and Stetsons and curious eyes. But if they were alone? Maybe out at Talarico’s. Maybe on the patio overlooking Lake Belton. He’d feel her breath between them. Her tongue would dance against his, their clothes a barrier to getting any closer.
In his fantasy, she’d lean into him. She’d curl her hand into his neck.
He’d invite her back to his place.
Fantasies crashed over him, slamming into him, taunting him with soft, sensual promises. He was attracted to this woman. More than he’d been willing to admit.
“Are you flirting with me, ma’am?” he asked quietly.
Was she? She looked up at him, and he felt the dark promise in her eyes, the lingering taste of her lips on his. He was hungry for this woman in a way that stunned him with its power.
“I think maybe I am.” A husky admission.
That simple sentence slammed into him, rocking his world on its axis. He was chained, unable to move, unable to act on the opening that presented itself. In a million years, he had never expected…what? A little harmless flirting? But his brain had already detoured to a dark quiet place heavy and thick with sensual gasps and the slide of warm bodies.
Jesus, he was about to embarrass himself.
He cleared his throat, yanking his brain back from the edge where it tormented him. “What did you want to know?” he asked, leaning close. He saw the tiny curl of hair near her ear that had come free from the severe hairstyle she wore at work.
“Escoberra’s award was downgraded,” she said. “Do you know why?”
The scar on his belly itched. He rubbed it absently. How to explain the politics at play during the war back then. The power plays that had left Ben still standing while Escoberra paid the price.
“When our base was overrun,” he said softly, painful, burning memories slamming into him, “I got blown up pretty bad. It was Escoberra who coordinated the defense until air support arrived.” He looked down into his beer, fighting to lock the memories back down where they’d lain dormant. “My commander blamed him because he pursued the enemy instead of holding our position. I tried to have that award pushed through but they weren’t hearing it.” He met her gaze. “He saved my life. Escoberra is the reason I’m alive and the Army tried to fry him over violating an order in the heat of battle.”
He watched the emotions flicker over her face. Her eyes darkened, no longer with arousal but with sympathy. He held his breath, waiting for the pity that never failed to infuriate him.
But it didn’t come.
Instead, her fingers slipped over his. Hidden from prying eyes, her touch was a warm reminder of their shared humanity. “I’m sorry, Ben,” she whispered.
“It says something about me,” he said, unable, unwilling to move away from her touch. “That I wasn’t able to defend him.”
Olivia shook her head. “I don’t think that says something about you, Ben.” She leaned closer, her hand colliding with his chest as she lifted on her toes to get closer to his ear. “You blame yourself, don’t you?” she said after a moment.
He sipped his beer. “Somewhat.”
She wanted to say more. He could see it. That was the Olivia he was coming to know. He almost smiled at her but the memories swirling around his chest were too tight, too painful.
“I can’t hear myself think in here,” Olivia said, letting her fingers slip from his. “How long do we have to stay?”
“Have you been seen?” Ben asked, leaning down so he didn’t have to shout.
“Yeah.”
“Then you’re good. You can sneak out any time.”
“Are you staying?”
Ben shook his head. “I haven’t slept well all week. I want to go home, have a beer and crash.” He paused. “I’m starting to think I’ll never sleep well again.”
She smiled and it was filled with sympathy. “You’ll sleep again. After you change command,” she said.
He offered a wry grin, wishing that she wasn’t telling the truth that he’d already started to suspect. “That’s not encouraging.” He set his half-finished beer on one of the tables then motioned toward the door. “I’ll walk you out?”
“You’re not expected to stay because you’re a commander?”
“Nope. Or, if I am, I’ll just make some emergency up if the boss asks.” Olivia laughed quietly as she followed him out.
Outside, he walked her to her car. They were alone, around a corner and away from prying eyes. The temptation to kiss her, to continue what they’d started only hours earlier was strong, too strong.
It was something he needed to walk away from. Fast, before he did something stupid like ask her to come home with him. He knocked the brim of her Stetson with the tip of his finger. “Your Stetson looks nice.”
“Thanks,” she said.
He left her there because the temptation to surrender to the invitation he saw in her eyes was too strong, too compelling.
He wanted. More than he had in a long, long time, he wanted Olivia Hale.
ONE CLICK TAKE ME HOME NOW!
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