believe I am here to flirt.” She waved a manicured hand. “Please stop towering over me and sit.”
He hesitated.
She patted the spot beside her on the otherwise empty stoop. “I need to rest my knee before I leave.”
Her knee. He’d guessed correctly at the hospital. He wanted to ask her how she’d injured it, but that would prolong their conversation. He wasn’t going to sit beside her, but he could see where looming over her was overdoing things. He leaned back against the stucco wall, crossing his booted feet at the ankles.
“Thank you,” she said softly, then her spine went straight, and she exhaled, her breath puffing a light fog in the cold dark. “I came to say I am sorry for any trouble I caused to your people while we were with the USO in Turkey.”
“Thanks.”
A small smile teased the corner of her lips. “You are not going to tell me it was not my fault.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“You lie.”
“I don’t lie.” Except in the line of duty working in a top secret job, but that didn’t count. He prided himself on his integrity and stuck to the truth. “Sounds like you’re suffering from some guilt. That’s your issue, ma’am. Not mine.”
“Ma’am?” She tucked her hands into the sleeves of her silly orange coat. “Isn’t that a little ridiculous given I am . . . how much younger am I than you? Or is there a problem with me asking your age?”
“It’s rude, but that’s never been a concern of yours before.” Damned if she wasn’t every bit as blunt as him. “I’m forty-two.”
“Fifteen years older than I am. Not so much.” She hugged her knees, the sides of her arms pushing her breasts closer together, just visible in the vee of her coat.
“Calling you ma’am is a product of my military training, nothing to do with age.”
“Why not call me Livia?”
Time to end this before she made a fool out of both of them. “Cut to the chase.”
“Excuse me? I am not familiar with that phrase.”
“It means get to your point. Why did you come to see me?”
She stood slowly, her hand falling on his arm to brace herself. She eased one foot up off the ground, no doubt favoring her knee, but the effect still had the look of a vintage film star, crooking a leg in the middle of a kiss.
Except they weren’t kissing, just sharing the same few inches of air. “Perhaps I find you interesting.”
“Perhaps you find me unavailable.”
“You certainly are that, even though you wear no ring.” Her brown eyes went darker with sympathy. “I am sorry about your wife.”
He didn’t like it any better when Livia went soft. “Right. Thanks. And you’re here because . . . ?”
Her gaze locked on him for two more gusty breaths before she pulled away and leaned on the wall next to him. “Actually, I am here to find out how things really are for Chuck. I don’t trust that he is being honest with me.”
“You want to know about Chuck?” Now wasn’t that a kick in the ego? He’d been worried about her hitting on an old guy like him, and she had the hots for one of his young crewdogs.
“I just said as much, did I not? I’m worried about him and what will happen to him now that he is out of the hospital.”
Chuck deserved happiness more than anyone. He did not need some diva nymphet leading him on. Rex angled closer to crowd her, and yeah, he knew it was intimidating, but he had a point to make. “Don’t fuck with Chuck Tanaka’s head. He’s been through enough.”
When she’d left the base in Turkey and endangered their whole dark ops mission with her high-profile kidnapping, authorities had determined she was simply reckless. Base security had watched her a little more closely since she wasn’t an American, but no one had seriously considered whether she could have a darker motive for ignoring orders.
Yet here she was again, connected to another sensitive military project, and this time he wouldn’t be as easily persuaded her reasons were a hundred
He hesitated.
She patted the spot beside her on the otherwise empty stoop. “I need to rest my knee before I leave.”
Her knee. He’d guessed correctly at the hospital. He wanted to ask her how she’d injured it, but that would prolong their conversation. He wasn’t going to sit beside her, but he could see where looming over her was overdoing things. He leaned back against the stucco wall, crossing his booted feet at the ankles.
“Thank you,” she said softly, then her spine went straight, and she exhaled, her breath puffing a light fog in the cold dark. “I came to say I am sorry for any trouble I caused to your people while we were with the USO in Turkey.”
“Thanks.”
A small smile teased the corner of her lips. “You are not going to tell me it was not my fault.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“You lie.”
“I don’t lie.” Except in the line of duty working in a top secret job, but that didn’t count. He prided himself on his integrity and stuck to the truth. “Sounds like you’re suffering from some guilt. That’s your issue, ma’am. Not mine.”
“Ma’am?” She tucked her hands into the sleeves of her silly orange coat. “Isn’t that a little ridiculous given I am . . . how much younger am I than you? Or is there a problem with me asking your age?”
“It’s rude, but that’s never been a concern of yours before.” Damned if she wasn’t every bit as blunt as him. “I’m forty-two.”
“Fifteen years older than I am. Not so much.” She hugged her knees, the sides of her arms pushing her breasts closer together, just visible in the vee of her coat.
“Calling you ma’am is a product of my military training, nothing to do with age.”
“Why not call me Livia?”
Time to end this before she made a fool out of both of them. “Cut to the chase.”
“Excuse me? I am not familiar with that phrase.”
“It means get to your point. Why did you come to see me?”
She stood slowly, her hand falling on his arm to brace herself. She eased one foot up off the ground, no doubt favoring her knee, but the effect still had the look of a vintage film star, crooking a leg in the middle of a kiss.
Except they weren’t kissing, just sharing the same few inches of air. “Perhaps I find you interesting.”
“Perhaps you find me unavailable.”
“You certainly are that, even though you wear no ring.” Her brown eyes went darker with sympathy. “I am sorry about your wife.”
He didn’t like it any better when Livia went soft. “Right. Thanks. And you’re here because . . . ?”
Her gaze locked on him for two more gusty breaths before she pulled away and leaned on the wall next to him. “Actually, I am here to find out how things really are for Chuck. I don’t trust that he is being honest with me.”
“You want to know about Chuck?” Now wasn’t that a kick in the ego? He’d been worried about her hitting on an old guy like him, and she had the hots for one of his young crewdogs.
“I just said as much, did I not? I’m worried about him and what will happen to him now that he is out of the hospital.”
Chuck deserved happiness more than anyone. He did not need some diva nymphet leading him on. Rex angled closer to crowd her, and yeah, he knew it was intimidating, but he had a point to make. “Don’t fuck with Chuck Tanaka’s head. He’s been through enough.”
When she’d left the base in Turkey and endangered their whole dark ops mission with her high-profile kidnapping, authorities had determined she was simply reckless. Base security had watched her a little more closely since she wasn’t an American, but no one had seriously considered whether she could have a darker motive for ignoring orders.
Yet here she was again, connected to another sensitive military project, and this time he wouldn’t be as easily persuaded her reasons were a hundred
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