was going to back down against this son of a bitch. If he hit her, he’d only do it once.
And she’d add assault to the charge sheet that she hadn’t written yet.
“You’re hiding information. I have a right to face my accusers.”
“Once you’ve been accused.” She lifted her chin. “I can’t help you. And I’ll thank you to remember your military bearing, Captain Marshall.”
Ben rounded the corner of her office door and Olivia was never so glad for a distraction as she was at that exact moment.
The fact that it was Ben was an added bonus but she kept that fact to herself.
Ben stepped between her and Marshall. Olivia wasn’t foolish enough to argue. She didn’t actually
want
to get punched today.
And his willingness to step into the fray… She stopped the mental detour she’d just taken. She didn’t want to see Ben Teague for anything more than he professed to be, no matter how much the shadows in his eyes made her want to know more about the man she suspected he was hiding from the world.
“Take it up with the battalion commander, shit for brains.” Ben tossed a stack of packets on a chair and squared off with Marshall.
Marshall took a step closer until his face was an inch from Ben’s. “Get the fuck out of my face, Teague.”
“You want to do this, I’m fine with that,” Ben snarled.
“Mind your own fucking business.”
Ben slipped his hands into the collar of Marshall’s uniform top and shoved him backward out of Olivia’s office. Marshall went down with a crack that sounded like a bone had broken.
“Out.”
Marshall got to his feet and looked as if he was about to lunge at Ben, but then thought better of it. “This isn’t over, Teague. You think you’re hot shit because you’re taking over my sloppy seconds again.”
Ben stepped forward. Marshall didn’t back down. Neither did Ben. “Not the first time. Won’t be the last. Might want to go put some ice on your pride.”
Marshall stalked out. Ben turned and Olivia held up Marshall’s patrol cap. “He’s going to be back for this,” she said, dangling it off her index finger.
Ben grabbed it and threw it out into the adjutant’s office. “Not back in here.”
“Wow, you’re going all caveman. I’m not sure if I should swoon or wring out my panties.”
“Did you just make a joke?” Ben froze and frowned. His nostrils flared from the mix of too much adrenaline and the sudden lack of an appropriate place to put it. “When did we reach the joke-making phase of this relationship? I thought we were still at the swiping hostility phase.”
“Nervous tension,” she said, waving a hand. “I don’t know what I’m saying.” For a moment, all her shields fell away and she stood there, grinning up at him. As though he was a normal man and she was a normal woman. Her breath caught in her throat when he met her gaze, his quiet laugh filling the space. The joke had felt good, too good. She shifted her focus back on the job. “You two worked together before?”
“He tried to have my platoon sergeant court-martialed back in ’05. Let’s just say we’re not taking warm showers together anytime soon.” He looked at her then and his eyes softened. Olivia’s insides twinged at the unexpected concern. “You okay?” A concern she hadn’t counted on. It slipped behind her shields and warmed her in a way that she knew she shouldn’t be warmed.
She nodded, folding her arms across her chest to hide her shaking hands. She had been willing to fight but now that the threat had passed, she had nothing to do with the adrenaline that still pumped through her veins.
Ben pushed her back into her office and closed the door behind them. “You would have gotten your ass whipped. You know that, right?”
“I was banking on him not actually hitting me.”
“Based on what?”
“Pure stupidity,” she mumbled, admitting it before he forced her to swallow the bitter pill. It
had
been stupid antagonizing Marshall, but the
And she’d add assault to the charge sheet that she hadn’t written yet.
“You’re hiding information. I have a right to face my accusers.”
“Once you’ve been accused.” She lifted her chin. “I can’t help you. And I’ll thank you to remember your military bearing, Captain Marshall.”
Ben rounded the corner of her office door and Olivia was never so glad for a distraction as she was at that exact moment.
The fact that it was Ben was an added bonus but she kept that fact to herself.
Ben stepped between her and Marshall. Olivia wasn’t foolish enough to argue. She didn’t actually
want
to get punched today.
And his willingness to step into the fray… She stopped the mental detour she’d just taken. She didn’t want to see Ben Teague for anything more than he professed to be, no matter how much the shadows in his eyes made her want to know more about the man she suspected he was hiding from the world.
“Take it up with the battalion commander, shit for brains.” Ben tossed a stack of packets on a chair and squared off with Marshall.
Marshall took a step closer until his face was an inch from Ben’s. “Get the fuck out of my face, Teague.”
“You want to do this, I’m fine with that,” Ben snarled.
“Mind your own fucking business.”
Ben slipped his hands into the collar of Marshall’s uniform top and shoved him backward out of Olivia’s office. Marshall went down with a crack that sounded like a bone had broken.
“Out.”
Marshall got to his feet and looked as if he was about to lunge at Ben, but then thought better of it. “This isn’t over, Teague. You think you’re hot shit because you’re taking over my sloppy seconds again.”
Ben stepped forward. Marshall didn’t back down. Neither did Ben. “Not the first time. Won’t be the last. Might want to go put some ice on your pride.”
Marshall stalked out. Ben turned and Olivia held up Marshall’s patrol cap. “He’s going to be back for this,” she said, dangling it off her index finger.
Ben grabbed it and threw it out into the adjutant’s office. “Not back in here.”
“Wow, you’re going all caveman. I’m not sure if I should swoon or wring out my panties.”
“Did you just make a joke?” Ben froze and frowned. His nostrils flared from the mix of too much adrenaline and the sudden lack of an appropriate place to put it. “When did we reach the joke-making phase of this relationship? I thought we were still at the swiping hostility phase.”
“Nervous tension,” she said, waving a hand. “I don’t know what I’m saying.” For a moment, all her shields fell away and she stood there, grinning up at him. As though he was a normal man and she was a normal woman. Her breath caught in her throat when he met her gaze, his quiet laugh filling the space. The joke had felt good, too good. She shifted her focus back on the job. “You two worked together before?”
“He tried to have my platoon sergeant court-martialed back in ’05. Let’s just say we’re not taking warm showers together anytime soon.” He looked at her then and his eyes softened. Olivia’s insides twinged at the unexpected concern. “You okay?” A concern she hadn’t counted on. It slipped behind her shields and warmed her in a way that she knew she shouldn’t be warmed.
She nodded, folding her arms across her chest to hide her shaking hands. She had been willing to fight but now that the threat had passed, she had nothing to do with the adrenaline that still pumped through her veins.
Ben pushed her back into her office and closed the door behind them. “You would have gotten your ass whipped. You know that, right?”
“I was banking on him not actually hitting me.”
“Based on what?”
“Pure stupidity,” she mumbled, admitting it before he forced her to swallow the bitter pill. It
had
been stupid antagonizing Marshall, but the
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