thought.
She had been shocked that he’d hid his eyes. A gentleman and honorable, too, a rare trait, she knew all too well.
Kelly felt a twinge of guilt for having been the reason for waking him. If only Larsen and Coleman hadn't come to tell Cap, she could still been wrapped in his strong embrace. But now that he knew, he wouldn't let her stay in his tent, and surely he wouldn't let her climb back into bed with him. She had felt very safe there … Yeah, he was very honorable.
He had made it clear he didn't want her there, though. He probably preferred being alone. The cold stone type usually did.
Coleman dragged her outside and away from her musing. Kelly’s mind whirred around trying to find a good enough reason to go back to Cap. She stopped herself; this just wouldn't do. She certainly didn’t want a cold stone. But if she felt like this now, how would she feel if she actually liked the guy? The thought made her shiver.
Kelly let Coleman lead her to Larsen, who waited for them. He tied the flaps open and shepherded them away from the gentle snores that floated on the light breeze.
They made the second turn away from Cap …er… Cap's tent, she corrected herself. Ahead, some soldiers milled around a short line outside a large tent.
Larsen cleared his throat. "Hey, it’s ... uh ... chow time. Why don't we eat before you two go back to your tent?"
"I am hungry, how about you?" Coleman turned to Kelly.
Both soldiers stared intently at her.
Kelly wasn't really hungry, but she didn't want to cause Coleman any more problems. "Sure, I could eat something."
They got in line behind four guys who smiled and eyed Coleman with too much interest and Larsen scowled, saying nothing.
"Hi, Coleman," the men chorused.
She looked up, her volume on low. "Hi." She turned her back to them with her eyes on the ground.
Kelly thought the guys were cute and wanted to talk to them.
Coleman’s eyes wildly scanned the ground around her feet. "Um ... uh ... How'd you get out of my tent?"
Larsen turned his full attention to Kelly; he, too, seemed to want answers.
Kelly glanced over Coleman’s shoulder. "Well ..."
A medium-sized soldier with big, blue eyes that twitched between Coleman and Kelly leaned around the guy behind him. "Hey, Coleman, did you ever find the blonde in the nightgown?"
The other guys turned their full attention back to the women.
The beautiful private set her jaw. "Yeah Maybry, I did."
"Is this the elusive mystery woman who's invaded our camp?"
He looked Kelly up and down, his eyes lingering on the gown in her arms. At least it had better be the gown he stared at, she fumed.
Larsen stepped up nose to nose with the husky Marine. "Back off, Maybry, Kelly's a guarded infiltrator, and the colonel wouldn't appreciate your interference."
"Yeah, she looks like an infiltrator." Maybry stepped around Larsen. "Kelly? I like that name. Any time you want to infiltrate my space, you are more than welcome."
"Back off, Maybry." Larsen's voice took on a deep timbre, a surprise coming out of his boyish face.
"Okay, okay, Larsen. Don't get your tighty-whities in a twist. It was nice meeting you, Kelly. Sorry I missed the negligee." With a last grin at Coleman he retook his place in line as it moved up.
"He wasn't too bad," Kelly whispered.
Coleman seemed to assess Kelly’s sanity from the corner of her eye. "He's no number three."
"Well, true." Kelly wouldn't have married him, but flirting might have been fun.
Coleman sighed. "He's more a number four than anything."
Kelly laughed.
Larsen kept his eye on Maybry. "What's a number four and three?"
"A number three is a husband, a number four is a child." Kelly whispered.
Larsen grinned but didn't say anything.
The line moved again and they entered the tent. Inside, the babble hushed and all eyes turned to them.
Kelly leaned over to Coleman. "Do they do this every time you come in?"
"I don't think they're looking at me."
"They have to be looking at you. You're
She had been shocked that he’d hid his eyes. A gentleman and honorable, too, a rare trait, she knew all too well.
Kelly felt a twinge of guilt for having been the reason for waking him. If only Larsen and Coleman hadn't come to tell Cap, she could still been wrapped in his strong embrace. But now that he knew, he wouldn't let her stay in his tent, and surely he wouldn't let her climb back into bed with him. She had felt very safe there … Yeah, he was very honorable.
He had made it clear he didn't want her there, though. He probably preferred being alone. The cold stone type usually did.
Coleman dragged her outside and away from her musing. Kelly’s mind whirred around trying to find a good enough reason to go back to Cap. She stopped herself; this just wouldn't do. She certainly didn’t want a cold stone. But if she felt like this now, how would she feel if she actually liked the guy? The thought made her shiver.
Kelly let Coleman lead her to Larsen, who waited for them. He tied the flaps open and shepherded them away from the gentle snores that floated on the light breeze.
They made the second turn away from Cap …er… Cap's tent, she corrected herself. Ahead, some soldiers milled around a short line outside a large tent.
Larsen cleared his throat. "Hey, it’s ... uh ... chow time. Why don't we eat before you two go back to your tent?"
"I am hungry, how about you?" Coleman turned to Kelly.
Both soldiers stared intently at her.
Kelly wasn't really hungry, but she didn't want to cause Coleman any more problems. "Sure, I could eat something."
They got in line behind four guys who smiled and eyed Coleman with too much interest and Larsen scowled, saying nothing.
"Hi, Coleman," the men chorused.
She looked up, her volume on low. "Hi." She turned her back to them with her eyes on the ground.
Kelly thought the guys were cute and wanted to talk to them.
Coleman’s eyes wildly scanned the ground around her feet. "Um ... uh ... How'd you get out of my tent?"
Larsen turned his full attention to Kelly; he, too, seemed to want answers.
Kelly glanced over Coleman’s shoulder. "Well ..."
A medium-sized soldier with big, blue eyes that twitched between Coleman and Kelly leaned around the guy behind him. "Hey, Coleman, did you ever find the blonde in the nightgown?"
The other guys turned their full attention back to the women.
The beautiful private set her jaw. "Yeah Maybry, I did."
"Is this the elusive mystery woman who's invaded our camp?"
He looked Kelly up and down, his eyes lingering on the gown in her arms. At least it had better be the gown he stared at, she fumed.
Larsen stepped up nose to nose with the husky Marine. "Back off, Maybry, Kelly's a guarded infiltrator, and the colonel wouldn't appreciate your interference."
"Yeah, she looks like an infiltrator." Maybry stepped around Larsen. "Kelly? I like that name. Any time you want to infiltrate my space, you are more than welcome."
"Back off, Maybry." Larsen's voice took on a deep timbre, a surprise coming out of his boyish face.
"Okay, okay, Larsen. Don't get your tighty-whities in a twist. It was nice meeting you, Kelly. Sorry I missed the negligee." With a last grin at Coleman he retook his place in line as it moved up.
"He wasn't too bad," Kelly whispered.
Coleman seemed to assess Kelly’s sanity from the corner of her eye. "He's no number three."
"Well, true." Kelly wouldn't have married him, but flirting might have been fun.
Coleman sighed. "He's more a number four than anything."
Kelly laughed.
Larsen kept his eye on Maybry. "What's a number four and three?"
"A number three is a husband, a number four is a child." Kelly whispered.
Larsen grinned but didn't say anything.
The line moved again and they entered the tent. Inside, the babble hushed and all eyes turned to them.
Kelly leaned over to Coleman. "Do they do this every time you come in?"
"I don't think they're looking at me."
"They have to be looking at you. You're
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