Page 72 of Lucky Charm

When Cait came back to tell Tommy he could sit with Baxter, it would be him sitting there. This whole thing had sucked the two of them into a mess. He didn’t like it and wasn’t going to let it sit. They had a foundation of sex and death that wasn’t going to carry them through. He knew it. Didn’t like it. Wanted more. Trust was a fragile thing, and he didn’t want her faith in him to collapse at the first test. That wasn’t the way this was going to go.

Chapter Thirteen

Cait finished her notes for Baxter’s surgical file and pushed back against a wave of tiredness. Hunt was in the waiting room. No fewer than three people told her he was waiting for her. Could nothing stay private around here? Of course, they were watching for a diverting romance while she worried about looking a terrorist in the eye.

Why should she hide anything anyway? It would be pointless, and she didn’t want to. Personal lusting feelings aside, she understood what Hunt did. Treating him with respect and friendship might not stop the gossip, but it would make her feel less like she’d been caught doing something wrong when all she’d done was survive.

Duncan came to her side. “Finishing notes?”

“Yeah.”

“Your guy is hanging out in the waiting room.”

Cait couldn’t stop the exasperated sigh. “I know.”

Duncan looked around, then leaned closer. “You need to be careful.”

Cait pulled back. “Careful how?”

“You know what this environment is like. The last thing you need is to send the wrong message.”

“What wrong message would that be?” Tiredness gave way to a hot flash of temper.

Duncan’s tone changed from friend to officer. He did outrank her. “Come on, Captain, you aren’tthat naïve. You’re sending a sexual message out to the masses that leaves you vulnerable.”

Cait’s eyes widened. “I’m doing no such thing.” Floundering for what to say, she closed her eyes and counted to five.

“Look, I’d be doing a disservice to you and to the Army by not telling you to keep the personal in check before the Commander has to.”

She turned to stare at him. “Would you have approached a man with this?”

Duncan frowned and rolled his eyes. “That’s not fair. It’s not the same thing. It’s dangerous territory here for a woman.”

“It’s very fair. You know me. You have time in service with me. I pull my weight, always have, and give one hundred percent. You have no call to question this.”

Duncan glanced back at the waiting room door. “Maybe I’m talking to the wrong person.”

“Stay out of it, Duncan. I’ve already discussed this issue with Colonel Cartwright.”

“She’s not in your chain.”

“No, but she outranks both of us, so let’s table this. Your advice is noted.” She picked up her keys, swearing silently. She could slink off and leave Hunt waiting until the personnel cleared, but she wasn’t fucking doing that. In full view of nurses, corpsmen, and Duncan, she went to the waiting room door and propped a shoulder in the doorway.

Hunt sat, head down, his eyes on the beige tile floor. He looked up a second later as if he felt her there. Awareness surged. She’d been doing her bestto keep it contained, but tingles jetted across her skin, announcing she was losing that effort. Stumbling for words, she finally settled on, “Did you see Baxter?”

Hunt nodded, studying her face. “Colonel Cartwright made sure.”

Okay, so she had a mad on and he could see it. “Did you talk to his mother?”

“Yes, she’s going to meet him in Germany. Bax isn’t happy about it. She’s a fusser.”

“All mothers are fussers in my experience.”

“Mine wasn’t.”

She stayed quiet, gazing at his face and working to temper her mood.

“We need to talk,” he said, voice rough. “Not here.