Summer with the Soldier (Holiday Encounters Book 4) Page 3

  He tunneled a hand through his short-cropped, dark hair.

  Seeing his concern, I rushed to put his mind at ease. Logan had enough on his plate. The one thing I knew he didn’t have to worry about was Katelyn and Hunter.

  “Logan, you know how I feel about Kate. Do you honestly think I’d be standing here calmly, happy to see them together, if I thought for a second he was treating her like one of the girls he dated in high school?”

  “Dating might be overstating things a little.”

  I grinned. “True. But I promise you don’t have to worry that he’s like that with Kate.” I searched for a way to explain what was between the two of them. “I’ve known Hunter a long time, and I’ve never seen him the way he is with your sister. He’s...I don’t know, protective seems too mild a word for it. And sweet, as much as he’d hate being called sweet. That’s the only way I can think to explain the way he takes care of her, the way he looks at her...” I broke off, shaking my head. “I don’t know if I’m explaining it well. But you absolutely have nothing to worry about with them.”

  “Yeah?” He cocked an eyebrow toward me.

  "Seriously." I used a finger to make a cross over my heart. “Well, you might have one thing to worry about...”

  “What?” His spine snapped straight, his shoulders went back and his eyes hardened to shards of ice.

  I blinked at the transformation from Logan to soldier. Crap. I was supposed to be putting his mind at ease.

  I held up my hands. “I’m teasing, Logan. I was just going to say you need to worry about holding onto your lunch when you see the two of them together. Seriously, seeing them with each other, the way they can’t take their eyes off each other, is a little nauseating.”

  I left out the part about how they couldn’t take their hands off each other, either. I didn’t think he’d want to hear it. Plus, there was little chance he’d escape witnessing it for himself in the next few days.

  My eyes strayed back to Hunter and Katelyn. Hell, the next few minutes.

  Some of the tension ran out of Logan. He shook his head at me.

  “For a second there, you had me thinking I’d have to take Hunter out back and remind him how to treat my sister.”

  “I noticed. But really, you’re good. You should go talk to them and see for yourself.”

  And put some distance between us so I didn’t have to worry about lusting after my best friend’s brother.

  He looked over to them and tipped his beer back, finishing it and dropping the empty back on the bar. He signaled to the bartender that he was ready for another.

  When he held the neck of a new bottle of beer between his fingers, he gave me a sharp nod. “I’m going in.”

  Laughter bubbled out of me, but I gave him a salute. “Good luck, Soldier.”

  Chapter 4

  I stared after Logan for several long seconds as he made his way toward Katelyn and Hunter before making an effort to focus my attention elsewhere. And if an odd pang twisted a knot in my stomach as he left my side, well, I’d chalk that up to worrying about my best friend’s brother. Nothing good could come from anything else.

  I did a quick walk around the party, saying hello to old friends, making sure everyone found food and drinks and that the caterers and DJ were all good.

  I managed to end my circuit of the party right next to where Will stood talking with a group of people. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the tall blonde who hung off Will’s arm, tossing her hair like a prize pony.

  I sidled up to his other side, giving the group a little finger wave as I nudged him with my shoulder.

  He glanced down, his expression hard to read. “Hey.”

  His welcome wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as his earlier greeting. I guess I couldn’t blame him. I had all but run from him to get to another man.

  As I thought of Logan, I worked hard not to allow my gaze to search him out. Geez, what was wrong with me? I stood next to a legendary rocker with an amazing smile. Not to mention his perfect ass. How hard was it to keep my focus on him?

  “Hey,” I said. “I’m sorry I flat left you earlier. My friend’s brother surprised me by showing up. He’s on R&R from deployment and I haven’t seen him in years.”

  His eyes thawed a little at my explanation. “You guys close?”

  “Paige, Katelyn, Emma and I lived in each others’ pockets since we were kids.” I laughed at myself. “To be honest, we still do. But our families consider all of us part of the family. Logan’s always been like a big brother to me. I got a little excited when I saw him.”

  Holy understatement, Batman.

  Will didn’t read anything else in my words, though. He thawed completely, smiling down at me warmly and turning toward me a little more.

  Over his shoulder I noticed the quick flash of annoyance on the blonde’s face.

  Oh well, all’s fair in love and war. Not to mention bets with my friends. I took a deep breath and decided I needed to forget Logan Murphy’s existence for the rest of the evening. Nothing good could come of any attraction. And setting my sights on Will Canter wasn’t exactly settling.

  I leaned in closer to him. “I wouldn’t have run away otherwise.”

  He grinned and stroked a hand down my arm. “No worries. I understand.”

  Huh, who would have thought a rock star would be so...nice?

  “Thanks.”

  “You want to dance?”

  “You dance?” I asked in mock shock.

  He shrugged. “I’m not winning any awards, but I can hold my own without treading on your toes.”

  “Good thing.” I held up a bare foot with toenails painted a bright blue. “I just got a pedicure.”

  He pulled me toward the dance floor, laughing. “Come on, pretty girl. I promise not to ruin your pedicure.”

  I spent the next hour dancing and flirting with Will. And if my eyes strayed over to find Logan every now and then, well, I could excuse it as concern for a good friend. When Will pulled me over to the bar, laughing and breathless after a fast turn around the dance floor, I leaned against him trying to catch my breath.

  And no matter how much my nerve endings sat up and danced at the sight of Logan, they weren’t completely immune to Will. We’d spent a good part of the last hour pressed up against each other, him in a T-shirt and board shorts and me in a bikini and sarong. That was a lot of bare skin pressed together.

  It didn’t hurt that Will was no slouch when it came to being hot and muscular.

  Being the focus of his warm, intense dark eyes was a heady feeling. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit the guys from Sliding Violet had featured in one or two of my fantasies over the years. Having one of them shower me with attention in real life didn’t suck.

  “You need a drink?” I asked him over my shoulder, tucking several strands of my dark hair behind my ear.

  “I need something,” Will said, coming up close behind me, his hands resting on my bare waist.

  I turned my head to respond, but caught a glimpse of Logan from the corner of my eye. He stood in a quiet corner with a leggy brunette all but giving him a lap dance. A sharp pain lanced through my chest.

  “You okay, Jade?” Will’s voice came from close to my ear.

  I shook off my momentary insanity. Of course Logan would be talking to a beautiful woman. He’d been shipped off to some godforsaken place for too long. I was sure someone just like that leggy brunette was on the top of his wish list, even if he left that out when he was talking to me.

  And I had a sexy guy of my own, a guy fantasies were made of. I wasn’t going to pine away for the impossible.

  I twisted and slid close to Will. “I'm good.”

  “Yeah?” He slid his hands to my back, and now I stood in the circle of his arms.

  “Yeah,” I whispered, staring up at him.

  He leaned down and slowly, giving me plenty of time to back away, he lowered his mouth to mine.

  I stood perfectly still, my eyes dropping closed as h
is lips moved softly against my own. His mouth was warm and firm, sending small tingles through me.

  He pulled back just a little and I stayed in place, my eyes still closed, for several long seconds.

  I finally opened them to find him staring down at me, his eyes hot and seeking permission for more.

  I smiled up at him, pressing more of my weight into his body. “When I have the ability to move again, I’ll be totally fangirling over the fact I got kissed by Will Canter.”

  He laughed and pulled me more tightly against him, his mouth dipping down for another quick kiss. “Will you be okay?”

  “I hope so.” I gave an exaggerated sigh, and teased, “I may never wash my lips again.”

  “In that case, I should get all my kisses in now. I might not be so inclined to kiss them in a day or so.”

  I laughed and stretched up to my tiptoes, pressing my mouth against his.

  He obliged, sliding his mouth against mine, nibbling my bottom lip.

  I pulled away a second and stared up at his handsome face. For just a teeny, tiny second a small thought wiggled its way in—this was nice, but I wished it was Logan holding me and kissing me.

  No, no, no. I shoved that thought firmly out of my head, slamming the door and tossing away the key.

  “Can you hold this thought?” I asked. “I’d like to spend more time with you, but I should probably check in on the rest of my guests.”

  He gave me a small peck on the lips. “I hate to let you go, but if duty calls, I guess I can entertain myself for a little while.”

  “Are you guys planning on hanging around for a while?” I asked.

  “Would you like me to hang around for a while?”

  I tipped my head to the side and looked up at him from under my lashes. “Oh, yeah.”

  “Then I’ll be hanging around for a while.”

  I smiled. “I don’t know if Paige extended the invitation yet or not, but there’s plenty of room in the house. You and any of the guys are welcome to crash here, if you like.”

  He returned my smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Good.” I snuck one more quick kiss before pulling back. “I’ll come find you in a bit.”

  “Counting on it.”

  I turned away to go mingle a little. And found myself pinned by a set of cold blue eyes.

  Logan stood with the same woman, but all his attention centered on me. His mouth was a hard line, his jaw clenched. His look stopped me in my tracks.

  My pulse raced as I entertained the thought I wasn’t alone in the attraction I’d been feeling.

  But the brunette clutched his arm, claiming his attention again, and breaking the stare down we’d been caught in.

  I shook it off. He probably had the same brotherly concern about my flirting with a rock star that he’d had seeing Katelyn with Hunter.

  No way would Logan Murphy be remotely interested in me.

  As it turned out, I didn’t get a chance to find Will again until the party started breaking up close to two in the morning. I’d run into friends I hadn’t talked to in months, dealt with an issue the caterer had, and drank more than one Sex On the Beach along the way.

  More than a little tipsy, I waited until the last guest departed and the caterers had the cleanup well underway before I stumbled through the sliding glass doors into the kitchen. The lights were set to dim and the only occupants were Jared and Paige. Paige sat on the kitchen island, Jared standing between her legs as they tangled tongues. Paige’s arms circled his neck, and her legs were hooked over his hips.

  I started to slide away discreetly, but paused when my brain caught on a certain idea. “Hey, Jared, you’re a member of Sliding Violet.”

  Jared and Paige yanked their mouths apart, though Jared didn’t move from the circle of Paige’s limbs.

  “Do you mind?” Paige asked testily.

  “Mind what? You doing it on my kitchen counter? Not as much as you’d think, though I’d hope you’d make use of the disinfectant by the sink when you're done.”

  Jared chuckled. “No worries, Jade. We’ll take it to the bedroom. No disinfectant required.”

  I grinned at him, swaying a bit on my feet as I took in his charming smile. He really was adorable. “You really are adorable.”

  He chuckled again while Paige scowled at me. “Thanks. And to answer your question, I am a member of Sliding Violet.”

  “That’s awesome,” I said and continued to stand there smiling at them.

  Paige snapped her fingers at me. “Hey, is there a point to this or are you turning into a peeping tom? We might take the main event to the bedroom, but I’m not done with the foreplay yet. Can’t you move along?”

  I snapped out of the fog I’d fallen into. Guess the alcohol had hit me harder than I realized. I shook my head. “Sorry. I was just wondering if Will stayed the night.”

  A sly grin stole over Paige’s face. “Oh, I see. You were hoping to make progress on the bet tonight.”

  I rolled my eyes. Like I needed a bet to push me into Will Canter’s arms. The boy was f-i-n-e fine. Though, to be honest, I wouldn’t mind making some progress on the bet. Hmm...

  I shook off the thought. “I don’t need Will to help me win the bet. I can do that on my own with two hands tied behind my back.”

  “Big words from such a little girl,” Paige taunted. “Only a few weeks left. I don’t think you can do it.”

  “Hey, hey, before we get in any deeper with the smack talk, could we maybe decide to put it on hold until morning?” Jared ran his hands up Paige’s arms and paused to rub his thumbs along her jawline. “I can think of a better way to spend the rest of the night.”

  Holy hell. Rock god Jared Sloane speaking in that low, throaty, promises-of-hot-sex voice—even though it wasn't directed at me, I swore I could feel my bikini bottoms get a little damp.

  Paige smiled a soft smile, staring directly into Jared’s eyes. Her expression was one I’d never seen on her before. And that was saying something considering how long and how well I knew that girl.

  Wow. Paige really loved Jared.

  Judging by the expression on Jared’s face, her feelings were returned tenfold.

  Several long seconds ticked by before Paige’s gaze moved over Jared’s shoulder, landing directly on me where I stood wearing what I knew had to be a sappy smile on my face. Her lips twisted into an irritated smirk.

  “Jade, seriously?” She shook her head. “To answer your question, Will crashed in one of the bedrooms. The one across the hall from the bedroom Logan usually stays in, I think.”

  “Great, thanks.” I stood there another few seconds marveling over the fact one of my best friends had found love and had it returned in full measure.

  Paige rolled her eyes. “Ja-a-ade.”

  Her whining tone finally sunk in. “Oops, sorry. ‘Night, guys.”

  After mumbled goodnights in response, the two returned to their lip lock before I managed to even clear the kitchen. I wandered down the hallway toward the bedrooms, a little drunk and thinking about how awesome it was all my friends found the loves of their lives as the result of the bet.

  “So cool,” I whispered to myself. And if I had a teeny, tiny twinge of jealousy, well, I’d keep it to myself.

  Considering how well the bet worked for them, though, maybe it really would be a good idea for me to take it a bit more seriously.

  With that thought in mind, I stumbled around the corner of another hall toward the bedroom Paige thought Will had crashed in. Right across the hall from Logan. Maybe a little seduction of a rock and roll drummer would turn my world on its ear the same way Paige, Emma, and Katelyn had their lives turned upside down.

  I stopped between the two doors, Logan’s on one side and Will’s on the other. I sank my teeth into my bottom lip. Maybe Will had brought somebody back to his room with him.

  Weird how that thought instantly conjured an image of Logan and the brunette he’d been talking to earlier in the evening. Had he brou
ght her up here?

  Ugh. I had to get Logan out of my head. Will. Will was the one I should be thinking of.

  I closed my eyes and pictured Will lying in bed right behind the door to my right. But even as I tried to see it, a more X-rated vision came to mind—me lying in a rumpled bed with a naked Logan hovering just over me.

  God, god, god. I needed to stop. Too many thoughts tumbled in my drink-addled brain and before I could even make a conscious decision, I turned and grasped a doorknob, pushing inside a darkened bedroom.

  Chapter 5

  I eased the bedroom door closed behind me and shut my eyes as I leaned against the back of it. I sent up a silent, if somewhat drunken prayer. Please don’t be with someone else. Please don’t be with someone else.

  I sucked in a big breath and carefully peeled open one eye. Nothing.

  The dim room didn’t exactly lend itself to sleuthing with only one eye open. Sighing a bit, I opened the other and blinked, waiting for my vision to adjust to the low light.

  It took a good minute, but finally I could see shapes and the outlines of some of the bedroom furniture. With the help of the moonlight reflecting off the water and the porch light that had been left on bouncing in through the sheer curtains covering the window, I easily made out only one lump under the covers.

  Relief poured through me. At least I hadn’t had to face the humiliation of stumbling on a couple locked in the throes of—whatever—when I came in. But now that I was in, what should I do?

  My mind flashed a picture instantly. A hot one. One that involved lots of moaning and sweaty bodies. Nudity. Graphic sex scenes. If the images floating through my mind were a movie, they’d be rated R for sure. Maybe NC-17.

  I slid forward as silently as the wood floors and my semi-tipsy state would allow. I stopped at the side of the bed. From this angle, enough light came in to allow me to clearly make out the man sleeping under the blue and white striped comforter.

  My eyes traced over each line, each ridge, each contour of his face. They followed his hairline and down to his brow, his nose, his high cheekbones. Even in sleep his features retained a certain edginess.