(Heroes of the Night)
by
Nicole Leiren
* * * * *
CHAPTER ONE
"God, I hate sand."
Cody Jenkins, private first class, punched his buddy and laughed. "Not this sand, Sam. This sand represents our last few days of freedom."
Sam leaned over and picked up a handful of the white, grainy substance, tossing it at Cody and their other buddy, Daniel. "Sand is sand and is good for only one thing."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "We know." He looked at Cody, and they both chimed in together. "Running."
Sam's eyes focused down the long beach area. "You two lazy bums would rather spend your day lying on the beach, slow roasting."
Cody's gaze followed a statuesque blonde walking slowly toward the water. "People watching, man, that's what we're doing. We're all about activities that don't require us to sweat or our hearts to accelerate unnecessarily." As the woman turned and stretched her arms over her head in a yoga pose, he amended. "Well, if I'm lucky maybe my heart rate will accelerate."
His buddies started teasing, but Cody ignored them. She's perfect. He couldn't stop staring. Not since Natasha had a woman captured his attention and fired all of his cylinders. The desire to sketch her made his fingers itch with anticipation. Where had that come from? I haven't picked up a pad and pencil since Jerry died.
A solid punch to his arm brought him back to the present. "Hey, Baby Face, Sam is going for a run. Why don't you and I rent some jet skis? I'm missing my Ducati and feel the need, the need for…"
Cody realized he was waiting for him to finish the expression. His buddy's love of all things eighties drove most of their bunkmates crazy. The grin on Daniel's face was infectious though and halted his downward spiral, even if he did want to punch the crap out of him for the nickname. He rolled his eyes, but smiled. "The need for speed."
"Hell yeah!" Daniel shouted as he picked up the duffel bag.
"I need to come up with a nickname for you." With Daniel distracted for the moment, Cody returned his attention to the woman. Forget the need for speed. At the sight of her pulling her cover-up off her body revealing a helluva lot more skin, he had the need to help her rub sun tan oil over every inch.
"Ladies' man, lover boy, SS for super stud?" Daniel's white teeth gleamed against his tanned skin.
Cody shoved him and laughed. "I was thinking more like AJ for arrogant jerk." He returned his attention to the water, hoping to spot her and determine if someone had accompanied her to the beach.
"You two are idiots." Sam rolled his eyes as his hand combed through his short, wavy hair.
"And you're a spoiled brat." Daniel teased.
Sam pulled off his shirt and tossed it at Daniel to add to the sparse clothing they'd brought with them for their beach visit. "I'm going for a run. See you two losers at dinner. Try not to kill yourselves on the jet skis. Save that privilege for the enemy."
With those parting words, he started down the beach at a steady pace. "He really is a brat," Daniel groused as he shoved the shirt in the bag.
"He's an only child. What did you expect?" All the levity of the past few moments disappeared. Sam's comment reminded him the beautiful Marina Beach on the shores of India was just a brief vacation from the enemy. His hand absently moved to his right thigh and rubbed.
Daniel nudged him. "You lived to fight another day. That's what matters. Another day to live, to love, and to ride the shit out of those jet skis. C'mon man, there'll be enough time to wonder what if and why later. For now, let's honor our fallen comrades by living every moment to the fullest."
Cody smiled. "You actually make sense for a change, AJ."
Daniel lobbed the duffel directly at Cody's chest. "Let's go, Baby Face. I hope you have your ID with you 'cause you don't look like you're old enough to drive anything!"
He ventured one last look at the blonde who'd captured his attention. A fast ride might help distract him enough to prevent going AWOL on his buddy and spending the rest of his leave chasing after a woman who was probably at least one notch, if not two, out of his league. He grinned. Like that's ever stopped me from trying. He lobbed the bag back at Daniel and took off running. "I'll race you. Loser buys dinner and the first round of beers."
The ocean gave way under the powerful Jet Ski as he raced across the dark blue water. The rumbling of the engine vibrated his entire body. Soaring through the air, he crested each wave, fueling the adrenaline rush through his veins. He hated to admit it and sure as hell wouldn't admit it to Daniel. This had been a good idea.
Slowing the engine, he coasted, taking in the sights around him. Growing up in southern Wisconsin, there'd been plenty of lakes, but the grandness of the ocean was awe-inspiring. Though he hadn't called his creative side to active duty lately, he couldn't help but admire and imagine what it would be like to transfer this view to a picture. Water rolled toward the shore, the gentle swells gaining momentum as they neared the sand, crashing into the shallows, leaving white foam in its wake. The warm sun glinted off the water like diamonds, adding to the richness of the view. A movement to the left caught his attention. He blinked twice. No way! It was her. The woman he'd seen earlier. I sure as hell want to put her in this picture. She must have finished her swim moments before. Her long, lean body reclined on a low beach chair allowing the water to lap at her legs while the sun glistened off the drops of water still clinging to her body. I want my hands and mouth lapping at her legs, my body clinging to hers.
He shook his head. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with him? He had no time or place in his life for a woman. But he couldn't look away. His artistic nature was drawn to the lines of her body. He envisioned his pencil sliding along the paper in long, smooth strokes to capture the essence of this woman. Bold, thick strokes followed by light wisps to soften the effect. He could spend hours studying her, trying to translate her beauty onto a mere piece of paper.
Shit! Not good.
Revving the engine, he gripped the accelerator and twisted hard, displacing massive amounts of water and turned the powerful beast back in the direction of the rental place. He needed to clear his head. Time for a hearty meal and some cold ones. Time to forget her.
* * *
Evelyn slowly rotated her head, seeking to alleviate the tension that refused to go away. Her official business in India had wrapped up a couple days early. Before her nerves and muscles could start to relax, her phone buzzed. There was a moment's temptation to ignore whoever was on the other end. She was on vacation after all. Instead, she fished for the source of the irritation in the waterproof bag hanging on the chair. A glance at the caller ID made her glad she hadn't let the call go to voice mail. "Hey Mel, everything okay?"
"Hey Ev. Everything's fine. Just calling to make sure you're taking my advice and relaxing for a couple of days before you head home."
"I'm sitting on the beach now."
"Did you mark it on your calendar?" The tease in Melodie's voice travelled the distance between them with remarkable accuracy.
"Mark what? The fact I'm taking a couple days to relax?"
Melodie laughed. "No, that you actually listened to your younger sister for once."
"Even you get to be right once every decade or so." And once every ten years, I deserve a few days away from the unrelenting pressure of my life before heading home to a troubled relationship, a demanding career, and an unforgiving pace.
Wanting to draw the attention away from herself, Evelyn guided the conversation to a safer topic. "I saw some men earlier you might be interested in."
"Seriously, Ev. When are you going to stop trying to fix me up?"
"Once you're married. Don't you even want to hear about them?" She knew her sister's curiosity would get the best of her. She just had to be patient.
"Dating a man from India would give new meaning to the term long-distance relationship. I'm happy with Tom."
Evelyn bit her tongue in an effort to not get into the same tired argument about Melodie's relationship with Tom. "These men are US military. I'm guessing they're on leave, since there wasn't a uniform in sight."
"Then how do you know they're military?"
Evelyn smiled. She had her. The questions would keep coming now. "The haircuts screamed military, and, if I'm right, the green duffel bag narrowed the division to army."
"Well, if they caught your attention, they must be what the teens at the library refer to as smexy. Before you ask, I looked it up in the Urban Dictionary. A combination of smoldering and sexy."
Evelyn laughed. "One was a jogger. He didn't hang with the other two very long before he removed his shirt and headed down the beach. The second man had dirty blond hair and looked to be around six foot. If I had to pick the party animal out of the group, it would be him."
"And the last guy?"
"Just a few inches shorter than the second guy, probably around my height. His build was larger than the other two, dark hair…maybe curly when it's longer and, if I had to guess, brown eyes."
"Which one of them was checking you out? Don't even try to say they weren't. You and I both know your height, blonde hair, blue eyes and, oh yeah, the fact your body brings most men to their knees would mean they'd at least look in your direction."
Evelyn rolled her eyes even though Melodie couldn't see her. Sibling rivalry had always been a part of their relationship. "If your eyes weren't already green…"
"Hey, you wanted to tell me about them, so talk. If I did date one of them, I'd want to know which one was most likely to hit on you."
"Bringing up our high school years isn't going to help me relax. For your information, the jogger didn't even look in my direction. One gave me the standard 'undressing me with his eyes' look which I'd bet the firm he gives most of the female population."
She hesitated, trying to find the right words for the last man. He'd studied her reverently, like a precious piece of art. His gaze focused not on any one area of her body, rather a slow, sweeping motion taking everything in at once.
"Well…I'm waiting."
"The last guy did stare, but it felt…I don't know, different. I can't explain it really." She wasn't going to explain it to her sister as that would invite more questions. A rosy blush heated her skin. Despite the fact she thought her body was closed for business, the way he looked at her generated a tingling at the bottom of her suit, which suggested otherwise. If she allowed herself to think about what his body would feel like against hers, the tingling morphed into full-blown pinpricks. Pure animal magnetism. The intensity of his stare melted a layer or two of ice, something a warm beach in India hadn't been able to do.
"Fine, don't tell me. Listen, I have to go. It's late here, and I have to work tomorrow. Relax, have some fun, and I'll see you when you get back home. I'm sure Mother will want to have a family dinner so we can hear all about your trip."
Not wanting to leave their conversation on an unpleasant note, she softened her tone. "Thanks for calling, Mel, and for suggesting I stay a couple of days. It really was a great idea. Love you."
There was a delay before she answered. "I love you too."
She cut the connection and returned the phone to the bag. Before she could even get comfortable, she felt it again. His stare. Her eyes scanned the area looking for him. The first time she'd shaken off her reaction to him as the result of a long dry spell in the love department. This time, there was no denying the connection. Her swim had invigorated her, but feeling his gaze on her again kept her heartbeat rapid. His straight back and muscular thighs straddled an idling death machine. The fact he was making no secret of staring at her, and apparently had no shame about it either, should've angered her. There was a connection between them. She couldn't explain it, didn't want it, but it was there.
Needing to break away, she allowed her long lashes to close and sought to focus on the next set of details in her perfect plan for success. She expelled a long, deep breath as her heart rate slowed to normal. Who am I kidding? My life is anything but perfect.