Honor Bound by Joey Hill (speld decodable readers .txt) 📕

seen nearly as much of it as I want to. But . . . if you change your mind about us, thanks for everything.”

“I’m not changing my mind.”

“I hope so. But no obligations, Captain Peter Winston.”

It was so hard to move out of that embrace. Somehow it tied into everyone and

everything to whom she’d ever had to say good-bye. She was blinking back freaking tears. Shouldering her bag, she gave him a quick nod and moved toward check-in.

Instead of making forward progress, however, she was brought up short, the strap of her bag used to haul her back up against him one more time. He invaded her with a kiss that reached all the way to her toes, caused her to cling and sigh into his mouth, perilously close to saying words that would make her a romantic fool.

When he let her up for air, he held her gaze like an oath.

“You got an obligation to me, Sergeant. And I won’t be forgetting it.”

Four

TWO MONTHS LATER

“Man, I can’t believe I’m in this fucking oven on wheels with you two when Gary Sinise is coming to visit our platoon today. I wanted to squeeze Lieutenant Dan’s fine, tight ass.” Specialist Leslie Sykes peered out over the rocky desert terrain. “I see you snickering back there, O’Neill. I know you’re still chasing that tail up at Battalion, so don’t think you’re better than me.”

“Nope. No more. I realized a man has to be an idiot to get involved with a heavily armed woman.”

“Good thinking. No woman in her right mind could hang out with you for more than ten minutes and not want to shoot you,” Dana said, keeping her eye on their right perimeter, tracking the vehicles behind them. “Of course, you’d best remember women are

resourceful. If they don’t have a gun, a blunt object works mighty fine. More personal that way.”

Leslie laughed. “Sounds like you might be better off switching sides of the fence, O’Neill. Come squeeze Lieutenant Dan’s ass with me.”

“Hey, hey, hey . . .” O’Neill gave her a mock scowl. “Don’t ask, don’t tell, soldier.” He jerked his chin at Dana. “She’s just running a diversion. She doesn’t want us poking at her about that guy she’s been mooning over ever since she got back.”

Dana shifted in the passenger seat, adjusting her helmet. “I only want you poking at me, Sergeant O’Neill. You and all your fine manly stuff.”

Leslie snorted. “Like I believe that. I think he’s got your number, girlfriend. What’s this boy like?”

Dana smirked. “A tall, blond captain with an ass that would put anything you’ve ever imagined to shame. The ass of all asses.”

“Ooh, she’s gone to the white-boy side.” Leslie chuckled. “Your grandma would be spinning.”

“No. I think she would have liked him.”

Her own certainty about that surprised her. He’d written her, as he’d promised. Once a week, without fail. While those letters should have come with a fire-hazard warning, they were devastating for far more than the sexual innuendoes. . . .

I can’t believe I agreed to this shit. One minute I feel like some lovesick fool; then Iremember that kiss, the way you ran to me at the airport, and I can barely breathe. Yeah,it’s crazy. I know you’re trying to convince yourself it’s hormones, that I’m writing thisbecause I’m seeing way too many sweaty guys and not enough soft, female flesh, but it’syou, Dana. I don’t want to be a dick, but that night was far from the first time for me. Butit was the first time I was left with this hurting ache inside. Letting you go was a mistake,leaving an emptiness that won’t be filled until I see you again. Are we both crazy? I wantto find out. I intend to find out.

I know you were scared, and that’s part of why you decided to make us do it this way. Idon’t want you to be scared, sweetheart. I want to know everything about you, whyyou’re so scared of loving and losing. But I’m thinking you’re also pretty smart, becauseI’m writing all sorts of things I wouldn’t normally share with a woman, especially if Iwant her to remain impressed with me. For example, I like little dogs. Particlarly thescrapper ones, the Jack Russells, who won’t give up and are so tough they won’t backdown from anything. Kittens are pretty irresistible, too. My buddy Lucas and his wife,Cass, just got a couple from the shelter and they’re maniacs, tearing up everything whilemaking them laugh their asses off.

I guess I’m pretty predictable. Beer and pizza is my favorite meal, and I like fallingasleep in my boat on the bayou. I once woke up beached on a sand spit next to a couplealligators. They apparently figured I was too dumb to mess with. I’d like to fall asleep inmy boat with you in my arms, let the sun bake us and not wake up until the mosquitoes tryto drive us in . . . no alligators that trip, though.

If I told you I started falling in love with you the first moment I saw you, the kind of fallthat could turn into a long, spiraling lifetime of love worth having, it would scare you todeath, wouldn’t it? So I won’t say it. I’ll just think it.

Her lips curved in a small smile, remembering. They’d had nothing more than sex

between them, right? But as if that was a battle already fought and won, his letters cut right past the bullshit, letting her into his mind, telling her his thoughts. He was drawing her in, making her want to be with him on all levels so bad that it hurt, just like he said.

I’ve always wanted to drive across the country, stop wherever we wanted. See thosesights that nobody ever takes the time to see. The best ice cream shop in a small town inthe middle of Iowa, run by two people who started it back during the fifties. Or ahistorical marker where some famous Civil War general watered