Sidelined

She tried to dismiss the feelings that swirled every time she thought about him, but it was harder with each phone call or night they spent together. Slowly, Skye knew she was starting to picture him as the man she wanted, and it scared the hell out of her.

She dialed the office number and held the phone to her ear. “Hey Greg, yeah I’m not coming back to the office. Let’s work on the project tomorrow.” She hung up and dropped the phone in her bag. She may have just lost her chance to reunite with the zoo campaign and her favorite panda cubs. Cute cubs came in second to a hot Marine pilot. She headed to the parking garage and pointed the car to her apartment. There was no turning back now.

Nine

Bolt hopped out of the shower and reached for the closest towel. He hoped he hadn’t sounded too pushy when he called Skye. He hadn’t planned on calling her tonight, but she kept popping up in his head when he was flying. He decided the only way to cure that was to see her again. He hadn’t planned on missing her over the weekend, but he did. The Dallas trip sprung up at the last minute, or else he would have tried to see her Saturday night.

She was different than the other women he spent his nights with. Her life was organized and together. She was smart and accomplished. Skye made it clear that she was independent and self-sufficient, and he liked that about her, but what he couldn’t get enough of was when she let down her guard. He knew he was attracted to her like no other girl on the planet. It was as if she possessed some kind of magnetic pull that he couldn’t resist even when he told himself he was headed toward dangerous territory. It was a magnet so strong that he was willing to risk breaking all boundaries just to spend time with her.

He looped his dog tags over his head and patted them against his chest.

“Where you headed, Princess?” Hollywood called from the other end of the locker room.

“Date.” Bolt pulled a pair of jeans up over his legs and fastened them.

“Same girl?”

“Yep, Skye.” He reached for a T-shirt.

“Are you trying to set some kind of record?” Hollywood threw a towel in the hamper. He and Ranger had flown with Bolt and Eagle on the late schedule.

“Why do you say that?” He knew what was coming next.

“Because as long as I’ve known you, you’ve never seen the same woman more than once. Not saying that’s a bad thing, just noticed.”

Bolt shook his head. “Then stop giving me a shit about it. I like her.”

“Like her?” Hollywood pretended to close his jaw with his palm.

“Shut the fuck up, man. I can date somebody.” Bolt noticed he had clenched his jaw. He tried to relax.

“Right. And Ranger’s going to let me make the next flight plan.”

Bolt tried to laugh. He knew Hollywood, or any of the guys, would give him a hard time about Skye. He deserved it. They had seen him dart out of more hotel rooms than anyone at the squadron. But now that the jabs were actually happening the words weren’t rolling off his back like he wanted. .

“All I’m saying is that you’re not really a relationship guy. You’re a fuck and run guy.”

“See ya.” Bolt grabbed his bag. He didn’t want to hear anymore.

“Wait, man. I didn’t mean to piss you off. I just don’t know why you can’t admit that you’re going to screw her over like all the other girls you fuck. She seems nice. I liked her. Cool girl.”

Bolt turned toward his friend, his voice low. “Yeah, she is nice.” He didn’t want to get in a fight with Hollywood. He was only joking around, but it had gotten under his skin and started to irritate him like a bad T-shirt tag.

“Have fun on your date, Princess.” Hollywood called after him, but Bolt walked straight ahead. There was a lot of truth in what his friend said, and he wasn’t ready to face any of it.

“Hey.” Skye opened the door. She was wearing tight jeans and a black tank top. Her hair was down around her face.

“Hey.” He smiled. God, she looked incredible. He had forgotten how sexy she was.

“So, what concert are we going to?” She stepped back to let him in the apartment. “I haven’t heard of anyone playing tonight. But, I’ve been working a lot so I don’t really know—”

He brushed against her and closed the d

oor behind him. “Change of plans.”

He didn’t give her a chance to ask questions. His mouth crashed into hers and he nudged her against the wall, taking her face in his hands. It was rough and hard, but he could tell the kiss wasn’t one-sided. He felt her arms wind around his neck, and tug him closer toward her. The more her tongue lashed against his, the more he wanted from her. She was like lightning in a bottle.

He reached around the small of her back and hoisted her legs around his waist. He pressed against her, wanting her to feel what she was doing to him. She let out a groan and he moved his mouth along her neck. She tasted like vanilla icing, and all he could think about was licking every square inch of her body.