Their Masquerade (The American Soldier Collection 6)

“You’re an asshole. You were supposed to take the fucking meat out for dinner tonight,” Quentin yelled at Axel from the kitchen. Axel was laying on the couch with his leg over the arm of the chair as he flipped through the games on television.

Deacon was sitting in the single sofa with his laptop open. L.T. was on the phone in the other room with Sandman.

“I forgot. Who gives a shit? We’ll order something out or head into town,” Axel replied.

“Maybe I don’t want to head into town. Maybe I was looking forward to the fucking steak,” Quentin yelled.

Axel sat up.

“What’s your fucking problem?” Axel asked. “You’ve been like this all fucking day.”

“You. You’re my fucking problem. You’ve been moping around all day, and you had one fucking job to do. Take out the steaks.”

“Forget about the steaks already. We’ll go out or order in,” Deacon added.

“We’ve got a potential problem,” L.T. stated as he entered the room.

“What the fuck now? Like last night’s problem was so important that you grabbed us away from Mariah?” Quentin yelled.

L.T. turned to him with that lieutenant expression that always let the troops know he was in charge.

“Last night was important. Sandman got inside information on the main arms manufacturers here in the United States and abroad. You guys can’t let your guard down.”

“We weren’t letting our guard down. In fact, Mariah was the best protected she had ever been,” Quentin stated.

“Yeah, right between us. Where she should be right now,” Axel snapped at him.

L.T. slammed the folder against his thigh.

“Enough. We can’t give her what she needs. We’ve been over this before,” L.T. said, raising his voice.

“No, we haven’t. It’s your damn orders. You’re the one that said we can’t pursue her. You said we can’t give her what she needs and deserves,” Quentin said to him. His heart was pounding in his chest. Quentin, Axel, and Deacon had never really sat down and discussed Mariah and why they couldn’t have her in their bed. They all cared about her. At least the three of them wanted her in the most carnal and closest way humanly possible.

“You want to do this now? Right fucking now?” L.T. asked, moving into the room and appearing as riled up as the rest of them looked.

“We should. We should get everything out on the table and off our chests.” Deacon spoke calmly.

“Okay, say what’s on your mind.”

“I want her,” Quentin stated first.

“We all do,” Axel added.

“But we can’t have her. What about Michael? We haven’t been the same since he died. Every time we see Mariah, we think of him, and we remember the team we had and the connection and bond,” L.T. added.

“That’s not a negative. That’s a positive. Michael never was part of the sharing women thing we did. It was us four who couldn’t handle or face the demons of our pasts. It was our hang-ups about opening up to someone who wasn’t one of us,” Axel stated.

“It worked because we had one another to keep us afloat, and remind us why we shared women. It kept things in control for us. We need that control. Without it we’re weak and vulnerable,” Deacon said.

“You’re right. A woman could do that to us. The nightmares, the memories of the horror we experienced could surface at any moment. Having the three of you there while letting go works,” L.T. said.

“It’s been over a year since we shared a woman,” Deacon added.

“Maybe you’re all just fucking horny,” L.T. stated.

“I only have eyes for one woman. That woman is Mariah. I want her. I want to hold her in my arms, make love to her, and taste her. Every fucking inch of her,” Quentin whispered and then ran his fingers through his hair. He felt so desperate and out of control.

“I want her, too. I think she completes us. I think if anything, she could be the one woman we can let down our guard for.”