Baby Love (The American Soldier Collection 14)

“We’ve never brought women here, to our home,” Freeman replied.

“We never wanted to. This wasn’t our decision. This is a job,” Corona reiterated.

“Maybe it’s becoming more than that, and not just for Atlanta,” Freeman said to them.

Corona took a deep breath and exhaled. He would be lying if he said he didn’t find Nina attractive and sexy, but she was young. Too damn young for him, a man quickly closing in on forty.

“Maybe you and Atlanta should just fuck her and get it over with, like you do with other women between missions,” Jessup said.

Corona was shocked and felt the bite of the nasty comment. Jessup was full of piss and vinegar and hating the world right now. Obviously he was pretending not to care.

“Don’t fucking say that,” Freeman said. “Don’t ever refer to her as a simple fuck. It’s more than that. You may have your head up your ass right now and be pissed because you got caught with your pants down, but that doesn’t give you a right to put her down and make up lies. Anyone with a fucking clue can see that the woman is special and, yeah, young, but something is happening here, and whether the two of you are ready to accept it or not, we’re changing and we’re wanting more than

just guts, guns, and glory.” Freeman stormed off the porch.

Corona looked out toward the land and then over toward Jessup, who looked so damn angry with a scowl on his face and his eyes nearly bulging out.

“Don’t say anything like that about Nina again. I know you’re hurting, but we’re your brothers. We’re a team.”

“She’s a woman trying to destroy that. She’ll fuck up our relationship and our heads to where we can’t think, and then we’ll all get killed. We can’t ever let our defenses down. Not from exhaustion, not from minds wandering, and not because some sexy, young piece of ass rode our cocks and made us lose focus. We’ll get killed out there with a woman like that on our minds.”

Corona shook his head. Jessup had a long way to recovering. He wondered if he would even be any good to them in three weeks when they were out on the next mission. He pushed off the railing and headed inside.

“I’m going to check on the progress with Nalia and find out if they have any leads.”

Jessup didn’t even respond. He just stared out at the open land, the tension so thick Corona could have cut it with a knife.

Chapter 5

Nina was hungry, but she didn’t go down for dinner. She hadn’t smelled the men cooking anything and wondered if they even made dinner at all. She glanced at the clock. It was three in the morning. She thought about the argument and all their attitudes. She didn’t understand men at all, especially not these men. She would have thought she’d have a better understanding of their mentalities and thought processes because of her brother, Zinc. But she didn’t. She hadn’t a clue. They were all making her head spin, and she just didn’t know what to do.

She climbed out of bed. It was warm out. She wore a black racer-back tank top and a pair of baggy sleep shorts that hung low on her hips. She tiptoed to the bathroom and back then stood in the middle of her room. Her stomach growled louder, and she knew she needed to eat something. Immediately, she thought about what quick snack she could have to hold her off until breakfast. She didn’t want to wake them and have another confrontation. She slowly opened the bedroom door and carefully began to head downstairs. The floors creaked slightly, not enough to wake anyone but enough to make her heart race. This was stupid. She shouldn’t worry about waking them. The thought concerned her because she didn’t want to face them.

Nina got down to the kitchen and went right for the snack pantry. She eyed the various types of cookies and reached for the chocolate chip. She walked to the cabinet and took out a glass then to the refrigerator to grab the milk and pour herself some. Then she took out four cookies, which she felt would hold her off until breakfast.

As she leaned over the counter and looked out the window, she dipped a cookie into the milk and took a bite. It was so delicious. She hadn’t had cookies and milk in forever. In fact, one of the first things she’d done once she had her own place was buy things she could never afford or indulge in like most kids had the chance to do. She felt the lump of emotion in her throat. Even after all these years, it upset her to think about what other children got to have and experience on a daily basis in a normal, loving household. A snack after school, a hug before they got onto the bus, a bedtime story at night, a safe environment to live in. A tear rolled down her cheek.

“Sneaking around, huh?”

She gasped, turning around to see Atlanta and Freeman standing there, armed and wearing only jeans, obviously still on edge from earlier today. She gripped the counter and felt the milk drip from her lips. Atlanta followed the drop as it landed on her chest.

She wiped her mouth and then turned around to wipe her eyes.

* * * *

Atlanta’s heart was racing. He’d heard Nina get up and walk around. He and his team were light sleepers. He feared that she might leave the house and take off. He knew it was a possibility because of the way they had treated her and the way he’d spoken to her. As he headed into the kitchen with Freeman close behind him, he paused in the doorway. Nina was sneaking some cookies and having a glass of milk like some teenager. But those thoughts immediately changed at the sight of her figure and the sexy, natural pose she was in. His heart hammered inside of his chest.

There she was, hanging over the counter, looking out the window. Her top didn’t even reach her mid-back and her ass, round and sexy, stood out toward them. The moonlight illuminated her figure, the tanned, toned arms and what appeared to be a tattoo on her hip, and as he spoke to her and she turned around, his heart caught in his throat at the sight of her large, plump breasts. His initial thought of her looking like some teenage girl sneaking into the cookie jar instantly changed to the reality of her womanly beauty. She wasn’t a teenager. She wasn’t built like one, either. She was sexy as sin, and he watched as a drop of milk dripped off her lips and between her breasts.

“Oh, God, you scared me.”

He walked forward. “You shouldn’t be sneaking around at night.”

She had turned away from them as she gripped the counter. Atlanta reached out and turned her around. He looked her body over as he placed his gun on the counter next to her. She didn’t even look at it. The sight of the gun didn’t faze her, and he wondered why. Had she been exposed to guns? Had she been involved with a soldier, a man with a gun, a made man? His anger and jealousy grew.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said and looked at Freeman, who stood a few feet back.

Atlanta looked her body over. “You should have come out of your room so you could eat dinner instead of acting like a spoiled brat.”