Baby Love (The American Soldier Collection 14)

She walked into the house and headed to her bedroom. She grabbed some money and her little wristlet purse that fit her cell and lip gloss. When she headed out of her room, she heard the door slam and Atlanta curse before he ran his fingers through his very short crew cut. He was wearing dark jeans and a brown button-down shirt and looked pissed off when he locked gazes with her. It looked as though he’d come from Jessup’s room.

As he got in front of her, he gave her hip a little push. “Let’s go,” he ordered.

She turned and stepped from his hold, which earned her a dirty look. She really didn’t care that he was being abrupt, but she wondered why. As they walked down the stairs, he was on her heels.

“Is Jessup coming?” Nina didn’t even know why she asked as they got to the bottom of the stairs.

He snorted. “No,” Atlanta hissed , as though she was stupid for asking.

He looked her over when she stopped by the front entryway to wait for Freeman.

“He doesn’t want to come?” she asked him.

He stared at her in a way that made her feel so intimidated she actually stepped back and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Atlanta towered over her, too, and right now, he looked angry.

“He doesn’t want anything to do with you. He’ll stay here,” he stated, and she felt her gut clench. She didn’t know why his words hurt. They shouldn’t, but they did.

“Okay, it’s just the three of us. Corona is in the middle of something,” Freeman said and then headed toward the front door.

Nina followed with Atlanta on her heels.

When they got outside, the trio headed toward the small blue pickup truck. When Atlanta opened the door and Nina climbed up into the front seat, she realized how tight of a fit it was in the cab. Both men climbed in next, and their thighs pressed against hers. She thought she was going to lose it. She gulped hard, and even though she felt both men looking at her, she remained looking forward.

Atlanta exhaled and then rolled his window down a bit as they headed down the driveway. She shivered from the cool breeze and wished she had changed into a pair of jeans instead of the skirt. She wondered why he put the window all the way down. It was chilly out still.

“I think Nina is a little cold, Atlanta. Maybe put that up a bit,” Freeman said, and then Atlanta huffed as he rolled it up a little.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Whatever,” Atlanta replied.

She didn’t know what she did to piss him off, but apparently he didn’t like having to babysit her. It had been only a few days. How would things be in a week? She cringed just thinking about it.

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Atlanta was trying so hard not to inhale the scent of Nina’s shampoo or that light, enticing perfume she wore. She was petite, pretty, and looked sexy in the short skirt. He couldn’t help but feel protective, yet he kind of felt annoyed, as though he was too old and not good enough for her. He knew it had a lot to do with what they didn’t know to be true or false about her being involved with a made man, and also Jessup’s attitude toward her. He was cranky, feeling pain, and suffering from nightmares. Atlanta hadn’t liked watching him in his room, sharpening the set of long knives he had in there. It put Atlanta on edge. He needed to talk to Corona about it.

He glanced down at Nina’s thighs. They were tan, appeared silky and smooth, and he couldn’t believe he itched to touch them. Thank God the truck pulled into town and she spoke up and sat forward in her seat.

“Oh, my God, this is so pretty.” She looked from one side of the street to the next. The welcoming sign snagged her attention immediately, as it did everyone who entered Salvation. It was beautiful out today, and a lot of people were walking around.

“How far does it go?” she asked Freeman, who maneuvered into the small community parking lot near the main entrance to town.

“It goes all the way to the edge of town. There are some homes in between, and then a new set of houses and a shopping mall toward the end on your way into Tranquility. It’s really nice. We can do that another day. Today we’ll stick around here.” Freeman parked the truck in an empty spot.

Atlanta adjusted his sunglasses and looked around them to check out the vicinity. He didn’t think they were in any danger here, but just thinking that they could b—and that someone could have found them and tracked Nina because of her brother—made him press his hand to her lower back and guide her along the sidewalk. She, of course, pulled away from him and gave him an annoyed expression. She was right to. He’d been nothing but a prick to her today.

As they strolled along the side streets, giving her a little space, he noticed some young guys saying hello to her or checking her out. For some reason, it bothered Atlanta, especially as Nina shyly said hello back and then went about looking at the stores. He exchanged looks with Freeman, who didn’t miss the attention Nina was getting.

“Can I look over here? Do you mind?” she asked Freeman, and even that bothered Atlanta. Why hadn’t she asked him?

They stood out of the way as Nina looked at the tables set up outside of a boutique. Freeman crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“What?” Atlanta asked, leaning back against the building. Atlanta shook his head and lightly snorted. They both immediately turned toward the table, about fifteen feet away from them, as three guys struck up a conversation with Nina.

Atlanta uncrossed his arms and stood up straight. He didn’t have to look at Freeman to see he was watching, too.