Captivated by the Soldier (BWWM Interracial Romance) (2 page)

Not that he had anything against career women. Hell, women like Makayla Stiles were just his type. Smart and sexy, driven, ambitious and unafraid to tackle challenging corporate roles that used to be the sole prerogative of men.

The only problem was, though such women suited his tastes just fine, most times they didn’t find that he suited theirs.

Right now, Makayla Stiles spelled ‘trouble’ in neon-colored lights. Mostly because of his instantaneous attraction to her, and also because he was here on a mission and couldn’t afford to be side-tracked. Sure, he was no longer an active soldier but for now, there was one particular tour of duty that he had to face and it had nothing to do with warfare.

Chapter Three

Makayla tried not to squirm as she turned away from Blade’s disturbingly intense dark blue eyes. The hairs on her neck stood out in reaction to his gaze which she could still feel like a laser beam even with her back turned.

What was it about the way he looked at her that made her heart race?

He was all solid muscle, all six feet plus of him. His dark blonde hair was cut low to his well-shaped head. Impressively wide shoulders and hard-packed biceps were complimented by a waist that would make any woman brown with envy. He had pecs that stood out in high definition beneath his shirt, and his jeans fit almost sinfully to his powerful looking thighs and legs.

Even with all his clothes on this time, he was still outrageously beddable. Too much for Makayla’s already frazzled peace of mind. His undeniably masculine magnetism filled up the space around them and made the large kitchen feel claustrophobic. Funny how she wasn’t even looking at him but had his whole image burned into memory.

His voice was deep and strangely comforting. If she wasn’t so physically attracted to him, he’d have been the kind of big brother an only child like Makayla would have wanted. Tough-looking, yet adorably easy-going and cool.

However, with the far from sisterly sensations he evoked within her, Makayla shivered internally and felt glad they were in no way related.

He was replying to her statement about him being gone when she woke up, informing her that he’d left for an early morning run.

“I’ve discovered that doing several miles helps relax me and clear my mind for the day ahead. I came back and found out you’d left for work.”

She glanced his way as she made for the fridge, hoping he wouldn’t notice the flush in her cheek. Prayed he wouldn’t suspect that it had anything to do with feminine excitement at having such a blatantly virile male within groping distance. She resisted the urge to reach out an arm and probe her fingers into those perfectly outlined ridges of his six-pack evident even beneath the shirt.

Swallowing on a dry throat, she unearthed some water from the fridge and poured out a glass. “Yes,” she replied in the calmest tone she could muster, “I had a very early meeting and that’s why I flew back so late last night to make it on time this morning.”

“About last night – I haven’t had the chance to apologize. I’d had a tiring few days and on arrival I crawled into the first room I found. I should have been more careful since Gina did tell me she had a roommate.”

“Really, there’s no need to apologize. Like I told Gina on the phone, it was a perfectly understandable situation.”

“Just to let you know though, I’ve moved my things over to the right room. And now that you’re home, allow me to make things up to you by cooking you dinner.”

“What? No, seriously, there’s absolutely no need,” she said with a laugh. “I normally just grab a sandwich and relax. You needn’t put yourself out…”

“I’m not. I actually love to cook,” he added.

“I don’t know if there’s anything stocked that could provide a decent meal…”

“Don’t worry about it; I was able to do some light shopping earlier when I went out on some errands. So tell me, any particular dietary restrictions? You vegan, or intolerant to certain foods?”

“No…I can actually eat almost anything,” she said, curiously watching as he turned to the kitchen cabinets, drawing out items methodically.

“Perfect. Why don’t you go in and change into something more comfortable? I also bought a bottle of good wine if you’d like to chill with a glass while I cook. I’ll be able to get everything ready in half an hour or so.”

“Okay,” Makayla said, trying not to look too doubtful. She couldn’t imagine what he could whip up in such a short time. He seemed confident around the kitchen though; so she was ready to be pleasantly surprised. Lord knows she was culinary-challenged – i.e., she couldn’t cook a thing. Despite herself, she was actually looking forward to seeing how well the hunky former soldier would cater to her hunger for food. Her other, equally vital appetites would have to wait.

Chapter Four

Makayla returned ten minutes later and Blade couldn’t help but do a double take. Face scrubbed, she looked all but nineteen, with layers of clothes taken off to reveal a banging figure that made his mouth water for something which had nothing to do with food. He blinked and quickly returned to the chicken dish he was preparing.

No use denying it to himself, thought Blade. He was fiendishly attracted to Makayla Stiles. And not in a long time had he felt such a gravitational surge towards a woman.

She had him wanting to do more than make her dinner. He wanted to woo her, make her his.

“Wow, something smells fabulous,” she crooned with delight, striding into the kitchen.

Yes, you do, was Blade’s silent thought. He didn’t know what was in that shower gel she’d used; it was all citrusy and floral and woman. There was an aura about her that drew him to her even as it warned him she was dangerous to his iron-meshed control.

“Can I help?” Makayla asked eagerly, standing right next to him, almost too close to let him think straight.

One would think he’d never been around a sexy, beautiful and alluring woman before. He had to keep reminding himself that she was not just Gina’s roommate, but her friend as well, and Blade had made it a rule since they were younger never to mess with his stepsister’s pals, no matter what.

Now all he needed to do was remind his raging lust of that.

“Yeah, that’d be great. You could grate some cheese.”

She looked happy to be involved, even if it was just a simple task. But then, it was a one dish meal anyway; his favorite recipe of chicken covered in Dijon mustard sauce.

It wasn’t too fancy but it was a great after-work meal and coupled with his winning bottle of wine – as well as the special little impromptu treat he had lined up after they ate – he felt sure she’d love the results.

With a total time between prepping and cooking of just twenty minutes, they were sitting down to eat within an hour since she arrived home. An hour had never seemed to go so fast…and neither had a meal.

Makayla was full of praise for the food which they sat to eat at the kitchen table. “It looks almost too beautiful to eat,” she joked, fork and knife already poised over her plate. “And it smells divine. In fact, the whole setting and plating of the dish feels like true fine dining.”

“Thank you,” he said, grinning from all the praise. He liked a woman who could show sincere appreciation. It looked really easy but he had put a lot of thought into everything, after racking his brain how to make up for his blunder last night.

Blade could only imagine her fright when she found him waiting asleep in her bed. He well remembered his state of undress when he’d toppled beneath the covers and had an idea she might have got a rude eyeful where she least expected. He couldn’t be sure though but he was glad for this chance to make her feel comfortable and safe around him.

“I’m glad you approve,” he added after a sip of wine, his eyes dancing. “Being in the military doesn’t mean we service men have no clue about dining etiquette. During special operations training we actually had a class dedicated just to being schooled in proper table manners and such. And then we had the chance to practice the skills learned during all those unit dinners. Back then it all felt like such a waste of time and yet I now know I may never need to fire an M14 Sniper rifle again, but what I learned involving table manners will aid my enjoyment of the finer art of dining for many long years to come.”

He saw her pause as she was about to fork some food into her mouth, before she asked curiously, “Is that what you did in the army? You were a sniper?”

Shit! Blade thought, chewing hard on his food as he bought more time. He really, really didn’t like talking about that part of his life in Special Ops. Especially not now, when the wounds, both emotionally and even physically, were still fresh.

He had his fair share of medals and commendations, but there had been times when Blade had felt nothing like a hero; what with those victims that never even knew he was there, aiming to take a shot and take them down. Those poor guys never knew where or when – although some of them seemed able to tell intuitively that the end was near, that Blade was hidden and waiting. A single, clean shot – or however many it took. And never leaving until the job was done to perfection.

No way he could tell Makayla about that. Sure though, the people he’d brought down were people who deserved no one’s pity, least of all his.

Operation after operation, he’d had to keep up his cool-headed outlook on things. This was a job. It was what he was trained to do. No honor or glory in that; just doing what needed to be done because if he didn’t do it, someone else will.

Like some of his other pals in the army, Blade had his share of struggles trying to find his way after leaving active duty. He knew all about PTSD and all that came with it. There was the survivor guilt – yes, he definitely had a large bout of that. Also, there was all the constant reliving of the trauma in his dreams. That too, didn’t look like it would go away soon.

“Maybe you don’t want to talk about it,” Makayla put in wryly when the silence stretched too long. “I mean, most of what you did must be top secret anyway. I know enough about covert military operations to tell that it’s not something you can simply chat about to just anybody.”

“No; it’s okay,” Blade said quickly, his hand shooting out to cover hers. Makayla stiffened and looked down in surprise at his hand, but didn’t pull away.

Only when he felt her relax did Blade retrieve his hand. “You’re right; most of what I did isn’t exactly a fun conversation piece, certainly not at dinner. Suffice to say that being a soldier was the greatest experience I’ve had. It was my life for ten years. I loved every minute of it. It was all I wanted to do since I was fifteen years old. Take down the bad guys. Win battles for my homeland. I’m glad I was able to do all I set out to do, even though it came at a price.”

Makayla frowned with concern. “Were you injured?”

“Only here…and here,” he said, pointing to his heart and head, with a rueful smile. When she smiled back, though tentatively, Blade felt his chest swell. What was she doing to him? She had him ready to open up to her, because she looked like a woman who could handle the truth, and would understand.

But he had no inclination to burden Makayla Stiles with his issues. He had a therapist for that.

“I’m almost afraid to ask if you mean that figuratively or not,” she murmured, though her eyes were dancing as she tried to make light of the somewhat gloomy topic. “Maybe you’d like to know what I do? I can assure you it’s no way as exciting as your former job.”

He chuckled, glad that she’d switched gears. It turned out his assumptions about her occupation weren’t too much off the mark. She was very much the corporate princess with her MBA from Columbia and her job in management consulting. She worked as an analyst for one of the top global professional service firms, and Blade couldn’t help but be impressed.

“Beauty and brains,” he noted admiringly, as he lifted his glass of wine to her in salute. “A very fetching combination in a woman.”

She smiled, though wryly. “You would think so, right? However, half of the single dudes out there are intimidated by my drive, while the other half believe that because I’m a black female, I’d do anything to get ahead in my career. Not that I’ve ever needed to.”

“I think the sensible men out there know a good woman when they see one. I for one cannot believe you haven’t been snapped up by some lucky guy.”

Makayla’s eyes were dancing over the rim of the wineglass at her lips. “Maybe I’m picky,” she said at last. “I’m not about to fall for just anyone.”

Blade nodded sagely, his own gaze equally teasing as it pinned to hers. “And with that right person, the idea of falling won’t be a bad prospect at all, will it?”

“So true,” she murmured, placing the glass down as she imperceptibly leaned closer. It took Blade a second to realize she was simply mirroring his own gesture, his body already slanted in her direction, his face inches from hers.

Collecting himself, he snapped back, blinking. Somewhere along the line, he’d been just about primed to close in for a kiss with Makayla. It had felt natural, seamless, to simply move his head a certain way and bring her lips in position to be claimed.

Was he crazy? Or was he just plain reckless? His step-sister Gina trusted him or she wouldn’t have suggested he stay a few days in her home while he looked around for a place of his own. The very last thing he should be thinking of was hitting on her sexy-as-hell roommate.