Taming GI Jane (4 page)

“Nope, I think I’ll keep you.”

A heat-filled moment passed. Before Jane could decipher the look in his eyes, he turned and started forward again. Feeling as light-headed as she did bewildered, she followed.

They walked without talking for a while.
Jane wondered if he were struggling with that strange little stir that passed between them. Or had he even felt it? Frowning, she mentally scolded herself. She wasn’t some silly schoolgirl. She was twenty-four years old, and a professional soldier in the United States Army. She knew better than to behave in such an adolescent manner.

What on earth was wrong with her?

“I’m the oldest in my family,” Tom said, breaking the awkward silence.

“Brothers or sisters?”

“Two sisters and one brother.” He smiled. “One doctor, one lawyer, and one aerospace engineer.”

Jane
wondered briefly if Tom’s siblings looked like him. All the Passerellas had dark hair and eyes except her. She had the dark eyes but she’d been blessed, or cursed according to her Aunt Sally, with more blond than brown hair. The whole clan was tall and large-framed, again except her. She was the runt of the litter. She smiled. And Tom was right, her older brothers had made her tough. Tough enough to fend for herself during those turbulent teenage dating years; and definitely tough enough to handle herself now, in or out of uniform. Well, physically anyway.

Another one of those rare breezes stirred the sultry night air.
Jane lifted her face to the cool breath of nature. It was a beautiful evening. Even if she were probably making a mistake by lingering in this man’s company longer than necessary.

Sh
e stole a glance at his strong profile.

A big mistake. And there was no probably about it.

“What made you decide to become a teacher?” she found herself asking. Teaching didn’t seem nearly as exciting as the careers his siblings had chosen.

“The kids,” he responded without hesitation. “From the age of fifteen
I worked in one youth program or another.” He gave another slight shrug. “I guess you could say it’s my calling.”

“No kids of your own?”
Jane could have bitten her tongue off. Why in world had she asked that?

Tom shook his head. “Nope. No wife, either.”

Jane was thankful the moon was blocked by a tall stand of tall trees at the moment. Her face burned with humiliation. His marital status or number of dependents wasn’t supposed to matter to her.

“How about you
? Ever been down the aisle?”

She could feel his gaze on her, so
she kept hers focused straight ahead. The moon drenched them in its golden glow once more as they cleared the stand of trees. “Only as a bridesmaid,” she told him succinctly. “Remaining single is simpler in my chosen career.” It was her turn to shrug now. “Besides, I don’t have time for real romance.”

“Isn’t that the tru
th,” he murmured.

Silence settled over them as they covered the final stretch of camp property, bringing them full circle and back to the dining cabin.

“Do you ever get lonely, Jane?”

The question stopped
her dead in her tracks and she stared at him despite her desire to avoid eye contact. “What?” she asked more sharply than she had intended.

“Do you ever feel like you’re missing something?” He seemed at a loss for words for a second or two. “You know, like you’re missing something that should matter because you’re so absorbed in your work. Too foc
used on everything but you?”

Jane
opened her mouth to state an unconditional no, but a new emotion in his gaze stopped her. Wonder…confusion, maybe. The same things she had felt recently—very recently, in fact. Starting from the moment she laid eyes on
him.

“I don’t
know,” he added slowly. “Something you might wish for the rest of your life you hadn’t let slip away.” His words were soft, almost lost in the breeze.

There was no mistaking the desire in his eyes now. Or her own powerful response. Slowly, as if
time had almost stopped, his hand came up to her face. She closed her eyes as his fingertips traced the outline of her jaw. Sensations exploded inside her, making her heart slam against her ribcage. She ordered herself to back away, but her body refused to obey the command—her control went utterly AWOL.

The whisper of his
warm breath against her lips made her breath catch. He was going to kiss her. The organ thundering in her chest suddenly stilled, and Jane melted with the heat blazing wildly inside her.

The sound of glass breaking shattered the spell.
Jane jerked back a step. So did Tom. Instinctively, she surveyed the darkness. A beam of light flashed across a window in the rear portion of the dining cabin. Metal clattered.

“Someone’s in the kitchen,” Tom said, already headed toward the dining cabin’s entrance.

Jane double-timed it to catch up. They took their time climbing the wooden steps and crossing the porch. One squeaky board could give them away.

She had known this would happen.
She’d had a gut feeling all evening that something was up. Tom might be surprised, but she certainly wasn’t.

Slowly, quietly,
they made their way across the dark dining room and to the double doors that entered the kitchen. Tom leaned close and whispered in her ear. She shivered in spite of herself.

“On the count of three we’ll swing the doors inward and flip on the light. The switch is on my side.”

Jane nodded her agreement, knowing that his face was close enough for him to feel the action. She shivered again. He sighed. How had she let this happen?

She had left her post and
allowed herself to become distracted by a man who was technically her superior.

Tom paused in his murmured countdown as disembodied voices drifted through the closed doors.

“Oh, my God, this is good. Hmm…mmm.”

Jane
recognized Sandra Suddath’s voice immediately.

“Wow, it’s like sex,” the woman moaned loudly. “Only better,” she added wickedly.

Giggles rippled through the group, which probably consisted of at least four, Jane decided.

“Hurry, Sandra!” Beulah ordered sharply. “Pass it down this way.”

“Patience, Beulah,” Sandra said between more enthusiastic sounds of pleasure. “Rank does have its privileges, after all.”

Beulah grumbled some retort
Jane couldn’t make out.

“Now, Hattie,” Sandra said, then obviously paused to take another bite and moan loudly. “You must realize that you left me no alternative, dear.”

A muffled sound echoed next. Jane frowned, her concern growing. It sounded almost as if someone were trying to speak past a gag.

“Just remember, Hattie, old friend,” Sandra added knowingly. “Never, ever get between a fat girl and her next proper meal.”

More giggling.

“Three,” Tom growled in a stage whisper—his exhausted patience audible.

Jane and Tom shoved the doors inward and two seconds later bright light filled the large kitchen.

Jane
’s mouth dropped open and her eyes rounded in disbelief as she stared at the scene before her. Sandra, Beulah, the redhead named Mildred, and Veronica—always the quiet one—were perched on a long stainless steel table eating chocolate ice cream from the carton. Each plump, rosy face was frozen, eyes rounded with realization that they had just been caught. Poor Hattie was sitting in a chair, bound and gagged.

Jane
flicked a glance at Tom, who looked every bit as flabbergasted as she.

“Oops,” Sandra said sweetly, the first to recover. “Looks like we’re busted, girls.”

Jane stiffened her spine and glared a warning at the general’s wife. “Ladies,” she announced brusquely. “You will return to your quarters at once. And I will deal with you at oh-six-hundred hours.”

The four hopped off the table and scurried toward the door. Tom was busy freeing poor Hattie.

Veronica paused before following her partners in crime out the door. “Sergeant Jane, are we in really big trouble?”

Jane
gave the woman her best drill sergeant’s glare, and Veronica wilted. “Let’s just say that you’re definitely going to regret this.”

Chapter Four

Jane
heaved a sigh of satisfaction as she strode toward the showers shortly after dinner the next evening. She had accomplished a great deal today. Sandra, Mildred, and the other two from last night’s clandestine party had worked kitchen detail all day. Every square inch of the dining room and kitchen had been thoroughly scrubbed and all the stainless steel polished. Hattie had ruled over the undertaking with an iron fist.

Jane
couldn’t prevent the little smile that surfaced at the memory of Sandra’s haggard expression as the woman trudged toward her own cabin thirty or so minutes earlier. Today would certainly go a long way in teaching the headstrong southern belle a lesson in self-discipline, teamwork, and, Jane hoped, humility.

The rest of the group had participated in swimming and canoeing, as well as informative class on poise and posture from Reg. He really was a nice guy, and he knew everything about “presentation
.” The retreat participants weren’t the only ones listening when Reggie Travers talked. With only older brothers, Jane had learned virtually nothing about social grace. She might as well make the most of her time at Camp Serenity. Who knew when coordinating colors and accessories might come in handy?

And it had nothing at all to do with Tom Caldwell.

Jane chewed her lower lip, her step faltering. Why was he her first thought when anything remotely feminine crossed her mind? She had absolutely no intention of trying to woo him or any other man at this point in her life. She was young, she had plenty of time for romance…later. Jane cringed inwardly when last night’s near kiss flitted through her mind. Heat rushed through her so fast it made her dizzy. How had she let that happen?

She knew be
tter.

Jane
sighed mightily. Knowing better and doing better were two different things. That’s what her father would say, and the full meaning of it had hit her squarely between the eyes last night. She knew better.

And she would definitely do better.

Definitely.

A sound caught
Jane’s attention. Frowning, she stopped, then turned slowly toward the rustling in the nearby bushes. She listened intently, analyzing all she heard. Her first thought was that an animal would scurry out of its hiding place at any moment. But a muffled curse, distinctly male, obliterated that possibility.

“Who’s there?”
she demanded in her sternest military tone. She readied for defending herself.

“
Jane?” Tom Caldwell replied hesitantly from the thick bramble of greenery.

Her
frown deepened. “What are you doing in the bushes?” She willed her heart rate to slow. The fact that its rapid beat had more to do with the sound of his voice than her being startled annoyed the fire out of her.

“I have a small problem,” he replied in a desperate whisper.

Jane moved another step closer. “What kind of problem—exactly?”

Abruptly, one long-fingered hand snaked out and grabbed
her arm. Tom yanked her into the bushes without explanation. Instinct battled with the renewed heat his touch sent roaring through her.

“This sort of problem,” he murmured heatedly.

Jane blinked, breaking the strange hold his gaze always had on hers. She blinked again, then stared in outright shock at his state of…undress. With his free hand, he held one bushy branch over his…his…

“Someone stole my clothes,” he growled impatiently. “I need you to go to my cabin and bring me back something to wear before anyone else comes along.”

Bewildered, and damned befuddled, she made herself look only at his eyes. “What were you doing with your clothes off?” There had to be an explanation. A grown man didn’t run around—even in the bushes—buck naked. At least not a responsible man like Tom.

“The main supply line to the men’s showers sprang a leak and the plumber can’t come until tomorrow.
I decided to take a dip in the lake since I couldn’t shower.” Irritation furrowed his wide brow. “Someone obviously saw me and decided to play a little prank.” He released Jane and plowed his fingers through his wet, disheveled hair. “If I find out it was Reg, I swear I’m going to kill him.”

A grin curled
Jane’s lips. “Don’t do that,” she protested quickly. “He’s far too valuable to the success of this, uh, mission.”

“Right,” Tom groused, as if rememberi
ng how the ladies loved Reg. He let out a disgusted sigh. “I’ll kill him in two weeks.”

The grin on
her lips slipped a notch when her wandering eyes took in Tom’s utterly masculine body. Wide, wide shoulders. Well-defined, muscular chest and arms. Those dumbbells she’d seen lying around were obviously put to good use. A flat, taut abdomen. Long, muscled legs. Her breath evaporated when her mesmerized gaze roved back up to the sprinkling of golden hair on that perfect, sculpted chest. He was absolutely gorgeous…amazing…and completely naked.

Jane
swallowed.

And she was staring.

She blinked again, “Clothes,” she managed hoarsely. “You need clothes.”

“That would be nice,” he said stiffly.

Jane backed up a step. “I’ll just…ah…go get them.” She looked anywhere but at him. Why did she have to be the one to walk by in his time of need?

“Hurry,
Jane,” he urged. “Before someone else—”

At that precise instant the branch slipped from his grasp and
Jane got a full frontal view of Tom Caldwell in the buff.

She stood, rooted to the spot, gaping for a good five seconds. Then, without looking back, she ran like hell toward the man’s cabin.

Tom was very, very wrong. Jane realized as she skidded to a halt at the steps to his door. He didn’t have a small problem at all. She licked her suddenly dry lips. He had a rather large problem, in fact.

And now that she had seen it, it was her problem
, too.

~*~

“So this often happens when the kids are around?” Jane asked slowly and from outside Tom’s hiding place.

Feeling like a complete idiot, Tom quickly pulled on the sweats
Jane had just handed him through the bushes. She hadn’t brought underwear, and he wasn’t about to ask her to go back for them.

“Yeah,” he said, as he yanked the T-shirt over his head. “The kids do it to each other all the
time.” Hopping on one foot, he pulled on and tied first one sneaker and then the other. “They even did it to Reg once.” He smiled at the memory. Reg had been fit to be tied. A couple of girls had discovered that Reg liked an occasional midnight dip. Reg, a cluster of leaves held over private areas front and back, had stormed into Tom’s cabin that night. He had been so irate and determined to ensure that Tom found the culprits that he hadn’t even taken the time to put on any clothes first.

“Reg?”
Jane said incredulously. “I’ll bet that didn’t go over so well.”

Straightening, Tom combed his fingers through his mussed, still damp hair. “Nope.”

He stepped out of the bushes, purposefully avoiding eye contact with his little rescuer. He hadn’t missed the way her mouth dropped open or that shocked expression that had captured her pretty face when the branch slipped from his grasp. The fact that he had been semi-aroused simply by her presence hadn’t helped any. His male ego worried with the notion that she had either been pleased at what she saw or horrified. He frowned. He had to stop thinking about sex in connection with Jane Passerella.

“Reg wasn’t pleased with the way I handled the girls’ punishment either,” Tom explained further, forcing his thoughts back to her question rather than the tense moment that had passed between them.

Jane shifted awkwardly, her gaze anywhere but on him. She was clearly as uncomfortable as he was. “That’s why you think he did this?”

“Yeah. He was probably just passing by and took the opportunity to settle an old score.” Tom suddenly noticed the towel and bottle of something resembling shampoo
Jane clutched under one arm. She had been headed for the shower. His mouth went dry at the image that abruptly came to mind. Jane naked, water sluicing over her satiny skin. Her silky hair wet and hanging down her back. His gut twisted with need, and desire weighed heavy in his loins. He blinked, then gave himself a mental kick. What the hell was wrong with him? He’d lost his mind, that was the problem.

“Maybe we should do cabin checks,” he suggested. Focus, Tom old boy. Now was the time to focus on
the business at hand—running this damned little retreat, not having your way with the newest PT coach. He was too grateful for the help to screw this up.

Jane
looked him straight in the eye then. “You sound somewhat less convinced that those sweet southern belles are too old for shenanigans.” A smile teased her full lips, making his heart, as well as other parts of his anatomy, react.

“After last night, I wouldn’t put anything past them.”
He glanced at her towel again. “If you’re headed for the showers I can do the cabin checks myself,” he offered, though he hoped she would accompany him.

Jane
shrugged. “I can hit the showers afterward.”

Tom nodded and started forward.
And maybe you’ll ask me to join you.
He thrust his hands into the pockets of his sweats and forced that wicked, though appealing, idea from his mind. He wasn’t being fair to Jane. She was here to teach these women how to get in shape, not assuage his personal needs. He licked his hungry lips. Hell, he had hardly noticed his needs in too long to remember until she came along. He frowned. What was it about this woman that tempted him so? Damned if he wouldn’t give most anything to find out.

Sandra and the usual suspects that hung out with her—Mildred, Beulah, and Veronica—appeared to be engrossed in a game of Go Fish in their cabin. The rest of the ladies were watching video
s in the recreation center. Reg was reading in the dining room while Hattie was finishing up for the night. The pair usually played a game or two of Rook before going to their respective cabins. Reg swore he knew nothing about what had happened to Tom’s clothes. And Tom knew the man well enough to know that he was telling the truth. That meant the culprit had to be one or more of the ladies.

Despite
the pilfering of his attire, all appeared to be in order, but Tom had a nagging hunch that nothing was as it seemed.

“There’s no reason for you to walk me to the showers,”
Jane argued when she turned to go, and Tom followed. “I can take care of myself.”

Tom had no doubt that
Jane could take care of herself, but he just wasn’t ready to part company with her yet. “I don’t mind,” he countered nonchalantly. “Like I told you, I take a walk every night anyway. I might as well get a head start on it now.”

Frustrated with his persistence,
Jane relented and headed for the showers. The image of Tom naked and aroused kept playing in vivid color across the private theater of her mind. How was she supposed to keep
that
picture out of her head? She moistened her lips. The man was gloriously male. Sinfully sculpted in hard muscle and tanned skin. Heat pooled in just the right place when she considered how it would feel to touch that golden skin. To glide her palms over that muscled terrain. To taste those full, sensuous lips. Desire barbed through her, making her moist where she was already too warm.

Jane
took a long, slow breath and forced her heart beat to return to normal. She stole a glance at the man beside her as they neared their destination. He seemed as tense as she. She supposed that having had his clothes stolen, then being exposed to a total stranger would leave him feeling a bit out of sorts. If she felt awkward, how must he feel?

Disconcerted,
she paused outside the door leading into the women’s shower facility. The bright light of the moon was mostly blocked by the trees, but a dim glow spilled from the open doorway, casting Tom’s handsome features in becoming shadow.

“I…I want you to know that what happened this evening was no big deal,” she said carefully, forcing herself to make eye contact. She hoped the light was low enough that he couldn’t see the heat of remembered embarrassment rising in her cheeks.

His gaze darted side to side before locking with hers once more. “Okay,” he said just as carefully, as if he wasn’t quite sure what she meant.

Jane
swallowed to clear her throat. “I mean, as a soldier I’ve seen plenty of naked men.”

Tom nodded once. A mixture of confusion and amusement lit up those amazing blue eyes. “That’s good to know,” he replied politely, but the grin overtaking his lips belied his tone.

Jane’s choice of words echoed in her ears. Her cheeks flamed red-hot now. “That’s not what I mean…I mean,” she stammered. “It was…it was no big deal.”

His growing amusement more than evident now, Tom opened his mouth two full seconds before he spoke. “Oo…kay,” he said, drawing out the one word.

She shook her head in self-disgust. “I don’t mean that either. I mean—”

Two long fingers pressed lightly against her lips. “I know what you mean,” he said softly, all signs of amusement gone now.