Touch Me (11 page)
Authors: Melissa Schroeder
By Blood
Once Upon An Accident
Leather and Lace
Leather and Lace—Print anthology
Texas Temptations
Hawaiian Holidays
Bounty Hunters, Inc
The Sweet Shoppe
Turning Paige
Cowboy Up
Tempting Prudence
Connected Books
Saints and Sinners—print of both books
Hands on Training
Cancer Anthology
Water—print
Stand Alone Books
Grace Under Pressure
The Last Detail
Her Mother’s Killer
A Calculated Seduction
Telepathic Cravings
Coming Soon
A Santini in Love
Falling for a Santini
Grace Under Pressure-10
th
Anniversary Edition
Logan
Now, a peek into the first book of the Semper Fi Marines series,
Tease Me
.
A man who thinks he has what he wants.
Bran Johnson always knew he wanted to be a Marine. What makes it even better is longtime gal pal TK is now stationed at the same base. Unfortunately, Bran is having a hard time dealing with his feelings when he realizes that TK is considered a hot commodity on base. Worse, he finds himself taking a backseat to her admirers.
A woman who always wished for more.
Tess Keller has loved Bran since they were in high school. The former football captain always treated her like a friend so she tried to move on. Unfortunately, he’s in her business constantly now. One passionate argument leads to more than either of them expected. Tess knows it isn’t going to last because Bran is never going to settle down. So, to save face, she suggests they stay friends, only with the side benefit of being sometime lovers.
A Marine determined to win at all costs.
Bran agrees to the friends with benefits idea just to keep himself close to Tess. She might think he’s not around for the long haul, but this is one Johnson brother who knows exactly what he wants…and just how to get it. And what he wants is Tess in his bed and in his life forever. Nothing will stop him, not even Tess herself.
* * * *
She shook her head. “You know, I’m amazed they let you fly a Raptor. I would think you might forget where you parked it.”
He knew she was trying to lighten the mood. That was what he would have done in the situation, but his brain wasn’t working. In fact, he was feeling a little light headed but it might have to do with the lack of sleep.
“You’re wearing makeup.” It came out as an accusation, but he couldn’t help it. He wasn’t used to seeing Tess Keller with makeup on. She wasn’t wearing much, but even as he said it, she was slathering on lip gloss. How did he not notice her lips were so full and sexy before now?
She smirked at him. “Yes, I do that sometimes. It’s kind of something I do on dates.”
“You wear makeup.”
She rolled her eyes a sure sign she was irritated. “Uh, yeah among other things.”
He frowned. He opened his mouth to ask her just what those other things were but the doorbell rang.
“There’s Jed.” She walked to him and gave him a patted his cheek. “Don’t wait up.”
“Don’t you have duty in the morning?”
She stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “First of all, I’m an adult and a lieutenant in the Navy, so I can decide for myself. But, to ease your mind, I’m off tomorrow.”
Then she left him standing there in the middle of the room, feeling mildly frustrated and trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
Don’t miss Heather Long’s latest
Always a Marine
:
Her Marine Bodyguard
,
now available. Enjoy a sneak peek at Brody and Shannon’s first meeting in
Her Marine.
Brody checked the suit jacket’s fit against his button down. He’d skipped the tie altogether. Dress blues were more comfortable than business slacks and a tie. Damon Sinclair leaned against the bedroom’s doorframe. “If that doesn’t fit, I can jog over to the Captain’s or Logan’s.”
“Nah, it’ll do.” Brody stretched his arms. The jacket was snug, but not uncomfortable. “You’re losing bulk.”
Damon shrugged a shoulder. “I can still kick your ass. Sir.” He tacked the last on as an afterthought.
Brody grinned. “You don’t have to sir me.”
“Old habits die after the Marine, not before him.” Damon tossed him a set of keys. “I’m staying with Helena tonight, so the place is all yours.”
“Thanks.” Brody shoved the keys in his pocket. “Hey, Damon...is Matt okay?”
“He’s fine. He has good days and he has bad days. Fortunately the good days are starting to beat the bad. Today’s just not a good day. You stepping in for his date is a huge favor, one he’ll appreciate. I think Doc and his lady are taking him out to dinner.” Dinner with the Doc instead of his one-night stand might seem like a strange trade-off, but Brody didn’t mind filling in or even being asked to fill in. A Marine needed his help, and that was all he required.
“Yeah, okay. It’s not like getting laid is a hardship.” Brody understood the younger Marine, Matt. The kid had found a home in the Corps. Brody never thought that having a family could make recovery worse, but then all he’d ever had to live up to was the Corps, and his brothers in the Marines.
“Tick tock, Lieutenant. You’re gonna be late.” Damon threw him a wave and was gone. The chef was in his element. Most of the guys were, with few exceptions. Even Logan seemed downright cheery when they went out for beers. The Captain was completely in love with his fiancée, the Doc was tight with an actress, and Logan couldn’t shut up about a Gunnery Sergeant.
A Gunny.
Snorting, Brody inspected his appearance for neatness in the mirror and followed Damon out. The cook—sorry, chef—was already long gone. Apparently he’d met his match in an attorney, but it took a lot of patience on his part to keep her coming back for more. She must be worth it. He was damn near as cheery as Logan. The whole team seemed to be settling into civilian life.
Sliding into the driver’s seat of the black hulk the guys loaned him for his leave, Brody couldn’t begrudge any of them. He was one of the last of his unit still on active duty. The new guys were a decent crew, and he got along with them well enough, but it was still damn good to see the rest. Years of working together made the conversation easy, the jokes ribald, and the acceptance smooth. They didn’t ask stupid questions, didn’t mention things better left unsaid, and didn’t give a good goddamn when they pissed him off.
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