Operation: Tempt Me (22 page)

Moaning
into the kiss, pain tore through her knowing this was the last touch of Miller
until God knew when. When he broke the kiss, she wanted to cry, but understood
he had to get going. At least he had come back for a proper good-bye. She
wouldn’t hold him up any further.

She
climbed off of him and held the door. “I’ll miss you, Miller, and will look
forward to when we can talk again. Be safe.”

“Cambrie.”
He appeared to be ready to say more but didn’t.

Her
forced smile required every bit of acting skill she had. He walked through the
door into the darkness of the night. She couldn’t watch him drive off, so she
shut the door and lights and walked to her bedroom, her arms crossed over her
breaking heart.

With
the roar of the motorcycle fading as he drove away, Cambrie crawled under the
covers and refused to cry. Miller would return. He promised.

Holding
his pillow to her face, she breathed deeply, lay on it, closed her eyes, and
wondered just why her dream had to end so damn soon.

****

With
the wind whipping in his face and the hint of the morning sun over the horizon,
Miller kept his motorcycle racing back toward Virginia. The trip back would
take four hours if he didn’t hit any morning traffic. But if he kept his speed
ten miles above the limit then he could possibly shave an hour off that time.

He
didn’t want to break the law, but he needed to get back to base. The last thing
he needed was to keep his team waiting and then never be granted a leave to
visit Cambrie again because he couldn’t get back in a decent amount of time.

Cambrie.

God,
he didn’t want to think of that startled look in her wide, brown eyes when he
had to haul ass out of there. She looked confused and bewildered and who could
blame her after being rudely awakened in the middle of the night to say a hasty
good-bye to her lover. How he wished he had the remaining days with her and his
mission hadn’t changed. But the job was the job and nothing was ever set in
stone.

Damn!
He had never been pissed about being called back to base early or having a
leave interrupted because he was needed for a mission. Until Cambrie. Now he
was angry at having to leave her and her sexy body. This was the first time he
ever wanted to be somewhere more than on a mission. What the fuck!

Maybe
it was good that he had to leave earlier than planned. It would give him time
to think about how Cambrie had such an impact on him. He couldn’t let his
emotions for the lovely woman get out of control. She’d made it clear there was
no way for her to leave her aunt or Maddyville. And it sure wasn’t possible for
him to make the trip back and forth between missions when his team could be
activated at any time.

Miller
roared down the interstate into Virginia. He was almost home.

A
few days of working and chasing bad guys would help him expend some physical
energy and get back to his daily regime. Then he’d figure out what to do now
that he had found the woman of his dreams but couldn’t have her because they
were stuck in two different worlds. She might as well be from anther planet
given the distance between them. Fuck!

He
revved the engine and concentrated on the road as more vehicles joined him for
morning rush hour as he neared Little Creek. His heart felt like someone had
reached into his chest and ripped it out. The only reason he knew his heart was
still there was the ache every time he thought of Cambrie.

It
was going to be hard sleeping without her in his arms or hearing her sexy voice
or contagious laugh. Even harder to accept that he didn’t know when he’d see
her next.

Visions
of her naked body danced in his memories, how pretty her curves were, how
supple her skin was, the way she blushed or gasped. She had been a willing
lover, trusting him with her body as well as her pleasure and then demanding
more.

His
cock stirred just thinking of her inquisitive sexual nature and how she had
ordered those sex toys for them to use. What a stroke of luck that he’d found
this amazing woman—well, for her to have found him.

He
made a mental note to shake Finn’s hand for this one. Even if he’d thought his
friend and former commander was busting his balls at first by sending him a pen
pal, Miller couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.

Back
in Little Creek, Miller faced a full day with little sleep. Wherever his team
was headed, he hoped he could get sleep on the plane without worrying about how
Cambrie was holding up. She wasn’t used to the military life and it hadn’t been
fair for her to have to experience it first hand so quickly.

Parking
the bike in front of his house, Miller stepped off and fought the memory of
arriving at Cambrie’s the other day. Now, he just wanted to get back to her.

****

Cambrie rose
earlier than usual the next morning, unable to sleep after Miller left. Sipping
a cup of coffee, she sat before her laptop wondering what to say in the email
she had started for him. He needed to know that she supported him and would be
here when he could get back.

Hi Miller,
just writing a quick note as I head out to work. Hope your ride home went well
and you get some rest soon. Had a wonderful time with you and hope you can visit
again soon. We’ll have more fun. Wink! Write when you can, but if I don’t hear
from you, I understand you’re working hard to protect us and you’ll get in
touch when you can. I won’t lie. I found it very hard to sleep without you in
my bed. I’ll keep your side of the bed warm for you. Mwah!

Hugz, Cambrie

She
wiped the tears from her eyes, refusing to get upset. He had a job to do just
like she did. She’d had a life before Miller Daly and she’d continue to have
one no matter how much she missed him. She had learned a long time ago that
life managed to go on and stopped for nothing. It wasn’t like she’d never see
him again. They’d find a way to get together, even if only for a few stolen
days here and there.

At
work, the morning dragged on. Cambrie was bummed when no response came from
Miller, but she had not really expected one.

“Do
you have your report ready for the Board of Directors, Miss Brasher,” Mr.
Hackler asked, stepping into her office.

“Yes,
sir,” she replied with no real enthusiasm. He expected her to give a briefing
on Miller when it tortured her just to think of him, not knowing when she’d see
him again.

“Then
let’s head in there. I think they’ve all arrived.”

In
the large meeting room, the six Board Members had assembled, drinking coffee
and talking. When they saw Hackler and Cambrie enter the room, they took their
seats and the chairman spoke. “I call to order this meeting of the Highland
Library’s Board of Directors. First on the agenda, a report by Miss Brasher on
her progress with the Veterans Affairs grant. Miss Brasher, if you will.”

Cambrie
stood at the end of the table. She had only spoken before this group once
before and had been terrified. But those feelings didn’t surface this time
because she heard Miller’s voice in her ear offering her the encouragement she
needed to believe in herself. He may not be beside her, but his presence would
always be with her.

“Ladies
and Gentlemen, I’ll be brief as I’ve only just begun work on the grant program.
Support has been immense from our community for which I am grateful. Donations
have come in steadily as have the volunteers to collect more. I had an
opportunity to meet our pen pal, and Lt. Miller Daly is an exceptional man of
strength, values, and character. We should be honored to support him while he
serves our great country.”

“Where
is Lt. Daly now, Miss Brasher? We’d love to meet him,” the chairman said, the
others nodding their heads in agreement.

A
sudden jolt of pain struck her heart. Clearing her throat, she spoke calmly.
“Lt. Daly was called out of town earlier than expected. He had to return for a
mission, sir. But he assured me we had his complete support in our quest to
receive the grant.”

“It
sounds like you’ve gotten to know the young man quite well in such a short
period of time, Miss Brasher,” another board member said.

Cambrie’s
cheeks warmed and she prayed they couldn’t see her blushing. Remembering just
how well she’d gotten to know Miller had her squeezing her legs together as her
pussy awakened with the memories. “Well, with the wonders of modern technology,
I’ve been able to communicate with him via email a lot. Since the grant is
vital to our survival, I’ve also made plans to dedicate part of the library’s
website to this program.”

“Will
there be an additional expense to do that?” an elderly female member asked.

“No,
ma’am. It’s just a matter of me setting up a page. Will that be all?”

She
needed to stop talking about Miller and the grant. Getting involved with Miller
while he was a project for work was not her smartest decision, but she couldn’t
have regrets now.

“Thank
you, Miss Brasher.”

She
quickly left the room and walked as fast as she could to her office where she
shut the door for privacy. “Oh, Miller. I hope you’re safe.”

Her
belly felt queasy so she sipped from the water bottle she kept on her desk. Her
computer stared back. But she wouldn’t keep checking for a reply from Miller.
Instead, she’d reach out to her friend for comfort and much needed advice.

She
began to type then erased the words. Picking up the phone, she dialed Emma’s
number. She needed to
talk
not just email. Christ, when did technology
replace the common phone call?

“Hello.”
Emma’s voice sounded upbeat as usual on the other end.

“Hi,
Emma. It’s Cambrie. I hope I’m not catching you at the wrong time.”

“Oh,
wow. Cambrie! What a surprise. Oh, it’s so great to hear your voice. What’s
going on? Everything okay?”

“Yes,
I’m fine. Well, just wanted to say thank you for introducing me to Miller. He’s
been a fantastic pen pal.”

“Oh,
you’re so welcome. I really hope it gets you that grant.”

Cambrie
toyed with the telephone wire. “He came to visit me the other day.”

“What?
He’s there now?”

“No.
He could only stay two days and got called back. That’s why I called you.
Hoping you could give me some advice on how to handle the nature of his job. I
mean, we were just getting to know each other and, wham, he’s called away.”

“Aw,
honey. I know it’s hard. I don’t think you can ever get used to sending your
man into battle.” Emma’s soothing voice was genuine. But she was oh so sneaky.

“He’s
hardly my man, Emma. We’re not even dating. We, um, we just hung out during his
visit.”

“Oh,
my God. Was he good in bed?”

“Emma!”

“Oh,
hush. There’s no way Miller didn’t seduce you. He’s a lot like Finn and, honey,
we ain’t got a chance against testosterone like that.” Emma laughed.

Cambrie
smiled. “Miller was magnificent, but then I had something to do with how
amazing sex was, too.”

“I’m
sure you drove him insane with lust.”

“Yeah.
He did threaten to go AWOL once or twice.” Peels of laughter came through the
earpiece. “I miss him already, Em. I know it sounds stupid, but I got used to
him being here with me.”

“I
don’t think that’s stupid at all. He made an impression and probably was a
great match for you and not just in bed. The man has a great head on his
shoulders. Finn would never steer a dumb ass your way.” Now it was Cambrie’s
turn to laugh. “Listen, Cam. It’s nerve wracking to wait to hear from them, but
you need to keep busy.”

Cambrie
asked the question she didn’t even want to think about. “What if something
happens to him, Emma? I’d never know.”

“Of
course, you would. Finn would tell you any news he got, good or bad. Miller’s
family. So are you, Cam.”

“Thank
you, Emma. I’m at work so I’ve got to run. Just wanted to ask your advice.”

“Any
time, love. I’m here. Don’t forget that. Lots of love.”

“Same
to you and give Finn a hug for me.”

Hanging
up the phone, Cambrie decided to take Emma’s advice and keep busy. She
developed a page on the library’s website dedicated to the grant quest. She used
the picture Miller had sent her, but wished she had thought to take a newer one
while he was here. She didn’t even have one of them together. Well, they did
have better things to do. She smiled, allowing the memories of their loving to
warm her and keep her company while she worked on the pen pal page.

****

Miller
rushed into the crumbling brick building, the earpiece his only connection to
the other team members. The hunt for the missing U.S. Marine over enemy lines
had been the mission that had called Miller’s team back into action.

Extracting
the POW depended on if the team had received the correct coordinates for where
his captors held him. The Marine had been fresh out of boot camp and deployed
to Afghanistan only weeks ago. The Marine’s convoy fell under enemy fire and
all were killed but the young man reported MIA.