Roberts, Sarah - Action Hero Junkie [Movieland] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (19 page)

“Miguel?” Marti got a dreamy look in her eyes for an instant. Then she shook her head. Her tone was very matter-of-fact. “He is really sweet and sexy, and I really like his sister. But it’s not like Miguel or I wanted more than a hot romp in the sheets. It’s like having a vacation fling. It’s been fun, but I’ll be glad to get home.”

Mia’s concern for Marti and her quick relief that she was really okay suddenly evaporated. “Yeah, about that, Marti. About going home—” Mia felt a huge lump forming. She cleared her throat. “I’m–I’m here to say good-bye. I’m staying with Aiden. He’s asked me to marry him.”

Marti’s eyes got huge. “Mia! But you can’t stay in the movie!”

“I love him, Marti.” Mia left it at that. She begged Marti silently with her eyes to understand. She closed her fingers tighter, feeling the texture of thick paper beneath her grasp, and she thought about what she was holding.

Maybe she
could
stay. Surely whatever cosmic laws existed in movie land could make an exception for lovers.
Oh come on, the movies and lovers—what could be a better match than that?
She and Aiden were willing to try and make it work, anyway. It hadn’t been easy to explain to Aiden where she was really from, but he had grasped the concept surprisingly quick. He had just nodded and said that he had suspected something was different about her.
Gotta love a man like that.
And she did.

Marti stared at her. Then she slowly nodded. Her gaze dropped to the envelope that Mia was clutching. She sighed. “Okay. What do you want me to do?”

“You’re the best, Marti!” Mia handed the slim manila envelope to her. “My signed resignation letter to the hospital is in here. I wrote that I’m taking another position, one with the military. I also did a letter for my apartment complex manager. I said in it that I’m taking a position with the military, and I’m being transferred, and that you would handle packing up my things for me. I included a check to cover breaking my lease early. The key to my apartment is in there. I want you to have anything of mine that you want. You can get rid of everything else.”

Marti nodded again. There were tears sparkling in her eyes. Her mouth was trembling. She didn’t seem able to say anything.

Mia smiled a shaky smile at her. Her own eyes were misting, making everything swim in front of her. When Mia started to tell her the rest, her voice got husky. “And I want my best girlfriend in the whole world to be my maid of honor at my wedding.”

“
Ooh
, you are such a
jerk
! You’ve made me
cry
!” Marti sobbed and gulped and sobbed some more as she grabbed Mia in a fierce hug. Mia laughed and hugged her back and cried, too.

A soldier walked up to them and snapped a salute. He looked appreciatively at Marti. Even when she cried, she looked gorgeous. “Ma’am, you’re to come with me. I’m to get you back to the contact point.”

Mia and Marti clung together for another minute. Then slowly, reluctantly, they parted. They tried to smile at each other. Marti stepped further back. She tilted her head as she looked at Mia. Her eyes were like twin lasers. “You’re good?”

Mia nodded. She grinned. “Yeah, I really am.”

“Okay, then.”

Marti and the soldier started walking toward the waiting helicopter. The rotor blades were rotating and kicking up a dusty swirl. Mia shouted, “You’ll always be my best girlfriend!”

Marti got a huge grin and waved. Then she disappeared into the black maw of the helicopter. The blades whirred faster and faster until they blurred, and the motor roared. The helicopter launched upward into the sky. Mia watched it become smaller and smaller until it completely disappeared.

Mia turned and climbed back into the waiting jeep. “Lieutenant Smith’s quarters, driver.” She sat back and smiled, even as tears spilled down her face.

* * * *

Aiden solemnly stared at his best friend. Caesar stared back. They both were attired in crisp dress uniform as the current operation demanded. It was the most somber, most monumental task they had ever embarked on. It had to go off with complete precision. Nothing could be left to chance. Every detail had been worked out. There was no room for omission or oversight.
It’s a clusterfuck waiting to happen.
Aiden slid sideways into full-blown jitters.

“Are you sure about this, Aiden? No one’s twisting your arm.”

Aiden swallowed. He was point-man. His heart pounded, and he was beginning to sweat. His belly was clenched, just like before any other important operation. He took a deep, fortifying breath. His hands were actually shaking. He’d never been more uncertain or frightened in his life! But he had volunteered, confident that it was the right thing to do. He still thought it was the right thing. He couldn’t back out now, even if he wanted to, and he absolutely did not!

He would not be entering the field on his own.
We’re a solid team.
Remembering that gave him the steadying boost of confidence he needed. All at once, his nerves settled. Setting his jaw, he nodded. “I’m sure!”

Caesar took a deep breath of his own. He didn’t smile, but he gave a reassuring nod. “I’ve got your back. You know that.”

“Right!” Aiden nodded again. He didn’t need to ask, because he trusted Caesar to come through, but he did anyway. “Have you got the article in safekeeping?”

Caesar patted his uniformed breast. “Right here.”

“Then let’s do this!”

* * * *

The wedding was movie perfect. It was held outdoors on a sunlit white beach with palm trees swaying in the breeze and the boom of the turquoise-blue ocean in the background. It looked like a pretty postcard.

Naturally, as the bride, Mia was beautiful. She wore a gorgeous Victorian-style champagne-and-lace wedding gown, low-cut and nipped in at the waist and flared at the hips. She hadn’t known before how to describe her kind of figure, but now she did. It was hourglass perfect, and in her bridal gown she was a real bombshell. At least, Aiden looked like he had been hit by a bomb when he saw her, so that was good enough for her.

A humid breeze gently ruffled her hair, but she wasn’t worried. She knew her hair wouldn’t frizz. She also knew her make-up was perfect, making her look like a sultry starlet. Underneath her wedding gown, her
Victoria
’s Secret white push-up bra did very nice things for her bosom. She wore a silky wisp of a slip and under that, a matching white lace thong, garters, and white stockings, too. Mia felt incredibly beautiful and sexy. Her secret fairy godmother had sprinkled extra magic movie dust over her.

Aiden was wearing his dress uniform. It fit him like a glove, the tailored coat outlining the proud line of his broad shoulders before it arrowed down over his flat stomach and lean hips. The tight, crisp pants had a military stripe running down each leg. He could have been the poster boy for Prince Charming.

There were a whole lot of people dressed in uniform attending the wedding. An army chaplain was performing the ceremony. The general, his uniformed chest bristling with medals, solemnly gave Mia away. When she kissed his leathery cheek, he turned red but he looked proud.

Her very best girlfriend in the world was her maid of honor. Marti was dressed in a lovely frothy frock that swirled around her with every gust of breeze. When Aiden’s best man, Caesar Thomas, first saw her, his mouth dropped open. Then he scowled and smoldered her with his dark eyes. Marti pretended not to see him, but Mia saw her look at him from under her lashes.

Mia noticed that more than one hot, male military gaze was fixed on Marti.

Mia didn’t mind. She knew Marti was prettier than her, but Mia only needed one man’s gaze, and he was looking only at her. There was love in his electric-blue eyes, and he had a sexy grin on his face. Mia peeped under her own lashes.
God, the man can wear a uniform!
I might make him keep it on and smear streaks of black camo on his face tonight
.

Happy, naughty fantasies whizzed through Mia’s mind. At really the most inappropriate time in the ceremony, Mia was thinking about Aiden pulling her white lace thong off with his teeth, and she couldn’t stop grinning.

Aiden glanced down at her as he slipped the diamond-studded gold band on her finger.

Mia looked deeply into his eyes. She fluttered her lashes. Heat flared in his baby blues. Delighted, she watched his jaw tighten. Then he gave her the slowest, sexiest smile. Mia could feel his gaze slide like molten honey down her nicely showcased cleavage. She shivered in delicious anticipation. She knew he was reading her mind. She had such bad, bad thoughts, too.

Mia still couldn’t believe it. She had Aiden Smith, her very own and very hot action hero! Yes, she did mean hot as in
hot
.
Keep the red glass slippers, Toto. I won’t need them.

Aiden kissed her. He swooped her up, bent her back over his arm, and planted a hot one on her. His mouth seared hers in the plundering kiss. Mia forgot all about cute little dogs or anything else. She was blown away by heat and sizzling desire. When he let her go, she was so dizzy her head was spinning.

Mia dimly heard a lot of clapping and military huzzuhs. The only thing that mattered was Aiden’s deep laughter and the warm strength of his muscular arm wrapped around her waist. She dreamily smiled up at him. The sea breeze caressed her hair and ruffled the long skirt around her legs. Happiness bubbled through her. She was giddy with gladness. The movie’s music score had to be soaring.

The boom of the ocean was the perfect counterpoint to her fast-beating heart.

Someone put a chilled champagne flute in her hand, and Mia looked at the golden effervescence. Then she laughed and laughed. Her whole body shook. Tears came to her eyes.
Who needs champagne for fizzy bubbles?
Beside her, Aiden cracked up. It was like doing the wave. Spontaneous laughter broke out all over, some people even doubling over as they whooped.

Afterward, renewed congratulations were shouted out, and there was a flurry of back-slapping of the groom and honorary kissing of the bride. Marti surged toward Mia, both hands outstretched. She laughed and cried all at once as she caught Mia in a tight hug. “I’m going to miss you!”

“I’m going to miss you, too!” Mia hugged her back just as tightly. Then she whispered in her ear. “See you at the movies!”

When Marti stepped back, her eyes had grown very wide. “
Seriously?
I mean, do you really think so?”

Mia grinned at her, happiness zipping through her. “Aiden is getting a promotion! He’s going to be permanently attached to intelligence, and I’m going to be working at the base field hospital! I’ll bet he gets sent off on some real action-hero missions. I’ll probably tag along as a field medic. What do you think?”

Marti wailed. “Oh, Mia! You
know
how much I hate action movies!” Her eyes were bright and shining. “I’m going to buy all of the DVDs!”

Then together, they laughed.

THE END

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