“Fuck.” The word was a prayer of thanks and a seductive sigh of gratitude from what sounded like a beholden man.

When his gaze returned to hers, she saw the carnal desire of a famished wolf with the whisper of a conscience on his shoulder. In a movement too fast for her mind to process, Danny had her in his arms, then lying on her back beneath him on the sofa.

“Danny…”

“You want me to stop?” There wasn’t any anger in his question, just concern.

“No, I don’t.”

“Then don’t stop me. Can tell you need to feel this. I need to make you feel it. At any time it feels wrong, tell me no, and I’ll stop. My honor, Julie…my word.”

By the look on his face, his honor meant so much, but his word meant everything. So she replied the only way her heart would allow. “Don’t stop, Danny.”

He didn’t.

When Julie left his place a couple of hours later, her body hummed in a way she’d never thought possible, muting any nagging voices that chastised her Bunny-like behavior. With memories like those, did she really need a repeat performance? Sure, Julie, make sure to tell yourself that if you never see him again. Shaking off that ridiculous notion, she slipped behind the wheel of her car and headed home. Of course she’d see him again, probably that day. There was no way he didn’t feel the connection she did. Right?

Chapter Two

Lysol and Vagisil

DANNY COVERED HIS eyes to stop the sun from scorching his retinas through his closed lids. “The fuck?”

He sat up on the couch and immediately regretted the decision to move. Not only did he not remember passing out on the sofa the previous night, he couldn’t remember how the hell he’d gotten home. Never smart drinking on a Monday—left him feeling like shit for the rest of the week. Dropping his feet to the ground, he spotted a glass of water and two pain killers on the kitchen table. Like a freight train, memories of a sexy as shit strawberry-blonde pummeled into his brain.

“Julie Bell.” Even the sound of her name got his dick hard. Flashes of her firm body, soft skin, and lush tits invaded his mind. The way she writhed beneath him when her climax hit, his tongue lapping up her sweet cream. Christ, he could still taste her, feel her. And then… nothing. The memories fucking ended. “What in the mother hell?”

He swallowed the aspirin and gulped down the water, trying to recall the details after he’d rocked her world. She straddled him, and he knew by the hungry look in her eyes exactly whose world would be rocking next…but then it was blank. Had she blown him? Had they fucked? The empty spots were unacceptable but would have to stay blank for a while longer, because he needed to get to work.

His new position was interesting. There was something exhilarating about being a squad leader and training other men in the field maneuvers they needed to know to perform properly in battle. But while he got better acquainted with his coworkers and procedures, the hours seemed to drip by. He wanted to get his ass over to Chester’s so he could finally fill in the holes from his time with Julie. Her soft touches and addictive kisses haunted all day, and while one and done was his usual MO, he wasn’t so quick to toss away the quick-witted beauty. After all, if he didn’t remember the one… how could he be done?

Only one patron sat at the bar when Danny walked into Chester’s during his lunch break. The older man had a mug of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other as he watched the Orioles at bat. Danny scanned the rest of the establishment, noting the only other people around were the redheaded MiliSnag and a beefy-looking guy who Danny hadn’t seen the night before. They had exited the restroom together, each wearing a satisfied smirk.

“Thanks for the lesson, Bunny.” Beefy snorted, zipping up his fly. “I won’t forget where to stash the plunger again.”

The woman winked and wiped her mouth in what Danny assumed she thought was a sexy gesture. “See that you don’t. I’d hate to have to keep reminding you, Earl.” She winked as she fluffed her hair. “Oh!” Her eyes widened the minute they landed on Danny, and she fluttered her lashes. “Sergeant Marcus, it’s so nice to see you again.”

He would have laughed at the instant change in her demeanor, from slut to subdued, had the whole scene not made him want to puke. He was no Boy Scout, but a woman wiping another man’s cum from her lips while openly flirting with him turned his stomach. His eyes dropped to her nametag before he forced a polite greeting. “Bunny.”

“Aww, you remembered,” she cooed. “How sweet.”

“Your name’s on your shirt, ma’am.” There was no fucking way he’d let her get the wrong impression from him.

“Umhmm.” Her grin was all teeth and no charm.

“Listen, I’m looking for Julie. She here?” Seven words. That was all it took for her sugar to turn to vinegar.

“Earl, go get the glasses from the kitchen. Now. No, she doesn’t come in for a few hours still. Lazy little girl took the morning off.” She must have sensed she’d hit a nerve, because her backpedaling came on strong. “Just kidding with ya. She works a lot of doubles, so I suggested she take it easy this morning. I like to look after my little ones. They’re like my family, ya know?”

Beefy came in from the back room with a case of glasses and laid them on the bar. He not-so-subtly pinched the redhead’s ass and walked back through the kitchen.

Danny grunted in disgust. “Yeah, family. Sure. Can you please tell Julie I came by? And give her this.” He scribbled his phone number on a cocktail napkin, folded it in half, and reluctantly gave it to Bunny.

“Sure, Sergeant. You can count on me.” Bunny smiled before pushing through the door to the kitchen.

“She treats the customers like family too.” The older gentleman snorted before sipping his beer. “If you know what I mean.”

Danny chuckled as he left the bar. Yeah, he understood the guy loud and clear.

***

THE BAR WAS packed with wall-to-wall people, as seemed to be the norm for Saturday nights at Chester’s. From July through August, Saturday nights were “all staff mandatory.” Even the cool air blasting from the air conditioner did nothing to cut the stifling humidity of the mid-July heat. With the tables and chairs on the outside deck filled with thirsty customers, the four bartenders took turns providing waitress service to the deck patrons in order to keep the foot traffic from overrunning the bar. Even Chester hung around on Saturday nights in case drunken tempers led to drunken conflicts. The whole scene would have been chaos had it not been run so incredibly smoothly.

Julie needed the loud music, the demanding people, and flirty men in order to keep her mind off of the fact that a certain Sergeant Marcus had never bothered to contact her after their one interlude five nights before. Sure, she’d slipped out before the sun came up, but awkward morning-after conversations weren’t something she’d had practice in, and starting them with a man who could easily shred her confidence wasn’t something she’d been looking to do. Christ, the things he’d done to her body… just thinking about them made her panties wet, which quickly led to frustration over the fact that he’d so easily moved on, giving her not even a second thought.

Could’ve been worse, she repeated to herself as she poured another round of tequila shots for the enlisted men who were looking not only to blow off steam but find ladies who were as enthusiastic about the prospect of blowing as well.

“Hey, pretty lady, how ‘bout you pour one of those for yourself?”

Stopping mid-pour, Julie looked at the private first class and offered her sweetest smile. “Aww, aren’t you sweet. I appreciate the offer, but I don’t drink while I’m working.” The guy’s disbelieving look made her continue explaining. “Can’t serve all of you men quickly enough if I’m tipsy, can I?” She punctuated her statement with a flirty wink, rung up the round, and placed his generous tip in the bucket behind the bar.