Dixie Under Siege (A Warrior's Passion #2) - Natasza Waters Page 0,17
tired, although he should be.
“The spare bedroom is ready.” She pointed to a hallway behind the living room. “Not exactly the Four Seasons, but I’m sure you’ve slept in worse places.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I know what a mattress of rocks feels like. Places where snakes slither over your legs and insects devour every inch of bared skin.”
Her brows rose. “Nasty.” Dix got up and shifted to his side of the coffee table. “Why the SEALs? Isn’t it one of the most dangerous jobs in the military?”
Good question. Guess if someone asked any of them, the answer would be the same: A challenge. His answer might be slightly different. “Because I had a bone to pick with the world. I worked hard to earn my Trident.”
Dix shook her head. “What’s that?”
Her response confirmed she hadn’t dated any guys from SpecOps. “The Special Warfare insignia you receive once you’ve graduated SEAL training. We call it the Budweiser.”
“I read about your training. Sounds like a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I did it to prove to myself I wasn’t a failure. BUD/S and SQT is tough, but it taught me to utilize every ounce of my will, whether a mission went shit sideways or as planned.”
Her brow creased and she kneeled at his feet. “I don’t know what SQT is, but I know you were never a failure, Josh. How could you even think that?”
“Means SEAL Qualification Training.” As Josh looked into Dixie’s pretty face, he couldn’t stop from wondering what might have happened if he hadn’t packed his bags after their fight when she’d called off the wedding.
What if he’d stayed?
Why ask when he already knew the answer. He’d be minus a couple bullet holes and numerous scars. They’d have married, had a big family and probably bought a farm. Their oldest would be about fourteen.
Being hot-headed had driven him in another direction. He had thousands of frequent flyer miles, a profession with one foot in politics and the other in the theater. Never mind the fucking ridiculous amount of meaningless bedroom encounters scattered behind him. He’d had a boatload of women who wanted him to pop the question or promised they could hack the life with a team guy. His profession made it tough to keep a relationship, but that wasn’t the only issue.
He hadn’t married for one reason, and the truth rested in the green eyes gazing up at him.
“Josh,” she said quietly, searching his face. “I can tell you’re saying a lot, but it’s all in your head. We used to talk about everything.”
She’d not only been his girlfriend, but his best friend. “Yeah, I remember.”
Dixie’s brow creased. “You’ve changed. It’s in your eyes. They’re not carefree anymore.”
No shocker there. “Hazard of the job and sharing it with you won’t make a difference.”
Dixie blinked then placed her delicate fingers over his kneecaps. “I guess you had your teammates to unload on and obliging women to release some steam.”
Yeah, she was pretty much on target. “That’s a fair assessment.”
He couldn’t help himself and caught a few strands of her soft hair between his fingers. The same silky locks he’d tugged on when he was young. Dix wasn’t exactly a tomboy, but she’d hung out with him and his friends more than her girlfriends. Everyone at school knew he and Dixie were tight. They’d been friends for years before their relationship bloomed.
The adult version of Dixie Hammond exuded a powerful hold over him. Or maybe being near her brought back the innocence of their youth. With a couple sleeping bags laid out in the back of his pickup truck, they’d made love underneath the stars. A young man and woman discovering each other through erotic touch. Both of them bold and curious. Life hadn’t weighed them down with responsibilities yet.
An older version of the girl he’d loved, even more attractive now than she was then, crouched at his feet. Her nearness stirred the coals of what they used to have.
The night they’d taken each other’s virginity, he’d been the one to voice his needs first. Dixie’s answer left no room for guesswork when she released his belt while staring into his eyes. Although panting to be inside her, he’d gone slow and easy.
The nights that followed were unforgettable. A vivid image of her wrists secured above her head, her beautiful, naked body lying on the hay with her thighs open and the heat in her gaze begging him to please her, had his pulse thumping.