her by surprise when she nearly dropped one of the mugs she’d taken off a rack.
“You want the truth?” she asked.
He didn’t move. “Of course.”
She pulled back her shoulders. “I went to the club tonight with the intent of meeting someone.”
He blinked slowly. “How often do you pick up men?”
A nervous smile trembled over her lips. “Tonight was my first time.”
“Why tonight?”
Iris assumed a similar pose, crossing her arms under her breasts. “You’re the first man in more than three years I could carry on an intelligent conversation with and not worry about him trying to get me into bed with him and—”
Collier held up a hand, stopping her words. “Don’t say anything else.”
“Don’t you want to know why?” she asked.
“No, because I also have a confession to make. When I saw you standing at the bar, the first thing that went through my mind was what did I have to do or say to convince you to sleep with me.”
Iris frowned. “I suppose I was wrong about you.”
Collier took a step toward her and cradled her face between his hands. He lowered his head, brushing a light kiss over her mouth. “No, you’re not. But there’s nothing wrong with two consenting adults sleeping together.”
Iris’s eyelids fluttered. “You’re right, but I’m not ready to sleep with a stranger.”
He kissed her again. “I don’t have a problem with that.” After a military career spanning eighteen years and seeing many of his buddies die in combat, he believed in living in the moment. And because of his career, the thought of a relationship with a woman was something he’d avoided for most of his adult life.
Releasing her face, he walked over to the coffeemaker and turned it off. “I think I’m going to pass on the coffee.” Turning on his heel, he walked out of the kitchen and the apartment. He took out his cell phone and punched in a number. Fifteen minutes later one of the owners of Happy Hour maneuvered into the parking lot to drive him back to the club.
Collier managed to forget about Iris as he caught up with people at the club he hadn’t seen in years. But the image of her beautiful face and her sexy body kept coming back to him once he was alone again in the hotel bed. He was able to recall with vivid clarity the sound of her smoky voice, the scent of her perfume, and the softness of her lips when he touched his mouth to hers. He fell asleep with a smile on his face just thinking about it.
During the night Collier opened his eyes, his heart pounding painfully in his chest, his body drenched in sweat as he struggled to surface from the invisible demon holding him in its vicious grip. The nightmare had returned. It’d been several weeks since the last one, and it was always the same. The blast, a ball of fire scorching the earth, the shrapnel from the exploding Humvee, and the horrendous screams from the men burned beyond recognition by a roadside bomb. Gritting his teeth to keep from screaming for the horror to stop, he sat up, swung his legs over the bed, and stumbled in the direction of the bathroom.
He lost track of time as he sat in the tub with a spray of icy-cold water beating on his naked body. It was only when Collier began to shake uncontrollably that he turned off the water and rested his head on the side of the tub. His mind cleared and he realized he was no longer in Afghanistan, but stateside where he was safe from sniper fire and improvised explosive devices. He didn’t remember climbing out of the tub or returning to the bedroom to fall facedown across the bed. This time when he fell asleep, it was without the dreams that kept him from a restful night’s sleep.
Chapter Two
Butter Pecan Shortbread Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup finely chopped pecans
Cream the butter; add the brown sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add the flour, mixing well. Stir in the pecans. Divide dough in shalf. Cover; chill one hour. Roll one portion of dough to ¼-inch thickness between two sheets of waxed paper; keep remaining dough chilled until ready to use. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper. Cut the dough into desired shapes with two-inch cookie cutters; remove excess dough. Place a greased cookie sheet on top of the cookies, greased side down.