Her Sexy Marine Valentine(6)

He rubbed the back of his neck as he strode through the long corridors.  Seemed like the harder he tried with this job, the worse things were.  Some days he wondered if he should just go ahead and get cleared for  active duty again. Maybe he wasn't suited to be an instructor.

But first he had to lose the headaches. They were a distraction that  interfered with his flying. He couldn't protect people if he had a  blinding migraine.

He partly blamed Mari's proposal for the tension today. He'd been  thinking about her a little too much. That sweet smile of hers and her  ability to make such a great meal on a hot plate were turn-ons. The  rockin' bod and beautiful eyes didn't hurt, either.

His body tensed.

Mind out of the gutter.

He had a new rule. One he'd added to his code in the middle of the  night when he couldn't sleep. No more attachments. Ever. Life was easier  like that. Mari deserved the kind of man who could cherish and protect  her. A man who could make that lifetime commitment and wanted the white  picket fence.

That man is not me. Maybe he had a little of his father in him after  all, because when it came to women, Brody couldn't see himself settling  down. That might make him selfish, but at least he was aware of  it-unlike his dad, who seemed to be perpetually married, perpetually  looking.

He'd had a string of stepmothers, several he'd never met, since he was  off serving in combat missions for the better part of the last ten  years. Though his dad's recent email had mentioned he was single again,  it wouldn't be long before his father hooked up with someone else.

Not my thing.

Nope. Women were a distraction that he didn't need right now. He liked his quiet life.

The outer office was empty, so he knocked on the CO's door.

"Enter."

Brody straightened his shoulders before he turned the knob.

"Sir, Peterson said you needed to see me."

The other man nodded, but didn't look up from the papers he was signing.

"My daughter tells me you have a girlfriend."

What? Aw, man. He remembered meeting up with Carissa at the grocery  store. "It's kind of new." That much was true. They'd only just met  officially.                       
       
           



       

"Good to see you making friends. Be sure to bring her to the picnic on  Saturday." What the...? The CO was ordering him to bring a date?

There's no way he'd drag Mari to anything base-related. That part of  his life he wanted to keep private. Besides, the less time he spent with  her, the better. The more he thought about her proposal, the more he  thought it might be best to stay as far away as possible.

"She's pretty busy on the weekends renovating an old Victorian." Again  it was the truth. "I'm not sure she'll be able to get away." He stood by  the door, hoping that he could make a quick escape.

"It's only a few hours. You're in charge of a large squadron. We like  to see our Marine instructors as leaders. Setting a good example. Are we  clear?"

"Yes, sir."

Now he had to tell his CO the truth.

One of the support staff stuck his head in the door behind Brody. "Sir, your daughter is on line two."

The CO nodded. "You're dismissed, Brody." Then he picked up the phone.

Brody hesitated. He had to be honest about Mari, he owed it to her, if not himself, but the other man motioned him out.

What have I done? He couldn't ask Mari to a silly picnic. After his  abrupt departure last night, she probably hated him. He'd finished his  tacos, chugged his water and then booked it as fast as possible. He'd  promised to think about her proposal and he had.

Bad idea.

But did he have a choice? She was a woman in need. Though he liked to  think of himself as tough and unsentimental, he couldn't leave her in  the lurch. The house was a disaster at the moment. It was sad that she  had to live in it while she fixed it up. She should be in a fancy  penthouse somewhere and enjoying her life.

Fine. He was going to help her.

And now he'd have to convince Mari to help him, as well.

Why couldn't people stay out of his personal life? That the CO thought  it was better that his soldiers be married or engaged in order to get  ahead made no sense to Brody.

But the CO hadn't really given him a choice. Toe the line or you're out. The message had been clear.

Forty-five minutes later, he was back home. He changed into his running  gear and five miles after that he stood in front of Mari's door. Before  he had a chance to knock, she opened the door. She must have seen him  coming up the drive.

His shirt was stuck to him, and even though it was January, he was  sweating from every pore. Probably should have showered first, but he  didn't want to lose his nerve.

This had to be done. He had to at least try.

Her hair was in a high ponytail and she was wearing short overalls with  a pink bikini top underneath. There was dirt on her nose, and he wasn't  sure he'd ever seen anyone so gorgeous.

That bikini top was-

Eyes on her face, Marine. It was a challenge because of how she filled  out the top, and then there was the curve of her hips. For the life of  him, Brody couldn't look away. She was funny, gorgeous and good-hearted.  And strong. To have gone through what she had with her ex, he had a lot  of respect for her. He'd been thinking about that last night, too. Most  people, men and women, would give up trying to fix something like this  house on their own. But not Mari. He admired her work ethic.

And the idea of him lounging on his butt across the street while he  knew she was struggling didn't sit well with him. They'd help each other  out. Maybe even be friends. She might even cook him another meal.

She smiled.

Dang. Keeping his hands off her was going to be problem. But he had to  do this. He was a Marine, trained to handle any situation.

"I'm sorry about last night," she said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Now that he thought about it, the night had been  kind of perfect, eating tacos outdoors by the fire. Until he'd left like  a jerk. She had no reason to apologize.

"Please don't make me repeat it. You know, the part about working on the house. We've just met and I feel dumb for asking you."

He'd made her feel bad. Now he really felt like a jerk.

"I will," he said quickly. "Help you, and I'll do it for free. But you  have to do something for me in return. And it doesn't involve  home-cooked meals."                       
       
           



       

She smiled. "Free? I'll do anything."

His cock twitched, instantly ready for action. Was she flirting with him?

That loaded comment burned him from the inside out.

Be calm.

This would only work if they kept things casual between them. He didn't have many friends who were women, but he could do this.

He shifted to attention and put his hands behind his back to keep from touching her.

This might be tougher than he thought.

He cleared his throat. "I need you to be my girlfriend."

* * *

MARI WAS GLAD she had her hand on the door frame or she might have fallen to the dusty floor.

His girlfriend? This was some kind of weird dream. She'd fallen asleep while tiling or something.

Wake up, Mari! Wake up! You're probably snoozing on the bathroom floor.

Brody wore a tank that left his muscular biceps free. He must train for hours every day. The damp shirt clung to his abs.

Why am I so obsessed with this guy's stomach?

Because it's awesome.

What was he saying?

"Remember at the grocery store?"

"Not a day I will ever forget. You saved me," she said honestly. Her  voice was slightly hoarse from the need coursing through her body.

Focus, Mari. Don't look at his... OMG. Eyes, focus on his gorgeous eyes.

"Right. Not that. After, when Carissa, my CO's daughter, came up. She  told my boss we're dating and he's insisting we come to the picnic. I  tried your excuse of ‘we have to put in the floor' and had no luck. I  even tried to tell him the truth about us, but he wouldn't listen."

Mari was still trying to adjust to the idea of the sweaty,  broad-shouldered Marine being at her door. His muscles glistened. The  man was too much.

Too much man for her.

"Picnic?"

"Yes." He ran a hand through his short, dark hair. He didn't have the  buzz cut a lot of the Marines around town did. "I'm making a mess of  this. Probably totally confusing you. See, they do these events where we  all get together, something about creating a more cohesive unit."

"Okay? And you need a pretend girlfriend, why? I mean, you're a  good-looking guy, just about any woman would be happy to hang on your  arm."

"You think I'm good-looking?"

She snorted. It wasn't very attractive.

He frowned as if he didn't believe her.

"Seriously? Dude, you're hot."

He looked skeptical. "I never really thought about it. Carissa saw us together and- Are you okay? You're all flushed."