King(24)

Getting up, she took her glass to the bar, pouring herself another drink. Instead of sitting back down, she leaned against the bar, facing him and keeping the bottle near.

“It’s not easy for a woman to be in the military. There’s a lot of sexism. I had several brushes with it, but I was fortunate to have friends who always watched out for me. I was six weeks from getting out when a Corpsman at base camp was injured by enemy fire and was medavaced to the base hospital. They needed someone immediately, as a result I was ordered to the new unit. Most of the men there had been in country longer, and for many of them, it was their second or third tour. The unit commander should have been released from duty. It was like a sociopath over a pack of wild dogs. I thought I could handle him. He was from Atlanta and had casually dated my sister for a short time when he was on leave.”

She was still looking at King, but she was no longer seeing him, her mind going back to the past. “One night, we had come back from a skirmish. The adrenaline was high and the men were antsy. It made me nervous to just be around them, so I went to my quarters. I didn’t even take the time for a shower. I called Shade to check in with him and the others, and he could tell from my voice that something was wrong, that I was scared. He told me to stay put and he would come as soon as he got permission from his unit commander.

“I hung up from him, and for about ten seconds, I felt better, believed I was just imagining the men were losing control. Then I heard the knock on my door. I didn’t answer, but it didn’t matter. Four men broke it down. One was my unit commander. They laughed at me when I tried to fight them off. Made fun of me for entering the military, asking me why I had joined if I didn’t want a steady supply of dick.” Evie picked up her glass, taking a large drink.

“By the time Shade found me the next morning, they had made me their personal toy. When Shade walked in and saw what had happened, he did what I wished I could have done. It took six men to get him off them.

“You’re going to enjoy this part.” She lifted her glass at King.

“I’m not enjoying any part of this.” King had been given a basic bio on Evie by Jackal. He seemed to have left out quite a bit of pertinent information.

“Shade was the one brought up on charges. It was a mess. All the surrounding units knew the stories. Anytime I was around them, they called me some of the vilest names imaginable. The men said I had led them on, had let them in my room. I had two broken ribs, one had punched me in the eye, and I had a dislocated shoulder.”

“Damn.”

Evie took another drink. “They moved me back to my original unit, though. If not for Shade, I don’t know what I would have done. We would sit and talk for hours while he listened to me rant and rave. Four weeks later, I was discharged. So, when you throw Shade up to me, it really pisses me off. Lily is lucky he loves her. She couldn’t be in safer hands.”

King got up from the sofa, coming to stand next to her, sliding his hand under the thick swathe of her hair. “What happened to the men?”

“They were killed by enemy fire the next week. The whole unit was nearly wiped out. If they hadn’t raped me, then I would have been with them and killed.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“Yes, I do. Knox’s wife was my replacement. She was killed in my place.”

“God.”

“I don’t know if Knox would agree with you, but it was bad. They had only been married a short while.”

“He’s the sheriff of Treepoint?”

“Yes, he’s married to Diamond. I’m glad he fell in love again.”

“So, you joined The Last Riders when you got out of the service?”

Evie was done talking about the past. “Send for Henry. I’m ready to go home.”

“Stay.” King used his hand on the back of her neck to pull her closer. Before she could say anything, he caught her mouth with his. His other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to his warm body. She was chilled from recounting the past.

Evie didn’t want to go back to her empty bed and stay another night wide-awake, remembering the past. She needed to forget, and she had a willing male to help make her. Letting her weight sink into his, her mouth gave her answer.

King lifted her up, carrying her down a dark hallway into his bedroom, not bothering to turn on the lights. Setting her down on the mattress, his hands went under her dress to pull down her stockings. Evie wiggled her hips, helping him as she raised her arms to pull off her dress.

She sat on the side of his bed, completely naked except for the tiny bra covering her breasts. Her hands then went to the clasp on the front, but King beat her to it, unsnapping it with a flick of his fingers.