Chapter Two
I held the baseball bat in two hands over my shoulder like my brother had taught me before his deployment. He was my stepbrother and we had learned to coexist because of our parents. I thought he was a slacker, completely directionless and having no idea what he was going to do with the rest of his life. It was a bit of a shocker to hear him talk about protecting this country and watching him leave with the green duffel bag over his shoulder wasn’t easy.
The noise was in the kitchen and I was hoping it was nothing more than a creature of the night. I hated mice, but it was far better than the alternative of having to face a burglar in the process of taking things that didn’t belong to him.
I smelled the aroma of coffee and I was confused by how he could be so comfortable to make something to drink. I saw the front door was ajar and I kicked it closed lightly. I picked up the phone and held it precariously between two fingers.
Somebody was cursing a blue streak and then footsteps were coming this way. I stopped and placed the phone on the table by the kitchen door. Taking a stance, I was ready to swing with everything I could muster. I might have been only 5’4 and 120 pounds, but I could take care of myself. I didn’t need a man to protect me.
It was my feminist attitude that sometimes rubbed men the wrong way. I robbed them of their dignity and bruising their delicate egos was never a good idea.
The door swung open and I screamed to disorient him long enough for the baseball bat to crack against his skull.
I found myself in the air and then lying on the floor looking up dazed and confused. The wind was knocked out of me and I was left in a vulnerable position with no visible means of putting up much of a fight. Whoever this was had disarmed me with some move that had left my wrist numb and my fingers tingling from how he had knocked me off my feet.
“It’s good to see that you know how to use that thing. Your stance and follow through could use some pointers, but I was lucky that I saw your shadow. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I had to make sure you weren’t going to use that.” His voice sounded familiar and it was the windows to the soul that finally convinced me.
“Bailey, you scared the living daylights out of me and you know how I get jittery when I’m alone in the house. It’s the reason why I leave the radio on to give the illusion of someone here." He was reaching out and I took his hand with him pulling me to my feet like I weighed nothing at all. When I last saw him two years ago he was lanky, long hair and had the hygiene of a monkey.
He was wearing a green army jacket and a pair of jeans which seemed like they were painted on his body. The shirt underneath the jacket didn’t hide any of the finely crafted muscles he had gotten during his time away from home.
“I didn’t know that I had to announce my presence when I came home. Next time I will make sure there’s a ticker-tape parade to welcome a hero back from war. I don’t particularly care for the welcoming committee. I take it our parents are still away and don’t you find it the least bit suspicious how they suddenly picked up everything and went on this cruise. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear that my father was trying to make up for some kind of mistake he made.” I had my mouth open staring at the way his muscles were bulging in all the right places.
I never noticed before, but his endowment was quite delicious looking. The outline of his package was impressive and the added component of his newly discovered muscles was giving me a reason to feel a little lightheaded. His long hair was shorn away to stubble and his baby boy good looks had a bit of an edge with a five o’clock shadow. His eyes were cold and impersonal and the temperature in the room had dropped a few degrees.
“I don’t try to think about it and neither should you. I would apologize for trying to take your head off, but I was taught to swing for the fences.” I was using his words against him and he was shaking his head in disbelief that I would put him on the spot like that.
“I forgive you and this is just one of many trespasses I have to atone for.” I saw the faraway look in his eyes and I could only imagine what he had seen during his time abroad.
“I don’t suppose you have any explanation for the reason why you suddenly showed up without warning? I know things weren’t easy and I can only hope that I helped you in your time of crisis with those care packages from home I sent you.” He had seen one of his buddies blown away by a suicide bomber. He survived and got a medal for pulling his platoon of Marines out of there under fire. It was very brave and foolish at the same time, but it showed he was a man of character.
“I won’t be staying long and I’m planning to go on another tour in a month. I’ve been given the responsibility of leading a team and I can’t turn down a plum assignment like that. I just need some time to decompress, but I certainly don’t want to be an imposition. I can always stay on a friend’s couch, but why should I have to when this is my home.” He had calmly dispatched me and still, he was holding the coffee without spilling a drop.
“Your room is exactly the way you left it and our mother made sure to keep it locked. She immortalized your accomplishments from high school and pretty much made it a shrine to your memory.” Being stubborn, I went and tried to pick up his duffel bag by the door only to find that it was easier said than done.
“You probably have a lot of questions, but I’m really in no frame of mind to talk. Let me get a good night’s sleep and then we can sit down and hash out the details of this new living arrangement. I promise that my discipline will prevent me from leaving dirty dishes or towels lying around.” This was the new and improved Bailey and I’d never felt like I was tripping over my own tongue before. He was nothing like the little boy I remembered and this was a full grown man looking like he could carry me over his shoulder with relative ease.
“I did hear something crashing and I do hope you cleaned up whatever mess you made. I’m not going to be cleaning up after you or cooking your meals or doing your laundry. If this is going to work then we have to give each other our space and privacy. If my door is closed then that doesn’t mean you can barge in without knocking first. We can go over the rules in the morning when you’re feeling more refreshed.” He was in desperate need of a shower and the pungent aroma of his manly scent was enough to knock down an elephant.
I found his natural manly musk to be something of an aphrodisiac which made my lips quiver with anticipation. I never thought of him as a potential conquest, but this was the kind of man I could definitely sink my teeth into. I could envision him naked, but it was nothing compared to what he looked like today. I was painfully aware that we weren’t related and with a few cocktails things could escalate until we were throwing caution to the wind.
“It was only a plate and it took me a few moments to adjust to the dark before finding the light switch. I don’t want you to be my mother and I would rather you just leave me alone. I’ve had enough of people telling me what to do to last me a lifetime. It’s the nature of being in the Marines and this next tour of duty will be me giving the orders.” I didn’t mind him in control and the very idea of submitting to his will was making me anxious. He wanted his space, but how could I give that to him when he looked like a dish best-served piping hot from the oven.
“My arm is still smarting from what you did and I’m still trying to get the feeling in my fingers.” This was the first time since I’d seen him that he smiled but it was there one second and gone the next.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you, but the best way to deal with an opponent is to make sure the weapon they are using is no longer an issue. Once that is accomplished then hand to hand combat becomes something I can do in my sleep. I’ve been conditioned to be the perfect soldier and I didn’t know what I was getting into when I signed on the dotted line.” He looked like he was ready to break down and tell me some deep dark confession.
I was tempted to put my hand on his muscular shoulder, but he walked away from me like he was a man of authority. His physique was born from discipline and if he flexed his biceps it most likely would have ripped right through the shirt and the jacket at the same time. I was breathing deeply as I followed him up the stairs with the green duffel bag over his shoulder. It weighed a ton and I had no idea what he could possibly have that would make it seem like I was trying to lift a bag full of bricks.
“It is good to see you again, Bailey and it feels like only yesterday that you were following me around like a puppy dog.” He had grown up and had become a young woman’s wet dream come true.
“I have no idea how I’m going to be able to sleep in a real bed.” He was accustomed to a different and harsher way of life.
“It is getting late and we both need our beauty sleep.” I didn’t have any idea how I was going to get to sleep tossing and turning with visions of his disciplined and naked body running through my mind.
“I’ll be up at the crack of dawn and I follow a very strict morning routine. I don’t expect you to get up with me and you’ve never been an early riser.” To see him putting his body to the test would be worth it and I was going to have to seriously consider setting my alarm for an hour earlier than usual.
“I can’t promise anything.” I watched him go into his room with a heavy weight on his shoulder and I wasn’t talking about the duffel bag. He wasn’t the same and there was a lot more baggage to contend with.
“This might be civilian life, but I will always have the military burning in my veins. I could teach you a few moves in self-defense to give you a fighting chance. The best way for you to defend yourself is by using your environment. We can discuss this tomorrow and I can barely keep my eyes open after a 12-hour flight across the Atlantic.” He did look beat, but my mind constantly shifted from how he could easily manipulate my body into whatever position he wanted.