Read Hold On (Delos Series Book 5) for Free Online

protested.
    “Oh, yes, I do.” Beau continued to swivel around, looking into the darkness and light rain. “Too many women in the past have been attacked as they were entering or leaving their B-huts.” His shadowed eyes met hers briefly. “Believe me, you’re not going to be one of them.”
    Her hand shook as she placed the key in the lock. “Thanks,” she said a little breathlessly. “It’s nice to have a personal guard dog.” She slipped inside. “Good night, Beau. Thanks for the pizza and beer.” She saw him smile, lift his baseball cap to her, and then settle it back on his head.
    “My pleasure, ma’am. Sleep well. I’ll see you in the morning. Good night.”
    Callie pushed the door closed, her heart pounding with the need for more of Beau. He was being the essential gentleman, which was exactly what she’d wanted. So why did she feel so damned disappointed that he hadn’t gripped her arm, hauled her against him, and kissed her senseless? Because she knew he could have, but he hadn’t.
    There were four rooms with doors within her plywood B-hut. She knocked on Dara’s door quietly, not wanting to wake up the other two women, who were already asleep. Dara didn’t answer. Grinning, Callie would have bet anything that Matt Culver had lured her over to the Eagle’s Nest. It was well known on the base that the black ops groups had their hideaways where they could take a woman, make love to her, and do it without having to worry about the MPs breaking in to ruin their night.
    Turning, she moved into her small, cramped quarters across the hall from her sister’s room. Callie wanted only happiness for her big sister and was proud of Dara for becoming an MD. But Dara didn’t understand the allure of a black ops soldier the way Callie did.
    Although he had a stellar reputation, Matt Culver was still a guy, and Callie was afraid he going to use her sister and then walk away. Maybe she’d have a talk with Dara tomorrow morning at chow to warn her off Matt. But would her sister believe her?
    Not that Matt Culver seemed like the playboy type. The look in his eyes when she’d catch him looking at her sister was more than lust. It went far deeper.
    Muttering to herself, Callie shook her head and shut her door, locking it. She had enough problems of her own with Beau Gardner suddenly popping up in her life. He seemed so damned sincere, and so far, he was scoring very low on her BS meter. In fact, he was off the meter entirely.
    Well, she’d wanted honesty, right? And he was giving it to her. Shedding her clothes, she decided to take a hot shower in the morning when it was light. Callie never liked to walk over to the shower area after dark. There were too many male predators on this base, and in her five years here, women had been mugged and raped. That was not a place she wanted to go.
    Instead, she had a large aluminum bowl, a gallon jug of water sitting beside her dresser, a washcloth, and some soap in a Ziploc bag. She would give herself a spit bath and then go to bed.
    *
    When Callie’s head hit the pillow and she snuggled down into her bed, she immediately began to think about Beau. She loved his low, soft drawl, that boyish twitch of his lips, the warm amusement in his piercing gray eyes—eyes that missed nothing.
    She was sure many people had been fooled by Beau’s good-ol’-boy demeanor. He exuded patience, care, and a sense of protectiveness that appealed strongly to Callie. The man was the whole package for a woman seeking someone steady and reliable in her life. Callie had often dreamed of finding a man who liked babies, and Beau had such a way with the little Afghan girls. That morning, when he’d arrived, they had surrounded him, shy but wanting to be in the sunlight of his aura, his care, and his open, giving warmth. Often, she’d see Beau kneel down, tie a shoelace, help a little girl with a coverall strap that was hanging off her small, thin shoulder. He’d tighten it up just a bit to keep