Read Online Prince Charming in Dress Blues by Maureen Child - Free Book Online
Authors: Maureen Child
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they’d underlined that disapproval by not bothering to call her since.
Yet here John was, with a family that wanted him. Needed him. And he was doing everything he could to avoid being involved.
“I suppose you’d jump at the chance to run P3.”
“You bet,” she said instantly. Then a moment later she asked, “I’ve always wondered. Why P3? How’d your father come up with that name?”
“ P for Paretti and the 3 for his sons.”
“Ahh…”
He nodded. “Masters at guilt, we Italians. Even when he was starting out, I guess he figured that naming the computer after us would bring us all in on it.”
“And he was wrong.”
“Up until now.”
“So you’ve already made up your mind,” she said, watching his face. “You’re going to leave the Marine Corps.”
“I haven’t decided yet for sure, but yeah.” His gaze shifted away from her, and he stared off into nothingness as if trying to imagine his life outside the Corps. “I just don’t see any other way around it.”
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, watching his face as he slowly turned back to look at her.
He shrugged and gave her a smile that tugged at the edges of her heart, and Annie knew that this was a man who could easily shatter the best-laid defenses around a woman’s soul.
“Hey,” he said, “we do what we have to do. You’ll work your butt off for Jordan.”
“And you’ll sign your life away out of duty to your parents.”
“It’s not like I’m going to be sent to the gulag,” he told her on a short laugh. “The company’s in Florida.”
That’s not how it looked from where she was standing, but she didn’t have the right to say so, did she? They weren’t lovers. Heck, they weren’t even friends. Fate had thrown them together for a brief period of time, and that time was almost over.
He lifted one hand, reached out to briefly cup her cheek. The shock of warmth splintered throughout her body, and Annie damn near sizzled with it. When his hand dropped to his side again, she drew in a long, ragged breath. Good heavens, what was she doing here? Why was she allowing her hormones to turn her into a drooling pool of want?
She wasn’t looking for a man.
She didn’t want a man.
And maybe if she kept repeating that over and over again for the next ten years, her body might believe her.
Seven
“Y ou don’t have to do this,” Annie said for the third time in the past fifteen minutes.
“It’s no problem,” John told her. Head inside her car, busily strapping the new child seat into place, his voice came muffled, since he didn’t bother to turn toward her.
“But you driving us home will leave your car here,” she pointed out, beginning to feel just a bit like a broken record. She’d already told him all of this and it didn’t seem to matter. He’d set his course and she had the distinct impression it would take a full battalion to make him change his mind.
The roads were clear, and Annie was anxious to get home. Not so much because she missed her small, two-bedroom apartment. But because she really needed to get as far away as possible from a certain Marine. Andhis volunteering to drive her and the baby home wasn’t going to make that easy.
“I’m perfectly fine,” she said, meaning every word, despite the twinge of discomfort that resulted from any too-quick movements. But she was doing nicely. All she needed was a few more weeks to get back into shape—and a little distance from John Paretti to get her hormones back under control.
This time he did turn around. Those pale-blue eyes glittered and sent a shower of sparks dancing through her body. For heaven’s sake.
Letting his gaze slide up and down her body in a slow, appreciative stare, he waited until he was looking directly into her eyes before saying, “I will admit you look good. Still, the baby’s not even a week old. I don’t want you driving down the mountain all alone. There may be spots in the road that haven’t been cleared
Yet here John was, with a family that wanted him. Needed him. And he was doing everything he could to avoid being involved.
“I suppose you’d jump at the chance to run P3.”
“You bet,” she said instantly. Then a moment later she asked, “I’ve always wondered. Why P3? How’d your father come up with that name?”
“ P for Paretti and the 3 for his sons.”
“Ahh…”
He nodded. “Masters at guilt, we Italians. Even when he was starting out, I guess he figured that naming the computer after us would bring us all in on it.”
“And he was wrong.”
“Up until now.”
“So you’ve already made up your mind,” she said, watching his face. “You’re going to leave the Marine Corps.”
“I haven’t decided yet for sure, but yeah.” His gaze shifted away from her, and he stared off into nothingness as if trying to imagine his life outside the Corps. “I just don’t see any other way around it.”
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, watching his face as he slowly turned back to look at her.
He shrugged and gave her a smile that tugged at the edges of her heart, and Annie knew that this was a man who could easily shatter the best-laid defenses around a woman’s soul.
“Hey,” he said, “we do what we have to do. You’ll work your butt off for Jordan.”
“And you’ll sign your life away out of duty to your parents.”
“It’s not like I’m going to be sent to the gulag,” he told her on a short laugh. “The company’s in Florida.”
That’s not how it looked from where she was standing, but she didn’t have the right to say so, did she? They weren’t lovers. Heck, they weren’t even friends. Fate had thrown them together for a brief period of time, and that time was almost over.
He lifted one hand, reached out to briefly cup her cheek. The shock of warmth splintered throughout her body, and Annie damn near sizzled with it. When his hand dropped to his side again, she drew in a long, ragged breath. Good heavens, what was she doing here? Why was she allowing her hormones to turn her into a drooling pool of want?
She wasn’t looking for a man.
She didn’t want a man.
And maybe if she kept repeating that over and over again for the next ten years, her body might believe her.
Seven
“Y ou don’t have to do this,” Annie said for the third time in the past fifteen minutes.
“It’s no problem,” John told her. Head inside her car, busily strapping the new child seat into place, his voice came muffled, since he didn’t bother to turn toward her.
“But you driving us home will leave your car here,” she pointed out, beginning to feel just a bit like a broken record. She’d already told him all of this and it didn’t seem to matter. He’d set his course and she had the distinct impression it would take a full battalion to make him change his mind.
The roads were clear, and Annie was anxious to get home. Not so much because she missed her small, two-bedroom apartment. But because she really needed to get as far away as possible from a certain Marine. Andhis volunteering to drive her and the baby home wasn’t going to make that easy.
“I’m perfectly fine,” she said, meaning every word, despite the twinge of discomfort that resulted from any too-quick movements. But she was doing nicely. All she needed was a few more weeks to get back into shape—and a little distance from John Paretti to get her hormones back under control.
This time he did turn around. Those pale-blue eyes glittered and sent a shower of sparks dancing through her body. For heaven’s sake.
Letting his gaze slide up and down her body in a slow, appreciative stare, he waited until he was looking directly into her eyes before saying, “I will admit you look good. Still, the baby’s not even a week old. I don’t want you driving down the mountain all alone. There may be spots in the road that haven’t been cleared
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