she finally managed, relieved that her voice didn’t betray her inner fear.
“Not too often. As I said, we have a pretty good surveillance system set up on the perimeter, but a strike could occur at any time, so it’s best to be prepared.”
“Of course.” She wondered what she would do if a strike happened during the night, when he wasn’t with her? “So just where are these bunkers?”
“They’re situated about every one hundred yards throughout the base,” he assured her. “Don’t look so worried. You’ll be fine. I’m not going to leave you, so if anything should happen, I’ll be right there with you.”
That’s what Kate was afraid of. She was more or less accustomed to being in the company of good-looking men, most of them associated with the music industry. But she wasn’t used to having male attention focused on her. Most of the men she knew were only interested in how her association with Tenley could benefit them. Kate had simply been a means to an end, or completely invisible. Having Chase’s full and undivided attention made her feel funny inside, as if she was either very fragile or very important. No man had ever acted as her protector before, or even indicated that he cared one way or the other about her well-being.
As the Humvee drove across the base, Chase pointed out various buildings along the way, including the base exchange store, a small post office, a recreation center and a fitness center.
“You seem pretty familiar with this place,” Kate observed. “Do you spend a lot of time here?”
He shrugged. “This is my fourth tour. I’ve spent time on just about every U.S. base in the country at one time or another.”
They pulled to a stop outside a large building constructed of corrugated metal, which Chase explained was the supply center. Inside, Kate saw it was really a warehouse filled with floor-to-ceiling shelves loaded with bins and bags. She followed Chase up and down the aisles as he selected items seemingly at random. Finally, when his arms were full, he made his way to a small window where a uniformed soldier dumped everything into a duffel bag and had him sign a hand-receipt.
“Think you can carry this?” Chase asked, handing her the duffel bag.
Kate took it from him, and nearly buckled under the weight. “What do you have in here?” she asked, grimacing. “Rocks?”
Reaching out, Chase took the bag from her as if it weighed nothing. “Your new protective gear.” He grinned. “You won’t be required to use it here unless we come under attack, but when we head to some of the FOBs, you’ll need to wear it whenever you go outside.”
They returned to the Humvee, and Kate watched as Chase stowed the duffel bag in the back of the vehicle. “What’s an FOB?”
“A forward operating base. Those are the smaller bases that are essentially on the front lines, away from the central command centers. They don’t have much in the way of amenities, which is why they really appreciate it when entertainers come out to visit them.”
“Are FOBs dangerous?”
“They can be,” he acknowledged. “Some more than others.”
She digested his words silently, envisioning a primitive, fortresslike base surrounded by a perimeter of thick mud walls, sandbags and concertina wire, while terrorists lurked behind rocks and bushes, just waiting for the right moment to launch an attack.
“Having second thoughts?” he asked perceptively.
She tipped her chin up and met his eyes determinedly. “Of course not.”
He studied her face for a long moment, and then raised a hand to briefly cup her cheek and rub his thumb over her jaw. “Good,” he said.
As he climbed back into the Humvee, Kate put her fingers where his hand had been. In that instant, she understood that Chase Rawlins posed a greater danger to her than any mortars or insurgent attacks.
CHASE WANTED NOTHING MORE than to get Kate Fitzgerald settled in her own quarters so that he could get away from her, even for a few hours. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t stop his imagination from retreating back to his housing unit at Bagram, and his bedroom, where he could once again envision her spread out beneath him. He hadn’t meant to kiss her, but when she’d pressed her lips against his own, he’d been unable to resist her softness.
She’d smelled like sugar and vanilla and he’d wanted to consume her. He still couldn’t believe he’d lost control the way he had. His only excuse was that he’d been in Afghanistan for way too long, away from everything soft and feminine and sexy. But goddamn, when he recalled how gorgeous she’d looked on his bed, with her luscious breasts in his hands, he grew aroused all over again. He could have taken her right then; could have used her welcoming body to satisfy his own raging desire.
But he didn’t want her like that. He had nothing to offer any woman right now, not when he was committed to the Army and still had six months left of his current deployment. Kate didn’t deserve to be used, and he wouldn’t let himself take advantage of her, even if she thought it was what she wanted.
After he’d left her, he’d gone over to his command headquarters building, intending to catch up on the reports he was required to submit regarding the hunt for Al-Azir. But he’d been so distracted and aroused that he’d finally headed across to the fitness center and worked out his frustration on the treadmill and weight machines. Then he’d found himself in front of his housing unit just before dawn, imagining Kate inside, sleeping in his bed. He’d been tempted to go in and wake her up and finish what they’d started, but common sense had overcome his libido.
For the first time, he wished he could be more like his twin brother, Chance, who never passed up an opportunity to get busy with an attractive woman. At least, he used to be like that. Now Chance was fully committed to the pretty Black Hawk pilot, Jenna Larson, who had flown them from Bagram to Camp Leatherneck. They weren’t talking marriage—at least not yet—but Chase knew there was no way his brother was going to let Jenna get away. He was happy for both of them, but he wasn’t looking for something similar. He didn’t need to complicate his life with a relationship that had zero chance of going anywhere, no matter how appealing he might find Kate.
When he’d first learned that he would escort her to each of the bases, he’d contacted the USO at Camp Leatherneck and had learned that Kate could stay in the tent designated for the other performers. Chase suspected it would be very much like the one at Bagram Air Base, only this time there would be no other women bunking with her; she would be completely alone. Since he didn’t have his own housing unit on Camp Leatherneck, Chase wouldn’t have the option of letting her sleep in his quarters.
As he suspected, the Humvee drew to a stop in front of a large tent, nearly identical to the one at Bagram. The wind had picked up and buffeted the canvas sides, causing them to billow out and suck back in. Kate stared out the window and Chase was unable to read her expression.
Climbing out of the Humvee, he opened the back and whistled to Charity, who bounded down and began exploring the area around the tent. He grabbed Kate’s duffel bag and waited for her to join him.
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” she asked. The wind picked up tendrils of her hair and blew them across her mouth, and
