Free Red, Hot & Blue 09 - A Prince Among Men by Cat Johnson Page B

to her caused in him, Ryan broke out into a smile. He pictured suggesting to Hawk at the next meeting that they schedule naps before night missions. Ryan nearly laughed out loud at the thought of how well that would go over.
    The amount of time they had to crash only amounted to a few hours of rest total per day. Last night had been an exception. Ryan had actually gotten a fairly solid night’s sleep. Judging by his overactive cock, he was raring to go.
    However, he did need to shower and relieve this tension. Wouldn’t do any good to get killed by the bad guys because he couldn’t keep his mind off his Vicki-induced hard-on.
    While he was at it, he might as well brush his teeth and change into a fresh T-shirt, underwear and socks before he left for the overwatch. Starting out a mission horny and with already smelly and sweat-soaked clothes did not a happy soldier make. Neither did going out hungry. He’d have to grab some chow before he left too.
    Maybe if he satisfied all the rest of his body’s needs, he could keep his mind off wanting Vicki.
    Ryan managed to stop thinking of himself and his horniness long enough to remember something. “Hey. Did you ever get to eat?”
    A wide grin lit Vicki’s face. “Yeah. It was my first MRE.”
    Ryan laughed. The woman actually got excited over eating the thing that was the bane of every soldier’s existence—Meals Ready to Eat. He could fall for a girl like this.
    His stomach began to flutter at that thought. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Ryan blamed it all on the squirrels.

Chapter Seven
    The new moon worked both for and against them. As Ryan had explained to Vicki before he had to tear himself away from her, the baddies used the darkness to cover their movements, just as Ryan’s squad hoped to cover their own as they pushed farther into the countryside.
    The squad had departed the relative safety of the base in the black of night, weapons locked and loaded. The light was so low it was difficult to see even while wearing their night-vision goggles. The world before Ryan’s eyes appeared in shades of green as they trudged the many kilometers silently. Or as silently as a group of men could while carrying assault rucksacks.
    Far from base, Ryan’s squad was basically on their own. The mortar tube they had with them just in case things got bad helped him feel a little bit better. Although, if he screwed up because he couldn’t manage to keep his thoughts from straying to the woman in his mud hut, no amount of weaponry would save him from Hawk’s wrath.
    Behind the lenses of his night-vision goggles, Ryan’s eyes adjusted to the low light conditions. Things became clearer and more distinct with each careful step he took. He tried to stay alert, keeping watch for any nooks or crannies in the mountains that might hide the unseen enemy.
    The night was silent around them as the men moved as rapidly as possible without compromising safety. They only had a short time to reach their destination, but that they arrived there unseen was equally important.
    The ascent became steeper and was riddled with rocks, loose dirt and gravel that gave way underfoot. It sucked, but this path was the best option for them to move into position undetected.
    Ryan had no idea what time it was. He didn’t dare turn on a light to see his watch because it could be seen. The same reason why Hawk couldn’t shine a light on the map of their route he’d memorized before they’d left. In spite of all the technology and gadgets available to the modern-day soldier, tonight Ryan’s squad relied on the same things soldiers hundreds of years ago had—their instincts, a paper map they couldn’t see in the dark and their leader’s ability to keep them from getting lost or killed.
    Clear and bright in the night sky, the stars twinkled. It seemed as if you could reach right up and touch them. Stars were never this bright near the bigger bases or cities where Ryan had spent most of his life. Too many