Free Honeybun Hottie (Plus Size Romance 5) by Lynn Cooper Page B

fact, that the biggest, baddest terrorist in all of ISIS—Ahsan Kahlaf—had put a bounty on Sean’s head.  Kahlaf had sent one his top-secret operatives to the United States three months ago to take Sean out.  The attempt on his life happened the very evening he had gone on the best date in the history of dates with the sexiest, most breathtaking woman in the whole world. 
    That night seemed like a lifetime ago.  Since then, he had let his crewcut grow out. Still, there was no mistaking him for a civilian; his daily attire was a traditional Marine Corps combat utility uniform, minus any of the accoutrements.  Here at Camp Semper Fi everyone knew Sean was in charge.  There was no need for rank insignias, medals of valor or any other symbols representing his strength, power and authority.  Only he wasn’t feeling so strong, powerful or authoritative at the moment.  His stomach was literally tied in knots.  His bulging, hard-as-concrete thigh muscles trembled, making him lock his knees in an effort to steady them.
    Knowing the beautiful Blythe Dalton would be arriving any minute made him more skittish than navigating a hundred minefields ever had.  It also made him horny enough to rip the bark off every hardwood in a five-mile radius with his teeth.  How many times had he thought about her, dreamed about her, craved her company in the last three months? Too damn many to count. 
    Sean’s drive and ambition throughout his twenty-year military career had taken every minute of his time and energy, leaving him none for a social life.  When Shelly, his childhood neighbor and friend, had asked him to take her bestie on a blind date, he had jumped at the chance to spend an evening with a voluptuous, curvy woman.  And a damn fine evening it was, too.  He and Blythe had dined at a quaint little Italian restaurant, lingering over a delicious meal and a bottle of wine.  The dinner conversation had been comfortable, light and easy.  She had laughed at his jokes while he basked in the beauty of her smile.  The lilt of her sweet, sexy voice had stirred desires deep inside him.  Ones long lain dormant, tamped down by the stress and pressure of one dicey special ops mission after another.
    The memory of that magical evening played in his head like forlorn notes of an old remembered song. 
    Their date had been the social highlight of his life.  After finishing a succulent meal of antipasto salad, veal Parmesan and fresh bread slathered with butter, they had leisurely walked hand-in-hand down the cobblestone streets of Langston.  Silently, they took in the majestic, historic homes that had been standing since the Civil War. Dusk began to settle.  A soft rain fell, but neither minded as they rounded the corner to turn down a dimly-lit side street. 
    The seductive, sepia-toned sky reflected in Blythe’s big brown eyes had mesmerized him, drawing him deeper into her sensual orbit.  Pulling her behind a gigantic oak out of the sight of any onlookers, he had pressed her back against the trunk before nudging her lips apart with his tongue.  The sweet torture of that unhurried kiss, and the taste of her delicious lips rocked him to his core.
    When he had opened his eyes to look into hers, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled.  It was then he caught sight of the ISIS operative.  A skilled assassin dressed in all black with only one intention—to kill Sergeant Sean Warrington and anyone else who happened to be in the way.
     
    ON EITHER SIDE OF the arched entrance to Camp Semper Fi stood two male marines—a cute blond and an intense-looking, dark-haired soldier decked out in Dress Blues .  Long-sleeved, midnight-blue coats trimmed in red, hugged their massive, muscular chests and shoulders.  The white, webbed belts with gold buckles cinched around tapered waists accentuated their fine physiques.  Sky-blue slacks with a blood-red stripe running down the outer leg drew the female eye to bulging, masculine thighs.