Free KILTED DESIRE - Sands of Betrayal by A.B. McKINLEY

main window. Britney was laying on the couch reading.
Having taken a shower, she was wearing a pair of grey shorts and a tight
fitting white t-shirt with a pink heart on the front. Her hair was still wet
and she was lying with her legs crossed. Her shorts were very short, revealing
a great deal of her long legs.
    “I’m going tae take a nap. If anything bothers yer, just
wake me, it’s nae a problem.”
    She looked up from her book and smiled at him as she ran her
fingers through her damp hair.
    “Okay, I’m not going to stay up long. Just going to read
another chapter, then I’m going to bed.”
    Scott checked the window one last time. Everything seemed
quiet, so he went to nap.
    “Guid night.”
    “Night Scott,” she replied. She wanted him to look at her in
the same way that she looked at him earlier. He did not even seem to notice she
changed her clothes or that she was flirting with him. She was disappointed. Either
he wasn’t the slightest bit interested or he was a great actor. She wondered if
he noticed her looking at him earlier. She really wasn’t sure, but in her mind,
it was just harmless flirting. She would find out if he was interested in her.
If he was, great. If he wasn’t, and she decided she wanted him to be, then
she’d make him. She’d always been able to make men want her and she knew if she
really turned on her charm and he was like all the others, he wouldn’t be able
to resist her.
     
    A few thousand miles away Katie was at work. Her week had
gone quite well. She heard from Scott almost every day. They were both trying
to make the best out of the situation and to be strong for each other. It was just
over two weeks, she thought, as she taught her class. He usually called her in
the afternoon when she finished school and later on at night just before she
went to bed. She knew the cell service in Baghdad was not always reliable so if
she didn’t hear from him, she was not to worry. He told her that he always
checked in with his office before and after any journey. If they did not hear
from him when he was expected to check-in, she was his emergency contact and
they would let her know if there was a problem. So she knew that no news or not
hearing from him meant nothing was wrong. It was difficult, but she was
beginning to come to terms with it.
    Just as Katie was getting in her car to drive home her cell
phone rang. The unavailable number usually meant it was Scott. She answered,
excited to hear his voice.
    “Hey baby, how are yer?”
    “I’m good, how are you doing?” she asked, as she began to
leave the school parking lot.
    “I’m okay. It seems tae be going pretty well reet now, I
miss yer, I want a hug.”
    “Awww, I want a hug too. How were your journeys today?”
    “Nae too bad, we got a wee bit held up at a check point
coming back into the Green Zone, but other than that…”
    Katie heard what sounded like an explosion in the background
as Scott was talking, and then silence. The phone was dead. She was frantic as
she continued driving home, hoping her phone would ring again. Scott moved
quickly to the window to see what was happening. The explosion was loud and so close,
the hotel shook. He lost cell service and hoped Katie had not heard the explosion.
Britney woke up and wasn’t sure if she was dreaming, as she stumbled out of her
bedroom.
     
    “Get back in yer room and under the bed,” Scott quickly
instructed her.
    As he looked out the window, he saw where the blast had occurred,
and for the first time it was on their side of the river. He thought it was
most likely a misplaced mortar shell and it landed on the riverbank just a few
hundred yards from the hotel’s parking lot. He grabbed the binoculars. It was
dark outside, but they were equipped with a night vision setting. He scanned
the riverbanks and buildings on the other side of the river to see if he could
see any activity or sign of anyone firing mortar rounds, but there was nothing.
This blast was the