Free Hot Pursuit: Hot Zone, Book 5 by Denise A. Agnew Page A

special spook-type deployments and so is Keith. They’re gone a lot. Would you be able to stand it if Mitch was still in the military and gone all the time?”
    Neena pushed back her hair and leaned one elbow on the counter. “I guess I wouldn’t know until I had the experience. But I love Mitch with everything inside me. I’d face down a herd of wild animals for him. So, yeah. I’d have married him if he’d still been in the military.”
    Mitch strode back into the room and slipped his hands onto her shoulders. He kissed the side of her neck. “I love you too, darlin’. No chance of wild animals attacking me in Clarksville.”
    Neena patted his hand. “I know, honey. What did you find out about Vic?”
    “I called Jake and he vouches for Vic. Says that even though they don’t know each other well, Vic has a solid reputation in the military. Seems Vic is highly decorated and considered an upstanding soldier. The sexual harassment thing stained things a bit, but it’s cleared up now. ”
    Lucy felt her cheeks turning red. “Thanks, Mitch. I know I can trust him…” She trailed off, unsure of herself in a big way. “That’s not the problem.”
    Mitch smiled. “This sounds like girl talk. Ladies, I’m back to work.” He left the kitchen.
    Neena grinned at Lucy, her eyes sparkling. “You okay? You’re as red as a beet.”
    Lucy rubbed her arms. “I’m embarrassed. Now everyone in Clarksville knows that I’ve got a squiggy for Vic Moore.”
    “Everybody? Just me and Mitch and a few friends. That isn’t everybody.”
    “Feels like it.” She closed her eyes and shook her head before opening them and giving her friend a lopsided smile. “I’m a little confused. One minute I want to pick up the phone and pursue a relationship with him, and the next minute I think it was a great one-night stand, and I should just leave things as they are.”
    Neena smoothed one hand over the granite countertop, her gaze thoughtful. “Every relationship is confusing and has its ups and downs.”
    “Even yours?”
    “Even mine. Welcome to being in love.”
    Love? “Uh, no. I am not in love with Vic. I just met him.”
    “In severe lust then.”
    That she could admit to. “Major lust.”
    “What are you going to do about it?”
    Now that was the question, wasn’t it?
     
     
    When Vic strode into his room at the inn Sunday night, it felt damned cold. He turned up the heat and stood for a moment soaking in a restless feeling he didn’t understand how to banish. He’d spent a couple of hours with Jake and Marisa, happy to see his fellow soldier and his pretty wife. They’d introduced him to Sean O’Callahan, an Army reservist, and his wife Eve. The men had talked computers and war while Eve and Marisa had taken their conversation to the kitchen and fixed dinner.
    Vic found Sean and Eve very nice people, and his time with Jake was like being with a close friend, he felt like they understood each other well and they could build a stronger friendship. They’d tasted bad water and even nastier food when they worked in the desert together. They’d bonded the way only soldiers could when confronted with tough times. Jake had revealed that their Special Forces unit was returning to Fort Carson, so he and Marisa would be moving there. They expected fellow Special Forces officer Keith Wallace and his wife Freddie to get orders soon. So there would probably be more opportunities in the future to get to know all of them better.
    Not surprisingly, word had already gotten around that Army Major Daniel Mendoza had tried and failed to rearrange a fellow officer’s face. Luckily for Danny, Vic was in a good enough mood New Year’s Eve to give Danny a break. The fact Lucy didn’t plan to go back with Danny made Vic damned happy. On the other hand, he didn’t know that for certain, did he? What if Lucy had changed her mind about the rat bastard? Jesus, he hoped not. Worry crept in. Vic wanted to growl, wanted to pick up the