A Marine for Christmas (Hearts Ablaze: Men in Uniform) (3 page)

Jason pulled up to the gates at Quantico, flashing his military ID.  The guards waved him through, and he drove on base.  God, some of these kids looked young.  He’d undoubtedly looked the same way when he’d joined the Marines at eighteen, but man, if it didn’t make him feel old to see these fresh-faced guys jogging around base.  He could keep up with the best of them, but while their priorities each weekend were hitting the bars with their buddies and looking for the nearest pretty girl, Jason had been there and done that.  He had other responsibilities now and was looking to settle down.

His
four-year-old son Brian lived with his ex-wife Kristin in California.  He flew out there as often as he could to see him, now that he was back stateside, but if that constant travel alongside his long work hours didn’t make finding and maintaining a relationship difficult, if not damn near impossible, he wasn’t sure what did.  He’d barely had time to see his neighbors, let alone get out with any of the guys on base or meet any new friends since moving here over the summer.  Hopefully once the new custody arrangement was settled he’d get to see more of Brian.  He wasn’t holding his breath though.  Although things with Kristin were surprisingly civil, his military status and constant deployments made it easy to see why the judge had granted sole custody to her.  Now that Brian was a little older and Jason was stationed in Virginia, he was hoping they could work out a new agreement.

Anything that would let him see his son more and avoid the constant cross-country flights was bound to be better for
him.  He just hoped it would also be better for Brian.  A boy needed his father, and he would do his damned best to make sure he was there for him.  Hell, Jason’s parents had been married forty years.  It was hard not to want the same thing for himself now that he was older.

“Morning, Sir,” one of the young Marines said as Jason walked in.

“Morning, Smith.  Do you have those briefs ready for me?”

“Yes, Sir,” he replied, handing Jason the stack of files.

“Excellent.  I’ll be in my office.  See you in the meeting at ten hundred?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Excellent.  Dismissed.”

The young Marine walked away as Jason carried the
files to his office.  Dropping them to his desk and eyeing the huge stack, he knew he’d be reading through the materials all morning.  First things first though—he really needed a strong cup of coffee.

“Unbelievable,” Amy muttered
that afternoon, heaving Ben’s skiing equipment up the stairs from her basement.  Ben wanted to stop by
with
his new girlfriend?  On their way
to the airport?  She didn’t think so.  She’d told him she’d leave everything on the front porch.  No way was she waiting around for them to come by on their way to a romantic ski retreat. 
No way. 
She could just imagine them holed up in some ski resort in Colorado.  Snuggling in front of the fire—no,
making love
in front of the fire, in the privacy of their own suite.  Why bother bringing skis at all?  Would they even leave their room?  Ha.

As if she needed to start her weekend this way.
  Friday afternoons were supposed to be relaxing.  Instead of going on a run, she’d rushed home to gather his things.  And now she had to
leave.
  It wasn’t like she was going to sit around waiting for him.  Amy dropped the gear on the front porch, watching as one of the ski poles clattered to the ground.  She could leave it there, but then Ben would think she’d thrown it down on purpose.  He’d probably know she was still angry at him.  Still in love with him was more like it.

Amy sighed as she shoved the ski pole back into the bag.  She had broken up with Ben.  It was her fault they weren’t still together.  But somewhere in the back of her mind she’d always thought they’d work things out.  That he’d wait for her to be ready
and not quite so scared.  She just never thought he’d move on so quickly with someone else.

Walking back inside, she
hurried upstairs to change.  She pulled on her black running tights, a snug tee shirt, and lightweight fleece zip-up.  Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, she thought she heard a car door slam outside. 
Damn it.
  She’d been hoping she’d be long gone by the time Ben arrived.  It was bad enough that she couldn’t have him anymore, but she certainly didn’t need to see him with someone else.

Amy was just walking downstairs as she heard the doorbell ringing.  No worry.  She’d head out the back and cut through her neighbor’s yard, jogging down the street before circling back to her own
street later on.  She was not in the mood for a friendly chat with Ben and certainly not in the mood for Ben plus one.  Quietly sliding the glass door leading to her deck open, she smiled as she adjusted her ponytail.  Hopefully Ben wouldn’t suspect her of sneaking out.  Her car was in the driveway, so he knew that she was at home.

Thankful that her neighbors weren’t
there to see her jogging through their backyard, Amy came out on the street just behind hers.  It ran parallel to her own, and she’d jog down it to the main road leading toward the trails she usually ran on.  She’d have to make do with a shorter workout today, but she could already begin to feel the tension leaving her body and her head beginning to clear as her feet pounded on the pavement.  There was no substitute for a great workout, and after a week of teaching preschoolers and dealing with the problems of seemingly everyone else in her life, she was finally, blissfully alone.

***

Jason squinted at the sight of someone coming toward him in the distance.  The sun was setting, but as it went down, it was practically blinding him as he jogged up the street toward his neighborhood.  Still, the person running toward him almost looked like his neighbor Amy.  At that moment she veered left, turning onto their street, and as he glanced away from the direction of the sun to catch sight of her profile, he was certain.  He’d recognize that silky brown hair (now pulled back in a high ponytail that bounced up and down as she ran) and those luscious curves anywhere.

He felt a tightening in his groin as he realized her ponytail wasn’t the only thing bouncing
as she moved.  Her tight tee shirt was stretched across her breasts, and although he was sure she had on one of those sports bras or whatever it was that female joggers wore, there was no doubt she was all woman underneath her running attire.  Although the rest of her body was tight and toned, those breasts could be described as nothing other than voluptuous.  In a flash he imagined her wet, naked in the shower after her run.  He grinned to himself—he would be in need of a majorly cold shower if he kept up this line of thinking.

Football
.  A game was on later tonight.  He’d think about football.  And his trip out to California next weekend.  His body began to relax ever-so-slightly, and he concentrated on a list of all the things he’d need to pack.

H
e decided to pick up the pace anyway to catch up to her.

***

Thank God Ben’s car was gone
, Amy thought as she slowed her pace to jog down her own street.  She knew he wouldn’t stick around.  After all, she’d left his things on the front porch exactly as promised.  If anything, he might’ve just rung the doorbell to thank her before he went on his way.  But her leaving his things out front sent a clear message—get lost.  I’m in no mood for small talk.

Her short run had certainly cleared her head though.  The crisp autumn air filled her lungs, blood pumped through her body, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so alive.  All in all, the weekend
was now off to a great start.  She had plans to kick back and relax at home tonight, but tomorrow she and Melissa were going out with a group of their girlfriends.  Drinks, dinner, and dancing sounded like an awesome way to catch up and spend a Saturday night.

Frowning, Amy realized that she heard footsteps pounding the pavement behind her. 
Footsteps that were ever so steadily getting closer. 
It was just another jogger,
she reassured herself.  She glanced back over her shoulder and was startled to see her neighbor Jason.  Six foot two and the very definition of tall, dark, and handsome, she found herself slightly startled that she’d never noticed just
how
handsome before.  Sure, with his chiseled features, dark, shortly cropped hair and piercing blue eyes, she’d always thought he was attractive.  But what drew her attention now were his broad shoulders and bulging biceps, his muscular chest that narrowed down to a slim waistline.  She felt a slight stirring inside her that she certainly hadn’t felt with anyone since Ben.  Jason was definitely as good looking as Melissa had said.  How was it that she hadn’t exactly noticed him before?

“Amy, right?” he asked, his
deep voice rugged and sexy.  Or maybe he was just slightly out of breath from his run.

“Yes,” she replied, hoping she wouldn’t sound as flustered as she felt.  “And you’re Jason?”

He easily caught up to her and slowed his pace to match hers.  “Guilty as charged.  I hope I didn’t scare you coming up behind you like that.”

“Oh, you’re fine.  I heard you coming.”

“I don’t usually run around here.”

“Yeah, I wondered—I’ve never seen you out before.  I prefer the trails myself.”

“Oh yeah?  I’ll have to check those out sometime.  I usually just run on base.”

They slowed down as they approached their own houses.  Amy stopped to
stretch for a moment as Jason glanced over to her front porch.

“Expecting a delivery?”

“No,” she said looking over to where his gaze fell.  A huge cardboard box was sitting on her doormat, blocking the front door.  “Unbelievable,” she muttered, shaking her head.

“Something wrong?”

“My ex must have dropped it off.  I left some things of his on the porch.  Some skis.  We broke up this summer.  That must be my TV.”

Jason looked slightly amused as she rambled on.  “I’m
sorry, it’s not your problem.  I just can’t believe he’d leave a TV on my front porch.  I told him just to keep it anyway.  I mean how am I supposed to even move that thing?”

“I’ll help you get it inside,” Jason said, his deep
voice quiet and smooth.

“Oh, you don’t have to,” Amy said, waving him off.

“I insist.  Come on,” he said, gesturing for her to follow him.  She followed him up her own driveway and couldn’t help but stare at his ass as he moved.  She bit her lip, trying to keep from laughing.  He probably wasn’t expecting to be ogled when he’d offered his assistance.  He bent down and heaved the giant box up in his arms as she watched, slightly dumbfounded.

“Okay, um, just hang on a sec.”  She turned her back to Jason and reached down into her shirt to retrieve her key from her sports bra. 
Note to self: find new place to store key.
  Like in her sock.  Or a hidden rock.  Or anywhere but her cleavage.

Jason smiled as she turned back around.  He was too polite to say anything, but she was certain he knew she’d just been tugging her key from her
shirt.  Cheeks flaming, she struggled with putting the key into the lock.  Now he’d think she was an idiot who couldn’t even open up her front door.  Relief flooded through her as she finally turned the key and pushed the door open.  At least, if nothing else, her home was clean and presentable.

“So, where do you want this?”
he asked, seeing a small flat screen TV already set up in her living room.

“Um, maybe the basement?” she said, gesturing toward the stairs.  “Here, let me help you,” she said, walking over to assist.

“I got it; no problem.”  Jason said, easily carrying the box downstairs.  Her basement was finished, but aside from wall-to-wall carpeting and paint on the drywall, it was completely empty.

“Anywhere is fine.  I wasn’t really planning to have an extra TV down here.”

“Well, someday you’ll have kids.”

“Kids?”

“Sure, you’ll want a spare TV then.  You’ll watch your show; they’ll watch theirs.”

“
Right,” she said uneasily.  What did he know about children?  As far as she knew, he lived completely alone.  Maybe he had some nieces and nephews or something.

Jason carefully set the box down against the far wall.  “This is heavy, so let me know if you need help setting it up sometime.  I’d be happy to move it for you.”

“Oh, thanks.  You’ve done more than enough.  I don’t know how I would’ve gotten that thing inside.

“My pleasure.
  So, I should get going,” he said, gesturing toward the stairs.  Jason knew she probably didn’t want a strange man hanging around in her house, even if they were neighbors.  Plus, he wanted to grab a shower after his run.

“Right,” Amy agreed.  “I need to shower and change anyway.”  She headed back up the stairs with Jason behind her.

“Your place is a lot nicer than mine,” Jason said admiringly.  “I could use a decorator or something,” he chuckled.  “Where did you buy your artwork?”

“Oh, I actually painted
those myself,” Amy said, feeling a slight blush come over her.

“You’re a painter?”

“Preschool teacher actually.  But I paint in my spare time.”

“Consider me impressed.  These are amazing.”

“Thank you,” Amy replied with a genuine smile.

Jason eyed the painting of the ballet dancer a moment longer before locking eyes with Amy. “So, I’ll see you soon,” Jason replied, flashing
her a grin.

“Right, see you soon.”

Jason didn’t mean anything by that
, Amy told herself as she closed the door behind him.  They were neighbors.  Of course she’d see him again.  Soon.  She smiled and practically bounced into the kitchen to grab a glass of water before her shower.  Why did it suddenly feel like her day had ended on a much better note than it had started with?