Hot Pursuit - Denise A. Agnew [10]
“JAG?”
“Judge Advocate General.”
“Oh, right. But it was your word against hers.” Her eyes clouded with uncertainty. “Did the charges stick?”
He shook his head, old anger welling up. “No. Before things could go any further, I guess she regretted it. She told them we’d had a lover’s argument, and she’d lied to get back at me.”
Lucy’s eyes still held the stain of suspicion, and he couldn’t say he blamed her. After all, she didn’t know him that well. “What a mess.”
“A monumental cluster fuck of massive proportions. Didn’t matter that I was vindicated.” He took a deep swig of his beer, suddenly wishing it were something stronger. “It screwed with my reputation. It’s going to take some time to get all shiny again.”
“I’m sorry.” Her fingers pressed his forearm again, then released him.
“Don’t be. I’m not permanently damaged.”
She smiled, and those soft-looking lips tempted. God, when she’d kissed him earlier the heat had seared him down through all levels. This woman affected him more fiercely than Shelly had.
“She called me on the phone today and wanted me to meet up with her for New Year’s Eve. I told her hell no,” he said. “That woman is walking trouble.”
One of Lucy’s eyebrows lifted. She swallowed, as if unsure she should say what she was thinking. “You didn’t tell the military that she was bi-sexual? You could have used that as ammunition for your side.”
He winched. “I could have, but I didn’t want to play dirty. If I could get my name clean by another method, I was willing to try it. She gave JAG the quarreling lovers answer and that doomed her. They’re in the process of kicking her out of the military right now for lying about the sexual harassment.”
Lucy sat there for a moment, apparently processing it all. He didn’t know what conclusion she’d come to, but he’d rather be honest with her straight up.
“Would you have dated her if she had told you right away and admitted she was bi-sexual?”
What could he say, but the truth? “I don’t have anything against people who are bi-sexual. That’s their business. I’d just rather be with a woman who’s into men.” A warm grin slid over her mouth. God, he wanted to kiss her again. He leaned closer, hoping the opportunity would appear soon. “A woman like you.”
She chuckled softly. “Tonight I was really hoping when I first saw you…”
She bit her lower lip for a second, drawing soft flesh between her teeth in a way that made his body yearn.
“Yeah?”
“You might want to be my date tonight.” There was an edge of bashfulness in her statement. “But that’s all changed now.”
He grunted, anger starting to overrun patience. “Because I’m in the military or because you don’t trust me? Come on, Lucy. When I date a woman, I don’t cheat on her. I’m a one-woman man. Let’s just call this old friends catching up.”
Would she be willing to break her no-military rule for one night? He didn’t know what he thought of that. At the same time, his body was responding to hers in an off-the-chart explosion of pure sexual need.
“What about your boyfriend?” he asked.
“He’s history.” More doubt filled her face. “Unless you’re worried I’ll be as crappy a date as I was when we were kids. I must rank right up there with the worst date you ever had.”
Her uncertainty worried him. As time went on, her ready-for-sex attitude seemed to be wearing thin. Maybe she wasn’t as sure about this adventure as she pretended to be.
“Believe it or not, no, you’re not the worst date I ever had. I went to West Point and a girl there threw up on my shoes after drinking too much.”
Lucy laughed, then clapped her hand over her mouth. “Look, I really am sorry what Ann and Carolyn did, but it was my responsibility. I should have stood up to them and said no. I’m sorry that I went along with it. You didn’t deserve that.”
He shook his head and took a big swig of his beer, then put the empty bottle on the table. “If I’d gone with my instincts, I would have realized you didn’t honestly want to go out with me. I was a complete mess.”