leaving marks. She'd latched onto his throat more times than he could count. Of course, he didn't really try. He'd been too busy flashing back to the night with Chloe, remembering her teeth grazing his skin, reliving the slide of her flesh against his, and hearing the way she sucked in a breath when she'd been close to orgasm. A shudder tore through him, and he shook it off. God, he needed to forget his brother's girlfriend.
Or maybe fiancée, by now.
Jace turned the shower to cold and ducked directly under the spray. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he shut the knob off and grabbed a towel. The frigid temp didn't wipe the memory away, but it did wake him the hell up.
Wrapping the terrycloth around his waist, he cracked the door open to find his room empty. Heaving a sigh of relief, he got dressed and gathered his gear. He still had over eight hours before they'd launch for the Nimmy, but he wouldn't sleep. Too much stuff warred for attention in his head. Exiting into the corridor, he headed for the far end of the station. He stopped for a giant cup of coffee at the officer's mess, then continued on his walkabout. Ruthlessly shoving thoughts of Chloe and Marc aside, he focused on trying to figure out what he wanted to do about the future. His gut churned when he thought about re-upping for another stint. But it might be better in the long run. Staying in would keep his contact with family to a minimum. Marc and Chloe deserved their chance to be happy, and Jace didn't want to get in the way. Not that he could. Hell, he didn't even know exactly how he felt about Chloe. And he didn't want to examine things too closely. Much easier to lock his emotions up and look ahead.
He did his best, wandering around the station, mentally listing pros and cons. Back and forth, up and down, he weighed his options. He got exactly nowhere to close to a decision, and he barely made the transport flight back. He'd spent so much time with his head up his ass he had to run to get there.
Jagger slapped him on the shoulder, misinterpreting the reason Jace showed up only seconds before roll call. "Welcome back, man. We've got even numbers again." He waggled his eyebrows. "Even I can't handle threesomes all the time, dude."
Paul Jaginski might be one of Jace's closest friends, but he made having sex with two women sound like the ultimate contact sport. Jace couldn't even deal with one anymore. He shrugged and kept his mouth shut. He wouldn't bother setting Jag straight.
If he tried, he'd have to admit to going through the motions long enough to make sure the perky-titted blonde left his bed satisfied and not much else. Climbing on board, Jace settled back and prayed for sleep. Maybe he'd find some answers in a dream.
He couldn't seem to find them anywhere else.
Chapter Seven
Chloe thought she'd be ready. But Marc caught her off guard. He'd returned from maneuvers in a somber mood. His platoon leader had announced he'd been diagnosed with terminal cancer and he'd be retiring from service immediately. The guys had thrown him an impromptu party the previous day, and Marc didn't want to talk about the fact he'd never see his CO again. The man boarded a flight for his home planet to spend what remained of his life with his family.
Chloe figured Marc would hold off on whatever big surprise he'd planned. She really should've known Marc would bounce back and decide life didn't last long enough to wait for anything he wanted.
They'd finished up a quick stir-fry she'd made for dinner. Not one of Marc's favorites, but she'd been running late after meeting with her CO about the new class of cadets. The meeting hadn't gone great. Major Rafael Ferenza asked her point-blank when she'd shoved a stick up her ass. She'd been snapping at students and losing her patience—definitely not her standard operating procedure—the first week of class. Her personal issues had taken a toll, but she assured her boss she'd dial it back and go easier on the
Or maybe fiancée, by now.
Jace turned the shower to cold and ducked directly under the spray. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he shut the knob off and grabbed a towel. The frigid temp didn't wipe the memory away, but it did wake him the hell up.
Wrapping the terrycloth around his waist, he cracked the door open to find his room empty. Heaving a sigh of relief, he got dressed and gathered his gear. He still had over eight hours before they'd launch for the Nimmy, but he wouldn't sleep. Too much stuff warred for attention in his head. Exiting into the corridor, he headed for the far end of the station. He stopped for a giant cup of coffee at the officer's mess, then continued on his walkabout. Ruthlessly shoving thoughts of Chloe and Marc aside, he focused on trying to figure out what he wanted to do about the future. His gut churned when he thought about re-upping for another stint. But it might be better in the long run. Staying in would keep his contact with family to a minimum. Marc and Chloe deserved their chance to be happy, and Jace didn't want to get in the way. Not that he could. Hell, he didn't even know exactly how he felt about Chloe. And he didn't want to examine things too closely. Much easier to lock his emotions up and look ahead.
He did his best, wandering around the station, mentally listing pros and cons. Back and forth, up and down, he weighed his options. He got exactly nowhere to close to a decision, and he barely made the transport flight back. He'd spent so much time with his head up his ass he had to run to get there.
Jagger slapped him on the shoulder, misinterpreting the reason Jace showed up only seconds before roll call. "Welcome back, man. We've got even numbers again." He waggled his eyebrows. "Even I can't handle threesomes all the time, dude."
Paul Jaginski might be one of Jace's closest friends, but he made having sex with two women sound like the ultimate contact sport. Jace couldn't even deal with one anymore. He shrugged and kept his mouth shut. He wouldn't bother setting Jag straight.
If he tried, he'd have to admit to going through the motions long enough to make sure the perky-titted blonde left his bed satisfied and not much else. Climbing on board, Jace settled back and prayed for sleep. Maybe he'd find some answers in a dream.
He couldn't seem to find them anywhere else.
Chapter Seven
Chloe thought she'd be ready. But Marc caught her off guard. He'd returned from maneuvers in a somber mood. His platoon leader had announced he'd been diagnosed with terminal cancer and he'd be retiring from service immediately. The guys had thrown him an impromptu party the previous day, and Marc didn't want to talk about the fact he'd never see his CO again. The man boarded a flight for his home planet to spend what remained of his life with his family.
Chloe figured Marc would hold off on whatever big surprise he'd planned. She really should've known Marc would bounce back and decide life didn't last long enough to wait for anything he wanted.
They'd finished up a quick stir-fry she'd made for dinner. Not one of Marc's favorites, but she'd been running late after meeting with her CO about the new class of cadets. The meeting hadn't gone great. Major Rafael Ferenza asked her point-blank when she'd shoved a stick up her ass. She'd been snapping at students and losing her patience—definitely not her standard operating procedure—the first week of class. Her personal issues had taken a toll, but she assured her boss she'd dial it back and go easier on the
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