Falling for Her Soldier by Ophelia London Page B

wasn’t at home alone.
    The rec center wasn’t too crowded yet. A few guys played on the gaming systems in the corner, and a ping pong game was going in the other corner. Ellie found Chick about to enter his office.
    “Hi, Ellie,” he said. “Your friend’s already here.”
    “Friend?”
    Just then, Hunter stumbled out of one of the restrooms. He was wearing lime green rubber gloves and goggles, and carrying a mop.
    “Hey,” she said, feeling a little taken aback. “You’re early.”
    He pulled off the goggles. “I figured I would start my day off right.” He twirled the mop and flashed a smile. Oh boy, he was just about the cutest thing she’d ever seen. “But I saved all the drinking fountains for you.”
    “How generous.”
    “Chick,” Hunter said, poking his head into the office. “What’s next?”
    “No more latrine duty, brother,” Chick said, looking up from his computer. “I know it’s kind of a drag, but would you two mind reshelving books in the library? There’s a huge stack and I haven’t had time.”
    “No problem,” Ellie said, then looked at Hunter. He was standing at a sink in the small janitor’s closet attached to the office, trying to remove his rubber gloves. “That okay with you?” she asked, before her mind drifted too far into remembering an earlier conversation about Hunter and a janitor’s closet.
    “Sure, just give me a minute.” He was trying to yank off the gloves by the fingertips, and not having any luck.
    “Need some help?” she asked, joining him at the sink. “You have to peel them off. Here.” She reached for his hand, but he pulled it away.
    “You can’t imagine the horrors these gloves have seen.”
    “I don’t want to know.” Ellie laughed. “It’s okay, though. That’s what antibacterial soap is for.” She took his hand. “Start at the wrist, not the fingers, and peel back.” She slid off the first glove, revealing his hand an inch at a time, balancing it on top of hers afterward. “See?”
    “You’ve done this before,” Hunter said.
    She looked at him, surprised by how close they were. Despite his having just mopped a bathroom, he smelled really good, spicy and kind of sweet.
    “Will you help me with the other one?” he asked, displaying his right hand.
    Ellie almost reached out, but didn’t. Do not play his flirty game , she told herself.
    “I’m sure you can figure it out,” she said. While he worked at peeling off the other glove, she washed her hands.
    “Where’s the library?” he asked, scrubbing his hands next. “I don’t think I’ve seen it.”
    “I haven’t either, but I know where it is. Down that hall past all the meeting rooms.”
    Hunter held open the closet door for her and the other one that led down the hall. For a player, he had very nice manners.
    “The last room on the right.”
    Hunter stopped at the open door and let Ellie enter first. The room wasn’t huge, but it was bright, bathed in mid-morning light. The west-facing wall had three huge windows, and sunlight shined in through the curtainless glass. The other three walls were floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and the center of the room consisted of two long tables and a dozen chairs. The room was cozy and inviting, resembling a rich person’s private book collection more than a proper library.
    Ellie automatically drifted to the nearest shelf and ran a finger down the spine of a hardback. “Homer,” she said.
    “Which one?”
    “ The Iliad .” She pulled the book out and flipped to the middle. “Have you read it?”
    “Not that one,” Hunter said. “ The Odyssey .”
    “Did you like it?”
    “I don’t remember much about it. Though I do remember Helen of Troy.”
    Ellie rolled her eyes and slid the volume back in its place. “Why does that not surprise me?” She moved to a rolling cart off to the side where about fifty books sat needing homes. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, but it looks like the shelves are organized by title.