A Marine of Plenty Read Online Free PDF Page B

danced back to her claimed workstation, she was having a good time.
    The lyrics and smile faltered when she noticed him. Guilt slid through her cheerful expression. “I know, I took it off.”
    “It’s okay.” Not really. He hated that she hadn’t left them on, but practicality told him the kitchen listed as a safe zone and it was hot—too hot for the helmet. Not when sweat curled the wisps of hair escaping from her braid against her forehead and neck. He didn’t like the way her expression fell or the guilt tightening the lines around her eyes.
    “But I agreed—” she argued.
    “Did you get permission before you removed them?” He folded his arms. If she wanted to plead her case, he’d allow it. From her e-mails, he knew she enjoyed making her point.
    “Sergeant Hall said it was okay.”
    The aforementioned sergeant gave him a quick nod of assent.
    “Then it’s okay. Safety first and it’s hot in here, so you were in more danger of heat exhaustion with it on. Makes sense.”
    A sudden cheer lit her face, and his heart donkey-kicked his ribs. Nothing about this woman was as it should be. A civilian in a war zone, a mourning sister fixing Thanksgiving dinner, a protectee who filled him with primal lust and need—yeah, not at all what it should be.
    “Phew. I worried since I promised to follow all the rules.” She added the bread pan to the shelf and set her oven mitts aside. Blowing a puff of breath upward in a vain effort to cool her forehead, she glanced around. “What do you think? These guys really know what they’re doing. We’re almost done with all the desserts and breads. I just put in the last ten loaves and five more pies. The brisket is cooking, then we’ll start the turkeys late tonight, so they can slow roast all night long….”
    His body reacted to the last three words, but he managed a nod. “It looks fantastic.” She looked even better than the food. “Do you have time for a break?”
    “Um….” She glanced around for Sergeant Hall. “Sergeant? Can you keep an eye on the bread? Everything needs to come out in about thirty minutes.”
    “We got this. Go take a break, ma’am.” His immediate agreement brought another smile to Jana’s face.
    “Thank you. I’ll be back to tackle turkeys when the evening meal is done. I also promised to put together those muffins for the breakfast call tomorrow.”
    Charlie frowned. Did she plan on spending her entire night in the kitchen? She hesitated and reached for her gear.
    “It’s fine.” He shook his head. “Carry it with you, but we’re still in a secure spot.” The room had high windows, with shutters that let it light, but obscured a view and his table was far from the main doors. Not perfect, but it would have to do.
    Gratitude curved her mouth and warmed her eyes. “Well, for that you get to sample the peach cobbler I made earlier. We won’t have enough for tomorrow, so Sergeant Hall recommended giving it to the officers for tonight’s meal.”
    “Did he now? Generous.” He guided her from the kitchen and into the bustling mess. Fortunately, the officers he usually ate with had already finished their meals, so he had Jana all to himself. Ignoring the internal fist pump of glee, he pulled a chair out for her and waited until she settled before sitting. A private delivered two trays and, apparently, the cobbler wasn’t all Hall had arranged for the officers to have—fresh, doughy rolls accompanied stew for the evening menu.
    Jana offered him her cobbler. “You want extra?”
    He lifted his brows. “Should I be worried the cook doesn’t want to eat her own dessert?”
    A warm pink suffused her cheeks and she chuckled. “Actually, I don’t tend to eat a lot when I get a good binge meal prep going. I think it’s smelling all the food and sampling now and again—it fills me up—not to mention I don’t really need the added calories. If I ate some of everything I fixed, I’d be big as a barn.”
    Bullshit .
    But he