What Part of Marine Don't You Understand? (The Challenge Series) Read Online Free PDF

old Mustang.” Such a lie, the ’66 hard body classic was to die for, but she couldn’t let him tweak her without returning a volley.
    “Well all right then, what do you want?”
    “What would you say if I met a Marine that I actually liked?”
    “I’d ask why the hell you don’t like the rest of us?” The playful retort was the verbal equivalent of tugging her braids when they were kids.
    “No, I mean, like…liked. The I-wouldn’t-mind-dating kind of like.” She held her breath waiting for his reaction. Her brothers backed her father up when it came to the no-dating-on-base rule, and since she lived on base most of the time, it really limited her dating pool. Sure, she experimented in college, who hadn’t—but not with any Marines. There had been the Navy Corpsman, but what her family didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.
    “Hmm, what unit is he in?” The silky question made her laugh.
    “No, you don’t get to beat him up. He doesn’t even know I like him, like I said, I’m just…curious.”
    “Curious enough that you’re bringing it up to the one brother over three thousand miles away in Afghanistan. I see how you are.”
    “True. And you like my care packages, so you’ll keep my secret.”
    “Five boxes of Girl Scout Thin Mints and you’re on.”
    “That’s blackmail.”
    “Cost of doing business, sis. Besides I’m supposed to check in with Dad tomorrow morning. I could just mention to him….”
    “Fine. Done.” But she grinned. Where the hell do I find Girl Scout Thin Mints in the summertime ? She’d figure it out.
    “Seriously though, trust your instincts, Nay. You have good ones. You like him, go for it.” And thus Charlie proved why he earned the title of her favorite brother.
    “So I can ask him out?”
    “Hell, no. You make him do it. If he isn’t Marine enough to see what a fine catch you are, he can suffer.” Pride and affection mingled in his voice, but he relented. “Just let him know you wouldn’t mind an invitation and then go out with a dozen other people. I gotta go, someone else is waiting to call home. I just wanted to check on you.”
    “I love you.” She picked up the phone. “Be safe, okay?”
    “You, too.”
    The call disconnected and she sighed. Ten years and she always had a brother serving in a war zone—sometimes more than one. She never let them know how worried she was, or how grateful for their calls, or how terribly she missed them. They needed her bright, cheerful, and keeping the home fires burning. She played her part so they could play theirs….
    And the song she wrote crystallized for her.
    Playing Our Parts .
     
    ***
     
    He rearranged his schedule to meet James early and skipped his workout. Damon came through with a lunch delivered to the apartment, so all he had to do was carry the picnic basket with its cold salads and hot sandwiches down to the park. He might not be up for activating his profile at the 1Night Stand service, but lunch—lunch he could handle. Jethro waited patiently next to the door, leash in his mouth. The dog knew his schedule better than Matt did.
    Fidgeting, he hesitated to rush out to meet her and fought the eagerness vibrating through him at the same time. Wracked by the indecision, he paced away from the door and sat down on the sofa. Closing his eyes, he focused on his breathing exercises. The Labrador abandoned his post and came over to lean against his leg. The combination of contact and deep breathing eased the constriction in his chest.
    “It’s just lunch, right? We’ve gone to hang out with her a few days now, so why is lunch hard?” He stared into Jethro’s eyes, but the soulful mutt didn’t offer up any ready answers. “Food. Company. Easy stuff, right?”
    Maybe he wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to leave her waiting. Like she’s expecting me? I’m the one going all stalker on her composing spot …. Still, it didn’t stop her from showing up day after day. If she didn’t want him to listen,