A Captain's Honor by Elizabeth Ashtree

Author:Elizabeth Ashtree
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

AS THEY FLEW OVER the Pacific after taking off from San Francisco, Nathan saw General Donner walk down the aisle toward them again, and wondered what had taken him so long. He’d expected Donner to make another bid to sit next to Rachel before now. Perhaps the General had been distracted by the in-flight movie, or maybe his wife had found a way to keep him by her side. Until now.

Nathan wasn’t worried that the General would get his way. But he had to concentrate hard on keeping his anger hidden. Concealing his disdain for his commanding officer had become increasingly difficult since Rachel had entered the picture.

“Well, well, well,” said Donner as he moved alongside their row of seats and peered down at the Chief. “Don’t you two look cozy.” He made it a statement rather than a question, and annoyance dripped from every word.

“Yes, well, she sort of tipped this way after she’d fallen asleep and I didn’t see the sense in waking her,” Nathan said to explain how she’d ended up snuggled against his arm and sleeping peacefully.

“If she sleeps through the whole flight, she ought to be wide-awake and ready to party all night,” Donner said suggestively.

“I don’t think so, sir. We worked on things on the first leg of the flight. We put our stuff away when we changed planes in San Francisco, but she’s been reading during most of this leg. She only went to sleep about fifteen minutes ago.” This was largely fiction—she’d probably been sleeping for more than an hour and his shoulder ached from lack of movement—but Nathan felt justified given the importance of keeping the General at bay.

“Same with Lydia,” he grumbled. “Just fell asleep five minutes ago.” His eyes proclaimed his disgust for the situation. Nathan nodded as if he sympathized with the General.

After a little more small talk, the General apparently decided that Rachel was not going to wake up. He finally went back to his own seat, once again strategically booked far from his and Rachel’s.

“Is he gone?” Rachel whispered after a moment.

“Yes. I had a feeling you woke up while he was standing here, but I didn’t want him to realize that.”

“I figured as much.” She sat up, noticed that her arm had entwined with his, slipped it away and stared at the shoulder she’d used for a pillow. “Sorry,” she mumbled as she smoothed the wrinkled sleeve of his uniform shirt.

“I didn’t mind,” he assured her gently, but he also flexed his shoulder to ease the cramp that had set in.

Her gaze lifted to his and those big brown eyes of hers were misty. “You’re a very nice man, Nathan,” she said.

“Ugh! Please don’t say I’m nice!” He exaggerated his outrage for her amusement. “Nice men are weaklings. Tell me I’m brave and strong and tough as nails.”

“You’re brave and strong and tough as nails,” she said dutifully.

He gave her a lopsided grin.

“And very nice,” she added with a soft smile.

He lost himself in those eyes of hers, falling deeper and deeper into them until he felt he was drowning.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.