Seducing the Marine

It pained her to see Will so uneasy with himself. He’d always been a quietly confident guy, but now, faced with the prospect of socializing, he acted like a cornered animal, ready to bolt at the earliest opportunity. She wasn’t sure she understood. “Why is talking so difficult for you?”

“I don’t know,” Will said.

“Yes, you do. What are you afraid of, Will? You’re safe here. You don’t have to look out for bombs or enemy soldiers.”

“There are bombs everywhere,” he murmured. “Just not the kind you’re thinking of.” He drew a deep breath. “After living in that world, I’m not sure I’m fit to live with normal people.”

“It’s going to take some time,” she said. “You’ve been conditioned to be watchful and suspicious of people. Those feelings don’t go away overnight. We can talk about this.”

“No,” he muttered. “No, we can’t.”

“I’m a doctor. Whatever you say to me is just between you and me.”

“Wouldn’t it be that way if you weren’t a doctor?”

“Yes, of course. I’m just telling you that you can trust me not to reveal anything that you mention to me.”

“Let’s just leave the war where it belongs,” Will said.

They drove the rest of the way in silence. When they reached Copper Harbor, Olivia followed the directions the real estate agent had given her and found the small log building near the waterfront. The place had once been a souvenir shop but was now abandoned and run-down.

“This is it?” Will asked.

“Yeah. The agent unlocked it, so we can go in and look,” she said.

They walked to the front porch, trudging through foot-deep snow. Will reached out and took her hand as they climbed the steps, then opened the front door. The agent had turned on the heat and it was surprisingly comfortable inside.

“This isn’t too bad,” Olivia said, gazing around. “I can imagine how it would work. A reception desk here, and we’d need to make a wall here. And this whole area would be available for workshops and meetings. Healthy-cooking classes and exercise demos and—” She took a deep breath and laughed. “I get so excited about this.” Olivia glanced over at Will to find him staring at her. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. This is important to you.”

“It is. I mean, I don’t want to be the kind of doctor who just stays in the office all day long and runs patients in and out on an assembly line. I want to make a difference. I want to show people that good health is in the food they eat and the miles they walk and in the positive attitude they have about life.”

“I believe you could do that.”

“And I want to do it in the UP. There are so many people who need me here.”

Will caught her hand and pulled her around to face him. “About the other night...” he started.

Olivia was stunned by the sudden shift in his mood—and the conversation. From the look on his face, it was obvious he was torn about something and that something had to do with her.

“At the coffee shop? We had a nice time,” she said. “I enjoyed myself.”

“I meant the kiss,” he murmured. “I wasn’t thinking. It was...unintended. But part of me wishes I’d taken it further.”

“Old habits die hard.”

“No, this is different. But I don’t want to give you the wrong idea.”

“And what idea would that be?”

He paused for a long moment, and she could see he was having trouble putting together the words he wanted to say. Finally, he shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Olivia reached out and took his hand. “It was just two old friends reliving a moment from their past. Let’s just leave it at that.” And yet, the kiss hadn’t felt friendly at all. It had been a perfectly wonderful and passionate kiss, the kind of kiss Olivia craved. But falling into a romantic relationship with Will would only complicate the situation. He needed a friend more than he needed a lover.

“All right, we’ll try it your way,” he said, his tense expression softening slightly.

She gave his hand a squeeze, then pulled back, turning to look around the room. “I think I’ve seen enough here. There’s one more place to check out, then I’ve got to get home.”

“Big date?” he said.

Olivia laughed. “No. Just a few late appointments. But I do have to go to a party on tomorrow night. It’s a hospital fund-raiser thing at the theater. In the old ballroom?”

“Sounds fun,” he said.

She seized on an opportunity to try to help him. “It would be fun—if you came with me. It’s a really good cause. There’ll be free food and drinks. I bought six tickets, so we can each drink and eat for three people. There’ll be a band and dancing.”

“Are they giving you money for your project?”

“No, that’s a different foundation.”

“I guess I could come,” he said.

Olivia nodded. “All right, then. I can pick you up.”

“No, I’ll meet you there,” he said.

“All right. It starts at six. Cocktail attire. It’s a date.” She shook her head. “But not a date date.”

She walked to the door and stepped out onto the snow-covered porch. Getting Will out in society again was an important first step. And putting themselves in a crowd of people was the perfect way to avoid any intimate encounters. From now on, she was determined to treat Will more like a patient and less like an old boyfriend. Or a future one.

3 (#u440ba7bb-aa77-5de0-a2e6-c3c28595925c)

WILL STOOD OUTSIDE the theater, watching as people hurried inside. The marquee above his head announced the hospital benefit, and it was only now that he realized he’d be walking into a large crowd. He knew his fears were unfounded, but that didn’t make them any less real. He’d have to move among them, to engage in conversation and force down a meal, all the while battling an overwhelming case of... Hell, there wasn’t even a name for it. Or if there was, he didn’t know it.

It wasn’t claustrophobia, because that was the fear of small spaces. And he wasn’t afraid, just uneasy. The people in the confined space were what worried him. The dread racing though his body was irrational and yet completely real.

Will cursed beneath his breath. He’d have to put the fears aside. He’d walk up the stairs to the ballroom and find Olivia and everything would be fine. He’d stay by her side and focus only on her. He wouldn’t constantly scan the room for suspicious behavior or work out his exit plan in case something went down. He wouldn’t search for the closest safe cover or calculate his odds with the available weaponry. He’d simply try to have...fun.

“Will?”

He spun around, his nerves already on edge, and saw Olivia approach. Her hair fell in waves around her face and she was wearing a dress, her slender legs visible below the revealing hemline. Will reached for his tie, feeling woefully underdressed. He should have just worn his dress uniform. But he knew the stir that would cause, the comments and the questions, the endless conversations with strangers about what was going on in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was much better to stay under the radar.

“You look...incredible,” he said, leaning in to brush a kiss to her flushed cheek.

“So do you,” Olivia replied. She reached up and tugged at the knot on his tie. “A sport coat and tie. Very nice.”

“I borrowed it from Jim. Not too casual?”