In the Line of Fire by Jennifer LaBrecque Page A

how much she loved Colton’s laugh. She’d always enjoyed hearing it. It was a rich sound that seemed to come from deep inside him.
    â€œOkay, nut job, let’s drive around to the back so we can change clothes.”
    It couldn’t happen soon enough in her book. Thebodice of the dress had been a tight fit to begin with and now that she’d eaten she could hardly breathe. And there was the not-so-inconsequential matter of her needing to go to the bathroom after two glasses of sweet tea.
    â€œI’m more than ready for you to get me out of this dress,” she said.
    He did a double take. “What?”
    â€œThe buttons. I can’t unbutton this thing.” She reached behind her to her neck and undid the first one. “Well, I can do a couple at the top, and the last half dozen but otherwise I’d have to be a contortionist. Don’t sweat it, Major, I’m sure you can unbutton a dress just fine.”
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    H E HAD DEFINITELY NOT signed on for this. Buying clothes for her had been one thing but now he was supposed to unbutton her wedding dress? It was too much. Too intimate. Obviously she had no idea how he felt about her. She had no idea it had been more than a year since he’d actually touched a woman, much less her. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do except sit here and free her from her wedding dress. There was no logical, reasonable way to refuse.
    â€œCan you shift a little more to your left?” he asked.
    She canted a little farther in that direction. “Better?”
    No, it wasn’t better. Andi had undone the topseveral pearl closures. Tendrils of her red hair curled against the exposed, pale skin of her neck. The air in the car suddenly seemed thick and heavy with her scent, her mere presence and the desire thrumming through him. He should simply tell her he was taking her home, that he didn’t need to be part of her Grand Adventure but he couldn’t, he wouldn’t.
    Instead, mustering every ounce of self-control he possessed, he reached forward and worked the small pearl though the loop. One down, about fifty gazillion to go. He swallowed hard. He could do this. He was a major in the United States Army. She was one woman who needed her dress unbuttoned. He began to mentally recite the army soldier’s creed as he moved to the next. I am an American Soldier. I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
    She had beautiful skin. He refocused. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values . Distracted, he was careless and his knuckles skimmed her pale flesh. He could’ve sworn he felt a tremor pass through her, or perhaps that was his own reaction, but there was no mistaking her indrawn breath.
    The silence between them vibrated tension. He had the most crazy, irrational urge to test his lips against that soft satin skin he’d just exposed. “So,” he said, but his voice came out hoarse and rusty. He cleared his throat and tried again. “So.” Much better. “How’s work been?”
    â€œIt’s been good.” She sounded breathless. “Actually,better than good,” she continued in a rush. “My online business has exploded and I picked up a couple of new boutiques that are selling on consignment.”
    Her art. Her jewelry. Earrings and necklaces. “That’s…uh…great.” Her bra, or at least the portion he’d just revealed, was a white-lace affair with no snaps in the back which meant a man would have to reach between her breasts to unfasten it. I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. “So, are you still working part-time at the…uh…other place?”
    â€œI’d quit. I was busy getting ready for the wedding and then Blanton didn’t want me working there after we were married, said it didn’t look good for a junior executive’s wife to work at the mall.” She twisted, looking at him over her