Liberty Begins (The Liberty Series) by Leigh James Page B

Then I shoved some more pizza in my mouth. I was pretty sure it had spinach on it, and some sort of weird crumbled cheese sprinkled on top that I had never tried before, but I wasn’t being picky. It was insanely good.
    “The clothes look great on you,” he said. “I like you in jeans. And no makeup.” He reached over and stroked my face.
    I smiled. He knew what to say to calm me down, to make me feel good. He shifted a little bit and I could see his powerful chest moving underneath his shirt. Yum. The pizza wasn’t the only thing that was making my mouth water.
    “Thanks,” I said. “I usually live in jeans and no makeup.” I considered him for a moment. “Do you ever wear jeans? Or anything besides a suit?”
    “Of course,” he said. “I’ll wear training clothes when we get to Warwick.”
    “What kind of training clothes? Where’s Warwick?” I asked, drinking some more wine. Being close to him made me feel safe and warm, and the wine made me feel calm, relaxed ... even though I had no idea where we’re going or what the training involved.
    “Warwick’s in Rhode Island. It’s where I grew up. It’s where our company is based, and our training facilities are there.” He leaned back and smiled at me. “I’m looking forward to your training.”
    My insides clenched with desire. “Um...what does it involve, exactly?” I asked, a bit timidly. There seemed to be some sort of double meaning here.
    “We do military-based training on a regular basis. Just to keep everyone fit and up to date on the latest technologies. So it involves things like boot camp, munitions, and technical training. We go back home when we’re in between assignments. I brief the men on our new assets and what to expect on our next mission.”
    He smiled at me again, and I smiled back up at him, mesmerized. Until my brain started processing information properly again.
    “ Boot camp? ” I asked. “Like a workout?” I’d never even run a mile.
    His grin was a little wicked this time. “Yes, Liberty, like a workout.”
    I let my smile turn into a frown as I considered this. He waited patiently while I sat there with my brow furrowed. The only image I had of boot camp was people running through the rain, counting, singing, and cursing their leader out. I would last about five seconds. I was going to have to work on him later about the workouts — it wasn’t going to happen.
    I decided to change tactics. “I’ve never been east before,” I said, happy to change the subject, but worried that I sounded like the hick I was.
    “There’s a first time for everything,” he said and smiled. My heart rolled. Oh John, if you only knew. “Where have you been?”
    “Nowhere?” I said as a question, and shrugged in embarrassment. “I grew up in Oregon and then I went to Vegas…and...and...that’s really it.” Wow, that sounded lame. “But I did see the Eiffel Tower in Vegas,” I said, feebly trying to make myself feel better.
    “I hear there’s an Eiffel Tower in Paris, too. Would you like to see that one?” John asked, and I could tell that although he was gently making fun at me,he was genuinely curious.
    I took another bite of pizza and considered this. “Maybe someday,” I said, chewing. “I’ve never really thought about it.” I haven’t gotten that far, I thought. I’ve been too busy trying to keep my mother alive, her boyfriend off of me, and the bed bugs at bay.
    John nodded thoughtfully. I smiled at him. “I’m excited to see Rhode Island, though,” I said. “We’ll be near the water, right? I missed the ocean since I’ve been in Vegas. The lake’s not the same.”
    “My property is right on the water,” John said. “You’ll love it. I mean, I hope you will.”
    “If you like it, I’m sure I’ll like it,” I said. “Is your father there? Am I going to meet him?”
    “Yes,” he said, and he sat up a little straighter. “He’ll be there. He’s getting older, and he’s been ill, but