Men of Courage II by Lori Foster

want to waste a single second of their time together, so she’d watched him, listened to his breathing, and loved him more with each passing second.
    The excess of pleasure threatened to burst her heart. She felt physically languorous and mentally relaxed, peaceful in a way that had eluded her until Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton Wulf had shown her how special lovemaking could be with the man of her heart.
    And he had said he was changing things. For her.
    Without opening her eyes, smiling in satisfaction, Liv stretched out an arm to the side of the bed he’d occupied.
    Her hand encountered only cool rumpled sheets.
    She bolted upright and surveyed the room. No sign of his clothes, but the drapes were open. The gray sky, still dark with storm clouds, gave no indication of the time, but it had stopped raining.
    The humming of the house let her know the electricity was back on. Her battery-operated bedside clock told her she’d slept much later than usual. Her class would be on their first recess by now!
    When Liv slid her naked legs out of the bed, she became aware of the chill in the air, and of all the places that now suffered a tantalizing ache. Another smile, sappier than the first, curled her mouth.
    And then she heard the rapping of a hammer, the very sound that had awakened her.
    Taking the sheet off the bed and going to her window, she looked out at the backyard. Jack ran along the side of the house, barking and looking up…at the roof.
    It took Liv all of two minutes to pull on another pair of flannel pants and a sweatshirt. The loose, comfortable clothes were her favorite “at home” wear. She gave a brief glance in the mirror at her hair, finger-combed it back and secured it with a cloth-coated rubber band, then headed for the kitchen.
    The scent of fresh coffee made her pause to pour a cup. After two fortifying sips, she opened the kitchen door and stepped outside. The soggy ground froze her feet. Jack spotted her right off and came tearing toward her. Since his feet were muddy, she fended him off, and made do with a lot of petting on his scruff.
    Going to the edge of the house, she looked up and found Ham on the roof, replacing her lost shingles. The chilly morning air cut through her sweatshirt, but Ham wore only a black T-shirt, jeans and boots. It was gloomy enough that he didn’t need his sunglasses.
    His squatting position showed off thick thigh muscles and the obvious strength in his back and upper arms.
    She had experienced that strength firsthand.
    With a rush of yearning, she called up, “Good morning.”
    He paused with his hammer raised, a few nails in his teeth. The moment he spied her, his gaze warmed and grew intimate. After removing the nails and scooting to the edge of the roof, he said, “Good morning yourself, sleepyhead.”
    Everything had changed, Liv realized. The way he smiled at her, the way he held himself in her presence. It was as if mammoth barriers had been ripped away. Even with him on the roof and her on the ground, a new closeness existed between them.
    Her heart started thudding in fast, hard beats. He’d said she would be happy with him, and since he knew her feelings on the military, that could only mean one thing.
    Breathless, filled with hopefulness and expectation, she stared up at him.
    “Liv? Yoo-hoo. Did you go into a trance?”
    His smile touched her heart, encouraging her own smile. Because the previous night had been so wonderful, she didn’t question the change, just accepted it as her dream coming true.
    “You should have awakened me earlier.”
    “I thought about it. You looked so damned enticing, all warm and sleepy and…naked.” He cocked one eyebrow, his expression wolfish. “Then the electricity came back on and I heard the weather report. More violent storms predicted.” He indicated the pile of shingles with a tilt of his head. “As tempting as you are, I figured you’d appreciate a dry house.”
    Normally, she’d have been resistant to his