The Conscripts: Fight or Die (Blood War Book 3) by Rod Carstens Page B

said.
    “Thanks. I have time for a quick cup.”
    Dasan poured himself a cup and began to dress. Kat sat watching him, smoking and sipping her coffee. He was knotting his tie when she said, “When are you leaving?”
    Dasan stopped and turned to stare at her. “Now. Isn’t it obvious?”
    “That’s not what I meant,” Kat said, her face serious.
    “How did you know? You didn’t hear something, did you?”
    “No, dear, this has nothing to do with my job. It has everything to do with being your wench.”
    Dasan came and sat on the bed. “A couple more days. I was going to tell you tonight.”
    “How long will you be gone?”
    “I don’t know.”
    Kat took a final drag on her cigarette then crushed it out. She blew a thick stream of smoke out before she said, “That long.”
    “It’s just another training exercise.”
    “Dasan, I lie for a living. But more than that you can’t lie to your wench. She knows you too well. I’ve known you were leaving for a week. I was just waiting to see how long before you got up the courage to tell me.”
    “How did you know?”
    “When you care about someone, you pay close attention.”
    “Yes, and when you care, so many unspoken things are more transparent.”
    Their eyes met for a long moment.
    “General, you had better finish dressing before your wench jumps you and forces herself on you.”
    Dasan finished putting his uniform on. When he turned she was still sitting in bed, staring at him. He leaned over the bed to kiss her goodbye. The kiss turned into a long, lingering one.
    “Tonight, babe.”
    “Tonight.”
    #
    That night when Dasan returned to Kat’s apartment, he found her waiting. She was wearing the same dress she had worn the night they met. She was wearing the same breast jewelry, her hair carefully finger-combed back from her face so that it looked casual but in reality was perfectly arranged to emphasize her beauty. She had done her eyes with smoky eyeshadow and had dark red lipstick on her full lips. She looked so beautiful and desirable Dasan went to take her in his arms.
    With a laugh, Kat evaded him and said, “Oh, no there, General. We eat first. Your wench did not go to all this trouble to look good for you only to have you destroy it so early. No, sir, you will have to wait.”
    “Listen, wench.…”
    Kat laughed and said, “Go get out of that uniform and we will have drinks then dinner.”
    “But—” Dasan said as he reached for her again.
    “Out with you, sir,” Kat said as she again moved away.
    Dasan found a robe and a lounging shirt and pants laid out for him. He put them on and padded barefoot back into the living room.
    The lights were down, with only real candles burning on the table. Kat had opened a bottle of wine and sat there smoking, waiting for him to return. This time she came into his arms and kissed him gently.
    “Welcome home, General.”
    “It is very good to be home.”
    Kat looked at him for a long moment, not moving out of his arms, and said, “You know I want you to think of this as your home, don’t you?”
    “Kat, I.…”
    Kat put one finger to his lips and said, “I know what you're thinking. That it’s too soon after Aijuba. But you told me what she said for you to do after she was gone.”
    Dasan still heard the words echo in his mind. “Live your life for me. Celebrate me not by grieving but by finding someone.”
    Kat’s beautiful eyes searched his face. “Dasan, I have two wives and three husbands, but I don’t have anything close to what you and I have. I’ve never felt this way before.”
    Dasan didn’t know what to say. He too felt something special between them. Something as strong as with Aijuba but different in a way he could not explain.
    “What about them?”
    “Sweetie, none of us are good at monogamy. But this is so much more than physical. I can face that when we have figured out what we are going to do about us.”
    Dasan released her and walked away. He turned and said, “What