"No, about your time in the Corps."
"Pick a city, state, or country."
"New Orleans."
"Before or after Katrina?"
She heard the change in his voice and met his eye. "During."
"Okay." Marc saw her shiver at a strong draft and pushed the heater closer to her with his foot, very aware that the connection, the spark that had always been between them, was still there, waiting for her to overcome her fear.
"So what's the first thing I should know about guns?"
"Don't have one, if you don't know how to use it."
Angela understood the answer had been drilled into him, but still found his tone smug. She met his eye warily, "And the second?"
"When its life or death, like it is now, rule one means shit."
Marc grinned again, and she had to give him a tiny smile in return, eyes burning, head starting to thump. "So, what will you do with me first?"
His eyes went to her mouth again, and Marc forced himself to look at the floor as the wind howled through the dead cornstalks around the farmhouse. "We'll work on target practice each morning for a few minutes before we head out, so we won't be as likely to be tracked by the noise."
"That's smart."
He stifled a groan of relief, dog tag clinking as he lay down on his side, facing her. "Won't matter if someone's close," he warned, eyes on ebony curls resting on the blankets. Would it still feel like silk against his skin?
Angela looked at him, nostrils flared as if she had smelled the thought, and the fear lurking in her eyes made him roll onto his back. He was enjoying the buzzing in his head, the heat on his feet, and most of all, the sights, sounds, and smells of her that were invading his senses, reminding him of pleasures long gone. She too had grown up.
Yes, I have, she thought, easing down as the mild cramps of her sore stomach continued hurting her. Enough not to encourage what I'll never be free to give.
"Night, Brady."
She closed her eyes and felt him reach that cold, dark place in her heart with a single, beautiful, fiery blast of heat.
"Night, Honey. See you in the morning."
"Yes, you will." The old, familiar, hurtful response came from her lips as if no years had gone by and it was hard not to let the tears escape. Brady was back, and every wall that had stood between them before was still there, only now they were twice as tall. It would be a long time before they were even friends again.