Heartthrob on Base (Hearts on Base #2)

Chapter 1

Jaxon

The Rusty Spur is hopping tonight. Everywhere I look, my fellows are happily hitting on anything that moves and breathes.

I’m a little more discerning. But not by much. I love the ladies. At least for a little while.

I don’t stay. Ever. I’ve seen too much over the years and I know what kind of guy I am. I’m not the guy to build a life with. I’m the guy to warm your bed for a little while, kiss me good-bye in the morning and forget I exist after that except for a few happy memories. I hope.

Lifting my beer, I keep one eye on the door and the other eye on the movements around me.

Which is how I see her. Her long, tousled curls gleam dark red in the bouncing lights of the bar. Her pale skin glows, her red lips purse and my cock sits up and takes notice immediately.

She’s so damn tiny she’ll probably only come up to the middle of my chest but she’s all curves and softness. My hands itch to touch her and my breath stills as I slowly drop my hand to set my drink back down on the bar top.

“Where you going?” Mick asks, a smirk on his lips as he spots what my greedy eyes are locked on.

I barely glance at the grouchy bartender. “Who’s she?” I breathe, having to suck in a gulp of air just to get the words out.

“That is way above your pay grade, Sergeant.”

Glaring at him, I wait impatiently.

“Fine,” he growls. “That’s Aspen Archer. She’s relatively new around here.”

“Obviously. I would have seen her before this.”

He rolls his eyes and smirks. “You know….you’re probably right. But you haven’t got a prayer, hot shot. She’s got a lot she’s carrying around and she doesn’t like the military.”

I grab my beer and take another quick drink, grinning. “She hasn’t met me.”

“Yeah. I’m sure that’s it. She’s just been waiting for you,” he grunts.

I nod my head and smirk back at him. Shooting him a couple of finger guns, I grin. “You know it.”

“Ugh,” he grunts. “You are seriously annoying, man.”

Finishing my slide to the ground, I prowl across the packed floor, pushing my way through heaving bodies and cheering women. Stopping beside her, I grin and gently touch her elbow.

She stops talking to the woman she’s standing with and shoots me a glare from soft green eyes. “Yes?”

“You wanna dance, sweetheart?”

Her brows lift and she turns to the woman with her. The woman snickers behind her hand at the stunned look on her friend’s face. “Am I dreaming this?”

The brunette with her shakes her head. “Nope.”

Those fascinating green eyes slew back to me and harden. “I don’t dance with soldiers.” Her eyes drift down my body. “Especially with ones that I’m sure have been working their way through the female population since they were old enough to walk.”

My lips quirk up. I like a woman with a little sass. “You’ve got a pretty high opinion of my charm, sweetheart. Must mean that it’s working.”

Her full lips turn down. “Ugh.” She holds up a slim hand and my heart stops when I see the ring on her left hand.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you’re married. I don’t hit on married women.”

Her friend opens her mouth but slams it shut with one glare from her. “It’s nice to know that you have some scruples.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Aspen.”

“Wait!” She growls. “How do you know my name?”

“Mick told me.”

She nods her head absently and my eyes follow those rusty red curls when they slip across her bare shoulder. Her top fits her like a second skin, the low neckline drawing my eyes like a bull’s-eye. If only she wasn’t married.

I start to turn away and then turn back to her. “I’m Jaxon, by the way. It’s only fair since I know your name.”

She nods her head but doesn’t smile.

I turn away from her again and then spot another beautiful woman smiling at me at the bar. I don’t feel the strange pull to her that I feel for Aspen but I’m an asshole but I have some scruples. And married is a line I won’t cross.

I head back to the bar instead and sit down, knocking on it to get Mick’s attention. He grins at me and I nod back at him. Within a minute he plunks a new beer in a mug in front of me.

“Told ya, man.”

“You didn’t tell me she was married.”

His brows scrunch together. “Is that what she told you? She’s not married, man. She lost her husband and her best friend in that wicked crash last year. The one that was on all the news last Christmas. Two of the guys that were on maneuvers were due to go home to her for Christmas.”

“Oh…shit. No, she didn’t tell me that. I saw her wedding band.”

“Ah. Yeah. Takes some people awhile to get rid of stuff like that.”

I know the name of that game myself. Not that I’ve ever lost a spouse. But I lost both of my parents in a car crash when I was a kid and then I barely graduated from high school and was on my first tour and my grandmother died. She took care of me after my parents died and she was my rock.

Yeah. Sometimes death is hard to get over. I understand that.

I turn back and my eyes don’t run down the bar to the woman I can see out of the corner of my eye. She’s still watching me. But my eyes are locked on the redhead with the long curls and the sassy mouth.

One of the guys from the base waves at me where he’s playing pool with some of the other guys. I grab my beer and head over to them, slapping a couple of the guys on the back but my eyes never leave the vivacious redhead with the smart mouth and the sad look in her soft green eyes.

“You’re up, asshole,” Bingo grins at me as he picks up his own pool cue. “You can break.”

“Gee, thanks, buddy,” I growl and line up my shot, fighting to keep my eyes on the table and not try to catch another glimpse of the redhead.

All of the guys hoot when I take my shot and have one of the lousiest breaks I’ve ever seen in my life. Not one good shot.

Sighing, I line my cue up with the best hope I have. The striped five ball. Taking another deep breath, I let it out and let the noise all around me settle into my bones and disappear from my mind.

Snap!

All of the guys hoot when I miss the shot and I sink my head to my chest.

This is gonna be a long damn night.