Forgive & Forget (Love in the Fleet) Read Free Page A

sailors died and…well, it was bad.”
    Philip’s jaw dropped. Seventeen was not a number you pulled out of the air. And he was completely blown away she had a clue about Rules of Engagement. If he’d thought she was the woman of his dreams two hours ago, the idea was now locked onto his brain like a heat-seeking missile. “Even though I’m a major rule follower, I’d have trouble waiting for permission in a situation like that.”
    His mouth kept talking, but every other cell in his body focused on how to get this woman to marry him, bear his children, and grow old with him. There was way more to her than just being a babe, although the babe part would definitely not be a problem.
    Mesmerized by her blue eyes sparkling with intelligence, he said, “You know, I think you’ll go far as a reporter. I can feel your passion for it.”
    Hallie sucked in a breath and stepped closer, bringing her face a few inches from his and—as if on impulse—she reached up and removed his glasses. “Sorry, but I’ve wanted to do that all afternoon. You have beautiful eyes, Philip. You should think about contacts or glasses that show them off. You know, eyes are the window to the soul and all that?”
    Energy crackled between them. Sky’s voice screamed in his head: “That’s your cue, shit-for-brains. Kiss her.”
    But no way was he going to. One kiss was not going to be enough. So there he stood on a beach at sunset with an incredible woman who had removed his glasses and although a major organ was doing his thinking for him, it wasn’t his brain. Even though he had an open invitation to do something—anything—he didn’t take the bait. What if he screwed it up and she canceled their sailing date? So he told Sky’s voice in his head to shut up, played the gentleman card, and did not reach for her.
    “What? You thought I wore BCGs all the time? Uh…we call them ‘Birth Control Glasses’ in the Navy, because if you wear—never mind.” Great. Now he was talking about birth control.
    Her face lit with amusement. “Nobody would want to…”
    “…have sex with you,” he finished for her.
    Which was all he could think about. Jesus, she had eyes that could make a man forget to breathe.
    “My regular ones are in the shop. I keep these for spares and I wear them when I’m down in the hole.” He could practically hear Sky’s voice bellowing at him now.
    Philip scrambled to clarify but the damage was already done. He laughed it off. “That’s the engineering spaces on a ship, where all the snipes work.”
    Her lips twitched in amusement as she replaced his glasses. “Snipes.”
    There went his window of opportunity. “Engineers and Machinist’s Mates. Connoisseurs of boilers, engines, and turbines. Snipes.” At least she laughed along with him now.
    “So,” she took his arm and headed up toward the seawall, which bailed him out. “What time tomorrow?”
    “How about eight?”
    “Sounds good. I’ll bring lunch and meet you in the parking lot. Today was fun. I can’t wait to go sailing tomorrow.” And as they climbed the steps of the seawall, a sudden luminous smile lit her face as she added, “Shipmate.”                    

      
    “I can’t believe when the chick removed your glasses and said you had beautiful eyes, you didn’t say, ‘The better to see you with, my dear,’ and then fucking kiss her.”
    Philip laughed right along with Sky as they debriefed on the phone. “This one’s different, Sky. I wasn’t going to take a chance on messing things up.”
    “Okay, okay. But here are some pointers. Never discuss sewage with a chick again, all right? Don’t even say the word. Even if it is your bread and butter. And dude, I don’t care if you work down in the hole of a ship, do not use those words around a female unless she’s one of your snipes. No wonder we named you Bill Gates.” Sky muttered something unintelligible, then continued. “So I’ve been replaced, huh?”
    “I