Sophia Sasson - The Sergeant's Temptation

He raised a brow, his blue eyes sparking with a hint of gray. “I haven’t said that I’m not.”

Her pulse kicked up a notch until she saw his Adam’s apple bob. The job wasn’t hers. Not yet.

“Let me tell you why I’m right for this position.”

His lips twitched.

“First, I just beat the best man on your unit. Second, if you’re going to operate in the Middle East or Asia, you’ll need a woman to get into places men can’t. And third, I’m smaller than everyone else in your unit. I can get into tight places, like a duct, a crawlspace or a vent. You need me.”

“You missed something.”

She leaned forward. He picked up her file and waved it. “You’ve beat every single one of my men in the aptitude tests.”

That little fact she hadn’t known but would store away for later. He stood and she followed suit. He extended his hand and she was surprised to find it callused. From what she’d heard, she’d expected a man used to giving orders, not doing the hard work himself.

“Sergeant, you are the most qualified for this unit...”

She tried hard not to smile. Finally, an officer who wasn’t afraid of her reputation, who was going to do the right thing and give her what she rightfully deserved.

“...but I can’t give you the job.”

CHAPTER TWO

HER MOUTH DROPPED open and Luke couldn’t help but smirk. Sergeant Parrino was cool as a cucumber. This was the first genuine expression he’d seen on her face. She wanted this. Bad. And she deserved to have it. It sickened him to give in to the old colonel, but he didn’t have a choice. They were so close to shipping out on their first assignment. Rodgers was already working on the logistics. No matter how much he wanted to give her a proper position, he couldn’t defy the colonel. As loath as Luke was to admit it, he was being watched and needed to appease the brass if he wanted to keep command of the unit. Right now, he had to focus on preparing for the mission.

Wait...

“Sergeant, before you go, what’re your current duties?”

If she was surprised at the non sequitur, she didn’t show it. She explained the work she was doing in Kuwait and an idea formed in his head. A win-win for both of them.

“There’s another opening on the unit.”

Her eyes widened with expectation.

“Logistics.”

Predictably, her face fell. But before she could tell him that wasn’t the job she’d applied for, he motioned her back toward the chair.

“I know it’s not what you want, but hear me out. Take a seat.”

She sat, her face already recomposed into a blank expression. Unflappable. There weren’t many individuals he would describe that way since he was an expert at pushing people’s buttons. The assessment had been designed by Ethan and when Luke had first read the protocol, he’d lamented his brother’s sadistic nature. It required twenty-four hours of travel the day before the in-person tests. When Rodgers had been selected, he’d been located three hours away, but Ethan had put him on a plane and sent him to California and back twice. Ethan’s rationale had been characteristically thoughtful: after all, they might be forced to fly to the other side of the world and hit the ground running. He’d wanted soldiers who could handle it, and Luke couldn’t disagree with that. Parrino was the first soldier Luke had found standing in his office at the end of the day. The rest of them had been plopped into the seat gulping water.

“The position is going to be more than logistics. I can’t give you the details yet, but trust me on this.”

She blinked at him with a maddeningly blank look.

“What do you mean by more than logistics? Are you going to have me spy inside the team?”

Add “perceptive” to the list of qualifications. He tilted his head. “I wouldn’t put it that way. There’s work to do where information needs to be compartmentalized, and I need someone I can trust.” It was a nicer way of saying “off the books.”

“But if my official designation is logistics, it does nothing to get me promoted. In fact, most will see it as a step backward, like I’m being punished.”

“Initially, yes, but at the end of your tour with this unit, I will reveal the true nature of the assignment. Barring any performance issues, I will recommend you for promotion.” Provided Colonel Blowhard keeps me on as unit command.

“And what if something happens to you?”

What if I die like Ethan? She didn’t have to say it out loud. He was all too aware of the risks. Then it occurred to him: he’d be putting her life in danger, too. He shook it off. She was a soldier, she had signed up to take risks, and he’d give her a full briefing. If she wanted out at that point, he’d let her go.

She won’t want out. He could see it in her eyes despite her bland expression. She was looking for adventure, a way to fill whatever hole there was in her life.

“As unit command, there are any number of things that only I’m privy to. There are files my commanding officer will receive should something happen to me. Details of your operations will be in those files.”

“They’ll be the first ones Colonel McBride burns.”

Luke couldn’t help but smile. He and Sergeant Parrino were going to get along well. She had no history with the colonel, but she’d gotten a good measure of the man in just a few minutes. That’s what he needed, someone with judgment who could take care of herself.

“That’s a risk you’ll have to accept. Look, what do you have to lose? Besides, part of your job will be to keep me safe, so how about we call it added incentive?”

Her brow went up slightly and he swore a smile was tugging on the corners of her mouth.

“What’s the assignment?”

“Not so fast. To become a member of the unit, you need to sign some additional confidentiality agreements. These are beyond the army standard. I need to let you know that it’s serious business. If you talk in your sleep and your boyfriend gets details of our missions, you won’t be court-martialed and put through the ringer—big, bad men will come in the middle of the night and ship you straight to Gitmo.”

She reached out and plucked one of the pens from the holder on his desk. Clicking it, she tilted her chin. “I don’t talk in my sleep and I don’t have a boyfriend. I’ve faced worse than Gitmo. Where do I sign?”

What horrors are you hiding in your past? He wanted to know more, but she’d told him all she would for now. Turning to the computer, he pulled up the paperwork. Several minutes later, he plucked the forms off the printer and handed them to her.

“I suggest you read these carefully. There’s a bathroom behind that door if you need it.” He was done testing her. She was the toughest soldier he knew, but there was something about her that was bothering him, and he couldn’t place his finger on it.

He stopped at the door. “Parrino, I don’t care about what’s in your file. But this is the kind of assignment that needs complete focus. No distractions. Before you transfer over, I’m going to require you to take a one-week leave. You can have more if you need it. In that time, you deal with whatever ghosts you have in your past. Once the unit is operational, you’re totally mine.”

* * *

ALESSA TOOK A breath after he left. It was hard to remain calm when he looked at her with those intense blue eyes.

She signed the papers in less than five minutes. She read them quickly, but it didn’t matter what they said. Her life already belonged to the army. There were no other options for her. She didn’t have a college degree, had enlisted the day she graduated from high school, so she wouldn’t have to spend another day at home. This unit was the only way to make sure she didn’t get squeezed out.