Assignment: Learning to Love [Hawt Men In and Out of Uniform 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Read online

  Hawt Men In and Out of Uniform 2

  Assignment: Learning to Love

  Georgiana Regina Lucille Fletcher, Gigi to those who know and love her, is a romance author who doesn’t believe true and lasting love exists. She knows of some rare cases that buck the convention, but they are the exception to the rule. Then she meets a man who goes above and beyond to see to her health and happiness. Maybe she was wrong.

  Michael Burnett had only one job, ensure the bride married her man, and there were no complications. Simple enough in principle. Only it wasn’t the bride being targeted, but a feisty redhead who stole his heart from moment one of meeting her.

  Close quarters during a nasty storm help form the bonds between them. But when he ships back out overseas for the remainder of his tour, what Gigi feels for Michael grows beyond anything she can describe. Now all she has to do is survive the attempts on her life and find her own fairytale ending.

  Genre: Contemporary

  Length: 43,507 words

  ASSIGNMENT: LEARNING TO LOVE

  Hawt Men In and Out of Uniform 2

  Honor James

  EVERLASTING CLASSIC

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic

  ASSIGNMENT: LEARNING TO LOVE

  Copyright © 2015 by Honor James

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-546-2

  First E-book Publication: February 2015

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

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  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

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  DEDICATION

  To my readers and fans, I love you all dearly. To Kathryn L, Karen D, Krystal F and Wendy P, your acceptance and love has been wonderful and I thank you for all that you’ve done for me. Even if it was just listening when I hit a snag. You ladies rock.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  About the Author

  ASSIGNMENT: LEARNING TO LOVE

  Hawt Men In and Out of Uniform 2

  HONOR JAMES

  Copyright © 2015

  Prologue

  The line between hate and love is sometimes so fine that it’s impossible to differentiate between the two. Sometimes it takes an impossible situation in order to show the parties involved which side of the line they will fall.

  Looking up with a bemused expression, Gigi smirked. “Love is fictional. Nowhere near real, but whatever. It’s my life’s work so I should be thankful some idiots fall for that drivel, right?” When her cat meowed at her, she sighed. “I know. Talking to myself as I write is not a good sign, is it?” When the finicky Tabby jumped onto her desk and demanded affection, Gigi did as any human pet would, and loved on the beast. And that was one thing that Gigi was certain of, her cat ruled the home, not her sadly. Crazy cat.

  When the cat jumped down and flicked her tail, Gigi knew it was time to feed the furry overlord of her home. Smiling, she went to the kitchen and pulled down the food, the food that she had to cheat and fool her cat with. The bag was for the regular food but held diet food for her far-too-chubby cat. Once that task was accomplished, Gigi went back to her office and groaned at the e-mail that popped up.

  “Well hell.” Her mother. The one being on the entire planet that could take a perfectly boring day and turn it on its ear. She was the only being alive that could turn Gigi into a childlike state that no adult woman wanted to admit to.

  Opening the e-mail from her mother, she read over it and felt a migraine coming on. Rubbing her temples, she grumbled. When Rigby, her cat, plopped down in his bed, she laughed. “I know what you are saying. It’s crazy, the things that my mother gets me into.” In this situation it was a wedding that she really didn’t want to go to. Terrific. She didn’t even like her cousin Sandy, so for her to be summarily ordered to attend just sucked.

  Replying to the e-mail, she then turned off her computer and rose. Moving to the wine cooler, she pulled up a wine glass down and a bottle of wine. Pouring herself a nice large glass, she went to the living room and settled down so that she could unwind. As silly as it was, she always had to unwind after talking to her mother, no matter if it was via phone or e-mail, it didn’t matter.

  Sitting back, Gigi then began to try to figure out just how the hell she was going to find a date so she didn’t have to hear from the whole family about how she didn’t have a significant other in her life.

  Chapter One

  June 2, 2014 - Augusta, West Virginia

  Pinning the visitor’s badge to hi
s fatigues, Michael winked at the receptionist. He knew the woman was a highly trained operative, everyone in David’s office was. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t flirt with her a little. Only a little though, he didn’t want her shooting him.

  “You know where you’re going, right?” she asked, flirting back a little herself.

  “That I do,” he said with a smile. Snapping her a salute because he could, he did a military sharp turn and headed deeper into the bowels of the offices. He’d been here a number of times over the years, knew most of the staff, but there were definitely a few new faces.

  He nodded to those that called out greetings, but didn’t slow his pace. When his big brother called him in a near panic, it was either end-of-the-world shit going down, or…No, that was pretty much it. David was not one to panic, unless it involved his wife Hope, and even then it wasn’t usually as dire-sounding as what he’d heard early on the phone.

  Lucky for David, Michael was able to get a few days’ leave. He was due them, and more, but with everything in flux right now with their overseas operations, he was still on call. God only knew when he’d be called to fly back out and meet up with the other members of his unit, all of whom were also enjoying some well-deserved time home with the families.

  He caught her scent first and braced for what was coming. It happened each and every time he met up with her. Rounding the last corner, he took the punch on tight stomach muscles and grinned when she flexed her hand. “Hiya, Hope. Looking good as always, dollface. Picked any more bar fights lately?” he teased.

  Technically they hadn’t met that first time he’d seen her. David had asked for a favor. Tail the woman, find out what shit she was getting into, and keep her safe. He’d managed the first parts of those orders. Unfortunately when the bar fight had erupted due to her being followed by some rather unsavory fellows from a past operation, Michael had been otherwise engaged in keeping the civilians alive. She’d taken a knife to her side, and yet still come out on top in her little spat.

  Not that David was as forgiving about his woman being stabbed. Michael was working on that, slowly.

  “Michael, get in here!” his big brother bellowed before Hope could reply to him.

  Clicking his heels together, he shot her a huge grin and continued up the hall. A quick knock on the door and he slid in, shutting it on his heels. “Yo, you rang?” he asked his harried-looking brother.

  David pointed to a chair before returning to the conversation he was having on his phone.

  With a roll of his eyes, Michael raided the mini-fridge first. A bottle of apple juice in hand, he took the seat his big brother had indicated. Popping the lid, he took a deep drink and kicked his boots out, crossing his ankles in front of him.

  David put the phone down ten minutes later with a frustrated sigh. “Problems?” Michael asked curiously.

  “More than you want to know about, and more than I have time to talk about today even if I could talk about them. Which I can’t,” David said. Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed his hands over his face then dropped them into his lap.

  “Well, you know where I am whenever you feel like chatting. Even if it’s in a nondescript manner, or using cartoon characters in place of real people,” he said.

  David snorted out a laugh and shook his head. “I’d have to think on that one a while, not sure there’s enough cartoon bad guys to cover that conversation.”

  “That bad?” he asked softly.

  “And then some.” David looked at his watch and groaned. “I really wish it was at least lunchtime, and then maybe I’d have some hope for the day.”

  Wincing in sympathy, Michael capped the empty juice bottle and leaned forward. Planting his elbows on his knees, he looked at his brother. “So, you planning on sharing the urgent 9-1-1 call you sent me that had me hauling ass up here?”

  “Yeah, right.” David straightened and looked around his desk. A moment later he tugged a folder loose and handed it over. “This is a personal favor I need to ask. I know your leave could be yanked at any time but I have the director working on that to help out on this. My team is heading out on an op that unexpectedly bore fruit sooner than we’d thought. Otherwise Hope and I would attend this event, and you wouldn’t be in here. I need you to attend in our stead and keep an eye on things.”

  Michael took the folder with a sense of unease shimmying down his spine. “What event?” he asked warily.

  “The director’s goddaughter, one of the many he has, is getting married this weekend. There have been threats made against her father. While the director doesn’t particularly like Sandy’s father, he’s known her mother since high school and dotes on Sandy, the bride. Now, Sandy is a bitch-and-a-half, the director freely admits that. Her father spoiled her from day one despite her mother’s more down-to-earth tendencies. But this is her big day and my boss knows that no one should fuck with a woman’s wedding. Ever.”

  “So I’m to play party guest, eat tiny portions of bland food, hold high society chit-chat about so-and-so’s dog or so-and-so’s latest fashion faux pas, and ensure the bride, and everyone else, remains happy and unaware.”

  “Right on the money,” David nodded.

  “Fuck me,” he muttered wrinkling up his nose. “I’d rather let Hope keep punching me in the gut for the next millennia then go to this.”

  “She’s still doing that?” David asked in surprise.

  “She has whoever’s at the front desk alert her whenever I show up. She doesn’t know that I know, so don’t let the cat out of the bag,” Michael warned him. “It’s kind of cute, and really only ends up hurting her more than me.”

  Groaning, David lowered his head to his desk and banged it a couple of times. Much to Michael’s amusement. Chuckling, he read through the file and details. “So, what should I be wearing to this do?”

  “There will be other military men there in dress uniform, so you can stick with that. You’ll look less uncomfortable than if we tried to wedge you into a monkey suit,” David responded as he sat up again.

  Which worked well for him. Not that he was looking forward to going to this stupid society wedding where the networking was pretty much as important as which wine was served with the appetizers, but he could be comfortable, and he’d been in uniform so long it would be plain weird to wear anything but.

  “Can do. Is there anyone there beside your director who knows who I am and why I’ll be there?” Michael asked.

  “No. The director doesn’t trust Sandy’s father any further than he could throw the man. And he doesn’t want to tell the bride’s mother because he doesn’t want her having to keep the secret. Michael,—” David shot him a look—“no matter what, the bride, groom, and everyone there comes through this in one piece. If you have to go full-tactical on their asses, you do it. I don’t care, and neither does the director. No one gets hurt.”

  Nodding, he read through the current threats toward the father of the bride. Most were the sort you just shook your head at. A couple were a little more dire, but nothing that wasn’t an easy fix. There was only one, very anonymous and all the more creepy for the simplicity of the threat, that Michael was taking seriously. The only problem was he wasn’t sure it was aimed at the father of the bride at all.

  Time to do some research of his own. Flipping the invitation over, he checked the address and looked back to his brother. “Any chance I can get into the buildings for this to get a lay of the land?”

  “Figured you’d want to. The director will meet you at the church and then over to the hotel where the reception will be taking place. Be subtle at the hotel, some of the guests for this have already checked-in, and they tend to bring along their own security. Do not spook them,” David warned.

  Pocketing the invitation, Michael handed the folder back and got to his feet. “Copy that,” he said.

  David got up from his seat as well and came around to give him a hug. Patting the man on his back, Michael leaned back and frowned. “Dude, you should grab that
sweet piece of ass you married and take her home for a nap. You look fucking exhausted.”

  A growl escaped David a moment before he cuffed Michael upside the head. Damn that fucking hurt! Grinning at his big brother, he left his office whistling softly and fully aware that somewhere in the building was a woman lurking who wanted to beat him up.

  Chapter Two

  Another sip of her drink, Gigi forced herself to simply ignore the idiots that flocked around the bride and cackled their delight in the oh-so-perfect dress, the oh-so-perfect hair, and the oh-so-perfect jewels. She snorted. White. Lord, Sandy was the last woman in the world that should wear a white gown. Purity was something that she hadn’t been since she was thirteen and wanted a boy that paid Gigi more attention than her.

  She snorted when she heard Sandy going on about the honeymoon and how she was going to finally lose her V-Card.

  Gigi began to cough because of how much of the mimosa she snorted up with that whopper of a lie.

  When all eyes turned to her, she waved them off, grinned, and shook her head. “Sorry, not used to having anything alcoholic.” If Sandy could lie, then the little white lie of never having had a drink before wouldn’t be bad. Granted, Gigi had a glass of wine each night, but it seemed the theme of this wedding was who could lie most.

  She waved off the overly ambitious maid of honor and walked out of the room, using her choking as a reason to leave.

  Setting her drink on the sideboard, she walked out and into her mother. Crap. “Mother.” She pasted a smile upon her face and gave her cheek the perfunctory air kiss that her mother demanded. She nodded to her mother’s latest conquest, a man that Gigi had actually gone to high school with. “Ralph, Mother,” she said once more.