Page 14 of The Commander

I was the one who trained her, had to assess her performance without prejudice, and at the end of the day recommended her for promotion. As I rose in rank, I signed off those promotions.

Me.

Always fucking me.

I’d gone above and beyond to give Quinn the space to prove herself, not giving her any reason to feel as if I was easier on her than the other men or women. There was no proof that she’d achieved a single thing because of my feelings for her.

Nothing.

And yet... it meant nothing in the end.

But fuck that.

I thought I had given up after arriving in California, but as each week of the past six months passed, I realized I was still fighting for her, just silently. Biding my time until I saw her again.

Now the universe has placed her in my lap—I wish—once more.

I’m no longer enlisted. This is no longer a prohibited relationship.

The problem is that the little firecracker of a woman who I’ve fallen in love with thinks that if we’re caught being involved romantically even a thousand years from now, it will reverse everything she’s worked for.

Rubbing my forehead, I glance around the room and wonder if I’m being a fool. Should I move on with my life and stop waiting for Quinn to work it out? Because if I don’t, I will end up alone and bitter like my father.

I don’t want another woman.

I want Quinn Parker.

And I’m going to claim her.

CHAPTER FIVE

QUINN

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“Impressive,” Marlene says as we drive into the BHS compound.

She’s the only female soldier I’ve really connected with properly. I met her the day I transferred to Fort Irwin in California.

Marlene is married with a toddler and is excited to have two weeks away from the mess.

Her words, not mine.

“Just knowing I can walk to the bathroom without standing on a Lego is exciting,” she told me when we first hit the road.

“That’s very sad,” I teased the woman who was five years older than me.

“You wait. When you have kids, you’ll understand.”

I went silent.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Are you not having them?” she backtracked. “Which is fine; not everyone has to have kids.”

“No, I do. I just don’t see a path. The guy I’m seeing...” I had messaged Mark to say I’d be away for a week and had yet to hear back. He was probably crunching numbers or something extremely invigorating like that. “It’s not serious. So, you know.”

Marlene, who was driving, shot me a look. “It can happen in many ways.”

“Please don’t give me the freeze your eggs speech. I’ve heard it.” I glance outside the car, taking in the view of the Mojave Desert.