Temporary Duty Read online

  temporary duty

  Career Soldier, Book 2

  TAWDRA KANDLE

  Maximum Force: Career Soldier, Book 1

  Copyright © 2017 by Tawdra Kandle

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Cover by Meg Murrey

  Formatting by Champagne Formats

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Synopsis

  Glossary of Military Terms Used

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  A sneak preview of HITTING THE SILK, coming March 28.

  Other Books

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Temporary Duty: Career Soldier, Book 2

  These are the men of the 94th ID. They fight with honor, they defend their nation and their brothers fiercely, and when they love, they do it with single-minded passion.

  Kade Braggs grew up wild and free, surfing on a California beach without much ambition, until an impulsive decision led him into joining the Army. What started out as a joke turned into a career, and now he’s a company commander, leading several platoons of soldiers. Still, Kade does it all on his own terms; he plays as hard as he works, and having a good time is non-negotiable.

  Until he meets Leah Samson.

  Leah doesn’t have time to play. On her own for as long as she can remember, she’s driven, focused and intent on finishing law school at the top of her class. Nothing could distract her from that goal until an unexpected night of passion with a visiting soldier leads to life-changing complications.

  But while neither Kade nor Leah planned this bump in the road, the unplanned parenthood that threw these two together may be the best thing that ever happened to either of them. That is, if the heat they both feel doesn’t sizzle out of control first.

  Glossary of Military Terms Used

  BDU: Battle Dress Uniform, more commonly known as fatigues. This is the uniform worn by most soldiers on duty. These are made of a heavy camouflage cotton, either in dark green (jungle fatigues) or lighter sand colors (desert fatigues).

  BOQ: Bachelor Officer Quarters, where unmarried officers can live. Officers also have the option to live off-post, in their own rented or owned home. While on temporary duty, officers are assigned quarters in the BOQ at their temporary post.

  PT: Physical Training, which is a set of morning exercises required of all soldiers.

  TDY: Temporary Duty, wherein a soldier is temporarily assigned to a post other than his/her permanent assignment. Temporary duty might be assigned for a short course, for training, or for a limited-time duty of another sort.

  PCS: Permanent Change of Station, where a soldier and his/her family move from one permanent assignment to another. This usually takes places every 3-4 years, depending on the branch of service or other circumstances.

  Dress Blues: the uniform worn by Army officers and enlisted men on more formal occasions.

  Dedication

  To all the men and women who give up so much to serve our nation every single day, in the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force and the Coast Guard. We will never forget your sacrifice and your service.

  Prologue

  Leah

  “Thanks so much again, Leah. I really appreciate you doing this for me.” Cassie Horton twisted in the passenger seat of my car, bouncing a little as she did. My former college roommate had never done anything low-key in her life. She was the poster child for exuberance.

  “It’s not a problem, really,” I replied for the third time, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye. “The bar isn’t that far from my apartment, and dropping you off isn’t a big deal at all.”

  “Oh, I don’t mean just the ride, though yeah, that’s, like, super-cool of you. But I mean everything. Letting me crash at your place these last few days was a lifesaver. It was so much fun to hang out again, just like back in the old days. You know, with me having fun and watching movies and you with your nose buried in books or the laptop, studying.”

  A flare of annoyance rose within me. “Yeah, just like the good old days. Some things don’t change, I guess.”

  “That’s for sure.” Cass remained, as always, blissfully ignorant of my sarcasm. Her phone, which was never far from her hand, buzzed its happy little chirp. “Oh, awesome. Kade’s almost there already. I can’t wait to see him! It’s been forever.”

  “Hmm.” I nodded as I changed lanes. “He’s a friend of yours from back home in California, you said?”

  “Oh, yeah. Well, he was more my brother Andrew’s friend since they were the same age and all. But I was like his little sister, you know? I mean, he’s so freaking hot, and all my friends back home used to ask me why I didn’t just jump his bones, but I didn’t think about him that way, you know? He was always just Kade, the guy hanging around my house or the beach with us. Big ick factor when I thought about anything else.”

  “I get it.” I didn’t, really; I hadn’t grown up with any big brothers, blood-related or otherwise. But it was always easier to play along than it was to open up that can of worms. “So, he lives around here?”

  “He’s in the Army, and he’s stationed at Fort Lee. But he agreed to drive up here so we could catch up for a little bit.” Cass sighed. “We were supposed to meet last night, but he had some kind of Army emergency, I guess. He had to cancel at the last minute. So he’s coming up now, but you know, Jada and the girls from Kappa Delt are meeting me at the bar, too, so I can go stay with them for the next few days. I hope Kade won’t be too disappointed if I can’t give him all my attention.”

  “I’m sure he’ll understand.” I kept my eyes from rolling with the greatest of effort. Rooming with Cassie during our first two years at Virginia Commonwealth University had been fine, but I’d learned quickly that as sweet as she seemed, her agenda always came first. More than once, I’d been burned when she’d made plans for us and then blown me off in favor of a cute guy or her sorority sisters.

  It was with that in mind that I’d agreed to let her stay with me for a few days when Cassie had emailed about her trip east. Honestly, I’d assumed it would never really happen, that she’d cancel before the time came. The price I’d paid for my cynicism was that I’d had a chatty guest for three days and nights.

  “Maybe.” Her enthusiasm waned briefly. “I just feel bad. He’s making the drive all the way up here, and I know he’s busy, but Jada has plans for us, too.” She bit the edge of her lip. “Oh, here’s the entrance for the bar.”

  I just barely made the turn, earning me a long and loud horn blow from the car that had been following close behind me. The parking lot was crowded, and I had to execute a quick maneuver to keep from hitting the back of a Mustang that was backing out of a spot.

  “Ooooh, grab that one.” Cassie pointed to it, as though I hadn’t seen it myself.

&
nbsp; Since there was a line of other cars waiting behind me, I didn’t take the time to argue. But once I’d come to a stop and shifted into park, I let the engine idle, turning my head to smile at my passenger.

  “Okay, well, here you are. You okay with your bags? Do you need to move them to . . . umm, another car?”

  “Oh, God.” Cassie was scanning her phone again. “Jada isn’t here yet. She got held up in traffic. Can you wait until she shows up?”

  “Cass.” I kept the smile pasted on my face. “Remember I told you that I couldn’t hang out? I have a shit ton of school work to do. I said I’d drive you over and drop you off.”

  “Oh, I know, and I know I’m a huge pain in your ass, but I can’t exactly lug all my bags into the bar and sit them on the floor next to me, can I? Come on . . . I’ll buy you a drink. It’s the least I can do after you’ve been so great the last few days.”

  I lost the pleasant expression and the nice girl ‘tude. “Cassie, I really can’t. I don’t know what to tell you about the bags. I guess I could take them back home, and then you and Jada could stop later on to pick them up. I’ll be home.”

  “She lives in the exact opposite direction from your place. Her townhouse is on the west side.” Cassie’s voice was filled with exasperated patience, as though she were talking to a child. And I couldn’t help feeling more than a little resentful. Although I knew she didn’t really mean anything, she’d just pointed out that her sorority girlfriends lived on the ritzy side of town. Meanwhile, I was still slumming it in my tiny upstairs apartment in the less-desirable section of Richmond.

  “Sorry about that. Maybe you can borrow stuff from her tonight and then stop over tomorrow some time.”

  “Leah, pleeeeeease.” Cassie grabbed at my hand, clasping it in both of hers. “Please, please, please. I totally don’t want to go in there and sit by myself. I’ll look like such a loser.”

  “I thought your soldier friend was going to be here.” I didn’t have any sympathy for her plight. Sitting alone wasn’t the end-of-the-world tragedy she was making it out to be.

  “He will be, but he isn’t yet. Please, Leah. Pretty, pretty please. Think of all the good karma you’ll get. It’ll be enough that you won’t even need to study for your law school thingy.”

  I gritted my teeth. “It’s not a thingy, Cassie. It’s a huge exam, and if I don’t pass it . . . well, I don’t want to think about what would happen.”

  “Okay, well, sorry. But I’m only talking one drink. Fifteen minutes . . . half-hour, tops. Seriously, Leah, you never do anything fun. Didn’t you ever hear that thing about all work and no play? It’s possible that taking off one tiny hour to relax and have a drink with friends—”

  “They’re not my friends, Cass. They’re yours.”

  She waved her hand. “Whatever. Just turn off the car and come inside. Set your phone for thirty minutes, and I promise, the second it goes off, you can get up and leave. Don’t even say goodbye if you don’t want to.”

  I snorted. “Sure. That’ll make me look like a great person.”

  “What do you care? Like you said, they’re not your friends.” She reached for the door handle. “Come on, Leah. Live a little.”

  Against every ounce of better judgement—and that was a lot of ounces, believe me—I turned the key and pulled it from the ignition. “Thirty minutes, Cass. Thirty minutes. And then I’m out of here, even if I have to carry in all your suitcases and dump them at your feet in the middle of the bar. Got it?”

  “Sure!” She danced a little getting out of the car, and once I’d slammed my door and met her in the front of it, she wrapped me in a quick, tight hug. “You’re the absolute best, Leah. The very best.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I followed her through the door, where loud music and the roar of voices swept over us. I winced a little. The place was packed, body pressing against body. Everyone looked so happy, as if they were all glad to be here. I felt more out of place than ever.

  “Do you see any open tables?” Cassie shouted, her mouth close to my ear.

  I shook my head. “No, it looks pretty full. Maybe I should just—”

  “Cassidy Lee Horton, is that you?” A rich deep voice carried over the buzz of the crowd. I jerked my head around and found the source of the voice . . . the tall, lanky, blond-haired source making his way through the group of people next to us, grinning at Cass.

  “Kade! Oh my God, Kade, you are so . . . wow! What did you do, like, bulk up a hundred times over? Look at you. You’re seriously built now.” She stood on tiptoe to hug him, squealing as she did. “You’re not the skinny surfer I remember.”

  He laughed, and despite myself, I felt my lady parts shiver. Dear Lord of all hotness, he was . . . I tried to think of the most accurate adjective. A yummy specimen of maleness. Someone I’d love to bounce on. Someone who I suspected knew how to use those large hands with skill and finesse. I could just see his fingers on me, stroking, tantalizing . . .

  “Oh, God, I’m such a moron. Kade, this is my friend, Leah Samson. We roomed together in college for a couple of years, and she’s been nice enough to let me crash at her apartment since I landed in Richmond. Leah, this is Kade, the guy who lived to torture me when I was a kid.”

  “Hey, Andrew and I didn’t torture you, little bit.” He cuffed her shoulder with a gentle fist. “We were training you for life. Preparing you to be tough.” He chuckled again, lifting vivid hazel eyes to meet mine. Friendly interest morphed into warm admiration. “Hey. Leah, is it? Nice to meet you.” He extended one of those tempting hands toward me. “Kade Braggs.”

  Against my better judgement—again—I took his hand and gave a brief squeeze. “Hi.” Oh, that was inspired. More like insipid.

  “Look, those people are leaving. Let’s grab their table fast.” Cass darted around me, single-minded in her determination to reach the chairs before anyone else did.

  Kade pressed his hand to the small of my back. “We better get over there before she knocks someone out to keep the table. I see that Cass hasn’t lost any of her, uh, enthusiasm.”

  I tossed him a quick smile over my shoulder. “That’s one way of putting it. Single-minded focus on getting her own way might be another.”

  “Yeah, that sounds about right.” Kade pulled out a chair for me as we reached Cass. “Beer good for everyone? I’ll see if I can flag down a server.”

  “I want a cosmo,” Cass announced. “Beer makes me bloaty.”

  Kade smiled indulgently, and I realized that he had a dimple in his left cheek. Damn. Dimples were my kryptonite. There was just something about that little indentation that made me want to run my tongue over it . . . No. I clamped my teeth onto the inside of my cheek to distract myself from the want. He wasn’t for me, and anyway, I didn’t have time for men. Not now. I tried to concentrate on what Kade was replying to Cass.

  “Not sure they have cosmos at this place, babe. How about a glass of white wine?”

  Cass shrugged one shoulder with a pretty pout. “I guess so. But ask about the cosmo first, okay?”

  Kade nodded and stepped away. I watched him snag the arm of a passing waitress, whose body language indicated that she was more than happy to see to all of his needs, drink related or otherwise.

  “That’s Kade for you.” Cassie sighed. “Making conquests and breaking hearts at every turn.”

  My insides twisted a little. “He’s a player, huh?”

  Cass wrinkled her nose. “Well, he used to be, back in the day. He never dated anyone, but he hooked up with a new girl every weekend. We used to call it the Kade effect: he’d turn on the smolder, and every female in a five-mile radius would drop her unmentionables.”

  “Talking about me?” The subject of our discussion slid out a chair between us and sat down. “Only sharing the good stuff, right, Cass?”

  She smiled, patting his cheek. “I was just telling Leah what a big old man-whore you used to be back home.”

  I’d expected him to laugh again, but instead,
Kade looked somewhat pained. “That was a long time ago, Cass. I was just a kid then. I’ve been in the army for ten years, and I don’t mess around like that anymore.”

  “Sure, you don’t.” Cass shook her head. “Seriously, Kade, you expect me to believe you’ve become a monk, thanks to your training from Uncle Sam? Please. Give me a break.”

  He tapped her on the nose. “Not a monk, but not who I used to be, either. And don’t go telling people I’ve just met stories about those days. How would you like it if some dude came over, and you wanted him to like you, and I told him how you used to wet your pants whenever Andrew and I tickled you?”

  “Ewwww!” Cassie smacked at his arm. “That’s gross, and you guys were so mean to me.”

  They went on talking, reminiscing about people, places and events that meant nothing to me. The waitress came by to drop off our drinks, leaving quickly when she realized that Kade was focused on Cass and wasn’t going to flirt with her. I sipped my beer, only partly listening to them. My mind kept going back to Kade’s words of a few minutes past: How would you like it if some dude came over, and you wanted him to like you . . . He’d been referring to Cass telling me tales. Did that mean I was someone who he wanted to like him? And why the hell should that make any difference to me?

  “Oh, my God!” Cassie jumped out of her seat. “I see Jada! Be right back.” So saying, she darted across the room toward the door, where she and a dark-haired young woman whose slouchy sweater probably cost more than my monthly rent met in a swirling hug and too much screaming.

  “Jada?” Kade stared after Cass, his eyes narrowing. “Who’s that?”

  I heaved out a long breath. “She’s one of Cassie’s many beloved sorority sisters. They’re meeting her here and then taking her home with them.” I smirked. “It’s like a kid exchange, you know? I had custody of Cass for three days, and now it’s their turn.” Too late it occurred to me that maybe I sounded a little bitchy. After all, as far as Kade knew, Cassie and I were close friends.