99 THIRD AID BOX

ow and fell asleep again.

She sat up and leaned her back against the headboard as she picked up her cell phone from the nightstand. Nikki had texted, asking about her schedule and when she wanted to meet up for drinks during her shore leave. Kate sighed and tried to figure out how she could keep this–she reached for the right word for what existed between them–situation with Leo a secret from Nikki.

Leo's skin was tan against the bright white of the hotel sheets and Kate gave into the urge to trace her fingers over the muscles in his shoulders. He was serving on the Launceston now, and after things had definitively ended between Mike and herself, after the explosion that had killed one of her good friends and her…she removed her hand from Leo's back. Anyway, it had taken a lot of work for her to get to this place–where she could wake up in a hotel bed with a casual partner and realize she was enjoying herself.