Page 33 of Metal & Mud

Sabby swallowed, catching her breath, and nodded. "Yeah. It was totally unplanned though. I mean, he was trying to be nice, helping me clean up after my shift and he took out the garbage when that jerk LT started trouble."

"And hormones and instinct took over," Jess finished, and Sabby nodded. "Who started it with who?"

"Oh, the lieutenant totally threw the first punch, Logan was trying to walk away until the last second."

"That isn't what I meant."

"Oh," Sabby replied, blinking. She'd never talked about sex like this with her sister before, usually their talk was more 'girl talk banter' than anything serious. "Um, really mutual. Like, fifty-fifty for sure. And he was really respectful about it. He even asked me if I wanted to go further, and my response was the pool table's open."

Jess groaned, and for a moment she thought her sister was going to be mad. But after a moment she realized that Jess's shoulders were shaking and her sister was only holding back a smirk by the skin of her teeth. "You're not mad?"

"I'm dying of the cringe," Jess groaned in reply, and Sabby let out a sigh of relief. "The pool table? Seriously, is this a Bon Jovi video or something?"

"More Whitesnake than Bon Jovi," Sabby teased back, breathing freely now. "Just so you know, we're safe. I'm clean as a whistle and he wore protection."

"Glad those weekend safety briefs don't go wasted," Jess muttered, and Sabby chuckled.

"Anyway, he came in today to ask me out and get my number," she explained, "and I said yes. We're going out tonight right after my shift. So he must want another chance to actually get to know me."

"Or he just wants that incomparable Adams delight.” Jess grinned wolfishly. "The powers of which are known to enchant men and women alike."

Sabby rolled her eyes, feeling totally cool and relaxed with her sister again. "I thought that was your tongue."

Jess laughed, and Sabby felt like things were back to normal with her sister. "I won't deny I'm a cunning linguist. So where are you two going?"

"Dunno. I just said be casual and relaxed, because I wasn't sure about going home to change clothes for this," Sabby said. "Um, about that... you seem okay with me seeing him. Why? Two weeks ago if I'd said I'd hooked up with Logan, you'd have put me on a bus to California or something."

Jess chuckled. "Two reasons. One, it's your damn life, and how someone is as a soldier doesn't mean shit about them as a boyfriend. But on that note, let's just say that Hollywood's starting to improve and show what he's made of. Remember that ambush I told you about the other day?"

"You mean the one where you guys housed the entire platoon without anyone in your team even getting hit?" Sabby asked, and Jess nodded. "Yeah, just like, a hundred times. You came in the house practically doing a victory dance and declaring your victory to the entire neighborhood. I even know what 'traveling overwatch' means because of all of that."

"Hollywood was the planner," Jess said simply.

Sabby gawked. "What?"

"He was saying that the ambush also may have gotten him off the hook on what happened here, too," Sabby said. "Something about the El-Tee Mafia?"

Jess nodded sagely, unsurprised. "That sounds like something that could happen. They definitely don't want drama when one of their own's looking like that ate up piece of trash. Lieutenant Parker likes him, and after that show out at the ambush... yeah, you can go out with him. Just do me a favor."

"What's that?"

"Make sure he walks you to the door tonight," Jess said. "I want to see his face when he realizes who's sister he's dating."

Sabby thought about it, and nodded. It was a devious little twist to the end of the night, but innocent enough. And it'd be a fun way to break the news to Logan, provided he didn't have a heart attack and drop dead on the lawn. "Sure, why not? Sounds like fun."

* * *

17

LOGAN

Sabby was waiting for Logan outside the alley when he pulled up in his truck. He shifted into park and got out, unable to resist the urge to show off a little as he took in her appearance.

He'd debated what to wear, but she'd said casual. So, he'd showered and shaved before changing into full-length jeans while keeping his Miami t-shirt. He looked ready for a casual evening out, not a formal date.

And Sabby? She looked gorgeous. Her hair was loose, the purple and silver halves framing her beautiful face and complementing the glasses she wore, which added both cuteness and an edge of attitude to her look.

She'd replaced the bowling alley shirt with a scoop-neck silvery-gray top that accentuated her curves without being overtly sexual. Logan felt a slight stirring in his jeans and was glad he'd chosen a looser pair.

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