Page 14 of True Valor
“Oh.Sorry.”Julie crossed back to the couchand timidly sat down, again pulling her knees to her chest.“So,you’re a PJ.”She closed her eyes, remembering.“Parajumpers,pararescue, the Air Force elite Special Forces.”She paused, thenopened her eyes wide, surprised by remembering.Then she went on.“I almost had to date a PJ once.”
“Had to?”Nic began to relax, stretching hislegs out.
Julie smiled.“I had a friend who wasdetermined to bag a PJ, swore they were the best in bed.Sheprobably knew, too.Anyway, she nagged me for almost a year beforeI convinced her that under no circumstances would I ever date amilitary guy.No offense.”
Nic had to laugh.She was so serious.“Nonetaken.”
“It’s weird that I remember that, isn’tit?”
“I don’t know.I’m not an expert on amnesia.What was your friend’s name?”
“Cindy...Greene.Great!We can call all theCindy Greenes in the world and see if any of them know me.”
“We’ll ask if they know a girl named Juliewho doesn’t like military guys.”
“You said you weren’t offended.”
“I’m not.You want a refill?”At her nod, Nictook her cup and his to the kitchen.He poured the steaming waterinto the cups, as Julie spoke from the living room.
“So, do you have Jolly Green Giant feet onyour butt?”
Nic jumped back as hot water sloshed onto thefloor.Usually that question came on the dance floor with a chick’shands moving down on your ass.It was usually followed by a requestto see it.That never stopped being embarrassing.Every PJ he knewhad that same tattoo.It was pararescue tradition.
“Yes.I do.”
Just the facts, ma’am.
Nic set a full cup of hot chocolate, brimmingwith marshmallows, in front of Julie.If she’d been payingattention, she’d have seen his tattoo when he made the mad dash forsafety after she joined him in the shower.
Julie looked up at him with the can-I-see-itquestion written all over her face.Her eyes twinkled and her lipscurved in a sensual smile.
“Don’t go there.”
Julie stared at him for a moment.Then thelook changed and she burst out laughing.“Don’t worry, flyboy, Iwon’t.I didn’t believe her anyway.”
“What?”The way she jumped from oneconversation to another left him baffled.He usually didn’t havetrouble keeping up.Crap.He found himself wondering if it was theamnesia or if she did that all the time.
“About PJs being the best in bed.I didn’tbelieve her.”
“But no offense meant, right?”
“Right.”She was still laughing.“So arethey…best in bed, I mean?”
“How should I know?”
“Well, flyboy, I’m still notinterested...”
Nic started to protest, but Julie flew into arant.
“I’ve had quite enough of you macho guys.Ispent two of the best years of my life with the perfect man.Aussie, good looking—he flew hot air balloons.I would have spentmy life with him.But it turned out he had a honey in every city heflew.I learned absolutely nothing in high school.”
Nic squirmed.Way more information than hewanted.But there was the Aussie he’d wondered about.And sheremembered more and more of her past, though she didn’t realizeit.
On she went.
“I just want a simple relationship with asimple guy-next-door nerd.No more he-man guys for me, even if theyare airmen with smoldering brown eyes.”
“Uh...”
