Tall, Dark and Devastating: Harvard's Education. Suzanne Brockmann

he hadn’t thought about Rachel in years. He’d met her during a training op in Guam. She was a marine biologist, part of a U.S. Government survey team housed in the military facilities. She was beautiful—part African American, part Asian and part Hawaiian—and shyly sweet.

      For a week or two, Rachel had had Harvard thinking in terms of forever. It was the only time in his life he’d been on the verge of crossing that fine line that separated sex from love. But then he’d been sent to Desert Shield, and while he was gone, Rachel had reconciled with her ex-husband.

      He could still remember how that news had sliced like a hot knife into his quick. He could still remember that crazily out-of-control feeling of hurt and frustration—that sense of being on the verge of despair. He hadn’t liked it one bit, and he’d worked hard since then to make sure he’d never repeat it.

      He glanced at P.J. and met her eyes. She quickly looked away, as if the spark that had instantly ignited had been too hot for her to handle.

      Hot was definitely the key word here.

      Yes, he was the pursuer, but he wasn’t in any real danger of going the Rachel route with this girl.

      She was nothing like Rachel, for one thing.

      For another, this thing, this current between him and P.J. came from total, mindless, screaming animal attraction. Lust. Pure, sizzling sex. Two bodies joined in a quest for heart-stopping pleasure.

      That wasn’t what his relationship with Rachel had been about. He’d been so careful with her. He’d held back so much.

      But when he looked into P.J.’s eyes, he saw them joined in a dance of passion that had no civilities. He saw her legs locked around him as he drove himself into her, hard and fast, her back against the wall, right inside the doorway of her hotel room.

      Oh, yeah. It was going to be amazingly good, but no one was going to cry when it was over.

      Harvard smiled at himself, at his presumption that such a collaboration was, indeed, going to happen.

      First thing he had to do was figure out how to get this girl to quit running away for long enough to talk to her. Only then could he start to convince her they’d gotten off to a bad start.

      He should have been cooler last night.

      He’d stood there outside her hotel room and he hadn’t been able to think of anything besides how good she looked and how badly he wanted her and how damn glad he was that she hadn’t been bringing Lucky back to her room with her.

      He wasn’t sure he would have been able to make small talk even if he’d tried. But he hadn’t tried. He’d just stood there, looking at her as if she were the gingerbread girl and he was the hungry fox.

      At least he hadn’t drooled.

      He caught the waitress’s eye as he sat down. “Iced tea, no sugar,” he ordered, then glanced again at P.J.

      This time, she was looking straight at him and smiling. Damn, she had an incredible smile. On a scale from one to ten, it was an even hundred. He felt his mouth curve into an answering smile. He couldn’t explain what caused her sudden change of heart, but he wasn’t going to complain.

      “Hey,” she said, walking toward him. “What are you doing here?”

      As she moved closer, Harvard realized she wasn’t looking at him at all. Her focus was behind him. He turned and saw that Joe Cat had come into the bar through the back door.

      “I thought I’d stop in tonight before going home,” the captain said to P.J. “What’s shaking?”

      “Not much,” Harvard heard P.J. say as she gave Joe Cat another of those killer smiles. “Everyone’s glued to the TV, watching baseball.” She rolled her eyes in mock disgust.

      Excuse me, Harvard felt like standing up and saying, but everyone isn’t watching baseball. The waitress put his drink on the table in front of him, and P.J. still didn’t glance in his direction.

      Joe shrugged out of his jacket. “You’re not a baseball fan?”

      “Nuh-uh. Too slow for me. The batter wiggles around, getting all ready for the pitch, and the pitcher does his thing, getting ready for the pitch, and I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Just throw the ball!’” She laughed. She had musical-sounding laughter. “And then the ball is fired over the plate so fast that they’ve got to play it back in slo-mo just so I can see it.”

      “You’re probably not into football, either, then. Too many breaks in the play.”

      “You got that right,” P.J. said. “Do you have time to sit down? Can I buy you a beer?”

      “I’d love it,” Joe said.

      “Then grab us a table. I’ll be right back.”

      P.J. headed toward the bar.

      “If you don’t sit with me, sir, I may have to seriously damage you,” Harvard said to his friend.

      Joe Cat laughed and pulled out a chair at Harvard’s table. “You didn’t think I couldn’t see you lurking here, eavesdropping, did you?”

      “Of course, she may not want to chill with you after she comes back and sees the excess company,” Harvard pointed out. “She’s been running from me all day—she’s bound to keep it up.”

      “Nah, she’s tougher than that.”

      Harvard gave a short laugh of disbelief as he squeezed the lemon into his iced tea. “Wait a minute. Suddenly you’re the authority on this girl?”

      “I’m trying to be,” Joe said. “I spent about two hours with her today at the range. She just happened to show up while I was there. You know, H., she’s really good. She’s got a real shooter’s instinct. And a natural ability to aim.”

      Harvard didn’t know what to say. P.J. had just happened to show up…. He took a sip of his drink.

      “She’s funny, too,” Joe added. “She has a solid sense of humor. She’s one very sharp, very smart lady.”

      Harvard found his voice. “Oh, yeah? What’s Veronica think about that?” He was kidding, but only half kidding.

      Joe didn’t miss that. And even though P.J. was coming toward them carrying two mugs filled with frothy beer, he leaned closer to Harvard. “It’s not about sex,” he said, talking fast. “Yes, P.J.’s a woman, and yes, she’s attractive, but come on, H., you know me well enough to know I’m not going to go in that direction. Ever. I love Ronnie more than you will ever know. But I’m married, I’m not dead. I can still appreciate an attractive woman when I see one. And being friendly to this particular attractive woman is going to get us further than shutting her out. She approached me. She’s clearly trying to make friends. This is exactly what we wanted.”

      Harvard saw P.J. glance over and see him sitting with Joe. He saw her falter, then square her shoulders and keep coming.

      She nodded at him as she set the mugs on the table. “Senior Chief Becker,” she said coolly, managing not to meet his eyes. “If I’d known you’d be joining us, I’d have offered to get you a drink, as well.”

      He wasn’t aware they sold hemlock in this bar. “You can catch me on the next round,” he said.

      “I’ve got a lot of reading to do. I may not be able to stay for a next round. It might have to be some other time.” She sat as far from him as possible and took a sip of her beer.

      The temperature in that corner of the room had definitely dropped about twenty degrees.

      “Basketball,” Joe said to P.J. “I bet you like basketball.”

      She smiled, and the temperature went up a bit. “Good guess.”

      “Do you play?”

      “I’m a frustrated player,”