Chapter 1
Forward Operating Base Viper
Tarnak Wa Jaldak District, Zabol Province, Southern Afghanistan
This had to be the most desolate a place a girl from Chicago could get, but here she was, just off the chopper and on her first official mission for the Central Intelligence Agency—her dream job. When they had left Kandahar air base a few hours before, she had already been up for what seemed like days. The military cargo flight had been terrible, and she had been on a few different planes already. She was happy this was the last stop until she returned home in ten days.
Mackenzie Roberts had only been with the CIA for a brief time, but she had been top of her class at the Farm and had been more than ready to take on her first mission. Luckily, to her surprise, she was assigned to the Special Activities Division, a Special Branch of the Central Intelligence Agency. She was there to meet with her partner and work to help install a political figure the United States supported.
As the wheels touched down on the Chinook, she held her breath. The chopper rattled a bit as the back door was lowered. She braced herself in the seat as the machine finally stopped shaking and then unbuckled the harness and stood. The specialist next to her also stood and held his hand out to assist her. When her feet finally touched solid ground, relief washed over her as she grabbed her bag, which had sat secured to the floor. She slung it over her shoulder and crouched down to avoid the blades as they swirled overhead.
The dust flew, encircling her; the twin blades sent up what seemed like every piece of sand, dust, and debris in the area. She quickly fumbled around for her scarf and flung it over her mouth and nose. That’s when she saw him, the most luscious man she had ever set eyes on. She had only looked up for a second to see where she was going, and there he was, a tall, scruffy-looking soldier with the deepest green eyes she had ever seen. He stood tall and solid like a statue of Ares she had seen in the Chicago Museum as a child. The sand and dust pierced her skin, and it hurt as she moved through it. How can he just stand there? she thought. When she got closer, she could see him more clearly, and he was quite well built, tan, dark haired, with muscles on top of muscles, bright deep green eyes, and a smile that shot right to her core, and she felt herself moisten. She had no idea who he was, but she knew one thing: she wanted to get to know him.
Sergeant First Class Logan Macalister stood steadfast as the dust and sand flew and laughed as he watched the young woman fumble around. He had been waiting for this CIA agent for the last few hours, and he was ready to get back to the poker game he and the guys had started. He was ahead by a few hundred dollars and didn’t want to miss out on his winning streak. He couldn’t see her quite well, but he could make out her figure, and damn, it was impressive. What I wouldn’t give to have those legs wrapped around my neck. If the rest of her looks are as good as they are from the neck down, we’re in business, he thought as she approached. It had been months since he had seen a woman, let alone been with a woman, so lucky for him she was extremely nice to look at.
“Are you SFC Macalister?” she asked.
“Yep, that’s me!” he said as he held his hand out to her. “Logan Macalister but everyone calls me Wolverine.”
“Well, Wolverine, how about getting me out of this dust-up and inside so I can sit down?”
“Yeah, no problem. Let me take your bag for ya,” he said as he reached for the bag draped over her arm.
“Looks heavy.”
“Yeah, a bit! I’ve been lugging it around for the last several hours. I am beyond bushed. I need a shower, a bed, and a drink,” she complained as she handed him the bag.
Logan grabbed the bag, then motioned for her to follow him. “Follow me, ma’am. I will get you over to the command tent first. You need to report to the commander first, then personnel will get you set up with a bunk and a private area. Once you get set up, I can show you where the shower facilities are.” As they walked into the small makeshift building that looked as though it had been put together with cardboard and duct tape, a blast of cool air finally washed over them both. She seemed relieved. Realizing she was no longer following him, Logan stopped and turned just in time to see Mackenzie as her scarf fell.
His breath hitched, and his heart raced as he took the sight all in. My God! he thought. She’s the most beautiful woman in the world. Why the hell is she in this rat hole? Yep, he thought. Definitely have to get those legs wrapped around my neck. When she looked up at him, he realized her eyes were the darkest brown, and her hair was long and dark brown with hints of auburn scattered throughout. Then she smiled at him, looking up through her eyelashes, and that smile reached down to his dick and pulled it up and stretched it hard. He now had a hard-on from hell, and there was not a thing he could do about it.
“You good?” he asked. “Can we head on?” He knew he sounded like an ass, but he also didn’t want to stand around too long and reveal the raging hard-on he had that was pushing against his pants. It seemed obvious to him that his cock was trying to inch its way closer to her. “Down, boy,” he whispered to himself.
“What was that, Sergeant?” she questioned, looking back at him over her shoulder.
“Nothing, all good back here!”
“Oh, okay, I thought you said something!”
“Nope, all good back here,” he said as he pushed down at his crotch.
“Good. How much further to the commander’s office?”
“Just turn to your right up there, and he’s in there. I will wait out here,” he said, fumbling with his waistband.
“You’re not going in?” she questioned.
“Nope, no need. I will wait for you out here. Would you like coffee or water?”
“Water, please. I’ll grab it when I come out.” Logan leaned on the plywood wall and watched her from the hallway. Sure, all he could see was her ass, but, oh, what an ass, he thought. Standing there, he kept having to push his erection down, especially when she shifted her weight from one foot to the next. It swung her ass from one side to the other, and it was getting difficult not to walk up and grab it. And he couldn’t use the “I was drunk” excuse. There was something about this woman, though. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but she was different. She had confidence he hadn’t quite experienced in a woman before, and it piqued his interest, which meant she got his cock hard. She wasn’t the one-night stand type; he could tell by the way she held herself. If anything, she controlled all situations, and he liked that idea. But he wasn’t certain; he could be seeing something that wasn’t there. Logan was usually a good judge of character, and she wasn’t putting off the fuck-me-and-leave-me vibe at all.
As he stood there waiting, he could hear the confidence in her voice, and he could also tell she wasn’t some dumb bimbo like he was used to getting his way with; if he wanted some of what she had to offer, he would have to change his way of thinking and his way of dealing with a woman. She wouldn’t just fall for his southern charm and his panty-dropping smile; he would have to woo her with his intelligence and wit. As his mind drifted, he watched her and slowly undressed her with his eyes. He could hear bits and pieces of the conversation, and as usual for the CIA, it sounded like they would be meddling in something Logan felt they had no reason to meddle in, but that wasn’t his call. He did as he was told, and that was it.