The Player - By Rhonda Nelson Page 0,2

just made. It was over. Finished. Ranger Security—their postmilitary plan—was, at most, a mere month away, and it couldn’t come a day sooner. In fact, he would have just about promised Garrett anything—a firstborn, his left nut, hell anything—to have pushed those clearance papers through.

He wanted out. End of story.

Jamie shot Payne a look. “What’s your take on this favor bargain?”

Payne cocked a brow and shoved open the front doors, revealing the beautiful natural landscape of Fort Benning proper. Georgia, he thought. God’s country. “I think Garrett’s a crafty bastard who just secured three freebies for Uncle Sam.”

“Or for himself,” Guy drawled. “He wasn’t very specific. Hell, for all we know we could end up being his personal errand boys.”

“What? And waste all our special training?” Jamie chewed the inside of his cheek and shook his head. “He might have something personal in mind, but you can bet your sweet ass it’s going to be something which requires our particular set of skills.”

Guy inclined his head at the point, then blew out a breath. “Well, frankly I don’t give a damn what he wants—I’m just glad it’s over.”

Now that was a sentiment they all shared. Jamie felt a crooked smile slide across his lips, looked over and caught the vaguest hint of a grin transform Payne’s usually impassive countenance.

“Boys,” Guy said meaningfully, “I say it’s time to celebrate.”

Payne nodded once in agreement. “I wouldn’t say no to a cold one.”

Jamie hesitated, wincing. He was about to severely tick off his friends and he knew it.

Guy glanced at him and frowned. “Let me guess,” he said, his lips twisted with sarcastic humor. “I’m going to take a shot in the dark here and say that you’ve got a date.”

“With Michelle,” Jamie admitted.

“Date three, right?” Payne asked.

Jamie chewed the corner of his lip and nodded.

“Ah,” Guy sighed knowingly. “Then she’ll be getting the Sayonara Serenade?”

“Of course.” Rather than linger and feel their censure—Payne, in particular had become annoyingly vocal on the amount of time he chose to spend with the opposite sex of late—Jamie turned and started walking backward toward his jeep. “Cold beer or a warm woman?” He chuckled, lightening the moment. “It’s an easy choice, guys.”

Or at least it was for him.

GUY MCCANN WATCHED AS Jamie cranked his jeep and, wearing a cocky I’m-getting-laid grin, drove off.

How Jamie got a woman to sleep with him after he’d officially cut her loose was a phenomenon that both Guy and Payne had marveled over for years. Especially since it had been Jamie’s love life that had necessitated setting up some rules. After a particularly bad breakup, Guy, Payne and Jamie had sat down over beers and decided on three hard and fast mandates for preserving their bachelor status.

Frankly, he and Payne had personal reasons for wanting to remain single, but Jamie had always been the romantic of the three. At least until he’d caught Shelly Edwards, the so-called love of his life, balling their landlord in lieu of rent.

In their bed, no less.

At any rate, after that particularly humiliating episode Jamie had changed. Instead of looking for the love of his life, he’d merely started looking for the love of his night. Following their rules—never spend the entire night with a woman, never let her eat off your plate, and after the third date, cut her loose—he’d pretty much perfected what they’d dubbed “kamikaze romance.” After all, every relationship was destined to crash and burn.

Payne watched him drive away as well, then glanced at Guy. “Is it just me, or is he getting worse?”

“Getting worse?”

“More women, more often.”

Guy mulled it over, rubbed the back of his neck. Actually, he hadn’t noticed, but now that Payne had pointed it out, it did seem like Jamie hadn’t been around as much lately. Aside from making plans for Ranger Security, Jamie hadn’t had much time for their usual pursuits—beer, poker, target practice, etc…In fact, now that he really thought about it, Jamie’s dating schedule had taken a dramatic upswing in the months since Danny’s death.

He looked up and caught Payne’s knowing gaze. “I see you’ve come to the same conclusion that I did,” Payne told him.

Guy nodded, his mood suddenly somber. “Getting out will help,” he said. It had to. And God knows that was the truth for him. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t think about Danny, about the part he played in his friend’s death. If he’d only…Aw, hell, Guy thought, abruptly shutting down that line of thinking.

He could