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  Touch Me

  Semper Fi Marines, Book Three

  Melissa Schroeder

  Harmless Publishing

  Contents

  About Touch Me

  Military Terms

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Also by Melissa Schroeder

  About the Author

  A man trying to forget.

  Jackson Johnson had always planned to spend his life in the Marines serving his country—that is until he came back from a mission with memories he’d rather not have. He feels like he’s circling the drain until he meets the new tenant next door. An altercation with her unruly dog has them at odds. That is until he finds himself kissing her.

  A woman who doesn’t have time for love.

  Veterinarian Hannah Richmond doesn’t have time for the surly Marine or any man for that matter. Still, resisting his kisses proves futile and soon she finds herself falling for Jack. For the first time in a really long time she discovers she might just want to try for that happily ever after—that is until her past comes back to haunt her.

  A Marine determined to prove his love.

  Jack knows Hannah is pushing him away because she wants to keep him safe but there is one thing she needs to understand: this Marine will never retreat until she surrenders.

  Touch Me, Semper Fi Marines, Book Three

  © 2015 by Melissa Schroeder

  Published by Harmless Publishing

  Digital ISBN: 9781939734150

  Print ISBN: 978-1495972683

  * * *

  Edited by Victoria Kennedy and Noel Varner, Cover by Brandy Walker

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  First print publication: May 2015

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  To all the readers who begged for the stories and fell in love with the Santinis and Johnsons. Your emails and comments have been so wonderful over the last year. Thank you always for your support.

  This one is especially for you.

  Mel

  Military Terms

  PCS: Permanent Change of Station-when military members move

  TDY: Temporary Duty-short term assignments, usually shorter than 6 months. Many times it is for training.

  Deployment: When someone is sent to work usually in hostile areas, but they still have a permanent base at home they are assigned to.

  Exchange: The base exchange or post is usually a small version of a discount store. In the early years of the military, the bases were often built in desolate areas and families needed a place to shop for household items and clothes. They often have a small food court.

  Commissary: The military version of a grocery store.

  MEU: Marine Expeditionary Unit or a unit comprised of air, land and sea components that are ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. They are smaller than the regular battle group for that reason.

  TLA: Temporary Lodging Allowance

  Dislocation Allowance: Extra money to help with move

  Per Diem: Money given per day to help pay for food and gas.

  1

  Jack Johnson scowled down at his petunias. The once vibrant yellow and purple flowers were now flattened, and were SBR. Smashed beyond recognition. He had just planted them two days earlier and now they were dead. There was only one reason for their disfigurement.

  “I am going to kill that mongrel.”

  He said nothing else as he marched to Hannah Richmond’s front door ready to go through his plan. Before he could ring the bell, she opened the door. She was as surprised as he was, or so the expression on her face told him, as did the gasp that slipped from her lips.

  That strange tickle at the back of his throat started. It had nothing to do with her, he was sure. Or the fact that she looked like she just tumbled out of bed. Her golden brown curls were springier than usual, and she had one shoe off and one in her hand. She was dressed in scrubs with little puppies and kittens all over them. Her blue gray eyes widened when she saw him.

  “Oh, Captain.”

  She sounded breathless, as if he had caught her being naughty. That thought, along with the way she was blushing, had his thoughts going in the direction he’d tried to avoid. For weeks he had been getting not so pure thoughts about his veterinarian neighbor that had nothing to do with her dog.

  Dammit. That dog. Now that thought brought him back to the reason for his visit.

  “My petunias are SBR.”

  For a moment, she said nothing. She was struggling with her shoe and almost fell over. Then, she laid one of her small hands against his shoulder to balance herself. “What?”

  He drew in a deep breath, ignoring the way his heart did a little jig at the scent of her. It wasn’t flowery or ever musky like perfume. Pure, clean soap. Why did he find that so damned erotic?

  Shaking his head, he tried to concentration her question. Oh, his flowers. “SBR.”

  “What the hell is SBR?” she asked, but he could tell she wasn’t paying attention as she shut her front door locking it.

  “Smashed beyond recognition.”

  She stopped in her tracks and stared at him. She opened her mouth then shut it, and bit her lip. Jack had the distinct impression that she was trying not to laugh at him.

  “You came up with an acronym for your garden issues?”

  He jerked a shoulder.

  “And why are you coming to tell me about it?”

  “That damned dog of yours did it.”

  “My damned dog—” she shook her head. “Hercules did not smash your petunias. He hasn’t been out front since yesterday afternoon.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “I disagree.”

  Her expression told him she thought he might be insane. She said nothing about that. “Good for you. Tell you what? Why don’t you write that up in triplicate? When you’re done with that, I’ll tell you exactly where to file it.”

  Before he could respond, she was opening her car door. He hurried to catch up to her before she left. He rounded the hood of her vintage VW bug.

  “I—”

  “Listen, Captain, I don’t have time this morning. I’ll be home this evening and you can tell me all about it. I have an emergency at the clinic.”

  He stopped. Hannah was a veterinarian and rarely had emergencies that he knew of. If she was in this much of a hurry, it was probably very serious. Pressing the issue would just make him a jerk.

  “Okay. But we will talk about this.”

  She slipped into the car and started the engine. “I’m sure we will.”

  Giving him a mock salute, she put the car in reverse. Jack stood there, watching her drive down the street.

  With a shake of his head, he walked back to his house. He hadn’t even dressed for the day. He was still wearing his boxers and t-shirt. He was also barefoot. It was then he knew why she’d given him the look she had at first.

  With a sigh, he made his way through the house to grab some coffee. He’d decided to take Monday and Tuesday off to get a little work done around the house. After being gone for a week last month for Jesse’s wedding, the yard needed some TLC. Plus, he didn’t plan on a vacation that summer, so no reason to hold onto the leave.

  He poured himself a cup of coffee and walked out to his back patio. He had never been a homeowner before, but with the extra money he’d saved over the years, he decided to take the plunge. Besides, he liked Oceanside. There was something about living near the ocean…and the moderate temperatures in California were right up his alley.

  He settled in a chair and sipped his coffee. He liked mornings. Before everyone got up, and the action of the day took over, he enjoyed the peace and quiet.

  Of course, it didn’t last long. His phone buzzed with Jesse’s ring.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be on your honeymoon?”

  “Good morning to you, too,” Jesse said. “We got back late last night. It was just a few days at a B&B since we have to be overseas pretty fast.”

  He shook his head. Jack’s oldest brother had always been a man who played by the rules, until he fell for artist Zoe Jones. In less than three weeks after proposing, the two were married and planning for Jesse’s PCS—permanent change of station—to NATO Headquarters.

  “So, whatcha calling for Jesse? Is it your turn?”

  There was a pause. “My turn for what?”

  He rolled his eyes. Jack loved his family but they could be nosy. One of them called every few days, and while he appreciated that they were worried about him, it was starting to get on his nerves. He knew the diagnosis of PTSD along with a TBI didn’t sound fantastic, but he was dealing with it—just like a lot of other people.

  “Never mind. Did you buy me something?”

  Jesse chuckled. “Zoe got you a sn
ow globe. Said the one and only California Johnson needed a reminder that it isn’t all waves and sand.”

  “You know you’re lucky you met her first, right? Cuz I would have had her in a second.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “You’re too stuffy for her.”

  “Apparently she likes stuffy,” Jesse said with humor in his voice.

  Jack might not know his new sister-in-law very well, but he would be forever grateful to her. Jesse finally sounded happy. He’d always been the most responsible of the siblings and that was saying something. The Johnson siblings had three Marines and a very scary physical therapist. Jesse seemed more relaxed with Zoe around.

  “Well, the way I see it, I am the last man standing.”

  “That’s true. Well, you and Dad.” He heard a woman’s voice in the background. “Zoe wants to know how it goes with the neighbor?”

  That question reminded him of his encounter with her that morning. He scowled. “My petunias are SBR.”

  “I’m talking about your neighbor, as in the woman. And what the hell is SBR?”

  “Smashed beyond recognition. And why does Zoe want to know about my neighbor?”

  Before Jesse could answer him, the phone was taken away.

  “Hey, there, Jack,” Zoe said, Georgia heavy in her voice.

  “Hey, there, yourself. When are you going to come to your senses and come live with me?”

  “I would do that, but Jesse would cry.” There was a murmur. “That is anatomically impossible, and I’m not going to tell your brother to do that. I’m hoping you can make it over to see us while we’re in Europe.”

  “Now why wouldn’t I want to see the sweetest officer’s wife that side of the Atlantic?” Jack asked, settling back in his chair with a smile.

  “So, your neighbor…what’s she like?”

  “It isn’t her I have a problem with. It’s Hercules.”

  “Hercules?”

  “Her dog.”

  “Ah. I was more interested in the owner.”

  So am I.

  He pushed that thought aside. “What do you want to know about her?”

  “You expend a lot of energy complaining about her, so I thought maybe you knew more about her.”

  “I complain about her dog.”

  She laughed. “Sure, sure. So, how’s the weather out there?”

  Since she was going to let it go, he decided to talk about inane things and ignore the problems of his neighbor and her dog.

  2

  Hannah sighed with relief as she sat down behind her desk. Lifting her hands to the back of her neck, she kneaded the tension as best she could. It had been a long surgery, but Paddy the St Bernard pulled through. It had been a split second that had led to the accident. Hopefully, Paddy would recover. He was strong and young, so there was a good chance he would.

  After surgery, she’d had three more patients to take care of, and she’d skipped lunch. Without eating breakfast, she was feeling a little out of sorts. The lack of sleep, along with the early morning call, and the run in with her neighbor had her head spinning. Her back and fingers ached and she was exhausted. The thought of laying her head on her desk and just going to sleep sounded heavenly.

  Before she could go through with her plan, her assistant Mary poked her head into the room, “Hey, Hannah. I know you haven’t eaten anything today. Want me to run down and get you something for lunch?”

  “Oh, yeah, that sounds good. I really want a burger.”

  “Then have a burger.”

  She sighed. “I’m too tired to fight my need for red meat and cheese. And fries.” She looked at the clock. “Oh, lord, it’s past three?”

  Her assistant nodded. “You know, you could go home for a little bit if you wanted. I rescheduled everyone else.”

  “Maybe you’re right. I need some food and a little sleep. Then I can head back for the overnight.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I can’t leave Paddy here all night by himself.”

  “Mason can do it. I already called him and he’s glad to help.”

  Mason was a good guy, almost done with veterinary school. Paying him to come in would cut a little into her saved money, but she needed the sleep. And a burger.

  “It would also be a good thing for you to get some rest. You have a full day tomorrow.”

  It was one of the things her therapist had picked up on a few years ago. She had a problem giving people control, even now. “Okay. If he doesn’t show, you need to call me.”

  Mary leaned against the doorjamb and studied Hannah. “What has you out of sorts?”

  “Paddy had me worried,” she said as she grabbed up her purse and searched for her sunglasses.

  “It was more than that.”

  “Hm,” she said, as she tried to remember where she set her glasses down. The mood she was in, she could just drive home without them. Her body was already screaming for the relief of her bed.

  “Hannah Nicole Richmond.”

  She blinked and looked up at her assistant. “What?”

  “Quit avoiding the topic.”

  She had been and largely because Mary thought she was too preoccupied with her neighbor.

  “Nothing much. That Marine thinks Hercules sat on his pansies or something.”

  “Oh?”

  “Which he probably did, but I didn’t have time to deal with him and well…he was kind of in less clothing.”

  Mary let one eyebrow rise slowly. “Oh? As in naked?”

  She wished.

  “No.” But it did look like he’d just rolled out of bed. Only men looked sexy when they rolled out of bed. It was rude if you asked her.

  “Earth to Hannah.”

  She shook her head. “Anyway, he was all upset over the pansies and ranting about Hercules.”

  “You don’t think he would try and have Hercules taken away?”

  “No, so I give him props for that. I can’t explain to him that Hercules is just a big old bear. He doesn’t understand boundaries. I actually think he has a crush on the Marine.”

  Hercules had been owned by one of her clients who got orders to Afghanistan three years before. Unfortunately, the young sergeant didn’t make it back alive. She always thought Hercules missed that sense of order and male camaraderie the young man had given him. When the Marine moved in, Hercules became attached almost immediately.

  “Hannah!”

  She looked up at Mary, who was holding her sunglasses.

  “I called your name three times. Take your glasses, get something to eat and go to sleep. I’ll call you if there are any issues.”

  Jack watered the almost dead flowers as he looked over at his neighbor's house. She hadn't been back and it was close to four in the afternoon. That was odd. She usually tried to make it home sometime in the day to deal with that damned dog. Or, take him with her.

  He couldn't fight the smile as he bent over to turn off the water. Seeing that dog with his massive black head out the window as she drove along the street was kind of funny. And, basically, the animal really was a good dog, if only he would stay out of Jack's garden.

  Before he could make it into the house, Hannah pulled into her driveway. She didn't notice him so he felt free to study her. He'd been doing a little bit too much of that recently. For some reason, the vet fascinated him. She was small, only about five-four or so, with delicate bones. Of course, that didn’t mean she was delicate. She could handle a dog the size of Hercules, so she didn’t have issues with strength. He'd even heard her talk about working in a ranching community before this and dealing with horses.

  She was halfway to the door before he caught up with her.

  "Ms. Richmond."

  She stopped and turned around to face him. "Is there something you needed Captain?"

  She sounded tired. Really tired. As in about to fall asleep on her feet tired. "Are you okay?"