Bridget Sullivan preferred her Army uniform and work boots to elegant evening gowns. Getting all done up for some fancy Memorial Day gala wasn’t in her plans, but it’s hard to resist the thought of seeing handsome retired Navy Captain Mark Smith again. It also means spending time with the cadre of ex-military friends who have made her return to civilian life a little easier to handle. But when Mark presses for more, will she break her rigid rules for one sexy night?

The only thing he likes better than a woman in uniform is seeing her out of it . . .

Especially if it’s sexy Staff Sergeant Bridget Sullivan. Since meeting Bridget a month earlier, Mark Smith has been attracted to the gorgeous woman who seems intent on hiding her beauty and her courage. Bridget’s determination to make it in a usually male world, from her choice of the Army to her current construction job, intrigues Mark. When Bridget sheds her muddy jeans and sneakers for sexy high heels and a slit-to-there dress, Mark is more than willing to help her explore her new feminine side. But can one night of pleasure lead to more?

Chapter 1

“I am so not wearing that,” Bridget Sullivan said and eyed the gown her younger sister Maggie was holding up.

“Well you sure aren’t going in that boring dress and where did you get those shoes? St. Mary’s School for Nuns?” said Maggie and jerked her hand in the direction of Bridget’s size ten feet.

She looked down at the sensible black flats that made her feet look enormous, but were comfortable and kept her from towering over most men. At 5’10” she was too tall to think about adding three-inch heels because she’d feel like Godzilla stomping all over Tokyo.

“These shoes are just fine,” she replied and turned to the mirror. The little black dress she had on was simple and serviceable. “This dress is just fine,” she said as Maggie stepped beside her and glanced in the mirror as well.

Just inches over five feet, her sister was the cute cheerleader type that men just went gaga over. Add killer curves, that wild mess of auburn curls, and amazing green eyes, and who could resist her?

“The dress is
just fine
for a funeral. This isn’t a funeral,” Maggie said and swept the gown into place in front of Bridget.

For a moment, she allowed herself to imagine how the dress would look and how others might see her. Definitely not her usual repertoire of jeans and work boots. The dress would show off a lot of skin, but in a subtle and sexy way. A very feminine way and for a moment, she wondered how one man in particular would respond.

“You’ll look amazing in it,” her sister urged and jiggled the dress to press her point home.

As their gazes connected in the mirror, she said, “What makes you think anyone will be looking?”

“Calling bullshit on that one, Bridget. Mark will swallow his tongue when he sees you in this.”

She told herself that was the last thing she wanted, although it was a lie. Retired Navy Captain Mark Smith was part of the circle of friends she’d become part of thanks to Maggie’s relationship with Trevor Mason, a Marine Lieutenant who was home from his deployment.

Mark was sexy, successful, and so not her speed. She’d heard the other men teasing him more than once about all the gorgeous women he met at work. Women totally unlike her.

“Mark is not interested in me. Besides, he’s way too old.”

“Calling bullshit again. I saw how he was looking at you at Rafe and Elena’s wedding and at their barbecue last week. And he’s only thirty-six. He’s just prematurely grey in spots. A very sexy grey by the way.”

She couldn’t deny the sexiness part. As for Mark being interested in her, she had thought she was just wishfully imagining that part. She was surprised her sister had noticed both. “So you think Mark is sexy? I thought you and Trevor – ”

“Are together? Totally together, but just because you’re on a diet doesn’t mean you can’t look at the menu. Not that I’m looking,” she said with a dreamy kind of tone her normally sensible sister didn’t use.

“Is he the one?” she asked and grabbed the gown, deciding that if she at least put it on, Maggie might stop pestering her about wearing it tonight.

Her sister hesitated for a moment, but as a big unrestrained smile swept across her full lips, she said, “Yeah, he is. Trevor is the one, Bridget. And it scares the shit out of me.”

She didn’t need to ask why. As a Marine with several years left to serve, he was in danger far too often and had been seriously wounded during a past deployment. For her sister’s sake, she prayed that everything would work out for them and that Trevor would come home safe and sound.

She hugged her sister hard. “It’ll be okay, Mags. Trust me.”

With a sniffle, Maggie said, “I do. So trust me and try on that damn dress. You’ll look fabulous.”

If only to take Maggie’s mind off scary thoughts, she swept off her dull black dress to reveal mind-numbing cotton underwear.

“Those have got to go as well. We can do some shopping downstairs,” Maggie said and walked away to wait for Bridget to change. The Atlantic City casino hotel where they were all staying for the weekend had an assortment of retail shops in the lower level, including a very fancy lingerie shop.

She grimaced at the thought of what Maggie might think was acceptable lingerie for tonight, but if she was going to surrender and wear the gown, she might as well let her little sister satisfy whatever desires she had to turn her into a dress-up Barbie.

Shucking her bra, since there was no way to wear one with the non-existent back of the dress and the deep Vee in the front, she eased the gown over her head and let the lush and heavy satin slip down her body. As the rich dark navy blue fabric settled into place, the material hugged her slim curves, but just right, as if the gown had been made just for her.

She gazed into the mirror and couldn’t fight back her surprise at how wonderful she looked. The deep cut in the front added cleavage she didn’t think she had. As she turned, the fabric parted to reveal an elegant length of leg. The dress left all of her bare down to the dimples at the small of her back, exposing a creamy expanse of skin.

She couldn’t deny the gown was far far better than the monotonous black dress she had planned to wear. The color set off the auburn hints in her brown hair and the blue of her eyes. It fit her perfectly and that made her wonder how her sister had it sitting around for her to try.

“So tell me, Mags. Where did you get the dress?” she said as she faced her sister, who was sitting on the bed in Bridget’s hotel room.

With a little shrug, Maggie said, “Mom and Dad asked me to pick out something for you to wear. An early birthday gift.”

“Because Mom and Dad are afraid that I’ll never find a man and give them grand kids.”

“Yup,” Maggie replied without hesitation.

“You know there are five of you besides me who can do the baby-making. Except for Molly since she’s way too young,” she said, referring to their high school aged baby sister.

“Liam’s too busy building his law practice and Aidan and Finn have to finish college.”

“And you and Trevor . . .”

“Have to take the next step,” Maggie said with a frown.

She knew her sister well enough to understand something was troubling her. She walked over and sat beside her. “Spill. If he’s the one, why are you hesitating?”

Maggie shook her head and sighed. “I’m not hesitating. He is and I understand, kind of. Trevor hasn’t had a good family life and we’ve only been dating for about nine months. Most of it long distance dating since he’s been deployed.”

But he was home now and she’d seen how the Marine Lieutenant eyed her sister. She had no doubt that he was in love with her and would eventually do the right thing. She hugged Maggie and said, “Don’t worry, Mags. Things will turn out okay.”

Maggie offered a hopeful smile and a nod. “Yup, they will. What about you, Bridget? Not that you’re old or anything, but isn’t it time you took a chance with someone?”

Like Mark
, she thought, but wouldn’t give her sister the satisfaction of confirming her interest in the sexy military man. But she also knew her sister wouldn’t give up on the discussion without some distraction.

“How about I change and we go get some lingerie for this fabulous gown?”

Maggie grinned and her emerald colored gaze glittered with amusement. “And shoes? You cannot wear that gown with those flats.”

She glanced down at the sedate black shoes that were, as her sister had pointed out, more suited for convent life. A pair of sexy stilettos would so complete the outfit and for a moment, she imagined what Mark might think when he first saw her, looking so different than she had before.

No Army uniform.

No jeans and sneakers.

Just all sexy female, but even as she pictured his reaction, she told herself that he’d never be interested in the real woman beneath the glamour.

The real woman was just not his style, but for this one night . . .

Chapter 2

“Where is your poker face, Mark?” asked Rafe Castillo as he stood beside him at the head of the ballroom.

“This is my poker face,” Mark said in a playful monotone, belying the fact that he’d been busy scanning the crowded ballroom, looking for her.

“She’s not here yet, but Maggie and Trevor just came in. I suspect Bridget is not all that far behind,” Rafe said and gestured in the direction of the ballroom entrance.

“Am I that obvious?” he said, but had no sooner spoken when she walked into the room and the sight of her sucker-punched him.

He actually had to take a second look, just to make sure it was her, but it was.

“Wow,” he muttered.

“She cleans up nice,” Rafe said.

“
She
is not a car or some other object that needs cleaning,” Rafe’s wife Elena warned and nudged her husband mischievously as she stood by his side.

Mark glanced in Elena’s direction and smiled at the woman, who was no slouch in the beauty department. A stunning Latina with dangerous curves, she would draw the eye of any man. Coupled with her brains and easy-going nature, Rafe was definitely a lucky man.

“Be easy on him, Elena. He’s still acclimating to being back on the block and having women around.”

She slipped her hand into Rafe’s as he smiled at her and said, “Forgive me.”

“Forgiven, but you’d better make a move, Mark. You’re not the only ones who’ve noticed Bridget,” she said and jerked her head in the direction of the other woman as she walked in and looked around, as if searching for someone.

Elena was right about Bridget snagging the attention of quite a few males in the crowd. The midnight blue dress she wore hugged her slender curves, making him itch to touch them. The low cut of the neckline exposed lots of cleavage and when she took a step forward, a high side slit revealed a tempting length of sexy leg.

His cock stirred to life at the thought of all that femininity tucked against him. Of moving aside that fabric to explore what was beneath.

“Thanks for watching my six,” he said and hurried away to escort Bridget to their table. As he neared, she stuttered to a stop and met his gaze, obviously uncertain.

He suspected it wasn’t just about where she was supposed to go as her ocean blue gaze swept over him and a becoming blush spread across her cheeks. The color brought out the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

When he reached her, he said, “You look lovely, but then again, you always do.”

She surprised him by chuckling and shaking her head. The thick waves of her dark brown hair shifted against her nearly bare shoulders with the movement.

“I guess you haven’t seen me on the job site, covered in mud.”

He raised an index finger to keep her from saying anything else. “But I have seen you on the beach volleyball court, covered in sand. Does that count?”

The flush on her cheeks deepened and her blue-eyed gaze darkened with desire. The feeling was mutual as he remembered the sight of her in a bikini. It was making him hard and something inside had him laying a possessive hand at her waist to draw her just a bit closer.

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