It would have been tempting to luxuriate under the pulsing water, but Linda knew that she didn't have time. Instead, she got out, drying herself off efficiently with her towel before going into the main room and pulling her uniform off of the clothing bar next to her television. Since she lived alone she'd done some rearranging, and now all her clothes hung in the main portion of her barracks room, which got better air circulation in the summer.
She'd just pulled her undershirt on and had her pants up when there was a knock at her door. Not even thinking, and figuring it was just one of her team members who needed something before work began, she buttoned her pants and called out,
"Come on in!"
It was Brutus, and again Linda was struck dumb. He was in just his pants and boots, shirtless, and as she looked at him she couldn't help herself. Her eyes unconsciously traced every curve and swell of muscle on his thickly muscled upper body, from the dinner plate-sized pectorals and baseball-sized biceps to the powerful, thickly blocked and chiseled abdominal muscles of his stomach, to the happy trail that just started below his belly button and disappeared into his pants. And in her mind, she felt a very un-military-like flush of desire for the man.
"Uhm, Sergeant? Got a problem."
"I… I can see that." Linda tried not to bite her lip as she drank in the sight of the sexy, muscular man in her doorway. She knew he was handsome, she'd seen him perform up close and in person. She'd even had him flirt with her. But now she was left instinctively attracted to him, and had to force herself back into her job.
"What is it?"
"I just opened the package of uniform t-shirts that you guys picked up for me, and someone messed up." He held up one of the brown undershirts he was supposed to wear with his uniform. "Instead of extra large… well, you see."
Linda did see. The shirt looked barely big enough to slide the torso over his arm, and she thought the shirts would be too small even on her.
"Damn, I didn't know they even made them that small."
"Yeah well… I tried, and there's a rag in my room demonstrating that," Brutus said.
"Any ideas?"
Linda thought quickly and nodded.
"You have another exercise t-shirt with you, right?"
"Yeah, I packed three of them." He snapped his fingers as her suggestion got through to him.
"Wear that?"
She nodded.
"Wear that under the top, and keep the collar up. If anyone asks, tell them I told you to do it. We're at the motorpool all day today, so most people will be in coveralls anyway. The Major doesn't like people getting their uniforms oily and dirty unnecessarily."
"Okay, cool," Brutus said. He rubbed his hand through his hair, and took a deep breath.
"And uh… thanks for slowing up on the run."
"Thanks for pushing me on the plank," Linda replied, flashing a grin that wasn't quite sergeant-like, but more Linda-like.
"Now go get your ass in gear and get to the DFAC. There's only forty-five minutes left in breakfast, and if you eat breakfast anything at all like you ate dinner last night, you're going to need every spare minute you can to shovel eggs down your throat."
"Eggs?" Brutus blanched slightly.
"I hate eggs. Especially runny ones."
"Ooooh, tough one there dude." Linda laughed.
"They're not going to give you enough bacon to offset no eggs, so if you want your protein and calories… close your eyes and think of something slick and slightly salty that you like going down your throat. It's what I do."
"Is that so?" Brutus asked.
Linda gasped, realizing what she'd just said. It was a total accident, she hadn't meant it that way, but now that she'd said it, the innuendo was very clear. And she couldn't get it out of her head.
"Go, get a fucking shirt on," she replied quickly, pointing. "I'll see you in the DFAC to walk you to the motorpool."
Brutus left, and as her door closed, Linda let out a shaky breath.
