A sharp rap on her office door made Eva lift her head quickly up off the desk, and she tried her best to look alert, not likeshe’d been almost asleep. When she was told that Major Aston wanted to see her straight away, she was wide awake, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
When Eva arrived at the major’s office, Pete was standing there, looking almost as smooth and unruffled as he’d been when they first left the base days earlier. “You can’t possibly have had time to shower and change, have you?” she asked, astonished.
“Nope. Not yet.”
Eva shook her head. “You look like you have. I, on the other hand, look like rats have been nesting in my hair for days.”
“And maybe also in your uniform,” Pete said, frowning as he looked at her clothes.
Eva looked down at herself. Sure enough, she looked like her uniform had been crumpled up in a ball, kicked by a team of horses, and dragged through the dirt.
Fortunately, Major Aston didn’t comment on her appearance. Instead, he told Eva and Pete that they were receiving commendations for their hard work over the past few days and that they were a credit to the base. He thanked them for their efforts in the community and at the rescue center and told them to get some sleep.
“And you’re both taking the night off. That’s an order.”
“Thank you, sir,” they said together.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’m too tired to sleep,” Eva said, yawning, once they were out in the corridor.
“Not me. I could sleep standing up. But I won’t. My lovely rock-hard mattress is calling to me.”
“I’ll bet you wear a velvet eye mask, don’t you? Or maybe it’s satin?”
Pete grinned. “Maybe you’ll find out for yourself one day, if you’re lucky.”
“I’m way too tired for flirting,” Eva sighed. “Or whatever this is.”
“Go and get some sleep and then come and find me. You can practice your flirting then.”
“Who said I need practice?”
“Just promise you’ll come and find me later,” Pete said. “We’ve both got the night off, the rain has finally let up, and I need someone to show me what there is to do around this town for fun.”
Eva gulped. She didn’t even have enough fight left to resist the thoughts that were racing through her mind. “Okay. I’ll look for you later. Then we’ll go out looking for some fun.”
CHAPTER 12
PIETER
As Pieter dressed in casual clothes for his night out with Eva, he was as nervous as he could ever remember being going on dates as a teenager. In fact, he was evenmorenervous, because his feelings for Eva were stronger than anything he’d experienced in the past.
When she came to find him, she looked even more beautiful than usual. She was wearing her wavy black hair down in loose curls around her face. He’d never seen her wearing makeup before, but the light touch of mascara and lip stain accentuated her perfect features. In short, she looked stunning.
“You’re looking at me like that again,” Eva said by way of a greeting.
“I can’t help it. I was just about to tell you that you look gorgeous.”
“Thank you. You scrub up pretty well yourself.”
Pieter dropped his jaw and let it hang open for a moment. “I’m obviously still dreaming because I could swear you just said something nice to me.”
“I’ve said nice things to you before,” Eva replied. After a pause, she added, “Haven’t I?”
“No.” Pieter shook his head emphatically. “It’s all been mean and rude. But that’s okay because youdidsave my life.”
“I’m glad you haven’t forgotten that.”
“Never.” Pieter held out his arm for Eva. “Shall we?”
