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  His throat tightened uncomfortably. When he spoke, his voice was rough. “Come on, Captain. Get your pretty little rump out of bed before you miss your coffee again.”

  Fresh from a shower and wrapped in one of his flannel shirts, Andrea joined Dare at the breakfast table in the kitchen. He’d used the time to rustle up eggs and bacon, having seen Andrea’s morning appetite once before. She dug in like a trooper. Smoking a cigarette and drinking coffee, Dare watched her eat.

  “How would you like to spend Christmas day, Andrea?”

  She set her fork down and picked up her mug, taking a sip of coffee before replying. “I keep wishing there weren’t so many complications, but there are.” Her green eyes lifted to regard him steadily. “Reality won’t go away, Colonel.”

  Sighing, he stubbed out his cigarette. “I know it won’t. I don’t live in a fool’s paradise either, Captain.”

  “I never meant to imply that you did.”

  He arched a questioning brow at her. “Are you turning into Captain Burke again?”

  She smiled faintly. “I never stopped being Captain Burke.”

  “Okay, I get it. I’ll take you home.”

  “No!” She startled him by reaching out and grabbing his forearm. “That isn’t what I meant, either! Will you just hear me out?”

  Dare settled back in his chair and wondered why the devil he’d been so hell-bent on tangling himself up with a woman. He’d forgotten how confusing they could be. Lighting another cigarette, he sighed. “Burke, you’re going to be the death of me. Get to the point, will you?”

  “I will, but it’s not easy. It’s embarrassing.”

  “I thought we’d dealt with embarrassment.”

  “We did.” Color rose to her cheeks again, and Dare was charmed. God, she delighted him!

  “But,” she continued bravely, “that doesn’t make it easier.”

  “Just close your eyes and spit it out,” he said kindly. “I promise I won’t laugh.”

  “Well, actually,” Andrea said hesitantly, “what I want to do today is—live in a fool’s paradise.”

  It took him a moment to comprehend, but when he did, he smiled with such gentleness that Andrea blinked. “Consider it done,” he told her.

  “You don’t mind?”

  “Why would I mind? It’s exactly the way I’d like to spend the day myself.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” And, Charlie Burke, may you burn for what you did to your daughter, Dare thought grimly. Competent, capable Captain Burke had absolutely no confidence in herself when she shucked the uniform and the role that went with it. Was she such a disappointment, Charlie? Dare wondered. Were you so blind?

  “Dare?”

  Andrea was looking worriedly at him, and he realized she must have seen some of the anger he felt on his face. At once he stomped down on it and smiled at her. “Sorry, I just got to thinking about something else. Lack of sleep, I guess. What kind of fool’s paradise do you have in mind?”

  Again her color heightened. “Well, I’m not really sure. I’ve never lived in one before.”

  His smile deepened. “Come on, Andrea, you admitted last night that you occasionally indulged in a romantic fantasy or two. Everyone has. Share one of yours.”

  But her chin took on the stubborn set he recognized, and she shook her head.

  “It’s hardly fair,” he pointed out, “if we only live out my romantic fantasies.”

  “I think yours will do just fine.”

  He considered arguing with her, then decided against it. “Well, you can’t say you didn’t ask for it.”

  That evening, by the light of the Christmas tree, they lay side by side against pillows on the floor. Andrea curled against Dare, her head on his shoulder, and listened contentedly to the slow, steady sound of his heartbeat. Well, she had asked for it, she thought, but never in a million years would she have envisioned a romantic day that involved making Christmas dinner and playing cards. It had been a homey day, the kind of day she’d missed all her life, it seemed. And, surprisingly, it had been very romantic.

  Dare lifted her hand from his chest and brought it to his lips. “Tired?” he asked.

  “Pleasantly so.” Tilting her head, she looked up at him. “Do you have something in mind?”

  “Like a starving man has food in mind.”

  A chuckle escaped Andrea. “You’re not starving.”

  Dare turned a little, bringing Andrea closer. “Oh, yes, I am. I haven’t made love to you in ten whole hours.”

  “Well, you were the one who wanted to play games.”

  “How about a game right now?”

  “I might be persuaded,” she said demurely.

  “What kind of persuasion do you need?”

  “Oh, a little of this and a little of that.”

  “A little of this?” he asked, his hand grazing her breast. “Or some of that?” He slipped his hand between her legs and pressed gently.

  Andrea’s eyes grew wide. “All of it,” she answered, suddenly breathless. “All of it.”

  But all too soon it was time for Andrea to leave. They both needed their sleep, for tomorrow was a duty day, and neither of them argued against the inevitable. Still, they lingered over a last cup of coffee in the kitchen, watching the clock tick steadily toward midnight, knowing the fantasy was over.

  “Andrea?” Dare spoke into a silence that had grown too long.

  She lifted her head and gave him a questioning look.

  “I just want you to know. Regardless of what your father told you about pilots, I’ve never gone in for one night stands or casual relationships.”

  “Oh.” Her color heightened a shade.

  “In fact,” he continued, “this is the first time in my life I’ve gone into something like this knowing there was no future.”

  Her eyes shied away from the intensity of his stare, and she concentrated on her coffee cup. “Are you saying it shouldn’t have happened?”

  “No, I’m saying I don’t give myself cheaply. I know you don’t, either. So someday, down the road, when you think back over this, don’t feel cheapened by it.”

  Slowly, very slowly, her eyes rose to meet his once again. “No,” she whispered. “Oh, no, I wouldn’t ever think that. But, Dare…”

  He waved a dismissing hand. “Forget it, Andrea. I told you, I already know all the arguments and all the reasons. Your career comes first. Don’t worry about it. Tomorrow, when we’re captain and colonel again, I just want you to be sure that this is one of my treasured memories. Don’t ever doubt it.” Standing, he reached for her, pulling her to her feet.

  “One last kiss, Andrea,” he said. “One last kiss. And if you ever, ever again think you’d like to be with me, don’t hesitate to call me. I mean it.”

  Before she could answer, he covered her mouth with his, drinking deeply of the sweetness he feared he might never know again. One last time he held her close, squeezing his eyes shut against the ache that had taken root in his heart. “This is a relationship, Andrea,” he whispered. “Like it or not. We’ll do it on your terms, but you can’t escape the fact that it exists.”

  “All quiet on the Northern Front, skipper,” Nickerson said to her the following morning as he entered her office. “Nothing happened, and Lieutenant Dolan managed nothing very well.”

  Halting before her desk, he peered down at her. “And you look like the morning after a heavy-duty night before. You get hit by a truck or something?”

  “Or something.” Andrea managed a travesty of a smile. “Just some trouble sleeping, Nick. Nothing exciting.”

  “I’ve seen Marines look better after a forty-eight-hour pass in Saigon.”

  Andrea chuckled. “I imagine they didn’t feel much worse.”

  “Shoulder bothering you?”

  “A little.” Which was the truth, although not the truth of why she hadn’t slept. No, she’d lain awake all night wishing she were in Dare’s bed instead of her own, which was why she should