A Marine’s Proposal by Lisa Carlisle
Contemporary Military Romance
Red Sage Publishing
When
Slade Masters, her closest friend in the Marine Corps, proposes to her, Caitlyn
O’Neill lets her thrill overshadow the catch. It’s a marriage in name only.
Slade thinks a temporary marriage is the perfect solution to their problematic
living situations in the barracks. Despite her reservations about the deceit
involved, Caitlyn is thrilled to live off-base and experience the culture of
the island of Okinawa , Japan , as a local—especially with
Slade. Swept up in the excitement of apartment hunting and planning a wedding,
she silences the anxiety within and goes along with Slade’s plans. They
struggle to fight their growing attraction while acting on their script. On
their wedding night, their bodies heat up with the thrill of being so close.
Desire intensifies during a heated moment on the dance floor. How can they play
off the charade of their marriage now that they have complicated their
arrangement? Have they ruined their plan or will they find a way to continue?
Or has their passionate night together uncovered hidden desires impossible to
ignore?
EXCERPT
"We
should get married."
Caitlyn
didn't blink nor twitch a muscle for a good five seconds. She must have
misunderstood. "Married?" she repeated, her jade eyes opening wide as
she put down the magazine. "What are you talking about? I thought you were
talking about dinner. You're joking, right?"
"No,
I'm not joking. I'm completely serious."
"Masters,
get out of here," Caitlyn said with a flick of her wrist. "I think
all that thin air from rock climbing earlier has gone straight to your
head." She glanced at the television and saw a commercial with a couple
exchanging rings in some outdoor setting. What the heck was this show even
about? Whatever it was, it must have been where he came up with that cockamamie
idea. "I still think we should go into Naha . It's a Saturday night, we can
get some noodles and some drinks. Go for a walk in the outdoor markets, maybe
even go dancing," she emphasized. She was pushing her luck with that idea.
In all the time she knew him, Lance Corporal Slade Masters did not dance.
Slade
ignored her and stood up. "You see," he began, pacing the room
already like a lawyer presenting a case, "we both want some privacy. You
want to get away from guys hitting on you. I want to get off-base so I can
study. Do you know how much they make you read in these law courses? If I'm
ever going to graduate, I can't live in a box with loud Marines stumbling in
drunk all hours of the night. If we get married, we’d get a housing allowing
since the staff housing is all full. Then we’d share an apartment off base and
get out of these goddamn barracks."
While
watching him outlining his points with such confidence, Caitlyn found it hard
not to drool. Outdoorsy, masculine, and intellectual. His self-assurance filled
the area around him like a physical presence; She couldn't help but be
impressed by him. His tone, his gait, all commanded attention. He’d be an
excellent officer one day if he wanted to. Or a lawyer or politician.
He's a natural leader. People can’t help but look up to him.
At the
same time, Caitlyn tried to get over the shock of Slade's unexpected proposal.
Slade Masters was the one Marine she secretly fantasized about for months, ever
since they met in training in the States. Now they were living across the hall
in Okinawa , Japan . They started out friends, but as
they grew closer, Caitlyn developed stronger feelings—something she could never
admit without harming their friendship.
“I never
pictured you to be the marrying type,” Caitlyn remarked.
“Why
not?”
“You’re
always so focused on other things. Your running times, scuba-diving,
grades—never something as ‘trivial’ as romance.”
“This
isn’t about romance. It’s about being practical.”
“Oh, of
course.” Caitlyn smirked. “Naturally.” She knew there had to be a catch.
ABOUT
LISA CARLISLE
Lisa gravitates
toward stories with dark, brooding, isolated characters (think Heathcliff,
Dracula, Darth Vader and Severus Snape) and tough, independent, caring
heroines. She’s wanted to write since the sixth grade and is thrilled to now be
a multi-published, award-winning author.
She spent
a short time in the Marine Corps, living in Parris Island , the California desert, and Okinawa , Japan . She then backpacked alone around
the US and Europe and lived in Paris , France , before returning to the U.S. to buy a bookstore. Now she lives
outside of Boston with her husband and children and
draws on these experiences in her stories.
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1 comment:
Thanks for having me, Dawn. Happy New Year!
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