Sam scowled, getting jostled by the women who rushed past her. A few even tried to kiss her, mistaking her for a man (an easy mistake), and she suffered the cheek kissing admirably. The moment the crowd started getting larger, however, her hand shot out and latched onto the strap of Eugene’s bag.
Feeling the resistance as he tried to move forward, Gene turned just in time to see Sam’s frantic eyes as she was nearly swallowed in a group hug from three women, all eager to welcome the American soldiers into their town. He hid a grin as he reached in and carefully pried the women off of her, ignoring, quite valiantly, the kisses on his own cheeks from other women gathered around them. “’Scuse me, ladies,” he drawled, pulling Sam from the pack. She shot him a grateful look that was half mortified and half terrified, and he smothered his laughter for her sake. “You all right, Sam?” he asked, noting that Muck and the others hadn’t been much help; they were too busy being assailed by women of their own.
“Fine,” Sam responded, though Eugene noticed she sounded flustered. Her cheeks were smeared with lipstick, and he watched her wipe it away in annoyance with the sleeve of her uniform.
“Let’s try and keep moving, huh?”