A Hero Scarred

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Published By

Latin Goddess Press

New York, NY 10456

http://millytaiden.com

A
Hero Scarred

Copyright © 2013 by Milly Taiden

Edited by Rachel Firasek

Cover by Mina Carter

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Property of Milly Taiden September 2013

To…

Those soldiers that make our hearts beat a little faster

A
Hero Scarred

April Angel

Chapter One

Jessica Tavarez stared at her wine glass. If only it could solve all her problems. It didn’t even distract her enough to make her forget the hell she’d been living.

“Come on, Jessie. A getaway will be fun for you.” Kayla watched her from her seat on the other side of Jessie’s living room.

“I have to admit that she’s right.” Larissa nodded. “You need a vacation. And a nap. You’re cranky as hell.”

Jessie glared at her friends. “I’m not cranky. I’m just tired of the bullshit. I can’t believe I’m done with Dan. It feels like some other shit is
gonna pop up at any moment.”

Larissa twisted a long, brown curl through her fingers. “Are there any other outstanding or pending items on the case?”

“No.”

“And all property is coming back to you.”

“Yeah.”

“So you’re done.” Larissa grinned. “I know with this hell you’ve been going through it feels like it’s too good to be true, but all evil, rotten things must come to an end.”

Maybe for others. It felt like she’d been dealing with this divorce way too long. “He has to move out of my house, and then it will sink in.”

“Yeah and then you won’t have to live in a rental when you own your own damn house.” Kayla tipped her wineglass and gulped down the rest of her drink.

Rissa nodded. “Now back to Kayla’s idea of a vacation.”

Jessie sighed. “I told you all I’m too busy.”

Kayla raised her brows. “You work with me. I already had some days scheduled for the new house. Come down with me again. We’ve been at the hospital a lot lately and I think you really need a break. Seeing patients day in and day out takes a toll on me as their therapist, I know it takes one on you as a volunteer.”

“The psychologist has spoken.”
Rissa said.

“Fine. But no hooking me up.”

Kayla’s eyes went wide. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Rissa
burst into giggles. “Oh, yes you do!”

“Kayla, please,” Jessie groaned. “I am not looking to get married when I just got rid of the slug I was with.”

Kayla had been actively hooking up all her friends on blind dates—or trying to anyway. Whether they wanted to or not didn’t seem important to their bossy friend.

She watched Kayla refill her wineglass. “Who said anything about marriage? It took
me and Ryan almost two years before we went that far. But meeting a nice guy never killed anybody.”

“Maybe not other women, but it’s likely to send Jessie into cardiac arrest.” Larissa snickered.

“You’re looking to get your ass kicked, Rissa.” Jessie didn’t care if Larissa was her sister. She’d still smack her upside the head when necessary. Being oldest had its perks. “I’ll come down to your house for a few days.” She gave in. Her system had taken a beating with the stress of her divorce and she loved Isla Dorada. “But no set ups.”

Kayla glanced down at the finger food Larissa had brought with the wine. She took her time picking a small beef patty before glancing up. Her smile was pure innocence. “I understand.”

That angelic grin put Jessie on defcon-five alert. “You do?”

She nodded. “I understand you don’t want the chance to meet a nice guy who may turn out to be a great person.”

“Kayla—”

“Matt is a sweetheart,” she added in a rush. “He’s nothing like your ex. But I get it. You aren’t ready.”

Larissa stared at Kayla, her glass midway to her lips. She studied Kayla with surprise. “Really?”

“Oh yes.” Kayla nodded. “I’ve been there. I know what that’s like.”

Guilt assailed Jessie. She wasn’t trying to be mean to her friend. Kayla only wanted to see her happy. “I know you know, K. I just… I don’t think I can handle that right now.”

“I don’t know why you have to see everything as getting set up for marriage,”
Rissa threw in. “We meet people all the time. Maybe that’s what you need. New people that will bring some happiness or even a breath of fresh air into your life.”

“It’s not that simple.” Not anymore. She didn’t trust men not to screw her.
Emotionally or financially.

“You’re thinking too much.” Kayla leaned into the sky blue, plush sofa and sighed.

“I always think too much,” Jessie agreed.

“Come down to the house. We’ll have a few quiet days in the sun and on the beach.”

It sounded so good. Incredible, in fact, but the over thinker inside continued to hesitate. Jessie scrunched her face. “Won’t I interfere with your time alone with Ryan?”

Kayla grinned. “Nah. We’re good.”

“Well…”

Rissa
threw a balled napkin at her face. “Just go already.
Dios
. You’re going to make
me
paranoid.”

She laughed. Her sister was a free spirit. As far from paranoid as one could get. It drove Jessie insane most of the time. Where Jessie needed to plan and organize ahead of time,
Rissa would rather do spontaneous things. Nothing got to her. Nothing worried her. Hell. Her whole relaxed personality stressed Jessie most days.

“Why don’t you come with me?”

Rissa grinned, her dark eyes twinkling. “I plan on coming down there in a few months. Right now things are too busy at the shelter.”

She nodded.
Rissa’s work at the abused women’s shelter was never over. She’d rather not take a break than leave someone who needed her help.

“It’s settled then.” Kayla piped in.

“I guess. But I have to go through my schedule and ensure somebody can cover me for the time I’m away. Make sure all your appointments have been taken care of and then we can go.”

“This is why I love you,” Kayla sassed. “You never leave anything up to chance.”

“I’m your office manager. Besides, you’re way too busy to be left to take care of your office stuff,” Jessie said. “And in case you didn’t notice I’m the best at my job. And you know it.”

“True. This is why I want to find the perfect man for you.”

“Kayla!”

Rissa
chuckled. “She’s not going to stop.”

Jessie threw the
same balled napkin to Kayla, who was smiling into her wine. “I know. She’s incorrigible.”

“That I am.” Kayla winked. “I won’t stop until you find the right man for you.”

“Oh, brother.”

Rissa
turned to her. “Well. I think your trip should be fun. Dodging all kinds of single men through the beach.” She giggled. “I hope they don’t try to hit on you while nude sunbathing. That would be epic.”

Yeah.
An epic fail. She could only hope Kayla didn’t set her up with a bunch of guys. She was starting to act like her mom playing cupid. It was okay when it was directed at others. But when Kayla focused her efforts on Jessie, it wasn’t much fun.

Chapter Two

“Tell me this is a joke?” Matt groaned. He ran his hand through his hair, tugging at the strands. Frustration ate at his stomach.

“Matthew Payne! Quit being so dramatic.” Kayla giggled. “This isn’t a joke.”

Why did all women think that just because they were happily married he needed to be in the same situation? Kayla was such a sweetheart. He hated to be rude to her, but Ryan’s wife was getting way too involved in this setting up all Ryan’s friends project.

“Kayla…” He didn’t know how to explain to her that he didn’t want to date. There was a reason he didn’t date. His issues went beyond normal PTSD.

“Oh, shush.” She pouted, her eyes sparkling with laughter. “I happen to know this woman is very nice.”

He snorted. Yeah, they were all nice. Until they got to talking to him, that is. Then it was “oh you poor thing” or “they have surgery for that.” Like that’s what he wanted to hear on a date. Those kinds of comments were what kept his ass out of the dating zone.

“Matt, she’s not gonna let it go.” Ryan grimaced as he took a seat next to his wife. He stretched the leg with the prosthetic out in front of him. “You may as well say yes.”

Kayla moved a hand to his knee, massaging Ryan’s leg without even realizing it. Her impish smile grew wide. “Come on, Matthew. Don’t be such a baby.”

A cool afternoon breeze swept over the backyard. Two years ago, Ryan and Kayla had been set up on a blind date; the last date either had gone on. That one night had turned into a strong long-term relationship that led to marriage a few months back.

“Hey, I’m not a baby.” Well, not quite. Though his mother and sisters loved calling him spoiled. He knew he wasn’t. He was just tired. There was no blaming him either. He was tired of everyone feeling sorry for him.
All the fucking time. Like he wasn’t the same person from before—before his life had turned to shit.

“What do you say, pretty boy?” Ryan used the nickname he’d been given years ago when he’d joined the special ops team.

Pretty boy. There lay his problem. His stomach tightened. If only he could erase that name out of his existence. Maybe then he’d stop feeling so goddamned insecure. He watched the other couple. They were so in tune with each other. So real. If, and that was a very big if, he were going to start a relationship with a woman, that’s what he wanted.

Kayla knew exactly how to deal with his friend and former team member. She hadn’t cared that he was missing a limb. Knew that the real man inside was whole. But Matt didn’t seem to be able to find women like that. Most of them were so stuck on his face and how “pretty” he was. Once they realized what he’d been through in Afghanistan, they couldn’t seem to find what to say. Which in turn led him into the shit-this-is-uncomfortable zone.

“I don’t do blind dates, Kayla.” He sipped the iced tea, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing over rocks. Kayla’s parents had gifted her with a house on the other side of their private island retreat as a wedding gift. A few of their friends had already visited the island, but this was Matt’s first time.

“I didn’t either.” Ryan chuckled. “I won’t lie to you. I’m damn glad I allowed Cal to talk me into it. But don’t tell him that.”

“Listen, guys. You’re probably one of the few successful blind dates in history.” Regular dates spelled disaster for him. He couldn’t imagine how a blind one would turn out. “I mean, how often does one find someone who isn’t all kinds of strange on a blind date?” He leaned back on the wicker sofa and glanced up at the clear sky, sighing. Not a single cloud marred the blue expanse above. It was like looking at a painting. He inhaled the sweet scents of wild flowers and salty breeze.

“Oh. My. God,” Kayla squeaked.

He glanced down from the sky at her. She had folded her arms over her chest. Uh-oh. “What?”

“You have turned into a cat.”

“Say what?” He shot up in his seat.

“I said,” she repeated slowly, meeting his gaze with a raised brow. “That you are a cat. And here I was telling my friend that you were this big badass that went to war and can probably kill people with a stern look.”

He grinned. “I am badass.”

She made a face. “All I see sitting
there whining is a pussy.”

Ryan choked on his laughter. “Honey, take it easy on him. He’s not as strong as me.”

Matt’s pride dictated he stand up for himself. Argue that he was stronger than most. Demanded for them to acknowledge his internal strength. He’d suffered through months of rehab and surgeries, and he hadn’t sunk into drinking himself to death. Though he’d been tempted. He’d prevailed. Fought out of the slump and knew how to keep out of that dark spot on most days. But he couldn’t. Because while he liked to believe he was strong physically, he doubted the truth of that statement when it came to being out in society.

“Look, you two. I’m not falling for your little good cop, bad cop routine.”

Kayla pouted. “Fine. I guess I’ll just butt out.”

“Thank you.” He sighed and leaned his head back.

“You can continue to live all alone. Not like I care.”

Oh, brother. He wasn’t off the hook.

“It’s not like I was going to hook you up with some weird old woman with a billion cats.”

He frowned, wondering where that had come from. “You weren’t?”

A deep shade of red covered her pretty tanned face. “No. Jessie only has one cat. And she’s young.”

Yeah. She wasn’t
gonna give up any time soon. “Not happening.”

“Let it go, love.” Ryan kissed her temple. He hugged her into his side, stroking his hand up and down her arm.

She shifted. Their gazes locked. The couple stared at each other for a moment. A slow smile spread over her lips. “Okay.”

Thank. You. Ryan. She’d probably bring it up again, but he at least had a few hours free of blind-date talk.

“Dinner tonight will be on the patio.” She grinned, back to her happy newly-wed state. “Ryan and I are going to visit my parents for a bit. They might be joining us for dinner. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No.” But it meant he’d need to dress up instead of showing up in a pair of shorts and T-shirt. “I keep telling you I can entertain myself. Just tell me what time you want me ready.”

“Hmm. I’d say some time around six. We should be back by then.”

Great. That meant he could hit the waves with nobody around to see him.
To see his body. What a relief. For once he’d be able to do something without worrying about people’s reactions to how he looked without his shirt on.