Her Adoring SEAL (Midnight Delta Book 3) (27 page)
Read Her Adoring SEAL (Midnight Delta Book 3) Online
Authors: Caitlyn O'Leary
He waited near the door as she put her purse away and kicked off her shoes; she winced when her back was twerked in an awkward angle.
“Tell me, did the back spasms start after your vacation in Afghanistan?” he asked.
“Good guess,” she said, laughing dryly. “Not the best souvenir or the best vacation for that matter.”
“I’d have to agree. I wanted to bring back a sand spider, but customs wouldn’t let me. No animals, vegetables, minerals, or giant insects apparently.”
His playful, easy chatter helped her relax, but she still kept her distance. The apartment was miniature compared to the home he and his brother Jeremy lived in. The living room was also the dining room, kitchen, and office with only two doors branching off at the back. He assumed one was the bedroom and one was the bathroom, but he doubted she’d give him a tour.
As much as he hated seeing her cramped into the small space, he was glad to know she had a place. Too many veterans they served with were struggling to find work and keep a roof over their heads.
“Thanks for the help...” Her words drifted away as she fidgeted awkwardly. It was clear she wanted him to leave, but he wasn’t ready to go yet.
“Anything hurting?”
She shook her head, “Not really. I’m embarrassed more than anything. I tried to tell Bob that I was fine, but he insisted on calling for help. I hate to have wasted your time.”
“It’s not a waste of time. I got to help a pretty woman and see an old friend. I call that a win-win.” He moved slowly across the room, worried that she would feel cornered if he moved too quickly. As he drew close, he saw her swallow hard, and her eyes locked on his lips. The tiny, pink tip of her tongue darted out to wet her own lips, and his cock surged to attention.
As much as he wanted to reach out and see if she was feeling the same attraction, he knew this was not a good moment for it, so he reached for her shoulders and turned her to face him head on. “Lift your arms.”
She frowned in confusion and he laughed. “So that I can see if you’re hurt. Lift your arms.”
She followed Silas’ instructions, and he manipulated her arms and shoulders, and then circled to her back. He ran his fingers down her back and felt the tightness in the muscles on either side of her spine. “Have you tried massage therapy?”
She flinched when he hit a particularly tender spot and hissed, “Too sensitive.”
“Hmm...with the right physical therapist I would think—”
“It’s fine. Some days are better than others, but I’m tough.”
He nodded and moved back around to face her. “I never doubted it for a moment. Are you seeing Dr. Keegan?”
“Who?”
“Dalton Keegan is the only doctor practicing in Stone River,” he said with a pointed glare. “If you’re not being treated by him, then who are you seeing?”
She flushed, and turned away. “A doctor in Austin.”
“Who?”
“Are all EMTs this nosey? Seriously, I’ve proven to you that I’m uninjured and capable of taking care of myself. I appreciate your concern, but I really would like to lie down now.” The brush-off irritated him, but he figured in her position, he’d feel the same way. It wasn’t her fault he was fighting the urge to keep her close.
“I apologize if I’m coming across as nosey. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a card with the phone number for the ambulance company on it. Quickly scribbling his personal cell number on the back, he handed it to her. “Here’s my number. If you need any help at all—or if you have another back spasm—don’t hesitate to call me.”
She snorted and rolled her beautiful eyes. “Right, so you can bring the happy van to visit again? I think not, but thank you anyway.”
“No, I’m saying this as a friend. If you need help, call me. In fact, call me even if you don’t need help. I’d like to...”—he adjusted his stance as his body responded to his lewd thoughts—“reconnect. It would be nice to talk about old times.”
A sad look flitted across her features before she recovered herself and gave him a smile. “I could use a beer with a friend.”
Instantly he felt a surge of hope, and he jumped on it. “Tomorrow night? Robin’s isn’t usually too busy on a Tuesday evening. We can have a beer and catch up.”
“Sounds good. Thanks again, Sergeant...er...Silas.”
“Anytime, Sarah, anytime.”
With that, he left her behind in her small apartment and spent the rest of the day thinking about her. He didn’t remember her being so beautiful, but he hadn’t been in a position to admire the women he was serving with at the time.
He was also still married when he was deployed.
The day he returned home, his wife served him with divorce papers rather than welcoming him at his coming home ceremony, but he wasn’t surprised. Before he left, their marriage was on the rocks, and his deployment just made it worse. They parted as amicably as two people could, and he moved back into his childhood home with his brother.
Turns out he and Jeremy were closer now than they’d been as kids. They had become best friends in the last two years, and recently, they’d even tossed around the idea of looking for a different sort of relationship.
Stone River, Texas, was home to several unconventional relationships. There was the Brooks family, which consisted of the four Brooks brothers: Rogan, Parker, Sawyer, and Hudson, along with their wife, Rachel. There were the new residents, a pair of male teachers who were partners in more than just their teaching abilities. Silas had enjoyed a beer with Levi and Quinn once, and they were two of the nicest men he’d ever met. Their arrival had certainly caused a stir when they took the jobs at the local school. A handful of people were uncomfortable with the gay couple teaching their children but most were welcoming. It was as if their small town had its proverbial eyes opened and was now embracing the unconventional. He was genuinely proud to be a resident of Stone River nowadays.
Nevertheless, as much as he liked the idea of finding a special woman to share with his brother, he wasn’t so sure that was a real possibility, so he’d continued to date on his own. The question was: How would Jeremy feel if he actually found someone himself?
The image of Sarah Bryant immediately popped into his head. What would Sarah’s opinion be of ménage relationships? Not that it mattered, his attraction was most likely one-sided. As gracious as she’d been about going out with him for a beer, he wasn’t so sure she would be as easy-going if he told her he wanted the woman in his future to join him
and
his brother in a relationship.
No, it would most likely be just a casual beer with a friend, and sharing a few dozen memories. No big deal.
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About Lori King
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B
est-selling author, Lori King, is also a full-time wife and mother of three boys. Although she rarely has time to just enjoy feminine pursuits; at heart she is a hopeless romantic. She spends her days dreaming up Alpha men, and her nights telling their stories. An admitted TV and book junkie, she can be found relaxing with a steamy story, or binging in an entire season of some show online. She gives her parents all the credit for her unique sense of humor and acceptance of all forms of love. There are no two loves alike, but you can love more than one with your whole heart.
With the motto: Live, Laugh, and Love like today is your only chance, she will continue to write as long as you continue to read. Thank you for taking the time to indulge in a good Happily Ever After with her. Find out more about her current projects at
http://lorikingbooks.com
, or look her up on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/LoriKingBooks
or Twitter:
https://twitter.com/LoriKingBooks
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Books by Lori King
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The Surrender Series
Crawley Creek Series
Sunnyside Up
Hawke’s Salvation (Coming March 2016)
Fetish & Fantasy
The Gray Pack Series
Apache Crossing
Sunset Point
Anthologies
Tempting Tanner
Alpha Shifter’s After Dark Box Set
Nixed
Forget Me Knot
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Beyond Valor, Book 1
By Lynne St. James
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Prologue
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B
eth checked her phone again. “Damn him. Can’t he ever get her back on time?” A sharp crack of thunder and strobe-like flash of lightning flooded the living room at the same time her phone vibrated. Figuring it was Doug, ex-husband, ex-army sergeant, and all around asshole, she didn’t bother to look at the screen. “You were supposed to have Dani home a half hour ago. Where are you?” Silence. Then crackle over the phone as another flash of lightning and rumble of thunder rolled through.
“Mrs. Fraser? Mrs. Elizabeth Fraser?”
“Yes. This is Elizabeth Fraser. I’m sorry I thought you were someone else.”
“No problem, ma’am. I’m Officer Reynolds from the Willow Haven Police Department. There’s been an accident...”
“Oh my God.” All the blood rushed to Beth’s head and the room spun. He was still speaking but all she heard was buzzing in her ears.
“I’m sorry. Can you say that again please?”
“Your husband and daughter have been in an accident. They’ve been brought to the hospital.”
“Is Dani going to be okay?”
“She and your husband have been burned badly and both are in ICU. Your husband was brought to the military hospital in Persimmon, and your daughter was brought to Willow Haven Hospital because they have better pediatric facilities. I’d suggest you get there as soon as possible.”
“I...umm...I’ll be right there.” She disconnected the phone without knowing if he was done talking or not. Her baby was in ICU. Shit. A chill washed over her as she looked at the phone as if seeing it for the first time. Accident.
Bo, their standard poodle, jumped on the couch and nuzzled her arm with his nose. “Sorry boy, I need to go see our Dani. She’s hurt.” Grabbing her purse and keys, she ran outside and got into her car. Soaked through to her underwear, she didn’t even notice as she drove through the pouring rain. Her little girl in ICU was the only thing that mattered.
“H
ang on, Mac. Don’t you fuckin’ give up!”
Tom MacDonald, aka Mac, tried to sit up but he couldn’t. Tag was still in the Humvee, he had to get him out. Why was it so dark? He couldn’t see a fuckin’ thing, couldn’t move. Horrible pain racked his body as he struggled to get up and go back to the Humvee. Then nothingness as he passed out.
The whoosh of the chopper blades woke him up and blocked out all other sounds. He couldn’t move, couldn’t see. Was he dead?
“Lieutenant? Hang on, we’ll be at the field hospital soon.”
The helicopter landed and he was rushed into triage. He was still alive, at least he hoped. More voices but none of them sounded familiar. Were they talking about him?
“Head injury, doc.”
“What’s his name, soldier?”
“Lt. Tom MacDonald.”
“What happened?”
“Their Humvee was hit. He pulled three guys out before he was hit.”
“We need to get him into surgery now. If we’re lucky we’ll save his life, if he’s lucky he won’t have permanent brain damage.”
Brain damage? They should have left me to die...
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Chapter One
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“L
ieutenant, how are you feeling today?”
“I’d be better if I could see, and my head feels like it’s being split in two.”
“I can up your pain meds. Your brain is still healing and it may take a while for the pain to go away. I wanted to talk to you about something else. Do you remember when we discussed a cornea transplant once the swelling and pressure went down?”
“Yeah. But you said it would take a while. Although, I’d say two months qualifies. Don’t you, doc?”
Chuckling, the doctor agreed. “Well your wait may be over. Your last scan was much improved. We can go ahead with the transplant and you should be able to see again. Of course there are no guarantees.”
“Shit, really? Uh sorry, doc. And yeah I know it’s still possible I won’t see.”
“We believe you will. Your corneas were burned and the transplant should take care of your blindness now that the pressure on the optic nerve is gone.”
