Homecoming Hero by Renee Ryan

Author:Renee Ryan
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2010-04-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Hailey found Wolf sitting alone in his car. He leaned heavily on the steering wheel, with one foot resting on Stella’s floorboard and the other flat on the concrete. He hadn’t noticed Hailey yet, probably because he was looking straight ahead, his eyes glazed and unfocused.

All that masculine vulnerability radiating out of him took her breath away. Tears leaked out of her eyes. She brushed them away with a quick swipe. It was so easy to forget this big, charming man had just returned from a war zone where he’d lost four of his men, including his best friend.

Searching for the right words, Hailey wheeled the overflowing shopping cart out of the way of traffic and stopped next to him. “Wolf?”

He blinked once, twice, then swung around to face her.

The war of emotions raging in his gaze evened out at last and his expression cleared.

Wolf was back.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Hailey crouched down in front of him. “I was worried about you,” she whispered, afraid to say the words too loudly.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and something moved inside her, something good and permanent and terrifying. She was falling for this gorgeous, sad, courageous man, and she wasn’t sure what came next.

Wolf’s gaze softened. “Thank you, Hailey.”

“For…for what?”

“For knowing what to do back there. For getting me out of the store before something bad happened. No one has ever cared about me like that.” His blue eyes flickered with gratitude. “I owe you. I—”

He broke off, blinked. Blinked again. He had more to say. She saw it in the way the muscles jumped in his jaw, but then his gaze filled with a different sort of intent and he leaned forward.

Hailey’s stomach dropped to her toes at the same moment Wolf’s mouth pressed lightly against hers.

He was actually kissing her. Right there, in the middle of the busiest parking lot in Savannah. And…and…she was kissing him back. Rather enthusiastically, if she did say so herself.

Surprised at her behavior, Hailey lost her balance. Wolf caught her with a hand behind her back, the movement enough to break the kiss.

He smiled slowly and her stomach performed a perfect roll.

“Well,” he said, still grinning.

“Well,” she repeated.

“I didn’t plan that.”

“I…I know.” She angled her head slightly away. This good-looking, flawed soldier had too much power over her, enough to make her start building dreams of happily-ever-after around him.

Was that why he’d kissed her? Had it all been part of his plan? To distract her from her goal?

“This doesn’t change anything,” she said with only a hint of her usual conviction. “I’m still going to the Middle East.”

He knuckled a lock of her hair off her face. “I’d be disappointed if a simple kiss could change your mind that easily.”

Simple? Who was he kidding? There was nothing simple about that kiss, and they both knew it.

“Of course.” He twirled the errant strand around his finger. “I think it’s only fair to warn you that I’m still going to do everything in my power to sway you to my way of thinking.

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