The Soldier's Sweetheart by Soraya Lane

Author:Soraya Lane
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-05-05T21:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

NATE was exhausted. Bone-achingly, mind-shatteringly exhausted. He let his head drop into his hands, fighting the fatigue that he battled on a daily basis. Why wouldn’t his mind just shut off? He couldn’t stop thinking about Sarah wanting him to talk, but if it was this bad inside of his own head, how would he ever cope with telling the truth? With speaking it out loud?

He ran his hands through his hair—hair that was still shorter than he’d once worn it. Back when he’d lived on the ranch, before he’d joined the army, his brother had always made fun of him, called him Goldilocks. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

A knock made him rise, shaking him back into action. If only he could sleep, could actually fall into a deep slumber for an entire night and not be thrown back into the world he was trying so desperately to escape from, maybe he wouldn’t feel like such a zombie.

Right now, though, he had to pull himself together and deal with seeing all his family again for dinner, and figure out what the hell was eating Sarah up so bad. It was more than just Todd, he could sense it. Her idiot husband had sure caused her some definite heartache, but she was upset over something deeper than just her marriage failing.

Wow.

“You look amazing.” Nate didn’t even try to disguise it as he looked Sarah up, then down. She was more beautiful now than the day he’d first met her—there was a maturity to her face, to the way she held herself, that made her even more striking.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said to him. Nate could see the blush creeping over her cheeks, though, knew that she was struggling with his compliment.

“I don’t really think my jeans and shirt put me in the same league as you, but thanks.”

She was wearing a dress, cut low enough on her chest to make his mind race in a different direction, but brushing the tops of her knees to make it more demure than he’d have preferred. Still, he more than liked it.

“Is it too much?” Sarah asked, her eyes flashing with what he guessed was concern.

Nate chuckled, forcing himself to look off into the distance for a split second, to stop thinking about how enticing the woman standing at his door was. How jaw-droppingly beautiful Sarah was. “Sarah, you look great. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been around men for so long, but I’d forgotten how...” He paused, not wanting to embarrass her or say the wrong thing. “You’re beautiful, Sarah, absolutely beautiful.”

She stared at him before punching his shoulder softly. “Nate,” she groaned.

He grabbed her hand before she could withdraw it, his reflexes fast. His fingers curled tight around her wrist, holding it against him, her knuckles still brushing his right shoulder.

Nate knew he shouldn’t have done it, that he should have just laughed and let her hit him, let her treat him like a brother or friend with her play punch, but damn it, he had no interest in being a friend to her.

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