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I tried to be out of the house whenever I could. And when I was there, I learned to ignore all the yelling and
bitching and drinking. We were dirt-poor, too, and kids at school constantly made fun of me for showing up
in clothes with holes in them or not bringing a lunch. Don t worry, I used to beat them up whenever they
started up, and eventually they knew better.
A sigh slipped out of his throat.  My grades weren t that great, so college wasn t an option not that
we had the money for it anyway so when I turned eighteen, I enlisted. He grinned in the darkness.  I d
always loved the water, so I figured the Navy would be the most fun of all the military branches.
 And you became a SEAL, she finished.  And now you go all over the world on dangerous
assignments and risk getting killed.
 Pretty much, yeah.
She lifted her head and met his eyes.  So how does it work? You get a call telling you to pack up and
then you leave the country?
 Pretty much, he said again.  I m on leave for three weeks, though, all of us are, so don t worry, I
won t be getting any late night calls.
 Unless another one of your friends is having a baby, she said dryly.
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Elle Kennedy
 Jane and Mackenzie are only in their first trimester, so I think we re safe.
 I like Jane. She was really cool.
A wave of discomfort swelled in his gut. Shit. Why had he brought up Jane s name? Just the sound of
it made him cringe a little, mostly because he hated himself for these ridiculous feelings he had for the
woman.
 Is something going on with you two? Annabelle asked, her voice wary.
 Me and Jane? Of course not, he replied.  She s marrying my Lieutenant.
Annabelle was quiet for a moment, and then, sounding very perceptive, she said,  You have a little
thing for her, don t you? I kind of suspected at the hospital, when I saw you talking to her, but I wasn t
sure, not until now anyway.
 I don t have a thing for her, he said quietly.  I had a thing for her.
She propped herself up on her elbow, her brown eyes sparkling with curiosity.  I knew it. Tell me the
details.
He avoided her intrigued eyes.  There aren t any. I met her when she and Becker first started hooking
up, and the two of us went out for drinks when they were kind of broken up. Nothing happened, he added
quickly.
 But you wanted it to happen. Again, she had that perceptive look on her face.
 Maybe. But it didn t. And I got over it. He kept his voice firm, hoping he sounded sincere. He and
Annabelle were only having a fling, but he didn t want to hurt her feelings or anything by admitting he
might still have a tiny, teeny thing for a woman who was off-limits.
 Honestly? You re really over it?
He met her inquisitive gaze head-on.  Yes.
She offered a faint smile.  Good.
He smiled back, enjoying the possessive note in her soft voice. He shifted onto his side so they were
face to face, then slowly brought his lips to hers in a long, lazy kiss. Annabelle hooked her leg over his, her
warm body curling into his as she kissed him back. And when she slipped his hands between them and
encircled his hardening cock, he wasn t thinking about anyone but Annabelle.
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Chapter Six
Okay, so she was in deep trouble. Annabelle sat at the edge of Christina s bed, staring at the cell
phone in her hand. For the past five minutes, she d been debating calling her parents and telling them she
couldn t make it for their anniversary dinner, but she knew her mother would kill her if she didn t show up.
But going back to San Francisco was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment.
She didn t want to leave Ryan.
And that s why she was in trouble.
When they d first started seeing each other, she d told herself it was just temporary, that they were
simply acting out a few fantasies, having some really great sex, and eventually she d head home, go back to
her job and look back on her time with him as a fun vacation fling. But deep in her heart she knew it was
far from a fling. They d spent two weeks together, and each day that passed, she only liked him more. He
made her laugh. Treated her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Put up with her endless
sarcasm. Bryce hated her sense of humor he constantly told her she was too negative. And he hardly ever
complimented her. In front of parents, sure, but alone, he often acted like Annabelle was there simply to
cater to his needs.
What kind of relationship was that?
Truth of the matter was, she had no desire to see Bryce again. She didn t want to rekindle their
relationship, not after the way he d dumped her so callously. But she knew she d have to see him when she
went home. Her parents were hosting a small but formal dinner party in honor of their thirty-year
anniversary, and Bryce would surely be there. He was the CEO of her father s company, after all.
God, she didn t want to face him. What if he was an asshole and brought a date to the dinner? She
quickly pushed away the thought. No, Bryce was smart. If he wanted to remain in her father s good graces,
he would be on his best behavior tomorrow night.
 Annabelle?
Ryan s playful voice sounded from the living room. Her heart immediately skipped a beat, as it now
did whenever she saw him. He and Matt had gone to see Shelby s baby girl, but Annabelle had opted to
stay home. She hadn t wanted to intrude on Shelby and her husband, even though Ryan insisted they
wouldn t have minded. Besides, she felt kind of awkward around Matt, ever since the night she had sex
with him. For a while she thought he d act all weird around her, or maybe try to sleep with her again, but he
treated her like a good pal and nothing more. She wondered if Ryan had spoken with him and told him it
Elle Kennedy
was a one-time deal. Because for her, it was a one-time thing. As great as the sex had been, as attractive as
she found Matt, the only man she wanted was Ryan.
Again, trouble.
 I m in here, she called in response to his shout.
He poked his head in the bedroom doorway a moment later, smiling broadly.  Penny smiled at me
today!
Annabelle rolled her eyes.  She s a week old, it takes like a month for that to happen. It was probably
gas.
Ryan looked offended.  Why does everyone keep saying that? I told Garrett he needs to accept it his
baby likes me more than him.
She laughed.  Uh-huh, sure thing.
Ryan flopped down beside her on the bed.  So what do you want to do tonight? He wiggled his
eyebrows.  We only have two more items on the list left.
 And they ll have to wait, she said with a sigh.  I was about to call the airline to make a flight
reservation.
 You re leaving?
The dismayed look on his face brought a smile to her lips.  I m flying to San Francisco this afternoon.
Remember the anniversary party I told you about? But I ll be back tomorrow night, and stay here for [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]