Rhonda+Nelson+-+The+Soldier (6 page)

senior class, but she’d genuinely regretted the decision.

Frankly, she’d gotten more pleasure from her massaging showerhead than she had in either

episode with the so-called real thing. She’d squandered her virginity and shared her body for a

stupid reason. Youth wasn’t always what it was cracked up to be.

Since then, she’d been celibate,

hadn’t so much as felt a thrill of desire for any man other than the one who was standing in front

of her.

He’d ruined her. Absolutely ruined her.

Take your own advice, Natalie had said, exasperated with Winnie’s reluctance. If he gets his

way, he’ll be leaving again. Go for it. You’ve got nothing to lose.

But Natalie was wrong.

If he rejected her—and she strongly suggested that he would—

she’d lose hope. And it was the

only thing she had left.

Adam’s pale blue-green gaze dropped to her mouth and lingered and, for a fraction of a second

she thought she saw the same longing reflected back at her. He blinked, grunted and stepped

back, purposely furthering the distance between them. “Huh. Well, you’d better use some form

of birth control if you’re messing around with him. His gene pool is a little murky if you ask

me.”

Winnie didn’t know why, but the warning irritated her. How dare he post a no-fishing sign

where he refused to cast a line? “I’ll keep that in mind. But it’s not his gene pool that I’m

interested in.”

She wasn’t interested in him at all. Still, Adam didn’t need to know that.

His gaze narrowed again. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, what about you?” she abruptly interrupted, deflecting the topic

away from herself. “I hope you’re being equally careful with where you’re sowing your seed.”

He blinked, then chuckled as though embarrassed and passed a hand over his face. “My ‘seed’ is

moldering in the barn,” he said, smacking his thigh significantly.

“I’ve sort of been out of

commission, you know?”

Irrationally pleased, Winnie inclined her head. “What? None of those nurses offered to make

sure you’re enjoying a full recovery?”

He smiled at her again and a bit of a twinkle sparkled in his eyes.

“Er…no. But thanks for

asking.”

A thought struck. “No lingering effects in that area, then?” She couldn’t believe that they were

having this conversation, that she’d essentially just asked him if his dick still worked. She

smothered a chuckle. But…she was curious.

And she’d be more than happy to help him in that regard, too, if he needed it. Hell, she’d even

buy a naughty nurse costume if that’s what it took.

She was shameless. Positively shameless.

His eyes widened and he straightened a bit. “Jesus, Winnie.”

She blushed. “It’s cool,” she said, purposely misunderstanding him because this was fun. A bit

wicked and thrilling. “I’m sure that your tractor will be firing on all four cylinders soon. You

can’t rush things…”

He gritted his teeth and looked heavenward. “My tractor is fine.

Everything’s in perfect working

order.”

She frowned, enjoying this little game far more than she should.

“But if you haven’t sowed any

seed, then how can you know that?”

He glared at her and a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, as though something

about this conversation were ironic. “Trust me. I know.”

She lifted her shoulders in a helpless shrug and merely smiled at him. “That’s good, I guess.”

He pressed his lips together. “Well, I think so.”

Winnie turned and started tidying the counter. “A test run probably wouldn’t be out of order,

though. You know what they say about…unused f-farm equipment.” The bad euphemisms were

beginning to get to her. She stifled another giggle and marveled at the direction this conversation

had taken.

Adam chuckled, then crossed his arms over his chest and shot her a speculative look. “You

volunteering to take it out of the barn for me, Winnie?”

Her sex actually tingled at the thought. “Nah,” she lied shakily.

“My goal is to get you out of

bed, remember?”

He sent another curiously thrilling glance in her direction. “Sex and beds aren’t mutually

exclusive, are they?”

Winnie felt the back of her neck grow warm. He was flirting with her.

Adam. Flirting. With her.

And this was not wishful thinking. Not this time.

“Er…”

A bit of wicked clung to his smile. “Are you blushing?”

From one end to the other, including parts he couldn’t see. “No,”

she lied again. She fanned

herself. “It’s just hot in here.”

“I’m comfortable,” he said easily.

The wretch, Winnie thought. What the hell was he playing at?

He’d made it a point to avoid her

for the first few months he was home. And now…he was flirting with her?

Seriously?

The hope she’d been clinging to for years suddenly seemed not altogether impossible. Her gaze

slid to Adam.

If she was reading this correctly—and she didn’t see how she could be wrong—then this

new…development cast an entirely different meaning on his recent behavior. Had he been

avoiding her because he didn’t want to be attracted to her? Winnie wondered. Or was it

something else? Something related to the accident? Or was it the same reason he’d always

avoided any sort of romantic entanglement with someone local?

Because he wasn’t staying.

Probably a combination of all of the above, Winnie decided.

But ultimately…it didn’t matter.

Because if he was flirting, then he was interested. Finally. Her competitive spirit rejoiced right

along with her heart.

And he could stop being her one and only failure. Because, after all these years, Winnie was

finally playing a game she had a shot at winning.

5

EDDIEMULROONEY WASN’Tthe only guy in Bethel Bay who needed his balls kicked up

between his shoulder blades, Adam thought as he watched Winnie towel dry her hair.

He won that prize, as well.

What the hell was he doing here? Why couldn’t he stay away from her? If he’d wanted to swim,

he could have come after he’d known she was gone, right? But no…because he was apparently a

masochist—and because he knew Mark Holbrook would be here

—Adam had to come the minute

the doors opened, just like Winnie did.

His plan to avoid her clearly wasn’t working. Not anymore. Not since she’d brazenly walked

into his bedroom yesterday morning. He’d been doing well up until that point, but now he knew

enough to realize that the game had shifted and he was no longer completely in control. If he

ever truly was, Adam thought, and that was questionable at this point.

Winnie wore a no-nonsense one-piece bathing suit that showcased her perfect figure and a

satisfied smile that came with an excellent workout. Desire sizzled along his nerve endings as his

gaze lingered over the gentle flare of her hip, the soft swell of her belly. Her breasts were full

and lush and the way the wet material clung to her made Adam itch to peel it away and reveal the

soft skin underneath. His dick stirred in his trunks and he turned his back, willing the damned

erection away.

Unsuccessfully, of course.

Yesterday, he’d been determined to stay away from Winnie because he needed to focus on

getting back into shape. When he went for his final physical the end of next week, he needed to

be in top form.

He did not have time to mess around with Winnie.

Literally.

Even as late as last night, just before he’d walked into her shop, he’d renewed his determination

to stay away from her. Eyes on the prize and all of that. He’d told himself that it wasn’t fair to

act on this unholy attraction when he knew how she felt about him, when he knew that,

ultimately, nothing had changed. He would still leave at the earliest opportunity and there was no

room in his life for a woman on a permanent basis.

Other reasons hovered like foggy shadows around his mind, but he refused to acknowledge

them, to let them into the light where he’d be forced to examine them.

Then he’d walked by her shop last night and the unreasonable irritation he’d had at seeing her at

work so late had drawn him up short. The next thing he’d known, he was in her bakery, looking

at a shit cake and enjoying one of her delectable cupcakes.

All of that had been harmless enough.

But then the talk had turned to her possible interest in Mark Holbrook—Adam shot the man in

question a withering look—and from there, things had spiraled completely out of control.

Last night when she’d casually intimated her possible sexual interest in Mark Holbrook, the

jealousy—the sheer magnitude of revulsion—he’d felt had just about leveled his soul. The idea

of her with any man other than himself made him want to rip apart everything in sight, made him

want to break things and scream. Bile rose in his throat and desperation razed his mind.

He was not accustomed to any of these feelings. Because he’d never felt them before. Adam had

never been the jealous type. Frankly, he’d never had any reason.

In the past if he’d wanted a girl,

he’d simply taken her. Though Mark Holbrook admittedly got on his nerves, Adam had never

truly considered the guy to be any competition. Adam inwardly smiled. How could it be a

competition if he always won?

But in this case…he couldn’t win. Not ultimately. Because he was leaving. And Winnie needed

a guy who would give her forever.

Could he have her? In a heartbeat, he knew. For reasons he’d never understood, Winnie had

always had a thing for him. Being around her had always made him feel…special. Made him

aspire to be the man she thought he was.

And that man wouldn’t toy with her, knowing that he had no intention of staying. He might have

lost part of his leg, but he would not lose his career. He had to get back on active duty, if for no

other reason than to prove to himself that he still could.

But he couldn’t have Winnie.

It wasn’t fair. To him or to her.

And maybe if he said it often enough, he’d begin to believe it.

Winnie strolled over and nodded toward his fin. “That’s cool.”

It had actually worked a lot better than he’d anticipated. The technology was seriously

ingenious. “Yeah,” Adam said, nodding. “It felt good in the water.”

“I was watching. You looked good,” Winnie said. “Every bit as strong as you always were.”

Adam grimaced. “I don’t know that I’d say that, but I kept up with you, so I’m happy.” He’d

actually been a bit worried about that. Though he’d been in good shape before the accident and

had the best resources for therapy over the past several months, his body had taken a beating. He

thought he’d bounced back quite well. But thinking it and having it confirmed were two different

things.

And Winnie wasn’t your average opponent—she was extremely fit.

She was also…different this morning. More confident. He’d tipped his hand last night and she

was reacting accordingly.

In other words, he was doomed.

Winnie snorted. “That’s all that matters to you, isn’t it? Beating me?”

Adam smiled at her. “It’s a perk.”

“I’ve beaten you before, you know,” she said, finger combing her wet curls.

Adam smiled and sighed. “That game of pool? I can’t believe you’re still clinging to that.”

She shrugged, then casually dusted a bead of water off his shoulder. Her touch sizzled through

him and he had the pleasure of watching her breath stutter at the innocent contact.

“Hey, I’ll take my victories where I can get them.” Her eyes twinkled. “Isn’t it funny how

you’ve never had the courage to play me again?” She sighed dramatically. “Losing to me was

such an unpleasant experience that you refuse to risk it happening again.”

“It’s not that I don’t have the courage, Winnie,” Adam said, feeling a dare coming on. Resist,

resist, resist. “I just haven’t had the opportunity. There’s a difference.”

She bit her lip to keep from smiling. “Really? That’s the only reason?”

“Yes.”

“But if the opportunity presented itself, you would play me?

You’d chance losing…again?”

She was enjoying this entirely too much, Adam thought. And as much as he needed to stay away

from her—as much as he needed to focus on training—he knew he’d have no choice but to pick

up the gauntlet, if she decided to throw it down. He couldn’t help himself.

Need was beginning to edge out reason.

Again.

He stood, purposely towering over her, as if it would do any good.

She wasn’t the least bit afraid

of him. And she’d never been intimidated by a challenge. It was part of the reason he’d always

liked her. But under the influence of this damned attraction, he was finding the quality

annoyingly sexy as hell.

As if he needed another reason to burn for her.

“Yes,” he said. “I would play you.” He grinned. “And this time I would win.”

She lifted her chin. “Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?”

He’d rather put his mouth where hers was, but he nodded all the same. “Sure.”

Winnie’s lips curved with triumph. “Fine. Meet me at Clementine’s after the ball game this

afternoon. Winner picks up the dinner tab.”

Adam grinned. She’d just turned this into a date. Definitely a worthy opponent. “If you’re

buying then I’m getting the most expensive thing on the menu.”

She laughed and poked a finger against his chest, sending an unexpected bolt of heat directly to