Read Tempted by the Soldier (A Falling for You Novel) (Entangled Brazen) Online

Authors: Nicolette Day

Tags: #tessa bailey, #road trip, #erotic, #wedding, #military, #new adult, #contemporary romance

Tempted by the Soldier (A Falling for You Novel) (Entangled Brazen) (7 page)

BOOK: Tempted by the Soldier (A Falling for You Novel) (Entangled Brazen)
4.17Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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Amazing. Terrifying
. Like nothing he’d ever felt with another woman, and it had only been one night. A night that had pulled him under deep enough to scare the shit out of him and make him run like a hail of bullets were at his heels.

“A mistake,” she finished for him, moisture glinting from her eyes that had nothing to do with the shitty weather. “Just say it, Nate.
I
was a mistake.”

When he didn’t respond she spun around and headed for the passenger side of the truck, where she grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. Then she whirled and stalked down the road.

Panic gripped his chest. That’s how badly she wanted to get away from him. She’d put herself in danger just to do it.

This was what you wanted. Right, asshole?

Hell, no
.

“Lilly, wait!” He took off after her. “Will you stop for a minute and talk to me?”

“I don’t see the benefit for me in that,” she snapped. “I’ve made a fool of myself enough for one night. And I think you’ve made it perfectly clear what you want from me.”

“Lil—”

“So let
me
be clear.” She stopped to face him, and the hurt in her eyes made Nate’s chest twist with a sharp pain. “I don’t want anything from you either.
Including
this damn ride.”

She spun and started walking again, her heels sloshing through the water running across the road.

He rubbed a hand over his jaw and went after her. “Princess. You’re going the wrong way.”

“If it’s away from you, it’s the right way,” she muttered. “Stop following me. And
don’t
call me princess.”

“You’re acting like a child. Damn it, Lil! Can you not come back here and let me explain?”

That stopped her. She turned, the gritty pavement scraping beneath her ridiculously high heels. Her eyes narrowed to angry green slits. “
Child?
Have you ever heard the expression ‘You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar’?”

“No,” he lied, irritated.

She threw her hands up and started marching down the road again. “Google it!”

“This is your last warning, Princess.” He strode forward, tension banding his chest. “You’re not going to like what happens if I have to chase you down.”

She didn’t stop. Without turning or breaking stride, she lifted a hand and flipped him off, putting a little extra swing into her hips.

He took off after her, his feet pounding the wet pavement. When he reached her, he caught her around the waist, swung her up, and tossed her over his shoulder.

She screamed and beat on his back with her fists, but he just turned back toward the truck and started to whistle. Not because he was feeling especially jovial, but because he knew it would piss her off. And right now, pushing her buttons the way she pushed his felt too fucking good to resist. He was vibrating with a dangerous combination of anger and lust. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to feel the brunt of both.

“Is this you actually trying to get away from me?” He caught her calf just before she kneed him in the chin. “It’s cute. In fact, now that I think about, the nickname Princess might not be so fitting. I should call you something more appropriate. Like Tinker Bell.”

She gasped, and swung her purse at him. So he snatched it away from her and tossed it into the cab. Then he beeped the doors locked, shoved his keys into his pocket, and started walking.

He was getting her off the side of this damn highway and out of the storm if he had to carry her the whole damn way to Vermont.

“Put me down you…you…Neanderthal!” She pushed at his back and kicked her legs, but he held her firm. “You are
so
going to regret this. You have to sleep sometime. And when you do, you’re going to wish you’d never closed your eyes—”

He slapped her hard on the ass, just once, silencing her. She was lucky he hadn’t bitten it instead. The way that perfect curve of delectable flesh was swaying right in front of his eyes made him want to sink his teeth into her, then kiss the sting away.

“Did you just…
spank
me?” Outrage colored her voice.

Even now his palm ached and his cock twitched, daring him to do it again. “Words weren’t working,” he said, trying to judge by the light in the distance how far the next road was. A mile. Two maybe. Definitely too far to be walking in this kind of storm, but he didn’t see another option. If he had to get back into that truck with her, he only saw it ending one way. With him between her thighs.

“That’s because I have absolutely no interest in what you have to say!”

“Well, maybe when you see my handprint on your ass tonight, it will serve as a reminder to pay better attention.”

He bounced her on his shoulder to get a better grip, and a gentle
oomph
rushed from her lips. “To what? To the fact that you’re an asshole? FYI, I don’t need a reminder of that. The giant chip on your shoulder kind of gives you away.”

He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip around her thighs. “Then make it a reminder not to piss me the hell off. Because if you keep up with the lip…”

“You’ll do what, Nate? Spank me some more?
Retaliate
again?”

Tempting
. All too tempting.

“Keep talking, Princess, and you’ll find out.”

Chapter Eight


Dirty Dick’s Brew and Grub
?”

Lilly hesitantly stepped out of the rain and walked past the steel door Nate was holding open for her.

Oh.
Now
he decided to be a gentleman. After he’d
spanked
her, and carried her over his shoulder caveman-style all the way to Fox Creek Road.

She could still feel his damn handprint on her ass. If he thought he was getting away with
that
, he was sadly mistaken. She wasn’t blind, or stupid. He wanted her. Maybe not all of her, but he wanted her in his bed again. That kiss they’d shared hadn’t lied.

She was done with being on the receiving end of his mood swings every time he got a damn hard-on. If this was how he wanted to play it, then game fucking on.

“It’s dry inside, and they must have a phone we can use,” he said. “This isn’t the time to be picky.”

She shivered as a breeze from the air-conditioning swept over her sopping-wet dress. He shook the excess water out of his hair and guided her toward the surprisingly busy bar. A jukebox played a twangy tune in one corner and a few couples were actually dancing. Laughter and the
clank
of beer bottles echoed through the room. There were only a few barstools open, and Lilly slid onto one while Nate remained standing beside her, his eyes scanning the place as if he were casing it.

“Holy hell, what happened to you two?” a perky bartender asked as she propped her elbows on the bar, giving her girls a boost. The move seemed practiced, and had probably earned her enough tips to buy a new car. She tossed her long black hair over one shoulder and her eyes skidded over Lilly before eating up the sight of a dripping wet Nate Jennings. Lilly had to give him credit. He didn’t seem to notice the woman’s blatant perusal, or if he did, he chose to ignore it.

“We broke down a couple of miles back,” Nate said.

“And you walked here?” The bartender hiked a perfectly manicured brow. “In that mess?” She jerked a thumb toward the entry door where rain sprayed inside every time it opened. Thunder rumbled, adding another layer of sound over the music, and the lights flickered.

“Unfortunately, yes. Do you have a phone we could use? I need to get a tow and find us a place to bunk for the night.”

The woman’s lips slid into a slow smile that said she had just the place for Nate to bunk down tonight. She called over her shoulder for someone named Hank to take over.

“Sure thing, sugar. Right this way.” She motioned for Nate to follow her around behind the bar.

“Hang on.” His gaze slid over Lilly and he hesitated, looking torn. His jaw tensed as he scanned the crowd. “Think you can stay put?”

She crossed her legs, allowing her wet dress to slide up her thighs, and leaned forward on her elbows putting
her
girls on display. She knew she was creating the desired effect when Nate’s eyes darkened as they drank her in, inch by soaking inch.

“What if I don’t?” she asked innocently. “Are you going to spank me again?”

Without another word, he stalked away toward a dark-haired woman on the dance floor. Surprised, Lilly watched him, trying to quell the unreasonable jealousy that burned her up inside at the sight of the friendly smile he flashed the other female.

What the hell?
Surely, he wasn’t trying to score a hookup now. Not after he’d just kissed her—and rejected her—on the side of the road.

She scowled as she watched him pull out his wallet and hand the woman two hundred-dollar bills. The brunette smiled brightly and slid off her denim jacket and handed it over. What was he up to?

He strode back to Lilly and draped the jacket over her shoulders, a frown making lines between his eyebrows that she wanted to reach up and smooth away. “Put your arms in,” he ordered.

She obeyed—but only because she was freezing. “Did you just…buy that woman’s jacket?”

“Yes.” He tugged the material closed over her chest and took a step back.

“Why?”

He planted his hands on her knees, the touch like flames compared to the clammy temperature of her skin, and leaned in until his lips brushed her ear.

“Because you’re giving every man in here a hard-on, including me,” he growled. “And I’m too fucking tired to get in a fight tonight. So do me a favor and keep yourself covered with the damn jacket.”

She gasped as the heat from his hands and his words slowly heated her to the point of blushing. He then turned without another word and disappeared behind the bar with Lady McBoobs, leaving her speechless. She looked down at her dress and groaned.

Of course she
would
be wearing a white dress the day she was forced to walk through a torrential downpour. Or rather, to be carried through one. She’d be willing to bet that anyone who’d looked would be able to identify her bra and panties in a lingerie lineup.

She swiveled on her bar stool, feeling the weight of the day wearing her down, and waited for Hank the bartender to come back and put her out of her misery. She needed a drink. Or four.

She didn’t notice the young man who had sat down next to her until he spoke. “Excuse me, miss?”

She turned her head to face him and was met with an infectiously crooked smile. Brown curls were tamed by a Virginia Tech baseball cap and red flannel shirtsleeves were pushed up past his elbows. Cute. Not in the smoldering panty-dropping way that Nate was…but cute. Paige would have liked him.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you could help me out? I seem to be having a problem with my phone.” He slid his cell phone across the bar in front of her. “It doesn’t have your number in it.”

She chuckled and slid it back to him. “I don’t think that’s your problem.”

“Oh, really?” He grinned. “Then what is my problem, beautiful?”

“That pickup line.”

Hank approached the bar, looking quite a bit more gray and worn than the woman Nate had sauntered off with. Lilly once again shoved aside a stab of irrational jealousy and ordered a club soda. As much as she wanted to drown her sorrows in something fruity and mind-numbing, that probably wasn’t the best idea. Drinking herself into oblivion would have to wait until she made it to Vermont.

If
she ever made it to Vermont. At this rate she didn’t know if they ever would.

She turned back to Virginia Tech who was watching her with amused interest. “So tell me,” she said. “How many times has that line worked?”

He shrugged confidently, taking a sip of his beer. “Enough to keep me busy.”

The bartender came back and slid her club soda across the bar. She stirred her drink and took a sip, wondering what was taking Nate so long. Really, how long did it take to call a tow truck? She hadn’t seen Lady McBoobs return either.
Hmmm

“So, the guy you came in with. Boyfriend?”

“No. Just a friend.”

A friend she desperately wanted to get naked with. Or choke the life out of. She still wasn’t quite sure which would be more satisfying.


Uh-huh
.” He sipped his beer, watching her.

“What?”

“He looked a little possessive, that’s all.” He set his beer down. “Not many men would drop two hundred bucks to cover up something unless they considered it theirs.”

She flushed, and squirmed under the jacket that smelled faintly of cigarette smoke and something floral. “How did you know he did that?”

VT nodded to the girl on the dance floor, who was now just wearing a white T-shirt and skinny jeans. “My cousin.”

“Well, you’ll have to give your cousin my thanks,” Lilly said. “Normally I wouldn’t have accepted something like this, but as you can see, we’ve had a little bit of bad luck tonight.”

He sat back, flashing her a lazy smile. “Why don’t you tell me how I can make it better?”

She refrained from rolling her eyes, and glanced down at his cell phone. She smiled sweetly. “You could let me use your phone.”

“And what do I get in return?” he asked, his voice dipping low.

“You get my eternal friendship,” she said, leaning forward. “And if you’re really nice, I might even leave my best friend’s number in your phone. She’d like you.”

He looked at her, considering, then leaned in conspiratorially. “Your friend, is she as hot as you?”

Lilly leaned back and laughed. “She’s a yoga instructor. What do you think?”

VT handed the phone over and winked. “Okay. Deal.”

Lilly checked the time and sent off a text to Paige as she made her way to a quiet alcove in the front of the bar. By the time she made it there, the phone buzzed. She picked up on the first ring.

“Why are you texting me from some random phone number?” Paige demanded.

“It’s a long story that starts with me making the biggest mistake of my life and ends with me deciding not to make any more damned mistakes. I need you to come get me. I’m somewhere on the corner of Redneckville and Trucker’s Paradise.”

“You’ve only been gone half a day. It can’t be that bad,” Paige said.

“Trust me. It can,” Lilly said, peering around the corner, looking for Nate.

“You’re going to want to lower your hips more for this position,” Paige said in a muffled voice. “That’s it. Relax your lower back and breathe.”

Lilly pulled back around the corner and out of sight. “Are you seriously talking on your phone while you’re instructing a yoga class?”

“You texted me
911
.”

“No. I texted you ‘
911 sexy soldier situation
,’ so you wouldn’t think I was injured or dead.”

Paige sighed. “If you were dead you wouldn’t be able to text.”

“Are you going to help me or not?” Lilly snapped, peeking around the corner again.

“Okay, now we’re going to transition into downward dog,” Paige said. “Take a deep breath and—”

“Paige!”

“I’m here! Okay! Look, you’ve already been through worse than anything Private Panty-Melter could possibly dish out. You can make it through this, too.”

Lilly closed her eyes and groaned. “I
kissed
him, Paige.”

“You
what
?” she said on a gasp. “What happened to teaching him a lesson? For the record, sticking your tongue down a guy’s throat doesn’t usually count as a punishment.”

“You think I don’t know that?” she muttered. “Why do you think I can’t be here with him another minute?”

Paige sighed. “It’s okay. All you have to do is keep it in your pants. You can do that, right?”

Lilly let her head fall back against the brick wall and sighed. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Say it,” Paige instructed sternly.

Lilly groaned, and closed her eyes. “I can keep it in my pants. I
will
keep it in my pants.”

“Good to know.”

Lilly yelped, and jumped away from the wall to see Nate watching her with an amused look on his face.

He pursed his lips. “Maybe you should say it a few more times, just to be sure.”

Her face flamed and her stomach dropped like a lead sinker. She said a hasty good-bye to Paige and ended the call. “That wasn’t— I wasn’t—”

God, just kill me now.

“I found a guy to tow the truck to a garage,” he said. “I want you to wait here. The storm is getting bad. It’s not safe out there.”

“Fine.” She brushed past him, heading back to the bar. “But know that if you bail and leave me stranded here, I will hunt you down and crush your manhood.”

Nate grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. The firm touch of his fingers sent a flurry of butterflies reeling in her stomach. She looked up, surprised, and swallowed when she saw the intense look in his eyes.

“Enough.” His voice dropped so that only she could hear him, the rumbling tone doing things to her insides she wished she could fight. She licked her lips and his gaze dropped to her mouth. “I would never leave you like that. Ever. Got it?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

He searched her face, seemed satisfied with what he saw, and nodded. “Good.”

Without another word, he released her arm and stalked back through the bar and out into the storm.

She touched her lips, forcing her wildly thudding heart to calm.

She had to get away from that man.

Now. Before she did something really, really stupid.

Like kiss him again.

Or not keep it in her pants.


The tow truck’s headlights spilled over the entrance to Dirty Dick’s Brew and Grub as they pulled into the parking lot. Nate was anxious to get back to Lilly. He shouldn’t have left her alone. When he’d walked away from her at the bar, he’d had only one thought in mind. Putting some distance between them. After that kiss on the side of the road and then renewing his intimate acquaintance with the perfection that hid beneath that wet, translucent dress, he’d needed to back off. If he hadn’t, he would have done something insane. Like drag her back to the restroom and make her come loud enough for every leering fucker in the bar to hear.

He nodded his thanks to the driver and checked his watch. Shit. He’d been gone an hour. There was no telling what kind of trouble she’d gotten herself into in that amount of time.

He’d been lucky. All he’d needed was a winch to get his truck out of the muddy ditch, but even with a jump they weren’t able to get her up and running. He was going to have to leave it at a shop. There was no getting around it. They were stuck.

He strode into the bar like a man on a mission and stopped cold when he didn’t spot Lilly. The barstool he’d left her on was empty. The jacket he’d given her draped over the back.

Fucking hell
.

Panic gripped his chest in a tight fist as he grasped the back of the barstool and scanned the bar. The bartender who introduced herself earlier as Jessica cleared away a half-empty glass in front of the stool. Lilly had been drinking? Had she accepted a drink from a man she didn’t know? A thousand nightmarish scenarios bled through his mind.
He had to find her
.

He slapped his hand down on the bar to get the two bartenders’ attention. “Hey, have either of you seen the blonde I came in with?”

BOOK: Tempted by the Soldier (A Falling for You Novel) (Entangled Brazen)
4.17Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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