Read Online Recon Marines II: Marine's Heiress, The by Susan Kelley - Free Book Online Page A

wounds. Only the
military had access to this advance product.
    Very little hair grew on Vin’s calf,
just some scattered soft, black curls. She used the cloth to wipe
away blood oozing from half a dozen punctures. Though Vin’s muscles
should have been relaxed, his calf felt like a rock beneath her
hand. The Neodermal meant she didn’t have to flush the wounds or
inject antibiotics into each one. It took her only a short while,
and then her mind had no place to go except to notice the man
sitting so quietly in front of her. And the bed only two steps
away.
    But the weapons locker caught the
corner of her eye. She knew almost nothing about guns but his
supply looked new and complicated. She’d never forget the whine of
the shot he’d fired at the moose.
    She screwed the cap back onto the
Neodermal while her mind raced. The name Smith was so obviously
made up but many of the residents of Hovel Port settled here to
escape attention. But maybe Vin wasn’t here to avoid something.
Maybe he wasn’t ex-military at but still an active duty soldier.
Perhaps his helpfulness to Hovel Port only served as a way to get
close.
    “ Are you finished?” Vin’s
voice startled her though he spoke quietly.
    Emma’s heart climbed into her throat.
Everyone was out on the streets somewhere, too far away to hear a
cry for help. She dropped the bloody cloth and handed him the
bottle. “You should be fine.”
    Vin picked up the cloth and stood up.
He grabbed her hand and helped her rise, gentle despite the
abruptness of his action.
    Emma backed away from him, noticing the
sleekness of his body. A body built for speed and strength. His
long fingers wrapped around the bottle, fingers familiar with
weapons and probably trained to kill in many other ways. But her
stepfather wouldn’t want her killed.
    Vin’s brow creased into a frown. He
looked down at his bare legs and then back at her. For a moment the
ice in his gaze melted but it quickly cooled again. He turned his
back to her and spoke over his shoulder. “Thank you.”
    Emma mumbled something and hurried down
the steps. The neatness of the downstairs now appeared more ominous
than revealing as before. The coldness of his eyes wasn’t the
emotional shield she’d thought it was. It was the cold of a killer,
a hunter, sent to find her.

Chapter Five
    Vin used a rag to rub oil on the chain
running from the motor to the wheels. He’d put the remote crawler
together from parts he’d found in the shop. The previous owner had
been a slob, but he had a good supply of parts and the tools needed
to piece them together. Working with his hands relaxed Vin as it
always had. He’d mastered the skill of fixing things easier than
anything except killing. He could look at anything mechanical and
understand how it worked.
    The peaceful work gave his mind leave
to wander. His damned body had betrayed him while Emma knelt at his
feet. He’d agreed to allow her to treat his wounds because he
thought it was the expected behavior. Wouldn’t most men want a
pretty lady doctor to treat their wounds? But then he’d spoiled it
with his uncontrolled reaction to … everything about her. The scent
of her clean hair. The tangles in the lovely blood mass from being
called from bed in the early dawn. The lightweight clothing that he
suspected she’d slept in. The smooth touch of her hands on his bare
skin. The fragile curve of her neck as she surveyed his sleeping
quarters.
    Yalo had been like him, trained to look
at things rationally. Except for when they were alone together.
Their nights together had replayed in his dreams, chasing him from
sleep into bitter wakefulness. The desire that had heated his body
this morning when Emma breathed on his bare leg rivaled anything
he’d felt with Yalo.
    The murmur of voices outside, Moe and
Vannie, drew Vin from his glum thoughts. Had Emma told her massive
friends about Vin’s lustful reaction to her ministrations? Had he
spoiled his chance to stay close to her?
    Moe