Read Online Remember the Night: a Heroes of the Night military romance novel by Nicole Leiren - Free Book Online Page A

soldier. I'll figure out how to take care of me."

CHAPTER TWELVE
     
    She'd done it again. Pulled him in and then, with a quick jerk of his heart, shut him out. This lesson was taking him too damn long to learn. For a brief moment, he'd considered chasing after her. He had his pride. Didn't he? His pursuit of her defied logic. Life had been so chaotic over the past few years, and he was a few months away from returning to the comfort of life after the army. He should be running away as fast as possible from the turmoil of her life. Instead of chaos, her presence centered him unlike anything—anyone—else had ever done.
    "What are you doing out here? Are you hurt?" Sam's voice pried into his self-reflection.
    Am I hurt? "Just taking a walk." No point in involving anyone else in this mess.
    "Alone?"
    The tone of the other man's voice led Cody to believe he already knew the answer to the question. He was tired of playing games. "None of your damn business. What are you doing out here?"
    "Going for a run."
    "Don't you ever get tired of running and ending up back at the same place?"
    Sam plopped onto the sand, and Cody joined him. Why not? He already had sand in places there shouldn't be, and a cold shower moved to the top of his to-do list when he got back to the villa.
    He looked over at his comrade and friend. "Seriously, Sam. You run countless miles every day, every week, and basically go nowhere."
    The waves crashed onto shore at least three times before Sam answered. "Each time I run, I learn something new—about myself, about others, or about the world around me. I may physically end up in the same place I started, but I'm not the same person. Does that make sense?"
    Cody chuckled. "Surprisingly, it does. You're pretty smart when you want to be. Maybe I should take up running."
    "You should. Helps clear the head."
    Spending the night in Evelyn's arms would help clear his head. "I'll think about it."
    Three more waves crashed in. "You've got it bad for her, don't you?"
    Cody closed his eyes, wishing for the thousandth time… What did he wish? Not that he'd never met her, that wasn't true. The night they spent together topped the charts for one of the best times in his life. He couldn't wish that way. No, he simply wished she'd realize he could be a part of her life if she'd just let him. He stood and then pulled Sam up. They started walking back to the villa.
    After several feet, Cody explained. "Bad doesn't even begin to describe it."
    Once they'd made it back to the villa, he showered and changed into a fresh pair of shorts. The quiet house indicated the spirited game of volleyball must've worn everyone out. He grabbed his sketchpad and a beer from the fridge before making himself comfortable on a lounge chair on the patio.
    He drew long sips of the beer before setting it aside. His stomach knotted. Waiting for the call from the review board tested what little patience he had left. His JAG lawyer assured him the decision would be favorable, but shit happened all the time to mess up assurances. A misstep here could land him in the brig, extending the remaining six weeks of duty to a much longer time in service. The muscles in his jaw ached from grinding his teeth. Rolling his neck a couple of times to alleviate the cords of tension, he decided to try another avenue of relaxation. Even with the moonlight, it was too dark to draw anything in his line of sight, so he opted to turn inward and sketch from memory.
    Starting with her eyes, he narrowed them in concentration. The lines of her face were drawn tight with determination. The blonde hair pulled tight above her head matched the severe demeanor she carried with her a majority of the time. Occupational hazard maybe? He moved lower to the long line of her neck. Sweet Jesus, how he loved losing himself in that curve. And other curves. The woman had a lot of great curves.
    Speaking of those curves, his fingers trembled slightly as he transferred her likeness in the bikini