Read Online Wildcard by Mina Carter and Chance Masters - Free Book Online
Authors: Mina Carter and Chance Masters
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put a bullet in a man farther away than most guns can see, and here I am incapable of dealing with being forgotten. Some soldier I am.”
Chapter Seven
Jasmine bit her lip. For three months she’d thought he’d just cut and run after getting what he wanted, leaving her without a thought, even to the consequences of what they’d done. She absently rubbed the slight curve of her rounded belly and thought she felt the baby move, even though they told her it was too early yet. Almost as though the little thing recognized its daddy.
“You were deployed?” No one could grow up around an army base without knowing some of the terms. Then her face hardened. “But no platoons shipped out that weekend. At all. And I’d have known. Place like this, the town would have been abuzz with it.”
“That’s because I was tasked out on a quick mission. They needed a marksman slot filled, and I was the only one close enough to remobilization date. Short end of the straw I guess. I didn’t want it to work out that way. It just…happened. I didn’t really have a choice. They had me on a plane out of the country by the time you were waking up.”
Jasmine nodded as some of her hurt eased. She’d thought he’d walked out and had been avoiding her since. Hearing that he had been out of the country made things easier, a little anyway.
She looked him over, not even bothering to conceal her assessing look under the sweep of her lashes. Just into her second trimester, the morning sickness had eased a little, but she was exhausted. Even now if she closed her eyes for a moment she knew she could drop off into sleep. Even standing up.
He was thinner than he had been, like he needed a good meal, and his expression was weary. She ached to wrap her arms around him and reassure him it was going to be OK. But would he welcome that? Sure he’d said he’d planned to look her up, see where this thing between them would go.
That was before he’d returned to find her pregnant, and tellingly, he hadn’t asked whose the baby was. There was no way she was volunteering that information. She could cope with being a single mom just fine, thank you, had already made the arrangements at work. But there was no way she could cope with him sticking around out of pity or duty.
“So… What’s the deal with Mr. White Collar? Planning to get rid of him soon?” Mike asked, knifing into silence that lingered between them. “If’n ya are, I know some of my Battles would love to have a good combat lesson with him.”
He tossed her a playful grin as he wedged his way between her and the open car door to set the bag of groceries down gently. Standing upright again, he leaned against the car in the way of the door. “Guess we’ll have to figure something out if I’m gonna be hanging around more often.”
Her breath caught on that one, but she clamped down on the hope that tried to blossom. She didn’t know many men, especially young hot ones like Mikey, who would stick about with a baby on the horizon. Best she not take anything he said at face value and try to protect her heart.
She waved dismissively. “He’s already gone. That was my ex-husband. The one who preferred his young, blonde secretary to his boring, plain old wife.” She couldn’t help but grind out the last sentence, casting an annoyed look in the direction Julian’s car had disappeared, then looked back at the handsome soldier between her and her car. Another wave of exhaustion hit, making her waver on her feet.
“Here.” She held out her car keys. “If you’re sticking around, you might as well be useful.”
He blinked, surprise on his face when she dropped the keys in his hands. “I, uh…OK?”
He got out of the way to let her sit down and cast a look toward his beat up truck. Making his way around and sliding into the driver’s seat, he looked at her curiously.
“So, where to?” He shoved the keys into the ignition and turned the engine over.
She
Chapter Seven
Jasmine bit her lip. For three months she’d thought he’d just cut and run after getting what he wanted, leaving her without a thought, even to the consequences of what they’d done. She absently rubbed the slight curve of her rounded belly and thought she felt the baby move, even though they told her it was too early yet. Almost as though the little thing recognized its daddy.
“You were deployed?” No one could grow up around an army base without knowing some of the terms. Then her face hardened. “But no platoons shipped out that weekend. At all. And I’d have known. Place like this, the town would have been abuzz with it.”
“That’s because I was tasked out on a quick mission. They needed a marksman slot filled, and I was the only one close enough to remobilization date. Short end of the straw I guess. I didn’t want it to work out that way. It just…happened. I didn’t really have a choice. They had me on a plane out of the country by the time you were waking up.”
Jasmine nodded as some of her hurt eased. She’d thought he’d walked out and had been avoiding her since. Hearing that he had been out of the country made things easier, a little anyway.
She looked him over, not even bothering to conceal her assessing look under the sweep of her lashes. Just into her second trimester, the morning sickness had eased a little, but she was exhausted. Even now if she closed her eyes for a moment she knew she could drop off into sleep. Even standing up.
He was thinner than he had been, like he needed a good meal, and his expression was weary. She ached to wrap her arms around him and reassure him it was going to be OK. But would he welcome that? Sure he’d said he’d planned to look her up, see where this thing between them would go.
That was before he’d returned to find her pregnant, and tellingly, he hadn’t asked whose the baby was. There was no way she was volunteering that information. She could cope with being a single mom just fine, thank you, had already made the arrangements at work. But there was no way she could cope with him sticking around out of pity or duty.
“So… What’s the deal with Mr. White Collar? Planning to get rid of him soon?” Mike asked, knifing into silence that lingered between them. “If’n ya are, I know some of my Battles would love to have a good combat lesson with him.”
He tossed her a playful grin as he wedged his way between her and the open car door to set the bag of groceries down gently. Standing upright again, he leaned against the car in the way of the door. “Guess we’ll have to figure something out if I’m gonna be hanging around more often.”
Her breath caught on that one, but she clamped down on the hope that tried to blossom. She didn’t know many men, especially young hot ones like Mikey, who would stick about with a baby on the horizon. Best she not take anything he said at face value and try to protect her heart.
She waved dismissively. “He’s already gone. That was my ex-husband. The one who preferred his young, blonde secretary to his boring, plain old wife.” She couldn’t help but grind out the last sentence, casting an annoyed look in the direction Julian’s car had disappeared, then looked back at the handsome soldier between her and her car. Another wave of exhaustion hit, making her waver on her feet.
“Here.” She held out her car keys. “If you’re sticking around, you might as well be useful.”
He blinked, surprise on his face when she dropped the keys in his hands. “I, uh…OK?”
He got out of the way to let her sit down and cast a look toward his beat up truck. Making his way around and sliding into the driver’s seat, he looked at her curiously.
“So, where to?” He shoved the keys into the ignition and turned the engine over.
She
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