Read Online Wounded (An Aspen Series Novella) (Prequel to Relentless) by Cindy Stark - Free Book Online Page A

wounded
heart.  “Do you want to come in while I change?”
    He wanted to say he’d help her remove her
clothes, but they were still on tender ground, and she might not appreciate his
joke.  “Sure.”
    She flipped on the lights and let him enter
before she shut the door.  The house looked much as it had before he’d left. 
He wished he could say the same for him.
    “I’ll be right back.”
    It only took her a few minutes to switch from her
soaked clothes, to another pair of cutoff jeans and a light pink sweater that
hugged her curves like he wanted to.  She’d pulled her wet hair back into a
ponytail and removed the black smudges from beneath her eyes.
    As she approached, he noticed she carried two
shirts in her hands.  “I always liked seeing you out of your shirt, you know.” 
She smiled after delivering a comeback to his previous comment.
    His heart melted a little more.
    “I’m sorry I got your shirt all wet, but I do
have another you could borrow.”  She held out a folded dark blue t-shirt, and
he took it.
     He shook it open, revealing the numbers of his
favorite racecar driver.  It appeared more worn from use than when he’d let her
take it.  “This is my shirt.”
    “Not anymore.  If I let you borrow it, you have
to promise to give it back.”
    Oh hell.  He was in deep shit.  He thought of her
wearing it with nothing but a pair of panties, the soft cotton rubbing against
her bare breasts.  Had she thought of him much while he’d been gone?  The wear
and tear of his shirt hinted she had.
    He slipped it over his head, catching a whiff of
her perfume.  “It smells like a girl.”  And he loved that.
    “That’s because it belongs to a girl.”  Her lips
turned up in the sassy smile he’d first fallen in love with.  “Take it or leave
it.”
    He met her gaze and held it.  “I’ll take it.”
    The laughter in her eyes turned serious.  Then
she blinked and looked away as though to avoid his discerning gaze.
    Could he trust her again?  His heart pleaded yes,
but something in his head still held him back.
    “Do you want to talk in here?”  She indicated the
couch.
    He looked at his watch.  “I was kind of hoping we
could drive up to the ridge and watch the fireworks, if that won’t complicate
things too much.  We can talk on the way, and it’s been far too long since I’ve
watched fireworks burst over American soil.  I’ve missed it.”
    “Of course.”  She snagged a folded blanket off the back
of the couch.  “We can sit on this.”

Chapter Eleven
     
    They hardly spoke a word on the drive.  Jerry wasn’t
quite sure where to start and apparently Kimber wasn’t either.
    When they reached their destination, he pulled
his Camaro off the side of the road.  “I hope you don’t mind walking a little
bit.  This car’s not up for much four-wheeling.”
    “I don’t mind.”  She grabbed her blanket as he
helped her exit the car.  He took a chance and reached for her hand again.  His
heart warmed another notch when she didn’t pull away.
    They walked through a thin copse of trees to the
edge of the ridge, moonlight illuminating their way.  The first explosion
echoed over the valley just as they spread out the blanket.
    “Good timing,” she said as she sat cross-legged
on the blanket.
    He filled the space next to her, choosing to
recline instead of sitting with his head cranked upward.  “It’s better if you
lay down.”
    She didn’t argue as she dropped back next to
him.  A brilliant display of red, white and blue burst across the sky followed
by another loud boom.  “I think they’re better up here, don’t you?”
    “Yep.”  He tried to concentrate on the patriotic
colors filling the sky, but each thought and awareness was centered on the
woman lying next to him.
    He startled when she took his hand.  He squeezed
it.
    “I’m sorry I let you down.”  Her voice reached
deep into his soul.
    It more or less scared the shit out of him how
easy it