Consumed by Julia Crane Read Free Book Online Page A

His shoulders were so strong and broad… Grinning, she dropped the rock and ran up behind him and jumped on his back, latching on to him. Rourk laughed and spun her around.
    Keegan kicked her legs. “Put me down.”
    “Nope, I’m carrying you the rest of the way. You don’t weigh much more than a ruck-sack.”
    Keegan laughed. “Ok, but don’t blame me when your back hurts.”
    They reached the creek and Rourk let her down.
    The woods stretched around them and the creek twisted before them. Some of the trees were already bare, but many were still crowned by red and orange that lit like fire in the sunshine.
    They walked to the edge of the crystal clear water, their shoes crunching on dried leaves. Keegan looked around, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. “This is my favorite spot on earth.” She grasped Rourk’s hand, smiling. “Now I get to share it with you.”
    “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
    “Do you have a favorite spot?” Keegan asked.
    Rourk shrugged. “No, I just love being outdoors; it really doesn’t matter where it is. I don’t have a particular spot. Although, there is something about the Tennessee woods that makes me feel at home.”
    “Do you want to move back here when you are out of the Army?”
    Rourk tilted his head and looked at her closely. “I figured we would move back here since your family is here. Is that what you want?”
    Keegan thought about it for a minute. “Yes, I would like to come back here. As long as we can still travel.”
    Rourk turned to face her, cupping her face in his warm hands. “I would love to see the world with you.”
    Keegan just smiled, a flush covered her cheeks. She took the blanket from him and spread it over the ground, before pulling out the sandwiches and drinks.
    “Sit down so we can eat.” She gestured for him to sit next to her.
    Rourk complied. He popped open a can of soda and leaned back on his hand. “Keegan, I have not felt this at peace in a very long time. It’s almost too good to be true.”
    “Don’t jinx us. This is wonderful, but I will be leaving in a couple of hours.” She stared at him intently, memorizing the expression on his face. “I don’t want to be away from you, Rourk.”
    Rourk leaned forward “I know. Just remember—I will be thinking of you every minute and counting them down until I can visit you.”
    They spent two hours relaxing by the creek and learning more about each other. Finally, it was time to pack up and head out to the airport.
    Keegan felt a lump in her throat thinking about it.

Chapter 7

    K eegan took a last look around her room, saddened to leave it again. It hadn’t been that long since graduation, really. Not very long since she’d moved to Alaska. But it felt like ages. She hurt to leave her room behind. So many things had changed…
    “Come on, Keegan, we can’t miss the flight.” Her mother yelled from downstairs.
    “I’m coming!” she yelled back, exasperated. She grabbed her bag from the bed and hurried back down the stairs.
    Rourk took the bag from her hand and threw it over his shoulder. Keegan smiled as she stared after him—she loved how broad his back was. He turned slightly and reached his hand out for her. She grabbed it and squeezed, feeling the connection from his body to hers.
    Keegan jumped in his truck and scooted into the middle so she could be as close to him as possible. Her mother and Warrick were settled in the backseat. Warrick was already screaming because he didn’t want to be buckled into the car seat.
    Keegan laid her head on Rourk’s shoulder and didn’t speak for most of the ride. She was afraid if she talked about it, she would cry. There was no sense in making it harder on Rourk than it already was.
    Keegan peeked up at Rourk and noticed his jaw was tense. She reached up and ran her finger along his jaw and smiled when he relaxed. They exchanged a quick glance, but neither of them spoke.
    When they arrived at the airport, Rourk pulled into