Emily's Passion by A J Storm Read Free Book Online

that,” he pointed out.
     
    I blushed even more and then declared, “Okay, I am going to stop talking now and let you tell me about you!”
     
    “Not much to tell, I’m just an old jarhead living out my life the way I want to.”
     
    “Jarhead?” I asked.
     
    “Yeah, it’s a slang term for a Marine.”
     
    “You’re a Marine?” I asked and Alan nodded yes. “My dad was a Marine. Did you serve in a war?”
     
    “Viet Nam,” he answered.
     
    “Ahh,” I wondered aloud. “I had a lot of friends go to Vie t Nam. What it did to them was not pretty. When I visited DC, I stood at the Viet Nam Memorial and cried. I cried for everyone whose name was on that wall and for the ones who came home and were never the same again.”
     
    “Emily, war is tragic no matter which one it is. They all change the lives of those who serve in them,” he replied.
     
    “It just makes me sad,” I told him as the waiter delivered our steak and baked potato. “Not only were my friends coming home mentally and physically changed but it divided the entire country down the middle.”
     
    “You feel things deeply, don’t you?” he asked.
     
    “Yes, too much sometimes. Doug always accused I wore my heart on my sleeve,” I answered.
     
    “Were you happy with him?” he asked.
     
    I shifted in my seat and stared at Alan for a few seconds trying to decide what he was after. Then I lowered my eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and with a tear in my eye replied, “Doug was the love of my life! Yes, we were both very happy emotionally and physically.”
     
    Alan responded quickly, “I don’t mean to sound callous, Emily. I just need to know what kind of ghost I am fighting here.”
     
    “I don’t think you’re fighting any ghost here,” I questioned cocking one eyebrow and leaving it at that. We became quiet and began to eat.     
     
    After we finished our dinner, Alan suggested we take a walk down the planked sidewalk overlooking the water. The walk ended in a wooden platform with benches on three sides. No one else was there, so we decided to sit, talk, and enjoy the night sky and air. It was amazing how clear the skies were up in the mountains. “It’s breathtaking here,” I said half-aloud.
     
    Alan was staring straight at me and not looking towards the sky when he spoke. “Yes, it certainly takes my breath away.”
     
    I looked up into his eyes and felt as if he was pulling me into him. I couldn’t put my finger on it but he was definitely having an effect on my body. My stomach was in knots and I could feel heat rushing over my face, neck, and chest. Immediately I leapt up and pretended to be interested in the rushing creek not aware of what I was chatting about. I was doing anything to just put some space between us.
     
    I suddenly felt his warmth behind me. He didn’t touch me with his hands or arms but he definitely made his presence felt with his entire body. “Emily, turn around and look at me, please,” he quietly commanded.
     
    I replied shakily, “I. . . I can’t.”
     
    He spoke to me in a soft, firm voice, “Emily, now!”
     
    Turning around, I was almost looking into his chest. His gaze made my knees weak and I felt as if I was going to melt. I couldn’t look away from those damn eyes. They were deep and soulful , looking at me as if I were his next meal. He reached over and lightly drew the outline of my jaw up to my cheek. My entire body was firing bolts of electricity or at least it sure felt that way to me.
     
    “What are you afraid of, little girl?” Alan asked.
     
    “I’m afraid of what you’re doing to my body and to my resolve,” I answered.
     
    “It’s the same thing you’re doing to mine,” and to prove his point he pressed his body against me leaving no doubt in my mind he was aroused. He held one side of my face tenderly in his hand moving his lips closer to mine whispering, “There’s absolutely no reason to be afraid of me.”
     
    He softly pressed his