Friendly Fire (The Echo Platoon Series, Book 3) by Marliss Melton Read Free Book Online

stormed her heart. Why the turbulent kiss? Was something serious troubling him? Or was he simply exploring what had been between them to see if it still existed?
    "Sorry about my timing," Juliet said under her breath.
    "No problem," Emma replied, supplying the same response her sister had used a moment before. But if that kiss hadn't been interrupted, where would it have led?
    To heartache, of course. She was glad Juliet had rescued her. Her attraction for Jeremiah obviously hadn't dwindled in five years. If anything, his maturity made him that much more appealing. But knowing what she knew now about love, she'd be a fool to get involved with him again.

Chapter 4

    Popping the last bite of toast into his mouth, Jeremiah realized Emma's sister, Juliet, was headed toward his and Tristan's table. Scanning the Fiesta Galley for Emma, he found her taking a seat on the other side of the buffet-style cafeteria. Just then, she glanced up. Their gazes collided, giving rise to a high-voltage charge that zapped him to his toes.
    Emma jerked her gaze toward her daughter, pretending indifference, but color that bloomed in her cheeks heartened him.
    Maybe his impulsive kiss the night before hadn't scared her away. Wearing a white sundress and backlit by a window filled with sky and sea, her beauty called to him.
    He should not have kissed her so intently, letting his frustration over the impending doom he sensed get the better of him. Not only that, but he'd violated his resolve to wait for her to make the first move. His aggressive behavior might have pushed her away irrevocably.
    "Hi." Juliet laid a tray of pastries and coffee on the glossy wood surface, then sent him a pointed smile. He immediately pushed back his chair.
    "Oh, you don't have to leave," she protested insincerely.
    "Bye." Tristan shot him a grin.
    Picking up his coffee, Jeremiah headed doggedly toward Emma's table. He wished he could explain his premonitions to her without scaring her. He owed her an apology for kissing her so roughly last night. But, more than that, he felt compelled to raise her awareness of the threat barreling down on them. After all, she had her daughter to think of.
    "With all this food available, you're eating Raisin Bran?" Emma asked Sammy. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Jeremiah heading for her table, and her pulse doubled its beat.
    "Unh-unh. I'm having ice cream next."
    With an inward sigh, Emma swallowed her protests. Sammy was already dressed in her swimsuit intending to spend her morning in the pool. A scoop of ice cream wouldn't do her a bit of harm.
    "Mind if join you?" The SEAL loomed over them carrying a cup of coffee and wearing an apologetic expression.
    Sammy glanced up in surprise.
    "Not at all." Emma moved her tray making room.
    He dropped into the chair across from hers, and their knees bumped, keeping her pulse erratic.
    "Hi," he said to her daughter.
    "Sammy, this is Jeremiah Winters." Emma made a formal introduction, though they'd met in the safety drill. "He used to be a student of mine."
    Jeremiah held out a hand to her, but Sammy ignored it in order to smother a burp.
    "Excuse me," she exclaimed, sounding so prim in contrast to the belch that he laughed. "Can I go to the pool now?" she implored.
    "I thought you were going to have ice cream," Emma said, pained by her daughter's rudeness.
    "I'm going to take it to the pool and eat it there," Sammy declared, jumping up.
    "Don't forget your pool bag." Emma snatched it off the floor and handed it to her. "And you need to put on sunscreen first thing, especially on your nose and shoulders."
    Sammy took the bag and scampered off without another word.
    Emma hid her chagrin behind a sip of orange juice.
    "How long have you been divorced?"
    The unexpected question caused her to choke on a swallow. With citrus burning her throat, she put her glass down and met his gaze. "Almost three years."
    He looked away toward Sammy's disappearing form. "Is she still close to her