Tempted by the Soldier (A Falling for You Novel) (Entangled Brazen) by Nicolette Day Read Free Book Online

dangerous waters he was treading in.
    When she didn’t respond, he said, “I can’t even imagine the forms of punishment my mom would have come up with for a stunt like that. Hell, she made Jace and me mow every lawn in the neighborhood for a month just for busting a window with a baseball.”
    Lilly swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, wondering what it would have been like to have a parent who cared about you that much. Her heart hurt so badly in that moment she wished she could cut it out. Life would be so much easier without the pain such a small but vital organ caused.
    “My mother wasn’t around much.” She pressed her lips together, instantly wishing she hadn’t said it. She didn’t want to let Nate in, and yet she felt even in what had started out as an innocent conversation, he was unintentionally worming his way under her skin.
    “Are you okay?” He touched her hand across the seat and heat sizzled over her skin where his fingers made contact, causing her breath to catch.
    She nodded and pulled away. “I’m fine. Sorry. Just…ignore me.”
    He refused to look away no matter how hard she willed him to; the intensity in his eyes was hot enough to burn her. “Not possible.”
    “You haven’t had a problem ignoring me for the past year,” she blurted out before she could stop herself. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep her mouth shut and looked away from the pissed-off man behind the wheel. For a moment, she thought he might actually drop the subject, but instead he leaned across the seat to invade her space with his heat and his smell and… oh, God.
    “I wasn’t ignoring you to hurt you, Lilly,” he said, his voice low and gruff. “You didn’t…you don’t want me in your life. Trust me. I did you a favor by walking away when I did. I’m not a good guy. I’m not the guy you need.”
    She swallowed, remembering what Nate had tasted like the last time they’d kissed. Lemons and mint . Even a year later the taste of him lingered on her tongue.
    He held her gaze and inhaled sharply. His fingers brushed her hand resting next to her thigh. A jolt passed through her at that one tender touch of skin on skin. That, and the heated look in his eyes, made her want to run like hell.
    Or maybe meet him halfway and crush her lips against his…
    Would he still taste the same?
    His phone buzzed, breaking the spell, and he leaned back to grab it. His brow furrowed as he read the text message. “Who the hell is Earl and why is he responding to my offer on the bathroom wall of the Flying Pig Truck Stop?”
    It took a second for the implication to sink in.
    Oh. Shit .
    He glanced up at her, and she nearly choked on the tomato she’d just popped into her mouth. He narrowed his eyes and held up the phone. “Really?”
    She whipped on her most innocent expression. “What?”
    He clenched his jaw, dropped his phone back into the cupholder, and pushed open his door. Oh, God. She’d pushed him too far. Damn that horny trucker! She thought there’d be at least a day before someone responded. Long enough for her to be laughing far away from him and his retaliation. He pinned her with a don’t-even-think-about-running-Princess look through the windshield as he rounded the front of the truck, and apprehension had her cringing back into her seat. She considered locking her door, but he jerked it open before she got the chance.
    “W-what are you doing?” she asked.
    He grabbed her knees, and in one smooth move, turned her so that he was wedged between her legs. “Retaliating.”
    “Wait a min—”
    He kissed her, muffling the rest of her sentence…and oh, God, she was in trouble.
    The kiss started hard and punishing, almost as if he were tying to keep himself detached, but it wasn’t long before the heat caught up with them both. Her lips parted of their own accord, and the taste of him flooded her mouth. He didn’t taste the same. He tasted… better . Addictive.
    A surge of lust drowned out all