The Valentine's Arrangement by Kelsie Leverich Read Free Book Online

him, she just pressed the needle to his flesh and worked in silence and he didn’t press her either.
    When she was finished, she wiped his back softly and rubbed a thick ointment across his entire back. Her light touch on his raw, angry skin walked the line of pure bliss and pure hell at the same time.
    Kale turned toward her when her hands left his body and the illustrious expression that was carved into her face was new, and it made her look even more beautiful. She was completely glowing with satisfaction and joy.
    “Alright, Soldier. Take a look,” Ronnie said, handing him a mirror.
    Kale lifted the hand mirror so he could see the reflection of his back in the full-length mirror behind her door.
    “Wow,” was all he could say.
    “Pretty fucking amazing, huh?” Ronnie managed to ask through her smile, one that reached all the way to her eyes.
    “For lack of a better word, yeah.” Kale locked eyes with her and watched as she carefully covered up the layer that she let slip through.
    He lifted the mirror back up and studied the art that this woman embedded in his flesh. The words of the poem that meant so much to Kale on so many different levels seemed to be buried deep in his skin, straining to be ripped to the surface. It was compelling. It was sad and inspiring and disturbingly beautiful. Just like Ronnie.

Chapter 4
    So, who was the hottie?” Jordan asked as Ronnie slid into the cab.
    “Just some soldier home on R&R. Sergeant First Class Emerson.” She lowered her voice a few octaves trying to imitate a mocking man’s voice.
    Cameron turned around in his seat next to the balding overweight cab driver. “Sergeant Emerson? He’s a kick ass master gunner. He’s in Bravo Company, I think.”
    “You know him?” Ronnie asked and she didn’t know why she was suddenly interested in what Jordan’s new husband had to say.
    “No, but I’ve heard of him. Amazing leader, people either love him or hate him though. He tells it how it is and doesn’t give a shit who you are. If you‘re wrong, you’re wrong, wouldn’t matter if you were the fucking President of the United States. He takes damn good care of his men too. My buddy, Rodrigo was in his platoon back at Hood.”
    That was unexpected. She would have never guessed that clean cut, not a single eyebrow out of place Kale Emerson was one to ruffle the feathers of his chain of command. The fact the real life Captain America wasn’t as by the book as she had first thought, kind of turned her on.
    The cab pulled up in front of the club a little before 11:00 and just as Jordan had predicted, there was a line waiting to get in. No way in hell was Ronnie standing outside in this damn weather waiting to get into a club. Fuck no. She would rather just go home.
    “Pull up a little closer to the door,” Ronnie told the driver.
    He did as she said and Ronnie smiled when she saw the short stocky Mexican man checking IDs. “Let us out here.”
    Ronnie opened the door and the freezing night air slammed into her. She grabbed a hold of Jordan’s hand and pulled her and Cameron through the line of people who were cursing at them as they made their way to the front.
    “Well, Ronnie Clark. How are ya?” The bouncer smiled a full pearly white, toothy grin. Ronnie tattooed him a few months back after his wife had their first baby. It was one of her favorites, a portrait of his wife holding their newborn son.
    “I would be a lot better if I was out of this damn cold ass weather Jose,” she said as she took his hand and he hugged her from the side.
    “Go on in,” he said with a smile, letting Ronnie and her friends pass by.
    “Thanks Jose,” she hollered back to him.
    “Anytime.”
    “Let me guess, a client of yours?” Jordan asked as they got their hands stamped inside the door.
    “Yep.”
    She nudged Ronnie with her shoulder. “You come in handy you know that?”
    Ronnie rolled her eyes and made a beeline for the bar. After the evening she just had, she was all