Touching Ghost (SEALs On Fire) by Regina Carlysle Read Free Book Online Page A

herself up, the sheets puddled around her hips, and Ren felt like he’d kicked a puppy. Sadie’s bottom lip trembled.
    “I don’t know what I thought,” she whispered. “I guess I wanted to see you again so I could finally tell you that I’m in love with you. I always have been. Dumb of me, but I hoped maybe you would feel the same.”
    His eyes burned.
    Ren turned away and began to gather his clothes. Once he’d shrugged into them, he went about the business of stuffing his things into his bag. He couldn’t put it off any more. It was best to make a clean break. “We’re friends, sweetheart. I hope we always will be, but you have things to get back to, and so do I. I just don’t have room in my life for a woman, no matter how incredible she is. And you are incredible. You’re the kindest, most precious person I know, and believe me, some wonderful man is going to be really lucky to find you.”
    Sadie stood naked from the bed and faced him head on. Gone was the bit of modesty she’d shown that first night. She reached over to flip on a lamp and glared at him. Her hands went to her face to furiously scrub the tears away. “Coward. I don’t want some wonderful man . I want you. Of all people, I thought you’d be man enough to face things head on, but instead, you’re ready to run like a big baby. Don’t tell me lies and expect me to buy it like a pansy-ass. I won’t, Ren.”
    Stunned by the outrage, he stared at her.
    Lord he loved this woman. His mom would call her a whippersnapper. Yep. Whippersnapper. She was more than sweet. She was feisty and strong and, um, had a little bit of a temper. Why had he never noticed it before?
    He was pretty much speechless, but as he watched her tremble in fury, he opened his mouth then shut it again as Sadie stepped closer and pointed a finger in his face. “I know what you’re thinking, Ren. You think you’re not good enough. Screw that! You think your work is dangerous. Well, la-di-da. Walking across the street can be dangerous. Going to work can be dangerous. Kids get cancer and, bless their hearts, can die leaving everyone to wonder why . I’m a doctor, you dumbass. I know a little bit about danger, too. So why don’t you climb off your high horse and realize that we’re all in this big, wide world together, doing the best we can?”
    Sadie took a deep breath.
    Ren stayed silent, wondering what more little pearls of wisdom would fall from her lips.
    At last, she shook her head, and that sad look was on her face again. “Don’t you get it? Life is short. Yeah, you could get hurt out there, but you can’t live your life afraid of that. You do your job and put that fear into a little compartment to look at another time. Living can be scary. Loving can be terrifying. Sometimes you just have to go for it. So yeah, life is short, Ren. Far too short. And don’t think for a minute I’m going to let you walk out that door without me saying that I love you. You can leave, but not before you know the truth.”
    This little moment of reality was like a punch in the gut.
    He stared. She stared. Tears started to pour from her eyes again, and Ren knew in that instant that if he only had a handful of tomorrows left, he wanted to spend them with her. Words were useless, senseless things so he reached for her, and when she wrapped her arms and legs around him, he felt at home, something he had never experienced before.
    “Sadie. My sweet, sweet, Sadie.”
    Ren gripped her bare ass and kissed her, all the savage intensity, all the love in his heart ripping through his system focused on her and this moment. She’d won, but then so had he. His lips took hers with punishing force, and he sent his tongue deep to taste the spicy flavor of her mouth. Cinnamon and sugar, a potent combination that made his cock go hard behind the fly of his jeans. Nipping at her lip, stroking her tongue with his own was simply not enough.
    He carried her to the bed and laid her down in the midst of