Wyne and Dine (Citizen Soldier Series Book 1) by Donna Michaels Read Free Book Online Page A

and melted into him, clutching at the collar she tried so hard not to
clutch. Again and again, he tasted her lips, and she willed his tongue to slip
on over for a visit while she fought to keep her tongue to herself, to refrain
from exploring his domain. Wanting, willing him to make that first move.
    This was their first kiss. They’d
have more this weekend. She’d have plenty of opportunity to sample all of
Benjamin Wyne.
    Of course, if he wanted to sample
more, she was happy to oblige. Right there. In his truck. In the middle of the
colonel’s driveway…
    She stiffened a half a second
before him, each apparently realizing where they were at the same time.
    “Damn, Lea,” he said, drawing back,
lop-sided grin tugging the warm mouth she already missed. “You are a great
actress.”
    Actress?
    He friggin’ thought she had been
acting?
    The deep, consuming need to touch
and taste had nothing to do with acting and everything to do with feeling. It
was real. They had a connection. And she would’ve told him, but he was already
slipping out of the truck.
    Acting my ass.
    She sucked in a few breaths and
cleared the fog from her brain. By the time he reached her door, doubt had set
in.
    Maybe his need and passion had been
faked. Maybe he had been acting. That made sense. Why else would he have
been kissing her like his life had depended on it?
    Because it had. Sort of. His promotion life.
    Idiot.
    Here she’d thought it was her. That
she was the reason he couldn’t seem to get enough. That he finally awakened to
the realization she was no longer a child.
    Darn man zapped her common sense
along with her brain cells.
    “Watch your step, sweetheart,” he
said, taking her hand to help her out of the truck.
    Catching sight of Colonel Dankirk
and his wife approaching with another couple behind Ben, Lea conjured her best
smile and slid slowly to the ground, using his body as a buffer.
    A rock, solid, hard buffer.
    “Thank you, Benny.” She lifted up
on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. Only she could see the shock widening his gaze.
Maybe he wasn’t as indifferent to her after all.
    Satisfaction was a warm blanket to
the soul.
    “There you two are,” the colonel
said, hand extended to Ben. “How was traffic?”
    They drew apart so the two men
could shake.
    “Not bad, sir,” her date replied.
    Mrs. Dankirk stepped forward. “Good
to see you again, Ben.”
    Lea half-expected the woman to look
like an aging porn star, not the attractive, polished blonde in designer
clothes and posture as perfect as her plastic surgery. If Brandi hadn’t
informed her the Velcro vixen was in her forties, Lea would’ve guessed early
thirties. Whoever did her face and boobs was one heck of a doctor.
    Her hostess with the mostess pulled
Ben into a hug that started out innocent enough, until she skimmed a hand over
his ass.
    Nice. And right in front of
her husband’s nose, too. Lea was doing her best to keep the distaste from
showing on her face when the woman turned a cool gaze on her.
    “And you brought a friend.”
    Her date immediately stepped close
and dropped an arm around her shoulders. “This is my girlfriend, Lea
Gablonski.”
    “Gablonski? Funny.” The woman
didn’t laugh. “You don’t look polish.”
    As much as she wanted to counter
the remark, she curbed her inner snark for Ben’s sake. “I know. I think most of
it went to my older sister.”
    The woman stared at her like she
didn’t know what to do with her, which made sense to Lea because she didn’t
know what to do with herself either.
    Ben introduced the other three
couples who had gathered near, and she wasn’t surprised to find each of them
were customers from the diner. Thanks to her upbringing in the restaurant, Lea
suspected she knew everyone in the county.
     “Come on inside and Malloy will
show you to your room,” Colonel Dankirk said, leading the way.
    Room .
    Her heart leapt. So they were sharing a room. Maybe the negligee would see the light of