Tempted by the Soldier (A Falling for You Novel) (Entangled Brazen) by Nicolette Day Page B

thinking, she reached out and touched the white scar peeking out from under his sleeve. He stilled, hands on his jeans zipper. Damn her weak willpower. She knew getting this close to him was a bad idea, especially after that kiss, but she couldn’t help herself…or the curiosity that had taken control of her hand. His gaze dropped to her fingers, which were tracing the jagged raised flesh. The sound of the rain beating the roof of the truck only seemed to intensify the moment.
    “Like this one?”
    “Yes. Like that one.” His voice sounded gruff.
    Amazed that he wasn’t stopping her, she slipped her fingers up into his sleeve to follow the ridge of flesh. “How did it happen?”
    “Souvenir from my last tour.” The muscles in his biceps twitched under her touch. “Helicopter crash.”
    Lilly’s heart clenched and something painful tugged at her stomach imagining him in that much pain. A helicopter crash? How did a person even survive something like that? She glanced at the dog tags he always wore around his neck. She couldn’t make out the name from this angle, but she could see that it wasn’t his. Had someone died? Had he almost died?
    “You must have been really lucky to survive something like that,” she said.
    Nate pulled away abruptly and tugged his sleeve back down into place. “So they tell me.”
    “You don’t feel lucky?” She blinked up at him and his jaw clenched.
    “Depends on what day you ask me.”
    “What about today?”
    His gaze slid over her face and down the column of her throat, making her pulse jump. When it came back up and landed on her mouth, something flared in his blue eyes. “Yeah. I’d say today I’m feeling pretty lucky.”

Chapter Seven
    Rain pounded furiously against the truck roof and lightning streaked across the dark-gray Virginia sky. He thought they might be close to Cedar Springs, but the heavy rain and lack of light were making it hard to recognize anything out there. He remembered this old highway went straight through town at some point, but right now it just looked like they were in the middle of nowhere. Nate ground his teeth to the rhythm of the windshield wipers. Between the jackknifed semi that had turned their one-hour detour into a three-hour detour, and the sexy-as-fuck little sounds Lilly made in her sleep, he was completely on edge. Every moan and whimper did nothing but remind him how badly he wanted her. And the fact that the storm had intensified and the sun had set didn’t help matters, either.
    “Nate…” Lilly’s soft moan pulled him from his thoughts. She was sleeping, face pressed against the truck window. Little puffs of breath fogged the glass around her lips. Her hair, all tousled honey curls, hid half of her face. He liked seeing her like this. So quiet and vulnerable. He liked it way too much.
    An image of her curled into his side, lips pressed against his bare chest instead of that frigid window, flashed through his mind, making his chest ache. He clenched his fingers, resisting the urge to reach over and brush the hair away from her pretty face.
    What the hell was wrong with him? He’d never entertained fantasies like that before. He knew better. Knew that letting a woman get so close would never work in his world. So, why couldn’t he get his shit under control now?
    Her thighs rubbed together as she whimpered his name again, and he had his answer. Motherfucker . What the hell was she dreaming about? His cock had plenty of ideas. He rubbed the heel of his palm down his erection before forcing his hand back to the wheel.
    Shit . He was never going to make it to Vermont without touching her again. The attraction was too strong, overriding the last shred of common sense that hadn’t already flown south for the winter.
    Suddenly, the thoughts were jarred from his head when the truck hit something hard . The cab and its contents lurched forward as the tires squealed and spun out of control. He cursed, and shot his arm across the seat