Back From Hell (Marine For You Book 2) (Contemporary Military Veteran Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

hospital? Had he continued his therapy with his prosthesis?
    She stood in front of the door to his room, took a deep breath, and knocked. This was what she’d come for and it was the only way to get the answers to her questions.
    “Who is it?”
    “Staci…you called me.” Silence met her words. “Come on Kyle, open up. I’m not going anywhere. Even if I have to stay out here all night.”
    The door flung open and there before her he sat in the wheelchair, dark circles under his eyes. “I didn’t invite you here. How did you get my room number?”
    “I’ve got ways. Now are you going to invite me in or shall we discuss things in the hallway?” He rolled his chair back, giving her enough room to step inside. “Thank you.”
    “I’d rather be alone.”
    “I’ve no doubt about that.” She glanced around the room. The only light came through the open curtains. The bed looked slightly rumpled as if he had tried to sleep not long before she arrived, but other than that, the room was spotless. She wasn’t sure if that was one of the benefits of living in a hotel with room service or if it was Kyle’s doing. “When you didn’t answer I became worried.”
    “Calling you was a mistake.” He shut the door and rolled toward the window.
    Or maybe it was your cry for help. She didn’t say this aloud because that would only make him angry. “All you had to do was answer and let me know, then I wouldn’t have shown up.”
    “How was I supposed to know you’d come here?” he snapped with his gaze averted. “Now that you know, you can leave.”
    “Kyle…” She stepped toward him. “You called me because things got too rough and you wanted to talk to someone. I’m here now; don’t push me away.”
    “I don’t need anyone. I’ve done fine on my own all these years.”
    “There’s no reason to go through life alone when you’ve got someone who’s willing to stand by your side.” She came to kneel next to him. “I’m here, let me help you.”
    How could she get through to him? If there existed a magical saying that would help her, she wasn’t aware of it. In the time she’d spent working with veterans, she’d never had someone affect her as Kyle did. Most of the time, either they wanted her company or they didn’t. If they didn’t, she’d respect it.
    Kyle was different because Brenda had asked her to help him as a special case. He didn’t have family, which left him alone at the mercy of medical professionals. Sometimes, they weren’t the easiest to confide in. Usually, veterans had someone to turn to—loved ones who’d bend over backwards to see these wounded warriors overcome their impossible challenges.
    Kyle had no one. No one.
    Her dad had her mother, but she’d been isolated from his pain. Sometimes, you can be around people yet still feel alone. She never stopped wondering what if…? Kyle had a death wish, and if she didn’t step in to help, he may just go ahead and fulfil it.
    There was also something else about him. Something she couldn’t deny. Something that didn’t just stir the heartstrings but also the woman within. Hints of the man he’s been before his injuries shined through occasionally and made her want to dig through the outer shell until she found that man again.

4
    Chapter Four
    E ven as Kyle tried to push Staci away, he wanted her to stay. He missed being around people, and she made him feel like a normal man. She didn’t treat him like a cripple or look at him like so many others had. There were no questions about what had happened to cause his injuries. She just seemed to accept things as they were—maybe because of everything she had seen working at the hospital, or her experience training as a physical therapist, but either way it put him at an ease he hadn’t felt in a long time.
    At first, they made small talk, and then they just sat there by the window. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, it felt much like they had known each other long enough to be