Between Duty and Desire Read Online Free PDF Page A

gut. “I guess I could.”
    Her lips curved in a slow smile. “Then if we want to eat, we’d better hurry before the electricity goes out.”
    His stomach growling at the thought of steak, he stepped into the bathroom, shucked his clothes and tossed them in the hall as she’d suggested. He turned her shower on hot, quickly lathered his body and rinsed. He had to concede Callie had been right. The shower felt great. It reminded him of how good a shower had felt coming in from the field. A shower followed by a couple of cold beers, a hot meal and a hotter woman provided a little respite from the uncertainty.
    He rubbed himself dry with one towel and ran his fingers through his hair. Glancing around her bathroom, he saw her silk bathrobe hanging on the back of the door and gave in to the urge to touch it. He suspected her skin was just as soft, only warmer. He thought of her rosebud mouth and licked his own lips. Where were these thoughts coming from? Shaking his head to clear it, he wrapped the second towel around his waist and ventured into the hallway. He heard the rattle of pots and pans in the kitchen and turned in that direction.
    “Need some help?” he asked as he rounded the corner.
    Callie looked up from the bag of frozen mixed vegetables she was pouring into a pot and stared openmouthed at him. He could feel her hazel gaze track every inch of his bare skin from his throat and shoulders to his chest down to his abdomen over the towel that covered him to just above his knees.
    Her hand shifted and the vegetables began to spill onto the stove top.
    “Whoa,” he said, stepping forward to reposition her hand.
    Her hand trembled beneath his.
    “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    She jerked her hand away from his as if he’d scorched her. She shook her head and backed away, her gaze drifting to his chest repeatedly. “No, I just—uh—” She swallowed and met his gaze.
    Brock glanced down at his bare torso and saw the tracks of his wounds from the explosion. He’d grown accustomed to the scars, but Callie hadn’t ever seen them. His gut twisted. Maybe his scars made Callie think of Rob. “Is it the scars?”
    She blinked and shook her head. “Uh, no,” she said sounding surprised. “No, it’s—”
    “It’s what?”
    Embarrassment crossed her face and she looked away. “It’s the muscles.”
    It took him a moment to comprehend what she’d said and when he did, he felt a roar of pleasure he couldn’t recall feeling in a long time. So, her emotions weren’t totally dead after all. That was good. It was part of the plan. Her attraction to him, however, wasn’t part of the plan, but he wasn’t inclined to discourage it at the moment.
    “Thanks for the compliment,” he said quietly, feeling a grin play around his lips.
    She risked a glance at him. “I’m sure tons of women have complimented your body.”
    “Not lately,” he said.
    “Whose choice is that?”
    He shrugged. “It hasn’t been a priority.” His body would disagree.
    “Do you think you’re not as attractive because of your scars?”
    “I haven’t really cared,” he said, and it was true. “I feel different now. It’s more than the limp and the scars. I haven’t figured it all out yet.”
    “Inside,” she said thoughtfully.
    “Yeah.” He inhaled and caught a whiff of beef broiling. “The steaks aren’t burning, are they?”
    “Oh no!” Her eyes widened and she jerked open the oven door. A sizzling sound immediately filled the air and she pulled the steaks from the oven. “They don’t look too bad, but you’re out of luck if you wanted yours rare.”
    “If it’s not as tough as shoe leather, I’ll consider it perfect,” he said and glanced at the toaster oven. “You think the bread—”
    “Yes, I do,” she said, pulling out the biscuits. “Oh, look, the veggies are boiling. They won’t take any time. I think you got some margarine,” she said, pulling a stick from the refrigerator. “We’re