Broken Heart 05 Over My Dead Body Read Online Free PDF

two wheels.
    Jacob had loved motorcycles, too. He owned three, and I was never allowed to touch, much less ride, one. Maybe all military men craved risk, in any form. Brady sure did. And so had Jacob. Damn it all. I didn’t want to count the ways that Brady was like my dead husband.
    I walked to my worktable and studied the gadgets. I couldn’t focus on anything in particular because my thoughts were scrambled. “Is there a reason you dropped by, Brady?”
    “Yes.”
    I looked over my shoulder. He jerked his gaze from my ass and grinned. I glared at him. “Well?”
    “Your buttocks are to the female form what Da Vinci was to the world of art,” he said.
    Had I the ability to blush, my face would’ve gone brick red. Sure, I thought that Brady’s ass was a work of art, too, but I wasn’t going to tell him. “Wow. That was so lame.”
    “It was more gentlemanly than what I was actually thinking.”
    “And that’s supposed to make me feel better because . . .”
    Brady took my hand, and I reluctantly turned to face him. “Every time I get around you, my tongue feels thick and my brain turns to mush. I like you, Simone. A lot.”
    I stared at him. I would’ve never guessed that Brady’s gruff exterior hid a romantic soul. My mouth had gone dry, so I licked my lips. The action drew Brady’s attention. His eyes went dark and I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.
    “I like you, too,” I said. My voice had gone husky.
    He grinned, and my nonexistent heart went pitter pat. I liked Brady, I really did. But I had a bad feeling about this whole thing. Maybe a tiny part of me believed I didn’t deserve another relationship. I didn’t deserve love. And hell, it wasn’t like Brady and I could be together forever. He was human. And I was vampire.
    So whatever happened with Brady was just for fun. Hmm. Maybe, for a little, itty-bitty while, I could let myself have some fun.
    “What’s the real reason you came to see me, Brady?”
    “We need your help with one of the posts. It’s being stubborn.”
    “Why didn’t you just call me?”
    He jerked his head to the left, and I looked out the bay window. The outside lights shone down on the Vulcan like it was heaven’s chariot. “I thought maybe you’d want a ride on Spock.”
    I glanced at him. Had Brady seen my longing when I’d been within reach of that sexy bike? Or was he just trying to impress me with his manly prowess? My belly squeezed in excitement. Oh, who cared! I wanted that ride more than my next breath (you know what I mean). And getting to put my arms around Brady was an awesome bonus.
    “Yeah,” I said, grinning. “Hell, yeah.”

Chapter 4
    From the field journal of Cpl. Braddock Linden Hayes 08 APR 98
    The tattoo makes my skin itch. It feels strange, not at all like the other tattoo I got when I was seventeen. They removed that one—but not the memory of getting it, or why I put two intertwined hearts on my wrist. Shayla’s been gone for five years. I shouldn’t miss the tattoo, but I do. Just like I miss her.
    Jesus. I hope like hell no one ever reads this damned thing. Shayla always said I was sentimental. Sentimental isn’t allowed here. I’m glad for the structure, for the exhaustive training, for the way they beat the feelings right out of you.
    The new tattoo is small, a series of black concentric circles with a dot in the middle. We all got one. We’re the only five men chosen for this program. They want us to believe that the tattoo is the mark of the elite, but that’s bullshit. I know a tracer when I see one. They want to make sure they can track their pet projects.
    I guess I should stop writing my title as Corporal, though my men have yet to get out of the habit of addressing me as such. We don’t have rank and none of us are attached to any military branch. We’re invisible. Off the grid. That works for me. I don’t have anyone—not since Shayla had the audacity to die. I don’t think I’ve forgiven her yet. Who