Falling for Her Soldier Read Online Free PDF Page A

go.”
    Ellie couldn’t help laughing at his embarrassment. “It’s forgotten,” she said graciously.
    “Thank you.” Hunter smiled back. “So, you’re joining us for lunch? Please have a seat.”
    Both he and Sam reached for the back of her chai r. Army manners , she thought. “I see you didn’t wait for me to order. Where’s my food?” she asked her brother.
    “I didn’t know what you wanted to eat,” he said as they all sat. “So I got you pasta salad.”
    “Salad? I need real food.”
    “Would you like this?” Hunter picked up a still-wrapped item from his plate. “Burger, medium, loaded, extra mustard.”
    Ellie’s mouth instantly watered. “Oh, no, I couldn’t take your lunch.”
    “I haven’t touched it.”
    He was charming, too. She’d better look out. “We can split it,” Ellie suggested. “Do you have a knife?” She sawed the burger in half, handing the bigger portion to Hunter. “You sure that’s enough for you?”
    “Perfect.” She watched him take a bite. Oy vey. He was even sexy while eating.
    “So, how do you two know each other?” she asked.
    Hunter was still chewing, but it looked like he really wanted to answer. Sam got there first. “We’re in the same unit,” he said.
    “Oh. Cool.” She opened her mouth to take a bite, then froze.
    Wait, what?
    It was like she was suddenly standing in a cold shower. Completely sober. Completely turned off. She couldn’t stop from pointing across the table. “You’re Hunter ?”
    The guy swallowed, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and nodded.
    Ellie looked at Sam. “The one you told me about? All those stories?”
    “The very one,” Sam said, smirking.
    “Nice,” Hunter muttered into his food. “Thanks, buddy.”
    Ellie pushed her plate away and sat back. “Big Game Hunter, right?”
    “It’s just a stupid nickname,” he said, fingering a fry but not eating.
    “It had to come from somewhere.” She rolled her eyes. “My mind reels at the possibilities.”
    Yeah, she’d heard stories, all right. The guy sounded like her perfect nightmare, a huge womanizer. No wonder he’d tried to chat her up in the parking lot, interrupting her conversation with the mother of one of her students. And he was being so charming now, smiling like that, offering his burger. Did women really fall for that?
    Well, she wasn’t going to. She’d fallen for too many charming bad boys in her life who turned out to be not so nice. End of the line…no matter how sexy the smile.
    “Don’t believe everything you hear,” Hunter said, his blue eyes holding steadily on her.
    She couldn’t help scoffing, if only to offer some kind of comeback. “Thanks for the tip.”
    “You’re welcome,” he said, then winked.
    She felt her cheeks beat with warmth, so she scoffed again and looked away. Of all the people to meet from Sam’s unit, why did it have to be this guy? Why not Charlie Johansson? The universe was so not on her side today.
    “Okay, okay,” Sam cut in. “I think we should move on again. For the time being, forget what I told you, Ellie, and forget what happened in the parking lot. Okay? Let’s be friends and eat lunch.”
    Ellie sat for a moment, considering. There was no reason not to be polite. Other than his misfortune of throwing out a cheesy pickup line, he hadn’t done anything to her. And she would not give him the opportunity to draw her in, only to let her down like the others of his kind.
    “Fine,” she said.
    “Fine,” Hunter echoed. Although Ellie couldn’t figure why he was suddenly in such a sour mood. Had Sam spoiled some plan of his by suggesting they be friends?
    “You took my fries, man,” Hunter observed. “When did that happen?”
    Sam shrugged. “I didn’t think you’d be staying.” Holding a sandwich in both hands, he pointed an elbow at his sister. “Guys usually don’t after experiencing her wrath.”
    “Hilarious,” Ellie said, reaching for the napkin dispenser at the far end of the