Hard Charger: Jake & Sophia: A Hot Contemporary Romance Read Online Free PDF

breathless.
    “Call me Cyn.”  Cyn gave Jake a charming smile.  “I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I already know you.”
    Jake’s eyebrows rose.  “Really?  I didn’t know I was a celebrity.”
    “You’re our hometown war veteran,” Sophia said, then shot a warning look toward Cyn, one that said to shut the hell up.  “Everyone knows about you.”
    Jake turned to Alex.  “Well, I’m honored.”
    Alex smiled.  “There was a brief write-up in the paper about you two years ago.  I saved it if you want to read it.”
    “I think I’ll pass,” Jake replied good-naturedly.
    “So, what did you do in the Army?” Cyn asked, then boldly touched a tattoo Jake had on his lower bicep: a winged centaur holding a sword, with the words “Night Stalkers” inscribed beneath it.
    Jake focused on Cyn, and Sophia was glad to see some reserve in his eyes.  “I flew helicopters.”
    “Wow.  That sounds tough.  I’ve seen those cockpits in movies—they’re filled with soooo many controls.  You learned how to work them?”  Cyn fluttered her eyelashes at him.
    Chuckling, Jake lifted an eyebrow and traded a glance with Alex, as if to say, is she for real?   “Yes, I learned how to work the controls.  Once you get used to it, it’s easy.”
    “Jake was in the 160th Aviation Regiment,” Alex clarified.  “The Airborne Rangers. Ever hear of it?”
    “Not really,” Cyn admitted.
    “It’s a special unit for the Army’s best helicopter pilots,” Alex said slowly, with a patronizing edge to his voice.  “They’re the night stalkers.  They fly at night--right above the ground using night vision and infrared--and bomb the hell out of the target.”
    “Wow.  That’s impressive,” Cyn breathed, looking first at Alex, and then back at Jake.  She traced Jake’s tattoo again with one finger.  Jake smiled.
    Sophia forgot about the message.  She felt the first stirrings of true annoyance at her friend.  “Where were you stationed?” she asked, her gaze fixed on his firm, sensuous lips.
    “Afghanistan, mostly. I worked with a really special group of guys.”
    “Did you have any part in the Bin Laden raid?” Cyn chimed in.
    “I wouldn’t talk about it, even if I did,” Jake replied in a lazy voice.
    A few moments passed, during which they all stared at each other, and Sophia knew again that overpowering sense of hero-worship for Jake, that craving for him.  Deliberately she crushed her handbag against her side, until she felt the hard lump within its leather interior.  Only then was she able to settle her out-of-control emotions down.
    She wasn’t that silly twit any longer.  In fact, she had her own mission at this point, and it had nothing to do with him.
    “Now that you’re home, have you found a job yet?” she asked.
    Jake picked up his whiskey and took a slug before answering.  “I’m working construction.  My crew is rebuilding the rectory over at Holy Trinity.”
    “Construction?”  Cyn’s eyebrows climbed into her hairline.  “You’re working construction ?  Why aren’t you flying a helicopter somewhere?”
    “I don’t have enough flying time or NVG training.  I’m also short on the EMS training.” He shrugged.  “I’m fine with working on a construction crew, especially since I’m helping to rebuild the town.”
    Sophia nodded in understanding.  She knew that a lot of returning war veterans had a hard time finding work, no matter what their qualifications had been in the military.
    Jake rubbed his chin with two long fingers.  “What about you, Sophia?  What have you been up to?  I thought I’d find you pushing a baby carriage along the sidewalk by now.”
    She froze at the mention of the word ‘baby.’  Then, without thinking about it, she put her palm on her lower abdomen.   Jake saw the movement and lifted an eyebrow. 
    “School for a couple of years,” she stuttered.  “Work, too.  I’ve been keeping busy.” 
    Alex sat back