Heart of a Marine (The Wounded Warrior Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

His small crew of former Marines were sober, hard-working men and excellent craftsmen. Dwayne ran a tight ship and took pride in the quality and reputation of his company.
    Dinner arrived and they continued their relaxed conversation, keeping mostly to the subject of the renovation. Her frequent smiles and animated features contrasted with her usual all-business demeanor. She knew every aspect of the job down to smallest details.
    Forcing himself to turn his eyes from her beautiful face, he glanced at his watch. “It’s almost eight. I gotta go.” He extended his hand. “I had a good time.”
    Marla grasped his hand. “Me too. I’m sorry I was such a witch when I first sat down.”
    He allowed himself to hold her hand for a beat longer than necessary. “No problem, Red. I was nervous as hell myself. Can I offer you a ride home?”
    Avoiding his eyes, she slid her hand from his and swiped at a curl falling on her cheek. “No, thanks. I have my car.”
    He stood and helped her with her chair, then draped her jacket over her shoulders. “I’ll see you through the parking lot.” He wouldn’t think of letting a woman walk alone to her car after sharing dinner.
    Marla stopped just short of the steps leading to the parking lot. “Holy goats. It’s dark. They really should have more lights here.”
    “Yeah, they’re leaving themselves wide open for a lawsuit.” He picked up her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm. “Hang on to me. I have good night vision. Miss Emmaline used to claim I was part cat.”
    Instead of protesting, she gripped his arm and stepped off the apron with him. The warmth of her touch shot straight to his bone marrow. The thought of putting her behind the wheel of her car and making sure she’d locked the door took a toll on his libido.
    They reached her car. Their hands bumped as they both grasped the door handle. He tugged.
    “Oh, sorry, I didn’t unlock it.”
    She dug to the bottom of her small purse and clicked the button on the key tag. The car chirped and the lights blinked.
    Dwayne opened her door, and she slid behind the steering wheel. He thought of kissing her on the cheek, but stopped himself before she shut the door.
    He tapped on the window. When she lowered it, he leaned in, “Start’er up and turn on the lights.”
    “Why?”
    “I want to make sure you’re OK before I take off.”
    She turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. The lights went on automatically. “OK?”
    He grinned and slapped the hood of the car. “You’re good to go, beau…uh, Marla.”
    He nodded and headed for his truck before she had a chance to nail him with a glare.
    What a babe.
     
    * * *
     
     
    Marla stared as he walked across the lot, the curious hitch in his stride more pronounced tonight than usual. Perhaps he had a hip problem or a bum knee. It didn’t seem to affect his ability to put in a good day’s work on the job. He personally supervised every aspect of the renovation.
    He appeared so different tonight, dressed in a nice pair of slacks with an open-neck dress shirt beneath his bomber jacket. Every other time she’d seen him he’d been wearing worn jeans, a faded work shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a tattered baseball cap, and heavy boots.
    Marla smiled and shook her head. She had to admit Dwayne Dempsey made one sexy male package. No matter how he was dressed. And she stopped right there. No way would she allow her imagination to wander in the direction of how he’d look undressed. But, did he have hair on his chest? What about tattoos?
    Stop it, Marla. What are you doing?
    Dwayne hauled himself up into the driver’s seat of his well-used, black pickup truck. He touched his forehead and grinned in her direction before he closed the door. Great goats! Had he read her mind?
    He pulled out of the lot and turned right. She backed out and stopped at the exit to the parking lot. As she checked traffic to her left, the lights from the commercial section