Not Another Soldier Read Online Free PDF Page B

briefly and I don’t want to
ruin things again.
    But I’m not willing to let it end there either. While
I plan to offer her all the support I can, she has to know I want more from
her. We’ve been fighting this attraction for so long, surely she knows? I get
that it’s fucking wrong to be lusting after your supposed best friend’s wife
but, damn, I’m only human and I never acted upon it before.
    Until Rob’s funeral.
    Yeah I’m an idiot.
    Somehow I need to get her to see me as more than a
good friend. I’m just not sure how to broach it.
    “You want to get dinner?” she asks me.
    “Urgh.” I’m not sure I can even move.
    “Hey, I thought you were meant to be the big strong
man? Don’t tell me I’ve worn you out so much you can’t even be bothered to
eat.”
    I roll my head around and eye her with a raised brow.
“I’m plenty strong, short stuff, and don’t forget who did most of the heavy
lifting. I just didn’t realize I’d have to move like a contortionist to squeeze
half your furniture in here.”
    Looking around, her lips turn upward. The place looks
good. Not great but good, and I can see the pride she has in it. Somehow Sienna
has made the little apartment feel like hers already. With the few things she
must have bought recently, vases and cushions—girly shit—it feels homey. It’s
all beiges and browns at the moment but she said she plans to put some color
into it. I don’t recognize much of it from her old house and I can’t help but
feel glad. It’s like she’s moving on from Rob, putting him behind her.
Selfishly, I want her to move on to me. But I also want her to move on from
that asshole too.
    “Well, do you want to eat or not?”
    My stomach growls and we both laugh. I pat it
sympathetically. “Yeah. Any chance of take-out?”
    “Sounds like a plan.”
    With a groan, she stands and I enjoy the sight of her
ass swaying slightly as she disappears into the kitchen.
    “Voila!” she says with a grin as she returns to the
room with the menus.
    My lips tilt and she blinks at me, so cute and
confused.  She straightens her shoulders and chucks herself next to me. I
shouldn’t but I kinda like disconcerting her. It must mean I affect her as much
as she affects me, right?
    “Well, what are we having?” I ask, leaning in to peer
at the menus in her hand.
     “Um… Chinese?”
    “Sounds good to me.” I snatch the menu from her and
tug out my cell. “What are you having?”
    “Kung pao chicken and fried rice, please.” She folds
her arms in irritation but I know she’s not really angry. Sienna likes to play
all independent but she enjoys being taken care of too. It’s just trying to
strike the balance I find hard. Most of me wants to wrap her up and do
everything for her.
    The guy at the end of the phone has to ask me three
times what I want before I remember I supposed to be ordering dinner and not
eyeing up Sienna.
    ***
    Sienna
    I feel his gaze on me as he phones in our order. I try
not to gulp but I’m all hot. Once he’s ordered the food, he flashes me a grin
and tucks away his cell in his front pocket, drawing my attention to the crotch
of his jeans.
    Great, now I’m studying the worn lines of the denim
again. I’ve been doing that all day. He’s wearing a red T-shirt with some
numbers on, like a sports shirt, and it’s molded perfectly to his body. The
tribal tattoo on his right arm begs me to trace it up under the sleeve of his
shirt. I suck in a breath through my nostrils.
    It’s been nice to have him here though. I’ve missed
him. That… that kiss shocked me. Scared me. Giving into the chemistry zinging
between us hadn’t been a good idea and I didn’t know how to react, but I’m glad
to have him back in my life. Three weeks without him was too long. I just hope
we can put the kiss behind us and continue our friendship. I don’t have many
friends at the moment. Maybe that will change now I’m living in the city, but
for now the only person I have is Nick.