The Colonel's Man Read Online Free PDF

doc’s gonna have to rework all those pretty ridges on your face again.”
    She paused mid-push at his words. No one had ever called her ridges pretty before. Ever. Most humans tended to shudder on first seeing her, and both sides of her family were somewhat uncomplimentary about the visual evidence on her face of the other.
    “Captain Hurst is used to it,” she shrugged and tried grinding her heel on his foot to make him let her go. Her eyes crossed instead as pain lanced up her leg. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a major pain in the ass?”
    He seemed to think about that for a moment. “Well, there’s Drew and sometimes Colonel Hague whenever he yells at me, which is pretty much every week…and just about every other person I meet.”
    He smiled, another grin that pulled at her feminine instincts.
    “We haven’t been properly introduced though. I wanted to ask your name earlier but you were already out and no one else seemed to know. I had to learn your first name from the doc when we brought you in.” He grinned again. “Jason Scott at your service.”
    He was a charmer alright. One with a cheeky edge that masked the dangerous side she knew lurked just under the surface. Although she knew she shouldn’t, she couldn’t help responding with a small smile.
    “Pleased to meet you, Jason Scott. Now, are you going to let me go, or am I gonna have to dump you on your ass?”
    He winced. “Wow, we only just met and you already want to dump me? That’s harsh. I know the first date last night didn’t go so well, but I can make it up to you.”
    He’d apparently decided to oblige her and after letting her prop herself against the bed, he slowly let go of her waist. Her balance was better now as her physiology adjusted rapidly. Even though her side was taped up from the surgery, she healed quickly so she’d be able to ditch the dressings by tonight.
    “Okay I got it, thank you.”
    She nodded as he withdrew the hand and arm he’d been holding out in case she went down. When she was sure she wasn’t going to face-plant again, she shot him a look from under her lashes, her lips quirking. Spirits, he really had no idea who she was, did he?
    “An extraction’s a cute idea for a first date, but I’d eat you for breakfast, handsome.”
    The blue eyes turned smoky and his smile shifted slightly as he replied in a huskier voice. “Well if it means I get to return the favor, you can nibble on whatever part of me you want.”
    Lord, the man was incorrigible. She was in the medbay, in the ubiquitous lemon PJ’s after surgery and he was hitting on her. At least, it seemed that way.
    “Let’s see if you still feel that way in a couple of hours.”
    She winked, and stepped back as the door behind them opened and Captain Hurst looked in. His face cleared as he saw that she was awake and stepped into the room fully.
    “Good to see you up and about, Co…”
    She stopped him with a shake of her head as he started to call her by rank, not wanting Jason to know who she was just yet. The banter between them would all disappear when he realized she wasn’t an ordinary intelligence operative, and she wasn’t ready to lose that side of him just yet.
    Hurst sighed. The frustrated but amused look on his face was one Arita was familiar with. Hurst was one of the few doctors she halfway trusted, and he was normally the poor unfortunate who drew the short straw for her annual medical.
    “I’m assuming that your…ahh, companion has already managed to stop you face planting on the tiles? Yes, good. Then I don’t need to try and catch you when you let go of the bed.”
    She turned wide-eyes on Hurst and gave him her best innocent expression. “No, I’ve been behaving—”
    Jason snorted. She ignored him and smiled.
    Hurst looked at Jason first then her.
    “Right…” he drawled as he tapped his pen against the datapad in his hand. “Gunny, perhaps you can give us some privacy. You can claim your sidearm with Petty