Tragically Wounded Read Online Free PDF Page A

Sean held his arm out and I gently looped my arm through his. The sheer amount of muscle I felt in his one arm left me reeling. Holy crap, he's built! Together, we walked out to the car. Sean walked slow and with a slight impediment, but I didn't care. I was just really happy he was going to the symphony with me. It was the first date in months that'd I actually been looking forward to going on.
    When we got to the car, Derrick was standing with the back door open. Toni made a quick introduction, and then I helped Sean into the backseat. Before I could make it around to the other side, Toni grabbed my elbow and whispered in my ear, "That man is looking fine."
    I smiled, "I know."
    "Let me give you a little piece of advice, honey. Get your hooks into that one before someone else does," she chuckled.
    With a roll of my eyes, I got into the car. I knew Toni was right. She was always right. I settled in the seat beside Sean. He laced our fingers together, and then brought my hand to his mouth, giving it a soft kiss. My body reacted instantly: butterflies in my stomach, difficulty breathing, warmth radiating from neck to my face to the tips of my ears, and a very unfamiliar tingling feeling between my legs. I was overwhelmed and prayed Sean didn't notice. He lowered our interlocked hands back down to the seat. Every few moments he'd caress my knuckles with his thumb. And each time my body would get all revved up with a myriad of sensations. Oddly enough, all I wanted to do, all I could think about, was getting closer to him.
    By the time we reached the restaurant, I was so frazzled I didn't think I'd be able to eat. The four of us walked inside and Toni gave her name to the hostess. I didn't know what was going on, but I had a feeling Toni was up to her tricks again. Sure enough, the hostess informs us that our tables are ready.
    Toni pulled me aside and said, "For some reason they have us seated at two separate tables." She gave me that saucy little wink and I knew this was all her doing. Toni flipped her hair over her shoulder, smiled, and took off with Derrick toward their table.
    Once Sean and I were seated at our own table, I said, "I’m so sorry about this. I didn't realize we'd be split up like this."
    Sean smiled. "No need to apologize. At least this way I don't have to share the conversation with anyone else," he smiled, "It'll give us a chance to get to know each other a little more."
    He had such a way of putting me at ease. It was amazing.
    "Okay," I smiled, "So, what else would you like to know?"
    The other night when we'd been on the phone, we'd talked about quite a bit: our mutual love of music, movies, books, and our favorite foods. But we really hadn't gotten too personal. I knew nothing about his family or his friends, girlfriends, or his time in Afghanistan. And I wanted to know all that stuff. I wanted to know everything about him.
    "Tell me about your family. Are you from around here?"
    I nodded and took a sip of my water. "I was born and raised here. My parents divorced when I was a baby, so I don't remember much about my father. When I was in middle school I found out he'd remarried and had four other kids." I shrugged. "From what my older sister says, I guess I was better off without him anyway."
    Sean reached over and covered my hand with his. "It's your father's loss not knowing what a beautiful and talented woman you are."
    I looked down at the napkin folded in my lap. Even though I liked his compliments, they made me uncomfortable. "Thanks," I said, slowly meeting his gaze again. "So, what about you? Do you have any family around here?"
    "No." He pulled his hand away from mine and I immediately missed the warmth of the contact. "My father died when I was fourteen. He was a fireman and during a call he went inside to check for survivors and the roof collapsed on him."
    My heart broke for him. It was evident by the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes that this wasn't easy to talk about. "Were you