Until There Was You (Coming Home, #2) Read Online Free PDF

The words tumbled out in a rush, with absolutely no reservations whatsoever. With abrupt clarity, Evan remembered why he’dhated listening to her briefs.
    Claire’s words were laced with bitter cold. “I think you could better spend your energy with your current team, Lieutenant. It sends the wrong message that you’re in an enlisted man’s room when he’s not even present. Leave the food and go home.”
    Engle’s cheeks flamed red, and she dropped the food in front of Reza’s door before she disappeared back down the stairs. He waited until they turned another corner before broaching the subject with Claire. “What’s with the attitude? You’d have thought she was the Antichrist disguised as a lieutenant.”
    Claire was the one to keep walking this time, and Evan was certain it was to avoid his gaze. “She is.”
    Deeply curious now, Evan followed her. Tension radiated off her in waves, and while he was no stranger to Claire’s temper, this seemed different—far beyond normal competition or rivalry—and he wanted to know why. “Are you going to tell me what that was all about?”
    Claire sighed heavily. “Inquiring minds want to know, huh?”
    Everyone knew she and Engle had a personality conflict. Hell, it had been perfectly obvious every time the two of them were in a room together. This was somehow more. “Try me” was all he said.
    “Engle went to the brigade commander while we were still in Iraq. Told him that I was being mean to her. And while he told her to pound sand, the battalion executive officer, my boss, entertained her bullshit because she made it sound like it was a female thing instead of a senior officer correcting a junior. The XO told me to back off. And since I’m so good at obeying orders, I did. I’m not ending my career over some trashy lieutenant who can’t even spell LT.” Her words dripped with sarcasm and latent hostility. He’d never heard her sound more jaded or cynical.
    Evan said nothing for the length of an entire hallway, unable to reconcile the Claire walking next to him with the reckless officer from Iraq. He caught himself lookingat the strands of copper-red hair that had fallen across her forehead, remembering that long-ago night when he’d kissed her and nearly tumbled into a dark mistake. He cleared his throat roughly. “Well, then. That explains the hostility.”
    Claire’s smile could have cracked glass and she walked off, leaving Evan alone with uncomfortable thoughts. And for the second time in the three years he’d known her, Evan allowed himself to be intrigued by the woman he saw behind the fractured smile.
    * * *
    Claire walked through the cavernous lobby of the ski lodge, heading out into the crisp, cold Colorado evening. Alone. She couldn’t figure out what was going on with Loehr and he was freaking her out. Reza melted out of the shadows, startling her.
    “So you do own clothes besides military uniforms. I’d wondered,” he said by way of greeting.
    “Funny. Real funny.” She offered a smart-ass smirk to her friend. “You know, you have serious ninja-like qualities. How does someone your size move so quietly?”
    “I’m a man of many talents. So how long do we have to stay tonight?” His smile dazzled white against the deep mahogany of his skin.
    “Why? Anxious to get back to your deployment snuggle bunny?”
    “Not funny,” Reza said dryly. “You need to lay off Engle.”
    “So do you,” she shot back. “We’re not in Iraq anymore. Things that might have been overlooked downrange will get you rung up back stateside.”
    They walked out into the cold night, crossing the village of ski shops and coffee nooks that made up the base of the resort. The bonfire was supposed to be at some pavilion near the edge of the running trail that Claire had been enjoying since she’d arrived. It might be cold, but that didn’t mean she didn’t need to work out.
    “How’s life with my favorite TOC roach, anyway?” Reza asked after a