Wyne and Dine (Citizen Soldier Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

“I’m doomed.”
    “No, you’re just uninformed.”
    She glanced up to see Brandi fold
her arms across her chest and nod.
    “And it’s time you learned the
truth,” her friend continued. “It’s better to know than to go on always
wondering, right?”
    “Hell ya,” Jordan replied, face
devoid of her usual mirth. “Trust me. I’ve been down that road. It eats at
you.”
    She nodded. “Yes, it digs and
digs.” God, she was so tired of the digging.
    “Then it’s settled,” her friend
said. “This weekend, you’re going to proposition Ben and see how he really
feels.”
     
    F riday evening, Lea
paced in her room, phone to her ear while Brandi tried to talk her out of a
panic attack. Ben was due to arrive any minute to pick her up for their pretend
weekend.
    She didn’t want to pretend.
    But Ben didn’t do the boyfriend
thing. The confirmed bachelor avoided relationships like men avoided the tampon
aisle at the grocery store. Made a wide birth. The guy was married to the
military. Fine with Lea. She didn’t want a ring. Just some fun. She wanted to
taste the man…all of him. Get him out of her system before she embarked on her
own career. But she wasn’t sure she wanted things to change between them
either. Because no matter how the weekend turned out, they would never be the
same.
    “I’m not sure I want to risk his
friendship,” she said for the third time in ten minutes.
    “Is his friendship enough for you?”
    “No.” Dammit . “It’s not.”
    “Then you have to risk it, hun,”
Brandi told her in a tone meant to sooth, but Lea was still anxious. “It’s time
to put my stubborn brother to the test.”
    “What if he fails?” There, she said
it. She voiced her biggest fear. What if he avoided her after this? She
couldn’t bear it.
    “Are you wearing the negligee
Jordan sent?”
    The gorgeous silk teddy had arrived
that morning, via express mail from the incorrigible woman. Her gaze shot to
the small suitcase opened on her bed. The sexy, sky blue outfit with black lace
stared up at her. She walked over, unable to resist fingering the silky
material.
    “No. But I did pack it.” Lea still
wasn’t sure she could be that daring, no matter how beautiful the negligee made
her feel.
    “Good enough,” her friend said.
“Now shut the suitcase and zip it closed before you change your mind.”
    She did what she was told,
grumbling the whole time. “You’re so bossy. Just like Ben.”
    “Yeah, well, it came from growing
up with those guys. And you love every bit of it.”
    “True.” She laughed. “And I love
you, too. Thanks for putting up with me, Brandi. Especially when I’m supposed
to be helping you with your wedding.”
    “My wedding plans are going just
fine, thanks to you and Ben. Now, you both deserve some fun, and I want to make
sure you take advantage of all this weekend has to offer. You’ve been waiting
forever for this chance, Lea.”
    She still couldn’t believe she was
spending two nights with the sexiest man alive. And with the task of pretending
to be his girlfriend. The opportunity really was a gift.
    Lea zipped her suitcase and stood
tall. “I’m ready to see where this leads.”
    “Good for you.”
    Movement outside the window caught
her eye. She drew closer and watched through an opening in the blue-flowered
curtains as Ben parked his truck in front of her father’s house.
    “He’s here,” she said on an indrawn
breath.
    Dressed in civilian clothes, he
unfolded from behind the wheel and walked to the sidewalk, gaze a bit uncertain
as he stared at her front door. Goodness, he was mouthwatering. The gorgeous
man filled out his clothes, testing the seams in jeans and the gray,
button-down shirt that showcased powerful arms beneath his rolled-up sleeves.
Her pulse tripped, and for a moment, she forgot to be nervous.
    Lea usually saw the man in her
restaurant or on the street outside the armory, and habitually in his ACUs. The
National Guardsman was potent and