Long Time Coming

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Book: Long Time Coming by Sandra Brown Read Free Book Online
Authors: Sandra Brown
Tags: thriller, Romance, Contemporary
anyway?"
    "We got acquainted while you and your buddies were talking about the A-3."
    "You mean the A-4?"
    "I mean the A-4. Suzette said … what exactly is an A-4?"
    "A navy jet trainer. Sometimes I strap one on and take it out for a spin."
    "You take a military plane out for a spin?" Having such gall was inconceivable to her.
    "I've gotta keep my test-pilot skills well honed," he said defensively.
    She studied him, her expression pensive. "Why do you love flying so much?"
    They had tacitly selected this private spot on the deck overlooking a manmade canal as the place to nibble from their plates of hors d'oeuvres. The waterway was edged with azaleas in full bloom, making the bank look like a giant fuchsia caterpillar. A wisteria vine trailed along the railing of the deck, its lavender blooms dripping toward the water.
    The night was balmy. While most of the guests milled through the rooms of their hosts'
    spectacular home, laughing and chatting with one another over the music of a five-piece ensemble, Marnie and Law sat together on a bench outside.
    "I love the exhilaration I feel up there. The higher I can go, and the faster, the more I love it."
    "Is your mother still afraid for you?"
    He cocked his head to one side. "How did you know that?"
    "You referred to it in Galveston. I remember the day. It rained one afternoon, so we got up a game of Monopoly. Sharon lost interest and went to take a nap."
    "Your mom and dad were napping too," he said. "We were by ourselves on that screened porch that overlooked the beach."
    Marnie was pleased that he remembered. "You told me all about your plans to apply for the astronaut program after you'd served your stint in the regular navy. That's when you told me your mother was afraid for you to fly those fighter jets and test planes."
    "Well, she still is. While I was on the space shuttle mission, Dad said he wanted to keep her sedated, but she stayed glued to the TV and radio."
    "I can relate to that," Marnie said softly.
    She had done virtually the same thing. During that week she had gotten very little work done and even less sleep. Sick with worry she had prowled the rooms of her house, her mind cruelly replaying the Challenger explosion. She remembered weeping with relief when Law landed the shuttle at Edwards Air Force Base, bringing the successful mission to an end.
    "Mother is almost as afraid of space as she is that I'll never get married and have—" He broke off and glanced out over the water.
    "Have children?"
    His eyes swung back to Marnie. "The blood tests didn't prove that I'm David's father.
    But they proved that I could be." In an even softer voice he added, "I believe I am."
    "You are. Sharon was a virgin."
    "Are you sure?" His brow was beetled with intensity and the need to be positive.
    "Oh, yes," Marnie answered, giving a sad little laugh. "She confided everything to me. If she'd had a lover before you, I would have known about it. She thought it was neat that her first lover was an older man with so much prior experience."
    "I don't remember her very well," he confessed. "She's just this vague blur in my memory. Good body. Long blond hair. An easy lay." He studied Marnie's face in the flickering light reflecting off the water. "I remember more about you than about Sharon."
    "I find that very hard to believe, Law."
    "It's the truth. We talked quite a lot, didn't we?"
    "You talked. I listened."
    He shook his head and laughed with chagrin. "I guess I was pretty full of myself."
    "And I was in awe. I was nothing but a scrawny kid who tagged along and was sent away whenever you and Sharon wanted to make out. Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, remember?"
    His grin was slow in coming and lazy when it got there. His eyes lowered to the tops of her breasts which made small half moons above her neckline. "This is Miss Goody-Two-Shoes' coming out party. Literally."
    Flustered, she nodded toward the lighted rooms. "They're calling everyone inside for dinner." Raising his left arm, she

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