Free Wyne and Chocolate (Citizen Soldier Series Book 2) by Donna Michaels Page A

chicken
out. And she wanted to, not because she was afraid of the snowmobile, but
because she was afraid to spend recreational time with Mason.
    “Sweet!
Then sign us up,” Lea said, draping an arm around Jill’s shoulders and pulling
her close. “We’ll take the spots. I haven’t been on one of those puppies in
ages. It’ll be fun!”
    “Yeah.”
Keiffer nodded, mischief dancing in his brown eyes. “As long as no one
challenges you, right Ben?”
    Jill
raised a brow, gaze bouncing between Lea and her unsmiling boyfriend, clearly
having missed something. “Okay, I’ll bite. Did Lea challenge Ben on a
snowmobile and win?”
    “No.
Skis,” Ethan answered with a grin.
    Ben
scoffed. “Two kids crossed my path. What was I supposed to do? Plow them over?”
    Mason
chuckled. “Jill would’ve.”
    “Hey!”
She smacked his arm. “Okay, you’re right, but only because I wouldn’t know how
to stop.” She laughed and the others joined in.
    “Unless
there was a sidewalk nearby,” Mason added.
    Jill
smacked him again, enjoying the grin on his face. A grin sadly absent from Mr.
Sourpuss the past year. It was nice to see. Great, actually.
    Lea
giggled and patted Ben’s chest. “That’s what you needed, honey. A sidewalk.”
    In the
blink of an eye, the disgruntled Wyne lifted Lea right out of her chair and
deposited her on his lap mid-squeal.
    A pang
of some unknown emotion rippled through Jill’s chest as she watched the happy
couple playfully embrace.
    Once
upon a time, that had been her and Donny.
    “Oh,
man, get a room.” Keiffer scowled, but amusement sparkled in his eyes.
    “Already
got one,” Ben proclaimed after he and Lea came up for air. Then he glanced at
Mason. “Would you mind driving Jill home?”
    Ah,
crud. “That’s not necessary. I can call a cab,” she rushed to say as heat
flushed her face.
    “Of
course not, and no, you’re not calling a cab. I’ll take you home,” Mason
insisted.
    His
brown eyes filled with a stubborn determination she knew better than to test.
The Wynes were famous for it.
    “Okay,
thank you.” She nodded, wishing she hadn’t come, despite having fun tonight.
God, she hated being a burden. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
    “All
right. Just let me get my coat,” he said, before disappearing from the bar.
    “Ethan,
what time does that snowmobiling start?” Lea asked.
    Dang,
she’d hoped the woman had forgotten about it.
    “At
eight a.m.”
    Her
friend turned to her and smiled. “Okay, then I’ll swing by and pick you up at
seven so we can get in a good breakfast beforehand.”
    “I’ll
have the chocolate ready.” She smiled, when she really wanted to whine.
    Mason
and recreation. Not good. Although, there would be others around, and he wasn’t
going to ignore them and dote on her. Jeez , she needed to get over
herself. And fast. Tomorrow, though, was a great opportunity for Resolution #4: Be more social . And, darn it, she was going to honor that resolution. No
more hermit.
    “Ready?”
    Mason
appeared, looking damn edible in a fleece lined, denim jacket, black knit hat
and a smile.
    Because
her mouth was watering and pulse pounding, she opted to nod instead of speak. 
He’d already fluttered her stomach with his lazy smile, warm brown eyes, bulging
muscles stretching a dark green Henley, well worn jeans hugging…more bulges.
    Unable
to stop the heat from flushing her face, she rose to her feet and reached for
her coat, but he already held it open for her.
    “Thanks,”
she said, slipping it on, and two minutes later, she was sitting beside him in
his Jeep and on her way home. “Thanks for the ride. I’m sorry they made you
take me home.”
    “First
of all, Jill, no one made me do anything,” he said, sparing her a
sideways glance that held just enough s erious in his brown depths to
convey he meant business. “And second, I’m happy to spend time with you.”
    The warm
and fuzzy feelings his words produced were enough to melt the snow