Free Chasing Mrs. Right by Katee Robert

since he decided to get out of the military, he’d felt like he was lost at sea, set adrift from life with nothing really holding him in place. Now, finally, here was this woman who actually seemed to see him—all of him—without flinching. She understood, as much as one person can understand another.
    He’d be a fool to let her slip away just because something about him scared the shit out of her. He wanted to know the source of that fear. Christ, if he were honest with himself, he wanted to soothe her in the same way she’d managed to soothe him. If that meant throwing on a suit of armor and riding off to slay some dragons, Ian was more than willing to do so.
    No. It was none of his business. He should walk away before this went any further. He had no business pursuing her, not when she’d made it so clear she wanted nothing from him.
    But he couldn’t make himself leave it alone.
    Ian got dressed, thinking fast. First things first—he needed a plan of attack. He’d felt completely off his stride ever since he woke up this morning, so he needed time to find his balance before he went in for round two.
    Roxanne had already proven herself to be a runner, which meant he’d have to take away her options. If he could find out where she worked, maybe that would be the place to do it. The woman was obviously a professional—she’d balk at the idea of causing a scene in her place of business. He grinned. Yeah, that was playing dirty, but he learned a long time ago that most people didn’t play by the rules.
    Who knew years of combat experience would be exactly the training he needed to court a woman?
    His smile died at the thought. That was the only thing good to come out of all those months spent crawling through the sand, sleeping with his weapon, and drowning in the constant state of awareness. He’d managed to get out without full-blown PTSD, but some of his friends weren’t so fortunate—and those were the ones who made it home without serious injury or losing a limb. Hell, Ian was one of the lucky ones, even if he didn’t feel it most days.
    He looked around the loft, at the comfortable furniture and tastefully painted walls. He didn’t fit here, didn’t fit anywhere in Spokane anymore. The only time he’d actually felt completely at peace was when he was around Roxanne. Not even running was doing a damn thing to help. Nothing could compare to the peace she brought him.
    No way could he let her go without a fight.
    He’d give her some time, and then he’d corner her and ask her out. She might say no, but he had a feeling he could couch the terms in such a way that she wouldn’t.
    Yes, Roxanne was going out with him again.
    She just didn’t know it yet.

Chapter Nine
    “There’s someone here to see you.”
    Another one? Roxanne should have known this would happen after she got that write-up in Brides. Everyone and their dog in the Inland Northwest seemed to have read the article, and they wanted her to plan their weddings. Business was booming. It was great—or it would be if she ever got the time to return the dozens of phone calls and respond to the million emails she’d gotten as a result.
    So why was she having such a hard time concentrating?
    “Probably because of interruptions like this one,” she muttered, then pushed the intercom button and put some cheer into her voice. “Send them in.”
    “Sure thing.”
    At least her receptionist, Mallory, was a miracle worker. The woman was a scheduling fiend, and she had a gift for calming down hysterical clients. Once they’d paid down the bills enough to breathe, Roxanne fully intended on giving Mallory a raise.
    Her thoughts nose-dived when Ian walked into her office. She rubbed her eyes, sure that her fevered fantasies had gotten away from her again. She didn’t particularly want to count how many times she’d come while thinking about him in the last week. Thank God she had a rechargeable buzzy friend, or the battery bill alone would have