Free Private 02 - Private Paradise by Jami Alden

attempts.”
    He his mouth pulled into a grin. “The surroundings are a little mellower, but I'd say this position has turned out to be intense in its own way.” He'd been in some of the worst hell holes on earth, but nothing had ever thrown him farther out of whack than having to control himself around Carla every single day.
    As though they had a will of their own, his eyes traveled from Carla's face, down the tan column of her throat where he could see the flutter of her pulse beating under her skin.
    Down the smooth expanse of skin exposed by her tank top, to where just a hint of deep cleavage peaked over the scoop neck. As his gaze traveled lower he saw her nipples stood in hard points against the slick fabric. Carla gave a little shiver, though the gym was anything but cold..
    Sam took a step closer, slow and easy like she was a wild animal that would vanish into the forest if he moved too fast. She was smart to see him as predator, he thought bitterly, given the way he'd taken her down before.
    “ Is that the only time you were wounded?” she asked.
    He shook his head and moved closer, close enough to smell the floral scent of her shampoo which made his pulse beat in his cock. He turned so his back was to her and tugged one leg of his gym shorts up his thigh to show her the webbing of scars that criss-crossed the skin that stretched over the back of his right hamstring.
    “ That was from a IED that hit our convoy in Iraq. It was so hot the skin of my thigh melted into the seat.”
    He looked over his shoulder to gage her reaction and saw that she had one hand covering her mouth as her eyes stared at the ropy flesh. “And right up here,” he said as he tugged his shirt up his back and pointed to his left shoulder blade. “See that?”
    “ You mean that thing that looks like a dent?” She stepped closer, apparently too mesmerized to worry about keeping her distance.
    “ That's from when a Taliban soldier took a chunk out of me with a knife.”
    “ Oh, my God,” she whispered and reached to brush her fingers over the divot carved out of his skin.
    He barely repressed a groan at the soft brush of her fingers. “Trust me,” he said, tugging his shirt back down before he completely lost it, “he got the worse end of the deal.”
    He turned and found Carla staring at him like she didn't quite know who he was.
    “ What?” he asked.
    She shook her head, her eyes roaming over his face and body like she was trying to absorb every new detail. “It's just so hard for me to imagine, what it must have been like, what you went through. Those burns, the scars, it must have been so painful―”
    “ I got off easy,” he cut her off. “By the time I ripped my leg off the seat and pulled my buddy from the humvee, he had third degree burns over ninety percent of his body. The driver's leg was blown off and he bled out on the ground. A little pain and a couple of scars are pretty puny in comparison.”
    She cocked her head to one side, her full lips quirked in a thoughtful half smile. “This from the guy who used to try to get out of the afternoon shift at the marina every chance he got.”
    He felt the little kick of shame at the reminder, part of him wondering how she'd ever fallen for him in the first place, given what a little asshole he'd been. “People change, grow up. It took me a while but I realized I couldn't go through life acting like an immature little fuck, charming my way through life, too scared to let anyone get close.”
    He saw her throat bob as she swallowed hard. “Do you expect me to believe you've changed so completely?”
    “ I've just grown up enough to man up and take responsibility for my life and my mistakes, and not to be afraid to go after what I want.” He closed the distance between them, until his shirt front brushed hers. She had to tip her head back to keep eye contact. Her eyes were dark and liquid, her lips softly parted. He lifted his hand and cupped her neck, brushed his thumb