Kate Hoffmann - Seducing the Marine

Then he reconsidered. Could he be so selfish? To take what he wanted without offering anything in return? He’d lived in a world of moral ambiguity for such a long time, Will wasn’t sure what was right or wrong anymore. “You know, maybe we shouldn’t do this.”

“We shouldn’t have coffee? That’s all this is, Will. Just two friends.” She glanced over at him. “We have a new coffee shop in town. It’s really nice. And warm. Why don’t we go there?”

He cleared his throat. “Maybe I should just tell you what I came here to say.”

“All right,” she said. “And then I have a few things I need to say myself.”

“You go first,” Will said.

“No, you go. I can wait.”

He took a deep breath and nodded. “All right. So.”

“So,” she repeated.

“I guess I want to say that...I shouldn’t have kissed you. I don’t know what got into me, but I regret what I did. And—and I don’t want you to think that I expect us to take up where we left off.”

“It was just a kiss,” she said.

“Yeah, but— It just—” It had meant something to him, Will mused. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it had moved him in ways he couldn’t explain. “I didn’t want you to think I had some plan to seduce you. That wasn’t why I kissed you.”

“It’s okay, I understand. It’s been over for years. And I know you’d never try to take advantage. I guess I’d just like to be...friends?”

“You really think that’s possible?” he asked.

Liv nodded. “Yes, I do. Well, maybe not if you keep kissing me. Or sneaking into my car and scaring the crap out of me.”

“I’m not going to do that again,” he assured her. “Sneak into your car, that is. I make no promises about the kissing you.” He couldn’t resist flirting with her. It wasn’t quite the same rush he’d gotten from kissing her, but it was close.

“Well, I think we can have a cup of coffee without tearing each other’s clothes off. As friends. Old friends.”

“Absolutely,” he said. He put his seat belt on and she started the Lexus. She pulled out of the hospital parking lot and headed back into town.

“Does it feel good to be home?” she asked, her gaze fixed on the swirling snow.

“It’s strange. This town is familiar, yet different. Like you.”

“I feel old. Please don’t tell me I look old.”

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured. “You do look older, but it suits you.”

“You look different, too. Manly,” she said with a soft laugh. “You’ve filled out.” She stole a sideways glance. “Elly didn’t tell me you’d been shot. Twice.”

“She doesn’t know,” Will said. “It happened a long time ago. And it wasn’t serious. Unlike with the bomb, I was in and out of the hospital in a week.”

“Tell me about the bomb,” she said. “You suffered a head injury?”

“An IED exploded behind me. I was wearing a bomb suit, but I was thrown about fifteen feet into a stone wall. I had head trauma and a detached retina. A bunch of broken ribs, a cracked vertebra and a punctured lung.”

“An IED? What is that?”

“Improvised explosive device,” he explained. “A homemade bomb.”

“And this bomb suit. You wear it all the time?”

“No, only when I’m defusing bombs. It’s made of Kevlar and weighs about eighty pounds.”

She gasped softly. “That’s what you do? You defuse bombs?”

Will nodded. “Yeah. I’m in an EOD unit—explosive ordnance disposal. That’s my MOS. My military operational specialty.”

She pulled the Lexus over to the curb and when she turned back to him, Will could see tears swimming in her eyes. He wasn’t sure what to say. Had he caused this? Will reached out and cupped her face in his palm, brushing away her tears with his thumb. “Why are you crying?”

She shook her head and glanced away, but he forced her gaze to meet his. “Why?” he whispered, his heart aching at the pained expression on her beautiful face.

“Because there was a time when I could have talked you out of taking such risks. And now I wonder if I’m the reason you take them.” She drew a ragged breath. “Please tell me you didn’t choose that job because I sent you that letter.”

“I did choose it. But I chose it because it was a great opportunity and the pay grade was good.” He shrugged. “I save a lot of lives. And a lot of limbs.”

In truth, he’d chosen the job because it would force him to focus and he’d thought it would put her out of his head. He’d spent far too many nights thinking about her, and far too many days rewriting their history. EOD had forced him to move on with his life.

Of course, he couldn’t explain that to her. Or the fact that after seeing her again, he realized it had only been a temporary solution. He wasn’t over her at all. No, telling her that would be far too cruel.

Will drew a deep breath. “I could really use that cup of coffee right about now.”

Liv nodded and pulled the car back out into the street. “Me, too.”

2 Contents Cover Back Cover Text Subject: Marine Will MacIntyre Current Status: Medical leave One day a year Will MacIntyre lets himself remember the woman who left him after he enlisted. But seven years later, on the anniversary of that fateful day, Will is defusing a bomb in Afghanistan—and it explodes. Dr. Oliva Eklund can barely find the boy she loved inside the hard, chiseled body of the man Will is now—a Marine who knows just how to tempt her, just how to seduce her. Olivia is well aware that Will plans to return to his unit after he recovers, but she can’t resist trying to heal him. Even if it means sending him back into a war zone. And breaking them apart forever. Introduction Can’t resist a sexy military hero? Then you’ll love our Uniformly Hot! miniseries. Mills & Boon Blaze’s bestselling miniseries continues with more irresistible heroes from all branches of the armed forces. Don’t miss BRING ME TO LIFE by Kira Sinclair December 2014 SEDUCING THE MARINE by Kate Hoffmann January 2015 A SEAL’S SECRET by Tawny Weber February 2015 Dear Reader Title Page Seducing the Marine Kate Hoffmann www.millsandboon.co.uk About the Author KATE HOFFMANN has written over ninety books for Mills & Boon, including stories for Mills & Boon Temptation and Mills & Boon Blaze, since she was first published in 1993. When she isn’t searching the world for Quinns to write about, she enjoys working with high school actors in local theater productions. She also enjoys cooking and baking, reading about cooking and baking, and watching cooking and baking shows on television. She does not enjoy doing dishes. She lives in southeastern Wisconsin with her cat, Chloe. Dedication To Colonel Kurk A. (Marines, Retired) for all your help in bringing my hero to life. And to his lovely wife, Paula A., for steering me in the right direction. Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Extract Copyright

BY THE TIME they reached the coffee shop, Olivia had managed to gather her wits. She chose a table near the windows and Will followed her, taking the seat that faced the door. The shop was nearly empty except for a trio of high school students discussing homework at a nearby booth.

As Will studied the menu, she watched him, barely able to contain her curiosity. She wanted to press him further on his specific injuries, on the medical prognosis for his recovery, on treatments he’d already had. It was easier for her to react like a doctor—only because it was impossible to accept what she’d done to him as a woman.

Not a woman, a child. She’d reacted to his decision to enlist like a spoiled brat, angry that he’d had the temerity to choose the military over her. At twenty years old, she had been completely self-absorbed, certain that Will’s sole purpose in life had been to make her happy. The memory made her wince.