Embattled Minds (Military Romance) (Lost And Found Series) Read Free

restaurant.
    Terrell grinned as they resettled at the shadowed table farthest from the bar. “Find anything good out there in the snow?”
    “Hell, no,” Diego muttered.
    Having the wall at his back immediately seemed to put him at ease. Zeke was glad Diego had been able to control his anxiety. Integrating into crowds was one of the most difficult things to deal with when they came back home.
    A plate thumped down in front of him, and when he glanced up, he was eye level with Ember’s plump breasts in the white Frog Dog T-shirt. Awareness skittered through his body, settling in his groin. She turned and set Terrell’s plate in front of him, then the other two. When she was done, she quite naturally rested her hand on Zeke’s shoulder. He fought not to tense up like a Motherfucker.
    “I kept it warm until you got back, but if it doesn’t taste right let me know and I’ll get you a new order. Is there anything else you need?”
    They all shook their heads and she faded away through the crowd.
    He drew a deep breath and then another, fighting the draw to her that would never be satisfied. Deliberately, he picked up his sandwich. Perfect, as always.
    “That was nice she kept it warm for us,” Chad murmured.
    They all nodded. Nothing else was said as they plowed through the food. Ember paused long enough to make sure everything was okay and drop off another round of drinks, then she was on the run again. The crowd picked up and once again it seemed like they were short handed. When he finished with his meal, he made sure to police his trash and mess so that she didn’t have to, piling it all on the plate. Then, nursing his fresh beer, he turned his chair enough to pretend to watch the giant flatscreen over the bar. In actuality, he watched Ember. She was more fascinating to him than anything on TV.
    Eager to laugh, she charmed the customers with her wit and personality. The women seemed to sense that she wasn’t a threat to their men, even though the men watched her curvy ass whenever they thought they could get away with it.
    There seemed to be a tiredness to her today, as if something weighed on her mind. More than once she glanced at the kitchen door, as if waiting for somebody to come through it. She didn’t wear a wedding band, so he knew she wasn’t married, but maybe she was involved with someone. The cook, maybe?
    Aggravation tightened the muscles across his chest as his ever-helpful mind flashed pictures of her locked in an embrace with some unknown man. He wanted to beat the shit out of him, whoever he was.
    More than once, she glanced at him and caught him staring, but he couldn’t force himself to look away. He wanted her to sit down and talk to them, but he didn’t want to see the disgust on her face as he tried to speak. Maybe it wouldn’t play out the way he thought it would. She’d never been anything but kind to all of them.
    He didn’t force himself to come in here every week for her kindness, though.
    The crowd finally began to thin, and the next time she swung around with fresh drinks, Chad pulled out an empty chair from the table beside theirs and held his hand out in invitation. She seemed surprised, but grateful as she sank down onto the seat. Zeke could have kissed his meddling buddy, and cursed him. Every muscle in his body tightened as her heat invaded his space.
    “Oh, that hurts so good.” She arched her feet and wiggled her ankles. “Thank you. I needed a break.”
    “You need to delegate,” Chad told her bluntly. “It seems like you do seventy-five percent of the work in here, though there are other people working.”
    Ember winced and looked around. The other waitresses were busy, but still managed to stop and talk. “You’re right, I know. But I’m managing tonight. I have to cover all the holes.”
    Chad shook his head, grinning. “No, you have to manage what you have. You can’t do that running around trying to put out every fire. You need to park yourself and