His Strings to Pull Read Free Page A

water. “I was just splashing around, and the next thing I knew you had me on the ground with your lips on mine.”
    “But I thought you were… Candace said…” When he gave her a lopsided grin, her words dissolved like honey in hot water. God, did he have to be so adorable. “But why would you…you’re married.”
    He shook his head. “No I’m not.”
    She looked up to see his little girl staring at her. “You have kids.”
    “Kids? What are you talking about? I don’t even like kids.” He winked at the girl and she giggled and ran off. “Heck, I didn’t even like myself when I was a kid.”
    “But I thought—”
    “I’m the babysitter. Do you think they would they call me Ving if I was their dad?”
    Jenny considered that for a moment. “I guess not.”
    “So I’m not married with kids, does that mean you’ll go out with me now?”
    “What?” she asked and looked around at all the people still staring at them. When she caught the way Candace was smirking at her, understanding dawned. She shook her head, incredulous; hardly able to believe that Candace was in on this. “You orchestrated this whole thing just to ask me out.”
    “And to kiss you.”
    Despite herself, Jenny laughed. Honestly, even though what he did was inappropriate and dangerous—and had taken her attention off the kids—she couldn’t help but feel a bit flattered. No man had ever gone to such measures to get her attention before.
    “I don’t even know you,” Jenny said.
    “I’ve rescue kissed you, you’ve rescue kissed me. What more do you want to know?”
    She narrowed her eyes and planted one hand on her hip. “How do I really know you’re not married and these kids aren’t yours?”
    “Well, Jenny,” he said. “You could always ask your brother, Garrett.”
    Her head came back with a start, not only because he knew her name but he also knew her brother. “Wait, you know Garrett?”
    “Yeah, we served together.”
    “You did?”
    He nodded. “And yesterday at the training compound, I told him I wanted to ask you out and he gave me his blessings.”
    “His blessings?” She laughed, and wondered if he came from a religious family. “Sounds like you were asking for my hand in marriage.”
    He arched a brow, and once again gifted her with that sexy grin that turned her knees to pudding. “All in good time, but first I have to prove to you how awesome I am.”
    “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?” When she shook her head, loving how funny and easy he was to be with, a wayward strand of hair fell forward. He reached out and tucked it behind her ear. Her entire body came alive at his touch. She looked deep into his eyes, noting the thoughtful way he looked at her. While most military men she knew were players, out with a different girl every night, Ving had a real kindness, a genuine honesty about him.
    Then again, her track record had proved she was a terrible judge of character.
    “So what do you say? Can I pick you up at seven?”
    “No, you can’t.” When the smile fell from his face and he gave her a look that was so lost, so dejected, she said, “I work a split shift today and won’t be ready until eight.”
    Ving drove around Jenny’s neighborhood, one eye on the road, the other on the dashboard clock. Jesus, whoever said time was linear had no idea what they were talking about because tonight each minute felt more like ten.
    He passed by her place again, but he was so goddamn excited to see her, he’d pulled into her driveway, despite being ten minutes early, and jammed his truck into Park. He grabbed the bouquet of flowers he’d picked up earlier and rushed up the long walkway leading to her condo.
    He knocked and waited for a second. Just as he was about to knock again, the door flung open and he came face to face with a pretty blonde girl covered in tattoos and piercings.
    “You must be Ving,” she said, her gaze dropping to the flowers.
    “I am, and you are?”
    She crinkled her