Letters from Home (Entangled Flirts) Read Free Page A

a dresser drawer.
    He waited in the doorway. As kids, there never seemed to be boundaries. They’d grown up practically living together. Age had changed that. So had the talking-to Mr. Rodriguez gave him and Mike after a particularly juvenile prank involving a handful of bras.
    “What are you smiling about?”
    Zack glanced over and froze, knowing he should look away yet not wanting to, either. “Jeez, Lena. Warn me when you’re going to start taking your clothes off.”
    Apparently, the same talk hadn’t been given to the women in the family.
    “You’re crazy. And I’m wearing clothes.”
    Hardly . The sports bra might be worn in the gym, and the boxers could be considered shorts—he was not going to think about the tantalizing string-like fabric that was riding her hip above them. He cleared his throat. “I should go.”
    “Hey, would you grab me a blanket from the hall closet before you leave?” She rubbed her arms. Still toned, still lean. She was a runner, and it showed. “It’s chilly in here.”
    Unbelievably tough, strong-willed, and determined, she looked particularly vulnerable standing there. Years ago, when they’d been stationed together, he’d seen her do forty-eight-hour shifts and hardly blink a tired eye. All the worry about her leaving for Iraq came back full force. She would have seen the worst of it in the hospitals. “Sure.”
    He pulled one of the handmade afghans out of the hall closet, the green and purple one. Noise floated up the stairs. Someone played the guitar, probably Lucas, and laughter was carried on the low murmurings of a dozen different conversations. Zack paused at the top of the stairs, where he could see Phillip putting a coat on. Carlos Rodriguez spoke quietly to the man, shook his hand, and showed him out.
    Maybe he was a nice guy.
    Maybe .
    It was possible he liked Lena. Who didn’t?
    Zack scowled. Only a jerk would leave just because the guest of honor had disappeared. If Phillip really liked Lena, he’d stay and get to know her family. Shaking his head, he stopped in her bedroom. “Lena.”
    No response. He unfolded the blanket and covered her. Moonlight shone through the window and spilled across her face. Her eyes were closed, her breathing even. He went to tuck the blanket around her and found the small, folded piece of paper on the bed in front of her, the one that had been in her pocket before.
    Pulse pounding, he picked it up and unfolded it. His eyes widened as recognition dawned. One of the letters, this one dated in October. She still has it.
    His mind racing, Zack rubbed at the script on the page and read a few lines.
    I think that’s when I first fell in love with you…
    Zack felt a rush of embarrassment heat his neck, but he smiled.
    Christmas morning, let’s meet at the gazebo in the park.
    He’d saved her life there once. Well, saved might be stretching it, but when you’re nine, a bleeding head and scraped elbows can seem pretty harrowing.
    She’s been going on about some guy…
    Lightning flashed inside his head as he realized where he’d miscalculated. Heart pounding in his chest, Zack glanced behind him. Dim light filled the hallway, but all was quiet. Slowly, he refolded the paper and slipped it into his pocket.
    There was another man alright. It was him .

Chapter Three
    “Did you take it, Cat?” Lena crouched on her hands and knees to look under the bed and shuffled through the loose shoes and few storage boxes. “I know I had it in the pocket of my shirt last night.”
    “That’s your first problem, Lena.”
    Lena rose and leaned on the bed, the frustration eating at her. “What?”
    Giving her a quick glance, Catalina leaned toward the mirror above the dresser and applied a liberal amount of mascara. “A shirt with pockets…and a collar and buttons.”
    Lena frowned. “So. It’s my favorite shirt. It’s comfortable and has purple and pink pinstripes.”
    “You lost me at comfortable.” Cat slipped the wand into the bottle