Impulsive (The Soldier's Firm Hand) Read Online Free Page B

road but mind apparently in the gutter. “I wasn’t about to say anything in front of Lauren, but you two were giving me flashbacks of when Dad caught you in the basement with Carol Hanson in 10th grade.”
    Jared snorted. “No comment, and I think you mean when you ratted me out .”
    “Whatever, it’s all a bit hazy. You can’t blame a guy for being curious. My days of wild sexual escapades are coming to an end, so I’m going to have to live vicariously through you. Quite frankly, the pickings lately have been slim.”
    “Poor you. Stuck with a beautiful girlfriend and a pretty little girl waiting for you at home.” His sarcasm came out more bitter than intended.
    Grant ignored the dig. “Don’t give me that line. You could have it too, if you wanted. Do you? Because if you find a chick who’s willing to love your kinky ass you should put a ring on it, ASAP.”
    This was hitting close to a nerve Jared didn’t even know he had. One more reminder that his younger brother was going to be the first to really grow up and settle down, something nobody would have suggested five years ago. Not that he for a moment begrudged Grant his happiness.
    It just would’ve been nice to feel like his own life was moving forwards too.
    Rain hammered down on the roof of the truck, falling from sickly yellow-grey skies. Gloomy weather for gloomy thoughts. A lot of his Army buddies had gotten married early, but to him the perks had never seemed worth the stress and hassle. Not to mention that the right woman hadn’t exactly fallen into his lap.
    Deciding to re-up though, that had changed things. Putting off moving on with his life made sense for a few years, but he couldn’t pretend he was okay with never having a wife and kids, even if it meant juggling deployment and a family.
    Maybe fate had dropped the right girl at his feet instead.
    He barely knew her, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Lauren asleep in his clothes, in his bed. A bed they would probably have been sharing right now if Grant hadn’t shown up at the worst possible moment.
    Grant pulled the truck into the parking lot at the hospital where he and his girlfriend worked. “That’s Janie’s SUV. What the hell is she doing here?” As soon as they were parked, he jumped out and rushed inside at record speed.
    Jared laughed and pulled up his hood. His brother might complain about being tied down, but it was all bluster. Those two girls were the center of his world, something that was obvious to anyone who looked in Grant’s eyes when he talked about Janie and her daughter.
    What would it be like to have that, to have someone who really got him?
    Life would be simpler if “normal” worked for him, but none of the eager military groupies that hung around the bars near base had ever held his interest for long. Women who could accept his need to protect and control in and out of the bedroom didn’t exactly grow on trees.
    An ex-girlfriend once told him he was just too much. Too big, too alpha, too intense. Good qualities for someone who had to give orders and know they would be listened to, but not what most women seemed to want in a long term partner. In his experience they either got fed up and left, or turned into pushovers.
    What he needed was someone who could bend when he needed it, but not be afraid to call him on his shit when he was stuck too far up his own ass to see it.
    Someone like the stray photographer whose soft skin was burned into his memory. He could still feel the weight of her over his lap, and the tingle in his palm from spanking her generous ass. His cock stirred, reminding him of how close he’d come to taking her right there against the door.
    “Don’t be an idiot,” he scolded himself.
    Just because there was a spark between them didn’t mean anything would come of it. She’d probably be gone as soon as the weather cleared. Hell, for all he knew she had a guy back wherever home was. He didn’t really believe that though. His gut