Perfect Soldier: The Complete Story (5-Part BBW Military Romance Novel) Read Online Free Page A

nervous
breakdown. Maybe this was exactly the kind of stress release I needed. I just
hoped that Colt was still game.
    It was about fifteen minutes from the end of my
shift when I headed to the backroom to send Colt a preliminary text. I didn’t
want to sound too eager, so I sent something casual. Even though my body wanted
him, it’s not like I was going to be heartbroken if this didn’t happen.
Disappointed, of course, but not heartbroken. We still on for tonight?
    A few minutes later he texted back. Yes . A
minute later came a second text with the address. It hadn’t really dawned on me
earlier that I’d need to pick him up, but it all sort of made sense to me now.
He had literally just come back to the United States and since he’d decided to
travel with Tyson and Garrett, didn’t have a chance to pick up his car or truck
or whatever. The address was actually pretty close by. A friend of mine lived
over near that part of town, so I was relatively familiar with it.
    I walked out into the back parking lot to my car.
The inside was absolutely freezing and it took a while for the heat to really
come on full blast. But something about driving these roads late at night was
invigorating. I was on my way off to meet a boy for the first time in a long
time, and a very attractive one at that. It almost felt like being a teenager
again, sneaking around like this for a hook-up, a little one-time fling. I
wasn’t getting my hopes up for anything more than that. By the time I pulled
onto the street that Colt had texted me, I had actually kind of warmed up to
the idea of no-strings-attached fun.
    And then I saw him standing there, pacing the
sidewalk out in front of what I guessed was Garrett’s parent’s house. I pulled
the car over and smiled as soon as I made eye contact with him through the
slightly frosted window of the passenger door. He opened it and slid inside,
closing the door in one fluid motion.
    “I could have texted you,” I said. “You didn’t have
to wait outside in the cold.”
    “I don’t mind,” said Colt. “I actually kind of like
it. I miss it after being gone for so long.”
    “So, what do you want to do?” I asked somewhat
awkwardly.
    Let’s face it, there’s no really smooth way to
operate in this sort of situation between relative strangers.
    “This might be strange to say, but I’m actually kind
of hungry. Is there anywhere to eat around here late at night?” asked Colt.
    It was kind of a surprising question, admittedly,
but I was absolutely starving at this point. I hadn’t eaten a thing since
before class and didn’t get a break my entire shift at the bar. I also assumed
I’d be needing all my energy for what was about to happen next.
    “Sure,” I laughed. “I could go for a bite. I know of
a diner nearby. Pretty good food, all things considered.”
    “Alright, sounds good to me,” said Colt.
    I looked over at him and gave a small smile. This
was nice. It would give me a chance to talk to him and get to know him a bit
more. I was starting to feel better about my decision to follow through and meet
with Colt tonight.
     
    ***
     
    Inside the diner was warm and comforting, the scent
of fried food and Southern living. Maybe it was the fact that I was absolutely
ravenous with hunger, but there was nowhere else in the world I’d rather be for
the moment. We picked a booth, preferring a bit of privacy for our conversation
– not that the bar was particularly crowded seeing as it was past 2 A.M. A
waitress came over and took a drink order.
    “I’ll have a Diet Coke, please. With a lemon,” I
said, perusing the menu as I spoke.
    “Coffee for me, black,” said Colt.
    The waitress walked away slowly, clearly tired as
she reached the end of her shift. I couldn’t blame her, really. I’d had that
exhausted feeling many times before. But tonight I felt energetic, electric
even. It must have been Colt’s presence that made me feel this way.
    “What do you usually get here?”