Breaking Away (Delta Force Strong #3) - Elle James Page 0,12

time, the picture had been laminated, but the edges were worn. She picked it up to put it back into the duffel bag.

When she turned it over, it wasn’t a picture of the other woman he’d found, but of her and Mac all those years ago when they’d been young and in love. It had been taken at the state fair. They’d been riding on the Ferris wheel. At the top, they’d taken this picture of themselves. She’d been smiling up into his eyes when he’d snapped the shot.

Why would he carry a picture of them when he had another woman? She laid the picture on the cot, and then spread out the sleeping bag. Still too warm to get between the folds of the sleeping bag, she lay on top of it, using it as a cushion against the tight canvas. The cot didn’t have much give.

Knowing the morning would come soon, she lay down and closed her eyes. Then she remembered the photo between the bag and the cot. She fished it out and held it close to her heart.

He’s been hurt when she’d broken it off with him back then.

The fact he hadn’t forgotten her made her heart swell. They had wanted different things back then. He’d wanted his Army career and for her to follow him, to be his wife and raise his children. She’d been in college, working on her journalism degree. He’d been about to ship out to Fort Bragg for his training in Special Forces.

When he’d asked her to marry him, she’d been two years short of finishing her degree. She hadn’t been willing to abandon her studies and her dreams. Nor had she been ready to settle down and have children.

And he’d needed the time to dedicate to his training. It had to have taken a lot of skill and dedication to become Special Forces and then be selected for Delta Force.

Back then, she’d known he was the right person for her, but the timing had been wrong. Now that she’d been thinking about settling down and starting that family she’d always wanted later in life, it was too late to have him. He was still the right person for her, but he’d found someone else.

Kylie hugged the photo to her chest.

Was it too late?

With her eyes closed, she tried to sleep. When sleep didn’t come, she let her memories flow back over all the time she’s spent with Mac, the picnics they’d gone on, the hikes they’d made through Palo Duro Canyon, horseback riding at a local stable. They’d spent lazy days in the sunshine, floating the Guadalupe River.

Still shaken by the day’s events and finding Mac again, Kylie lay wide awake. After thirty minutes of tossing and turning, she sat up, flung her legs over the side of the cot and stood. Crossing to the door, she listened for any sounds coming from outside.

Nothing.

She unlocked and tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Something was blocking the door.

Suddenly, it opened, and Mac stood there. “What’s wrong?”

“Were you blocking my door?” Kylie asked.

He scrubbed a hand through his hair and gave her a weak smile. “I was sleeping there.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You didn’t go to bed?”

“No,” he said and yawned.

“Why not?”

“I didn’t feel comfortable leaving you alone,” he said. “Besides, I can sleep sitting up.”

She shook her head. “That’s ridiculous.”

“No, it’s not. It’s just not my preference on a long-term basis. Go back to sleep.”

“I never went to sleep,” she admitted.

His brow furrowed. “Are you worried there will be another rocket lobbed into this base?”

“I don’t know. It’s just that a lot happened. Between killing three Taliban terrorists, running into my old flame and being fired on with rockets, I’d say that’s a pretty eventful day.”

It might’ve been a mistake, considering Mac already had another woman he was interested in, but Kylie shook her head. “You might as well come in. We can sit up talking or staring at the wall until it’s time to leave in the morning.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I’m sure,” she said.

He looked both ways. “I don’t know. I might get busted for fraternizing in a war zone.”

She snorted. “I’m not one of your military people. Surely it doesn’t count.”

His lips twisted into a wry grin. “I think any fraternizing counts, but I can keep a better eye on you if I can actually see you.”

Kylie opened the door wider.

Mac stepped in, his broad shoulders filling the space. They