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“No!” Rachel’s screaaze to the waterline just as Ryker hoisted her over his shoulder and waded into the surf “Nathan, don’t you dare That water’s freezing”

A half s in that sixty-degree water during BUDS His thoughts circled back to the loss of his career and the life he loved Over the past twelve months, emptiness continued to haunt him, contrary to the navy therapist’s promise that it would dissipate with time

He loved a broody ocean, and now, the southern California sky hung heavy with stor the water an intense shade of steel blue The two-hundred-foot tall eucalyptus overhead rattled in the groind White caps developed a mile offshore

God, it was all so perfect So beautiful And made him so damned lonely

“Want to talk about it?” Rubi asked

Josh dragged his gaze away fro on the screen where risk assess to get this written up when I’m not distracted”

“I aze fro you?”

To avoid her piercing eyes, Josh glanced back at the screen just as a handful of raindrops slanted across the glass He shut his laptop and stuffed his things back into his briefcase “Is there so me?”

“You’ve definitely been out of sorts the last couple of days Withdrawn, quiet… Dare I say…moody?”

“Have I?”

“It’s Rachel and Ryker, isn’t it?”

More of Rachel’s screahter floated on the wind, and he sinia and shacked up with army boy But he didn’t miss her like he’d expected to miss someone he’d been in love with He just one fro life Which confirmed that he hadn’t been in love with Rachel at all Just wishing he could have been, because falling for someone else could have erased the one woman he’d wanted for years from his heart and mind