One thing about Finn that hadn’t changed in all his years was once he made a decision about something, he followed through on it. And right now, he’d decided to hunt Brooke—and he wasn’t letting her out of his sight.
She could run all she wanted, but she’d never dealt with anyone like him before. She wouldn’t have to again. Because even if she didn’t know she was his, she was. And one thing was for damn sure—Finn didn’t let go of something he truly wanted.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Brooke didn’t know what to say or think when she stepped out of her clinic and found Finn leaning against the low brick wall beside the sidewalk. The man was absolutely exasperating, but she couldn’t deny the tinge of excitement at seeing him.
She might not want to be a typical anything, but when it came to Finn Anderson, she felt like a girlish schoolgirl waiting for her crush to give her a bit of attention. It was absolutely ridiculous.
“Hello, beautiful,” Finn said as he pushed himself off the wall and moved toward her.
“Finn,” she said, showing no expression. There was no way she was encouraging him, but she was beginning to forget why that was.
“I couldn’t let you walk home alone on this perfect night, so I thought I’d accompany you,” he told her as he moved beside her and held out his arm.
She wasn’t going to take it, she told herself, absolutely not, but somehow she found her hand sliding through that tempting crook of his elbow. And then they were walking before she knew it. What was wrong with her, dang it?
“Do you think I’m not capable of taking care of myself?” she asked with a smile.
“Oh, I have no doubt you could defend me,” he said with a chuckle. “I was just looking for a reason to see you.”
She laughed at his words. “I do respect honesty,” she admitted.
“I love your value system,” he told her.
His easy use of the word love wasn’t missed by her. Brooke didn’t often use that word in casual conversation. She never said things like “I love those shoes” or “I love a good sunset.” She used the word like a lot, but not the word love. Maybe it was because love was reserved for something sacred, such as the love between her and her brother.
“Why would you put so much effort into courting me when I’m not interested?” Brooke asked. To some people, the question might come across as rude, but she knew Finn would think about it and answer honestly.
He paused as they made it about a block down the street. She did respect how he wouldn’t just spurt out what he’d think she’d like to hear, but that he actually thought about his words. She couldn’t help but have respect for him.
“I like you, and if I didn’t think you had some genuine feelings for me, too, I’d give up, but that’s not the case,” he told her simply.
She chuckled. She wasn’t going to try to tell him he was wrong. They’d both know she was lying, and it wouldn’t do her any good.
“You haven’t lived a civilian life very long,” she pointed out.
She felt him tense the slightest bit before he forced his body to relax. That was another thing she respected and liked about this man. He seemed to have it together when she knew he’d been through things that would make most people lose it.
“No, I was forced into early retirement,” he told her. There was the slightest tinge of bitterness in his voice at those words. She’d spent years in the military. She could relate to what he was feeling.
“Tell me what happened to push you out,” she said. From one soldier to another she knew this could be tricky, but he was the one pursuing her. If he wanted to know her, then she certainly would need to know him.
“It’s not a light story,” he said.
“None of them ever are,” she assured him.
They walked a few more steps, and she gave him time to decide if he was going to share with her or not. It wasn’t something she could push from him. It was personal and difficult.
“One of the first lessons I learned in the military was to trust my gut,” he told her. “I’m sure it was the only reason I was alive most of the time, since I’ve always been a man addicted to adrenaline, women, and danger.”
“Women, huh?” she said with a chuckle.
“Yep, women,” he answered as he squeezed her arm. “But that’s all changed. It seems I’m addicted to only one now.”
A warm glow she didn’t want to feel indeed filled her.
“Quit being Casanova and go on,” she told him.
“Well, you know there are five of us in my family. I don’t think you know I had an abusive father who died when I was ten. I’d had no choice but to be tough. Before I was a teenager, I’d known I’d one day join the military. I think the way I grew up is the reason I thrived in a setting where early death is a very likely possibility.”
“I think the tougher we are, the more easy we can face a situation, but I think that even the softest of souls can become a great soldier once they find who they really are,” she said. “I used to be a lot stronger. Too many losses make us weak.” She hated to admit something like that, but the words just spilled out.
“I agree with that. I’ve watched boys become men more than once. And it’s okay to admit we need help sometimes. We don’t always have to be strong.”
She had to fight tears at his words. But she wasn’t going to delve any deeper into that at the moment, so she addressed the first part of his statement. “And girls become women,” she pointed out.
“There’s no doubt about it,” he said. “I just worked with far more men than women. It doesn’t lessen the impact female soldiers have in the military world.”
“No, it doesn’t, and times have changed, but it’s still difficult for a woman to rise in a man’s world,” she said.
“Not for the best—not for ones like you,” he said.
She smiled. “I never knew there was a challenge. My brother always told me I was the best, so I walked in there knowing I was and never doubting that for a second.” She loved being able to talk about her brother with a smile instead of tears. “But enough about me. I want to hear your story.”
“I could hear about you all day long,” he said.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, now talk,” she said with another chuckle. She was truly surprised how much she smiled and laughed around this man.
“I was sitting in the lead Humvee of five vehicles, with four more MRAPs behind me,” he continued. “One of my men asked what we were gonna do. There was a sense of unease among all of us.”
“I’ve been in situations like that,” she said, wishing she could take some of his pain away. This wasn’t a good memory for him.
“I told the guys I didn’t like it, but ultimately it was my call, and they were going to do whatever I told them to do. I scanned the small village that contained about fifty citizens in a remote area of Afghanistan.”
“I served there,” she said. “I can picture the scene.” He nodded.
“It was early on a Sunday morning, and we were doing humanitarian relief, bringing medical supplies, clothing, and food. Normally, as you know, when we showed up, the citizens would walk out and greet us with some hesitancy, for sure, but also with an underlying excitement at what they were about to receive.”