Page 10 of All My Heart

I wasn't ready. I wasn't sure I would be, even though my family wanted me home for the holidays.

They didn't know who I was, and I didn't know my nieces, other than through their ramblings and pictures. I was no good for them, and they had plenty of uncles. They didn't need me, but I hadn't gotten rid of any of the letters and drawings Izzy and Faith had sent. I got up, made my bed, then brushed my teeth, ran a hand through my hair, then threw on work out clothes.

I was sticking to my routine morning run no matter who lived next door. I tied my shoes, grabbed a water bottle, then stepped outside. The air was cool, but I'd warm up quickly. I wasn't hoping to see her.

I didn't even look in the direction of her cabin. I didn't need to know if she was drinking her coffee on her deck or naked in the hot tub. I. Would. Not. Look.

I grabbed my foot, bending my leg back for a quad stretch. For balance, I rested my free hand on the railing, then looked up at the cabin. It was empty. There was no one in the windows or on the deck. The hot tub was covered.

I switched to the other foot, telling myself it didn't matter. She was probably already gone. At sunrise, she'd packed her bags and left.

I couldn't blame her.

I finished my warm-up, then took off for the trail in the woods. I ran for fifteen minutes, not passing anyone else. The terrain next to me dipped to the stream that eventually led to the lake. I picked up the pace, my lungs filling with cool air. I leaned into the endorphins rushing through my body to pick up the pace.

The trail was a thick bed of leaves, but I still needed to look at the ground to ensure I wasn't stepping on the occasional tree root or rock. The last thing I needed was a sprained ankle.

When I tried to slow down, everything came back to me. How I didn't know what the hell I was doing with my life. How I was lying to my family. How I was nothing without the military.

I worked to clear my head of any thoughts, focusing on the steady inhale and exhale of my breath.

I ran into a body, something compact, maybe a woman, sending us both careening off the path and rolling down the hill.

I hadn't counted on a person. I managed to wrap my arm around her waist so that we rolled together, and I absorbed some of the impact with the rocks and other debris.

When we finally came to a stop at the base of the hill, I eased my grip and sat up. “Are you okay?”

I pushed on her shoulder until she was flat on her back. My hand landed on the dirt next to her head so she was effectively caged in.

Luna's eyes flashed as she ripped her ear buds out. “You weren't looking where you were going.”

“I was focusing on not tripping. But you would have heard me if you didn't have these in.” I tapped her ear buds.

Luna growled.

“Are you hurt?” I scanned her body, my hands probing the thin material of her leggings, my dick twitching to life in my basketball shorts. Now that the flight part of the panic was dissipating, my body had other ideas about being pressed against Luna's body.

I cupped the globe of her ass and squeezed.

Luna growled again. “I'm not hurt.”

“I want to make sure. I have some medic training, you know.”

Her entire body softened. “My knee hurts. I must have hit a rock.”

I'd sheltered her back but not the front of her body. When I touched her right knee, she winced. “Let's get you up and back to the cabin. You need to ice and elevate it.”

“Good old RICE treatment, huh?” Luna asked.

“You know it?” I asked as I stood and held out my hand to her.

“I played softball,” Luna acknowledged as she placed her small hand in mine, and I gingerly lifted her so she stood on one foot next to me.

“Can you place weight on it?” My voice was rough, a throwback to not having much time in the field for chitchat if someone was hurt.

She stepped down, nodding. “It's not so bad. Probably just a bruise.”

“We'll see about that.” I looked around us, gauging the distance to the cabin. “We're pretty far out. Can you walk back?”

---