Page 19 of Broken Mountain Man

"You didn't have a boyfriend or anything holding you back there?"

Despite myself, I bark out a surprised laugh at his nosy query.

"My, my, aren't we just full of questions today?"

Russell's jaw ticks, but he doesn't back down, "I'm just trying to be polite and get to know you better."

"Well, to answer your question - no, I haven't seriously dated anyone in years, so definitely no boyfriend waiting for me back home. What about you?"

"Same as you. I didn't leave anyone behind when I came out here."

I nod, not even trying to hide the way my gaze trails over the ridges of his back muscles as he ducks beneath the water's surface again. He emerges moments later, and I seize the opportunity to ask my next question.

"So, what made you decide to leave the military life behind?"

His jaw tightens perceptibly. "I realized it just...wasn't for me anymore. It didn't really live up to being as honorable as they advertised it."

I tilt my head inquisitively. "What do you mean by that?"

But Russell is already shutting down, shoulders tensing. "We're verging into territory I'm not comfortable discussing."

Stubborn guy. I huff out an exasperated breath, refusing to be so easily deterred this time.

"You know, keeping everything all bottled up inside like that isn't healthy. Someday, it'll have to come out, whether you want it to or not."

His eyes narrow warningly. "Lyla..."

"I'm just saying," I press on, undaunted, "maybe now is as good a time as any to let some of it go. You've got a willing audience right here."

Chapter 10 - Russell

Lyla's insistence hits me like a sucker punch. A large, irrational part of me actually wants to unburden the darkness I've carried for so long - to finally give voice to the trauma and regrets that have haunted me relentlessly all these years.

I've never dared speak the details aloud before, fearful of unleashing the toxic flood once the dam breaks. But she's right - keeping it bottled has become a soul-crushing weight, slowly crushing me from the inside out no matter how hard I try to bury it.

And if I'm being frank with myself...I feel an instinctive pull to confide in this stranger right before me. Perhaps because I recognize, on some fundamental level, that she'll be gone from my life just as quickly as she barreled into it.

The idea of purging my sins to someone who won't stick around to judge or pity me is perversely appealing.

"Are you sure you really want to know?" I ask gruffly, holding Lyla's curious gaze. "It's not an easy story to tell...or to hear."

Rather than hesitate or back down, she nods solemnly and propels herself closer through the calm waters until we're only a few feet apart. Stray droplets rain down from her dripping hair, trailing tantalizingly down the slopes of her breasts just visible beneath the surface.

I suck in a sharp breath, hastily tearing my eyes away from the charming sight. Now is definitely not the time to be entertaining those kinds of thoughts.

"I'm ready whenever you are," Lyla says softly.

Nodding jerkily, I force myself to meet her guileless stare once more.

"Okay, I'll start from the beginning then. You have to promise to let me take breaks here and there. I've never actually voiced this shit out loud before."

Lyla holds my stare steadily, "I won't say a word until you're finished. Take all the time you need."

Closing my eyes for a moment, I let the sounds of nature in this isolated haven wash over me—the distant trill of birds and the gentle lapping of waves against the rocky shoreline.

When I open them again, Lyla is watching me with a small, encouraging smile.

"I joined up right out of high school," I begin gruffly. "My best friend Aaron and I were both eighteen and dumb as rocks back then. We thought serving in the military would be a really noble way to protect our country. An opportunity to be real heroes, you know?"

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