Innocent Next Door (Military Men Book 1) Read Online Free

not part of your unit.” Her blue eyes shot heavy artillery fire.
    “Who said I’m SAS?”
    “Uncle Henry.”
    Nikolai glided closer, right into her personal space, intimidation on his mind. He sucked in a deep breath while striving for calm. Mistake. Her delicate feminine scent teased him, distracted him.
    Flowers.
    Woman.
    Bad move.
    The boys were right. He was thinking babe. He struggled with concentration, resisting the urge to shuffle in the manner of a raw recruit. Damn, his jeans were starting to feel like a suit of armor. Think cold showers .
    “Henry wouldn’t tell you that.” Shit, if he carried on like this for much longer she’d notice his body’s reaction. In a desperate act of self-preservation, Nikolai pictured the gruff, no-nonsense Henry. It didn’t help. He took a hurried step away from temptation.
    “My brothers are SAS. I can spot a military man from a hundred feet away.”
    She sounded so ferocious she piqued his curiosity. He might be SAS, but he wasn’t contagious. “What’s wrong with the army? Henry’s military.”
    “Don’t you mean what’s right with them? Military men are bossy, opinionated, macho, pigheaded, think their way is the sole way, shoot first and ask questions later, scare away boyfriends— Did I mention bossy? All for my own good, of course.”
    Nikolai watched her impassioned face and couldn’t prevent a laugh. “Why don’t you save the character assassination for your brothers and Henry? Remember me? The man you ran to for help.” Since she’d made her opinion clear, he’d keep out of her way, apart from the promised weekly check for Henry.
    Yeah, he could do that. Better for both of them that way. Besides, Henry wouldn’t appreciate the thoughts running through his head. Hell, any guy who dared to think of his niece like this—if he had one. His jaw flexed. That included Jake and Louie.
    Hell, especially Jake and Louie .
    She planted her hands on her hips, dragging his reluctant gaze to her curvy body. “The two men are gone. I want to see the damage then go to bed. I have a busy day tomorrow.”
    Disappointment surged through him as quick as machine gun fire. He’d liked the look of her in his bed. The feel of her…hell! Preservation kicked in big time. The girl was young—too young. How many times did he have to tell himself before the facts sank into his thick head? Besides, he’d failed with Laura. He’d lost both her and their baby.
    No point making the same mistake twice.
    He was committed to his job, and that didn’t leave room for anything else. Once this bum knee mended, he’d be back in the thick of the latest war brewing.
    “All right. We’ll check the house then leave you on your own.” He took her arm and guided her down the footpath to Henry’s house.
    The front door stood wide open. Nikolai heard Jake and Louie murmuring in low voices near Henry’s study, so he knew it was safe for her to enter.
    Nikolai directed her to Henry’s study, which had been ransacked. Books dotted the carpet, ripped from shelves and tossed haphazardly to the floor. Broken glass from picture frames crunched underfoot, and a coffee table and chairs lay at drunken angles, carelessly overturned.
    He halted in the doorway. “Your feet are bare. Watch the glass. I need to know if anything is missing.”
    “How can I tell with this mess?”
    “Thieves usually take portable valuables. Electrical goods. Jewelry. Money. Do the best you can. Take one room at a time.”
    She wandered off so he limped over to Jake and Louie, skirting glass and a broken chair. “Point of entry?”
    Jake eyed the direction in which Summer had disappeared. “They forced the laundry window.”
    Nikolai’s nod was curt. “I doubt Henry keeps anything of military value here, but we can’t dismiss it totally.”
    “Nothing obvious missing.” Louie shrugged. “They’ve tossed the study and the bedrooms. Kitchen and dining room are intact. You gonna contact Henry?”
    “Nah.”