The Purple Heart Read Online Free Page A

This is my room. You know,
if you want me during the night. Need. Need me during
the night. Anything you might want. I mean need . That … that
I …” What was wrong with me? It was like there was someone
possessing me.
    “ Thanks. Good to know.” He
smiled as he rescued me from my own inability to spit out my words
gracefully. At this point I think he blushed a bit, too. It seemed
the attraction was mutual, or possibly he thought I was a
bumbling idiot. I felt like the latter.
    I walked quickly down the hall to the
next bedroom.
    “ This will be your room.
The only thing is, we share an adjoining bathroom.” I shrugged my
shoulders nervously.
    “ I’ll make sure to always
knock first before entering.” This made me smile, but maybe it was
more the thought of him walking in on me during a shower. Great. Now I was thinking dirty thoughts about him. I shook
my head.
    “ Me too. Okay, well, I’m
going to head back downstairs, down the stairs. I just said that.
Okay, well, I’m going now.” I walked away slowly, rolling my eyes,
and cursing myself for rambling. If I couldn’t even have a small
conversation with this man regarding bedrooms and bathrooms, what
was I going to be like next?
    I stopped off in my room and changed
into comfy clothes. Once I stepped through my front door at the end
of the day, I lived in either sweats or skinny jeans; and I
preferred to be barefoot. I opted for a cute pair of black
boyfriend sweats and a white cami. I refreshed myself with a quick
spray of vanilla-scented perfume.
    I set off downstairs to quickly set the
table, and then was off to the kitchen to begin making
dinner.
    I started out making the salad, washing
the greens and various vegetables. He was suddenly beside me, like
he had just materialized there. Startled, I jumped and had to catch
my breath. This seemed to make him chuckle.
    He was out of his uniform, and dressed
comfortably in gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt. He looked
amazing even when he was dressed down. I could see his build
underneath the thin material of his shirt, and the sweats were
hanging just perfectly to make my mind wander.
    “ I hope I didn’t scare you.
I’m sure you’re not used to someone sneaking up behind you around
here. Can I help?”
    “ No worries. I’m pretty
skittish sometimes. And no, you’re a guest. I wouldn’t ask you to
help. Just sit back and relax. I’ve got it under control.” I
continued with my dinner prepping. He reached out and put his hand
on my forearm.
    “ Please, let me help you.
You’re letting me stay with you, so the least I can do is pitch in.
I can wield a mean broom,” he offered. His voice was so calm and
relaxing. It was like listening to an angel.
    “ How are you with knives?”
I asked, hoping for him to take over the task of salad duty, so I
could start preparing sauce for the spaghetti. I hated chopping
vegetables.
    “ I’m an expert, Ma’am.
Trained in all forms of weaponry.”
    “ I’m not sure if that makes
me feel scared or safe.” I giggled.
    He smiled and reached for my knife. His
hand brushed mine, and I felt a quick flutter in my stomach. I
looked up at him from under my eyelashes. Now I was
flirting. I took a step back from him so he didn’t think I was
some kind of freak, inviting soldiers to stay with me so I could
flirt and then have my way with them. In this instance, I wouldn’t
have minded, though.
    He smirked, began chopping carrots and
slicing the tomatoes. We cooked the entire meal together. He seemed
to be at home in the kitchen, like I was. I loved to cook, and was
excited to have, not only someone to cook for , but someone
to cook with .
    We dined on our homemade Italian meal
with glasses of Merlot, and had the most amazing conversation. I
told him about my parents and my childhood. He never mentioned his
family so I didn’t press him. We talked about the war a lot. We had
both experienced it, and it brought us even closer together. We
shared something that he