Remember the Night: a Heroes of the Night military romance novel by Nicole Leiren

simple yet perfect shell the world witnessed at first glance. He continued the deep breaths, each exchange filling his troubled soul with a sense of calm and peace. Vaguely, he heard the voices of Molly Ringwald and her castmates as they embarked on another day in teenage life.
    After serving in the war and returning home to fight a new set of battles, he longed for the relative simplicity of his high school years. If he'd only realized then how easy life had been, he would've treasured it far more.
     
    *   *   *
     
    Light snoring near her ear alerted Evelyn to the important detail that Cody had fallen asleep not even twenty minutes into the movie. If this was how he treated second dates… Using her index finger, she poked him in the ribs. "Hey."
    Nothing.
    She tried again. Two pokes this time. His breathing changed, and he adjusted his body slightly but offered no verbal confirmation her efforts had worked. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest kept her from panicking from his lack of response. Using her free hand, she slid the palm of her hand up and down his thigh as she whispered. "Cody? Are you all right?"
    Her voice did the trick, and he stirred. They moved until she could look into his eyes.
    She quirked her mouth into a half grin. "You make a habit of falling asleep on second dates?"
    His sheepish grin erased any irritation that might have surfaced. "Sorry. Didn't sleep well last night."
    "I know why I didn't. Why didn't you?"
    Cody slid down on the bed and brought her with him. Her head now rested on his shoulder while her hand grabbed hold of his again. "There's a lot of stuff going on with my family, and this thing with my sister has really knocked her for a loop. We're very close, and so what affects her affects me."
    Evelyn squeezed his hand as a small wave of relief ebbed through her body. A year ago, the guilt over the lack of closeness between her and Melodie would've pained her. Today, their relationship brought her a sense of pride at how far they'd come…even if she did have Daniel to thank, at least a little, for the change. "Tell me."
    "It's a legal thing."
    She grinned, even though he couldn't really see her face. "I happen to know a thing or two about the law."
    He squeezed her gently. "I know you do, but I don't want to involve you. That's not an appropriate second date request."
    Twisting her body, she propped herself on her side to look into his face. The dark circles and lines worried her. Either the legal situation really needed her help or something even worse was going on behind those beautiful, dark eyes of his. "We may officially be on our second date, though I think I could argue that we had at least one if not two dates in India. Regardless, you and I both know that our connection is already far deeper than random strangers who decide to watch a movie together."
    He didn't answer, not verbally anyway. Instead, he slid his hand over her cheek and to the back of her neck, pulling her into a kiss. Not gentle. Not hard. Just the right amount of pressure. The silk of his lips sliding against hers weaving a web of pleasure from which she never wanted to escape.
    He's distracting me. Not this time.
    She cupped his cheek with her hand and gently eased away from the kiss. "I may not know everything about you, but I know those beautiful eyes. They're worried, even far more than you're letting on."
    He released her and lay back on the bed, his forearm resting over his temple. "She's being sued by some big firm for trademark infringement, copyright violation, or some other bullshit."
    "What does your sister do?"
    His bitter laugh dispelled any warm fuzzies growing in the room and sent them outside into the storm. "Besides working on our family farm, she teaches music at a small studio."
    Evelyn's critical thinking kicked into high gear and transformed into full attorney mode. "Why would a law firm waste time and resources on her? She can't pose any real threat."
    "Since when did what lawyers do