Rescuing Rayne by Susan Stoker Page B

She was a one-time fuck for him, that’s all.
    She threw off the sheet and climbed out of bed for the second time that morning. Fine then. She was a woman of the world. She could have a one-night affair and be sophisticated. Not that sleeping with someone the same day made you sophisticated in any way, but still. She could do this.
    Rayne went through the motions of showering and getting ready for her shift at work. She’d be flying home to Dallas/Fort Worth, then she’d have two days off before she was set to fly again. She couldn’t remember where she was scheduled to go next, but thought it was the Middle East rotation. It wasn’t her favorite, but at the moment, she couldn’t wait to get to work and try to forget the amazing man she’d met.
    As she was leaving Park Plaza, the concierge handed her a note, saying, “Your gentleman asked me to give this to you with his apologizes that he had to leave early.”
    Rayne politely thanked the man, blushing because she was sure he knew Ghost had run out on her and they were practically strangers.
    She’d stuffed the note in her pocket, not ready to read it yet, and arrived at Heathrow just in time to meet the other flight attendants she’d be working with and get ready for the flight. She’d held out hope that Ghost would be on her flight, as he’d planned the day before, but when it came time to close the door of the aircraft, he was nowhere in sight.
    Four hours after the flight took off, and after the first round of food and drinks had been served, Rayne took out the note Ghost had left for her. She’d been thinking about it for hours, and couldn’t put off reading it any longer. She unfolded the small piece of paper and smoothed it out as she read.

    P rincess ,

    I told you I didn’t do relationships…and I don’t. But this morning, for the first time in my life, I wished I was a different kind of man. Stay safe.
    ~Ghost

    D ry-eyed , Rayne tucked the note into the book she’d been reading the day before her entire life was tilted on its axis. Knowing she’d think of things in her life as happening “Before Ghost” and “After Ghost” for quite a while, she sighed.
    She rested her head on the seat behind her, and closed her eyes. She whispered to no one in particular, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.”
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    K eane “Ghost” Bryson , occasionally known as John Benbrook, sat in first class, the only seat he could get on short notice that morning, and stared down at the picture on his phone. It was Rayne looking up at him and laughing as they stood in front of Buckingham Palace. Even though it was misting, she looked like a ray of sunshine. She had both arms around his waist and he was gazing down at her as if she was the most important thing in his world. The balcony she’d so wanted to see was a blur behind them.
    Ghost could almost feel her arms tighten around him and hear her laugh. He sighed and flicked his thumb to switch to the next picture. Ghost mentally reviewed how he’d alter the tattoo he was looking at for himself. He needed it. Putting her tattoo on his skin was the closest he could come to having her in his life.
    As London disappeared behind him, Ghost knew he’d left the best thing that ever happened to him in the hotel. He’d almost walked back up to the room twice before dashing out the quick note and asking the concierge to give it to Rayne.
    If he was a different man…but he wasn’t. He was a Delta Force operative and he owed his life to his country for at least another five years. He wouldn’t ask any woman to put herself through the worry that being married to someone like him would bring. He’d never be able to tell her where he was going or when he’d be back. They’d never be able to sit down and talk about their days together.
    And God forbid they had children. The possibility of a child of his being left fatherless was way higher than average…even for a soldier. No, it had to be this way. Rayne would