Roderick Vacation should be a four-letter word that starts with and "F. and " You know what I mean.I don't want to be here. My best friend's girl talked me into the island vacation. I've seen plenty of islands in my time in the military and none of it was for fun reasons.What I haven't seen in my entire life is a woman like Raven Bright. She's smart, sexy, funny and more alive than I ever have a hope of feeling again. I'm drawn to her light even as she glares at me like she wants to slap me. Or kiss me. Or maybe both.Every time I run into her at the resort, she starts with the sassy talk that gets both of us riled up. She's got a mouth on her that I just want to kiss clean.I'm wanting to settle down and build the family that I've avoided while I traveled the world. I've seen enough new places to last me a lifetime.Her job keeps her moving. Can I convince her to slow down long enough to see what's right in front of her? That maybe settling down doesn't mean having to settle?Raven Military men leave me cold. My dad was a military man and dragged us all around the world. It's all I've ever known. Now that he and my mom are gone, it's all I have left.I've also had my fair share of bossy, opinionated, arrogant men. You can look back at my father for that, too. I'm not looking for someone else to tell me what to do.Something about Roderick gets under my skin though. Maybe it's his knowing smirk. Maybe it's the long, lean body with just the right amount of muscle to tempt a girl to do something stupid. Or maybe it's just a need to scratch an itch that's way overdue.He's not the man for that, though. If I get tangled up with the older man, he's going to want to control me. That's not happening. I just need someone to lose my and "v and " card with then walk away.Every time I turn around, he's there. His pale blue eyes eating me up, setting off warning bells in my head even as my body heats up to boiling. He's dangerous. He touches me and every dang reason to stay away from him runs right out of my head. I don't care what happens, I just need his touch like plants need rain and sun.I don't want roots. I want to be free. Need to keep moving so that the ghosts of my family stay at bay. But am I really free if I can't love a man that my heart chooses? Should fear of those ghosts get to dictate my future happiness?Can I really walk away when just the thought makes my heart stop and the pain of yet another loss rip through me like a tornado leveling a town?