The whole of the mall must have heard the roar. “You! Watch where you’re going! You’re not supposed to be running inside.”
“I’m sorry.” The dude looked genuinely remorseful and I couldn’t help feeling sorry for him for being accosted by Viper. At the same time, it appeared as if Viper was protecting me. Again.
“You need to apologize. Properly.” He pulled on the guy, whose friend stood on watching, dumbfounded.
People had stopped to stare. They made their way back to me and stood motionless. Viper still had the guy in a firm hold. “Say it to her face.”
He looked livid, and I was glad I wasn’t the poor guy, who only looked to be in his early twenties…if that.
The guy’s cheeks had reddened in embarrassment. “I’m sorry.”
“Not good enough!” thundered Viper.
Okay. Now I was getting embarrassed. “It’s all right. Really. I’m fine,” I offered, hoping to get the guy off the hook.
Viper jerked on the guy’s arm to hurry him into his apology.
“Uh, I shouldn’t have been running and should have been watching where I was going. I apologize.”
“Thank you.” I smiled in an attempt to put the poor guy at ease a little.
Viper let go of the guy’s arm, which I was sure would be bruised. “Think next time. There’s women, children, and elderly in here.”
Nodding furiously, the guy waited. Viper ignored him, turned, and came closer to me. “You sure you’re not hurt?”
Not wanting to anger him more, I simply said, “Yeah.”
Giving the young guy one more heated stare, Viper put his hand in between my shoulder blades and gave me a little shove to move us along, leaving the poor sap standing there, intimidation written all over his face.
When we were exiting the mall, I asked, “Did you really have to embarrass the kid like that? He said sorry.”
Stopping, his hand fell from my upper back. “You’re seriously questioning why I did that? He pushed you over. You could have cracked your head on the floor. And don’t tell me he didn’t hurt you. I know you fell on the shoulder you injured during your attack.”
His voice had risen. I didn’t want to get into an argument but I had to make him see. “Look, I appreciate you defending me like that. I do. It’s just that you can’t always react with such anger. The guy didn’t mean to run into me. He shouldn’t have been running inside, no. But I would have just let it go when he said sorry the first time. You caused a scene.”
“I’m gonna cause another scene in a moment, Red. Just get to the car.”
He stormed off. I followed. Did he not see how flying into a rage over something minor was wrong? Obviously not. It was what he trained for. I guess he reacted without thinking.
When we reached his SUV, he unlocked it and climbed straight into the driver’s seat without helping me. Yep. He was pissed.
Pulling out of the parking lot, I trod carefully, but I had to find out what had prompted him to almost lose it.
“Why did you react the way you did?” Sneaking a peek sideways to garner if he would chew my head off, I watched the way he heavily shifted the gears and gripped the wheel. His jaw was locked.
He breathed in and out through his nose, not looking my way. He didn’t answer right away, and for a moment I thought he would ignore me, so I glanced out the side window.
Then he spoke. “After what you went through with your mugging, when I turned and saw you on the ground, I acted on instinct. I thought someone had purposely set out to hurt you.”
I understood his logic. Being who he was, he didn’t think first.
“Thank you. I mean it. I just feel sorry for the poor guy. Did you see his face when you stormed toward him?”
Sliding a half-smile my way, his eyes crinkled. “He about crapped his pants.”
“Hahaha. Yeah, he did. And so did his friend.”
“Well, they won’t forget it in a hurry. Lesson learned, hopefully.”
Even though I didn’t like the way he went about handling the situation, I had to laugh some more. Now that I knew Viper more intimately, he didn’t come across as such an intimidating ogre but looking at it from a stranger’s point of view—very much so.
My new cell pealed out. Digging it out of my purse, I checked the screen. Mac’s number.
“Hey, girl. How’s work?”
“Busy as usual. I’m on my break. Just wondering if you wanted me to pick you up after I’ve finished. That way it will save Viper a trip over.”
It would mean spending less time with him. A pang of sadness filtered through my chest. I’d been hoping to go to Mac’s later in the evening so I could have dinner with Viper. Like the last supper. Silly really, but I wasn’t sure how long he’d be away. Nausea swished heavily in my gut at the idea of him being in a war zone. We weren’t even an item. We weren’t really anything and my nerves were in the red zone. How did wives or girlfriends cope?
“Char?”
Oh. Mac waited for an answer. Not wanting to disappoint her, I said, “Yes. That would be fine. I’ll pack up my stuff this afternoon and be all ready for you.”
“Great. I’ll pick up a bottle of wine on the way home. You up for some Subway for dinner?”
Mac’s go-to meal. “Sure. Grab me a BBQ chicken sub.”
“Awesome! I’ve just been paged so I gotta go, but we’ll catch up later. Can’t wait to see you.”
“Me too.”
After hanging up, I wondered if Mac would notice I’d slept with Viper without me having to say anything. Would it be written on my face? Could I hide it, and more to the point, did I want to? Hell, I needed to tell someone. Maybe after a couple of glasses of wine, I’d confess my sins and be done with it. I wondered what her reaction would be. Would she be happy I’d officially ended my dry spell or would she be worried I’d slept with a man who may not return from war? No. I didn’t think she would be like that. After all, she’d snagged her own soldier.
I could feel Viper’s questions without him having to ask them.
“Mac’s picking me up on her way home from work so you don’t need to worry about taking me over.”
“Oh. Cool. You want to go home and pack?”
It’s not like I had much to throw in my bag. Clothing and toiletries. I really needed to go to my apartment and grab some more. I hadn’t wanted to because of what happened there, but with Viper at my side, perhaps I could do it.
“Would you mind dropping by my apartment so I could grab another bag of stuff?”
He swung his surprise my way. “You okay to do that? I mean the whole reason you’ve been staying with me was that you didn’t want to go there after what went down.”
I didn’t want to, but hell, I’d have to return there eventually. And it would only be for a short time. I’d get in and out as quickly as possible.
“Yeah. If you don’t mind going inside with me.”
He glanced back to the road, his jaw muscles working before he looked at me again, his eyes softer. “Sure. Let’s head there now.”
Switching his indicator on, we turned around at the next intersection and drove to my apartment without speaking.
Images of that fateful night slid across my mind in bursts. I recalled how terrified I’d been, not knowing if the guy would pull the trigger. Each second he didn’t was a blessing.
Pulling up to the curb outside my place, a shiver plated goosebumps all over. I took a deep breath and just sat there, picturing myself with the metal barrel pressed to my temple.
A hand touched my arm. “You sure you want to do this?” His voice held understanding. “You want me to go in and grab a suitcase full of clothes for you?”
Flitting around at his unexpectedly kind offering, my insides warmed. He would do it if I agreed. No questions asked. That’s the type of guy he was. Knowing that, I shook my head.
“No. I’ll do it. Just stay close.”
Getting out of the car, he strode around to my side while I collected mys
elf. Reaching out, I took his hand, the size of it alone bringing about some strength. He wouldn’t let anything happen to me.
I let him lead me up to the porch. We stopped and he looked at me. I realized he waited for my keys, so I pulled them out of my purse, I handed them over, looking all around as if one of the guys would appear suddenly again.
A slight creak of the door had me pushing up against Viper’s back as he stepped over the threshold. Even inside, I expected an intruder to be lurking, so I gripped his shirt and held on as I stared at the floor where I’d fallen and lain in a heap. I took in a large gulp of air as I stepped over the spot. Pausing, he peered over his shoulder. “You want me to carry you, Red?” I didn’t miss the sarcasm. If I was any closer, he’d be giving me a piggyback ride.
My chest felt small, my airways narrowing with each step we took deeper into the living room toward the hallway.
“No.” It didn’t sound very convincing, but I had to do this. I couldn’t let a stranger alienate me from my own home. It was a one-off occurrence. Robberies happened all the time.
“Which bedroom is yours?” he asked.
“Last on the right,” I mumbled, the tiny hairs on my arms standing on end.
There were only two bedrooms, so it wouldn’t be hard for him to work out which one was mine. The other room had a single bed, whereas mine had a queen.
It felt weird being home and even weirder with Viper in it.
We made it without being accosted. I quickly moved to my walk-in closet and found my suitcase leaning up against the wall.
Get in and out. That’s what I needed to do. My breathing had calmed but I wasn’t comfortable.
Lifting a handful of clothes, hangers included, off the rack, I didn’t care what I grabbed. I just stuffed them in the case without bothering to neatly fold. Stepping out into my room, I caught Viper looking at a photo of me on the nightstand. It was one of my favorites, taken in California on the beach. I was soaking wet, standing in the knee-deep surf and just happened to glance up when my then boyfriend, Jason Roberts, had clicked the candid shot. We’d dated five years ago for a year and had gone on a long weekend to Cali. I’d been happy at that time. Carefree. Much like I’d been before my attack. It showed in the picture. It was one of the very few long-term relationships I’d had.
He glanced sideways and cleared his throat, aware I’d caught him staring before he sat on my bed while I proceeded to take my lingerie out, carefully bundling it into a ball so he couldn’t check out what I wore. He appeared nervous to be in my space, or maybe it was just the fact that he knew what I held.
Lastly, I got some more makeup out of the bathroom and jammed it all into the overflowing suitcase, barely able to do it up as it bulged at the seams.
“Done. You ready?” I asked, admiring the view of a large tank of a man on my bed. I’d barely had a handful of men in it since I’d been single. Not that I hadn’t gone on plenty of dates. I just hadn’t brought many home.
Standing, he took a step toward me and stopped. He opened his mouth and then shut it again.
“What?” I asked.
Shaking his head slightly, he took me in before saying, “You did good. Coming here, I mean. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
What was that in his eyes? Respect? Awe? I couldn’t tell, but hearing his praise steeled my determination.
Seeing my bag at my side, he moved to grab it, his hand grazing mine as he clutched the handle. Our eyes clashed for a long moment, both of us feeling the draw. The pull. He looked away first and turned, dragging my suitcase behind him. “Grab anything else you need and I’ll meet you at the car.”
I followed him out, disappointed he’d dismissed our connection, wondering if there would be anything in the kitchen I needed, but decided against it. I had plenty of money in the bank. I’d buy food for Mac as long as I stayed with her.
Shutting and locking the front door, a sense of sadness weighed my shoulders down that I’d be living away for a bit. Normally I loved my home. My space. Now it felt invaded and I couldn’t help but feel it would never be the same again.
Chapter Fifteen
Viper
She damn well had me at hello. Not that I’d let on how I felt anytime soon. Her continued strength, a quality in a woman I admired, blew me away. Just now, in her home, I’d expected her to crumble. She hadn’t been comfortable, that had been obvious, but it hadn’t got the better of her. Perhaps my presence had helped, but still, I knew how shaken up she’d been.
Red would be okay while I was away. She’d carry on with life and survive. I didn’t know what we were doing after sleeping together, but the thought of not seeing her for the next few weeks, maybe months, left a certain amount of unease behind my ribs.
Could we be more than a casual hook up? Glancing over at her sitting in my passenger seat, I couldn’t deny what a firecracker she was in the bedroom. Hell, it had been using all my restraint not to accost her today. Sleeping next to her had kept my nightmares at bay. Another first. She got under my skin more than just physically, though. She had spunk and fire. I liked that. I liked that a lot.
She must have sensed me watching her because she turned and gifted me with her stunning eyes. They crinkled slightly, causing a zing from my heart to my groin. Turning back to the front, I had to swerve sharply to avoid driving onto the gravel on the side of the road.
“Jesus.” It came out as a quiet curse from her. “Can you watch the road, instead of me?”
Caught in the act. I didn’t know how to respond to that so I used the coping mechanism I knew well. Sarcasm.
“Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart. Not everything’s about you.”
I regretted it the minute it came out. Fact of the matter—I had been staring at her. I’d been doing it more and more. Not to figure her out, but to figure out the jigsaw puzzle of my emotions while in her company.
“Fuck you.” Her voice held some of the fire I’d witnessed when we’d first met and damn if it didn’t have me grinning like an idiot.
“Oh, you think it’s funny, do you? Being an ass. Here I thought you were actually beginning to treat me like a human. I guess now that you got your end in, it’s back to the way things were. Nice.”
Peeking sideways, the hurt on her face got my attention before she quickly shuttered it away, replacing it with the brave mask I was beginning to recognize. I felt like a dick. She’d been more than a quick roll between the sheets, as much as I hated to admit it. But my stubbornness thwarted me telling her how I felt. I’d be gone tomorrow. No sense in making promises I wouldn’t be able to keep. Friends I could do. Anything more wasn’t guaranteed.
I kept my mouth shut the rest of the way home for fear of saying something I’d regret. Drama would serve no purpose to me in the coming weeks. My head had to be back in fight or flight mode, not worrying about a sexy-ass woman and whether or not she meant anything serious or not.
Once home, I made a beeline for my room, closing the door so I could breathe properly. I needed to pack, and doing so now would give me something to focus on other than fighting to keep my hands off the redhead in my kitchen one last time before deployment.
My huge army duffel burst at the seams after throwing everything I needed into it. An hour had passed, giving me a reprieve. Seeing my gear and weapons had me psyched for what lay ahead. A thrill worked its way into my blood.
I could practically smell gunfire mixed with the rocky, mountainous dirt. The adrenalin that kicked in on the flight into enemy territory, not just mine, but the whole team. It would be weird going in without Dec this time, but I was happy he remained safe at home.
Checking I hadn’t forgotten anything, I returned to the living room to find it empty. Checking the kitchen, it too remained quiet. Grabbing a beer, I sat on the sofa and flicked on the television. I just began to immerse myself in a NASCAR race when soft feet padded down the hallway. Red moved into my line of sight, changed into a skin-tight pair of jeans with a ta
nk. I couldn’t stop staring at her ass, knowing I’d had my hands all over it the night before. I knew what lay beneath the dark-wash denim. I barely saw her place two large bags beside the door. All I could see were two perfect globes, tightening as she bent lower. My crotch stiffened immediately. Eying a cushion beside me, I threw it over my growing erection and turned back to the TV, pretending I hadn’t been having dirty thoughts.
“I’ll be out of your hair soon. It’s four o’clock. Mac will be here in a bit.”
“You gonna be okay? With Mac?” I knew she would, but a part of me wished I could stay and make sure.
Slanting me confused eyes, she asked, “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Because Mac can’t keep you safe like I can. I didn’t voice it out loud. With any luck, Dec would be around there all the time.
Shrugging, I let my eyes say what I couldn’t. “Just want to make sure.”
She stared for a moment too long, allowing me to see behind the mask she wore. A vulnerability brought on by the attack still had her doubting leaving. Perhaps not just because I could protect her. She felt something for me. Whether it simply be sexual attraction, I couldn’t be sure, but she’d allowed me to see her at her worst, not necessarily intentionally, but to share that with someone almost always changed the dynamics of a relationship.
Moving to the other end of the sofa, she sat. “You all ready to leave early in the morning?”
Small talk was better than no talk. Taking a swig of my beer, I relaxed a little. Soon we’d be parting ways and would probably not have much more to do with each other. Life would return to normal. I could handle another hour or so of chitchat.
“Good to go.” What more could I say? I could feel her warmth reaching out to me in stark contrast to the cold beer I held.
“Will we hear from you while you’re away?”
“Nope. No contact whatsoever.”
“Oh.”
She fidgeted, crossing her legs and twisting her fingers on her lap.
The Lost and Found Series Page 44
