Chapter 10
A week and a half.
That’s how long it took to find Akhund, kill him, report on their investigation to the head honchos at the base in Afghanistan, and get back to Texas.
Brain was more than ready to see Aspen again.
He’d only managed to communicate via email twice since she’d left the base, since much of his time had been spent hunting down Akhund. But he’d learned that Aspen’s leg was mostly healed, and she hadn’t seen or talked to Derek or the rest of her team yet.
She’d been in Germany a few days before flying home. Her parents had flown down from Minnesota after they’d heard she’d been shot, and had just left the day before.
Brain also knew Aspen would be returning to work soon, and that she wasn’t looking forward to it. Even though they’d only shared emails, he could read the uncertainty in her words.
“You going to see Aspen?” Oz asked.
Brain nodded. They were at the airport at Fort Hood, and for the first time, he understood Trigger and Lefty’s urgency to see their women after a mission.
“She know you’re back?”
“I’m gonna text her right before I leave here to head to her apartment,” Brain said.
“You sure that’s a good idea?”
Brain frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Just that she might want more of a head’s up that you’re coming over. Chicks like to dress up and look their best when they see their boyfriends.”
Brain pressed his lips together for a second. Then said, “We aren’t really boyfriend/girlfriend yet.”
Oz raised his eyebrows. “Really? That goodbye kiss said differently. And…all the more reason for you to give her a proper head’s up.”
Brain hadn’t thought about anything besides seeing her, but he thought Oz might just have a point. He pulled out his phone without a word.
Brain: Any chance you’ll be free in about an hour and a half, and I can stop in?
Three dots immediately appeared as she typed a response.
Aspen: You’re back?!?!?!?!
Brain: Lol. I am.
Aspen: YAY! Are you hungry? Can I cook something?
Brain: I’m good, thanks though. I’m looking forward to seeing you.
Aspen: Same!
Brain: How’s the leg?
Aspen: Good. The scar’s pretty gnarly, but that’s the least of my worries.
Brain: A scar just means you’re tougher than whatever tried to hurt you.
Aspen: I like that. Are you all right?
Brain: What do you mean?
Aspen: You weren’t shot, stabbed, tortured, or beaten or anything?
Brain: No.
Aspen: Good. I’m looking forward to seeing you.
Brain: Me too. Gotta go. See you soon.
Aspen: Soon.
Brain put his phone back in his pocket and knew he had a moronic grin on his face, but he couldn’t help it. “Good call,” he told Oz.
“For the record, I like her,” Oz said. “I know you don’t need my permission to date anyone, but Aspen’s pretty okay for a Ranger.”
Brain rolled his eyes at his friend then punched him in the shoulder.
“Hey, you guys comin’ or what?” Trigger yelled from across the tarmac. “We’ve got a lot of shit to put away and we still have to debrief. I want to get home to Gillian sometime tonight.”
“We’re comin’!” Brain shouted back. But his mind was still on Aspen.
He couldn’t wait to see for himself that her leg really was healing properly.
He wanted to explore the crazy chemistry he felt when he was around her and when they kissed.
He simply wanted to hear her voice. He had a feeling he was a goner, but he didn’t even care.
Two hours later, after an intense debrief where the team didn’t hold back about everything that had happened in Afghanistan—with both the Ranger teams, and with their own successful search for Akhund—Brain was standing in front of Aspen’s apartment door.
He’d showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a plain black T-shirt.
Two-point-three seconds after he knocked on her door, it opened, and Aspen stood there. And suddenly, the week and a half since he’d seen her seemed more like years.
“Hi!” she said eagerly.
Without a word, Brain took a step toward her. She backed up, and he shut the door behind him. Then he kept walking.
Aspen had a grin on her face, but she kept backing away from him.
Neither said anything, but Brain felt as if he were a male lion stalking his mate. Aspen bumped into a small table and veered around it, still smiling. Eventually, she backed herself into a wall near her kitchen.
Brain caged her in by putting his hands on the wall next to her shoulders and leaning forward. He nuzzled the side of her neck, and she tilted her head, giving him room. Her hands gripped his waist, and nothing had felt better.
“Gardenias,” he whispered as he inhaled deeply.
“My lotion,” she told him as she tightened her grip on his T-shirt.
Brain pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. “Hey,” he said quietly.
“Hey,” she echoed.
There was so much Brain wanted to say, but he couldn’t do anything but stare into her beautiful brown eyes.
Her lashes were long; he hadn’t noticed that before.
She wasn’t wearing any makeup, but she didn’t need to.
Her skin was flawless, and the longer he simply stared at her, the more color bloomed in her cheeks.
“Kane?”
“Yeah?”
“Um…are we going to stand here all night staring at each other or what?”
“Maybe.”
She grinned. “Well…all right then.”
Brain couldn’t help but smile back. He wanted to kiss her.
Wanted to touch her…all over. Wanted to claim her, mark her, make her his.
But he also didn’t want to freak her out.
So he settled for saying, “We haven’t really talked about it, but I want to go out with you.
And I want to be exclusive. I don’t want you seeing anyone else while we’re together.
” He waited, almost holding his breath to see what she’d say.
“Okay.”
He let out his breath in a whoosh. “That’s it? Okay?”
She shrugged. “Yes. And the exclusive thing goes both ways, right?”
“Fuck yeah,” Brain said. “Women aren’t exactly beating down my door,” he said honestly, then immediately regretted it.
But Aspen didn’t seem fazed. “Their loss,” she told him. “I’m thinking we need to seal this deal with a kiss,” she went on.
Brain was more than all right with that. He was having a hard time thinking about anything other than feeling her lips on his again. Without a word, he leaned in and kissed her.
Aspen moaned, and one of her hands slipped under his T-shirt to touch his bare skin as she kissed him back.
Goose bumps immediately broke out on Brain’s arms, and he honest-to-God growled before tilting his head and practically devouring her. But Aspen gave as good as she got, not backing down from his aggressive kiss.
How long they stood against the wall kissing, Brain had no idea, but when he felt her hands slip under his waistband in search of…more, he pulled back.
They were both panting, and he saw that Aspen’s pupils were dilated. She was so gorgeous—and for some reason, she liked him.
For a brief second, Brain panicked. If she knew how much of a nerd he was, she probably wouldn’t be so interested.
But he pushed down the self-deprecating thoughts.
He wasn’t a child, and Aspen wasn’t one of the cruel kids he’d grown up with, making fun of him for being smart and not allowing him into their circles because he was so young.
“That was…fun,” she said with a smile.
Brain just shook his head at her and stepped back. He kept hold of her hand and towed her into her living room. He motioned for her to sit, and when she did, he pushed her coffee table back and kneeled in front of her.
“What are you…my leg is fine, Kane,” Aspen told him.
But Brain ignored her as he pushed up the leg of her loose cotton pants to see for himself.
He twisted his neck and examined the still-healing gunshot wound.
There was no bandage, and he could see the stitches clearly.
The bullet had grazed her, taking a large chunk of skin with it.
The skin was pink and still a bit swollen, but, as she’d said, was healing well.
“I’m assuming you’ve been cleared for light PT?” he asked.
Aspen nodded. “No running or weights yet, but I can do a lot of the other stuff.”
Brain ran his thumb next to the scar, remembering how she’d carried her first sergeant while she ran.
He’d be the first to admit that at one time, he probably would’ve been skeptical about women as combat medics attached to elite teams like the Rangers.
But in the span of a few minutes, Aspen would have single-handedly changed anyone’s mind.
He cupped her calf in his hand, making sure not to touch her still-healing wound, and looked up at her. “How’re the others?”
“Vandine’s still in Germany. He’ll be flown to Dallas as soon as the doctors think he’s ready. The bullet nicked his femoral artery. Doctors were able to repair it, but they won’t want to move him until they’re sure it won’t tear.”
“He would’ve bled out in minutes if you hadn’t been there,” Brain said. It wasn’t a question.
Aspen merely nodded. She’d done what she’d been trained to do. She was grateful both men were alive, but she’d just been doing her job.
“And Sergeant Holman?”
“The doctors removed his hand in Germany. They couldn’t save it,” she told him.
“But he’s back in Texas, right?” Brain asked.
Aspen’s eyes narrowed. “If you already know how they’re doing, why’d you ask?” she asked, slightly irritated.
“Because I wanted to find out what you know,” Brain said with a smile, not turned off in the least by her snark. “And bring you up to speed if you didn’t know everything I did.”
She felt better about that.
“What’s your schedule tomorrow?” Brain asked her.
“I have PT in the morning. Then a meeting with the major.”
“What about?”
Aspen shrugged. “I’m assuming it’s about my returning to regular duty.”
Brain wasn’t so sure, especially after everything the Deltas had had to say about what happened that day when she’d been hurt in Afghanistan, but he let that go for now. “What about the afternoon?”
“I’m still on half days. Why?”