CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR #5
“Bea thinks Charley’s strong because she keeps getting back up,” he said. “And she is. But I think Charley’s strong because she’s still kind.” His voice caught slightly on the last word. “Even now. Even after today. She’s worried about a man she barely knows. That’s who she is.”
Pierce nodded once. “I know.”
Glen’s gaze sharpened. “And that’s what worries me.”
Pierce frowned. “Because it makes her a target?”
“Because it makes her walk toward danger when she should run,” Glen said bluntly. “Charley sees someone hurting, and she steps in. She doesn’t think about herself until later.”
Pierce’s hands curled loosely at his sides. “Yeah. I’ve noticed.”
Glen held his stare. “So I’m asking you, Pierce—man to man—are you prepared to stand between her and whatever comes next?”
The question wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t a threat. It was protective clarity.
Pierce answered without hesitation. “Yes.”
Glen watched his face like he was looking for cracks.
Pierce didn’t give him any. “Whatever is happening right now, it’s not over,” Pierce said, his voice turning colder. “I know that. And I’m not letting her face it without backup.”
Glen’s shoulders eased just a fraction. “Good.”
Another pause. Then Glen asked the question Pierce knew was coming, the one underneath all the others.
“And what about her heart?” Glen said quietly.
“Because you’re military. You’re active duty.
That means risk. She already lost her father and her brother to this life.
” His gaze was steady, but the grief behind it was unmistakable.
“I won’t watch her lose someone else because he made promises he couldn’t keep. ”
Pierce felt that land straight in his chest.
He didn’t get defensive. He didn’t bristle because Glen wasn’t wrong to ask.
“I can’t promise I’ll never deploy,” Pierce said honestly. “I told her that. But I can promise I won’t run from her because it’s hard. I won’t disappear. I won’t play games with her feelings. And I won’t treat what she’s been through like baggage.”
Glen’s eyes narrowed slightly. “And if she asks you to leave?”
Pierce exhaled slowly. “Then I’ll listen,” he said. “I will do whatever I have to do to ensure I have a future with your niece.”
Glen’s mouth tightened, like he was fighting emotion and losing.
“You’re already deep,” he muttered.
Pierce’s lips twitched despite the heaviness. “Yeah. I am.”
Glen’s gaze shifted, and for the first time, his tone softened, just a little. “She’s a good kid.”
“I know,” Pierce said, the words coming out rough.”
Glen leaned back against the railing, studying him. “She looks at you like you’re safe,” he said. “Don’t take that lightly.”
Pierce held his stare. “I won’t.”
For a beat, the porch was quiet again.
Then Glen’s mouth twitched into something that might’ve been humor if it wasn’t coated in fatigue. “If you break her,” he said, voice flat, “you won’t have to answer to me.”
Pierce’s brows lifted slightly.
Glen nodded toward the kitchen window. “You’ll have to answer to Bea.”
Pierce let out a low, surprised chuckle. “That might be worse.”
Glen gave the faintest hint of a smile. “It is.”
They stood there another second, and then Glen looked at him once more. This time, less like an interrogator and more like a man handing something over.
“Thank you,” Glen said, and the words were quiet but heavy. “For being there for her.”
Pierce’s throat tightened. He nodded once. “Always.”
◆◆◆
By the time the house finally quieted, Charley found herself standing in Pierce’s bedroom.
Ray and Jessica had turned in a few minutes ago, their voices fading down the hallway toward one of Pierce’s spare bedrooms. And Seth had disappeared into his room.
Pierce stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist.
“You can take the bed,” he told her. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Charley turned slowly, looking up at him. “No.”
Pierce’s brows lifted, like he expected resistance but not that immediate. “Charley—”
“No,” she repeated, stepping closer, and she could hear the stubborn edge in her own voice. “I’m not letting you sleep on the couch in your own house.”
His mouth twitched, caught between a smile and a protest. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It is to me,” she said softly, and then she surprised herself by reaching up and touching his chest lightly through his shirt. “I don’t… I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
Pierce’s gaze softened immediately. “You won’t be,” he promised.
Charley smiled, lifting her one eyebrow. “So, then you’ll sleep here with me?”
For a beat, Pierce didn’t move. He just looked at her, like he was weighing a hundred different thoughts at once—respect, restraint, worry, desire. Then he exhaled a slow breath, the kind that sounded like surrender.
“Okay,” he said, voice rougher now. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is,” Charley admitted, and her cheeks heated even though she wasn’t embarrassed. Not really.
Pierce nodded once and moved past her, crossing the room to his dresser. He placed his wallet on top, then paused, glancing back over his shoulder. “You need anything?” he asked quietly. “Water. Pain meds. Ice for your arm?”
“I’m okay,” she said, and the words were honest this time. She watched him for a second, her heart squeezing at the fact that he couldn’t stop taking care of her. “I just want you.”
Pierce’s eyes locked on hers, and something passed between them—something warm and steady that made her stomach flip. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Me too.”
He tugged his shirt up over his head like it was the most casual thing in the world.
The overhead light caught the planes of his chest and stomach, and she felt her brain do that stupid little buffering thing where it tried to form a thought and immediately failed.
He wasn’t just fit—he was built, the kind of toned that came from years of work and discipline and pushing past limits.
Her gaze dropped, then snapped back up like she’d been caught committing a crime.
Pierce turned toward her, and the corner of his mouth lifted when he saw her expression. “You okay?” he asked, voice all innocence, like he didn’t know exactly what he was doing to her.
Charley cleared her throat. “Yep,” she squeaked.
Pierce’s grin widened, slow and lazy. “Sounded convincing.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, trying for sass even though her pulse was acting ridiculous. “I’m fine,” she insisted. “Just… temporarily distracted by your… unnecessary perfection.”
Pierce let out a low chuckle as he climbed into bed. “Unnecessary?”
“Completely,” she muttered, sliding in on her side, careful of her shoulder. The mattress dipped under his weight, and the moment she felt him settle in, her body relaxed like it had been waiting for that exact thing all day.
Pierce turned onto his side, facing her.
The room was dim now, only the bedside lamp casting a soft glow.
His hair was slightly damp from his own quick shower earlier.
His lounge pants sat low on his hips, and Charley immediately had to redirect her gaze because she was not about to start a new problem for herself at midnight with guests down the hall and a SEAL with shirtless abs two inches away.
He reached up and brushed a strand of her hair away from her face, his thumb grazing her cheek. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked again, and there was something deeper under it. Not just physical.
Charley nodded, her throat tight. “I feel safe,” she whispered. “I haven’t felt that in… a long time.”
Pierce’s expression softened, and he leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Good,” he murmured. “That’s the goal.”
Charley took a breath, then decided she was done being timid tonight. She scooted closer, slow and deliberate, and curled her body against his. Her head tucked under his chin, her hand resting lightly on his bare chest, where she could feel the steady beat of his heart.
Pierce went still for half a second as if her boldness surprised him. Then his arms came around her, strong and careful, pulling her close in a way that made her heart flutter.
Charley tilted her face up. “Is this okay?” she whispered.
Pierce’s eyes dropped to her mouth. “Charley,” he said softly, “I’m trying very hard to be a gentleman right now.”
The words sent a warm shiver through her, equal parts nervous and thrilled. “You’re doing great,” she whispered, then kissed him before she could overthink it.
Pierce kissed her back immediately, slow and tender at first. Then it deepened just a touch, enough to steal her breath, enough to make her forget there were walls and hallways and other people and the entire world outside his bed.
When Charley shifted closer, feeling brave and wanting more, Pierce broke the kiss with a soft groan and pressed his forehead to hers like it physically hurt him to stop.
“Okay,” he murmured, voice tight. “Time out.”
Charley grinned. “Time out?”
Pierce nodded toward the wall, as if it had personally offended him. “These walls are thin,” he said quietly. “And unless you want Ray, Jessica, and Seth to hear the story of how I died because your uncle found out I couldn’t behave myself—”
Charley’s eyes widened, then she slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing too loud. “Pierce!”
He gave her a look. “I’m serious. I’m trying to protect you. And myself.”
Charley’s shoulders shook with silent laughter, and she buried her face against his chest, the sound coming out muffled and breathy. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “That is the least sexy thing you could possibly say.”
Pierce huffed a laugh. “Yeah? It’s working, though.”
Charley lifted her head and narrowed her eyes at him, amusement sparkling despite everything. “Barely.”
Pierce’s gaze warmed, his thumb brushing the side of her face again.
“Nothing happens tonight,” he said gently, the humor fading into something sincere.
“Not because I don’t want it. Because I do.
But because you’ve been through hell today, and I want you to sleep.
I want you to feel safe. I want you to wake up tomorrow and know the world didn’t swallow you whole. ”
Charley’s chest tightened, her eyes stinging. She nodded slowly. “Okay,” she whispered. “I can do that.”
Pierce kissed her once more. This time soft and lingering, like a promise. When they parted, he pulled her back into his arms, tucking her close like he could shield her from everything.
Charley exhaled, her body finally relaxing. She could feel Pierce’s heartbeat steady under her palm. His warmth wrapped around her, and for the first time all day, her mind stopped replaying gunshots and blood and screaming sirens.
All she could feel was him.
Soon her eyelids grew heavy as Pierce’s hand moved slowly up and down her back. Moments later, her eyes closed, and she drifted off in Pierce’s arms, the darkness finally gentle instead of threatening.