Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Sun glints off the windshield, blocking the view of the interior of the car following us. The sun would have to be at that exact angle, the one that totally obscures the driver.
Beast wheels into the parking lot, angling so we can escape if the situation dictates. Always ready.
When the car dips and shudders to a stop, idling behind us, the three of us bolt from the SUV with our expressions locked in go-mode.
They want to bring the fight to our door? Well, come on.
Ryker’s the first to reach the driver’s window, his long strides carrying him like a predatory animal as he pulls his weapon from the holster under his arm.
But a beat later, his posture relaxes.
“Clear,” he calls to the rest of us as soon as he gets a solid visual on the driver. “No weapon in sight, low risk.”
I give him a look. Are you kidding me?
He mouths a silent reply over the hood, she’s ninety years old.
Oh. Oh, well, then.
Beast is already walking back toward the truck; Ryker’s having a conversation with the woman now. And I’m too jittery to get back in the car.
Fuck.
I’m a maniac around Rosalie.
How do the guys handle it?
Wait, that’s right—they don’t. Every one of them has become over-possessive animals.
Now I can’t give them shit about any of it.
“You okay there, Captain High Alert?”
It’s Ryker, and he smacks me on the back.
“Not really,” I half-groan.
He chuckles and shakes his head, his green eyes glinting in the light. “All I gotta say is, that is not happening to me. Even if I ever find a missus that will put up with me, I’m fully in charge of my emotional responses.”
My chuckle is dark, but there’s a burr in my throat. “She’s not a missus anything. But she’s mine to protect while she’s in our care. So fuck off.”
As he’s strolling away, I call his name. “Ryker, I won’t believe you anyway, until after you meet your own personal wrecking ball. Then we can talk.”
He’s nodding, a cocky grin on his face when he punches the door open to the small pastry shop.
Fucking hell.
He’s right, though. I’m about to crawl out of my skin.
The wind gets knocked out of me for the thirteen-thousandth time when I open the door and see Rosalie’s beautiful face anxiously looking for me.
“Is everything okay?”
“False alarm. Elderly driver, poor depth perception. Bad timing.”
Her worry softens, and she reaches for me, slipping her fingers between mine and sinking the last nail in my coffin.
“I’m glad. You guys are too fast to rush into unknown situations.”
Just that simple touch of her hand makes it impossible to think of a reply.
“Donuts for everyone!” Beast rumbles as he lands in the driver’s seat, tossing a white-and-pink box onto the center console, and I almost laugh out loud at the absurdity of the moment. Fuck, we’ve been through the ringer and now… donuts.
“Keep your grubby hands off my cream-filled chocolate-glazed ones,” he says, glaring at me in the rearview. “Fingers will be lost.”
“You better be fast, then,” I reply, grabbing the box—but Rosalie interrupts me by pointing toward the front window.
“Hey, guys, what’s wrong with Ryker? He looks like he’s about to have an aneurysm.”
“Good fucking question,” Beast mutters, already throwing open the door.
Beast and Ryker meet halfway across the parking lot. Whatever it is has both of them ramrod straight, which means I need to be read in on the situation.
“I need to go see what’s going on. Lock the doors, sweetheart.”
“I’ll just guard these,” Rosalie says, but adds softly, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be joking—obviously something bad has happened.”
I brush her cheek with my thumb, protectiveness making my chest heavy. “Guarding the donuts is an important job. Just so you know, jokes are part of dealing with stress in jobs like ours.”
The door lock clicks behind me, but I’m not taking my eyes off the SUV, even as I move to talk to them.
My attention is divided. Can’t lose sight of her. Not for a second.
“What gives?” I ask, joining their huddle, positioning myself so I have a clear view of Rosalie.
“There’s a situation inside,” Ryker reports, his gaze locking onto the small shop’s storefront with as much intensity as I have directed toward the vehicle.
His intensity is impossible to ignore.
The man is charged as if he’s about to go to battle, ready for tactical engagement. I’ve only seen him like this in the field during ops.
“Is there a threat in there?” I ask.
“Not at the moment,” he replies, voice gravelly as he shifts in his boots. “The woman won’t tell me what’s going on, but she’s got a lot of bruises. My gut says she’s in serious danger.”
Beast and I stiffen at the same time, instinct kicking in.
Abuse? None of us stand for that shit. Not ever.
Ryker’s adjusts his Agile baseball cap, movements tense. “You two good to transit to the safe house without me?”
We answer in unison. “Yes.”
Beast adds, “Marshall’s two minutes behind. We’re covered.”
Ryker’s eyes stay locked on the shop, something shifting behind them.
“I’m staying. She can’t leave right now—not without losing her job. She’s the only one working.”
Beast gives a slow nod, circles his finger in the air.
“We’ll roll. Like I said, Marshall’s on our six. We’ve got it.”
“Copy,” Ryker replies, hand tapping on his thigh. “This isn’t my style to leave my team high and dry.”
When I look at Ryker again, I see the shadow of something dark.
“You good, man?” I ask Ryker, as Beast walks away.
“I’ll let you know.”
He’s already in motion, striding through the shop’s door, filling the doorframe almost completely with his hulking shoulders.
It’s not easy to shake the interaction.
If anything, it makes me feel more protective of Rosalie.
She just faced down unimaginable threats. I won’t let her face another. Not on my watch.
Turning on my heel, I stride back to the SUV.
The smell of sugar and dough rushes out when I open the door.
Rosalie lifts a chocolate donut with sprinkles, a bright grin on her face that makes my foot miss the footwell when I try to get in.
Jesus.
If it’s not the vulnerability, the resilience… it’s all that fucking adorableness.
It’s too much for a man like me.
I exhale, falling back into the seat, wedging my boots into the floorboard.
“Let’s roll,” I tell Beast, my head reeling from Rosalie’s proximity.
“Ryker’s going to deal with that situation. Said he’s going to catch up later,” I tell Rosalie, purposefully omitting the darker details.
Rosalie offers me a bite of pastry, and I shake my head.
“No thanks. At this rate, I’m not sure when my stomach will be right again.”
With a little frown, she leans in and kisses my cheek. “Sorry.”
Her breath whispers across my skin. Everything inside me hurts.
Fuck. Pull it together.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” she says, just for my ears. “I know it’s been hard on you.”
The walls go up inside me to keep me from fracturing.
I thought I was strong. Tough. Big, badass SEAL. But not anymore.
Rosalie fundamentally changed me. And I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same again.
“It’s my job and my pleasure,” I reply, unable to drag my eyes away from her.
She’s sweet and perfect, with the big luminous eyes, the cute bow to her lips, and the little furrow between her brows.
Licking her thumb clean of icing, a faint blush creeps across the gentle slope of her cheeks as she offers me more.
Say no.
Fucking shake your head. Let her down easy. Back away.
Rosalie probably thinks this thing between us is normal. But it’s not. I’m not.
My feelings for her are reckless.
Selfish. Almost uncontrollable.
“Okay, give me some of that thing,” I say wishing I’d accepted it the first time, because she’s just trying to take care of me.
Me.
Rosalie tears off another corner of her sugar bomb and lifts it to my mouth. Her gaze lingers on my lips as I take it in, slowly chewing.
The air around us hums with tension. That one act is so innocent, and anything but.
Her watching me wrecks me.
Heat erupts across my chest, coils up my throat.
I’ve never trusted myself to fall in love—not after the way I let my family down.
And now… I’ve let her down too.
“Do you like it?” she asks cautiously, her pale eyes tracking my movement and emotions with analytical precision.
“I like you.”
My honesty shocks me.
She smiles. It’s a soft expression with more power than a two-ton wrecking ball.
Without thinking, my hand finds her thigh, possessively gripping that soft, forbidden land.
Something is building inside me, a roar that needs to escape.
I need to hold her. Skin to skin. Need to be inside her.
But God help me, I might destroy everything in the process.
Yet Rosalie is persistent.
Slowly, she feeds me another bite.
Tension ripples through the air, the intimacy of that simple act unleashing a current between us.
Taken over by some power greater than my resistance, I lean down.
Hesitating until I can’t any more.
I close the distance with a growl. Taking her mouth.
I get a hit of chocolate from the delicate curve of her lips, but something much more dangerous races across my taste buds.
Everything about Rosalie is knocking me down, more and more.
No longer thinking about consequences, I move in, touching her face, deepening the burning-hot kiss.
I swing around in the seat toward her for a better angle, ignoring the fact that Beast is driving us away from town toward the safe house.
With a shiver, she inhales mid-kiss, gripping my shirt. “I really needed that,” she whispers.
“Me too.”