Chapter Nineteen
He was so fucked.
Danny stared through the windshield as he drove Bella home, replaying the moment at the range when he’d almost kissed her.
Before Bella, he’d never had a problem remaining professional on the job. Easygoing? Yes. Maybe a bit flirtatious when the situation called for it. But he didn’t cross lines.
He hadn’t needed to put his arms around Bella to show her the firing stance.
That hadn’t been need.
It’d been a want.
Then she turned in his arms—eyes wide, daring him.
He’d almost taken her mouth right there. Made a scene. Broke every safety rule in the place.
And he wouldn’t have cared.
“Are you okay?” Bella studied him from the passenger seat where she was curled up.
Like she belonged there.
The thought unsettled him.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d dreaded the end of an assignment.
“Fine.” The word came out sharper than intended. He softened his tone. “You did good today.”
“Really?” Her smile flickered—tentative but real, and something in his chest shifted.
“Really. Did you enjoy it?”
After her initial hesitation, she’d handled herself like a pro, paying close attention to his instructions and firing round after round until they ran out of bullets.
Bella nodded. “I felt…empowered.”
Danny fixed his gaze on the highway as a slow smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
An empowered, confident Bella?
Sexy as hell.
Her teeth caught her bottom lip. “But I’m still not sure I could ever shoot someone.”
“Hopefully, you won’t ever have to.”
Because I’ll be standing between you and anyone who tries to hurt you.
At least while he was here.
He rubbed at the ache building beneath his sternum. “We’ll keep coming until you’re comfortable handling a firearm.” A glance her way. “And we’ll keep up the hand-to-hand training.”
Color crept into her cheeks. She averted her gaze.
The mats. Her beneath him. The heat between them.
Shit. At this rate, he wasn’t going to have any blood left in his brain to drive.
The mournful opening notes of Desperado filled Consuela’s interior.
Caleb.
Danny hit the button on his steering wheel. “Hey, man, I’m in the car, on speaker. Bella’s with me.”
Caleb’s voice came through the speakers. “Tavari and I just landed. When can we meet?”
Danny glanced at Bella. “My team is here. Is it okay if they come by your place?” No way in hell was he leaving her alone.
“Sure.” Curiosity sparked in her expression.
“We’re on our way to Bella’s,” he told Caleb. “Grab some chow, get settled, then come over.”
“Who was that?” Bella asked after he’d hung up. Her lips curved. “And why is his ringtone an old Eagles song?”
His mouth twitched. “I’m surprised you recognize it. Nathan and his classic rock. He assigns ringtones to everyone on the company phones. Desperado fits Caleb—or it did,” he amended. “He got married a couple of months ago. Not such a loner anymore.”
“I can’t wait to meet him.” She peered at Danny from beneath her lashes. “What’s yours?”
He sighed. “Crazy Train.”
“Ozzy Osbourne?”
“Yep.”
The light in her eyes dimmed. “I can see that.”
His grip tightened on the steering wheel.
Yeah. She probably could.
Bella needed control. Stability. He couldn’t blame her—not with her past.
His childhood had revolved around Jaynie’s illness.
Bella had been one of the few bright spots in a house drowning in grief.
She’d stayed. Been there when Jaynie died.
The moment he’d been free to leave, he’d taken it.
Kept taking it.
New deployments. New assignments. New cities.
Never staying long enough for anyone to depend on him.
Which was exactly why he wasn’t good for Bella.
Even if the thought of her with another man hollowed him out and left acid burning in his veins.
Back at Bella’s house, he retreated to the guest bathroom, scrubbing gun oil from his hands.
The mirror showed him for what he was.
A liar.
He told himself he could keep Bella in the client zone, but there was nothing professional about the way he wanted her.
The night of Jaynie’s funeral rose without warning.
Bella’s hands in his hair. The tide lapping at their feet. Her soft cries as he buried himself inside her—trying to escape the guilt tearing through him.
Relief that his sister’s suffering was over.
That he was free.
He reburied the memory and stared at his hands, raw from scrubbing too hard.
Shutting off the water, he dried them with the hand towel, then pressed it to his face.
Get it together.
Bella’s life was in danger. His job was to keep her safe. From everything and everyone.
Even him.
He lowered the towel and met his own gaze in the mirror, seeing the truth he couldn’t admit out loud.
If she ever looked at him again like she had at the range, he’d take what she offered.
And to hell with the consequences.
Two hours later, Bella’s doorbell rang.
Danny checked the sidelight, then unlocked the door.
“Hey, man.” He clapped palms with Caleb and fist-bumped his former SEAL teammate, Tavari Dixon.
Tavari had three inches on him and was almost as tall as Nathan, although not as muscular. The former sniper slipped inside and immediately claimed a spot near the wall. He never said much, but little escaped his notice as he tracked every exit, window, and blind spot in the room.
Bella hovered near the couch, one hand gripping Trip’s collar, the other twisting the hem of her shirt. Her gaze darted between Danny and his friends.
“Bella, this is Caleb Varella and Tavari Dixon.”
“Hello.”
“Ma’am.” Caleb crouched to greet Trip, then rose and offered his hand.
Bella shook it, her gaze catching on the silver and turquoise ring on Caleb’s other hand. “Danny mentioned you just got married?”
Caleb’s face softened, a rare smile breaking through. “I did. My wife’s a doctor on the Navajo reservation.”
Danny guided Bella to the couch. “His grandfather’s the president of the Navajo Nation.”
Bella blinked. “You’re Navajo?”
“Half,” Caleb said.
“Caleb’s a former Green Beret,” Danny informed her. “Tavari and I were on the same SEAL team.”
That caught Bella’s attention. She studied Tavari. “So you’d know why his nickname is Chaos.”
A flash of white teeth against light brown skin. “Yes, ma’am.”
Bella’s shoulders drooped when Tavari didn’t elaborate.
Danny bit back a smile.
“Nathan sent goodies.” Caleb pulled a black device from his shoulder bag. “Uninterruptible power supply. Top of the line.”
Then another, larger device. “And a secure router—one that meets Nathan’s specs. He’ll walk you through the setup later.”
Danny took the offered items.
Bella leaned into him to take a closer look, bringing with her the familiar scent of honeyed jasmine and citrus. “What are these for?”
“Hassan’s a cybersecurity expert.” He felt her tense. “It’s just a precaution to keep your network secure.”
She tilted her face up to meet his gaze. On instinct, he dropped his head until their faces were mere inches apart. Close enough for her breath to brush his lips.
“If he shows up in person, I’ll handle it.” And yeah, he’d registered his tone. Low and deadly.
Bella’s pupils dilated.
There it was again. That shift in his chest. Protecting Bella had become about far more than the job.
His teammates watched.
He looked up. Held Caleb’s gaze, then Tavari’s. Dared them to say something.
Caleb’s brow lifted.
Tavari found something fascinating on his jeans.
Danny exhaled. Let it go. “I’ll set up meetings for you two with hotel security and Charlotte police. And we need to find Omar Hassan before the event.”
“You should be there,” Caleb said. “Tavari can stay with Isabella.”
The words hit wrong. He didn’t want anyone, not even the men he trusted most in this world, stepping between him and Bella.
Danny met Caleb’s eyes. “No.”
The reason stuck in his throat.
Caleb saw it anyway and gave a subtle nod. Understanding from the man who’d broken all the rules and almost died protecting the woman he loved.
“Ryder has briefed the senator and his security team on Hassan and his threats,” he said. “Nathan’s trying to track him.”
He glanced Bella’s way before he focused on Danny. “He’s also monitoring online chatter. There are rumors an activist group is planning to stage a protest in front of the hotel the night of the gala.”
Danny’s jaw tightened. More chaos. A perfect cover for someone intent on harming the senator or a member of his family.
Bella dropped her face into her hands with a groan. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“We’ll handle it, honey.” The endearment slipped out before Danny could stop it.
He refused to look at his teammates.
Fuck it.
He didn’t care what they thought, as long as they didn’t report back to Ryder that he was compromised and no longer able to protect Bella.
Bella’s gaze softened.
Something between them snapped into place.
His throat tightened. Walking away from Bella when this assignment ended was going to be harder than he’d imagined.
Caleb stood, signaling that the meeting was over. “We’ll deal with the rest tomorrow.”
Outside, he leaned against the SUV he and Tavari had arrived in, and gave Danny a pointed stare. “I’m the last person who should say this, but—”
“Don’t make it personal?” Danny glanced behind him to make sure Bella wasn’t standing at the front door, listening. “She was my sister’s best friend.”
Caleb’s lips twitched. “My bad. For a minute in there, you sounded like a man protecting his woman.”
He slid into the driver’s seat and rolled down the window. The SUV’s engine rumbled. “One tip, though.”
Danny’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that?”
“Don’t call her honey in front of her father.”
Tavari choked on a laugh.
“Fuck you both,” Danny muttered. He gave them his back and returned to the house as the SUV backed out of the driveway.
Bella was waiting for him when he went back inside. She gave him that look—the one where it felt like she could see into his soul.
“What is it?”
“You called me honey.”
He swallowed hard. “I did.”
Her chin lifted, the gold in her eyes darkening to amber. “Do you want me?”
He stared down at her, memorizing the shape of her face. Her curves. Her beautiful eyes. “With every fucking breath. But I’m here to protect you, not hurt you again.”
“I know you’re going to leave.” Her hands slid up his chest, heat trailing in their wake that threatened to override his control. “But this isn’t something I need protection from.”
She gripped his shoulders. Rose onto her toes. Pressed her body against his.
And destroyed him.
“Stop trying to be noble and make love to me.”