Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - FOUR DAYS LATER
Rory rolled her head to the side to view the gorgeous and naked man in bed next to her. “How’d your people take the news that I know the truth about Scott and Scott?”
“They asked when I was going to propose, now that you’re in our secret little club,” he said with a laugh. “You’ll have to meet with the President and sign a promise you won’t share what you know if that’s okay?”
“Like, go to the White House?” Rory asked in surprise.
“I mean, he has other places. Camp David, if you prefer.”
When she swatted his bare chest, he captured her wrist and stealthily pulled her on top of him.
“Ready for round two, are we?” She shimmied on his lap, and his cock, lying thick against his thigh, began to wake again. One slight move and he might slide right into her as she straddled him.
“I’m always ready for you.” He brought one hand behind his head as he stroked her hair with his other. “Love your blonde hair,” he murmured.
She sat upright, and his hand dropped as she braced her palms against his wall of muscles while moving her ass around in slow circles to tease him.
“Oh, you know I’ll flip you over and have my way with you if you keep that up,” he rasped, eyes nearly twinkling as he observed her. One hand went to her breast, and he teased her nipple. The rough texture of his slightly calloused palm only heightened the pleasure she felt with his hand on her.
“Bear’s taken over as our alarm clock, I see,” she said, looking toward the closed door where he howled and scratched on the other side.
“And we haven’t done any training since we’ve been back,” he reminded her. They’d decided to go easy on Bear since he bravely risked his life for them only to get a tranquilizer dart to the neck by Cutter. Thinking of that moment would be a mood killer, though.
“We’ll start next week. He’s been through a lot.” She focused back on Chris. “We should get dressed and take him out. Round two after breakfast?”
Chris set his hands to her hips and shifted upright, then combed his fingers through her hair.
The motion was so relaxing she closed her eyes and hummed her appreciation until he stopped and gently held her head between his hands.
“You’re avoiding your brother. After you make that call, my cock is all yours. ”
She playfully rolled her eyes. “I’m not using sex to avoid talking to Jesse and Ella.”
“Liar,” he said, then gently swatted her ass as she eased off him. And now she was even more turned on and prepared to put off the video call she had scheduled with her brother and best friend.
“I’m nervous to talk to them. Not sure what they’ll think about my past, and we both know Jesse lost his mind when he learned I’d been taken.
” He’d booked a flight to D.C., but Rory had insisted he cancel and come for the Halloween party instead since it was coming up soon anyway.
Elaina had pushed her dad to throw a party this year, and everyone knew Liam couldn’t say no to his daughter.
Rory wished Savanna could come for a visit, too, but unfortunately, she wasn’t able to make it. Now that Rory knew the truth about Chris’s work, she understood why Savanna had expressed her concern about Rory and Chris getting together.
“They’ll be scared and proud. Like I am.”
“You’re scared?” she asked while pulling on her yoga pants. “One second, Bear,” she called out, so he’d stop howling at them to get a move on.
Chris rounded the foot of their new bed, which he’d wasted no time in purchasing—it even had a headboard—and closed in on her.
He’d chosen to go commando beneath his sweatpants, and Rory couldn’t resist tracing the lines of his torso before positioning her hands on his muscular arms.
Since she’d yet to put on a top, his eyes immediately focused on her tits.
Rory rolled her lips between her teeth to keep from laughing when, after a few silent moments, he blinked and tore his eyes to her face.
“I’m scared because I’m about to ask you something, and I can’t believe I’m going to do it. ”
Her heartbeat kicked up at his words.
“Roman wants to go have a little chat with the Trott brothers, and I’d like to join him. And I wanted to know if you wanted to come with us.”
She stepped back out of his arms. “Wow.” She took her time, acting as though she had to think about his invitation. Suspense-building at its finest. A little hem and haw. “Thank you for the offer, and it means the world to me that you asked, but I’m good. I’ll let you boys go have your payback.”
Chris’s shoulders dropped with immediate relief, and she almost felt bad she’d taken that long to answer.
“There are so many reasons I love you, but damn, woman. You really are amazing. I mean, I knew the second you were singing into that spatula in the kitchen that you were the one I was going to marry.”
“Oh, really? That was the moment?” She grinned, then lifted her chin to look at him and slowly traced the seam of her lips with her tongue. “Well, mine was after our first kiss. I just knew I was falling in love with you.”
She was worried she’d said something wrong when he closed his eyes and set his forehead to hers. “Next Friday, the twenty-ninth, I have an appointment with Doctor Riley Logan.”
“The veteran’s therapist I recommended?” She pulled her forehead away from his in surprise but found his eyes still closed.
“I think it’s time I work through my shit.
If I can’t man up and do it, those out there who have far worse PTSD than me may not, and I want to do it for them.
Remind my buddies at the VA and others that it’s okay to get help.
It’s not weak.” The look in his eyes when he opened them just about did her in, but she held back her tears. “And, of course, I’m doing it for us.”
He was such an amazing human being. So freaking good. And he was her guy. “I’d like to meet your friends, the ones you visit. And I was thinking maybe I could also train service dogs to help veterans.”
“You would?” His gorgeous eyes widened.
Bear howled, and Rory was certain that was a yes from him on her idea, and both she and Chris chuckled at the same time. “I would.”
He stepped back, took a deep breath, then rubbed the emotion from his eyes.
“And if you’re going to be brave, I guess I have no more excuses. I need to talk to my family. Tell them everything.”
She wasn’t about to press Chris about his mom, though. When he was ready to reach out, if he wanted to, she’d let him decide.
Chris pulled her in for a hug and set a quick kiss to her lips before Bear anxiously scratched the door. “We’re coming, boy.”
They finished getting dressed, then let Bear outside, sipping their coffee, standing side by side in the morning light. Her heart couldn’t be fuller. And she knew there were so many more adventures awaiting her with this man in her life.
“How’d they take it?” Harper asked.
Rory held the phone out to view her on FaceTime.
Rory felt like she’d known all of Chris’s teammates for years instead of just a few weeks, and she had a feeling Harper was going to be a close friend.
“Ella almost fainted. No, that was Jesse.” She smiled.
“They’ll need time to process, but I was also just happy to force them to be in the same room together, to be honest.”
“Oh? Your brother still have his head up his ass?” Harper asked from her hotel room.
Rory wasn’t even sure where Harper was right now. She and the guys had been bouncing all over the place, taking down bad guys the last several days, cleaning up Cutter’s mess.
“Yeah, Jesse’s head is so far up there, he can’t see.
” Rory sipped her second cup of coffee that morning while she watched Chris and Bear outside running the obstacle course.
They weren’t training, just having fun. And it made her heart so happy to see.
“You’ll be back for the Halloween party, right?
I know Chris is going to meet up with Roman soon, but you’ll meet Jesse at the party.
He’s coming to visit.” Maybe A.J. can wrangle Ella to come up, too. A little Halloween blind date.
“I wouldn’t miss it. Elaina is pretty excited, so no matter what, we’ll all be there.”
“And, um, how is Roman?” Rory took a chance to poke around when she probably ought to mind her business.
“Roman is Roman,” Harper said as if that were supposed to explain everything.
And you’re you. Rory shifted the blinds to try and see what Chris was now staring at and why Bear barked. “One second.” Rory lowered the phone and went to the living room to look out the window to see if someone was on the driveway.
There was a small red Kia parked, and a man standing in front of the Jeep, eyes set Chris’s way. Well, maybe not a man. More like a teenager. Or a young twentysomething-year-old.
“Can I call you back?”
“Of course. I have to run, anyway. Bad guys to catch.”
“Stay safe!” Rory ended the call and flung her phone onto the couch, then went for the side door and exited.
She shielded her eyes from the near-noon light hitting her face as she walked to see who was there.
“Can I help you?” she called out since Chris remained glued in place out in the backyard. And that wasn’t like Chris.
At the sight of Rory, Bear began to run her way.
The guy turned toward Rory. “Hi,” he said. His light blond hair was close-cut, and he was tall but lean. Not much muscle on him. Nice blue eyes and handsome features. Hell, he reminded her of a young Chris.
Oh.
Ohhhh shit.
“Is that Chris Hunter?” He tipped his head toward where Chris stood with hands drawn to his hips like he was seeing a ghost.
Chris knew, didn’t he? He knew he was his brother.