Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
T he warmth of the cup seeped into Sky’s skin, chasing away the edge of the cold.
Someone had broken into her house. Stolen from her. They’d taken almost all her jewelry. Some cash she’d had lying around. Even some of her expensive shoes. But she didn’t care about any of that. It was just stuff. She felt violated.
They’d also robbed the poor lady next door. At least she hadn’t been home.
The worst part though, the part she really couldn’t shake, was that the intruder would have had to pass her to get out of the house. They would have stepped over her unconscious body on the floor.
A shudder rolled down her spine at how vulnerable she’d been.
The back door opened with a click. She didn’t need to look up to know it was Becket. She’d told him that he could leave, but he’d refused, and for once, she hadn’t had the energy to fight him.
The second everyone had cleared out, he’d jumped into action, first fixing the lock on the back door, then the fence. He’d even muttered something about kicking his own ass for not fixing it sooner.
Honestly, she was glad he was here. The noise of him working was almost comforting because it reminded her she wasn’t alone.
She glanced at her phone. She’d called her mother and then instantly wished she hadn’t. Her mother had freaked out, told her father, then he’d freaked out. Fortunately, they were on a trip with their church, so they couldn’t come over.
The couch beside her dipped, and she looked up to see Becket.
“Back door and fence are fixed,” he said softly. It was probably the gentlest he’d ever spoken to her.
“Thank you.” She really did mean that. If he hadn’t been here to fix those things, she would have had to call someone, and there was no part of her that had the energy for that right now.
Concern darkened his eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Relieved that the paramedic confirmed it was a mild concussion.”
That was just the tip of the iceberg into what she was feeling, and by the furrowing of Becket’s brow, he knew it.
She tilted her head. “How are you feeling?”
“Angry.” His response was instant, and the muscles in his arms visibly tensed.
“I thought not much ruffled your feathers.”
“I knew there was a thief in the area—”
“We all knew.”
“I should have fixed your fence and checked your locks.”
“They’re my responsibilities.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. He didn’t believe her. He looked so dark and angry and she hated it. But one thing was certain—this man would make a formidable enemy.
“Did I hear around town you were a SEAL before you were a firefighter?” she asked, suddenly wanting to know a bit more about him.
“Yeah. And I was good at it because I was driven to take down the scum we were assigned to.”
Of course, he’d openly tell her that he was a good Navy SEAL. But that might not be hubris. Even becoming a SEAL was one of the hardest achievements there was. “I can picture you as a good SEAL.”
“In that line of work, you have to be good or you don’t make it out alive.”
Her slight smile fled. The idea of this man defending the country by fighting the most dangerous people in the world was terrifying. “Why’d you leave?”
“It was time. I started losing my drive. My purpose. And out there, if you don’t have those things, you’re a sitting duck. You have to have pinpoint focus to stay alive.”
“So you came home.”
“So I came home.”
Why did a little part of her feel unbelievably grateful for that? “Do you miss it?”
“Some days. But everything I liked about it, I still get as a firefighter.”
“You like danger.”
“I like the adrenaline rush. But more than that, I like feeling as if what I do matters.”
It did matter. He was a hero. An ass a lot of the time…but also a hero.
“What about you?” he asked. “Do you miss Cheyenne?”
“No. I think I was trying to make myself fit into a town where I didn’t belong. I was just so desperate for separation from my parents and their church and who I was here that I chose a random town and tried to force it. I love Mom and Dad…but I wanted to love them from afar.”
“Why come back then?”
“Because it’s familiar, and with the familiarity came a feeling of safety. And I needed that.”
His brows flickered. “Who’s Charlie?”
Air caught in her lungs. “How do you know about Charlie?”
“You said the name in your sleep.”
Damn her and her inability to just sleep without walking or talking. “He was my Border Terrier.”
“Was?”
“There was a fire at my house…” The flames flashed in her mind again, cutting off her words.
Her heart started to beat faster.
“How did the fire start?” Becket asked, pulling her attention back to him.
“It was an electrical fire. They said something about aged or faulty wiring. Honestly, all I could think about was Charlie. I didn’t even care about my house.”
“What happened to him?”
The familiar ache settled inside her chest. “I got him out of the house, but he’d inhaled too much smoke. He was old and already had lung problems. He passed away a few days later.”
Her fault. His death had been her fault. Because that accident hadn’t been the first. It was just the last of a string of incidents in Cheyenne. She’d known she wasn’t safe to be around. Although, even if she had acknowledged it, she wasn’t sure what she could have done.
When she looked up at Becket, it was to find him watching her closely.
She shook her head. “I know you’re not a dog person, so you probably don’t—”
“He was your family.”
Tears gathered in her eyes. He was. And she’d let him down. “Running the doggy daycare and the fundraisers helps, but nothing completely takes the ache away.”
“Nothing ever will. But you’ll get better at living with it.”
Her frown deepened. He said it like he understood. And so few people ever understood. Not her parents. Not her friends in Cheyenne, who she didn’t even talk to anymore.
She blinked back the tears. She did not want to cry. Not here, not now. “I’m going to get my wheat bag from my bedroom.”
“Stay. Rest. I’ll get it.”
Why did kind, sympathetic Becket feel more dangerous than the jerk-next-door version?
She nodded and watched him move up the stairs, the thick muscles in his thighs stretching his jeans.
He’d only been gone a few seconds when a knock came at the door.
She wasn’t expecting anyone. Could it be Jesse again?
She rose, and the second she opened the door, she regretted not looking in the peephole first.
Tony. Two visits in one day were far too many. “What are you doing here?”
“Your father called and told me what happened.”
Her father had called Tony? Even after she’d told him she was fine and that Becket was with her and taking care of things?
Without a word from her, he walked inside and touched her arm. “Are you okay?”
“Tony—”
He tensed, his gaze going behind her.
Then warmth covered her back. And for the second time that day, Becket was there to save her from Tony.
* * *
Un-fucking-believable.
He was gone for two damn seconds and the asshole was inside Sky’s house, touching her.
Becket narrowed his eyes at the hand on Sky’s. This idiot was obviously smarter than he looked, because he dropped his hand and moved back.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, making damn sure to add just enough edge so the guy knew how close Becket was to losing his calm.
“Like I just told Sky,” Tony said slowly, “I’m checking on her.”
“No need. I’m here.” You know, her fucking boyfriend . As far as Tony was aware, anyway.
Tony cleared his throat before looking back at Sky. “Do you need anything? Food? Coffee? Someone to talk to?”
Was he for real? Becket opened his mouth to tell him to fuck off, but Sky got in first.
“I’m okay. I’ve actually got a bit of a headache, and we were about to rest.” Then she leaned into Becket, her arm wrapping around his waist as she rested her head on his chest. “Thank you for coming though.”
Becket tightened his hold on her.
Frustration flickered in Tony’s eyes. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay.”
He hadn’t even finished turning when Becket slammed the door closed.
Sky gasped and frowned up at him. “Becket!”
“Come on, the asshole knew it was coming.”
She rolled her eyes, and that simple action made some of the weight lift from his chest. Not all of it—someone had still broken into her house—but the eye roll was a small flash of her old self.
“How did he know about the break-in?” Becket asked.
“How do you think?”
“Your father.”
“Yep. I should go to bed.” Her gaze went to the stairs behind him. She nibbled her bottom lip. “Will you go up there with me?”
He held her close for an extra moment. “Come on.”
They walked up the stairs together, but the second Sky stepped into the bedroom, she stopped.
Shit . He should have picked stuff up after fixing the fence and back door. They’d already been up here to check what was stolen, but she’d been in a haze then.
Someone had violated her personal space. This room would probably feel uncomfortable for a while.
He touched a hand to the small of her back. “I’ll help you clean up.”
She nodded, but her face was damn pale.
He grabbed a handful of T-shirts that had been pulled from her dresser, before looking at her. “So, we never finished the conversation about dinner at my mom’s.”
A small smile twitched at her lips as she bent to pick up some socks. “That’s because you sprung it on me when I was in the middle of mentally murdering you.”
“Really? What method did you go with?”
“Poison. I thought you’d beat me on strength, and I’d never be able to sneak up on you and stab you or anything, but watching you die slowly seemed kind of appealing.”
He threw his head back and laughed. The woman definitely hadn’t lost her sense of humor. “Smart.”
“You said the dinner was Sunday?”
“Yeah, is that okay?”
“It is for me, but do you feel bad about lying to your mom?”
“No.” Nervous? Yeah. Because she’d probably see right through it.
“Okay. Um, dinner sounds great. Unless you think I’ll be grilled for information.”
“Nah, that’s not her style. She’ll kill you with kindness and sneak the questions in so that you don’t know you’re being investigated.”
“I’ll have to be on my A game then so I don’t let the truth slip.” Sky grinned at him before cringing. “I’m sorry about the comment about your ego and IQ.”
“Don’t be. It made me laugh.” A genuine, full belly laugh.
A few seconds of silence passed, but he didn’t miss the side glances Sky shot his way.
He bit back the laugh. “What is it, Peaches?”
“Are we going to go back to hating each other tomorrow?”
“I have never hated you, nor will I ever hate you.”
“Okay. But will we be enemy neighbors again?”
“No. Just neighbors who pretend to date while throwing out insults every other minute.”
This time she laughed. “Jeez, we’re complicated.”
“Better than boring.”
“Okay, one more question before I put my head down and really get to work.”
“Shoot.”
“Why do you have a penis sculpture in your living room?”
His mouth widened into a giant fucking smile. Whatever he’d thought she was going to ask, it wasn’t that. “It’s a replica of a sculpture in a park in Des Moines. I went there with my team between missions. I made a joke about it, and my buddy gave it to me as a joke present for my birthday.”
“And now you put it up in your living room.”
“When I look at it, it makes me smile. Not because of what it is, but because I remember how I felt when he gave it to me.”
The smile slipped from her lips, and she frowned. “You’re deeper than I thought.” Then her eyes widened. Because she hadn’t meant to say that out loud?
“Don’t let anyone else know. It’s my best-kept secret.”
She shook her head, but even as they cleaned, she didn’t stop looking his way. And he only knew that because of how often he looked at her .
“You know I’m sleeping on your couch, right?” he asked when they were almost finished.
“No, Becket, you don’t need to do that.”
“I do.”
“No—”
“Sky. Just say thank you.”
Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth. She wanted him to sleep on the couch. She didn’t need to say the words out loud for him to know that.
Finally, she dipped her head. “Thank you.”
And that was his small win in an otherwise shitty day. That she trusted him enough to help her feel safe.