Page 42 of Keeping Laryn
To her shock and delight, he didn’t speak—he kissed her. It was a chaste kiss, a mere brushing of his lips against hers, but it sent bolts of electricity down to her toes.
“Thank you for watching over me last night. For having my back. I’ll never forget what you did for me.” His voice was earnest and heartfelt, and the way it made her feel, all warm and fuzzy, was better than the electric energy his kiss made her feel.
Then he continued to the sink. He rinsed the plates as Laryn brought over the empty bowl. After the dishes were put away, she wasn’t sure what to do next.
Tate took the decision out of her hands.
“I need to head home. I want to change, call the guys, the manager of Anchor Point, tell all of them what happened. I’m thinking I probably also need to connect with Nate. He probably knows something is up with me, as that’s how things sometimes work between us since we’re twins. I want to reassure him that I’m good, and let him know how perfectly the trials went and to give him a heads-up that we’re being deployed next week. I also need to call Tex. You should come with me.”
But Laryn shook her head immediately. “That’s a no. I’m not going to sit around while you’re making your personal phone calls. I’ll go into work. I do have other things to do besides work on your helicopters, you know.”
“Bullshit,” Tate said with a grin. “You know my choppers are your first priority.”
The annoying thing was that he was right. “Well, I do needto make sureyourMH-60 is properly secured for her trip across the ocean to the destroyer.”
His smile died. “Stay on your toes. With Barb the bitch out there having been thwarted by you, and Osman…you need to stay alert for anything out of the ordinary.”
“I will.”
Tate stared at her for a long beat before turning and heading down the hallway toward her bedroom. Laryn noticed for the first time that his feet were bare. There was something so intimate about seeing him without the boots he always wore.
When he returned, she hadn’t moved, and he looked more like the cocky Night Stalker that he was. But there was a look in his eyes now that hadn’t been there before. They’d been through something intense together, even if he didn’t remember it. He was smart enough to realize the ramifications of what would’ve happened if she’d let him go with Barb. If she’d let her insecurities when it came to the other woman get the best of her. Or if her dad hadn’t educated her on the dangers of drugs being put into drinks to incapacitate the recipient. So many things could’ve gone a different way last night, and Laryn was thankful she was able to prevent Tate from falling victim to a predator.
Instead of walking past her toward the door, Tate came straight at her. Laryn stared up at him as he approached and didn’t flinch as he got into her personal space. He wrapped one hand around the back of her neck and the other around her waist as he pulled her close. Laryn melted against him and swallowed hard. The feeling of his calloused fingers around the sensitive skin of her nape made those stupid goose bumps return with a vengeance.
She liked everything about this man. His work ethic, his confidence, and yes, even his cockiness. When he wanted something, he went for it with no holds barred. And the fact that apparently he wantedherwas still something she was trying to wrap her mind around.
“I’d like to kiss you again,” he said, his lips hovering close but not touching.
Laryn licked her lips in anticipation but couldn’t seem to get her vocal cords to work.
“Laryn? I need consent. You can say no. I know this is fast. But what happened between us last night—you having my back with no expectation that I’d understand or wouldn’t for some inexplicable reason blame you, or accuseyouof drugging me—made me throw my plan to woo you slow and steady out the window.”
“You were going to…woome?” Laryn asked in surprise.
“Yeah. I finally got my head out of my ass and realized there was a woman I liked, respected, and desired right in front of me, and I’d been a stupid jerk and missed it for three years.”
Laryn wanted to cry. But she also tempered her excitement. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself.
“So…may I?” he asked again, nodding a little toward her lips.
“Yes. Please,” Laryn said on a sigh.
His head immediately lowered, and the second his lips touched hers, Laryn knew she’d never be the same again.
This kiss was different than the chaste “thank you” kiss he’d given her earlier. It started out sweet and gentle, but quickly flared out of control.
The hold on the back of her neck tightened as he growled deep in his throat. He licked her bottom lip, and Laryn opened for him. His tongue swept inside her mouth and took control, as she supposed he did with everything in his life. But Laryn was more than content to let him take the lead. It was all she could do to stay upright. Their tongues swirled together as each learned what the other liked. And when Tate nipped her lip, her belly swirled and those pesky goose bumps returned.
“Damn, woman,” he breathed as he moved his lips to a sensitive spot under her ear.
Laryn could feel how much he apparently enjoyed their kiss,his erection pressing against her belly as he held her against him. He lifted his head but didn’t pull away or remove his arms from around her.
“When?” he demanded.
“When what?” Laryn asked, secretly liked his Neanderthal grunts when he was feeling extreme emotions. He was so different than the vulnerable man she’d cradled to her bosom earlier in the bathroom. But she liked both sides of him.
“When are you letting me take you out?”
