Page 27 of Stirring Attraction (Second Shot 2)
“Sounds like a plan,” he said.
“Good.” She shifted off his lap and onto the couch beside him. Her long legs reached for the opposite arm as she pulled the throw blanket draped over the back of the sofa down onto her. The grey covering stole away his view, but then she rested her head against his thigh and he was grateful for the blanket.
He would have survived the next few hours staring at her lace panties and all of the tempting skin her underwear and T-shirt failed to cover. But there was a part of him that wanted to keep her awake, that wanted to take their little game of “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” from the other night to the next, very naked level. That part of him was pretty damn close to her face right now, and hard to miss.
She lifted her right hand and captured his. She intertwined their fingers. Then she drew their joined hands down to rest in front of her body.
“So you don’t slip away while I’m sleeping,” she said.
“I’ll be right here as long as you need me. I promise.”
“I know.” Her eyelids drifted shut as if the exhaustion was finally taking hold, thrusting aside her near-constant worry. “You never once left without saying goodbye. It’s not your style.”
But I always left.
He stared down at the messy pile of blond hair strewn over his legs. He studied the fading red reminder of the attack on her cheek. He was hard-pressed now to see why he’d left.
The army. Your duty. Your drive to serve. . .
Yes, that was a part of him even now that he’d been sidelined. But why had he pushed Lily away? After her mother died, he should have come home, gotten down on one knee, and taken her back to Georgia. They could have bought a house near the base.
But I never would have been there.
She would have been alone while he deployed, removed from the hometown that loved her and could comfort her while she grieved. But dammit, he should have given her the choice instead of pushing her away.
He looked up and stared out into the dark night beyond the sliding door. On some level, he knew there was more to his messed-up logic. He’d wanted to be more—a man at the top of his game—before he claimed her.
And I fucking failed.
There would never be anyone else for him. He’d always known that even if he’d tried to bury that truth from himself.
Her hand gave his damaged palm a squeeze and he glanced down at her. Her eyes were still closed. And she finally looked relaxed. Peaceful. And yeah, he’d given that to her. For tonight.
But how the hell did he become the man she needed in her life beyond the sunrise?
Chapter Eight
LILY RAISED HER hand and prepared to give the martini another shake. Maybe, after another round—or ten—she’d also shake off the ridiculous impulse to curl up half-naked on the couch with the man who’d walked out of her life over and over.
Shake. Shake.
The man who’d made it clear he hadn’t come home to stay. The man who didn’t bother to leave the house unless he had someone to save—
“Easy there,” her boss called. Noah stepped in front of her and gently slipped the thoroughly mixed drink from her hand. “I know this is only your second martini, but you just need to shake it for ten or fifteen seconds. If the customer orders it stirred, then you can go to town for a full minute. But if you stir with that much energy, you won’t have anything left in the glass.”
“Sorry.” She handed the chilled glass to Noah.
“Not a problem. I don’t expect all the kindergarten teachers that I hire to make a mean martini the first time or two.”
He flashed the easy smile he’d worn back in high school and the years afterward. He’d lost it for a while after he’d left the marines. But ever since Josie had walked back into his life, he seemed to be more and more his old self.
She stole a glance at the brooding, bearded man sitting at the far end of the bar. Maybe with enough time and care, Dominic could find his way back too . . .
Except “back” for him was the army. And she wasn’t in any position to help him. Not when she still woke up screaming at night.
“Look, I’m not trying to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong,” Noah said after the waiting customer disappeared with her drink. “But does your desire to shake that drink into submission have something to do with our friend sipping coffee at the end of the bar? I can make Dominic wait in his truck if that would be easier for you. To be honest, I wasn’t a hundred percent on board with Josie’s plan to drag him back here. Though I do think he needed someone to kick his ass into gear.”
