Page 10 of The Commander

I opened my mouth to tell the captain what the jerk had said to me, but Noah held up his hand, halting me. “You want to press charges?”

“No, sir,” Tyrell ground out, knowing I’d be forced to share the history of his bullying and harassment if he did. There were witnesses, so he was smart to keep his big mouth shut.

I shouldn’t have hit him, I guess, but he’d crossed the line with that comment that day, and he knew it.

“Both of you will remain on base this weekend and pick up extra duties. For two weeks. If it happens again, your ranks are up for grabs. Do you understand?” Noah said firmly, glancing at us with disappointment written all over his face.

“Yes, sir.” We both stood.

“Parker, please remain.”

Shit.

Tyrell stared between us, still holding the ice to his face, and shot me a knowing look—he knew nothing—and walked out.

“What was that about, Quinn?” Noah asked, walking around the desk and stopping a little too close, towering over my five-foot-four frame.

I shivered. “I was out of line, sir.”

“That wasn’t my question.”

I chewed the inside of my mouth, hoping he would lose patience and dismiss me.

“Quinn.”

God, the way he said my name—it sent ripples of lust straight to my core. The number of times I’d made myself come to the sound of his voice in my head was shameful.

Sure, Noah was eight years my senior and my commanding officer, but the chemistry between us boiled away like a hot pot of oil.

The way his eyes lingered longer, his fingers curled, his nostrils flared. It turns out he was just as aware of my tells even when I thought I was hiding them.

Climbing on his bike each weekend was a dead giveaway at that point, but I was about to blow that. In more ways than one.

I was playing with fire, with Tyrell and my father breathing down my neck, waiting for me to fail. But I was damned if I’d do anything that said my success was because of my vagina.

Back then and now.

I looked up that day and met his stare. “Tyrell said something inappropriate and I couldn’t let it go.”

“Said. Or touched you?” Noah growled—literally growled—and his hands, which had been behind his back, fell to his sides.

Ready to rip Tyrell to pieces.

And he would for me; I already knew that.

My heart began to beat rapidly. I wished Noah could touch me, and that I could let him. That his large body could be the one climbing over me, between my legs, sliding his tongue between my folds, whispering in my ear, making crude promises he’d deliver while I screamed.

Something that could never happen.

“He never touched me.” I shook my head. Tyrell might be a snake, but I wouldn’t lie. I wouldn’t use the connection Noah and I had to my advantage.

“If I find out he’s—”

We both glanced down as his hand gripped my hip. Then he quickly stepped away and cursed.

I sucked in a breath.

“Dismissed, Lieutenant,” Noah rasped.