Page 35 of Adoring Delaney

Not only had I not stayed out of it, I’d followed Derek to a storage unit, trying to be a super sleuth, got caught, then I’d been forced to accept his invitation to dinner so I didn’t blow my brother’s case. Jason had been pissed, rightfully so, but he’d been off the charts mad at me that night.

And even after all of that, getting caught by Derek when I’d been following him, forced to sit across from a man who was suspected of using teenagers as drug dealers I’d been stupid enough not to be extra careful. I’d gone about my life not caring about my safety.

And I paid a hefty price. Carter did, too.

How could he ever forgive me for that?

The doorbell rang but I was frozen in place. Doubt crept in and I started making excuses why I wasn’t going to go out with Carter. And I had a lot of them. Thousands of excuses why this was stupid but only one real reason. And that was fear.

Fear he’d hurt me.

Fear he’d leave me.

Fear that after all of this time, he’d figure out that maybe I was just comfortable but not who he wanted.

“Laney baby?”

Damn.

“I need to change my locks,” I grumbled.

“Wouldn’t matter if you do. I’ll just pick it,” Carter returned.

I lifted my head and opened my eyes but kept my hands planted on the vanity. My gaze met his reflection in the mirror and I was happy I had something to keep me upright. He was wearing a black button-up shirt that complemented his skin tone, and brought out the green in his eyes. The pair of khaki chinos fit snug but they weren’t too tight and I knew from experience the view from behind would be awesome. Carter Lenox had a great ass.

“You know how to pick a lock?” I asked.

“I do,” he confirmed.

His features turned thoughtful and I wasn’t sure why. I was still stuck on my newly gained knowledge.

“Can you hotwire a car?”

“Yep.”

“Do you know CPR?”

“After I finished BUD/s I had a twenty-seven-week combat medic course. So, yes, I know CPR.” I had no idea he’d done that. “Why are you frowning?”

The man had spent almost a decade in my bed and I didn’t know much about him. I hadn’t known he could pick a lock, could hotwire a car, or that he’d had twenty seven weeks of medical training. That was over six months, six months he’d been gone somewhere and I’d never known.

“I don’t know you,” I whispered on a wheeze.

It was in times like these, when the reminders came, that my heart hurt. He was a virtual stranger.

“Baby, you do.”

“I had no idea you were a medic.”

“I wasn’t, not really. Each team has two combat medic billets to fill. I was selected to go, and took the training. Filled that spot on one deployment, then a hospital corpsman rotated into our team and I no longer filled the spot.”

“What did you do then? Like what was your job?”

“AOIC.”

“What’s that?” God, I felt dumb, but I knew nothing about the Navy and anytime in the past if I’d started to ask, he’d shut me down. I only knew he was a SEAL because the whole family flew to San Diego for his graduation. Had it not been a family affair, I doubted he would’ve told me.

“Assistant Officer In Charge.”

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