Page 203 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

“Where’s the package?” the short man asked, his hawk eyes scoping the room.

Maddox jutted his thumb. “In the bedroom.”

A wave of nausea assaulted Addie.Package?Not a package, but a human being. Her attacker! What world had sheinadvertently stepped into? She looked at Maddox who seemed perfectly at ease now that the identities of the men were assured. It went through her mind that even if there were no Felicity, it was doubtful Addie could survive in Maddox’s world. How did Delaney do it? She was having a baby, for goodness sake! There was no guarantee that when Corbin walked out the door every morning that he’d come back in the evening. A shiver ran through Addie. She couldn’t live like that! It was better that things had cooled with Maddox. She needed to keep reminding herself of that and not let the all-consuming attraction she felt for him trip her up. As much as it hurt, she’d made the only decision she could—to break it off to protect her heart. Maybe it was one of those situations where, if you had to go back and do it all over again, you’d make the exact same painful decision you did to start with.

Maddox motioned. “This way.” The men walked by first, followed by Maddox. As he passed Addie, he touched her arm. His concerned look told her that her feelings were being broadcast on her face. “I’ll be right back,” he reassured her.

She nodded.

He paused and turned back. “Oh, could you get that jewelry for me? I want to look at it and then send it with these guys, so Sutton can run a check on it.”

“Sure. Oh, I forgot to tell you. The bracelet clasp broke so I took it to a jewelry shop to have it repaired.” She never had gotten around to calling Mr. Steinway about the bracelet. It had completely slipped her mind.

“We need to get that piece too.”

“Okay, I’ll call about it tomorrow.”

He nodded. His perceptive eyes raked over her, making her feel like she was an open book. “Are you okay?”

The tenderness in his gaze caused a lump to form in her throat. No, she wasn’t okay. Nothing about this whole thing was okay. “I’m fine.”

He gave her a doubtful look.

“Really.” She wrapped a plastic smile around her lips. “Go on in there. The men are waiting for their package.” Irony hung heavy in her voice. “I’ll get the jewelry.”

“What’s wrong?” he pressed.

Tears misted her eyes. “I said I’m fine,” she growled. “Go!”

Chapter Nine

Nights were the hardest, the time when the terrors of the past rose like mountainous shadows, blocking out even the tiniest sliver of light. In his dreams, the dank scent of the jungle filled his nostrils and caused sweat to boil over his nose. His heart pounded out a haphazard beat as he clutched the sheet with his fist, trying to regulate his breathing. He’d dreamt of his captivity in Syria, suffered the hollow gnawing of his empty stomach, choked on the rancid water, felt the sinking desperation of fear that he wouldn’t make it out of there alive.

His only consolation had been the camaraderie of his fellow SEALs. He was grateful his buddies were part of Sutton’s private security team. The offer had been a package deal, all of them or none. Maddox was grateful for this new chapter in his life. He just wished he could lick this infernal PTSD. While it was his greatest desire to move forward and leave the past behind, his mind couldn’t seem to get the memo.

Maddox took in a breath, willing his body to relax.In through the nose, out through the mouth.Why had the PTSD hit him tonight? Maybe it was because he was worried that he wouldn’t be able to protect Addie from whatever was coming. A shiver slithered down his spine, causing the sweat on his browto run cold. Today had been a close call. Had he arrived a few minutes later, Addie would’ve been gone. He had to remain vigilant and not let his personal feelings for Addie prevent him from protecting her.

He was on a pallet beside Addie’s bed. He’d lain awake long after she’d fallen asleep, thinking about her. Something had shifted when Sutton’s men came to get the attacker. Addie had become withdrawn, cool. He knew she was fighting her own demons about Jordan and Piper, but he got the feeling that her change in attitude had something to do with him. Addie was a hard woman to figure out. One minute he felt like they were getting closer and the next, there was a skyscraper-sized barrier between them.

He propped his arms behind his head, noting with satisfaction that his breathing had returned to normal. Relaxation techniques helped tremendously. And it didn’t hurt to have something other than his own past to focus on. He grinned thinking how he didn’t mind shifting his thoughts to Addie. He cocked his ears to listen for her breathing.

Silence.

Panic seized him as he sat up. He glanced toward the window and saw a flash of lightning. A second later, a loud clap of thunder sounded.

“Hey,” Addie said, sleep coating her voice. “It’s stormy.”

“Yeah.” The wind picked up, sending rain splattering against the window. He angled to face her bed. Another flash of lightning lit the room. He caught the outline of her face and realized she’d scooted to the edge of the bed and was lying on her side, looking down at him. A deep ache trickled through his body. It was torture being this close to the woman he loved when he couldn’t take her in his arms. “How long have you been awake?”

“Long enough to hear you mumbling in your sleep. What language were you speaking?”

Crap! There was no telling what he’d said. Often the dreams were so terrible that he woke up screaming. “Arabic.”

“I’ll bet it was terrible over there.”

“Yes,” he admitted.

“How did you survive?”

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