Page 45 of Her Delta Force Protector

As soon as he stepped outside, he blew out a breath, sent a curse into the air, and adjusted his jeans. She was a girl who deserved the man of her dreams, he reminded himself. He didn’t know how to dream and sure as hell didn’t know how to give someone else theirs.

What he knew how to do was kill bad guys, keep people safe, and use his muscles to carry in the food. Those were pretty much his specialties. He paused at the bottom of the steps to watch Duke playing in the lake, and he smiled at the silly dog. If only humans had the traits of a dog. Dogs loved unconditionally. They didn’t care about skin color, or gender, or social status. They just loved.

Kade picked up a stick and threw it past Duke’s bobbing head. Harper’s dog barked a sound of joy as he swam after the stick. When this was over, she would leave and take her dog with her. Best to ignore this urge to find a way to keep them in his life.

He carried in two coolers, one stacked on top of the other. “Here’s the first load.” Two more trips and he had all the coolers, along with her suitcase and duffel bag in. He took her things to the second room. When he returned to the kitchen, Harper had put all the cold items in the fridge and was busy stocking the pantry.

“You got me yogurt with cherries on the bottom and pepper Jack cheese.” She came to him, lifted on her toes, and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for remembering.”

“You’re welcome.” She’d always been easy to please, and he liked making her happy. He liked her kissing him, too, even if it was only on the cheek. Before he shared that little fact with her, he grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, something to keep his mouth busy before words he shouldn’t say slipped out.

“We should be friends with benefits while we’re here.”

His water went down wrong, and he choked. She had her back to him as she organized the pantry to her liking, and she’d said that no differently than if she’d said it was a nice day out. Maybe he’d heard her wrong. Maybe she’d said she wanted eggs Benedict.

She glanced over her shoulder. “You okay?”

No. He was far from okay. He hadn’t heard her wrong, but he was going to pretend he hadn’t heard her at all. “I’m going to get Duke out of the water. He’ll stay in the lake all day if you let him.”

“Okay.”

Coward, he thought as he walked outside. Give him guns shooting at him any day of the week and he wouldn’t blink twice, but his best friend offering something he desperately wanted, and he was running for cover.

He grabbed the towel he’d left draped over the railing the last time he was here, then walked to the lake. He whistled for Duke, and the dog swam to shore, shook so hard to displace the water on his coat that he fell off his feet. “You’re ridiculous,” Kade muttered with a chuckle. Duke got himself upright, then knowing the drill, raced to Kade.

“Man to man, what would you do if a girl you really liked wanted to be friends with benefits?” Kade snorted. “Yeah, silly question to ask a dog. If you still had your balls, you wouldn’t even have to think about it. Am I right?”

Could they be friends with benefits while they were here and still be best friends when this was over? If he was sure they could, he’d be all in. That was a big if, though, so unlike Duke, he’d do some hard thinking.

Finished drying Duke, Kade decided to take a walk around the perimeter of the cabin and do some of that thinking before he went inside and faced the big elephant that would be in the room now.

Chapter Twenty-Three

So, that was a mistake, offering herself up as a friend with benefits. Harper finished putting the groceries away after Kade pretended not to hear her and walked out. She wasn’t sorry she’d put what she wanted out there. Why shouldn’t she tell him what she wanted? Let him do with it what he would. If he came back inside and acted like she hadn’t offered him her body without strings, then he better not kiss her again. His running hot and cold didn’t work for her.

Movement outside the kitchen window caught her attention, and she moved to the sink where she could see better. Kade was standing at the tree line, looking up. At what? As if sensing she was watching him, he shifted his gaze to the kitchen window. He stared at her, and she stared back, then he walked out of sight with Duke at his heels.

She let out a breath when she couldn’t see him anymore. The groceries were put away, so she went looking for her things. The first bedroom had a king-size bed and several items on the nightstand, including a few books. She wanted to check the titles but was afraid he’d come in and catch her snooping since this was obviously his bedroom.

In a smaller bedroom across the hall, her duffel bag and suitcase were on one of the twin beds. She opened the dresser drawers, and finding them empty, put the clothes from the suitcase away. Although...she took back a pair of jeans, two T-shirts, two pairs of panties, and a bra. If those men found them, she and Kade might have to bug out in a hurry, and she meant to be prepared. After putting the spare clothes in the duffel, she set it next to the bedroom door where it would be easy to grab if necessary.

Duke raced into the bedroom—wet and rambunctious—and jumped on the bed and rubbed his body on the spread to dry his fur. Duke being in the house meant Kade was, too. Time to go see if things were going to be awkward between them.

She found him in the kitchen. “Hey.”

“Getting settled in?”

“Not much to settle, but yes.”

He took a loaf of bread out of the pantry. “How’s sandwiches sound for dinner? Something simple for tonight since I doubt either one of us feels like cooking.”

“Sounds good to me.” She’d found the plates and silverware earlier, and when he got out the makings for the sandwiches, she opened the cabinet to get them.

“Why don’t we make our sandwiches and take them out on the porch?”

“I’d like that.”

He set out deli ham, roast beef, and turkey, put all three of the meats on his sandwich, and she went with the ham. After their sandwiches were made, she handed him a beer.

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