Page 55 of Her Delta Force Protector

She was his best friend because he felt safe with her. His teammates were his brothers, and he was as close to them as unrelated men could be. He’d die for any one of them. But they only knew the Kade he showed them, the one willing to walk into danger without blinking an eye, the one who they never doubted had their backs. He ate with them, drank with them, joked with them, but he never let them see the real Kade.

As for his blood family, his love for them was bone deep, and he’d give his life for his two brothers, his niece, and now Skylar without a second thought. But she didn’t think they really knew him, that he kept his true self hidden from them, too. She found that sad. If there was anyone who could convince him he was worthy, it was his brothers.

In the year she’d known him—become close friends with him—she’d been an observant student of Kade Church, snatching up the crumbs he unintentionally dropped, giving her teasing tidbits of who he was. She’d studied the man with the fascination of an archaeologist digging for a rare artifact. He’d only given her glimpses of that lost little boy who lived inside him, the one who didn’t believe he was lovable. She’d always wanted to tell him he was wrong, but if she’d even hinted that she was figuring him out, he would have disappeared from her life. That was a loss she wasn’t willing to risk, so she’d kept her observations to herself.

Another thing she kept to herself—she could love him if he’d only let her.

“I got one,” he said, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Foxy lady. I like it, so you have to.”

“I do, huh?” She did like it.

“Yep. Now you need one for me, and it’s not hottie pants.”

“Okay. How about stud muffin?”

He snorted. “Try again.”

“Sugar lips?”

“Nope, but just sugar’s good, though. I’ve always wanted to be someone’s sugar.”

“You have not.” The last thing this man wanted was to be in a committed relationship. She knew that going in, so she knew to protect her heart.

“Maybe I want to be a foxy lady’s sugar.”

“Fine, but I want it on record that I vote for stud muffin.”

“Noted.” He leaned over and put his mouth to her ear. “You can call me stud muffin when I’m buried deep inside you.”

Heaven help her.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

After sending Harper inside, Kade secured the boat, then with Duke at his side, he walked the tree line around the cabin. There weren’t any footprints that didn’t belong, and nothing was disturbed. He hadn’t received an alert on his phone that the cameras had picked up any activity, but he’d watch the security feeds later just to be sure.

Duke’s favorite squirrel raced halfway down a tree, chattering away at the dog. Duke let out a happy bark at seeing his nemesis and jumped up, trying to reach the squirrel. The rodent loved to torment the dog, always staying just out of reach.

While the two of them played, Kade called Tristan, updated him on what Nick had learned, and arranged to meet after his brother received Harper’s laptop. When he finished his call, he whistled for Duke.

“Let’s go, bud. There’s a foxy lady waiting for me.” He was over running hot and cold as she’d accused him of, but the soldier in him couldn’t turn off the need to make a reconnoitering walk around the property. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to give Harper the attention she deserved.

They’d both needed a few hours away from thinking or talking about what was coming at them. The silly business with pet names had added laughter to their afternoon. He’d always had fun with her, and he never wanted that to change.

If she hadn’t kissed him, he wouldn’t have surrendered. But she had, and he had, and now she was waiting for him. With each step he took toward the cabin, the faster he walked.

The shower was running when he came inside, and he thought about joining her. He shook his head to rid his mind of an image of Harper slick and wet, her skin soapy and smelling like the coconut body wash she used. Yes, he’d sniffed it when he’d showered last night.

Instead of shedding his clothes and slipping in behind her, he checked that the doors and windows were locked. After setting the alarm, he fed Duke, then leaned back against the hallway wall while Duke chowed down. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the hair tie and stared at it. He still didn’t understand why he was keeping it, other than now that he’d been carrying it around in his pocket for a few days, it felt like it belonged with him.

The shower shut off, and he put the tie back in his pocket. The bathroom door opened, and a vision wrapped in a towel walked out of the steam. She stilled at seeing him, and when she smiled, his long dormant heart woke up and banged around in his chest. That had never happened before, and he wished it would go back to sleep.

“Hi,” she whispered in a sultry voice he’d never heard from her before.

“Hi, yourself.” His feet took over, and he stepped in front of her. “Are you sure about this?” He pointed a finger at her then back at him. “Us?”

“Yes.”

One simple word uttered without a doubt in her mind. “You won’t let me hurt you?”

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