Page 51 of Her Delta Force Protector

“You don’t think of a doctor as being an expert shooter.”

“What can I say? My dad’s a cool dude.”

So was his daughter. What other things about her didn’t he know? He called her his best friend, but their time together had mostly been spent watching movies, going out with their friends for a beer, or playing with Duke in the yard. The dog could spend all day catching a Frisbee or attempting to steal it when he and Harper tried to throw one to each other. They rarely talked about their pasts, and that was mostly his doing.

She put her gun away. “Can I shoot the long gun?”

“If you want.” He’d brought his Glock and the rifle, and he took the rifle out of its case. “You ever shoot one before?”

“Yep.”

That was a smug look on her face, so he knew he was going to be impressed again. He put his ear protectors back on, then stood and observed. When she finished, she glanced at him and shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal that once she had a few practice shots to learn the gun, she hit the bull’s-eye every time. Damn if she didn’t handle the long gun like a pro. A woman who knew how to shoot like that was hot. Who knew?

She put her hand on his arm. “Thanks for bringing me here. I had fun.”

There she went, touching him again. She’d been doing that a lot this morning. “We’ll do it again sometime.” But would they? Once it was safe for her to go home, she’d leave. He wasn’t liking the idea of that so much. There had never been another woman he’d felt as comfortable with as Harper, and not one he wanted as much as her.

“We can have a shooting competition.”

Now, that was definitely hot. Why did she have to be his best friend, a woman he’d cut off his arm before hurting? “Ready to head back to the cabin?” Before he decided it would be a good idea to back her up against the wall and show her the effect she was having on him.

She dropped her ear protectors and bent over to pick them up, drawing his eyes to her ass, and he almost groaned. Because he didn’t trust his hands to behave, he stuffed them in his pockets.

She had one of those secretive smiles on her face, and he narrowed his eyes. The little witch knew exactly what she was doing. Should he pretend he wasn’t onto her, or... Two could play this game. He’d spent the past ten years planning every move of an operation, and before he decided which direction to go, he needed to think and plan. But he couldn’t resist toying with her a little.

He took his shirt off.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s hot in here.”

“No, it’s not. Put your shirt back on.”

Funny how she was demanding he put his shirt on when her gaze was locked on his chest. He draped his shirt and the jacket he’d worn to the range over his arm, then gathered up his gun cases. “You coming?” As he walked away, he resisted the temptation to glance back to see her face.

She ran in front of him, forcing him to stop. “What’s wrong with you?”

That was a loaded question. “You got a few days?” He wanted to laugh.Still having fun with this game you’re playing, Harper?

“Put your damn shirt on,” she literally growled.

Since he’d made his point—not that he was sure exactly what his point was—he let out an exaggerated sigh. He did like how her eyes went right back to his chest. Something to keep in mind. “Sure, babe. All you had to do was ask.”

“Do. Not. Call. Me. Babe.”

He laughed. He knew that would rile her up. When was the last time he’d had this much fun? Answer, never. “Hold these.” He dumped his gun cases in her arms. “Commence putting shirt on.” Was that regret in her eyes when his chest was covered? He was pretty sure it was. “Happy?” He raised his brows.

“So happy,” she said, then pushed his gun cases back into his hands.

He grinned at her back when she marched away. She’d probably slap him if he told her how cute she was when she got all pissy. One of the things he’d always liked about her was how she could get him out of his head. That was one reason she was the first person he wanted to see after returning from a mission. He’d come home, shower, eat, sleep, and then he’d call her for a movie night or to go out for a beer. No matter what had gone down on the operation, a few hours with her and he’d feel human again.

After they climbed in his truck, his phone vibrated, Chase Talon’s name on the screen.

“Hey, Chase.”

“Your girl’s laptop has a bug. I’m putting Nick on to explain it since I don’t understand a word he’s saying.”

Kade wasn’t sure he’d understand any better than Chase. All he knew about the man was that he was a computer geek, a coder, and a gamer.

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