Page 22 of Protecting Vera

He reached up and ran his thumb over her cheek. “I swear, I’ll never do any of that stuff to you. It makes me mad that he—” Hop huffed out a breath. “I’m big, and I know I’m strong, but with that comes the responsibility of never attacking, always walking away to cool off if I get mad. I mean, the officers I have to deal with sometimes are assholes. There is no way I would survive if I told them what I thought about them. I’m saying this to get across that I wont react or fly off the handle. I’ll always respect you and your body.”

She cupped his cheek, loving how he tilted his head to lean into her touch. “I think we can make this work.”

“You’ve been here for a couple of weeks, so we know a little about each other.”

“I feel like I know you better than I did when I showed up.”

“That’s good, but we need to know each other even better. I know we’re both turned on.”

Heat rose up her neck. “Oh goodness, I’m so embarrassed.”

“Why? You’re fucking hot, and I’m highly turned on. I want you so much. And if we do eventually end up in bed, it’s going to be amazing.”

His words had her turned on, though she’d just had an orgasm from rubbing up against him. She wanted more of what his body promised. “By the time we do make it to bed together, it’s going to be molten.”

“I like the idea of molten.” His heated gaze raked over her body. “Yeah, we’re going to be very hot when we do take the next step.”

She bit her lower lip, trying not to think about sex but knowing all she wanted was to strip down and see what he felt like stretched out underneath or on top of her. “So what should we do?”

“Let’s eat dinner, then watch a movie.”

“Not something sexy. Maybe action or comedy.”

His deep chuckle vibrated right through her. It seemed like everything he did turned her on. She wanted this to work.

“Yeah, watching something super sexy wouldn’t be good for either of us.”

She shook her head, wishing they were further into their journey, but she was glad they were taking the time to get to know each other. For this to last, they needed more than just wishing to make it work.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Hop had never really had a girlfriend like this. At least not once he was an adult. High school didn’t really count, not like this. He’d learned early on that dating while in the Navy was too much. The women he went out with started sleeping around when he deployed and that always ruined the fun. It was easier to never commit. But with Vera, he wanted more, he wanted commitment.

They made dinner and were watching the movie when a knock sounded on the door. He stopped the movie, then grabbed his phone, checking to see if anyone had texted. His phone was clear of notifications. Maybe it was a neighbor.

“Who do you think that is?” Vera asked.

“Not sure. Let me see.”

Vera pulled her feet up and wrapped her arms around her knees. He hated what she’d gone through to get here. Before opening the door, he thought about grabbing his Glock, but he didn’t.

He pulled the door open, surprised to see a police officer. “Hello.”

“Sorry to bother you. We’re just out asking questions. The house that burned down last week, did you know the person who lived there?”

He shook his head. “No, sir. I knew they moved in last year, and that’s all I know.”

“You remember them moving in?”

He nodded. “I don’t like surprises. I don’t know everyone in the area, but I do keep up with when people move out or sell their houses. I might miss a few, but I try to keep up with who my neighbors are.”

“Oh, but you didn’t know this guy.”

He shook his head. “No, sir. I never met him.”

“Did you see anything the night of the fire or the week leading up to the fire?”

He thought back over the time. “No, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.”

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