Page 21 of Protecting Andie

Feeling how wet Andie was almost made him come as he first slipped in. He held it together until she came, but he fell apart almost immediately.

He pulled her into the shower and washed her body, kissing her as the warm water splashed down on them. After the shower, he dried her off then led her back to the bed. He held her close, loving waking up to her plastered against him. He could wake to her every morning without ever getting tired of the sight of her.

The day was packed with small activities. People were arriving, and Andie was greeting each couple and giving them a bag of goodies.

Rider was amazed that Emily was giving people a bag of stuff for coming to her wedding. Tomorrow they were doing a scavenger hunt and the winner would get a specially-made quilt featuring the area. They had some smaller prizes for the second and third-place winners.

He thought the scavenger hunt was a great idea to get the guests out and having fun in the city. It also made it so Derik andEmily didn’t have to provide the entertainment. He hadn’t really had a plan for what to do this week before the wedding. He’d honestly thought he would spend time working out, but now he planned on helping Andie. It would be nice to spend time with her and get to know her better.

Andie hadn’t had this much engagement or help from a man, ever. Rider engaged so well with all the guests. It was like he was the perfect host. He made people laugh and helped them with any problems. He carried luggage for the older couples and entertained the one baby who’d come with the parents. By the end of the day, she was exhausted. Rider seemed to have a boundless amount of energy and offered to go pick up food for them. Reluctantly, she agreed because she really wanted a soak in the tub.

She was just finishing up in the tub when Rider came back. The food smelled great, and it tasted wonderful, but she fell asleep while eating on the couch. Rider took the food and stored it before she woke up.

She woke, blinking up at him like she had no idea why he was there. Then it all came back. “Oh my, I’m sorry. I passed out.”

“No worries. You worked hard today and took care of so many people.”

“So did you, and you didn’t pass out.”

He shrugged. “My job is physically taxing.”

She ran her fingers down his arm. “I do benefit from your physically taxing job.”

His laughter was low, and he glanced away shyly. She thought that maybe he didn’t get too many compliments.

“How long has it been since you were involved with someone?”

He shrugged. “Honestly, I’ve never really been serious. My job is a major factor in people not wanting to be close. They don’t like the idea of me being gone for months on end. I get calledout for missions that are last minute. If we’re called in, it’s not something that will be quick, and it probably won’t be close. I can’t tell you where I’m going or what I’ll be doing. People don’t like that much secrecy.”

She thought about it for a moment and shrugged. “You know, that doesn’t bother me. What would bug the shit out of me is you treating me like shit.”

He held her gaze. “I would never.”

“I don’t like cheating either.”

“Same. And if I wanted to be with someone else, I would tell you. I would end what we had before I cheated. Honesty is something I value. No, I can’t tell you what I’m doing with work, so it may seem like I’m being dishonest, but I’m not. In my private life, I would be dedicated.”

“I believe you. You seem like the kind of man who would stick by me if something happened.”

“I would. I’ve known a few guys from my first post whose wives got cancer. Only one of them didn’t stick around, and everyone who knew him told him he was a piece of shit. The rest of the guys said it was hard, but they didn’t walk.”

“That would be hard,” Andie said.

He shrugged. “When you live by ‘The only easy day was yesterday,’ it gives you perspective. I mean—” Rider rolled his eyes. “I know this is going to sound shitty, but you stay by dying pets and dying loved ones. If you wouldn’t walk away from your older dog, why would you walk from a dying spouse?”

Andie laughed. “Oh my, that isn’t something you should share in certain spaces, but yeah, I agree. You don’t walk.”

“Guys in the military get blown up. I could come home from a mission without legs.”

She held his gaze, not flinching. “I would never want that for you, but if it happened, we would figure out how to deal with it.”

“We’re getting deep here.”

“We are.”

“So when you come down to San Diego, I mentioned a guest room. I really want you in my bed, not a guest room.”

He made her laugh so easily. It felt good being with him. She could see them lasting. When she first met Emily, she really never thought she would find a man to spend the rest of her life with. She’d hoped she would, but at the time dates were few and far between. With Rider it was too early to call this a done deal, but the excitement of being with him had her thinking it could last.

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