Page 42 of Relentless Hearts
But she definitely didn’t want to see how this ended.
Decker only held the guy for a loaded moment before he released him. Turning to Willow, his warm hand landed on her lower back, urging her and Felicity outside with military precision.
Outside, Willow gulped in the cold winter air, her heart racing from the sudden violence. “Oh my god, Decker! What is going on?”
But he was already moving them toward the Black Heart truck, his head swinging left and right as he scanned the parking lot like he expected more trouble to materialize from the shadows.
The focused intensity radiating from him was both reassuring and unsettling—this wasn’t the quiet, thoughtful man who read books in his spare time.
This was someone else entirely. Someone dangerous.
And panty-meltingly hot.
“Felicity, did you drive tonight?” His tone was rough.
“No. The ladies picked me up.”
“Text them and let them know we’re giving you a ride and you’re safe.”
As they drove Felicity home, a thousand questions crowded her mind. How had he moved so fast?
She’d known he was military, but seeing him in action was something else entirely. In a blink, he had assessed the threat, neutralized it and extracted them from the situation. It was over in seconds.
Felicity let out a small chuckle. “I think the girls and I will be skipping margarita night at the Rusty Spur from now on. I just wish the town had more entertainment besides bars and churches.”
Willow twisted in the front seat, hoping her smile didn’t show her strain. “And it wasn’t even Saturday night.”
Felicity, bless her, continued to fill the silence with nervous talk. When they pulled up to her house, Decker reached for the door handle. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
“Sure. Talk to you tomorrow, Willow.”
After he returned, silence settled over them like a heavy blanket. Willow could feel Decker’s tension throbbing in the foot of space separating them, could see how he gripped the steering wheel just a little too tightly.
A shiver walked down her spine. “The way you put that guy up against the wall with one hand…”
His throat clicked as he swallowed hard.
“One hand.” Her voice took on the awe she felt after seeing it. “Like the man weighed nothing at all!”
“I’m not violent.” His tone was quiet and rough around the edges. He didn’t look directly at her. “I need you to know that. What you saw back there—”
“You’re a Navy SEAL,” she interrupted. “It was your job.”
She watched him processing her words, maybe surprised that she understood.
“Wasmy job. Unless it’s job-related, I don’t…” He broke off. “I was trying to protect you, Willow.”
“I know that.” And she did. This was the man who made her french toast and spoke to horses like they were old friends.
The way he looked at her through the darkness made something flutter deep in her belly. His earthy brown eyes burned with that raw hunger that made her breath catch.
She should be alarmed by what she’d witnessed tonight. Instead, all she could focus on was that sexy, low rumble in his voice that did dangerous things to her pulse and how he’d handled a situation that could have gone very wrong very quickly.
When he pulled up to the front door of the ranch house, he put the truck in park but left the engine running. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
It was only a few steps to the porch.
“No.” The word came out more abruptly than she intended, and his eyebrows lifted in surprise. She met his gaze across the darkness. “I’m coming with you.”
