Page 17 of Operation K-9 Brothers
He nodded.“I’m not.I learned the hard way through experience and watching my teammates try to keep relationships going that they just don’t work for men like me.I want to keep seeing you as long as I’m here, but I don’t want you to expect something I can’t give you.”His gaze shifted to the waterfall, then back to her.“That sounds really selfish, doesn’t it?”
She shrugged.“Maybe a little, but I’d rather know where you stand than to find that out later.”When it was too late because she’d fallen for him.Because it was be an easy thing to do with this man if she didn’t guard her heart.
“If you want me to take you home, I’ll understand.”
“No.”She put her hand on his arm.“I’ve been warned.So we’ll agree that we’ll have fun while you’re here, and when it’s time for you to leave, the fun will be over.”
She already knew it was going to be hard to walk away from him, yet she wasn’t going to be smart.She had a history of falling for bad boys.Jack was nothing like any of her previous boyfriends.He was a nice guy, an honorable man, and a hero to his country.She could only respect him for being honest with her.
“Are you sure about this?Because the last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
“I’m sure.”She ignored the voice in her head that questioned her sanity.
“Then give me your mouth, Nichole,” he said as he leaned toward her.
It was both a command and asking for permission.She knew that if she refused, he would respect that.Yet—oh God, yet—it was the command in his voice that snared her, that sent heat spiraling through her.That had her ready to offer whatever he asked for.
“My mouth is yours,” she whispered.
“There is a God.”He closed the distance between them.
His lips touched hers, his mouth covered hers, and his scent wrapped around her.She’d been kissed more times than she could remember.Some had been great, some okay, and some forgettable.Never had she been kissed like this.Like she was being consumed, devoured.
He slid his tongue across the seam of her lips, and all she could do—wanted to do—was open to him.So she did.He leaned closer, placed his hand on her hip, and spanned his fingers over her shorts.
There was nothing innocent about his kiss.His mouth was a carnal thing, hot and demanding, his taste intoxicating.The heat from his body seeped into her.If she had a white flag, she’d happily wave it.She put her hand on his arm, wanting to touch him.When he tensed, she realized she’d placed her fingers on his scars.He was just going to have to get used to that.
“You didn’t have to stop,” she said when he pulled away.
“Yeah, I did.”His gaze shifted away from her, the heat that had been in his eyes fading.
“Jack?”
He darted her a glance, then returned his attention to the crystal-clear pool.“Not long after I got home from the hospital, I went out one night.I was lon...”He shook his head.“Sorry, this isn’t something I should be telling you.”
“Why not?So you went out.I’m guessing hoping to hook up?”Had he been about to say he was lonely?
“Yeah, that, so it would be bad manners for me to talk about that to you.”
“Why would it bother me?We didn’t know each other then.”She moved her hand higher on his arm to where the scars began.“Tell me about that night.”Not that she really wanted to hear about him hooking up with someone, but she believed there was something he needed to get off his chest.
He shrugged.“Nothing happened.”
“And why was that?”
“Because when I took off my shirt, she gasped when she saw my arm.Her exact words were, ‘I’m sorry, but I just can’t.’That was a mood killer if there ever was one.”
Nichole would like to have a few words with the woman.He’d gotten those scars being a hero in the service of his country, but she didn’t think he saw himself as a hero.Probably none of them did, those men and women who put their life on the line to protect and serve.
“Will you do me a favor?”
“What’s that?”
“Take off your shirt.”
He gave her a look that said she was crazy.“No.”
As if sensing her master’s distress, Dakota shifted to face him, peering up at him with worried eyes, and quietly whined.He reached down and scratched her head.“It’s okay, girl.”
