Page 27 of Resisting Temptation (Men of Honor 3)
I took every lash of the whip, every slice of their dagger and every blow that broke my bones in silence. And no matter how much my body screamed for me to give up, I didn’t, because I knew my time would come. I would not stop fighting until I got her out of here, and when I did, I would fucking kill every single one of them that touched her.
I’m brought back to the present as I pull up to the beach, my body now wound tight with lethal rage as the memory still hovers at the edge of my mind.
I drop my head back and take a minute to calm myself. Jesus, why the hell did this have to happen now? Trying to stay away from her when she was all the way on the other side of the fucking country was hard enough, but now that she’s in the same town… Fuck!
Letting out a heavy breath, I get out of the truck and hope it doesn’t take me long to find her. When I start across the sand I spot a pair of running shoes and socks, but no sign of her. As my gaze spans the beach, something in the ocean catches my attention. And sure enough, there she is, emerging from the crystal blue water like some fucking earth angel.
She doesn’t notice me as she wrings her long, red hair out. Instead of walking out like I expect her to, she stands in the water and lets the waves crash against her ankles. Letting her head fall back, she stares up at the clear blue sky and raises her arms out at her sides, palms up, basking in the warmth of the sun. With the way the sunlight hits her, you would swear it was only shining for her. It throws me back to that first week, when every time I would walk into that clearing I would see the sunset cast a glow on her as she strummed her guitar.
I try like hell to push away the old feelings and emotions, but the moment she brings her head forward, her beautiful, green eyes crash directly with mine and it hits me like a blow to the fucking chest, making it hard to pull in a full breath. Her eyes widen in shock and she stares at me for a moment, deciding whether she should come closer or not. The hurt and the uncertainty in her gaze has guilt threatening to choke me.
Starting toward her, she only hesitates for another moment before walking to meet me halfway. We stand only a few feet from the water, and as she stares up at me with her sad, innocent eyes I have to clench my hands at my side to stop myself from pulling her to me.
“I’m sorry.” I start with an apology then clear my throat when I hear how gruff I sound. “You caught me by surprise.”
“Oh, really? Because I was totally expecting to see you.”
I ignore her sarcasm, knowing I deserve it. “I know. Like I said, I’m sorry.”
A moment later she drops her gaze and kicks at the sand nervously. “So I guess this means you don’t live in California anymore.”
“No. After we…” I was about to say after we got out of the rehabilitation clinic, but decide against it. “Sawyer and I came here to see Jaxson about a year ago. Then the opportunity of owning the gym was offered to the three of us and we accepted.”
“You’re not in the Navy anymore?” she whispers, her voice sounding sadder than it did a minute ago.
“No.”
She nods but keeps her head down. “My father was offered the job of Senior Pastor at Peace Hill Church. He took it so we could be close to Katelyn and my cousin Kolan.”
I nod then realize she can’t see me, since she still isn’t looking at me. “I know. I remember hearing Katelyn talk about it last fall over Thanksgiving. We were both at Jaxson and Julia’s for supper. Clearly, I had no fucking idea that it was you she was talking about.”
She mumbles something that I don’t catch, which I’m pretty sure was on purpose. “What’s that?”
“Nothing,” she mumbles again, clearly meaning something.
I start feeling annoyed, and I’m about to press her on it when a small breeze kicks up. I watch goosebumps break out across her smooth, flawless skin before she crosses her arms over herself. My eyes are drawn to her wet tank and shorts that cling to her every curve and I curse my dick when it stirs at the sight. “Come on. I’ll drive you home.”
She shakes her head. “No, it’s fine. I need to dry off and the sun will do that as I walk home.”
I glare down at the top of her head. “You’re not walking home like that. Just grab your shit and I’ll drive you.”
Her head snaps up and fire flashes in her eyes. “I said, I will walk!”
“And I said I’m fucking driving you!”
We both glare off, and as annoyed as I am about how fucking stubborn she’s being, I’d rather see this fire in her eyes over sadness. I quickly realize we are not going to get anywhere like this. Letting out a frustrated breath, I try a different tactic. “Listen it’s not a big deal, just let me drive you home or at least take you back to Katelyn… Please,” I add, remembering the few times she lectured me on my fucking manners.
Thankfully it does the trick, her eyes soften a little before she drops her gaze and nods. “All right.”
After grabbing her socks and shoes she follows me to the truck, but keeps her head down the entire time, which is really starting to piss me off. When we get to my truck, I unlock the door and open it for her.
She hesitates. “I’m going to get your seat all wet.”
“It’s doesn’t matter, Red, it’s leather.”
Her head snaps up and I quickly realize what I just said. Something passes between us as we stare at each other a moment, the use of her nickname bringing up old shit. She drops her gaze again quickly, and thankfully manages to get up into the truck herself. Because if I had to touch her, and help her up, I’m not sure I would be able to control myself. Closing her door, I walk over and get in on my side.
