Page 6 of Resisting Temptation (Men of Honor 3)
“This isn’t over. You have made a very grave mistake,” he threatens the soldier, who doesn’t seem the least bit worried, before turning and storming off.
I stare at his retreating back and let out a relieved breath. I’m about to thank the American when Aadil’s quiet sniffles draw my attention to him. Dropping down on my knee in front of him, I cup his small, scared face and realize my own hands are shaking. “Are you all right, Aadil?”
He shakes his head. “I have to go.”
Panic threatens to choke me, not wanting him to go anywhere near that man. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. He is very angry right now. Why don’t you stay with me for a little longer and give him some time to calm down?” Unfortunately, I have a feeling no amount of time is going to calm his father.
Aadil shakes his head again, disregarding my suggestion right away. “No, the longer I wait the worse it will be.”
My stomach clenches in fear. “Aadil, I’m scared for you. Come back to camp with me and we will figure out a way to help you.”
“No. I will be okay. I promise. I will go to Ommah.” Ommah was another Arabic word I have learned. It means mother.
He kisses my cheek and gives me a hug. My throat begins to burn as I squeeze him back tightly. A long minute later, I lean back and keep hold of his shoulders. “Will you come back so I know you’re okay?”
“Yes. I don’t know when, but I will.” Pulling away from me, he timidly glances up at the soldier that I forgot was still here. “Thank you, Mister,” he chokes out quietly before he takes off running. I watch until he disappears in the trees, and feel absolutely terrified I’m not going to see him again.
Standing up, I turn to the soldier and swallow nervously as his massive presence still gives off a threatening vibe. “Um, well, thank you very much. I’m not sure how you found us, but I’m sure glad…”
“What the fuck is wrong with you, lady?”
I flinch from his harsh tone before glaring back at him. “Excuse me?”
“I said, what the fuck is wrong with you? You do know that there was a war here between them and us only a few months ago, right? This place is still fucking dangerous, especially for people like you.”
People like me?
“And here you are, without a care in the fucking world, playing your goddamn guitar while off in fucking la-la land.”
“Hey!” I clap my hands loudly enough to get the pompous ass to shut up. “First off, buster, I know this isn’t the safest place in the world. My camp is only a few minutes from here and I am always careful…”
“Careful?” he shouts in exasperation. “You call jumping in front of a guy’s fist fucking careful? Christ, I’d like to see what you think is fucking safe.”
“What do you expect? I wasn’t going to stand by and let him hit Aadil. And excuse me, but who died and made you king shit?”
I become even more angry now that this jerk just made me swear. Knowing I don’t owe him any explanations, I start stomping away. Unfortunately, my temper gets the better of me. Spinning around, I storm back up to him and tilt my head all the way back until I match him, glare for glare. I try not to let his cold expression and very large size intimidate me, which is pretty much impossible, so I fake my confidence. I also notice he smells pretty darn good too. The mean, delicious smelling jerk.
Swiping angrily at a few stray curls that are blowing in my face, I square my shoulders then poke my finger in his hard chest. “I’ll have you know, I am not some dumb girl who sits and strums her guitar in la-la land. So before you throw out judgments at someone you don’t even know, buddy, you might want to choose your words more carefully next time. And when someone says ‘thank you’, you need to say ‘you’re welcome’. Not cuss and shout at them. Clearly your mother never taught you any manners.”
Feeling a little better, after putting him in his place, I spin back around and storm toward my guitar. But before I make it there, the unthinkable happens: my boot sinks into a pothole and throws me off balance. A sharp sting slices through my ankle and I land on my butt painfully.
I feel my face turn as red as my hair and I drop my head in defeat. Seriously, God? Couldn’t you have at least let me fall gracefully?
I feel the rude, sexy soldier still behind me and know he’s probably laughing his butt off right now, but my ego is too wounded to turn around and check for sure. So instead, I gather as much dignity as I can muster before I stand back up, but as soon as I put weight on my tender ankle it gives out on me. Sucking in a sharp, painful breath, I drop back down.
“Just take it easy there, Firecracker,” the jerk says, as he approaches me. He drops down in front of me, and I expect to see amusement on his handsome face, so I’m surprised when I see the same hard expression he’s had this entire time.
“I’m fine. I just need a minute,” I mumble, still feeling angry and embarrassed. He grunts as he reaches for my boot, but I scoot back. “I said I’m fine. So go ahead and get back to whatever it is you were doing before showing up here and yelling at me.”
Completely ignoring me, he reaches for my foot a second time, and then lets out a frustrated breath when I move it away again. “Listen, I’m fucking sorry for yelling at you, okay? Now will you just let me fucking look at it to make sure it’s not fucking sprained?”
I gape at him, wondering if he’s serious and quickly realize he is. “Well that is the worst apology I have ever heard from someone.”
