Garret twisted the deadbolt, satisfied the front door would be secure. He handed Tabitha two keys. “Keep it locked, and don’t leave the spare key outside anywhere. That’s just asking for trouble.”

She snagged them from his hand, smacking him so hard it stung. “I never have, and I wouldn’t start now.” Her feet scuffed as she crossed the foyer, making a loud clicking noise with her sandals.

He followed her into the kitchen, watching her open a cabinet, tossing one of the keys in a bowl. She turned and leaned against the counter with her hands folded across her chest.

“Are you mad at me?” His inability to understand women and their moods had to be one of the biggest reasons he behaved like a moron around them.

Not to mention why he didn’t have a girlfriend.

However, he normally didn’t ask such questions, partly because he didn’t know why and partly because he wasn’t sure it was worth making an ass of himself.

Everything was potential embarrassment when it came to Tabitha, and he wasn’t going to screw up a chance with her just because he couldn’t string together an intelligent conversation with a woman unless it had to do with firefighting, the Air Force, or trucks.

“Ya think?” She cocked her head and smiled at him with a sarcastic grin. “What gave it away?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s the way you shuffled across the floor like a kid who just got scolded and now you’re being—”

“I’d stop right there if I were you,” she said, running her fingers through her shiny, dark hair. The strands flopped back over her shoulders. “It would serve you better to take a step back, think about why I might be mad, and address that, instead of mocking me.”

He positioned himself next to her, his hip rubbing gently against hers. “I don’t mean to mock, so I’m sorry about that. But you went from let’s have a drink to slamming cabinet doors like I insulted you…oh.” The lightbulb went off in his head. “You didn’t like me telling you not to leave a key outside.”

“Bingo.”

“I was just looking out for your safety. Honestly, it’s a hazard of the job. My mom gets pissed when I come home and immediately check all her fire detectors.” He glanced to the ceiling, looking at hers.

“Want to test it?”

He shook his head.

She let out a long breath. “Have you heard anything?”

“I’m waiting for my buddy, Fletch, to get back to me. I gave him the list of players and as I told you, he’s got friends in high places, and a few low places. If there is something to find, he and his buddies at Delta Force will find it. I also contacted Harper. I don’t know if you ever met Brodie, but she’s his wife. She’s an Air Force investigator. She’s got a million more resources than I do. Until we hear back from them, I think you should act as if you’ve accepted what happened to your brother—”

“But I haven’t accepted it, and I won’t.”

He pressed his finger over her warm, plump lips, resisting the urge to trace their outline then slip his tongue between them. He’d felt desire before. He’d seen a woman and wanted her so bad he’d trip over his tongue a dozen times trying to get her into his bedroom.

But never had a woman had him seeing a future filled with a life of love and happiness. The more he got to know Tabitha, the more he knew deep down, she was the kind of person he wanted to be with.

And that included her directness and sarcasm.

“If someone tried to break into your house, and if someone did murder your brother, then it’s only going to make whoever is behind this come at you harder. If they think you have something on them, then you could end up like your brother.” He looped his arms behind her back and tugged her from the counter. With both hands gripping her waist, he stared intently into her captivating, but questioning eyes. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, and looking at what your brother has on his computer, it’s got me on high alert.”

“Once again, I ask, do you believe me?”

He blinked his eyes closed for a long moment while he took a deep, cleansing breath. “Without a doubt, I know it’s what you believe. I deal in facts and right now, the facts surrounding your brother’s death are pretty solid.” Before she could open her pretty, little mouth and spout off a dozen defenses, he swiped his lips across hers in a swift, but powerful kiss. “But what’s on your brother’s computer is disturbing and absolutely worth exploring. Only you need to leave the probing to me.”

She cocked her head in that confident demeanor she always had, and he adored that about her. She went through her day as if there wasn’t anything she couldn’t tackle. It had been one of the first things he noticed about her the day they met at a neighborhood block party.

“Probing?” she asked with a laugh. “Did you really just say that?”

He really needed to learn to hear how things sounded in his head before he opened his mouth in front of a woman.

“Look into?”

“That’s less sexual, but honestly, I’m a big girl and can take care of myself.”

“That I don’t doubt. Not for one single second. But I think in this case, it’s best to think as though we’re dealing with hardened criminals, and neither one of us are equipped to deal with them.”

“But you’re in the Air Force. I’d say you’re equipped to deal with just about anything.” Her hands landed on his shoulders, rubbing gently, sending a message to the rest of his body that maybe he hadn’t crashed and burned.

Yet.

“I’m pretty good with a weapon, but the only missions I’ve ever been on have been related to fighting fires. Might be dangerous, but my weapon of choice is a hose filled with—”

“Oh. My. God. Stop before I pee my pants.”

“I was going to say water. You know, the substance that is used to put out things that are burning.”

“My mind is still going to the down and dirty.” Her chest heaved with an intake of breath, pressing against his in a sensual act he had a hard time ignoring. He should discount any pretense of sexual aggression on her part.

Or on his, for that matter.

Things had taken an odd turn with them the day her brother died.

And there was the grief that still had to swell in her heart. He’d seen it the day he’d gone to the wake and stood in that line, waiting to express his deepest condolences. She’d been distracted that day, which he had anticipated. He certainly didn’t expect her to spend any time with him. But she had cornered him with her questions and accusations, then demanded his help.

“You’re just using it to avoid the subject. I know you want to push the cops—”

“You don’t think that me talking to anyone who is willing to listen will get people in power to reopen the case?”

“I know it won’t.” He curled his fingers together behind her back, pulling her closer. “It will put them on the defensive, and they will find every negative thing they can dig up on you, your brother, and anyone else you love, making it their mission to destroy you. It will become a shitstorm that will hurt you in ways you might not recover from. I fear you’ve already done some damage with how vocal you’ve been.” Her body molded against his as if he were the sand and she were the ocean waves, rolling in, taking little pieces of him, only to bring them back with another kiss.

“You think I should just hush my mouth. Walk away with my tail between my legs. Let my brother’s death be in vain.”

“You know that’s not what I’m saying. I’m trying to protect you and help you. Why are making this so difficult? I’m on your side.”

“I want to believe you, but you know the fire investigator and you know some of the cops—”

“If what you say is true, this happened long before the first responders showed up on the scene. That means that what they found and reported on were the facts as they saw them. It doesn’t mean something different didn’t happen.” He ran his hands up her arms and cupped her cheeks. “Look. I will be totally honest. I believe the reports I’ve read. The fire investigator. The police report. The autopsy. But I struggle with some of the things your brother mentioned, which makes me wonder. So, I will use the resources I have to help you find answers. But I need to know you’ll accept whatever we find. Good or bad.”

“I can do that as long as I know your friends are looking into the matter without blinders on. That they are at least willing to consider that someone arranged my brother’s death to look like something it’s not.”

“I can guarantee that they will do that. I just need you to trust me. Do you trust me?”

She raised up on her tiptoes, her lips scant centimeters from his. “Can I trust you with my life?”

Trust? Did she really trust Garret? Anyone?

Thus far, most people she’d known in her life destroyed her faith in them like pressing the delete key on a keyboard.

“My buddies and I will look at everything with an open mind. No pre-judgements based on what anyone is saying, but—”

“I know. If you find that he really did die as the autopsy said, then I have to accept it. It won’t be easy, but as long as I know people are taking this seriously—”

“I wouldn’t be here, nor would I have made the phone call if I didn’t genuinely understand where you’re coming from.” Garret held her tight, but his hands caressed her muscles with a tenderness that she hadn’t had in a long time.

If ever.

He had a way of making her feel desired. Wanted. Cared for.

Even when he’d first given her an odd look when she’d gone to him with her thoughts about her brother’s death, he still seemed as though he cared.

And who spends their day putting on new doors and locks when he should have been sleeping after a twenty-four-hour shift?

Someone who either cares or wants to get into her pants.

Or both.

God, she really hoped it was both. Part of her might be using his body to help soothe the pain and shut out the images of what she thought her brother’s last moments had been. However, the rest of her really enjoyed Garret’s company. She loved that he took time to get to know her before even making a move and even then, he didn’t expect anything from her at the end of their date. Who does that anymore?

“You did lock my front door, didn’t you?” she asked, swallowing the nerves that had fluttered from her stomach to her throat.

He nodded, a smile spreading across his face, his fingers across her lower back.

She’d always been more than comfortable in her own skin, and she’d never been shy a day in her life. Even though her confidence stumbled a few times with Garret, she wanted him more than she’d wanted anything in a long time. “I thought maybe we could take a bottle of wine upstairs,” she whispered. Her cheeks flushed, which was unusual for her when it came to men.

Not that she’d had a ton of men. Only a couple of long-term relationships, but none of them could ever call her bashful when it came to things that happened inside the bedroom.

Or other places for that matter.

“Wine? Upstairs?” The right side of his mouth lifted a little higher than the left. His brows twitched slightly, and his eyes grew wide.

A sudden pounding of her heart thumped in her chest. She pressed her hands on his shoulders with the intention of pushing away. Rejection wasn’t something she did well. Normally her sarcasm came out and that never ended well, especially when it came to Garret. “I was just kidding.”

“No, you weren’t,” he said with a gruff tone. “But if I had another drop of alcohol, I’d be asleep the second I lay down in your bed and that might not bode well for me.” He arched a brow. “Or you.”

She licked her lips as a warmth spread from under her skin, coating her body like soft lotion. “Yeah, I think I’d kind of like you awake.” His pectoral muscles twitched when she slipped her hand under his shirt, letting her fingers glide through his soft chest hairs. Pressing her lips against his neck, just under his earlobe, she let out an audible sigh.

“Keep doing that and we won’t make it to your bedroom.”

Before she could take another breath, he lowered his head, slipping his tongue into her mouth. He tasted like a hint of cinnamon on warm sourdough bread. His hard body pressed against hers in a promise of what was to come.

A wave of insecurity gripped her mind. She wasn’t sure if it came from the fact that it had been over a month since they had started hanging out. He’d kissed her quickly once, but it hadn’t been as blatantly sexual as the way he molded his hands and body with hers. His hesitancy made her question her sexuality.

Her desirability.

And now, in the moment, she worried she wouldn’t be enough to satisfy a man like Garret.

Swiftly, he unfastened her bra, drifting his large, callused hands to the underswell of her breasts, his thumbs fanning her tender skin just under her tight nipple.

She groaned from deep in her throat, letting it vibrate through her mouth, rattling her teeth. “Oh my,” she managed when he pinched and tugged at her nipples before lifting her shirt up over her head, tossing it to the side.

Standing in her kitchen, topless, she took a step back as his gaze roamed up and down, smearing her body with the sizzle of a fire crackling in the distance. She looped her finger into her shorts, undoing the button.

“Upstairs,” he said with a thick growl, tossing his own shirt to the side.

Trying not to giggle, she turned and raced out of the kitchen. His footsteps rattled the floor right behind her. By the time she’d pushed opened her bedroom door, she’d managed to kick out of her jean shorts.

When she turned to face him, she gasped, gawking at his naked body. He’d accomplished stripping down to nothing, except for holding his jeans in one hand. He fiddled with them, reaching into a pocket, pulling out his wallet.

Her nipples tightened into hard nubs and wetness lined her panties, spreading warmth across her skin.

His abs were chiseled with a clear six-pack. His long legs were lined with defined muscles.

And the rest of him?

She swallowed.

Hard.

He breezed past her, sending a sweet shiver up her spine as she gawked. He winked as he tossed his billfold on the nightstand. “We have a problem.”

“Not from where I’m standing.” She bit down on her fingernail, finding it impossible to tear her gaze away from his body. Specifically, from below the waist.

He laughed, wiggling his finger at her. “You have on more clothing than I do.”

She glanced down, staring at his fingers looping around the string of her thong, tugging them over her hips, his sweet lips kissing from her hips to her toes and back up.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, his tongue running over her lips. Closing her eyes, she gave in to whatever it was that Garret craved.

Normally, she liked to be controlling when it came to sex. She knew what she liked, and the few boyfriends she had never complained, though one taught her a few tricks.

Garret tenderly laid her on the bed after pulling back the sheets. His lips and hands roamed her body like the winds gently rustled the trees, swaying back and forth, tickling every leaf. He teased her by barely touching her, then plunging inside with his fingers or tongue. In minutes, he brought her so close to utter gratification, she thought she might convulse right off the bed.

But then he’d pull back, kissing her inner thigh, taunting her breasts, as if he knew exactly how her body would respond to every single touch, right down to how he breathed on her neck just below her earlobe.

Every time she reached for him, he batted her hands away and went back to giving her the kind of pleasure that she’d fantasized about.

Gripping the longer part of his hair, she arched her back, digging her ankles into the bed. “Garret, please,” she begged as she lifted her hips, hoping he’d dig in a little deeper and circle her tight nub just a little harder.

“Oh God, yes,” she panted out a moan as Garret made her body spasm. Her toes curled, and her calf muscles tightened. She blinked as the room blurred. She tried not to jerk, but she couldn’t stop the violent release.

And he didn’t stop.

He kept licking and stroking until she thought she might scream.

“Garret,” she said, biting her lower lip, hoping to keep her screeching to a minimum. All her nerve endings cried out, demanding more and more.

He kissed her stomach, stopping at her belly button and circling it with his tongue.

Her body shivered again.

“I’m delighted you enjoyed that.” He pressed his mouth over one of her nipples, sucking it, swirling his tongue over the hard nub before letting it pop out of his mouth, glancing up at her with a smile.

“Delighted is an understatement.” She wiggled underneath him, curling her fingers around his shaft.

He growled, reaching toward the nightstand. “It’s been a really long time for me, and honestly, I’m terrified if you keep doing that, that’s how this will end.”

“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”

As he rolled to his back, she took the condom from his hands and put her lips on the tip of him, taking him in slowly.

His fingers dug into her scalp as he gathered her hair. The way he touched her made her want to devour every inch of him, but instead she teased him with her tongue, gliding it up and down, staring up into his adoring, smoky eyes. His chest puffed out in a quick inhale, then lowered as he exhaled with a groan.

His soft skin tightened under her touch. Tearing open the condom, she rolled it over his shaft.

“Christ,” he said with a throaty moan. He grabbed her hips as she rolled herself over him, taking him all in with purposeful motion.

She pressed her palms on his chest. Feeling him inside her sent off tiny electric pulses from her toes to her throat. The faster she moved over him, the stronger the build-up. Digging her nails into his skin, she bit down on her lower lip, trying desperately to control her body before she exploded like a volcano.

But she did so in vain.

Garret reached up, cupping the back of her neck, drawing her mouth to his. Their tongues met in a wild frenzy as he pumped his release into her body with long, strong strokes.

His groans filled her mouth like he filled her body.

Collapsing to his chest, she tried to take in a deep breath. Her lungs burned, and her heart pounded erratically.

His strong, powerful hands ran up and down her back, gently massaging her shoulder blades. Their labored breathing filled the room like the mist from a hot steam.

He rolled her to the side, pulling the covers over them, and wrapped his arms around her body, kissing her cheek.

“You’re not planning on sneaking out of here soon, are you?”

He laughed. “I do have to leave by five thirty. I have a meeting on base at seven.”

“Don’t leave without saying goodbye. I hate that.” Actually, she didn’t like to have men sleep in her bed. Even when she’d been in a relationship, she preferred to sleep alone.

But not with Garret.

What the hell did that mean?

She kissed his chest. It was a question she wasn’t even going to consider. Instead, she snuggled up against him, closed her eyes, and for the first time in a long while, let herself relax.