“Combat isn’t always the way people think it is. It’s faster, harsher, and if people are honest with themselves, absolutely terrifying. One time I remember feeling my heart beat with these weird, slow thuds while missiles came down on our FOB. It was the strangest sensation I’d experienced. For a few minutes I lost my breath, and that’s when I understood what real fear felt like. Even with walls and other precautions keeping us safe, there’s no way you can plan for every last contingency. And when you do, there’s still no guarantee you’ll be safe.”

Journal of Dylan Westcott.

Dylan threw a worried glare at Terra as they parked in the grocery store parking lot. Her face held a stone cold expression he’d never seen on her before. They’d grabbed some clothes for him at his apartment, but Terra had stayed unusually silent the whole way. He understood, or at least he thought he did. What Rivers did with that last call upped the stakes. He wanted Terra to report this to the police, but he couldn’t force her to do anything. All he could do is protect her with everything inside him.

And maybe there was another reason why she’d turned cooler. That kiss.

He turned off the car and looked at her. She met his gaze but quickly looked away.

“You all right?” he asked.

She tried a half smile. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“So good that you’ve been staring off into space this whole trip and have barely said two words the whole time.”

She barely glanced at him. “Sorry.”

He swallowed hard and decided he needed to say something. Now or never. “It’s okay. Look, there’s something I’ve gotta say.”

She turned her attention to him, looking curious this time.

“I didn’t mean to make things awkward between us…earlier,” he said.

Her lips parted, perhaps surprised. “It was a mistake. I mean…it isn’t a good idea.”

He let that soak in a moment and tried not to feel a sting at the word mistake. “Maybe not a good idea, but if I’m honest with myself, I don’t regret it.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh?”

“Yeah. Look, I’m a straight up man. I don’t play games with women. Never have, never will. I didn’t plan any of this when we met the other day.”

“Neither did I.”

He waited, saw the thoughts cogitating through her mind.

She unhooked her seatbelt and turned toward him. “Where does that leave us?”

Momentarily unsure about blurting out all of his thoughts, he hesitated. Yeah, fool. You just said you’re a straight up man. Spill it.

“I kissed you because you’re kind, funny, amazing, and sexy. And probably one of the strongest women I’ve met.”

Her eyes widened yet again, as if she couldn’t quite believe he’d just said that. “Thank you.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “It isn’t flattery. It’s what I believe. When I made it through the war, I vowed that if I was attracted to a woman, she was going to know it. But I also know I’m a flawed person. A flawed person with a lot of work to do. Like get my act together, hire on as the emergency medical tech instructor, and find my place in the normal world. I don’t expect a woman to put up with all my shit. So just because I kissed you doesn’t mean I’m going to expect anything from you. Please don’t be afraid or pressured, okay?”

He took a long, slow breath and waited for her reaction.

The curiosity and surprise faded from her face, replaced by a smile. “That wasn’t what I expected you to say at all, but now that you’ve said it, I’m not surprised.”

His eyebrows went up. “Translate?”

She shook her head. “Gah! I’m messing this all up. What I mean is…I’ve never met a guy like you. One that has just come out and said what he was thinking like that. Who didn’t play games.” She shrugged. “But then after Allan I didn’t do much dating. And for the record, I don’t think you’re that flawed.”

“Wait until you see me try to grill a steak someday.”

She laughed softly. “Okay, you’re flawed. But don’t you see, the fact you’re willing to own up to not being perfect…that’s a huge plus in my book.” Color heightened in her face. “As for the kiss, it took me off guard.”

“Sorry.”

“No, please don’t be.”

Renewed heat grew in his gut and down to his groin. God, the woman was gonna drive him crazy.

“It wasn’t just you,” she continued.

Relief steadied him. “You kissed me back but—”

“I wanted more.” She touched his forearm. “That’s the truth.”

His body ignited, and he craved more than anything to pull her into his arms.

“You can rely on me, Terra. No matter what happens in our personal relationship, I’m not going to let you down. You can trust me.”

She sighed, and his worry returned in a heartbeat.

“When I was with Allan in early days, just a teen, he used to say he’d never let me go. For me, a man saying he isn’t going to let me go isn’t caring about me.”

He put his hand over the one touching his forearm. “You know me better than that. I’m not Rivers, and I would never treat you the way he has.” He took a deep breath and just spilled it. “Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat things, okay? What I feel for you right now…I’m feeling a little possessive. Not because I think I own you, or have a right to your friendship, to sex, to anything like that. Because I just really, really care about you and the thought of anyone, of Rivers hurting you…it tears me up. That probably sounds crazy because I haven’t known you that long. But it’s the truth. And these days, I’m all about laying it on the table.”

Her eyes widened. “Wow.”

“Wow? Is that a good wow or a bad wow?”

“I don’t…” She shook her head. “You’re blowing me away here.”

It had probably been too much information, too soon. So part of him regretted blurting it out, but another part of him didn’t.

She nodded, but he wasn’t convinced she believed him. He couldn’t put a bandage on this. Either she trusted him or she didn’t. When she released his forearm, he felt the withdrawal keenly.

He couldn’t let it end here, uncertain and unfinished. “You know, when I went through P.J. indoctrination, I got up each day wondering if I was going to make it.”

“Indoctrination?”

“The training to prove whether you can even be Pararescue. Everyone goes into the training determined, but things can happen. Injuries, you name it. The dropout rate is over eighty percent. At least it was when I went through. We’re special operations and part medical trauma care. Part soldier, and sort of part doctor. A man doesn’t get through that training without a spirit of never giving up. It doesn’t matter if I’m attracted to you now or if I wasn’t. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe, no matter what. Even if you hated my guts right now, I’d keep you safe.”

Her dark eyes warmed, although he thought he saw sadness in there, too. “I know intellectually you’re nothing like Allan. I’m just...” She drew in a deep breath and let it out. Silence widened before she said, “We should keep this professional.”

While he agreed with her one hundred percent, the craving inside him didn’t care, didn’t want to follow logic or common sense. He fucking wanted her with a deep down instinct. Yet he refused to push her into anything she didn’t want, no matter what he felt. Too much, too far, too fast had never been a wise move for anything in his life. Anything that happened between them, from this point forward, would have to come from her.

Before she could say anything else, he lifted her hand to his mouth. He kissed the back of it.

“Friends,” he said.

She smiled and squeezed his hand. “Friends.”

“Let’s get those groceries.”

As they left his car, he kept her close and tried to ignore the underlying disappointment that he had to keep a relationship with her professional. Distant. Grow up, Westcott. Stay sharp.

He scanned the parking lot, determined not to lose his edge. But you did lose it, remember? That’s why you aren’t in Delta anymore.

They snagged a cart outside of the store and before long they’d traversed the entire grocery store with no problems. Shopping with her was easy—she didn’t linger long. With a list she made quick and efficient selections, just like he did when shopping. He could see that she’d relaxed, but he kept his attention on their surroundings. No sign of Rivers, at least as she’d described him. She hadn’t kept any photos, and he couldn’t blame her. Who would want a memory of that dirtbag lingering in a photo album?

He put himself in her place, imaging a stalker coming after him more than once, someone determined to make life miserable. No, he couldn’t imagine it. At least not as thoroughly as he’d need to feel fear and intimidation. As a man, he understood the power other men could have over women. While he knew it was possible for him to lose a fight with another man, he had the advantage of his training and physical strength. It bothered him on a fundamental level that any guy would harm her. Protective instincts ramped up, and his vigilance rose even higher.

Outside in the parking lot, he scanned the area and noted she did, too. They drove a different route to her apartment complex. No sign of Rivers. They parked in the spot next to her car, and that’s when he saw it.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, her undertone of anger and fear undeniable.

She left the car in a flash and he followed. Someone had keyed the hell out of her car.

Terra wanted to scream as she eyeballed the deep gashes along both sides of her car, made by a key or something equally capable of damage.

With a sinking feeling she said, “We know who did this.”

“Yeah.”

She didn’t hold back, spewing a few choice four letter words designed to singe the hair off an old sailor’s ears. She finished with a glare, staring at Dylan as if he might also be to blame. When she met his eyes, the slightest touch of humor touched his lips.

“I agree,” he said.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

She glanced at her apartment door. “Wait…there’s a note on my door.”

“You call the police, I’ll check the door.”

While he looked at the note, she rang the police. As she was giving details on her location to the police, she scanned the parking lot and surrounding are for any sign of Allan. She didn’t see him, but her skin crawled. He had keyed her car and she knew it. Dylan returned with the note. He held it in the very corner, as if trying to keep his prints off of it. A short time later, she finished the call to the police.

“They’re sending a car around now. They recommend we go in the apartment,” she said. “I told them about Allan. Quickly.”

The hesitation in Dylan’s expression puzzled her a little, but he said, “Good idea. I’ll go inside first.”

She took the note from him before he could say anything else. As she read the words, her heart started to hammer, anxiety edging through her control.

Hi sweetheart,

You know who this is. You knew I’d be coming for you, no matter how hard you try to ignore me, you know you can’t. I’m in your heart, you love me, and you know it. Why don’t you just give into it?

The note wasn’t signed.

She made a frustrated noise. “God, why didn’t he sign it? That gives the police more to go on.”

“It does. And it doesn’t. I have a feeling all they’re going to do is make a file and this will go in it and that’ll be it.”

“I know.”

“Come on, let’s get inside. Stay behind me. He leaned in close to her, his hand on her shoulder. He said quietly, “When we get inside the apartment, stay near the door. You hear anything weird or a fight and you get out. Run.” She shivered, and he must have felt it, because he rubbed her shoulder a moment. “I’ll be okay. I doubt he’s lurking in the apartment. I just want to be on the safe side.”

He walked with her to the apartment and checked the door. He unlocked it with her keys. They crept into the door slowly. She stayed near the door, angled so she could see if anyone approached from the rear. Tension made her heart beat faster, and anxiety made her stomach roll. The small apartment only took seconds to clear, and when he came back into the living room, she closed the door and shut it.

“Nothing looks like it’s been touched,” he said as he took his coat off.

She followed suit, and she hung their coats in the small closet near the door. “God, this is so frustrating. So…”

“Scary.”

She drew in a shuddering breath. “Yeah. And my insurance probably isn’t going to pay for the damage to my car.”

“I know a guy at a body shop in town that could take care of it. He’s honest. And besides that, he owes me a favor. He might repair it for free.”

That didn’t ease her thoughts. She was already reeling from what Dylan had said in the grocery store parking lot. She had no doubt at all that he wanted her, and that he wouldn’t play games with her. No, she didn’t fear that he’d push a physical relationship on short notice. His transparency and the way she felt about him…well, she worried she was the one who would jump him. Every hour that passed, her craving for him took another leap higher.

The doorbell rang, and she almost came out of her skin.

“Wait here.” Dylan walked to the window, peeked between the blinds. “It’s a cop.”

Still, he looked out of the peep hole, as if he didn’t quite believe his own eyes. Then he opened the door.

For the next half hour, the young police officer took their report. He seemed extremely professional and concerned. When Dylan had opened the door, the officer had looked particularly cautious, no doubt wondering what he’d walked into when he saw Dylan. The officer had continued to look cautious until Terra had explained who Dylan was, and the policeman had revealed he’d also been enlisted the Army eight years before becoming law enforcement. Suddenly Dylan and the man seemed more at ease with each other. All three of them went outside to look at her car, then retreated again to her apartment to finish the paperwork. Officer Chang wrote up the report as they all sat at the dining table. She signed her portion of the report.

“If I was you,” he said as he stood, “I’d consider a temporary move somewhere. Somewhere safer than this apartment.” Chang looked at Dylan. “No offense.”

Dylan smiled. “None taken. I think she should go to a friend’s house that is well guarded. High security.”

Chang glanced at her. “Excellent idea. If this was happening to my wife, that’s what I’d suggest. It’s better to ere on the side of caution.”

She bristled a little. Things threatened to spiral in a direction she couldn’t control. She looked at Dylan. “You mean Fletch’s place.”

“Fletch?” Chang asked.

“A military friend,” Dylan said.

The officer nodded. “Good idea.”

She held up one hand. “I need to think about that.”

Chang smiled. “Understood.” He started for the door. “Keep vigilant. Give us a call if you need us.”

After the officer left, she sat at the dining table and stared at the floor. What could she do next?

Dylan sat across the table from Terra, and she looked up at him, afraid of what he’d suggest.

“Don’t say it,” she said.

“What?”

“That we need to ask Emily to stay at their place. I don’t like it.” She didn’t know how else to put it. “I’m not trying to be stubborn about this but…”

When she couldn’t finish, he stayed quiet. After a few moments, he leaned forward a little. She kept her attention on the floor.

“What’s worrying you right now?” he asked.

“Everything.”

“You don’t want Emily or Annie hurt, and you’re worried about that. That something could happen to them if we stay at that apartment on their property.”

“Yes, I am.”

“You’re right.”

Surprised, she looked up at him. “You agree? But I thought you said—”

“I did. I was wrong. If Fletch was there right now I wouldn’t necessarily worry about it. When we were talking to the cop I hadn’t given it enough thought. And even though Fletch suggested you stay with them, I’m not going to do it with Emily and Annie there by themselves. We need to find somewhere else to stay. Just not here.”

She wracked her brain. “Okay. I’m up for any and all ideas. Within reason.”

“Not my apartment.” He stood slowly. “I know where we need to go.”