Karly woke up stiff. She’d slept hard...then realized she wasn’t lying on a bed. She was sprawled on top of Thad.

She didn’t dare move. Her cheek was plastered against his chest, and her legs were so intertwined with his, she’d never be able to untangle the mess without waking him. She opened one eye. The room was a disaster—a teenager’s room on steroids. She closed her eyes with a grimace.

“It’s all right. I’m awake,” he rumbled, sliding a hand up her back, gently caressing. Her insides trembled with the memories of her wildest fantasy, only the dream had been real. Her sensitive female parts were proof.

She gave in to the inevitable embarrassment. “Please tell me I didn’t snore or drool.”

“Okay, if you want me to, but your snore is rather cute. I like it.”

She used his chest as leverage to roll to the right. “No one likes snoring.”

His arm circled her back, keeping her from going too far. “I like yours.”

The sexy vibration of his voice and the memories of their lovemaking made her insides quiver. Her heart pulsed. Her body temperature climbed.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“Why? Are you going somewhere?”

He slid his hand down to her lower back, lifting her up within reach of his mouth, placing little kisses on her nose, lips, chin, anywhere he could reach, aiming for a repeat performance.

“Mmmm, Thad?”

“Not yet.”

He slid his tongue across her mouth, tasting, tempting her to let him in. An onslaught of tingling sensations sang through her core. He could make her come alive in ways she’d never thought possible. It was like Fourth of July fireworks, Christmas lights, and New Year's confetti rolled into a single thrill.

“What do you mean, not yet?” she pushed away

“Too late.”

His hand skimmed over her shoulder blades.

“You are so frustrating. Why won’t you answer my questions?”

There was that push and pull again.

A slow, sexy-ass smile lit his face. “I was hoping we could have a slow start to our day. As soon as your brain wakes up, it’s all business.”

“When you own a business, I’m afraid it’s all work. I’m constantly thinking about feeding, washing, placing the animals. Speaking of which, I should make sure the girls got all the puppies and kittens back in their cages.”

“I’m not talking about Helper Shelter.” He placed a hand on her hip.

“You’re not?”

“No. Helper Shelter is a part of you—an important part. I’m talking about the sterilized version of you, the one you showed to your dad, mom, and brothers. The side of you that would rather appease and avoid conflict than fight for what’s right. You tiptoe around the issues so you don’t have to hurt anyone’s feelings. Like now. I bet you’re thinking of ways you can leave, but you’ll stay, just because you think it’s the polite thing to do. Just once, Karly, I’d like to see you live without regrets.”

Damn you. You know me too well. “Well, that ‘all business’ you talk about has gotten me this far.”

“I get that. In boot camp, the instructors pushed until I was completely exposed. I could draw on fear or anger or resentment, whatever they threw at me, until they pushed past my defenses. For some, it can get ugly. Civilians can go all their lives without getting comfortable with the uncomfortable.”

“What is your biggest fear?” she asked while drawing small circles on his chest.

He turned to look at the wall, then the ceiling, his jaw working out a response. He released a long-held breath and looked straight into her eyes. “Not having the confidence to stand my ground when the shit went down.”

“The day I left, my dad beat me because our parents didn’t want us to be together, but there was more. I only told Kenny part of the story.”

“So tell me all of it.”

“My dad had been out drinking, and was still pretty drunk when he got home. He woke my mom and demanded she make him some eggs over easy. Because she was still half asleep, ma broke a yolk. When I heard the shouting, I crept downstairs. Sarah was standing in the hall, begging me to do something. Anything.”

“What were you supposed to do? You were barely eighteen.”

“Protect the innocent. The only crime my mother ever committed was not leaving her abuser.” Thad put a forearm over his forehead while his words got smaller and smaller. “He beat me from one end of the house to the other. The last punch I ducked, and he hit the doorjamb. After that, I took off. I ran. I didn’t stand my ground.”

Her heart ached for the boy, but she wanted to weep for the man. All these years he’d felt responsible. She reached toward his face, but he turned away.

“He put my mom in the hospital that day. Don’t feel sorry for me. It’s misplaced. The Army drilled me until I could stand and shoot while bullets and bombs went off around me.”

“Is that supposed to scare me?”

“No, just the opposite. I won’t run anymore. I know my limitations. The Army pushed me until I figured out which side of the line I wanted to be on. I chose to be the guy who wouldn’t run, when shit was going down, I would take it.”

She lifted onto her elbow and slid her arm around his neck and kissed him with a slow I’m-going-to-take-my-time kiss. Letting go, she tugged on his arm, making sure he was paying attention.

“No regrets sounds nice.”

“There don’t have to be regrets. Not between us, Karly.”

She lay on her back, intending to pull the covers up, hide, escape from the scrutiny, but then she remembered. Thad didn’t judge. He might get jealous, want her for himself, but he never judged her. He always took her side. Always. “Then you’ll have to help me learn how to live that way. I can’t change overnight. We need to take it slow.”

“I can do that.”

“What do you say we go feed the dogs, and then get started on updating my website and working on that social media stuff you were talking about?”

“You’ll seriously allow me to help you?”

“Uh-huh,” She slid her finger down the side of his face, over the sharp early-morning stubble. “Right after you show me last night wasn’t a one-off.”

He lifted his head and took playful aim at her finger with a snap of his teeth. “Is that a challenge?”

No regrets, she chanted. “As a matter of fact, yes.”

She squealed when he flipped her onto her back, then silenced her surprised gasp with a kiss before making his way slowly toward her belly, licking and caressing and kissing his way along. He took his time, because he always took his time, and she let him. His fingers played with her folds, teasing her until she writhed with need. The sizzling sensation balanced on a knife edge between good and bad. Since she was sore from the previous night’s lovemaking, the intensity made her gasp. She reached to push his hand away, but he held her wrist and continued the in and out, back and forth until the feel was too exquisite to ask him to stop.

“Please,” she whimpered.

Her muscles quivered with each small touch, stroke, and kiss.

He temporarily changed the rhythm, then slid two fingers deep, sending her up that sensual ladder until she reached the top and exploded. As she slid down the other side, she sank into the mattress. She couldn’t move. Her bones had melted into mush. He slowly made his way back up and stretched out beside her.

“Now that’s what I call a morning wake-up call,” he said in a raw, husky voice, telling her she wasn’t the only one affected by the morning's activities.

“Oh, baby,” she managed to whisper. “And you’ve got my number. Now, it’s your turn.”

She leaned in to show Thad a thing or two, but a familiar chiming ringtone filled the room. Karly pushed away and she scrambled to the end of the bed and scrounged through a pile of clothes on the floor.

“Mom. What’s up?” She managed to ask before sliding off the bed and landing in a sprawling heap.

“Mom? Mom? You there?” She rubbed her head. Ouch. “Yes…I’m fine. No. No, need to stop by. I’m on my way to the kennel to…um…feed the dogs. Don’t worry. I’m fine. Lunch. Today? Well, I…sure. I will be there at ten. Yep. ‘Bye, Mom.”

Thad’s face suddenly appeared above her head as he peered over the edge of the bed. He brushed the hair off her face.

“Don’t say it,” she warned.

“Don’t say what? That you give in to your mom every time?”

She let out a slow, unsteady breath. He kissed her forehead and then pushed off the bed. Her gaze rolled up his gorgeous body, skimming over his scars, pausing at the message board and the clearly posted sign showing he wanted her in the worst way. Her mouth pooled with longing, and she licked her lips.

“I’m going to take a cold shower. I suggest you do the same. Especially if you need to deal with your mother.”

“Want to come with me? Use some of those military moves to fend off my mom?”

“Now, that would be torture. And here I thought you liked me.” The scrunched-up funny face she gave him made him smile. “How about I stop by after I help Chase estimate a job? We can review ideas for your website and Facebook page. How’s that sound?”

“Sounds like the business.”

A spark lit his eyes, then his white, semi-crooked teeth made her wonder. “We could always go out to Rivers Bridge. I could pick up some subs. I have blankets. We could hang out.”

Her imagination took over, and her muscles began to heat.

“I think we had better stick to the business plan. It’s safer that way.”

“You sure about that?”

“U-huh.” She managed to say, before he pulled her closer for a kiss.