Brooke was out of sorts. Totally and completely. And not just because of Scott’s murder. Though, yeah, that was pretty significant in her psyche at the moment. She’d fainted so quickly she didn’t remember much beyond an impression of his body on the floor, eyes glassy and blood pooling beneath him.

If she’d gotten a really good look?

A hard shiver rolled over her. She didn’t like to think about it.

But the other thing running through her mind and wreaking havoc was Cade. Specifically, his presence. She’d spent so much time on the phone with him, though not really on the phone with him, that he wasn’t a stranger to her. And yet he was.

His voice was gravelly and deep, his eyes a shade of rainy gray she found amazing, and he was tall and built like a precision instrument—one designed for combat. None of those things came across in text, of course. Though she’d met him more than once, she’d minimized his size and height in her mind until he was lean and not so tall.

Now she was dealing with the fact he was nothing like she’d pretended to herself. This man was big. Strong. More than capable of violence when called upon to fight.

And yet he was her closest friend right now, besides Grace. She asked herself how long that would last once he had to deal with her in person. Once he realized she wasn’t the sexy, fun girl he sexted with on a regular basis.

Brooke’s heart began to throb. Once he knew, would he move on to someone else?

Part of her had to admit she’d put off moving forward with him precisely because she was afraid that once he knew her better, he’d lose interest and want out. But now that she’d called him to her side, could she force him back into the box she’d put him in?

They reached a black Toyota Tundra that was sleek and shiny except for the TRD painted on the side of the bed. Cade held open the door and she climbed inside. Her head throbbed just a little, but it wasn’t bad. The drugs were doing a good job of dulling the pain. In fact, as soon as she got her prescription, she’d take the really good stuff and go to sleep for a while.

Cade got in the other side and started the vehicle. “Where do you want to get those filled?”

She smoothed the paper on her leg. “There’s a Walgreens a block from my place.”

They got the prescriptions filled on the way and then Cade took them through a fast-food drive-through so they could get something to eat. Once they had their food, he drove the short distance to her building and, without prompting, shut off his vehicle. Brooke was both relieved and nervous about him going up with her.

They headed into the building, and Bert looked up with a concerned expression. “Miss Sullivan! Are you okay, ma’am?”

“I’m fine, Bert. Thank you.” She turned to Cade. “This is my friend Cade.”

Bert glanced at Cade’s uniform. His eyes shone with respect. “Thank you for your service, Sergeant.”

“My pleasure.”

Bert nodded at his uniform. “Special Forces.”

Cade smiled. “Yep. You a vet?”

“Four years in the Army.”

Cade held out his hand and Bert took it. “Thank you for your service as well.”

They spoke for a few more moments, and then Cade followed her to the elevator.

Once the doors were closed, she turned to him. “How did you know he was former military?”

“He knew my rank and he recognized my Special Forces patch. Usually requires some service to do that, though he could have been a military brat—someone whose parents were in, not a literal brat.”

Brooke laughed. “I’m familiar with the term, actually. Learned it from Garrett.”

They reached her floor. When the doors opened, her heart rate kicked up.

Cade was right beside her when they stepped out of the elevator. “I’ve got your six.”

“Thanks.”

She knew what that was because Grace had told her one time when they were going shopping for a rare toy for Brooke’s niece. Grace had made the whole thing seem like a mission into enemy territory. Which, she supposed, it had been. They’d gotten the toy, but not without visiting a dozen stores and outwitting a few of their fellow shoppers.

There was crime-scene tape over Scott’s door. A shot of adrenaline rocketed through her. She didn’t know whether to scream or cry or shake uncontrollably, so she settled for hurrying by like something was going to jump out at her. When she reached her own door, she sucked in a breath as she fished in her jacket for her keycard.

Max started to bark as she laid the card against the electronic lock. Then the door opened and Max was there, whirling and wagging his tail. She prepared to grab him in case he went after Cade, but all he did was stop and tilt his head for a second. His eyes fastened on the fast-food bag that held their burgers.

There was no growling, thank God.

Cade held his hand out and Max sniffed it. Then he licked Cade’s hand and tried to nuzzle the food bag. Cade lifted it out of the dog’s reach.

“Sorry, buddy,” he said.

“Come on, Maxie. He hasn’t had his dinner,” she said to Cade. She went over and got kibble for Max’s bowl, then dropped it in and stood watching him while he dived in.

Cade had come inside and shut the door behind him. He walked over to her kitchen island and deposited the food.

Brooke had been trying not to focus on being alone with this man, but it was getting harder to do. They were here, in her apartment where she’d given herself so many orgasms while thinking about him, and all she could think of was that she wanted it to happen for real while at the same time the idea terrified her.

Because what if it wasn’t as good in person? What if he was terrible—or she was—and it all went wrong?

Max approved of him at least, and that was good. Though maybe Max had only approved of the food in his hands. Max had never growled at Scott, but he hadn’t gone out of his way to be overly friendly toward him either. He’d certainly never licked Scott’s hand.

And then he’d growled at that man earlier as if warning him. Brooke shivered. Max had known the guy was not a good guy.

“You want to eat now?” Cade asked.

Brooke gulped down her thoughts and insecurities. “Yes, please.”

Cade started taking hamburgers and french fries from the bag.

Brooke went over to the fridge. She wanted wine, but that was a no-no with her drugs, so she grabbed water instead. “I have beer. Do you want one?”

“Water is fine.”

She got one for him too, then joined him at the island. He should look out of place in her kitchen, but it was actually kind of nice having him there. She opened one of the pill bottles and popped a pill before taking a bite of her burger.

Cade was halfway through his already. Big man, big appetite.

And there went that little shiver of anticipation right into her lady bits. Because, all things being normal today and not sideways crazy nuts, she’d be going to bed with this man in a little while. Not literally with this man, but with his words and emojis and her vibrator, and she’d have had a screaming orgasm in no time.

She was getting wet and aroused. Brooke crossed her legs and tried to focus on the burger. Max ate some of his food and then came over to try for a fry. When nobody gave him anything, he went back to the food. Then he was back again. Ever hopeful, that dog.

“He’s handsome,” Cade said. “Just like his picture.”

“He’s a good boy. I don’t know what I’d do without him. He keeps me sane.” She knew Cade didn’t have any pets. It was hard with his job to have one. Too difficult to arrange care every time he went away.

“He deserves a french fry for that.”

“He’s a scam artist. Don’t let him convince you he needs one,” she added when Max, sensing a soft target, turned his attention to Cade.

“Sorry, dude. Mama says you can’t have one. Too bad because they sure are good. Mmm, good.”

“You’re terrible. Don’t tease him.” But she laughed.

“I’m not teasing him. I’m making you feel bad for refusing to let him have one.”

“Fine. But just one. He’ll never stop begging this way.”

“And he just started today?” Cade asked, dropping a fry for Max, who vacuumed it up without hesitation. “I’m going to guess his mama hasn’t been perfect when it comes to feeding him treats.”

“No, I definitely haven’t. Which is why I have to be more firm now.”

She nibbled a french fry, hoping it might be more appealing than the burger, which she was having a hard time with. Not because she didn’t like burgers—she definitely did—but the thought of Scott lying dead on the floor kept twisting her belly into knots. Finally she set the uneaten burger down and nibbled another fry. Cade’s brows drew together.

“Something wrong with it?”

“No, it’s me. I keep thinking about…”

“I know. But you have to eat something or those meds are going to kick your ass even worse than they already plan to.”

She was feeling a little woozy. She picked up the wrapped burger again and took another bite. Cade smiled. She liked his smile. Brooke choked down that bite and then another before setting the half-eaten burger down again. She attacked the french fries. They were easier to eat.

“Thanks for coming to get me at the hospital.”

“You’re welcome.”

“It’s a lot to expect, I know that.” She was starting to babble. But she didn’t know what to say and it made her nervous. Which made her mouth work overtime. She opened it again to speak, but he cut her off.

“Brooke. Look at me.”

She did, but it wasn’t easy because her heart raced whenever she did.

“I like you. If we’re nothing else to each other, we’re friends, okay? You’ve been around me and my teammates enough to know what we do for our friends.”

Her palms were sweating. “I like you too. I want to be friends.”

His stormy gray eyes were intense. “We are. The truth is I want to be more than friends… but I’ll settle for friends for now.”

---

She dropped her gaze again and fiddled with her french fries, swirling one in the ketchup packet she’d opened. He didn’t push her because he knew it was hard for her. They’d gone from texting only to suddenly being in each other’s presence, which was a big leap for Brooke.

He hadn’t understood why she wouldn’t transition to speaking on the phone, but he’d respected it. And now he was here in the same room with her, no doubt imposing and foreign—and probably somewhat embarrassing considering all the things she’d said to him from the safety of her isolation.

He could picture all those texts, the sexual heat in them, though he firmly kept them locked away in his head right now. Thinking about it would only arouse him.

Slowly it occurred to him that maybe that was a problem for her too. The way she didn’t look at him. The way she kept crossing and uncrossing her legs. Cade sighed. Because there was nothing he could do about it. Not tonight when she was aching from her fall, taking meds, and probably dwelling on what she’d seen earlier. How could she not?

She continued to pick at her fries and he finished all his. It’d been a long day of training and paperwork at HOT HQ, so he felt justified in eating everything. He made small talk, nothing too difficult or about any topics that might be thorny ground for them, but Brooke’s answers took longer and longer to come. Her meds were starting to kick in. When her eyelids began to droop, he figured it was time to get her to bed before she fell off the barstool.

“Why don’t you go to bed, angel?”

She blinked at him. “I’m fine.”

Cade stood. “You aren’t fine, honey. You’re fighting your meds. Come on, let’s put you to bed.”

She let him help her off the stool. And then she swayed into him and he caught her close. Her hair smelled like flowers and her skin was soft. She clutched his biceps to right herself.

“Sorry,” she said.

“It’s okay.” He started to lead her down the hall, figuring it wouldn’t take a genius to find the bedroom. And it didn’t, because there were only two. One was clearly a guest room with a full-size bed and decorative furniture. There was nothing personal on the bedside table, so that’s what made him think it wasn’t her room.

The next room was larger, with a king-size bed and white linens. The walls were a soothing gray, and the lamps were sleek silver jobs. The curtains were pale blue with white sheers and the windows took up the entire wall. A television sat on a dresser against one wall, and there was a phone charger and several books on one nightstand. Bingo.

He tugged the covers back—because of course her bed was made—and gently sat her down on it. When he dropped to one knee to remove her shoes, she giggled softly and threaded her hands in his hair. His scalp tingled at her touch, and his dick started to throb.

“You’re so pretty, Cade.”

He tried not to laugh. Brooke Sullivan was clearly one of those people for whom pain meds gave her an instant high. If she remembered this when she woke up, she’d probably be horrified.

“So are you, angel,” he said as he finished removing her shoes and looked up at her.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had sex.” She sighed. “So damned long.”

Oh yeah, his cock was going to react to that news. No stopping it now.

“Who are you kidding? We had sex last night. Or did you forget?”

She sighed. “Real sex, Cade. The kind where I get to touch a real penis instead of a rubber one.”

Oh sweet Jesus.

“I don’t think you’re up to it tonight, angel. How about you go to sleep and we’ll talk about it in the morning?”

She looked panicky for a second. “You aren’t leaving me, are you? I don’t want to be alone.”

“No, I’m not leaving you. I’ll take Max out again, and I’ll sleep in the guest room. All you gotta do is yell and I’ll be here, okay?”

She nodded. He stood and pushed her back gently, lifting the covers. He didn’t dare to undress her and put her into pajamas. He wouldn’t survive it.

“My phone,” she said, trying to sit up again.

“It’s in the kitchen. I’ll bring it in here and plug it in.”

“Thank you.”

He stood and gazed down at her.

She smiled and tugged the covers up to her chin. “You’re a good guy, you know that?”

“I like to think so.” He wasn’t feeling all that good at the moment. He was feeling like a jerk for lusting over her when she was so out of it. If he were a different kind of guy, he’d take advantage of the way she was feeling right now. Because she wouldn’t say no.

But of course he wouldn’t do that. The thought that there really were men who would do precisely that pissed him the fuck off. Even if they’d been flirting this whole time via text, actually having sex was a different story. It required both parties to be cognizant and consenting.

Brooke closed her eyes and turned on her side. Her breath deepened and evened out, and he knew she was asleep. He didn’t know how long she’d stay that way, but he wanted to get the dog out before she woke again.

And then he wanted to call Hacker and see what, if anything, the man could tell him about Brooke’s neighbor. Because if anyone could find out all there was to know about a man in an hour’s time, it would be Hacker.

Cade returned her phone to her room, then swiped her key and found Max’s leash on a hook by the door along with a contraption that he recognized as a dog seat belt. Nothing but the best for Max. The dog whirled excitedly and Cade laughed. He was a handsome animal with lush fur and an intelligent expression.

“Sit,” Cade said. Max sat. Cade clipped on the leash and headed out the door. He stopped to ask Bert where a good place to walk Max was.

“There’s a dog park a block that way,” the man said, pointing. “Miss Sullivan goes over there all the time.”

“Thanks. Hey, who was the guy they found earlier? I know he was Brooke’s neighbor, but I don’t know his name.”

He knew it was Scott, but not the last name. And he hadn’t wanted to ask her and bring the incident to the front of her mind when he was trying to get her to push it to the back.

“Scott Lloyd. He was an accountant. Worked for Black Eagle Firearms.”

Cade’s senses prickled to life. The dude had worked for a weapons manufacturer? Didn’t mean it had anything to do with his murder, but it was a lot more interesting than an accountant working for a clothing company or something. “How long did he live here?”

“About a year. He was a little weird if you ask me. Nice, but kind of off. He told me once that he was going to marry Miss Sullivan.”

Cade hadn’t expected that. “Really?”

“Yep. Not that he’d asked or she’d accepted—it was more that he thought she was hot and he decided she fit his plans. He had ideas about his life, how it was going to be. He kept saying he was coming into a fortune one day and that he needed a beautiful wife to be his hostess and the mother of his children.” Bert shrugged. “Like I said, a little off.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Bert nodded to Max, who was sitting perfectly and watching them both. “To tell the truth, I’m glad she has this guy. I think Miss Sullivan needs someone to watch out for her.”

Cade nodded. “Yep… and she’s got me now too. Neither one of us is letting anyone hurt her—are we, Max?”

Max yipped and they both laughed.

“Sounds like a yes to me,” Bert said.

Cade shook his hand. “I better get him out. Thanks again.”

As soon as they were outside, Cade took out his phone and made a call to his team.