I leaned against the porch banister and stared through the living room window. From my vantage point I could see Lily in the kitchen cooking dinner. She'd insisted on making something for us to eat, and after all the shit I’d told her today, I wasn't about to deny her anything, even if the man in me wanted to take care of her.

I’d just gotten off the phone with Cookie and told him a few areas I thought Makonovich might be lying low at: a few sleazy bars, even an underground fight club that I knew he'd gone to at least twice when I'd been keeping an eye on him last year. Cookie said he'd hook up with Cutter and Wolf, look into it and get back to me, but stuck here in this cabin, wanting to go out and handle this myself rode me hard.

Wolf, one of the SEALs Cutter worked with, was supposed to stop by the cabin in the morning to really talk in depth about this. Although we had secure phone lines, because this was a direct threat, I didn't want to be giving information back and forth over the phone, especially after Cutter’s experience with his woman, Dakota. She’d been on the run, and he’d communicated with his team via what he thought was a secure phone. But it turned out the line wasn’t secure at all and the asshole who was after Dakota had been listening to every conversation he’d had. So yeah, I needed to speak with somebody face-to-face. I needed to look them in the eye and figure out how we were going to rectify the situation and make it safe for Lily.

I was a hands-on kind of guy, and sitting here in a cabin waiting for something to happen wasn't how I did shit. It made me antsy, nervous, and that wasn’t a situation I wanted to be in.

Especially since the one person I needed to protect was the woman that I loved.

I continued to watch her through the window, my heart full, my love for her growing even more now that I'd finally confessed how I felt to her.

We hadn't spoken about that conversation since, but I knew it needed to be brought up again. I knew that I needed to see how she felt about it, if it changed things between us, if me making that confession had crossed the line.

I went back into the cabin and closed and locked the door behind me. The security monitors were set up in the main bedroom where I slept. If anyone or anything tripped the wires from outside, I'd know about it instantly because an annoying-as-fuck alarm would sound.

I stayed back and watched Lily cook dinner. She either didn't hear me enter, or she was too engrossed in the meal preparation to know I was right behind her. I loved having this calm and comfortable presence when we were together. I could pretend that we weren't here because of a threat. I could envision that I'd invited her here for us to spend some time alone, to get to know each other, to really work out our feelings.

Tonight I would talk to her about what I’d said, about how I’d admitted I loved her. We would go from there, see how things progressed. I didn't want anything to be awkward. I just wanted to look in her eyes and really tell her that I did love her, that she'd been mine for a long time whether she knew it or not.

I wanted to admit that I'd been too weak, too much of a coward to admit how I felt. I hated that it had taken this situation for me to grow a set of balls, but I wanted to know how she felt in return.

The way she looked at me, the glances I'd seen her give me throughout the years led me to believe she harbored some feelings for me. But tonight I'd find out for sure.

I moved into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. I shouldn't be checking her out, shouldn't be letting my gaze linger along the arch of her spine, or stared at the curve of her ass. She was perfect in every way, not just physically but mentally, intellectually as well. She was smart as hell, had wit and a mouth that could bring any man to his knees.

“You doing good? Need any help?”

She jumped a little and turned around, her eyes wide but a smile on her face. It wasn't forced, and I was glad she didn't seem uncomfortable in my presence after what I’d revealed.

She looked at the stove and then at a few bowls on the counter before turning her attention to the small table off to the side. “I'm actually good and dinner is done. If you want to grab the plates and some cups? Maybe something for us to drink?”

I nodded and moved into action. As I set the table and grabbed a couple beers out of the fridge, I found myself continuing to look at her. She bent over and grabbed something out of the oven, and my gaze was immediately trained right on the roundness of her ass. She might just be wearing some oversize sweats and a T-shirt, but damn did the material mold to those perfect globes.

Once we were seated at the table with the food set out between us, something shifted in me. She’d cooked for me, and the fact I was about to eat the food she’d prepared had the possessive side of me rising up like this violent beast.

For the next twenty minutes we ate in relative silence, with just a few bits of small talk here and there. I could wait until we were done eating before I pressed the issue of being in love with her and how she felt about that.

For all I knew this was the calm before the storm.

* * *

I was on my third beer, and although that wasn't really a lot in the grand scheme of things, I was already starting to feel a little buzz. I had never been a big drinker and considered myself a lightweight, but right now I needed a little liquid courage in Brock's presence.

We sat on the couch, a fire roaring, dinner eaten, and the silence stretching on. I knew he wanted to talk about some heavy stuff by the way he kept looking at me, and by the expression on his face. I also knew it had to do with the fact he’d told me he loved me and we had been avoiding that ever since.

But it had been on my mind.

I watched as he finished off his beer and set the empty bottle on the coffee table. He shifted on the couch so he was facing me now, and I felt my heart jump into my throat. I took a long pull from my beer bottle as I stared at him, waiting for this conversation to get started.

I admitted it did need to get brought up again, and I did need to tell him that I loved him as well. But I was nervous and scared, not sure exactly how to feel. I'd envisioned this moment a hundred times before, but now that it was a reality, it was hard for me to grasp it and come to terms.

It was hard for me to believe this was real.

“I can see by the expression on your face that you know exactly what I want to talk about.”

I swallowed the beer that I'd been holding in my mouth and nodded after he spoke. “Yeah, I know.”

“I could ease the conversation into where I want to go, but that would be pointless. I told you you're in this situation because I'm in love with you, and that's the truth. I was never man enough to tell you how I felt before now.” He glanced away for a second, staring at the fire, as if he was trying to gain his composure.

I didn't want him thinking this was one-sided. So instead of beating around the bush, I, too, just said what needed to be uttered a long time ago. “Brock, I love you too.” I held my breath for a suspended second. “I've been in love with you for a long time.” The words were now out in the open, never to be taken back.

The way he looked at me was a mixture of shock and happiness. I wanted to go to him right then, just wrap my arms around his wide shoulders and let him hold me. I felt the air heat, felt my heart start to race even harder.

After that we didn't say anything, but the air became thicker, and the longer we stared at each other, the more intense the arousal in me grew. He moved closer to me, just an inch from where I sat now, his body heat slamming into me. I became tense as he reached out and pushed a strand of hair away from my cheek. A chill raced up my spine at that gentle touch. I wanted it hotter, wanted his body pressed to mine, both of us sweaty as he plunged in and out of me.

God, I could not believe I was thinking about this stuff at a time like this.

“Say that again,” he said gruffly.

I licked my lips and inhaled deeply. “I love you.”

He closed his eyes for a second, as if relishing what I’d just said.

“I really want to fucking kiss you right now, Lily.” His voice was low, harsh. He opened his eyes, his focus now on my lips. I couldn't help but lick them again. He made this deep groan, the vibrations from the noise spearing right into my body.

“I want you to kiss me too.” I said the words so low I didn't know if he'd heard me. But then I felt his hand, which still rested by my cheek, curl ever so slightly against me.

He'd heard me.

And as we stared into each other’s eyes, Brock came closer, his movement slow, precise. And then he kissed me.

His lips were soft on mine, but as the seconds moved by he became more determined, the pressure more intense. The hand that held my cheek moved behind my head, cupping my skull. He used his other hand to grab my waist, his fingers digging into my skin. I couldn't help but moan, the flavor of him so powerful, so potent. I wanted more, so much more.

And when I opened my mouth just slightly, he slipped his tongue between my lips, stroking mine with his, bringing me to a fever pitch. My nipples tingled, growing hard against the material of the shirt I wore. I clenched my thighs together as I felt wetness slip from between my legs.

God, I wanted to go further, wanted to tear the clothes from our bodies and go into the bedroom.

And when he pulled away, I felt bereft, the air leaving me on a rush, my body feeling flushed. We looked at each other for a suspended second, and I had this connection with him intensify. It was like this thread was woven between us, pulling tighter, bringing us closer. I didn't think about the threat, I didn't think about anything else but kissing Brock again, feeling his body pressed to mine, his hands dominating me. I wasn't a virgin, but the one sexual experience I did have years ago had left much to be desired.

But with Brock I knew things would be different. I knew he'd take care of me, knew the pleasure would be explosive. I didn't want to stop. I didn't want this to end, but I could also see the turmoil on his face. I knew that he thought he was crossing lines, breaking boundaries.

He shifted away from me and stared at the fire, and as the flames licked across the wood, causing shadows to bounce along his hardened square jaw, I knew if I didn't say something, act fast, this moment might be lost forever.

I reached out and placed my hand on his firm thigh. I could feel the muscles tense, but he didn't push me away. I waited until he looked at me again before I moved closer so that our legs were now touching. And then I lifted my hand and ran my fingers through his short dark hair. “This feels right. I don't want to stop. I don't want to think about anything else that's going on in the world aside from what's happening right here in this cabin with you.”

He took a deep breath, his body so much bigger than mine, his shoulders so wide that they blocked out everything behind him. I'd never seen Brock look so…vulnerable. But in this moment he did.

He cupped my cheek with his big hand, his thumb brushing right under my eye. My entire body was on fire, but I wanted to burn alive with him.

“Don't stop,” I whispered. It was then, as I looked into his face and saw his expression morph, that I knew he wouldn't. I knew whatever happened tonight was exactly what we both needed.