Protect Me Not ((Un)Professionally Yours 2)

Ty was one of the unsmiling ones, staring straight into the lens. He looked painfully young and so at home holding that ugly rifle. She ran a finger over his intense face…that expression hadn’t changed much over the years.

“My rifle squad in Afghanistan.” Ty’s curt voice took her by surprise, and she nearly dropped the picture in fright. She caught herself in time and carefully replaced the frame.

She turned to look at him. He was unabashedly naked, and Vicki struggled mightily to keep her tongue in her mouth. How could one man be so damned drool-worthy?

He continued speaking. “The pic was taken seven years ago. I was twenty-six at the time. I’d been a marine for five years by then.”

His words were sobering. He’d been so very young. Seeing the picture was one thing, having verbal confirmation was something else entirely.

“How old were you when you left?” she asked.

“Twenty-seven. Medical discharge.”

He had a towel slung around his shoulders, and his hair was wet. Same as last night. So odd. But she was currently more interested in keeping him talking than in his peculiar post-sex rituals.

“What happened?”

He shrugged, and she raptly followed the play of muscles in his chest and along those broad shoulders.

“I was shot.”

God. He said it so nonchalantly. As if it was no big thing. And yet it must have been bad if they’d discharged him because of it. It was chilling and distressing to know that his life could have been snuffed out so violently.

Her eyes ran over his large body; he was a glorious sight to behold. All muscle and grace, bound in smooth, burnished skin. She hadn’t seen any scars, but then again, he still hadn’t allowed her total access to that magnificent body. And now that she thought about it, with the exception of their encounter in her bedroom last night, he mostly ensured that she was facing away from him.

And the things that had happened between them—while mind-blowing—had involved very little active participation from her. Everything had been done to her.

She didn’t like that. Not one bit. She didn’t want to be a passive participant. She wanted to touch, and stroke, and kiss, and lick.

She took a step toward him. Her intention to do exactly that. She wanted to see his scars, investigate his tattoo, drive him to the brink, and beyond, the way he had done with her.

And he must want the same because he was starting to harden again. Her eyes dropped to his burgeoning erection, and he sighed impatiently, and dragged the towel from his neck to fasten it around his waist.

“It’s getting late,” he said.

Her gaze lifted to his. “Are you kicking me out?”

“What would happen if you stayed the night?” he asked, his voice even.

“The world wouldn’t end or anything. We’d probably make love again…”

“Have sex.”

“You know what I mean. And then we’d sleep. No big deal.”

“Your brother would wonder where you were.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” she dismissed with a laugh. She and Hugh respected each other’s privacy. If—or when—she was ready to talk about this, he’d be there to listen and offer advice. Until then, he wouldn’t ask.

“The point is, he’d know something’s up. If anybody saw you leave my apartment in the morning, they’d realize what was going on. My professionalism is something that I take pride in, Vicki. I’m breaking the rules to be with you. So, I’m sure you understand why I prefer to keep this thing under wraps.”

“If not for your job, do you think this thing between us would follow a different trajectory?” She could kick herself for asking. She didn’t like what it revealed about her.

He raked his sharp, probing gaze over her face, as if he were attempting to assess her mood.

“If not for my job, we would never have met. Which makes this question moot.”

“Do you like me, Ty?” Another stupidly revealing question. They just kept pouring out of her.

He took a step back, his face shuttering. “I want you, Vicki. Isn’t that enough? If it’s not, then this is a mistake.”

It was her turn to run a searching look over that handsome, expressionless face.

“It’s enough for now.” God, she was desperate for that to be true, but deep down she knew she was lying to both of them. “If that changes, at any point, I’ll use my out and save you from my messy feelings.”

She dragged his shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. She was close enough to him to see his pupils dilate in reaction to her nudity. She saw the revealing twitch under his towel, and she smiled at him.

“Are you sure you want me to leave, Ty?” She took a step toward him, and his eyes flared.

She was close enough now to touch him, and she did just that, walking her index and middle fingers from the top of the towel, over his ripped abdomen toward his chest.