Eagle
AHARD KICK to my left knee woke me up.
Startled, I bolted out of bed, reaching for the pistol I kept in my nightstand. By the time I slid the drawer open, I realized two things. I was still at least half-drunk, and there was a woman in my bed.
What the fuck?
The events of last night slammed into me as I quietly slid the drawer closed again, leaving my pistol inside. The wedding. Naomi in that damn strapless green dress. Drinks. Toasts. Sex in a cramped janitor’s closet. Then I lost my ever-loving mind and asked her to stay with me. Judging by the body-sized lump in my bed, she’d also lost hers and agreed.
As I leaned over the bed, her long blonde hair flung from one side to the next. “Ambush. Can’t get off… grounded.”
Concerned, I scooted closer, trying to hear what she was carrying on about.
She kicked out again, causing the blankets to jump. Lines creased her forehead and her lips drew into a firm line. “No!” She thrashed again, throwing the blankets off her arms and revealing her naked upper body. “Michaels… down.”
I knew Naomi had recently seen some shit in the service. I could tell by the flickers of pain that crossed her expression when she thought no one was looking. By the way her eyes didn’t shine as bright anymore. Something big had shaken her world and her confidence, and I had a pretty good feeling she was reliving it now. I was all too familiar with the kinds of memories that brought on nightmares like the one she was having.
Tears tracked down the sides of her face as she squeezed her eyes closed and violently shook her head. “Too many.”
Too many what?
Sweat beaded across her chest as she flailed and kicked, tangling her legs up in the blankets. Her eyes were still closed, but fear was written across her features. She looked terrified. A shiver went up my spine at the thought.
Naomi was a Pedro, which put her in danger every time she was deployed. She was tough and smart, though, and she could handle it. But thrashing in my bed while her memories haunted her made her seem vulnerable and delicate. It reminded me how fragile life could be. That in one horrible second, it could all be over.
Sometimes all it took was one bullet.
One fall.
One IED.
My chest squeezed at the thought of losing her. My arms ached to wrap around her and keep her safe.
Shaking my head, I tried to throw off the impulse. She wasn’t mine to protect. Besides, even if she was, what could I do? Watch another woman I cared about die? Wait by the phone until I got the call that she wouldn’t be coming home?
She thrashed again, reliving her own personal hell, and I knew I had to do something. She’d be pissed to know I’d seen her exposed like this, but I couldn’t watch her suffer anymore.
“Naomi,” I said, gently shaking her. “Wake up.”
She startled and blinked up at me, her eyes wild and wet with tears. Sucking down a shaky breath, she sat up and took in her surroundings. Her chest rose and fell and her body trembled. “Eagle,” she said with a relieved sigh, lowering her head into her hands.
“I’m here. What happened?”
“What do you mean?” She raised her head and stared at the door, as if weighing her chance of escape.
“Something happened. Something changed you since the last time you were here.”
She snorted. “It’s been two years. People change every day.”
“You know what the fuck I mean. Everyday changes don’t cause nightmares like the one you were just having.”
“I’m sorry I woke you. I should probably go.”
She started scooting away from me, but I grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. Anger ignited in her eyes as she looked from her arm to me. “Let me go, Marine.”
“I thought you weren’t gonna run away again.”
“We have fun little flings, Eagle. That’s all. Let’s not make it personal.”
