His expression softened at the thought of his family. "Doing great. My sister had some trouble before she met the guy she married. She dated a guy from work, and when she tried to end it, he wouldn't let go. He started making her life hell, following her, showing up at her apartment."
The kitchen air seemed to thicken with unspoken questions, and he watched Willow nibble on her bottom lip. Her brow furrowed as though she wanted to ask more but wasn't sure she should.
"In case you're wondering, I didn't kill him." The words came out flat, matter-of-fact. "But I made it very clear that he had two choices. He could leave my sister alone permanently, or I'd come back and put him six feet under."
He waited, watching her face, once more expecting to see horror or fear. Instead, her lips curved upward, and she moved closer.
"You really are a protector. I love that about you." She tilted her head, studying him with those intelligent blue eyes. "Why did you leave the Army?"
The answer came without hesitation, pulled from the deepest part of himself. "Because I wanted to be master of my own destiny."
Her breathing hitched at his response, but she remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"And because I was searching for redemption."
Her chin jerked back in surprise. "Redemption?"
"In the military, I killed people. Never questioned orders, never hesitated when action was required." His voice grew hoarse with memories he rarely allowed himself to examine. "But on my last mission, we followed orders that I was never convinced were right. It didn't sit well with me afterward, so I got out. Searched around for something that would let me use my skills and ended up in Montana with LSI."
He met her gaze directly. "Working as a Keeper is what I was destined to do. Protecting people who deserve protection, fighting for people who can't fight for themselves."
"And that's what brought us together," she said, her voice intense with emotion. “You make me feel safe.”
“It’s the new system and just having someone here.” He wanted it to be more, but didn’t trust himself.
She stepped closer, shaking her head. “No… you’re wrong. It’s you.”
Swallowing deeply, he dragged in a breath that seemed to take forever to reach his lungs as he watched her come nearer. "I'm here to protect you, Willow. You know that's my job."
She took another step forward, closing the distance between them, and nodded slowly. "I know it's your job." She reached up and placed her palm against his chest, directly over his heart. Hecould feel his pulse hammering against her touch. "What I want to know, Casper, is whether I'm only a job to you."
The question hung in the air between them, loaded with implications that could change everything. He could deflect, maintain professional distance, and protect them both from complications that could arise from crossing that line. "What do you think?" he asked instead.
"I think you stopped being just a security specialist the minute you held me in your arms." Her voice was steady, certain. "I'm not having some cliché fall-for-the-savior moment. I'm old enough to know that what I'm feeling toward you is real. But if I'm out of line, I'll step back. If I'm just a job to you, I'll accept that even though it would be difficult."
“I don’t know if I can give you more. If I can give you what you want,” he admitted, hating the words leaving his lips.
“I don’t care because right now, I’ll take whatever you can offer. I just want you. But I never want to make you feel uncomfortable, so tell me now, and I’ll back away.”
They were standing face-to-face now with only whispers of air between them. He knew she could feel his heartbeat thundering against her palm, just as he was certain he could feel hers vibrating through the minuscule space that separated them.
"How does being with me make you feel?" Her words were barely audible, her eyes locked on his with an intensity that made his breath catch.
He stood at a crossroads, knowing he could choose the safe path. He could step back, force his emotions into the familiar lockbox he'd maintained for years, and watch her walk away while wondering for the rest of his life what it would have been like to kiss her and hold her close simply because he wanted to.
But something about this remarkable woman called to him as though she was the missing piece of his soul that he hadn't even known was lost.
"Being with you makes me feel complete," he said, his voice rough with emotion pulled from the deepest part of himself.
Her eyes sparkled as her smile widened with joy. She rose on her toes, settling her mouth against his with a tenderness that undid him completely.
At that moment, he tumbled over the cliff he'd been nearing for days, falling for her with an intensity that terrified and exhilarated him. Not for the former celebrity or the successful screenwriter, but for Willow. This warm, genuine, beautiful woman had somehow reached past all his defenses to touch the heart he'd thought was permanently armored.
It was fast, maybe too fast by conventional standards, but that didn't make it any less real.
With his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close, he kissed her back with all the longing he'd been suppressing, all the tenderness she'd awakened in him, and all the fierce protectiveness that had nothing to do with professional obligations and everything to do with the way she'd quietly become essential to his happiness.
24
