Page 73 of Serve ’N’ Protect

Cassidy lowered her voice. “He had a rough family life, and it’s affected his ability to share his feelings and express himself.” To say the least. “But he’s kind, generous, caring, and courageous. I think he’d do anything for those he cares about.” She reached for a cookie and was about to bite into it when she caught everyone staring. “What?”

“Oh, my dear.” Her mother set down the platter she’d been washing to hug her. “You’re in love with him.”

Was she? The answer was swift and sure. Dear God, yes. She was.

“Have you told him?” Olivia asked.

“Has he told you?” Brianna prodded.

“No!” And she didn’t plan on it, not anytime soon.

“Okay.” Olivia held up her hands.

Brianna did the same. “Didn’t mean to pry.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to jump down your throats.” It was just that she didn’t have a clue how he really felt about her. Did he—could he—love her, or did it stop at caring?

The delicious food she’d eaten throughout the day gurgled uncomfortably in her stomach. She hoped she could get through Markus’s ironclad emotional wall. When the time was right, she’d tell him how she felt.

Chapter Twenty-Five

As Markus and Ghost walked with Cassidy from his SUV to her house, he automatically glanced up and down the street, searching for anyone or anything out of place. Mansfield was being held without bail, but nearly a decade in the military followed by a law enforcement career left him with an ingrained sense of caution that would probably never go away.

With every step, his palms sweated more. Afghanistan was a lifetime ago, but another kind of war was taking place inside his head, one that reminded him of that song by The Clash. Should I stay or should I go?

“See,” she said, inserting the key into the door. “You survived Christmas Day with my family.”

True, he’d survived, but he’d felt like an intruder. The same as he’d felt as a child in his own home. No matter how much he understood the psychological basis for what he’d become, old wounds never seemed to heal.

When Cassidy pushed open the door, the security system beeped until she entered her code. Rather than follow her inside, he stood on the porch, still holding open the outer door. The symbolism wasn’t lost on him. He couldn’t go in, but nor was he ready to close the door.

Ghost made the decision for him, trotting into the living room and settling on the floor in front of the coffee table.

“Come inside. It’s cold out.” She’d already taken off her jacket and hung it on the coat rack. The tiny gold beads on her red sweater glittered as she rubbed her arms. “I thought of something else you could give me for Christmas, and you could give it to me right now.”

She tugged him inside, closed the inner door behind them, then threw her arms around his neck and landed the sweetest, hottest kiss on his mouth. Staying or going now? That was a no-brainer.

Her body molded to his like she was made for him, her thighs pressing against what was quickly becoming an uncomfortable bulge beneath his jeans. Her tongue swept the inside of his mouth, teasing and torturing him to the brink of insanity.

It was like someone flipping his on-off switch to full-on mode. Blood shot to his groin and his brain shorted out. This felt so good. It felt so right.

And that terrified him.

Together, they climbed the stairs, leaving Ghost to chomp on his bone. Inside her bedroom, he began stripping off her clothes, his callused fingers lingering over every square inch of her skin that he touched. When she finally stood naked before him, he kissed the hollow of her throat, trailing his lips down her collarbone before sucking one nipple into his mouth.

Her sweet, honeyed scent was all around him. In his lungs, on his clothes. Gently, he walked her backward to the bed, laying her down, then stripping off his own clothes. As he did, he took in the beautiful, naked sight waiting for him.

She’d propped herself on her elbows to watch him undress. When she hiked up one leg, his cock jerked impatiently. Luckily, he’d stuffed the remaining condoms in her bedside drawer and quickly rolled one on. He hesitated at the tug of war going on inside his head. His conscience threatened to hold him back, viciously fighting his body’s craving to sink deep inside her, joining their bodies and their souls.

“Markus.” She crooked her finger. “I want you. Now.”

Those were the words he needed to push him over the edge.

He lay down next to her and fastened his mouth on hers, sliding his tongue between her lips and taking all that she offered. He skimmed his hand up her thigh and over her scars, not stopping until he reached her warm, wet folds.

As his fingers contacted her slick flesh, she arched off the bed, and he began pumping his fingers in and out of her sex.

“Oh, yes. That’s it. God, yes.” Cassidy’s eyes were shut, her body bowed and her muscles taut. “More. Go deeper.”