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I noticed a coffeepot, but at this point, I couldn’t begin to know where to look for actual coffee, an important ingredient. First, I needed to find my things.

And the man of the house.

The bedroom I’d woken up in had been nice, but the one downstairs was huge, the view from the large window incredible. The bed was very masculine and either he’d made the bed early, or he hadn’t slept in it. Maybe at all.

Where the hell was he?

Tank was obviously happy playing with his balls, leaving me alone to fend for myself.

I found a small hallway leading to a half bath and another room. The door was partially cracked so I opened it without thinking, walking right in.

There he was. Asleep on the couch. A glass remained in his one hand, a picture of something in the other. Both were threatening to fall to the floor. In his sleep, he looked peaceful, something I hadn’t seen the entire time I’d spent with him.

With tentative steps, I moved closer, keeping my arms folded, mostly so I wouldn’t dare reach out and disturb him. He was definitely more of a grump in the mornings. His head was cocked to the side, his hair tousled. My guess was he’d been running his fingers through it, probably while cursing my name since his entire life had been interrupted.

That’s definitely not what he’d wanted.

His breathing was even and I was drawn to the way his long eyelashes floated across his cheeks. The former three-day stubble had turned into a short, sexy beard coating his strong,angular jaw. He was even more handsome than the night before. Perhaps because he appeared a little wild and unkempt.

I tried to look away and when I did, my eyes caught several photographs in matching frames. As quietly as possible, I moved toward them, daring not to touch one, but it was hard. They were all of Kage at various stages in his life.

Huh.

Kage might be an arrogant bastard, but he wasn’t self-serving. There was no love of himself as if he was king of something. The collection must belong to someone else. Did he even live here alone? I was certain he did, other than with Tank of course.

I couldn’t help myself, rolling a finger around his face in his high school graduation picture. And the one from college. God, he looked so different. Happy. Content. His smile was huge, his eyes gleaming as if he had the entire world by the balls.

A heavy ache formed in my heart. The photos of him in the Navy were also incredible. He was very handsome, but his features had changed. They were harder, his eyes more focused.

The last one when he was receiving a medal, he appeared… haunted.

Guilty, maybe.

For what?

I pulled away, almost stumbling on something and barely catching myself before I fell. With my knee feeling better, the last thing I needed was to trip and try to kill myself. A gruff sound drew my attention back to the sleeping giant. I turned around, walking even closer than before.

The glass was slipping even more. Just before it fell from his fingers, I grabbed it, carefully placing the tumbler on the coffee table. When I reached for the picture, I was able to see the content.

It had to be men from his unit. My God. They were all so… dangerous looking. There was Stone. I could recognize the man’s smile from anywhere. I glanced at Kage’s serene face, taking a moment to enjoy the view before reaching down to retrieve the picture.

The instant movement caught the corner of my eye, but I was too late to stop his reaction. He immediately snapped his hand around my throat, pulling me down onto the couch and pressing the full weight of his body on top of me.

The picture fell to the floor with a hard thump.

Air immediately rushed from my lungs, a sharp cry driven from my throat. “Oh!”

He was reacting, his eyes unfocused, grabbing my other arm and pulling both over my head. With one hand wrapped around both wrists, there was no way I could move or defend myself.

And his growl was primal.

CHAPTER 20

Juliette

No. No.No!

A single vision crashed into my mind, the horrible moment so intense I was certain it was real.