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Oh, Jesus. I was almost afraid to ask, but… “You have a bucket list?”
Bridget nodded. “For before I return to Eldorra.” She ticked off the items on her fingers. “One, go someplace where no one knows or cares who I am. Two, eat and read and sunbathe all day without having to worry about an event later or waking up early the next day. Three, do an adrenaline rush activity my grandfather will yell at me for, like bungee jumping. And four, have an orgasm I didn’t give myself.” Her shoulders slumped. “It’s been a while.”
Fuck. Now the mental image of Bridget giving herself an orgasm would forever be etched in my mind.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. How the hell did I get myself into this situation? The night had gone so far off the rails I couldn’t see the tracks anymore.
“One is probably off the table,” Bridget said. “But you can help me with four.”
She was going to achieve something neither my mother nor the military had. She was going to kill me.
“Go to bed,” I said in a strained voice. “Alone. You’re drunk, and it’s late.”
Bridget stared at my groin, where my obvious arousal tented my pants. “But—”
“No.” I needed to get out of there. Stat. “No buts. You’ll thank me in the morning.”
Before she could protest further, I left and headed straight to my bathroom, where I took the world’s longest, coldest shower. It did nothing to slake the heat of my arousal. Neither did fisting my cock until I reached a wholly unsatisfying orgasm.
Only one thing could take the edge off my frustration, and I’d turned it down like an idiot.
I shut off the faucet and dried myself, resigned to a sleepless night.
Meanwhile, the terrible idea that had been brewing in the back of my mind since Bridget told me about her bucket list wouldn’t go away. Instead, it sounded more and more like a good idea.
It was crazy and possibly dangerous. I had no time to prepare, and it went against all my training and protective instincts.
But I couldn’t get Bridget’s sad eyes or words out of mind.
I want to savor being normal for the last time.
“I’m going to regret this,” I muttered as I stepped out of the bathroom and flipped open my laptop.
It didn’t matter.
Because as much as I wanted Bridget safe, I wanted her happy more.