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“I didn’t read anything into it. I know it was a situational thing,” she hurried to add, when he didn’t immediately respond.

“I regret a lot of things in my life,” he said quietly. “But not being able to remember how you felt next to me, under my hand, is now right up there with the biggest regrets ever.”

Laryn stared at him in shock. Wait— what ? Had she heard him say what she thought he’d said ?

His thumbs caressed her jawline once more before he dropped his hands and stepped back. Laryn felt unsteady on her feet. What just happened here?

Beeping sounded from next to her, and it took a few seconds for Laryn to realize it was her air fryer, letting her know the tater tots she’d put in to cook were done.

Before she could move, Tate was there, gently pushing her aside and opening the drawer.

She watched as he deftly poured them out into the bowl she’d put next to the appliance, then reached out and depressed the button to toast the bagels she’d already put inside.

As far as breakfasts went, it wasn’t the healthiest. All carbs and no protein, but she’d make up for that by eating a healthier lunch and dinner.

Tate made himself at home in her kitchen, going so far as to refill her coffee mug and practically pushing her out of the small area toward her two-person table against the window that overlooked the grassy area behind her apartment complex.

And leaving her feeling a little shell-shocked that he was cooking for her—could toasting a bagel be counted as cooking?—once again.

When it was done, he slathered the bagels with cream cheese and opened her spice cabinet, smiling as he reached for a bottle.

He sprinkled her “everything bagel” seasoning on them and brought their plates to the table, going back to get the bowl of tater tots.

He also brought over silverware for each of them, along with paper towels, then sat across from her.

“Looks delicious,” he declared, before taking a huge spoonful of tater tots from the bowl.

As they ate, he asked, “How did you know she drugged the shot?”

Laryn had thought they were done talking about what happened, but she should’ve known better.

And she didn’t blame him. If she had no memories, she’d want every single detail too.

Besides, this was how Tate was with everything.

He wasn’t content with surface-level explanations.

He wanted specifics. He never let her get away with skimming over what she’d done to tweak his beloved MH-60.

He wanted every nitty-gritty detail, even if he didn’t understand half of what she was saying.

“Instinct?” she said with a small shrug after she’d swallowed a bite of bagel.

Why did it taste so much better this morning than when she made the exact same thing and ate it on the way to work?

Maybe because she didn’t have to make it?

Because she was eating breakfast with Tate after sleeping with him?

No. No, no, no. She had to shut that line of thought down. Yes, she’d slept with him, but not in any meaningful way. He was un-frigging-conscious. Had been drugged . It wasn’t of his own free will.

“More,” he insisted.

Laryn rolled her eyes. Yep, this was the Tate she knew and?—

Nope. She wasn’t going to finish that thought.

“She’d been eyeballing you right before that.

Shoving her tits in your face didn’t seem to be working, and I guess she must’ve gotten desperate.

She came to the table with a tray full of shots, and she made a point of putting the first one in front of you.

When you picked it up, she was just kind of…

staring at you so intently, waiting for you to drink.

Just made me wonder why. And after you drank it, the look of satisfaction on her face was clear as day. At least to me.”

“Do you think the others were also roofied?” he asked.

Laryn shook her head. “No. They all seemed fine. Besides, Barb had eyes for you and only you.”

“I’ve never fucked her,” Tate said bluntly.

Laryn was more than used to the way the soldiers and sailors she worked with talked. She wasn’t offended by swear words in the least. She shrugged at Tate’s confession. “Not my business.”

“It is,” he insisted. “She hits on anything with a dick. And I’m long past the point where I want sex simply to get off. ”

“I think she was threatened by me, which is ridiculous, but whatever.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” Laryn asked with a small frown.

“Why is that ridiculous?”

She chuckled. “Because. I’m me . And she’s everything I’m not.”

“Thank fuck!” Tate exclaimed. “Look at me, Laryn.”

Her gaze automatically came up and met his own suddenly intense stare.

“She’s a bitch. And I think we can both agree, now that she’s stooped to fucking drugging men to try to assault and possibly blackmail them into either being with her, or possibly giving her money by using an innocent baby, she’s also manipulative, conniving, and a sexual predator.

You are nothing like her, and that’s a good thing.

If I’d woken up in anyone else’s bed other than yours, I would’ve freaked out.

I said this before and I’ll say it again, I’m safe with you.

You’ve proven it time and time again by making sure my birds are as safe as you can make them.

I’ve been pretty clueless for years, but not anymore.

I told you—I see you, Laryn. And things are going to change from here on out. ”

“Change?” she whispered, terrified about what that meant.

“Did you really like it when I touched you last night?” he asked, instead of answering her question.

“Uh…what does that have to do with anything?” she hedged.

“It has everything to do with everything . Answer the question.”

“You know you’re annoying, right?” she countered.

“Yup.” He leaned forward after pushing his now-empty plate to the side.

His gaze bore into her own, and Laryn couldn’t look away if her life depended on it.

“When I slipped my hand under your shirt, did you get goose bumps like I’ve seen you get a few times when I’ve touched you before?

Did your nipples get hard? Did you want more? ”

Laryn swallowed hard. His questions were intrusive and crossed a line she wasn’t sure she should cross with him.

But here in her apartment, after the best night’s sleep she’d had in a very long time, after doing everything in her power to keep this man out of that bitch’s clutches the night before, her defenses were down.

She was tired of hiding her desire for Tate. And this felt like the perfect time to fish or cut bait. Wasn’t that why she’d considered taking another job? As far away from Virginia, and Tate, as she could get?

Taking a deep breath, and feeling as if she’d just jumped out of a plane without a parachute, she said simply, “Yes.”

Tate sat back, and instead of looking smug or conceited, he looked…excited. Pleased. Relieved.

“I said it already, but if there’s one thing I regret about last night, it’s not that I didn’t shut Barb down immediately.

It’s not neglecting to tell her we didn’t want shots.

It’s not getting fucking roofied—but for the record, that shit sucks.

It’s not fun to wake up and not remember a damn thing.

To have a huge blank space in your head when you know it shouldn’t be blank.

No…I regret not remembering how it felt to sleep next to you. How you felt under my hands.”

The damn goose bumps were back. She couldn’t control them.

And she’d pushed up the sleeves of her sweatshirt before eating, which meant Tate saw them…

and smiled. Reaching out, he ran a finger over her forearm in a barely there caress.

“Will you go on a date with me?” he asked.

“We can go out to eat, or there’s an ax-throwing place that might be fun.

I bet you’d kick ass at that. Or we can simply go for a walk along a beach. Whatever you want to do.”

Laryn wanted to pinch herself. Tate Davis was asking her out? She wanted to squeal in excitement. Or pass out. One of the two. She did neither. Instead, she gave him a shy smile and said, “I’d like that.”

They sat there smiling at each other for a beat before Tate stood. He picked up her empty plate and his and started for the sink. But he suddenly stopped and turned around. Then he leaned over her, and Laryn lifted her chin to meet his gaze, anxious to hear what he wanted to say.

To her shock and delight, he didn’t speak—he kissed her. It was a chaste kiss, a mere brushing of his lips against hers, but it sent bolts of electricity down to her toes.

“Thank you for watching over me last night. For having my back. I’ll never forget what you did for me.” His voice was earnest and heartfelt, and the way it made her feel, all warm and fuzzy, was better than the electric energy his kiss made her feel.

Then he continued to the sink. He rinsed the plates as Laryn brought over the empty bowl. After the dishes were put away, she wasn’t sure what to do next.

Tate took the decision out of her hands.

“I need to head home. I want to change, call the guys, the manager of Anchor Point, tell all of them what happened. I’m thinking I probably also need to connect with Nate.

He probably knows something is up with me, as that’s how things sometimes work between us since we’re twins.

I want to reassure him that I’m good, and let him know how perfectly the trials went and to give him a heads-up that we’re being deployed next week.

I also need to call Tex. You should come with me. ”

But Laryn shook her head immediately. “That’s a no. I’m not going to sit around while you’re making your personal phone calls. I’ll go into work. I do have other things to do besides work on your helicopters, you know.”

“Bullshit,” Tate said with a grin. “You know my choppers are your first priority.”