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CHAPTER TWELVE

Vera hated that Frizz had run into Logan. She wished there was a way to make Logan stop. The guy was a menace. He was dangerous, and Frizz didn’t need the pressure. Guilt hit hard. She wanted to help Frizz, but other than giving herself up to Logan, she had no way to help.

Her worry didn’t dissipate over the week, even after talking to Frizz on Wednesday and knowing she was safe didn’t alleviate her fear. By Friday afternoon, she was barely able to concentrate enough to finish work. When Hop stepped in, she was on edge.

He seemed happy, and that made her even more edgy. She headed into her room, hiding so she didn’t say something she would regret. When she went out to grab something to eat, he was in the kitchen, reading something on his tablet.

“Oh, hey. How are you?”

She blew out a frustrated breath, trying to decide if she should just say fine or tell him. He must have figured something was wrong because he got up and came over to her.

“What’s going on?”

She shook her head. “Nothing. Everything. You seem like you’re not worried about Frizz, and I’m freaking out. I don’t know if I should stay here or head back to Texas so Logan stops targeting her.”

He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. The heat from his simple touch was too much. She didn’t want to feel desire for him, but it was there, rising up as he rubbed her back.

“It’s going to be okay. I talked to a guy who lives in Texas. He understands the situation and knows how to handle it.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“It means she’ll be safe.”

“But what if?—”

His finger landed on her lips, quieting her. Heat exploded through her, making it hard to do anything other than stare into his warm brown eyes. Her brain turned to mush, and she swayed closer.

Heat flared between them, and for a second, she thought he was going to turn away. It would have been the smart thing for both of them. They shouldn’t be doing this. But that didn’t stop her when he leaned in so he was less than an inch away from her face. He gave her time to step back or turn away. She didn’t.

Then his lips brushed over hers, and it was like all the tension leaked out, making her weak. Her fingers were on his chest, then she slid them around to the sides of his body, her hands shaking along with the rest of her.

His arms wrapped around her, and he pulled her closer as she tilted her head. She opened for him, their tongues sliding together, twisting in a dance that spoke of promises their bodies would deliver.

The feel of him up close, his hands on her back, her butt, her head overwhelmed her. Her nipples hardened as heat built inside. The insanely intimate closeness she felt with him pushed her to the edge.

When he palmed her butt cheek and applied pressure, drawing her to him, she lifted her leg, curling it around his body. The pressure in her core changed. She wasn’t going to last if he pressed against her again.

He was positioned just right so she could feel the hard ridge in his pants. His cock ground against her pussy. The friction of his body against hers made all of her nerves tingle. She couldn’t hold back and came hard.

She pulled out of the kiss, gasping as her body pulsed. Hop held still as she came. Embarrassment hit, but then she met his gaze, and he cupped her cheek.

“That was amazing. I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while.”

Shock pulsed through her. “But why? I’m nothing.”

It was his time to laugh. “You’re joking, right? You’re so freaking sexy.”

She shook her head, unable to take in what he was saying. “No, I’m not. You are.”

“Trust me, Vera, you’re very desirable. I’ve had a hard time keeping my hands off you.”

A shiver snaked through her, and he held her tighter. “You really find me attractive?”

“Yes. You’re very sexy. I’ve had to stop myself from doing something like this multiple times.”

She met his gaze again. “What exactly are we doing?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t usually make commitments.”

His words made her take a step back. “No commitments?”

His eyes changed, going softer. “I don’t want to let you go. I don’t understand. I’ve never felt like this with anyone else before. But you have to know, I’m a Navy SEAL. Our jobs are demanding. Very demanding.”

She nodded. “I get that.”

“I could be gone for weeks or months at a time.”

“I don’t need someone constantly around.”

He took a step back, and she thought she was losing her opportunity before she even had a chance. She wanted to beg him to stay close, make promises she didn’t even understand, just to have him in her arms. He held up one hand, silently begging her to listen.

“Before we go any deeper, I want to make sure you get that I could be called out at any time. I might miss your birthday or Christmas. I’ll be deployed at some point, which will be six months to a year. If I get called in, I have to go. I can’t just stay home because you have something going on or I have something going on. Military guys miss the births of children, they miss funerals, they miss big events. It is just the way the military is.”

“It sounds stressful for you.”

His bark of laughter was unexpected. “No, not as stressful as it is for the families left at home. I’ve seen a lot of guys get screwed over because their partner can’t be chill about the SEALs leaving. And yes, when we get the call, we want to go. It’s what we spend our lives training for. But that doesn’t mean we also don’t love coming home.”

She thought about his words, contemplating what it would mean to be with him. She shook her head and saw the light die a little in his eyes.

“Hold on. Let me say this. I don’t think I need constant attention. I understand that I’d have to be flexible, but being flexible isn’t difficult. I mean, I know that means you could end up being gone when we have plans, but we can also be careful with plans.”

“It’s tough on those left at home. You end up doing everything on your own.”

She reached for his hand, and he wove their fingers together. She took a step closer, her gaze staying on his face.

“You want to know what’s important to me?”

“What?”

“That you’ll never hit me or trap me in a closet or try to harm me. If I walk away, you’ll let me go and won’t try to kill me. Being left alone on Christmas won’t be hard. We can celebrate holidays on any day of the week in any month of the year.”

He reached up and ran his thumb over her cheek. “I swear, I’ll never do any of that stuff to you. It makes me mad that he—” Hop huffed out a breath. “I’m big, and I know I’m strong, but with that comes the responsibility of never attacking, always walking away to cool off if I get mad. I mean, the officers I have to deal with sometimes are assholes. There is no way I would survive if I told them what I thought about them. I’m saying this to get across that I wont react or fly off the handle. I’ll always respect you and your body.”

She cupped his cheek, loving how he tilted his head to lean into her touch. “I think we can make this work.”

“You’ve been here for a couple of weeks, so we know a little about each other.”

“I feel like I know you better than I did when I showed up.”

“That’s good, but we need to know each other even better. I know we’re both turned on.”

Heat rose up her neck. “Oh goodness, I’m so embarrassed.”

“Why? You’re fucking hot, and I’m highly turned on. I want you so much. And if we do eventually end up in bed, it’s going to be amazing.”

His words had her turned on, though she’d just had an orgasm from rubbing up against him. She wanted more of what his body promised. “By the time we do make it to bed together, it’s going to be molten.”

“I like the idea of molten.” His heated gaze raked over her body. “Yeah, we’re going to be very hot when we do take the next step.”

She bit her lower lip, trying not to think about sex but knowing all she wanted was to strip down and see what he felt like stretched out underneath or on top of her. “So what should we do?”

“Let’s eat dinner, then watch a movie.”

“Not something sexy. Maybe action or comedy.”

His deep chuckle vibrated right through her. It seemed like everything he did turned her on. She wanted this to work.

“Yeah, watching something super sexy wouldn’t be good for either of us.”

She shook her head, wishing they were further into their journey, but she was glad they were taking the time to get to know each other. For this to last, they needed more than just wishing to make it work.