Page 9

CHAPTER NINE

Having Vera on his back, her breasts pressing against him, her legs wrapped around him, was near maddening. If she wasn’t his sister’s friend, he would have already hit on her. But she wasn’t living with him for that. She needed help because some jerk had decided it was open season on her, and she didn’t need his lust, too.

Once they were back with the group, he set her down close to the umbrella, and she stepped into the shade. He caught the way her eyes flew to his face and then away. He’d messed up. She was going through some bad shit, and he’d pushed too hard. The last thing she needed was another guy trying things with her.

He pulled her flip flops out of his pocket and held them up. “Anyone have anything to fix these?”

Q held out his hand, taking the shoes from him. “I have duct tape. It won’t look pretty, but it will hold for the rest of the day.”

“Thank you, Q. That will help so much.”

Q flashed a wide grin and took off to his car. Vera chatted with Ellis while Q took care of her shoe. Hop was next to Q, helping hold the shoe. The two times Vera glanced over at him, she jerked her gaze away so fast he wondered if she was mad at him.

This was why he didn’t date, and he needed to remember this feeling. Vera was here because she needed help, not him.

He could fight this and win. There was no reason for Vera to feel awkward around him. He wasn’t some hormonal teenager, and he could handle his shit, even if it meant he walked away from her after she moved out.

Vera enjoyed spending time at the beach with Ben and his friends. Since they’d called him Hop all day, she was getting used to thinking of him as Hop and not Ben.

They had both showered and were sitting at the table, eating leftovers from something he’d cooked earlier in the week. “How did you get the nickname Hop?”

His lips curved up slightly, and he shook his head. “You really want to know?”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Of course. I wouldn’t have asked otherwise. I know why you gave Caroline the name Frizz. That’s obvious. But Hop, what is that about?”

“I had just started BUDs. It’s intense. You don’t stop. Sure, you eat and sleep some, and all the other stuff that you have to do to survive, but it’s this endless phase of working your ass off, and not getting enough of things you need to be human. It strips you down.”

“Dang, I had no idea.”

He shrugged. “It is what it is. Anyway, I hadn’t slept more than ten minutes, and we were outside when I saw a bug crawling toward us. We weren’t in formation yet, and I started hopping. I didn’t want the bug to get on me. It wasn’t the most rational reaction, but it’s what I did. Then everyone else started hopping. Our trainer stepped outside and saw all of us hopping around. He laughed his ass off. It could have gone wrong for me. You can’t be afraid of bugs or snakes or other stuff like that.”

A shiver slid down her spine. “I would never make it. I hate bugs. When I was tied to that tree, and they were crawling all over me—” A shiver worked through her. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

His lips curved up a little, and she wanted to lean in and kiss him. They weren’t dating, and forcing a connection with him would be wrong. She’d left Logan a while ago, but she didn’t need to start up with another guy.

“Yeah, being a SEAL means you get put into gross situations. There were a few times I had to shut down the ick factor for bugs and just do it. The worst is operating in rainforests. There are so many creepy crawlies.” His whole body shook as revulsion filled his face. “I can’t even think about it.”

She shook her head as she fought to suppress another shiver. “Oh, can’t, just can’t think about it.”

His chuckle warmed her. “Neither can I. I was thinking about getting food at the commissary this week. Mostly meat and a few other items. You don’t eat much compared to me. How about I buy food, and you can pay me like a third or better, a quarter of the cost? That sounds about right.”

“I could just buy my stuff at the grocery store nearby.”

“Meat is much cheaper on base.”

She thought about it for a moment. “I guess that would be good.”

“Yeah, I’d say you eat about a quarter of what I do. So I’ll buy the meat, and we’ll see how it goes.”

She appreciated him picking up groceries, but she wanted to do a few things for herself. “I think I need to buy a car.”

“Do you want something used or new?”

“I don’t know. I think I’d rather not spend a bunch of money. My last car was four years old when I got it, so it was cheaper. I don’t look forward to having a monthly bill again.”

“Yeah, that part of new cars sucks.”

She picked up her plate and took it to the sink, rinsing it off before putting it in the dishwasher. It was late, and she wanted to catch up on email, so she didn’t have a lot to conquer on Monday.

“I’m headed to my room to do a little work. Thank you for inviting me out today.”

“Sure. It was fun. I’m glad you had a chance to meet Ellis and Remi. They are both really nice.”

Vera nodded. “They are.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night’s sleep.”

“You, too.”

Spending the day with Hop had been interesting. She enjoyed his company, and his friends were so different from anything she’d experienced before. They were kind and sweet and didn’t get weird around her. None of them had hit on her. It had been refreshing.

After doing her email, she read for a little while and then headed to bed. She wasn’t sure how long she’d slept for when something woke her out of a dead sleep. Confusion filled her, and she stumbled out of bed, searching for the lamp beside her bed. Her hand hit something, and the lamp tilted. Before the lamp fell off the table, she caught it, making sure it was sitting up.

The noise intensified, and she moved to the door, pulling it open. Right then, she saw a figure and screamed. The person reached out their hand, clamping down on her arm.

“Vera, it’s me,” Hop whispered.

“Oh God, what is that noise?”

“Not sure. But we don’t have electricity now.”

“I noticed that. Is the whole block out?”

“I think?—”

Something like an explosion sounded, cutting her off. She jumped, landing so her body pressed up against his. Fear slid through her. His arms tightened around her, making her feel better. And then she realized his chest was bare. Her thin tank top didn’t do much to cover her, and neither did her underwear.

Her cheek brushed over his pec, and she gasped as she tilted her head up just as he looked down. Their lips were close, almost touching. His breath on her cheeks and his hands on her back made her nipples tighten.

A siren sounded outside, the lights from the emergency equipment illuminating their space enough that she could see the desire in his eyes. The heat in his gaze was unmistakable, and she wanted it. She wanted to get even closer to him, to find out what his hands actually felt like on her body.

He cleared his throat and stepped back. “I should see what’s going on.”

A tinge of disappointment slid through her, but it wasn’t the time to explore whatever she felt when she’d been pressed up against his body.

She nodded, stepping away from him. With the lights outside, she could make out the color of his underwear. Which meant he could see her panties.

Her cheeks heated as she made her way back to her room. She shouldn’t be so embarrassed, but she couldn’t get over how she’d reacted to his touch.

She pulled on shorts and a T-shirt over her tank. Her shoes were in the closet at the front of the house, so she headed into the den and slid on her socks and shoes.

Once outside, she found Hop standing on the front lawn, his arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts now, which was probably better than him going out in his underwear. The street was filled with emergency responders and their vehicles.

“What happened?” she asked as she moved to stand beside him.

“Looks like a house down the block had an issue. We probably shouldn’t be out here for long. The wind is blowing the other way, but still, whatever is in that smoke could be toxic.”

She glanced around, noticing that most of the police officers and firemen didn’t currently have any masks on. She’d never been this close to a fire before and certainly never this close to an explosion. “How far down is their house?”

“Next block. Looks like it’s about five or six houses in.”

“Did you know them?”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t know anyone on that part of the street. If it’s the house I think it is, they moved in last year. I always thought they looked sketchy. Like, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a drug house. Maybe it’s not the house I’m thinking about. If it’s a drug house, we might be evacuated.”

“Shit. We should probably go back in before the wind shifts.”

“Yeah. You’re right. That smoke could be very toxic.”

They headed inside, her going in before him. The lights were still off, so she stopped, having to think about where the chair was. Hop almost ran into her, and he reached out and grabbed her shoulder. His hand on her was almost too much. She drew in a ragged breath, trying to stay calm.

“Sorry. I don’t feel comfortable walking without a light.”

“Yeah, I get that. I left my phone in my room.”

“Same.”

She took a step just as he did. She mis-stepped and almost fell. Hop grabbed her arm, steadying her. She ended up facing him as she stumbled another step closer, her hands landing on his chest.

Her gaze swung up just as he glanced down. This time, she didn’t want to pull away, but kissing him would be wrong. They were only pressed up against each other because they were stumbling around in the dark. He wouldn’t have pulled her into a hug if the sun was up and they were just hanging out together. The darkness hid their expressions, but it couldn’t hide the desire she felt flowing off him. His hands lingered on her as his fingers caressed her side, then her back. The sound of him sniffing her hair sent tingles down her spine. They were so close she could feel his breath on her neck.

She expected him to back away, but he didn’t move, and neither did she. It felt good being only inches from him. He squeezed her arm, and she wished he would do more. But that was dangerous. She needed this place to live. She could find an apartment, but then her name would be on the lease. She didn’t want Logan to know where she was, and having her name attached to an address was scary.

A siren sounded outside on the street, and that was her sign to back away. He cleared his throat and then stepped back. That was her cue to go back to her bedroom and ignore the desire floating in the air.

“If they make us evacuate, I’ll wake you up. I think it’s safe to go to bed.”

She nodded. “Thank you. I should sleep some more. At least it’s Sunday, and I can take a nap.”

“Yeah. We can nap tomorrow.”

She didn’t think he realized what he’d implied. But had he actually implied anything? She was reading too much into it. They were both tired, and he’d just meant they could both take naps but not together.

It would be irrational to think they would nap together. Just the thought of him holding her while they slept was almost too much. Once back in her bed, she stretched out, pulling the sheet up to her neck, trying hard to push the desire down. Getting all worked up over Hop wouldn’t be good for her. She needed to keep her head on straight and not fall into the trap of thinking he wanted something to do with her when he was just being nice. They weren’t going to be together. She was only here because he was doing a favor for his sister. That was all.