Page 17 of Theirs for the Holidays

The work I do now is different from being in the army, but only on the surface. Instead of deployments and managing troops, I manage investments and consult on matters of security—not so different than what I did for Zephyr before my brothers and I sold it, except now I only work on a consulting basis. Still, it’s the same level of meticulous detail and trying to make sure all the bases are covered that I had when I was in the army, just with less of the danger and threats of dying unexpectedly.

That part is nice, I’ll admit.

The work is interesting, and it fills the gap left behind by being discharged from the army and not working with my brothers anymore. I focus all my energy on it, working hard, unable to stop grinding. I never stop pushing, trying to make things bigger and better, trying to be the best in the industry, even though it doesn’t really matter.

I have more money than I’ll ever need, and these days it’s harder to tell what I’m grinding for. There’s not really an end goal, just a need to keep busy.

Even now, when I could be relaxing, I focus on work, reading over some proposals and sending follow ups while I wait for everyone else to be ready.

The shower shuts off in the bathroom, and a few minutes later, Violet appears in the doorway to the office. She’s dressed, and her hair is still damp, falling around her face and shoulders in soft, auburn curls. She’s dressed simply, in a sweater that falls to her mid thighs, with leggings underneath, but the clothes cling to her a bit, showing off the softness of her curves. Herblue-violet eyes are bright, and when I look up at her, she smiles, lighting them up even more. There’s a light fragrance in the air from her shower, sugar and peaches, and it’s almost soothing to my senses.

She reaches up and flips a wayward curl out of her face, and the effect is charming and attractive in a way that pulls at something deep inside me.

“Are you really okay sleeping on the floor like this?” she asks, tipping her head to one side as she surveys my pile of pillows and blankets.

I just shrug. “I’ve slept on worse.”

“Right,” she replies. “In the army. I guess they weren’t handing out down pillows and mattress toppers when you were deployed.”

I snort. “They definitely were not. So this is fine.”

Her gaze darts to my scar and then to my hand, and of course my grip chooses that moment to give out. It happens sometimes, when the muscles just fuck up and make me drop something, and this time it sends my phone clattering to the floor.

“Shit,” I curse under my breath, moving to grab the phone with my good hand. Usually when this shit happens I’m alone, so there’s no one to be embarrassed in front of, but of course Violet is right there this time, and it fills me with a sick sort of tension to have her see this. It’s not like she doesn’t know that I’m damaged, but still.

I curl my fingers around the phone and sit up, guard raised firmly in place. When I look at Violet again, the last thing I want is to see pity in her eyes.

Instead, she’s biting her lip, looking nervous, and I brace myself for her to say something she thinks is kind about my injury.

“I wasn’t sure you remembered that night,” is what she says, and I blink in surprise. That was not what I was expecting.

“What… do you mean?”

Her cheeks flush a little, and she drops her eyes to the floor. “The night we slept together. Before you were redeployed.”

Oh.

Something squeezes in my gut, and there’s a thrill of arousal tripping down my spine just at the reminder of it. I definitely didn’t forget. Some of it is a haze of heat and the feeling of skin on skin, but even those parts are seared into my memory.

“You never mentioned it after it happened,” Violet continues. “So I thought maybe you’d forgotten.”

I push myself to my feet and move closer to her, brow furrowed. “You think I don’t remember that night?”

Her eyes dart up to mine then back down, and she licks her lips. “I don’t know. Maybe you just wished you could forget it.” She laughs a little at the end, like it’s supposed to be a joke, but I can tell there’s something underneath the awkwardness that rings like the truth.

“Violet.” I reach out, catching her chin to tip her face up. “I remember it. I remember everything.”

Her breath catches, and this close I can hear it and feel it. “Why… why didn’t you ever say anything then? I barely even saw you before you deployed again, and then I heard you got injured and were honorably discharged a few months later. But you never reached out or said a single thing. It was like you were avoiding me, and I thought…” She shakes her head. “Why?”

My jaw clenches at the question. I don’t even know how to answer it. Before I get the chance to formulate any words, Sawyer walks around the corner and sees us.

He looks from Violet to me, and I see him register the fact that I’m touching her and we’re standing so close together. A muscle ticks in his jaw.

“What’s going on?” he asks, folding his arms.

I drop my hand and step back, putting some distance between me and Violet. “Nothing.”

“We were just talking,” Violet replies, forcing a smile.