Page 67 of Keeping a Warrior

He didn’t seem to know where to put his hands. One slid down over her ass cheek, while the other lingered uncertainly on her ribs. Grabbing it, Devon pulled his palm up to cover her breast and pressed it against her. Moaning into her mouth, Rhys pinched the nipple between his thumb and forefinger, sending a bolt of electricity zinging down Devon’s body straight to her clit.

“Rhys,” she gasped, undulating against him. “Feels so good.”

In the very next instant, he tore himself away.

Reaching for him again, Devon could only stare helplessly when he jumped back out of reach. “What’s wrong?”

He raked trembling fingers through his hair. “Devon, I—” His voice was husky, anguished. “I—Sex for me has never been casual. I told you I don’t know how to do the single-guy thing here.”

Childhood friends turned lovers. Had he ever been with anyone else?

“Hey.” When Rhys’s eyes flew to hers, Devon said softly, “Sex with a friend, with someone you care about—with me—wouldn’t be casual. No way.”

“No?” He took a step closer, his face solemn. “So tell me what the SF guy said. You’re going to be leaving with him at some point, right?”

A huge lump rose into Devon’s throat. “Just because it’s temporary doesn’t have to mean it’s casual, you know. They don’t have to mean the same things.”

With a rueful smile, Rhys reached out to run the backs of his fingers down Devon’s cheek. “Sweet girl, with you, I’d have a hard time separating the two. And to be honest, my heart is pretty fragile right now.”

“Shit.” Her own heart aching, Devon turned her face into his palm. “The last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt you. But I can’t promise you more than the deployment.”

“I know.” He stroked her cheekbone with his thumb. “What I don’t know is if I’m strong enough to handle something with an expiration date.” Dropping his hand, he stepped back, saying, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”

At that, every last bit of her disappointment drained away.

“Changing your mind about sex,” she said quietly, “isn’t leading me on. It’s your absolute right.”

It was a long, silent run back to the base. By the time they jogged to a stop in front of Devon’s barracks, the endorphins had calmed her roiling emotions and the smile she gave Rhys was genuine.

“Thanks for the company tonight, and the moral support for Matt,” she told him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early. Wheels up, baby!”

As she turned away, Rhys caught her hand. “Hey. Thanks for understanding.” He squeezed her fingers. “You’re someone pretty special, you know that?”

Devon squeezed him back. “Right back atcha.”

Once in her room, she got into the shower and let the hot spray soothe her aching muscles, her body still thrumming from Rhys’s kiss, her cheeks abraded from his stubble.

Maybe it was for the best, for them to keep their relationship in the friend zone. He was on the rebound, and she was on the cusp of a major life change. That thirty-minute conversation with Major Beck had opened up an entirely new world for her, and if she stepped into that world, she’d be leaving her old one completely behind.

Rhys couldn’t do casual—she could only do temporary. Besides, Devon had already learned the hard way that getting involved with a teammate sometimes led to massive heartache.

Better to just leave things as they were.

Chapter Thirteen

This is it.

Rhys stared into the gaping maw of the C-17.

One more deployment. Four more months of my life about to be given up to a country we never should’ve gone into in the first place.

The loadmasters scurried back and forth on their forklifts while the SEALs stayed well out of the way. Some of them were huddled with their families inside the squadron’s cavernous hangar, while still others were grouped together, laughing and joking around after having already said their goodbyes privately at home.

“Hey, man.” A sharp clap to his back, and Rhys turned to see Aaron standing there, his brown eyes bright with excitement. “Ready for this?”

“I guess.” With a shrug, Rhys looked over Aaron’s shoulder. “Sarah not here?”

“Nah, she booted my ass out bright and early.”