Page 38 of Love in Overdrive

“I told you this would be better than staying on base tonight,” Max shouted next to his ear as he spun by with a cute little brunette on his arm.

He’d been right. Cade wanted to stay back and prep for their mission. They were flying out at oh-seven-hundred.

The redhead ran her hand up his arm as she ground her hips into his very alert unit. “Uh…” Shit, what was her name? Kari? Mary? Barrie? Something with an E sound at the end. “Maybe we should take this somewhere else.”

If she kept this up, he’d blow through his pants.

“Tiffany!” A deep voice cut through the twang coming from the speakers a second before she was ripped from his arms.

“Hey. Who are you?” Cade’s senses sharpened. A big guy on the right stepped closer, and a guy, who’d obviously had his nose broken a time or two, stepped up on his left.

“I’m her boyfriend. Who the fuck are you?”

Tiffany whimpered as her beau wrenched her arm tighter.

“She didn’t say she had a boyfriend.”

She struggled to pull free from the giant of a man with a vise grip on her arm. “We broke up.”

“Now, darlin’.”

“Don’t you darlin’ me. I told you to get out when I found out you were sleeping with that slut over at the Gas and Sip.”

“We’ll discuss this at home.”

“No!” She tried to pull free again. The guy’s knuckles were white as he tightened his grip. Cade’s own hands fisted.

“Earl, take her out of here. I’ll teach her some respect later.” Tiffany’s man thrust her into the arms of broken-nose guy.

“Man, I don’t want any trouble.” That didn’t mean Cade wouldn’t meet it head on if he had to.

“It doesn’t matter what you want.”

Before Cade could respond, something crashed into the back of his head. A stabbing pain shot through his skull, but didn’t slow him down. His training kicked in, and Cade took the guy behind him out with a sweep of the leg. Pushing back the pain, he reacted. Punch. Jab. By the third thrust of his fist, Cade’s buddy realized what was going down and joined in, evening up the fight.

Tiffany’s boyfriend pulled a knife from his boot and lunged.

Tiffany screamed. No. Not her.

Cade’s dream morphed. The scream dulled, turning into sobs. He jerked fully awake.

Laney railed side to side. Whimpers escaped her lips.

Shit. He hadn’t relived that night in months. Hearing Laney’s soft mewling must have brought it back.

Her forehead pinched, and she kicked the blanket off.

“Laney, baby. You’re okay.” Cade ran a hand up her arm. With soft circles, he caressed her shoulders. “Shh. I’m here.”

Her hands gripped his biceps, but her eyes didn’t open. “Cade?”

“Yeah, baby. It’s me.” He brushed a strand of hair from her face, letting his fingers linger.

The creases on her forehead relaxed.

“I got you,” he whispered.

His arm burned where their skin touched. He longed to let her hands roam, heating up the rest of his body, but those beautiful eyes were hidden, tucked away in slumber. He eased back, expecting her hands to fall away, but instead, her long fingers slipped to his torso.

Tiny zings of awareness ignited under those delicate fingers as they slid up and around to tug him closer.

Well, fuck. Who was he to deny her comfort? He stretched out beside her and cradled her in his arms.

She burrowed into his chest.

In seconds, her breathing evened out… deep and steady. Listening to her breathe, feeling the rise and fall against his chest, Cade closed his eyes. A smile tugged at his lips. This was way better than the chair.