Page 20 of A Very Grumpy Green Beret

She pulls back enough to drag in a breath, but I chase her mouth, stealing another kiss. Then another. I can’t stop. Now that I know what she tastes like, I don’t understand how I ever survived without this.

Without her.

“Luca,” she breathes against my lips.

The sound of my name in that soft, shaken voice does something dangerous to me.

“I’ve got you,” I murmur, brushing my nose against hers. “I’m never letting anyone hurt you again.”

Her eyes flutter open. They’re wet with tears, but the fear that filled them before is fading. In its place is something warm and uncertain that makes my heart pound harder than the gunshot did.

“You came back,” she whispers.

“I never left,” I admit.

Her gaze searches mine, and I let her see everything. The need, the devotion, the obsession I’m not capable of hiding anymore.

“I couldn’t,” I admit. “I can’t stay away from you.”

Perry’s expression crumples. For one horrible second, I think she regrets kissing me. Then she cradles my face between her hands and presses her lips to mine again.

This kiss is softer, but it ruins me completely.

I hold her as carefully as I can, my thumb stroking along her spine while she kisses me with a tenderness I’ve never known. Something settles deep inside my chest, a savage, restless part of me finally going quiet because she’s here.

She chose me. Even if it’s only for this moment, she chose me.

A groan sounds behind me, and I break the kiss, pulling back to glare murdderously over my shoulder at the men.

“I’m going to call the police. You go inside and lock the door,” I order Perry.

She nods, and I guide her inside. I grab my phone to make the call, and by the time I hang up, I can already hear the sirens approaching. Bryan groans as he regains consciousness. I punch him again, and he collapses back onto the porch.

My shoulder is screaming where I was shot, but I can’t focus on any of that. Perry kissed me. She hugged me.

She wants me.

I grin like a fool as the cops pull up, and I explain the situation to them. It’s going to be a long ass day of paperwork and questions, but it’s all worth it. I have my girl. I kept her safe.

And I’m going to figure out a way to keep her with me forever.

10

Perry

It’s late by the time Luca and I get back to his place. We had to go to the police station to give our statements and answer all their questions. Then I insisted Luca go to the hospital to get his wound looked at. He tried to tell me he could take care of it at home, but I didn’t want to take any chances. After that, we swung by a taco place to grab dinner before going to my motel to collect my things.

“I’ll leave once I’ve grabbed a change of clothes,” Luca says as we step inside the front door.

“Leave?” I echo.

“I’ll take your stuff to our—your—room,” he corrects.

“You don’t have to leave,” I protest.

He shakes his head. “I’ll still be close by in case anyone else comes looking for you. You’ll be safe here.”

“I know. That’s not why I’m saying you don’t have to leave.”