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“Not true. Protecting you is my assignment. A lot of our work is based on possibilities. We see a possibility we don’t like, we eliminate it.”
“And the possibility that got you assigned to protect my body?” she asked, her eyes on her finger as she swirled it through the fine hair dusting his chest.
Dominic reached down, angling his finger under her chin to tilt her face toward his.
“I can’t tell you about the mission. It’s an ongoing operation and until I’m told otherwise, it’s classified. I can promise you, though, that your brother is one of the best I’ve seen. He knows what he’s doing and he’s got the finest team in existence covering his ass.”
Lara wet her lips, not sure why she was so close to tears.
Phillip was a stranger to her. She had less connection to him than she had to the creep cadre that haunted the alley behind the casino each night.
But she couldn’t stop the unreasonable fear tugging at her heart.
“He’s really that good?”
“He’s one of the best,” Dominic assured her.
“I thought you didn’t like him.”
“I don’t have to be buddies with a guy to want him covering my back.”
And that, she supposed, was the highest of compliments.
“Besides, protecting your body is a pleasure. I should actually thank your brother.”
“I’ll bet your throat would choke on the words,” Lara teased.
“What? You don’t think I can be grateful?”
“No. I think you can be very grateful. But I know how guys think. You say thanks, you figure you’re giving my brother that kind of power over you. Even an inadvertent favor is still a favor.”
“Very true.” Dominic’s laugh was appreciative as his hands slid down her back to settle in the curve just above her butt. “So? You think he’d hold it over me?”
“Prince Perfect? Unless he’s changed, he doesn’t keep score. Nope, Phillip’s too good for that.”
For the first time in years, Lara realized that didn’t bother her. Phillip being perfect was his cross to bear, not hers.
She sighed, hoping perfect got him through whatever he was dealing with. It couldn’t be that bad, could it? He was a SEAL. He wouldn’t settle for anything less. That had to mean something, right?
“Why’d you become a SEAL?” she asked, needing to talk about something else before she started thinking of Phillip as an actual, real brother or something crazy like that.
“Because nobody else in my family had.”
“Right. I’ll bet nobody else in your family is a circus clown, either, but I don’t see you sporting polka dots and a red nose,” Lara said, laughing.
“Actually, my uncle Manny is a rodeo clown. Close enough to keep me out of floppy shoes.”
Giving him an impatient look, Lara tapped her fingers against his chest. Finally, he shrugged.
“Okay, really. I joined the Navy because nobody else had served in the military. In a family as big as mine, everyone has pretty much done everything by the time you get to it. When I hit college, I knew everything I didn’t want to do but really had no clue what I did want.”
“What happened?”
“I went home with a buddy on spring break. His brother was a Ranger.”
“Ranger?”
“Army.”
“But you joined the Navy.”
“I like the water,” he said with a laugh.
“That simple?” Seriously? He’s inspired by the brother of a friend and likes the water, and just like that, he’s found his life calling? Lara wasn’t sure if she was impressed or jealous.
“I’m a simple guy. When something’s right, I know it.” He squeezed her butt. “Like this.”
Good, delicious, mind-blowing, maybe.
But right?
Lara figured maybe he needed to check his thesaurus.
She and he? They were passing ships on that water he was so fond of.
She swallowed against the bitter taste coating her throat. That’s just the way it was. Being upset about it was a waste of energy.
“What about you? You’re all about the dance? Wasn’t it just like that?” he asked, thankfully changing the subject.
“For a while,” she acknowledged. To this day, Lara didn’t know if it’d been passion that had driven her love of dance or a desperate need to immerse herself in something. Anything that made her feel good, accepted. And kept her away from her family as much as possible.
“You said something about Broadway, right?”
“Right. For two years.”
“So is that what you always wanted to do? Dance?”
“Enough to leave home for it.” Lara sighed, missing that feeling. She’d had so much passion and belief in her dream. Nothing was going to stand in her way.
