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“You’re one smart lady.”
“Did you ever stop to think I might care about you?”
Santiago exhaled, shaking his head. “I’m not certain why you do.”
“Maybe because you saved my life three times. And just maybe because I find you fascinating.”
I thought for certain he was going to ignore me, ordering me to stop making insinuations. When he started to speak, I could barely hear him, forced to move closer so I could also read his lips.
“I was with two teams. We’d gotten a tip a group of insurgents were planning on trying to hijack one of the outlying bases. We rolled in to help, expecting stragglers and nothing more. However, we couldn’t fly in, instead using tanks, which we all hated. We hadn’t seen enemy activity in over twenty days, a possible cease fire in effect. We should have known the bastards had other plans. It started to pour. Then the generators were hit, shoving us into complete darkness. Within minutes we were surrounded. We used our tanks to try and create a perimeter, but there were dozens of the bastards, which hadn’t been on our intel. The warehouse housed artillery and almost no one knew of its existence. Somehow the fuckers found it. We should have known. I should have known.”
“What happened?”
“The insurgents had explosives with them. Whether or not they intended on torching the facility we couldn’t be sure, but once they started the blasts, they rolled through the place like a firebomb. The worst part was that we’d thought we’d gotten them, but it had just been the first line. My sixth sense got the better of me and I was trying to persuade the unit leader that we needed to alter our position. We were all pumped full of adrenaline, ready to kick some butt. I managed to distract the driver during the argument. That’s when he rolled over a landmine. The next thing I knew I was lying on the ground in muck and blood, screaming for the others that we had to get out of there.”
“Oh, my God.”
“I had no way of knowing they were all dead. Every one of them. If I hadn’t attempted to alter the plan, we might have…” He couldn’t finish his sentence.
I’d kept my hand on his arm, squeezing again as I crawled closer. “You’re not to blame, Santiago.”
“Well, tell all the families of the soldiers who died that night and see what they think.”
“It was a time of war. Families understand that it’s dangerous.”
“I would have walked through fire in order to save them. I did everything in my power to get to them, but I was a broken mess.”
“But you tried. That’s what you need to remember. You were willing to lose your life in order to save theirs. That’s the most admirable trait anyone could ever have. Never forget that, Santiago.”
“Yeah, that’s what the doctor said.”
“Sometimes doctors know best.” I squeezed his arm once more until he looked into my eyes. “At least this doctor does.”
He let out a long sigh, shaking his head. “I’ll never forget waking up in the hospital days later. I couldn’t stop screaming and it wasn’t from the pain.”
I crowded closer, yet giving him the ability to walk away from me if he felt it necessary. When he remained where he was, I moved onto my tiptoes, pressing my lips against his. “You’re a brave man.” I’d expected him to pull away but instead, he pulled me closer.
“What did you tell me about your work with Buddy? You were just being you. That’s all I’ve ever tried to be. Only I failed where you succeeded.”
Before I had a chance to challenge him, he crushed his mouth over mine, wrapping his arm around my waist and drawing me in even closer. The kiss was as passionate as it had been before, but there was a difference, a closeness that couldn’t be weighed on a scale or explained by our rough rounds of delicious sex. This was more intense, as if the walls were beginning to crumble, the two people hiding behind guilt and anger allowed to see the light of day if only for a little while.
I eased my arm around his shoulder, shivering from the way he held me, the taste of him yanking at my hunger.
A flash of light immediately drew his attention. Santiago growled as he pulled away, first glaring out the front window then toward me. “Go to the root cellar. Now! Use the panic button if I don’t come for you right away.” When I didn’t respond instantly, he shoved me with enough force I almost tripped.
I backed away, alternately glancing toward the front of the house then back to him. He moved quickly, retrieving one of his weapons from under the couch in the living room. I hadn’t noticed he’d hidden one there. He reacted as if dozens of soldiers were about to pounce on our location, checking the ammunition then moving quickly toward the front door.
“Get to the cellar, Willow!”
Shivering, I started to turn, jumping when I heard someone pounding on the front door.
“Fuck,” he snarled, moving toward the front door, glaring at me after noticing I hadn’t obeyed him.
I moved into the kitchen but couldn’t stand the thought of leaving him alone. When the person pounded on the door again, I shifted against the wall, trying to control my breathing.
“Santiago!” a male voice called.
Unable to keep from knowing what was going on, I returned to the doorway peering out into the living room just as Santiago threw open the door.
