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I glare at him, wondering how this conversation took such a turn. “Why not?”
“Maybe for the same reason you hate military guys.”
Okay. That hurt. “Not bloody likely.”
I stand and start to walk away, but he grabs my wrist and tugs me back. I yank myself free with more force than necessary, losing my balance and pitching onto his lap. His arms come around me, his face inches from mine.
Panic flares, and I push against his chest. “Don't,” I say shakily. “Don't grab me without warning.”
“I’m sorry,” he says, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” He runs a hand over my hair. “You gotta stop throwing yourself at me like this.”
His words break the tension, and I give him a reluctant smile. His mouth quirks in response, and my gaze drops to his lips.
Fletcher's eyes flutter shut. “That right there. That look. That's why I can't be friends with you.”
I bring my gaze up to his. “Oh. In that case, I don't want to be friends with you, either.” And then I lean in and press my lips to his before pulling back almost immediately.
Seconds pass as we gaze at each other. Then, with a tormented moan, Fletcher threads his fingers into the hair at my nape, pulls me closer, and drops his head.
Hepauses before our lips touch, and my surprised exhale whispers across his lips, ragged and hot.“Been waiting a long time for this kiss, Grace,” he rasps, teasing my top lip with his tongue. The slight contact echoes all the way down to my core.
His eyes are liquid heat, and his heartbeat thrums between us. The pulse in my neck throbs wildly beneath his thumb.
My eyes widen as he closes the tiny distance and takes what he wants from me. He kisses me. Hard yet gentle, slow and consuming.
A deep growl rises in his throat. “Your lips are as soft as they look and taste as sweet as I imagined.” He tightens his hand in my hair, sending lust, sharp and needy, slicing through me. Being with him like this feelsright. Fated.
I release a shuddering breath as a shiver wracks my body. He groans, pulling me closer, but it will never be close enough.
A moment later, he pulls away.Too soon,my body screams. Placing a palm on his chest, I steady myself. My body thrums with desire, and my lips feel swollen.
“We can't,” Fletcher rasps.
Part of me wants to scream,why not?Another part of me knows he’s right. We were about to cross boundaries that would only end in heartache. So I simply nod, still reeling from the sensation of his lips on mine and his hands gripping my hips.
I move off Fletcher’s lap, watching numbly as he attaches his prosthetic. He's so damn stubborn and controlled all the time. How much would it take before that control snaps and he lets himself have what he wants–whatwewant?
I’ve broken all my rules for this man, and I can’t bring myself to care. He’s older. He’s ex-military. He’s my mentor and colleague. Am I willing to jeopardize everything for a risky roll in the sheets?
Yes. Yes, I am.
Because I’m falling in love with him.
ChapterEight
Fletcher
Sirens blaring,Grace slows the ambulance at the traffic lights, checking for approaching cars. We’re on our way back to Katie Mullens, the pregnant lady we saw a month ago, and this time, she’s in full-blown labour.
It’s been two weeks since my “not a date” with Grace, and I’m still haunted by memories of the kiss we shared. Of her soft lips and how she melted against me. Of her sweet moans as she clutched at my shoulders like she never wanted me to stop.
But I had to stop. I had to apply the brakes before we tumbled into bed and into something we couldn’t come back from. It doesn’t matter that every part of me aches for her, right down to my soul–the soul she’s dragged back from the darkness with her light and goodness.
I’m also haunted by how she reacted when I grabbed her wrist. That was genuine fear in her eyes, like the night we ran into Officer Janes. Her father. Who I’m more certain than ever is the cause of that scar above her hip, and God only knows what else.
Grace tried to talk about what happened between us during our next shift, but I brushed it off. I told her I should never have kissed her, that it was a foolish error of judgment on my part. I then gave her some bullshit about me being older and us being colleagues. But my words held no conviction even as they left my mouth.
Who the fuck am I trying to kid? I can’t keep my fucking eyes off her.
