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Noelle sensed him retreating again. “I feel you’re approaching the sad part of your story. What happened next?”
Before he started talking again, Brandon laced his fingers with hers, bringing them even closer. “It was our third tour in the worst part of the world. I’d told Damien it would be my last. During our tours, I’d helped the military police several times with investigations, and for the first time, I was hooked on something other than surfing. I’d found my calling. I did online courses, bugged the MPs until they didn’t have a choice but to talk to me and show me everything they did. I guess I got more and more distracted. A month before we were supposed to return stateside, we were assigned a reconnaissance mission into a neighboring town. At the last minute, one of the MPs asked me if I wanted to be part of an informal planning meeting.”
“Let me guess, you got out of the reconnaissance mission and went into the planning one?”
Brandon swallowed hard. “My captain didn’t mind and did the switch, replacing me. It happened so quickly I didn’t get a chance to tell Damian. I thought I’d tell him what happened that night, but my team never returned. An RPG attacked their convoy. They didn’t stand a chance.”
Lost in his retelling, Brandon hadn’t noticed he’d stopped walking, but Noelle didn’t mind. His blue eyes looked so lost and full of pain. “I should’ve been with them. With Damian. When the base got the call...”
Noelle felt her heart squeeze hard, imagining the pain Brandon must’ve felt when he learned his friend had died. What could she say? The only thing she could think of was to circle his waist with her arms and press her head onto his chest for a tight hug.
Big arms came around her, and a few heartbeats later she felt him sigh and relax and lean his scratchy cheek on the top of her head.
It was a moment of finite peace and quiet in the heart of a deadly storm.
When he finally let go, the hard lines on his face had faded.
“You don’t know how beautiful you are, with that halo of flowers surrounding you. You look like an angel. My angel.”
Flowers? Noelle turned to see they had stopped by a vast tree filled with cream and pink bell-shaped flowers. They stirred something in her mind, but her skull was filled with too much fog and fatigue to make any sense of it, and it must have shown.
“Come, angel. Let’s get some rest. I have a feeling we’ll need your brain fully functioning. I don’t believe in magic, but I have to admit there’s something in the wind tonight that tells me we’ll soon need to be prepared for anything.”
CHAPTER 14
From the moment they walked back to the car and drove back to her place, all Noelle could envision was her bed, burying herself deep down under the covers, and never coming up for air.
However, when they arrived, Brandon didn’t stay in the car and instead, stepped inside behind her. All her ideas of sleep evaporated, replaced by a low buzz of anticipation. Even though he’d not hesitated to demonstrate his attraction to her, apprehension still lingered. What if he changed his mind, especially when he saw her naked? She knew it was only fear talking, but years of conditioning couldn’t vanish in minutes.
Noelle switched on a nearby lamp as Brandon toured her tiny home, checking all windows and doors, inspecting all the rooms before returning to her somewhat more relaxed. “Your home is clear.”
Feeling uncomfortable, Noelle nodded. “Thank you.”
Once again, an awkward silence settled between them.
He nodded, glancing back at the door before looking at her. “I should go.”
She realized she had to make a decision—be courageous, or shut up forever and live with her regrets. “Or you could stay.”
It wasn’t the boldest move she could’ve made, but the effect was undeniable. The relaxed man before her tensed, his eyes now dark and searching.
“You know how much I want you, Noelle. So much it’s almost agony, but this is your decision.”
Chivalry wasn’t dead. “Well, it’s an easy decision. What I have in mind needs your participation after all.”
The hint of a smile brightened his handsome face. “I’m all for consent, so I’ll start. I’d love to make love to you if you’ll let me. If you’d rather not, I understand, and I’ll leave.”
Noelle swallowed but held his gaze. “I would love to make love with you.”
“I hear a silent ‘but’ in your voice.”
Now she smiled. The man knew her better than she thought. “I just don’t want you to regret it after I remove my clothes.”
Laying her insecurities in the open was the scariest thing she’d ever done. As she waited, Brandon took a step closer. “Have you thought you might be the one who steps back once you see me naked? Ever considered that?”
The suggestion was so ludicrous, Noelle scoffed. “No way.”
Brandon remained serious. “I’m not perfect, Noelle. My body had suffered many injuries, has gone through a war. You’ll probably be disgusted by my scars.”
