Page 212 of Unexpected Hero

My heart stutters. “You were worried about me?”

He answers in a whisper. “Of course I was. I had to make sure you were safe.”

I can’t keep my mouth off his after that confession. As much as I don’t want him to be worried, the fact that he needed to reassure himself I was okay has me swaddled in warm fuzzies. Try as I might to keep my feelings in check, I’m rapidly falling for this man.

As soon as I join our lips, he takes over, cupping my cheek with one hand and the nape of my neck with the other. His tongue swipes against the seam of my lips, tenderly seeking entrance, which I eagerly grant him. As we use our mouths to soothe each other, I swear a part of my heart strains, reaching out to his.

But I can’t tell if his is reaching for mine.

“Mmm,” he grumbles, pulling out of the kiss. “We need to stop that, or I’ll need to have you again. And I really should sleep. I’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

The desire to needle him for information strikes me hard. He’s always guarded with what he tells me about his job and life outside of Bask. He’s all ears when I share, but rarely does the same.

“So this coworker whose sister was taken,” I start.

Trepidation is layered into his one-word reply. “Yes?”

“He must be a good friend of yours if you went to support him. I mean, I assume that’s where you were and what the emergency was.”

He inhales sharply, averting his eyes. “I’ve known him for a while.”

Didn’t really answer my questions, but he doesn’t seem to want to talk about it. I wonder if it’s a sore subject because of what happened tonight or if there’s more to it.

“Did you meet him at work?”

“No. In the Army.”

“Oh. That’s cool that you work together now. Was he in Intelligence too?”

“No.”

My nose wrinkles, eyes narrowing. “But he works in IT now?”

“Sugar, we need to get some rest. It’s late.”

There’s the wall. I knew it would be up sooner than later.

But I’m no quitter.

“He must have appreciated you being there for him. That was kind of you. But you could have told me. All night, I thought you were blowing me off for some coding thing or whatever.”

He nods solemnly. “I apologize. I couldn’t... I mean, I didn’t want to worry you.”

I place a quick peck on his lips before snuggling back onto his chest. “Next time something happens, just be upfront with me. I can take it. Don’t worry about me getting upset.”

“Okay. Sorry for missing your dinner. I was looking forward to it. No one has ever cooked a meal for me before. Unless you count restaurants or the Army chow hall.”

“Well, no. Those don’t count. And that’s sad. You deserve to be taken care of. I’m happy to be the first girlfriend to cook for you.”

He frowns, and it’s adorable. “Assuming you ever want to cook for me again, I promise I won’t miss it.”

“I’ll cook for you on my next night off.” Sensing a precious few moments remain before he shuts me down, I ask, “Was your mother a good cook?”

“I don’t know.”

My stomach clenches. “What?”

“I don’t remember much of her. A few brief glimpses are all I have. Like flashes of memories. She died when I was very little.” His answer was so soft I could have missed it if I were an inch farther from his mouth.

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