Page 42 of Whatever It Takes

“Do you think we’re going to end up arrested for murder?” she asks in barely more than a whisper.

I snort. “Fuck no. First of all, you did nothing wrong, and Easton’s lawyers are skilled. Second of all, this is far from the first time we’ve had to clean house. I know it’s stressful, but don’t let it get to you. East knows what he’s doing.”

She nods, running her fingers over my scar. “Holy shit, Calder. What happened here?”

“Uh…” I sigh and shrug simultaneously. “A projectile from a bomb.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, it happened while I was overseas,” I admit. “I’ve got smaller ones all over my arms and torso, but that was the big chunk. It went right through my vest. I earned a medical discharge while healing, but I’m not complaining. Serving isn’t something I regret. It was just a lot different than the picture the recruiter sold me.”

That explosion is also why I have to wear my glasses on days when the headaches hit, but I keep the details simple.

“I’m sorry,” she says softly as her fingers skim over the puckered and raised skin. Thankfully, I’m not particularly self-conscious about the hideous scar. The doctors promised it would get less noticeable over time, but I’ve accepted that they lied.

“We’ve all seen some shit,” I say, tightening my hold on her lower back. “I survived.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think I’d live through the wedding.” Her warm breath fans over my pec as she exhales. “I had never seen anything like it. One second, I was staring at the priest, trying not to pass out, and the next… It was pure pandemonium. There were people everywhere. Bullets flying. Blood sprayed all over my face, and I was so out of it that I didn’t even know if it was mine.” She goes quiet for a few long seconds as I debate if I should say something. I soothe my hand up and down her spine and give her another few moments to decide if she’s done talking about it. “Thorne, that was one of Avan’s enforcers… He was undercover for the DEA. He found me hiding behind an overturned table. I’ll never forget the way his hand hovered in front of my face. My mind was such a mess that I didn’t understand he was offering to help get me out. I was just waiting there for one of them to pick me off.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. No one knows how they’ll react until they find themselves in that same position.” They’re not just pretty words either. Sure, I want to comfort her, but I saw people who had the same training I did freeze when it came down to it. And that’s not to say they were bad guys or that they didn’t take the training seriously. The human mind is complicated. Sometimes there’s too much chaos and the danger is so high that you get too overloaded to react.

“Keir took me to the shooting range before we made it to the office.” Her tits push against my side as she snuggles closer. “I’m going to ask him to keep training me. Maybe do some self-defense classes or something.”

“I’ll go with you,” I offer as the intro music plays.

“That would be a fun date,” she says, climbing over onto me fully.

My cock jolts at the friction. “Shit, sorry about that.”

Her face rolls around my chest as she laughs. “Do you want me to pretend I’m offended you’re attracted to me? Because it would be hard to fake that.”

The naughty little thing rolls her hips, grinding my shaft against my pelvis. Her hands land on my chest, and she stretches up, planting a quick kiss on the edge of my lips.

It’s not enough.

My fingers dig into her ass cheek as my other hand palms the back of her head.

I tug her closer, moving to capture her mouth.

Honey and coconut fill my nose as her plush lips meet mine.

The gentle grind of her hips as her tits rock into my chest is the most incredible sensation.

Fuck me.

This would be perfect without her shirt and my sweats in the way. My fingers dig into her hair as she slides her tongue around mine.

She’s kinda bossy as she rocks over my length.

It’s hot.

I like her taking the lead more than I would expect, but it’s convenient, especially since I have even less experience than she does.

Chapter Seventeen

Briar

The soft grunts and growls that slip out of Calder around our kiss are addictive. There’s something so genuine about the way he clutches at me. It feels like he needs me as much as I need him.

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