Page 8 of Challenging Her Protector

Something ugly bubbled in his chest. He had no claim to this woman, yet hearing the endearment roll off Silver’s tongue filled his gut with acid. She could and would find a man worthy of her when she recovered from her ordeal, and that man wasn’t going to be him. He’d better face the facts now and keep objective when it came to the woman looking up at him with so much trust, he felt as though he could slay all her demons. When his friend rounded the car, he dropped his voice.

“You shouldn’t thank me. Out of everyone, I should’ve noticed that you were hurting or at least concluded that running through the woods barefoot would’ve torn your feet to hell. I’m going to take care of you.”

She surprised him by reaching out and tentatively touching his forearm. “Who gets to take care of you?” The sincerity in her voice had him automatically shoring up his defenses. “You’re clearly in amazing shape.” Her eyes drifted down his body and in the spotlights of the hospital valet, he watched in fascination as a pink blush raced up her cheeks. “But if you said your leg wasn’t bothering you after running through the woods and carrying me, I’d say you were lying.”

She wasn’t wrong. His stump was irritated from the prosthetic despite the thick covering separating the remnants of his leg from the socket. When he’d fallen, and the prosthetic had separated from his body, he knew he’d be hurting later. That reminded him of how hard he’d landed on Vee’s slight frame. A bruise was already marring her cheek from the ground’s hard surface, and he was sure her hip was black and blue from when he’d landed on her. His cock twitched when he thought about the moment she’d shifted beneath him. They’d locked eyes and he’d been stripped of oxygen. The way her hips molded to his, her pupils suddenly dilating like they were laying on a soft mattress instead of mid-crisis on the forest floor.

The attraction he felt combined with the ridiculous train of thought had him speaking before thinking. “Got no reason to lie, so yeah it hurts, but what’s more is the last person who trusted me to have their back is dead. So, save your thanks for someone who deserves it.”

He closed the door shut, cursing himself for being an asshole to a woman who’d been through way too much. He sucked in a breath and went around to the other side of the SUV. When he got in and buckled his seat belt, he did so without looking at her, not wanting to witness her hurt or confusion because he was a self-loathing prick who couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Several minutes passed. The sky was dark and the highway traffic thick when her hand hit his bicep. He stilled.

“Thank you,” she murmured. The words that were meant for him and him alone tore through him like a bullet. His chest burned with her trust and the implication that she thought he deserved those words. How her fiancé hadn’t grabbed on to all her sweetness and held tight he’d never know.

Silver cleared his throat breaking up the silence in the car. “I think we should take a different route than the one we took to get here.” His statement saved Iron from formulating some kind of answer worthy of her words.

“Traffic was heavy along the coast.” He wasn’t sure if Vee’s family would have her followed, but they might expect them to take the easier, more scenic route. “We could drive through Arkansas and Tennessee.”

“Read my mind.” Silver flipped on his directional to exit the highway. “Any objections to stopping here for the night?”

“As long as there’s food nearby or room service, this is as good as any. I want to look at Vee’s feet. That okay with you?” He turned to Vee, wanting to make sure she felt like part of the decision to stop and not her own.

She gave him a dazed look. “Yes, please.” He had a feeling she’d say whatever she thought they wanted, and it didn’t sit well, but he didn’t press the issue. They’d made it an hour outside Southlake and that was more than enough travel time. Each minute that passed without checking Vee’s wounds and giving her something for the pain made his stomach knot. It wasn’t long before they pulled up to a mid-range hotel and when Silver pulled into a spot near the main entrance and put the vehicle in Park, he already had his door open. The need to get Vee settled, to take care of her injuries was almost overwhelming. Despite the phantom ache in his right leg, he moved as fast as he could into the hotel and right to the front desk. The lobby was empty and quiet. They had one room left with double beds and he swiped his card, then paced back outside. Silver had already helped Vee out of the back seat and was carrying her with ease.

He pushed down the acidic sensation in his chest. How she’d gotten under his skin so quickly was a mystery. Only a few hours with her and he was tense at the sight of another man touching her. Yet, the idea he was even thinking of Vee in any way at all was laughable and not only because of the trauma she’d just experienced. His reaction to the woman now in Silver’s arms was a shock to his system. Quite some time had passed since he’d felt this level of interest in a woman. Actually, he could pinpoint the exact moment he lost interest in a lot of things. His friend Scooter’s death. He’d formed an instant bond with the younger SEAL. The kid was like a second little brother, and he’d promised himself he’d look out for him in the field. Now, Scooter’s blood would forever stain his hands.

“I’ll run out and get us something to eat unless you need help.” Silver was glancing down on his phone with an eager expression. On the drive to Texas, his friend had pulled over more than once to take a call or send back a text message. By the dopey look on his face, Iron was guessing the text was from a woman. He was happy for his friend even as the pang of envy resonated in his chest.

“No. I’m good.”

Silver slapped his shoulder and headed out the door lifting the phone to his ear before he’d even shut it behind him.

Iron turned to where Vee was slumped on the bed with her eyes closed. He moved past the folded-up luggage stand where he’d left the first aid kit and into the small bathroom. Laying out a clean towel over the vanity, he arranged his supplies before waking Vee.

“Hey,” he whispered gently, and her eyes popped open. She looked around, disoriented, but calmed when her eyes came back to rest on his. “Let’s get you cleaned up before Silver gets back with dinner. You’ve got to be exhausted.”

“I’m sorry I fell asleep.” Her big blue eyes blinked sleepily, and her lips were parted, giving her an ethereal appearance.

“Don’t apologize. I can’t believe you’ve been awake as long as you have. Can I carry you?”

“Thanks, but I think I can do it on my own.”

Her words were a blow to his ego whether she knew it or not. It was hard to watch her limp into the bathroom.

“I’m going to give you a local anesthetic for the pain, but I don’t want to take your shoes off until we’re ready to start cleaning the debris. Your feet are going to swell, so getting those heels back on isn’t going to be possible. I’ve got some thick socks you can wear in the car tomorrow. Do you think you can sit on the side of the tub in that dress?”

There was no way he could do what needed to be done with the hem of her dress tugged tight against her body.

She winced at the thought. “Not a chance.” She turned her back toward him and lifted off the shirt he’d given her to wear. The back of the dress was closed with tiny lace buttons. “Would you help me get it off? I’m sorry I feel so useless.”

“Don’t say that.” The air in the room had thinned significantly as she took her hair and dropped it over one shoulder, revealing her bare back. He made the mistake of glancing in the large mirror above the sink as he reached for the first button. Their eyes connected in the glass as he fumbled open the first button, then the second. He shouldn’t be staring at this woman as he unbuttoned her gown, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away, and apparently, neither could she.

“I wish I could say I was able to get it on by myself at least, but Thalia…” Her words trailed off in a shaky breath.

“Tell me about her.” Anything to take his mind off the way her soft skin felt against the back of his fingers as he worked open the buttons.

“You’d never know she had a mischievous side.” A light smile played over her lips as she gazed at him in the mirror. “I started calling her Robin Hood when we were younger, because she’d always try to sneak me a chocolate from the guest room or a dinner roll from the kitchen and leave it under my pillow. She knew I was on a strict diet and took pity on me. My mother never liked me to talk to the staff they hired, but Thalia and I were around the same age. We’d exchange short notes, which added some excitement to my very lonely days. The friendship grew until she became the person I loved most in the world. She never tried to use me. Only wanted my company.”

He frowned as one of the buttons popped off in his hand. He hadn’t realized how tightly he was gripping her dress. It was the comment about Thalia sneaking her candy or bread that made the rage swell. “Shit.”

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