Page 17 of Protecting Talia

“No, but I can stop some by standing up for you.”

“I’m not having sex with you just because you did that.”

He nodded. “I wouldn’t expect you to. When we decide to have sex, I want you to want me, not think you owe me. If we never have sex, I’m fine with that, too. I get hard in your presence, and sure, I want you, but I would never force it.”

“Why are you so good to me?”

He shook his head. “This isn’t good. This is the minimum of how it should be. I’m just above average at best.”

“No, no way. You’re freaking amazing, and don’t forget it.”

“So are you, then. And don’t you forget it.”

She couldn’t believe Zip stood up for her and he wasn’t trying to fuck her. That surprised the heck out of her. She reached over and put her hand on his leg as he started the engine.

She could allow herself to feel hope, but Zip was making her wonder if good things were possible. It had been a long time since she’d felt good about her future. Maybe her luck was changing.

9

Zip installed the peephole and left, a little sad Talia had to go in and clean office buildings tonight. He wished they could spend the evening together, but they both had lives to work around. She wasn’t working on Wednesday, so they agreed to get together and eat dinner.

That night, he thought about the two men who’d approached her. It pissed him off. A huge protective wave rose, and he wanted to keep other men away from her. But he couldn’t lock her behind doors and force her to never go out in public. That would be just as bad.

Sleep wasn’t his friend, and when his alarm rang, he climbed out of bed and stumbled to the coffee pot. He hoped Talia had at least gotten some sleep. He knew she had been at work until after midnight, so he didn’t text even though he wanted to. He would send her something later.

They spent the morning going over reports on questionable activities in Eastern Europe. He hated that the world couldn’t just calm down and get along. He knew that would never happen, but he wished people could just be decent to each other for a few years, maybe just a few months would work.

“Zip, how is Talia?” Trip asked as he walked beside him.

“She’s good.”

“Ellis said she was going to swing by and talk to her today.”

Zip stopped, and Trip pulled up and turned to face him. He needed to get Trip to understand that he wouldn’t walk away from Talia. He knew guys were weird about their girlfriends having sex with other people. Guys got downright possessive when it came to their girlfriends and wives. If they knew some other Navy guy slept with their girl, they went off. Any guys who dated sex workers were razzed, and their friends tried to break them up.

“What?” Trip asked.

“I don’t know what Talia will share, but I want to make sure you understand I’m not leaving her. I know what she went through in her past, and it doesn’t matter to me.”

Trip sobered, and his lips turned down. “What did you find out?”

Zip blew out a breath. “It’s not my place to say. If she wants to share, that’s up to her. But I’ll tell you this much, she’s stronger than any of us. I respect her and the choices she has made.”

Trip nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Sounds serious.”

Zip nodded. “She may be rough around the edges, but she’s good.”

“I trust you, Zip. You’re a good man, and you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. If you vouch for her, I don’t care what anyone else says about her.”

Zip nodded. “Thank you.”

“Hey, guys, you ready to eat?” Q called out.

“Sure am,” Trip replied.

Zip hoped Trip would keep everything on the down low. He hated gossip and knew guys were the worst. If the wrong man found out, it would be all over the base by morning. A shiver worked through him. He wouldn’t walk away from Talia, but from what he knew about people, this was going to be a bumpy ride.

Later that afternoon, his team, along with a few other teams, headed to the obstacle course for training. Preacher and Blink were in front of him, chatting about what they thought they were training for when Kevlar came over.

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