Page 51 of Wicked Duty
This small amount of contact causes Callum’s eyebrows to fly up his forehead. Maybe I should be offended by that reaction, but instead, warmth floods me from head to toe.
“You shouldn’t try to comfort me.” Callum’s voice roughens. Beneath my hand, his tenses even more. “I’m the one who livedwhile extremists killed the people I was tasked with protecting. A family. A father, a mother, and a little girl.”
My heart keels over just imagining the weight he’s been hauling around on his shoulders since this happened. No wonder he’s such a stickler about safety.
“I think you’re really brave.” I inhale a deep breath. “I know that it takes a lot of courage to get back up again and keep going after you’ve been through hell.”
He shakes his head. “After I failed that mission, doing the work I did…my dream…it lost all meaning. And in the end, I quit the military. So you see, your praise is wasted on me. I didn’t get back up.”
My attention snaps to his face. “Yes, you did.”
He meets my gaze, frustration in his eyes. “No, I didn’t.”
“Then what do you call this?” I pull my hand away to gesture to the space between us. “No, you couldn’t protect that family in the end, but that didn’t stop you from signing up to protect me.”
Callum’s expression opens up, like he’s never considered his actions in this light before. He doesn’t even respond.
I sip some water to ease my parched throat. “You remember that judge, the one who grabbed me? You think that was the first time one of the pervs in the industry crossed a line?”
Anger and recognition flash in Callum’s burning green eyes.
“The first time something like that ever happened, I was sixteen and up for a family print ad. The offending party was the model posing as my character’s dad.” I swallow down the disgust that memory yanks to the surface and shake my head a little.
“What happened?” Callum’s voice is laced with malice.
I fold my hands in front of my plate. “That middle-aged prick whispered something sexual in my ear, and then he grabbed me. It was horrible. I was young, scared, and vulnerable. I knew I wanted to model, but not if it meant dealing with men likethat on a regular basis. After that, I realized I’d have to make a choice. Give up on my dream or decide that I wasn’t going to let creeps like him win.”
To my great surprise, something akin to admiration softens Callum’s expression. “You’re tougher than you look, aren’t you, Marlow?”
“I sure hope so.” A dry laugh bubbles up. “Otherwise, I’d probably be the world’s youngest hermit by now, hiding away in my apartment and never coming out.” A flash of darkness comes over me. “That or locked up in a psych ward.”
Shit. I need to get out of here before I confess too much. Before he learns what a mess I really am.
Without even attempting some kind of transition, I leap to my feet. “Anyway, I should be getting to bed. If I don’t get nine hours, I’ll have dark circles under my eyes tomorrow.”
I pivot for the exit. I need to hide before I say anything else stupid.
“Wait.”
Callum rises from his chair and coils his hand around my wrist with lightning speed.
My heart cartwheels between my ribs. When I pull back to face him, he’s right in front of me. I instinctively retreat but clip the chair leg and stumble.
He slides an arm around the small of my back and pulls me against his chest.
My heart’s hammering so viciously, I’m surprised he can’t hear it.
I’m caught beneath the paralyzing spotlight of his green-eyed gaze.
Air rushes from my lungs. “Thanks for…stopping my fall. Yet again.”
He gives me a solemn nod before slowly releasing me. “Thank you for thinking better of me than I deserve.”
I take one small step back from him, the heat and power of his body warming my skin like steam. “Well, good?—”
“I’m glad you didn’t let your experiences turn you into a hermit.” Sincerity shines on his face. “Even if that would make my job much easier.”
My lips curve at his attempt at humor. And then all the stress of the last twenty-four hours melts right out of my system in a few hearty laughs.
