Page 51 of Saved By the Marines (Soldiers Of Misfortune)

Jasper snorted and I shot him a withering look. “We don’t want your help, Bailey,” he said. He waited a beat as his words devastated me. I wanted to be a partner to these men. How could I be if they didn’t want anything from me? He must have read the hurt on my face because he shook his head. “You don’t fucking get it,” he growled, shoving a hand through his messy hair. It’d grown out on top since he’d been assigned to watch us, and it was constantly flopping into his eyes now. “If anything happened to you it would fucking kill us.”

My eyes widened at the vehemence in his tone. Kip used his fingers to tilt my face up until I had to meet his amber eyes. “He’s right. Nothing matters more than keeping you safe. Knowing you were standing there, and could have gotten hurt if one of those shit stains doubled down and came after us again, about sent me out of my mind. I was ready to fucking shoot them, to hell with the consequences. You’re too damned important.”

I licked my lips as the realization of what could have happened if he’d felt forced into protecting me hit. And what kind of trouble he’d have been in.

Kips eyes dropped to my lips. “We care too much about you to let you put yourself in danger, Bailey.”

“I care about you, too,” I countered. “How am I supposed to watch while you’re in trouble?”

“I didn’t ask you to watch,” he snapped. “I told you to lock yourself behind a door.”

Wolfe stepped over and pulled me away from Kip. Both his hands wrapped around my shoulders and he looked like he was ready to shake some sense into me.

I understood what they were saying, but my points were valid too. Folding my arms beneath my breasts, I gave them all my own glare. “You can’t expect me to do nothing.”

“Yes we can.” With those words, he did shake me a little, then he gave a heavy sigh. “Have you ever been in a fight?”

“Not before the kidnapping,” I admitted, and I hadn’t done a stellar job there either.

“Shot a weapon?”

“No,” I muttered, knowing exactly where Wolfe was going with this line of questioning.

“We have. We’ve been trained for this. We’ve fought against overpowering numbers before and still won. When it comes to a fight the only way we’re going to lose is if something happens to you,” he explained. “I know you’re struggling to find a place in your life now, especially after being separated from your father. We’re going to help you find that place. But the one thing that is guaranteed, is that your place will never be in the fight. That's our job.”

I softened, melting in his grasp and he pulled me against his muscular chest. “Okay,” I relented. “Next time, I’ll hide when asked.”

“Good girl.” Kip’s hand smoothed over my back.

“That’s all we’re asking for,” Jasper added.

“Go with Kip. We all need to get some sleep,” Wolfe told me, handing me back over to his friend.

Kip steered me out of the kitchen and I heard Jasper mutter, “Why the hell does he get to sleep with her first?”

“You already did sleep with her, and more, asshole,” Wolfe reminded him.

A blush crept over my cheeks as I remembered what’d happened in the little cabin in the jungle. I looked over my shoulder at Kip and wondered if he’d try anything tonight. Was I ready for that? My core pulsed hotly and I would have squeezed my legs together to relieve the ache if we weren’t going up the stairs. That was really all the answer I needed.

“Extra bathroom. We all have en-suite bathrooms as well,” Kip said, pointing out the room as we passed. I’d definitely need to use that before bed. “This is my room, that’s Wolfe’s, and Jasper’s,” he said, pointing them all out. “You’re welcome to come and go as you please.”

It took about thirty minutes, since I’d decided to take a shower before crawling into bed. Kip took one after me and I sat on his bed running a brush through my hair when he came out. He had on a pair of gray sweatpants and nothing else and my gaze traveled over all the muscles he had on display.

I swallowed down the desire that was clutching at my throat. These men were my boyfriends, but I’d always been a bit shy and it took me time to warm up. It didn’t matter that we’d been flirting for over a month now. I wasn’t ready to just jump him.

Placing my brush aside, I slid under the covers. I was wearing a pair of pj shorts and a t-shirt that they’d grabbed from the apartment I shared with Amy. I’d left all my stuff at my dad’s house and certainly didn’t care if I ever saw it again. He could keep it to remember me by. Those clothes I’d left there weren’t me anyway.

Kip hit the main light and I couldn’t help but watch him stalk across the room. He moved with such a liquid grace it was hard not to stare. He climbed into bed next to me and shut the lamp off next to him.

I laid on my back, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if I should say anything. My limbs were stiff as my mind whirled with thoughts.

“You think any louder and you’ll wake the others up,” he said into my ear, as he rolled onto his side facing me.

I laughed and tried to relax my body. He ruined that by gathering me up, turning me onto my side, and tucking me back against his body. He tossed a leg over mine and I was using his arm as a pillow. My breath caught in my lungs. We were plastered together and I sort of wanted him to run his hands over me. At the same time, I sort of wanted him to wait.

“Go to sleep, Beauty.”

Closing my eyes, I tried to obey, ordering my heart to stop jackhammering against my chest. Despite the long nap I’d already had, exhaustion soon had me falling asleep in his arms.

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