She perched on a stool and turned in his direction, tugging the hem of the shirt to make sure everything was covered. “What happened tonight?”
“I was going to ask you the same question.”
She dragged in a breath. “I was asleep on the couch and woke up. I heard someone in my room. They…they…”
Lachlan grabbed her hand.
His touch steadied her. “They shot at the bed with a silenced handgun.”
His fingers clenched on hers and she saw a muscle tick in his jaw.
“They just signed their death warrants.”
“Lachlan!”
His lips firmed. “Go on.”
“I crawled to the balcony door and got out. I climbed down. One of them, the guy with a scar on his eyebrow, said they just wanted to ask me some questions about the artifact.” She wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t believe them.”
“Smart.”
“I got to the glass roof and they chased me. You know the rest. So? What’s going on?”
“One of those bad guys I mentioned to you on the jet-copter entered the game.”
Her stomach clenched. “Spell that out for me.”
“They want the artifact, and they want to know what it does. Likely, they would have tortured you to get the information they wanted, and then killed you.”
God. Rowan slumped forward, goose bumps breaking out on her skin.
Then Lachlan was there, nudging her knees apart and moving between them. “Nobody’s going to hurt you, Rowan. I promise.”
She stared into his handsome but scary face. She believed him. Lachlan had always kept his promises, even as a kid. And from what she could tell, he’d grown into a man who kept them, as well.
His fingers kneaded her shoulders. “I will protect you.”
She nodded, absorbing the warmth of him. It would be so easy to lean on him, depend on him.
“Time for you to get some rest,” he murmured.
Yes, far too easy to lean on him. And then when he walked away, which she knew he would do, it would tear her open. Lachlan would protect her from the bad guys, but it was up to her to protect herself from him.
*
Lachlan woke in his bed, sunshine peeking through the curtains, and a warm, curvy body snuggled against him.
Actually, Rowan was plastered half over him, a slim leg thrown over his, and her hand nestled on his bare chest. She was still asleep, her face relaxed and her lashes dark against her cheeks.
He should never have hopped in the bed with her. Even now, his body throbbed at the closeness. After they’d talked last night, she’d crashed. She’d climbed into his bed, wearing only his shirt, and been out like a light.
He’d checked on her later, his own exhaustion dragging on him. She’d been restless, clearly struggling with unpleasant dreams. He’d touched her arm, and she’d reached for him.
“Stay,” she’d whispered.
Lachlan had slid in beside her, and she’d wrapped around him and settled.
Now, with the sunlight giving her skin a golden glow, he breathed deep. She smelled like his soap. In his head, he kept seeing her dangling from that roof, kept seeing her falling.
He tightened his hold on her. Fuck. He pulled her closer and she stirred, snuggling into him. Then she froze.
She looked up, blue eyes blinking at him
“What are you doing in this bed?” she asked.
“It’s my bed. And actually, you asked me to join you.”
They stared at each other.
She gave a tiny shake of her head. “I can’t process this right now. I’ve got bad guys after me, my friends are dead, my life has gone crazy.”
She looked like she was about to hyperventilate. “Take a breath, Rowan.”
As she did, her breasts rose and fell under her shirt. His shirt. She pushed at her cloud of dark red hair. Damn, she was gorgeous.
Then her hand moved across his chest and her gaze dropped to watch it. Now he saw something different appear in her eyes. She deliberately stroked his skin.
“You must have, like zero percent body fat.”
Lachlan’s cock stirred.
She touched where his prosthetic arm met his skin. “Ty made this for you, right? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Lachlan nodded. “It’s experimental. It’s tied directly into my nerves and functions better than my other arm. Plus, it’s stronger, can react faster.”
Her gaze followed her fingers as she stroked the metal. The arm had some sensors, but he couldn’t really feel her touch.
“It still must have been hard to lose your arm,” she said quietly.
Screams echoed in his head. His fellow Marines and his own. The horrible pain. “Yeah.”
Her fingers stroked back up, showing no concern or disgust about his prosthetic. In fact, she looked fascinated. She caressed his chest again and now his cock went rock-hard. She kept stroking his chest, and now he definitely knew what was in her blue eyes—desire.
“Rowan—”
She stroked lower, her nails scratching over his abs. “I’ve never seen a man with a six-pack like yours before.” She looked closer. “Or rather an eight-pack.”
Lachlan curled up to sit. “Rowan.”
“I just want to forget everything, Lachlan. For a few damn minutes, I want to stop thinking.”
Before he could say anything, she leaped on him.
He caught her as she straddled him, and a second later, her lips smacked against his.
Damn. The last of his control slipped through his fingers like water. He opened his mouth and her tongue slid inside. Screw it. He kissed her back. She was so damn sexy, especially wearing only his T-shirt.
He ran his hands up her back and deepened the kiss. She moaned, her tongue sliding against his. He reversed his caress, stroking his hands down her body and cupping her ass.
“I love seeing you in my shirt.” His voice sounded like gravel.
“I love seeing you without a shirt.”
He rolled, pinning her beneath him. He pressed his hips to hers, his cock rubbing against her. That’s when he realized she wasn’t wearing any panties. Only the thin cotton of his boxer briefs separated them.
Rowan lifted her hips and let out a husky cry. “Yes.”
Lachlan bunched his hand in the shirt and started lifting it up. He was going to explore all that smooth skin.
His doorbell rang, followed by the thump of a fist on wood. Three sharp raps.
He froze and squeezed his eyes closed.
“No!” Rowan clutched at him. “Don’t stop.”
“That’s Blair. She was bringing your things over.” He glanced at the clock beside the bed and groaned. “We have a flight back to base in—” shit “—under an hour.”
Lachlan very reluctantly knifed off Rowan. She rolled off the bed, not meeting his gaze. “I’m going to shower.”
“Ro—”
“Heat of the moment.” She waved a hand at him, still not meeting his gaze. “I get it. You made it clear back at the base, and to be fair, you’re a risk I can’t afford.”
As she disappeared, Lachlan set his hands on his hips. What the hell did she mean by that? He stared at the closed door and wondered what the fuck he was doing.
He shook his head. Something had changed. Seeing her dangling off a building, her life in danger, had damn well changed everything.
He’d tried to push her away, but life had tossed them back together. She was in danger, and whatever the hell happened, he was going to keep her safe.
Lachlan heard the bell again, and quickly yanked on his jeans and a T-shirt. When he yanked open the door, his best friend looked at his face, then raised a brow. “Trouble in paradise?”
“You have fucking bad timing.” He closed the door.
“I have excellent timing. Like the thirty or so times I’ve saved your ass in a firefight.”
Lachlan snorted. “Thirty, my ass.”
Blair handed him Rowan’s bag. “So, you and Rowan—?”
“Shut it and make some coffee.”
“Sure thing, sunshine.”
He dropped Rowan’s bag on the bed. The shower was still running, and images bombarded him. Sleek, slick skin. Wet, red hair.
When he headed back to the living room, Blair was in the kitchen making coffee.
His friend handed him a mug and looked like she was trying not to laugh at him. He was sipping the coffee when Rowan emerged. She was wearing jeans, a pale-blue shirt that matched her eyes, and her hair pulled up in a messy knot on top of her head. He reached over to pour another mug.
“Hi, Blair,” Rowan murmured.