When he finished his slices of pizza, Rixey watched Becca nibble at the crust of the single piece she’d eaten. Not sleeping, not eating, and under a lot of stress—it was a recipe for getting sick or breaking down. “I know what you need,” he said, slipping from the bar stool.
She gave a small smile. “What’s that?” The sleepiness in her gaze gave way to something a whole lot more engaged. Her eyes dragged over his body, trailing heat in their wake.
Rixey wanted to throw his idea out the window, but one need at a time.
“Chocolate ice cream.” He grabbed the tub of double chocolate fudge brownie from the freezer and proudly presented it to her. It was the same half gallon she’d chosen the other night, when they’d wound up boxing instead, and kissing . . . His cock twitched against his fly at the very fine memory.
Her face brightened, dispelling some of the shadows hanging around her eyes. “Chocolate ice cream is a proven remedy for almost anything that ails you. Medical fact.”
“I knew you’d see it my way.” He gathered bowls and spoons and dished out two mounds. “Wanna move to the couch?”
“If I do, I might fall asleep.”
“Then I’ll hold you.” He hadn’t even thought to say the words. They were just out of his mouth before his brain caught up. But, damn, he felt their rightness down deep. Meeting her gaze, he absolutely adored the affection that filled her baby blues. He grabbed their desserts and nodded her over.
“Well, I could hardly resist that.” She slipped off the stool, rounded the back of the big leather couch and sank into the middle.
“Good to know.” Sitting again reminded him that his weapon was still in the back of his jeans. The bite of it was reassuring. And, anyway, he wasn’t leaving her right now to deal with it. Not when she was looking at him like she was. It wasn’t just desire he saw, but also comfort and gratitude and concern.
She adjusted her position to sit cross-legged facing him, her knees brushing against his hip and thigh. Her little moans and sounds of enjoyment as she tasted a scoop of the chocolate reverberated right down his body and pooled in his groin. But, for now, this was just about seeing her sated in this most basic of ways. And it was enough.
He swallowed a big bite of sweet, smooth ice cream and forced his mind to still long enough to really savor it. Damn, that’s good. Ice cream was the single biggest food he’d missed while on deployment, and even after all these months back in the world he still couldn’t get enough. He wasn’t sure whether he or Jeremy had the bigger sweet tooth, but part of their survival kit included a freezer full of the sweet stuff. He took another bite.
Fact that he didn’t only want in Becca’s pants? That was a real gut check about where his head—and his heart—really were, wasn’t it?
“Are you worried about the guys at all? Being out there?” she asked, stirring the ice cream to make it smooth.
“No. These guys are the best. They know what they’re doing. They know how to take care of themselves. And you shouldn’t worry, either.” It was mostly true. The only thing that might’ve made him worry less was being out there himself so he could have their backs. Once, he’d been their second in command, but none of that mattered anymore, and this wasn’t the Army. Besides, they all had jobs to do tonight, and he was content to do his. Events of the past few days proved Becca needed protection, and Rixey suspected she might be feeling a bit more fragile than she was letting on. No way the shock of Scott’s destroyed guitar was far from her mind. Not with how devastated she’d been at the sight of it.
Her bowl sagged into her lap. “I’m sorry about what happened with Jeremy earlier.” Chin down, she ate another spoonful.
“Don’t be. Wasn’t your fault.” How could anyone look sad with a mouthful of ice cream? Going against instinct—and habit—Nick decided to distract her with the truth. “Twelve years in the Special Forces taught me to keep things tight to the cuff. Living that lifestyle, you become accustomed out of practice and necessity to be fully honest with only the close circle of your brothers on the team. I hadn’t realized until tonight that even though I’ve been in the real world for almost a year, I’ve kept Jeremy on the outside all this time.”
He stuffed a heap of dessert between his lips to force himself to stop running his trap. Soon he’d be telling her that he’d also realized he’d lost too many damn people from his life to be pushing people away now. That included Jeremy.