Because what if it wasn’t as good in person? What if he was terrible—or she was—and it all went wrong?
Max approved of him at least, and that was good. Though maybe Max had only approved of the food in his hands. Max had never growled at Scott, but he hadn’t gone out of his way to be overly friendly toward him either. He’d certainly never licked Scott’s hand.
And then he’d growled at that man earlier as if warning him. Brooke shivered. Max had known the guy was not a good guy.
“You want to eat now?” Cade asked.
Brooke gulped down her thoughts and insecurities. “Yes, please.”
Cade started taking hamburgers and french fries from the bag.
Brooke went over to the fridge. She wanted wine, but that was a no-no with her drugs, so she grabbed water instead. “I have beer. Do you want one?”
“Water is fine.”
She got one for him too, then joined him at the island. He should look out of place in her kitchen, but it was actually kind of nice having him there. She opened one of the pill bottles and popped a pill before taking a bite of her burger.
Cade was halfway through his already. Big man, big appetite.
And there went that little shiver of anticipation right into her lady bits. Because, all things being normal today and not sideways crazy nuts, she’d be going to bed with this man in a little while. Not literally with this man, but with his words and emojis and her vibrator, and she’d have had a screaming orgasm in no time.
She was getting wet and aroused. Brooke crossed her legs and tried to focus on the burger. Max ate some of his food and then came over to try for a fry. When nobody gave him anything, he went back to the food. Then he was back again. Ever hopeful, that dog.
“He’s handsome,” Cade said. “Just like his picture.”
“He’s a good boy. I don’t know what I’d do without him. He keeps me sane.” She knew Cade didn’t have any pets. It was hard with his job to have one. Too difficult to arrange care every time he went away.
“He deserves a french fry for that.”
“He’s a scam artist. Don’t let him convince you he needs one,” she added when Max, sensing a soft target, turned his attention to Cade.
“Sorry, dude. Mama says you can’t have one. Too bad because they sure are good. Mmm, good.”
“You’re terrible. Don’t tease him.” But she laughed.
“I’m not teasing him. I’m making you feel bad for refusing to let him have one.”
“Fine. But just one. He’ll never stop begging this way.”
“And he just started today?” Cade asked, dropping a fry for Max, who vacuumed it up without hesitation. “I’m going to guess his mama hasn’t been perfect when it comes to feeding him treats.”
“No, I definitely haven’t. Which is why I have to be more firm now.”
She nibbled a french fry, hoping it might be more appealing than the burger, which she was having a hard time with. Not because she didn’t like burgers—she definitely did—but the thought of Scott lying dead on the floor kept twisting her belly into knots. Finally she set the uneaten burger down and nibbled another fry. Cade’s brows drew together.
“Something wrong with it?”
“No, it’s me. I keep thinking about…”
“I know. But you have to eat something or those meds are going to kick your ass even worse than they already plan to.”
She was feeling a little woozy. She picked up the wrapped burger again and took another bite. Cade smiled. She liked his smile. Brooke choked down that bite and then another before setting the half-eaten burger down again. She attacked the french fries. They were easier to eat.
“Thanks for coming to get me at the hospital.”
“You’re welcome.”
“It’s a lot to expect, I know that.” She was starting to babble. But she didn’t know what to say and it made her nervous. Which made her mouth work overtime. She opened it again to speak, but he cut her off.
“Brooke. Look at me.”
She did, but it wasn’t easy because her heart raced whenever she did.
“I like you. If we’re nothing else to each other, we’re friends, okay? You’ve been around me and my teammates enough to know what we do for our friends.”
Her palms were sweating. “I like you too. I want to be friends.”
His stormy gray eyes were intense. “We are. The truth is I want to be more than friends… but I’ll settle for friends for now.”
* * *
She dropped her gaze again and fiddled with her french fries, swirling one in the ketchup packet she’d opened. He didn’t push her because he knew it was hard for her. They’d gone from texting only to suddenly being in each other’s presence, which was a big leap for Brooke.
He hadn’t understood why she wouldn’t transition to speaking on the phone, but he’d respected it. And now he was here in the same room with her, no doubt imposing and foreign—and probably somewhat embarrassing considering all the things she’d said to him from the safety of her isolation.
He could picture all those texts, the sexual heat in them, though he firmly kept them locked away in his head right now. Thinking about it would only arouse him.
Slowly it occurred to him that maybe that was a problem for her too. The way she didn’t look at him. The way she kept crossing and uncrossing her legs. Cade sighed. Because there was nothing he could do about it. Not tonight when she was aching from her fall, taking meds, and probably dwelling on what she’d seen earlier. How could she not?
She continued to pick at her fries and he finished all his. It’d been a long day of training and paperwork at HOT HQ, so he felt justified in eating everything. He made small talk, nothing too difficult or about any topics that might be thorny ground for them, but Brooke’s answers took longer and longer to come. Her meds were starting to kick in. When her eyelids began to droop, he figured it was time to get her to bed before she fell off the barstool.
“Why don’t you go to bed, angel?”
She blinked at him. “I’m fine.”
Cade stood. “You aren’t fine, honey. You’re fighting your meds. Come on, let’s put you to bed.”
She let him help her off the stool. And then she swayed into him and he caught her close. Her hair smelled like flowers and her skin was soft. She clutched his biceps to right herself.
“Sorry,” she said.
“It’s okay.” He started to lead her down the hall, figuring it wouldn’t take a genius to find the bedroom. And it didn’t, because there were only two. One was clearly a guest room with a full-size bed and decorative furniture. There was nothing personal on the bedside table, so that’s what made him think it wasn’t her room.
The next room was larger, with a king-size bed and white linens. The walls were a soothing gray, and the lamps were sleek silver jobs. The curtains were pale blue with white sheers and the windows took up the entire wall. A television sat on a dresser against one wall, and there was a phone charger and several books on one nightstand. Bingo.
He tugged the covers back—because of course her bed was made—and gently sat her down on it. When he dropped to one knee to remove her shoes, she giggled softly and threaded her hands in his hair. His scalp tingled at her touch, and his dick started to throb.
“You’re so pretty, Cade.”
He tried not to laugh. Brooke Sullivan was clearly one of those people for whom pain meds gave her an instant high. If she remembered this when she woke up, she’d probably be horrified.
“So are you, angel,” he said as he finished removing her shoes and looked up at her.
“It’s been so long since I’ve had sex.” She sighed. “So damned long.”
Oh yeah, his cock was going to react to that news. No stopping it now.
“Who are you kidding? We had sex last night. Or did you forget?”
She sighed. “Real sex, Cade. The kind where I get to touch a real penis instead of a rubber one.”
Oh sweet Jesus
.
“I don’t think you’re up to it tonight, angel. How about you go to sleep and we’ll talk about it in the morning?”
She looked panicky for a second. “You aren’t leaving me, are you? I don’t want to be alone.”
“No, I’m not leaving you. I’ll take Max out again, and I’ll sleep in the guest room. All you gotta do is yell and I’ll be here, okay?”
She nodded. He stood and pushed her back gently, lifting the covers. He didn’t dare to undress her and put her into pajamas. He wouldn’t survive it.
“My phone,” she said, trying to sit up again.
“It’s in the kitchen. I’ll bring it in here and plug it in.”
“Thank you.”
He stood and gazed down at her.
She smiled and tugged the covers up to her chin. “You’re a good guy, you know that?”
“I like to think so.” He wasn’t feeling all that good at the moment. He was feeling like a jerk for lusting over her when she was so out of it. If he were a different kind of guy, he’d take advantage of the way she was feeling right now. Because she wouldn’t say no.
But of course he wouldn’t do that. The thought that there really were men who would do precisely that pissed him the fuck off. Even if they’d been flirting this whole time via text, actually having sex was a different story. It required both parties to be cognizant and consenting.
Brooke closed her eyes and turned on her side. Her breath deepened and evened out, and he knew she was asleep. He didn’t know how long she’d stay that way, but he wanted to get the dog out before she woke again.
And then he wanted to call Hacker and see what, if anything, the man could tell him about Brooke’s neighbor. Because if anyone could find out all there was to know about a man in an hour’s time, it would be Hacker.
Cade returned her phone to her room, then swiped her key and found Max’s leash on a hook by the door along with a contraption that he recognized as a dog seat belt. Nothing but the best for Max. The dog whirled excitedly and Cade laughed. He was a handsome animal with lush fur and an intelligent expression.
“Sit,” Cade said. Max sat. Cade clipped on the leash and headed out the door. He stopped to ask Bert where a good place to walk Max was.
“There’s a dog park a block that way,” the man said, pointing. “Miss Sullivan goes over there all the time.”
“Thanks. Hey, who was the guy they found earlier? I know he was Brooke’s neighbor, but I don’t know his name.”
He knew it was Scott, but not the last name. And he hadn’t wanted to ask her and bring the incident to the front of her mind when he was trying to get her to push it to the back.
“Scott Lloyd. He was an accountant. Worked for Black Eagle Firearms.”
Cade’s senses prickled to life. The dude had worked for a weapons manufacturer? Didn’t mean it had anything to do with his murder, but it was a lot more interesting than an accountant working for a clothing company or something. “How long did he live here?”
“About a year. He was a little weird if you ask me. Nice, but kind of off. He told me once that he was going to marry Miss Sullivan.”
Cade hadn’t expected that. “Really?”
“Yep. Not that he’d asked or she’d accepted—it was more that he thought she was hot and he decided she fit his plans. He had ideas about his life, how it was going to be. He kept saying he was coming into a fortune one day and that he needed a beautiful wife to be his hostess and the mother of his children.” Bert shrugged. “Like I said, a little off.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Bert nodded to Max, who was sitting perfectly and watching them both. “To tell the truth, I’m glad she has this guy. I think Miss Sullivan needs someone to watch out for her.”
Cade nodded. “Yep… and she’s got me now too. Neither one of us is letting anyone hurt her—are we, Max?”
Max yipped and they both laughed.
“Sounds like a yes to me,” Bert said.
Cade shook his hand. “I better get him out. Thanks again.”
As soon as they were outside, Cade took out his phone and made a call to his team.
Chapter 8
Brooke came awake with a scream. It was dark, and she was disoriented for a second. But a cold nose shoved its way into her hand as Max made his presence known. He started licking her and she sat up, breathing hard and fumbling for her phone.
A bright light shone in her eyes. She covered her face with her arm as another scream formed in her throat.
“Brooke, what’s wrong?”
She recognized that voice. She dropped her arm and he dropped the light. Then the light moved toward her. A moment later and her lamp flicked on. Cade hovered over her. The uniform was gone and in its place was a pair of athletic shorts.
No T-shirt. Oh wow.
“I…” She swallowed. “Bad dream. I’m sorry.”
He shoved a hand through his hair. Max’s tail thumped on the bed. Cade reached over and scratched his fur and Max rolled onto his back. Furry traitor.
“It’s to be expected. How do you feel?”
Brooke stopped letting her mind race over every damn topic and took stock. “My head hurts.”
“Do you want another pain pill?”
“Not really, but I probably should.”
“I’ll get it.”
She sat there while he disappeared for a few minutes. When he returned, he had the pill bottle and some water. He shook out the pill and handed her the water. It was ridiculous, but her eyes actually teared up a little.
Because she lived alone and she did these things for herself, so the simple act of someone else handing her a pill and water made her think of her mom and home. Sometimes it sucked living on the other side of the continent from her parents. If she were home, she could go to her old bedroom—still a bedroom, but not quite as personalized as it had been when she’d lived in it—and cuddle in bed while Mom brought food and pills and comfort.
She set the water on the bedside table and leaned against the pillows.
“You want to talk about it?” Cade asked.
She tried not to focus on anything but his face and eyes, but there was a lot of skin and a lot of muscle on display.
“Can you put on a shirt?”
He stared at her for a second and then snorted. “Got something against man chest, angel?”
“No,” she grumbled. “But I want to touch it the more I look at it, and now is not the time.”
Not when her head hurt and she felt groggy from the meds. It suddenly hit her that she must look like hell in addition to the rest of her issues, so she hastily smoothed her hair as he turned and walked away. He was gone only a few seconds before he returned, T-shirt covering his magnificent abs, athletic shorts still showing too much leg.
And too much male member, because there was no doubt something bulging under the fabric.
“Keep staring at it and you’ll get a reaction,” he said softly, and Brooke snapped her gaze to his as heat flooded her cheeks.
“Sorry.” And then, because she had to do something, she made the mistake of continuing to talk. “I feel like I’m already intimately acquainted with it. I’ve touched myself so often while imagining—”
His gaze burned. “Maybe quit while you’re ahead, angel.”
She gulped. “Yes, I think so.”
“So do you want to talk about your dream or go back to sleep?”
“Not about the dream. Just, maybe, talk.”
“Okay.” He sank onto the edge of the bed, just outside her reach. Max rolled over and Cade scratched his belly.
“I don’t even know what time it is. How long have I been asleep?”
He glanced at his watch. Not a phone but a watch. She remembered that Garrett wore one too. All the spec ops guys did.
“It’s two thirty.”
“Wow.”
“Either you were tired or those meds hit you like a ton of bricks. You usually react that way?”
“Pretty
much. It’s why I don’t like to take them.” She twisted the top of the sheet around a finger. “Thank you for staying tonight.”
“No problem.”
She felt like it was, actually. He had a job and he’d come straight to the hospital from that job. She didn’t think he’d gone home while she slept either. So he had his uniform and what he was wearing now—and he probably had to go to work in the morning.
“What time do you have to be to work?”
“I took the day off. I’ll be here with you.”
Her heart thumped. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Do you want me to call Grace?”
She shook her head.
“Then it has to be me. Who would take Max out while you’re high on pain meds?”
“Bert could do it. Or one of the day guards. Jerry, Chuck—he’s the new guy. You don’t have to change your life around for me.”
“It’s okay. I have plenty of time to take. The military isn’t the civilian world, okay? We don’t get two weeks and that’s it. I think I have about fifty-two days of leave on the books right now, and I earn more every month. A couple of days to help you out isn’t hurting me. So long as you’re okay with me being here, that is.”
She was grateful and anxious all at once. Cade Rodgers in her condo for the next couple of days? Helping her take care of Max, getting food and mail and, yes, keeping her safe from a strange man who had seen her get out of the elevator on the same floor that Scott lived.
Brooke shivered as she thought about the man she’d seen again. His eyes had been so cold. Didn’t mean he’d been the one to kill Scott, of course. Perhaps he’d been visiting someone else on the eighth floor. There were four other condos besides hers and Scott’s, and he could have been visiting any of them.
“I am, Cade. You’re far nicer to me than I deserve,” she added.
“We’re friends, Brooke.”
She couldn’t help but smile even though she was a mess of nerves deep inside. Cade Rodgers was here in her apartment. Cade! Her sex toy. The man who’d given her multiple orgasms through text.
“I guess we are. Friends with benefits,” she added.
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