She nodded. “Yeah. Thank you. And you should know…I really, really wanted to hug you when I saw you today.”
“I know.”
“You know?” she asked with a snort. “Conceited much?” she mumbled.
“I know because I wanted the same thing,” he finished quickly.
“Good save,” she told him with a smirk.
“I love putting my hands on you, Avery. I’ll respect the necessary boundaries when we’re on base, but when we’re alone, or in civilian clothes on a date, don’t expect me to keep my hands, or lips, to myself,” he told her.
“Ditto,” she returned with a grin.
“Shit, on that note, I really should be going,” he said with a shake of his head. “Kiss me, woman, and I don’t mean one of your intense, toe-curling, make-me-break-out-in-goose-bumps kisses. Just a peck, please, otherwise I’ll have to drive home with a hard-on, and that could be dangerous.”
Avery laughed out loud and leaned over and gave him a fast, dry kiss on the lips then backed away.
“Well, that wasn’t very satisfying,” he complained with a small smile.
“You asked for it.”
“I know,” Cole griped. Then he smiled at her. “Do you mind if I call tomorrow?”
“Do you want to come over again?” she asked tentatively.
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “But I don’t want to interfere with the time between you and your parents.”
“They’d love to have you back,” Avery told him. And she knew they would. Her mom had pulled her aside earlier and told her how much she liked Cole and how pleased she was that they were dating. Avery knew she wouldn’t have any issues with him coming over for dinner again.
“Okay, but don’t be afraid to tell me that plans have changed. It won’t hurt my feelings. As long as I get to talk to you, I’ll be satisfied.”
Avery smirked at his choice of words.
“You’re worse than a guy, making everything a sexual innuendo,” Cole told her with a shake of his head.
“Can’t help it,” Avery told him. “When I’m around someone as sexy as you, that’s just naturally where my mind goes.”
“Come on,” he said, and led her back up the stairs to her apartment.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Cole said with an intense look in his eyes as they stood in front of her door. “And if everything goes okay, I’ll see you as well.”
“Drive safe,” Avery said as she reached for the doorknob.
“I will.”
“Text me when you get home?” she asked.
“Will do. Talk to you later, sweetheart.”
Avery nodded and waved after he’d gone back down the stairs and gotten into his car. He raised two fingers from his steering wheel in return, then started his car and drove out of the parking lot.
Just when his taillights faded away, she realized where she was, and that it was almost pitch-dark outside. The lights from the parking lot illuminated the area, but she couldn’t see beyond them to the shadows.
Turning and throwing open her door, Avery tried to catch her breath before reentering her living room. The last thing she wanted was her parents asking what was wrong.
Glancing out at the darkness once more, Avery shivered.
Taking a big breath, she closed her door and made sure to lock the knob, the deadbolt, and put the chain on.
But somehow, even that didn’t seem to chase her demons away.
Chapter Fifteen
A week and a half later, Rex paced his apartment unhappily.
Something was off with Avery, and he had no idea what. He’d seen her every day since they’d returned from Afghanistan, and while she said all the right things…something was wrong. And he had a feeling she wasn’t dealing with what happened to her as well as she claimed.
Her parents had left four days ago to go back to Texas, and while Avery said she was okay with their decision to leave, she’d seemed jumpy and nervous ever since. She’d been over to his apartment for dinner twice, and seemed relaxed enough. But each time he’d dropped her off at her apartment, her eyes seemed to glaze over.
She’d fallen asleep on his couch one night, and when he’d accidentally dropped a glass into the sink, she’d jerked awake, scared out of her mind. He’d been warned to watch for her crash, and it was obvious that’s what was happening.
It didn’t help that every day, Avery had been pouring over the DOD photos to try to find the traitor, but so far she hadn’t had any luck. She’d also returned to her shifts at the hospital, which meant he didn’t get to see her as often or for as long as he had when they’d both had time off.
Rex was frustrated and worried about her. Tonight, she’d worked at the hospital until seven, and then said she was going to stop by the police station to look at a few photos before going home. Rex hadn’t gotten to see her today, which bothered him. He knew she was safe. He’d talked to her an hour ago. But he still couldn’t sit still.
Even seeing the psychologist hadn’t seemed to ease the demons she was struggling with, and Rex badly wanted to force her to talk about what was on her mind, but he knew that wouldn’t work. She had to decide to talk to him of her own free will. If he forced it, he knew he could damage their budding relationship.
But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t continue trying to coax her to talk to him. To trust her to let down her guard.
As far as their relationship went, things seemed to be going well. They made out anytime they were alone together, and it was getting harder and harder for them to keep their hands off one another The night before, Rex had finally let her take his shirt off, and she’d spent at least ten minutes showing him with her hands and lips how much she liked his tattoos, especially the huge anchor on his right side he’d gotten when he’d become a SEAL.
He’d reciprocated by taking her tank top off and giving her a taste of how his facial hair would feel against more sensitive parts of her body. He’d teased her about the freckles that seemed to cover her all over, and hadn’t been able to keep his lips off of each, kissing as many as he could before he’d been on the verge of going too far. He hadn’t been half as turned on by naked women as he’d been simply by seeing her on her couch wearing her bra and pants. The two of them were combustible together, and when they finally consummated their relationship, Rex knew sparks would fly.
But, he couldn’t in good conscience take their relationship to the next level when he knew she wasn’t dealing with her PTSD.
It bothered him more than he could say. He wanted to invite her to stay the night at his apartment so he could once again hold her in his arms as they slept. He hadn’t forgotten how amazing it had felt to sleep with her in Afghanistan. And that was when they were both tired and on alert for the slightest sound of their enemy. Sleeping with her behind a locked door in the comfort of his bed, or hers, would be even more mind-blowing.
But each night, she’d walked him to her door and bid him good night before closing and triple locking him out.
Did she feel unsafe? Was she worried the traitor would get to her? Rex just didn’t know.
As he was pacing and stressing about how to get Avery to open up to him, his phone rang. Seeing it was a phone number from the base, Rex tensed. The last thing he wanted was to get called on a mission. Not now, when he felt in his bones that Avery was vulnerable. Not when they were still getting to know each other and growing their relationship.