Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Max headed outside as they rolled down their windows to yell obscenities at Saylor. He memorized the license plate on the back of the car as he hurried to her door. “Sorry, baby. Let’s get you inside.”
Quickly, he helped Saylor out and maneuvered himself behind her to keep her protected from the pissed-off group. Shaking his head, Max hustled her inside and relocked the door.
“Fuck!” he swore.
“What’s going on, Max?” Saylor demanded.
“I’m sorry, little girl. That group pulled up next to me at a stoplight. I nodded to them when they waved to get my attention. For some reason, they took that as an invitation to follow me home and wouldn’t leave.”
Saylor propped her hands on her hips, assessing him. “Really? Three women chased you in their car and wouldn’t leave. Does that happen often?”
Max walked forward and pulled her stiff body into his arms. For the first time in years, fear burned inside him. “Baby? I promise you. I didn’t encourage them. Let me show you the doorbell footage.” He reached for his phone in his back pocket.
She wrapped her hands around his broad shoulders and rose on her tiptoes to kiss him. Max crushed her against his hard body. He kissed her passionately as his relief exploded into need. She believed him.
He reined himself in several long, delicious kisses later. Ripping his mouth from hers, Max pressed his forehead against hers before dropping a soft kiss on her nose. “Thank you.”
“For saving you from the hungry-for-soldiers women?” she asked before adding, “You know I’m going to tease you about this for the rest of time.”
“As long as you’re around for the rest of time, little girl, I’ll welcome your reminders of this day,” Max told her, reassured that she planned to stay with him.
“Sorry, my meeting ran late. I got here as quickly as I could. How come they let you out early? Good behavior?” she asked with twinkling eyes.
“We’re alerted that deployment is coming. Jerico sent us home to get ready under the guise of letting us spend time with those we care about. I wanted to make a list for you of people to contact if you’d like to know the other women.”
She hesitated for a minute before answering, “Are they going to welcome me? I mean, I’ve never met any of them and we haven’t been together for too long.”
Max inhaled and confessed, hoping she’d understand as easily as with those women. “The guys know I met you, baby. I should have asked first, but I let them know I’d found my little girl. They would have checked in with you if we were simply dating, but I wanted them to know how special you are to me.”
She studied his face carefully before asking, “You told them our personal business?”
Her crisp voice sounded pissed to him. He didn’t sugarcoat his response or make excuses. She deserved the truth. “Yes. I told other daddies who make up the team I rely on every day to survive the hell they send us into each time we’re deployed.”
“Is it always dangerous?”
“Risks exist even in the calmest situations, Saylor.” Max wanted to reassure her he’d always do everything to get back to her and to make sure the other men returned to the ones they loved. She had to know the truth. He wouldn’t lie.
“But you don’t go where it’s calm, do you?”
“Not usually.”
“On a small team, everyone has a role, right?”
“Yes. Our team has six members. Jerico is the team leader. He coordinates with upper management and keeps us supplied and as protected as possible. Caden is the team chief. With the most combat experience, he keeps our training honed to prepare us to face anything. Koa is the communications guy. Zale is our medic. Thanks to him, we have medical care immediately to keep us safe and active. Hank is our sniper.”
“What do you do?” she asked softly, almost as if she were holding her breath.
“I’m the EOD.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m the explosives expert. I place and disarm incendiary devices,” Max said quietly.
“Bombs? You deal with bombs?”
“Yes. It sounds much scarier than it usually is,” he reassured her.
“I don’t know what else would be more frightening than watching a timer count down with a pair of wire cutters in your hand.”
“I’ve had lots of training, baby. I’m very careful. My life and my team rely on me. Just like I count on Zale to shoot me with antibiotics if I have an infection, or Koa to contact the good guys and not call in the enemy when we need an escape route. We all have our roles. I told them because they would do everything to keep you safe if something happened to me.”
A tear slowly slid down her cheek. His heart broke that he had to tell her the blunt truth. Max wiped it away with his fingers. “I have a dangerous job, little girl. Finding you is the best motivation for me to get home to you. I want you to know that if something happens to me, I did everything humanly possible—probably a superhero level of effort—to hold you in my arms again. If I don’t come back, I needed to know someone would help you. Okay?”