His Lover to Protect - Katee Robert Page 0,53
in nearly two years, he felt alive and worth a damn, and it was because of the woman blinking sleepily at him.
She gave him a tentative smile. “It’s okay, Luke. You get a free pass on anything said in the heat of the moment.”
That was the thing, he didn’t want a pass. “Darlin’, don’t think you’re getting out of this that easily.” He lifted her and set her back down in his lap, her legs on one side and her head against his shoulder.
“Will you…” She took a deep breath. “Will you tell me about how you hurt your knee? The full story?”
Every instinct screamed for him to change the subject or snap at her or do anything other than take that fun little trip down memory lane. But hadn’t he asked her exactly that back at the café? It was only fair to trot out his wounds for her inspection.
But as he looked down at her face, he knew it wasn’t curiosity driving her. She caught him watching her. “It’s a huge part of your life—of who you are now. I just… I feel like you know all the ugly parts of me, and maybe it’s not fair to ask for you to lay yourself bare the way I did earlier, but I’d like you to tell me. If you want to.” She smiled. “I already know that you love your auntie, even if she’s a tough lady, and that you’re going to be okay. You might feel like you stalled out, but you’ve been moving in the right direction all along. And you’re proud and stubborn and know how to drive a woman out of her mind with pleasure.”
“Not a woman. You. Only you, darlin’.”
She bit her lip as if she didn’t quite believe him. “But my point is, I’d like to know more about that pivotal part of your life.”
If he was serious about pursuing this thing with her, it meant he had to open up about the specifics at some point. It might as well be now. He considered how to tell the story without giving away that he’d been a PJ. At least he didn’t have to edit out Flannery—he’d been sent to the northern base in Afghanistan, while Luke ended up at the southern one. “All clusterfucks start out as routine missions, and this one was no exception. We were in the area for some recon.” Or at least the Marines he was accompanying were. PJs normally didn’t head out on shit like that, but there’d been a report of an injured soldier in the area, and they were tasked with finding him and keeping him alive until they got to the hospital. “No one knew it was an active minefield.”
“Oh, honey.”
He shook his head. “Part of the job description.”
“Just because you know it’s a risk doesn’t mean you have to bear it all with your chin up.” She cuddled closer and kissed his shoulder. “Sorry. I’ll keep quiet.”
Having her in his arms made it easier to keep going. “I had our patient over my shoulders. The guy next to me, Barger, took a wrong step. I didn’t even have time to register what happened when I was flying through the air.” The world had dissolved to pain and red and a roaring in his ears. “I don’t remember much after that.” The PJ still in the helicopter had filled in the details. How Barger was beyond saving, and how the blast had severed an artery in his leg, killing him within minutes. That was the hardest part to live with—knowing that he hadn’t saved his friend. Yes, he’d saved the man they were sent in for, but it wasn’t enough. “I woke up in the hospital in Landstuhl. They’d done what they could at the local base, and they saved my life, but they weren’t worried about making me pretty.”
He paused, half expecting her to cut in with something, some meaningless apology, or an assurance that he really was a hero even though he’d failed his teammate. He should have known better. Alexis didn’t do any of that. She just pressed another kiss to his neck and hugged him tight. “I’m glad you lived.”
“I am, too.” If he hadn’t, there would be no ridiculous mission sending him across Europe after this woman who seemed to see the man beneath the scars, this woman who was stronger than she gave herself credit for, who’d given him a gift beyond measure. “It was a long