“Thanks asshole,” Ethan muttered. “We’re not dating. I rescued her off a fucking mountain. She’s not in any position to be in a relationship right now even if I wanted that.”
“If you wanted that,” he said with a chuckle. “We can all see those puppy dog eyes you make at her. You can’t take your eyes off of her. Before we’d even made it back to Bagram, we all knew she was yours.”
“She was injured and scared,” Ethan said.
“She was, but you sure as shit aren’t that protective over every woman we rescue. How many have you visited in the hospital, huh? Not a damn one.”
“Kim was still under our protection,” Ethan countered. “Our mission was to get her safely home. She had a damn MP outside her door.”
“Sure. That’s why you were the only one visiting.”
“Nope. Ghost came as well.”
Troy chuckled. “Only because he had a message to relay from Hailey. I’m telling you—you’re whipped. First it was Raptor, then Ghost and K-Bar, and now you.”
Ethan shook his head. “I just want her to be safe.”
“And that’s how I know,” Troy said, standing back up. “If you just wanted to get into her pants, you wouldn’t bother, because you’re right. She’s not ready for a relationship. But the way you’re with her every moment and inviting her out to stay with you? Just let me know when I can expect the wedding invitation.”
“Jackass,” Ethan griped as Troy sauntered away. Goddamn. The last thing he was trying to do was get into a relationship with Kimberly. He was worried about her. He cared about her. And so what if she had pretty blue eyes and long, dark hair that he’d love to run his fingers through?
She wasn’t his. And he had no right to act like she was.
***
Kimberly awoke early the next morning, blinking as she looked around the plane. Most of the guys were asleep, although Ethan’s gaze from across the aisle was already on her. “Good morning,” he said, his husky voice making her stomach do little flips. She’d slept across from him all night, curled up across several seats. Someone had put an extra blanket over her, and she knew without even asking that it had been his doing.
“Good morning,” she said softly. She yawned but kept huddled under the blankets.
“You were out all night.”
“Yeah. In the hospital I had nightmares and kept waking up.” He frowned, but she continued anyway. “I was so exhausted last night I just crashed. How many more hours before we land?”
“Probably three or four. We don’t usually stop in DC, so I’m not sure. I’ll check with the pilot.”
“No, it’s fine. I just wondered.”
“You were tossing and turning a little at one point, so I put another blanket over you. You seemed to settle after that.”
She flushed under his gaze. “Thanks. I don’t even remember having any nightmares. Hopefully I’ll do okay tonight.”
“They might want to keep you overnight at Walter Reed for observation,” Ethan noted.
“God, I hope not. I just want to go home and sleep in my own bed. I’ll probably end up staying with my parents though. They’ve got a house in Northwest DC. I’ve just got a small one-bedroom place. I’m sure none of them will want me to be alone. Honestly, I’m not sure that I’m ready to be alone yet either.”
“You’re lucky you have family close by. I hope you’ll consider coming out to see us though. I was serious when I said you can stay with me, and of course Hailey will be thrilled.”
“I know your offer was genuine, and I appreciate it.” The plane jostled a little from turbulence, and Kim’s gaze raked over Ethan when he wasn’t looking. He had dark stubble on his jaw and looked far sexier than any man should first thing in the morning. She was shocked she even had the thought. Dating a man was the very furthest thing from her mind right now.
“It’s early. You should try to get some more rest while you can.”
“You’re up.”
His lips quirked. “That I am. But you can go back to sleep if you want. In another hour or so, I’ll make you some God-awful coffee from my MRE.”
“Oh, that’s sounds heavenly.”
He chuckled.
“I’m serious. They wouldn’t let me have any caffeine in the hospital.”
“That’s right, you did ask for a Diet Coke with the pizza last night,” he remembered.
“And I definitely got used to going without any caffeine the past couple of months,” she said lightly. “But I