like tonight. That incredible mix of sweet and sexy and… Marilyn.
The sound of her moan when he’d set her up on that counter. Damn. It was enough to get him hard just thinking about it.
He would’ve kissed her until their lips were too sore to keep going if there had been time. Taking it to the bedroom would’ve been more than fine with him, but just kissing her had been damn near perfect. He’d been happy to stay in the kitchen and drown in her sweet lips.
The second thing he knew was that she was keeping something from him.
They’d talked about her abuse some and she’d agreed to let Tanner share the police report with Noah so he’d know what they were up against a bit better.
Noah had been silent as he looked through the files a couple of months ago in Tanner’s office. Looked through the gruesome photos of Marilyn’s injuries—broken wrist, cracked ribs, a concussion so severe it had required a medically-induced coma.
That had come from a kick to the head. The police report couldn’t confirm it, but Noah had no doubt.
And these were just photos from one incident. Nobody but Marilyn knew exactly how many times she’d been hurt by Ellis.
For the first time in his life, Noah understood the term consuming rage.
Five minutes in a dark alley with Jared Ellis was all he needed.
He wouldn’t kill the other man. Killing Ellis quickly was too good for that bastard. But five minutes alone with him would be all it would take for Noah to make sure Ellis never moved, spoke, or ate solid food again.
Let the man rot away as a human vegetable for the rest of his life, trapped alone with himself and his decisions.
That’s what Noah would do. And he wouldn’t lose a minute’s sleep over it.
Because he knew—deep in his gut that had never served him wrong—that Ellis had done more than just physically and emotionally abuse Marilyn. Even though the police reports showed no signs of sexual trauma, Noah knew there was something about her situation Marilyn wasn’t telling him.
He wouldn’t push the issue. It was up to her whether she was ever going to be ready to tell him the full truth. Whether she was ever going to be ready to try a relationship again. He did not delude himself into thinking some kisses—no matter how sexy they were—meant she was ready.
He didn’t know the next step in helping her. And hell, he had some pretty heavy baggage of his own. Maybe he wasn’t the person to even help her take that next step at all.
He needed to talk to someone about this. Normally he would call Tanner, but his brother already had his hands full with his wedding coming up in a couple of weeks. And, as much as Tanner loved Noah, he didn’t understand what had happened in Afghanistan, what it had meant to lose his men and hear their screams.
But Noah did have someone who understood, and it was time to reach out. He had his phone in hand dialing Walker Nelson’s number without another thought. He didn’t even wonder if it was too late. Unless he was in the middle of an active mission, Trigger would take Noah’s call.
“Storm. There’s a name I didn’t expect to see on my phone. To what do I owe the honor?”
“Hey, Trig. I figured I’d do my good deed for the week and give you a call.”
“You’re a real prince.” They shared a laugh. “Okay. What’s really bothering you?”
“Who said anything’s bothering me?”
“I hear it in your voice.”
Noah wondered whether Trigger’s new life with his fiancée Gillian had trained him to be more in tune with other people. Noah had certainly become more aware of what every move, every fleeting expression on Marilyn’s face might signal.
But hell, he had no idea how to start this conversation. Maybe he shouldn’t have called.
“Talk to me, Noah. You in trouble?”
“No, nothing like that. I had some questions. Personal ones. But I know you and I haven’t talked a lot since I got out of the Army, and all of a sudden I’m realizing maybe this call wasn’t such a good idea.”
“You and I survived hell together. You saved my ass more than once on a mission. I think we’re beyond the I don’t know you well enough to ask a question stage, don’t you?”
Noah let out a low chuckle. “I’m about to butt into your love life.”