“I can’t imagine.” It seemed far too natural to offer her comfort. He rubbed his cheek against the back of her head, her soft hair teasing his lips. “What happened after?”
“I pretty much closed down. Did my job but went out of my way not to make more friends. It was a lonely, miserable time, and I swore I wouldn’t reenlist. I’d get out and work at f**king McDonald’s if I had to. But by the time I returned to the States and reunited with my home unit, I’d changed my mind.”
“How many times were you sent over there?”
“Four.”
Jesus.
“A one-year deployment each time. Plus six months of specialized training with UN peacekeeping units.”
“Was the last stint when you were shot?”
“Yeah.” She paused. “But I don’t have nightmares about that. Too many other things haunt me that there’s no room for more.”
Devin didn’t know what to say.
Liberty wiggled—a hint for him to let her go. “Uh, thanks, for, ah, you know, but I’m better now. I’ll just go back to my bunk so you can get to sleep.”
But he kept her locked in his embrace, letting her know she didn’t have to run away from him. Letting her know he had no agenda besides holding her, offering her a little security and comfort in the middle of the night. He braced himself, expecting her to fight, but her breathing slowed and she crashed.
He forced himself not to think of her smooth, bare legs entwined with his. Or her toned abdomen where his palms rested. Or the warmed chocolate scent of her skin. He simply held her.
As he finally drifted off, he realized he couldn’t remember the last time he’d fallen asleep with a woman in his arms.
The door to Devin’s bedroom flew open, and instantly, Liberty pushed him flat on his back and rose on her knees in front of him.
Odette skidded to a halt. Her gaze winged between them and she grinned. “I knew I’d catch you two in bed! Personal assistant, my ass.”
Devin looked at Liberty, wondering if she’d make a smart retort about it being the first and last time they’d be caught in bed together.
But she just shot him a sexy smirk over her shoulder and said, “Busted,” before she faced Odette and Crash. “Was there a reason you interrupted us?”
“We’re about to take off and little O insisted you two had plans to write together today.” Crash paused and looked at Devin. “Is that true?”
“Yeah. What time is it?”
“After nine,” Odette said. “We won’t reach the Pine Hills County Fairgrounds until four. That leaves us six hours to work on new material while we’re rolling down the blacktop.”
“Fine. Let us get dressed and we’ll be right up.” He looked at Crash. “Tell Reg we’re ready to roll.”
Odette offered a little wave and disappeared.
Crash watched her until she was out of earshot. “Sorry about that, but you know how she gets. She was through the door and down the hallway just as soon as I entered the alarm code.”
“She’s damn lucky Liberty wasn’t armed.” He sighed and jammed his hand through his hair. “Next time call first. This is not the way we needed to be woken up this morning.”
“Understood. I’ll have Odette make coffee.” Then he shut the door.
Liberty hopped off the bed. She paused with her fingers on the door handle, but she didn’t turn around. “Thanks for last night, Devin. Sorry to be such a pain in the ass. It won’t happen again.”
“Are you worried what Odette thinks of you?”
She shook her head. “I’m more worried about what you think of me.”
That shocked him, but not as much as what she said next.
“Some bodyguard I am, huh? Shaking and goddamn crying in the middle of the night to the point that you had to f**king coddle me—”
“Stop.” Devin was on her, clamping his hands on her shoulders. He didn’t turn her around—allowing her the privacy of keeping her face hidden, but he refused to hear her excuse for showing him that she wasn’t infallible. “To be honest, I’m glad you showed me your human side—even if it wasn’t intentional. I was beginning to think they’d turned you into some kind of robotic supersoldier during your stay in the military hospital, because, darlin’, you’re always so coolheaded. You don’t miss anything. While I’m thrilled that you excel at your job, since it’s protecting my ass, I’m glad that I could be there for you when you needed someone.”
She exhaled.
Devin spun her around. “Have you tried to talk to a counselor about what you’re dealin’ with?”
Her whole body went rigid again. “No.”
“Why not?”
“None of your business. Drop it or I’ll drop you.”
She acted tough. But something didn’t fit. Why wouldn’t the queen of the killer stare-down meet his eyes when she leveled a threat at him? “Liberty.”
“Move.”
“Look at me.”
“No. Just . . . move, okay?” she said, barely above a whisper.
Devin took a chance, hoping she wouldn’t bite him or rack him when he placed his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face. “What happened? Weren’t we getting along for a change?”
She nodded.
“Then what’s wrong?”
Her icy pale eyes finally connected with his. “Go back to being a dickhead. It’s easier to deal with than when you’re acting nice to me.”