Iron Willed Warrior (Last Refuge Protectors #5)

11. Brynn

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Brynn

That kiss.

That kiss .

I had not been prepared for it. When Cole’s lips had melted over mine, his tongue in my mouth and his strong arms around me, I had forgotten all about the undercover assignment. Whether I was Brianna or Brynn. I had just wanted more of it.

I hugged my arms around my middle. “Would you walk me back to Keira’s? I’m freezing my assets off. Ready to change into my sweats.”

Cole was all for more “practicing,” but that was way too tempting. Nope, I had to put a stop to this so I could get my reactions to the man under control. Step one was to get out of this bar and out of this ridiculous outfit so that Cole would stop looking at me like he might eat me alive.

Yet he kept doing it, those blue eyes running over me like he owned me. “Where’s your coat?”

“More layers would’ve ruined the effect of Brianna’s outfit.”

Cole chuckled. He took off the heavy flannel jacket he was wearing, leaving just his long-sleeved undershirt. “Here.” He draped the flannel around my shoulders. Cozy warmth enveloped me. Which strangely made me shiver as I thought again of that kiss. “Best I can do for now,” he said.

“Oh, it’s fine. Perfect, actually.” I stuck my arms into the jacket and buttoned it. The edges fell almost to the tops of my thigh-high boots.

Cole straightened the collar. It had rolled up on one side. His fingers brushed my neck, and just that brief moment of skin-to-skin contact made my whole body blush.

“Are you being Cameron right now? Or just Cole?”

His face twisted up. “Hell if I know.”

“Either way, all of me thanks you.”

Seriously. I had to get a grip.

We’d been talking about leaving, and yet we both kept standing there. Cole seemed to be deep in thought, but for the life of me I couldn’t read his expression. “What?” I asked.

“Nothing. Let’s go.”

He put his hand on the small of my back, ushering me through the crowd. Like it was the natural thing to do. But my head was spinning.

That afternoon, I had gone over to Main Street to do some shopping for my cover. It wasn’t easy to find short shorts and mini skirts at this time of year, but there was a cute thrift shop that had all kinds of variety. I’d lucked out with the boots. They were the kind I would wear for a special occasion. Maybe a third date. They made me feel sexy and confident. But for Brianna Waverley, flashy clothes were an everyday necessity.

And yes, I’d been freezing on my walk here from Keira’s place. But that was hardly going to be my biggest challenge in this mission. I’d walked into this bar wanting to draw attention. To give Cole some inspiration for getting into character as my possessive older boyfriend.

Perhaps it had worked a bit too well .

The kid at the bar had been an obvious mark. Showboating for his friends, leering at every female in the vicinity. I’d made a beeline for him the moment I saw him. But still, I hadn’t asked him to buy me a drink. Hadn’t done anything overly flirtatious either, aside from a brief touch on his forearm when I complemented his neon ski jacket. The kid had taken it upon himself to throw his money around, insisting he pay for my martini.

When Cole had arrived, the kid had made things turn ugly fast all by himself.

Had I enjoyed seeing Cole get all gruff and protective? More than I should have. It had been a long time since I’d been kissed. In fact, the last man I’d kissed had crushed my heart and ground it into dust.

That had to explain this confused, achy longing I was feeling. But it didn’t help that I had Cole’s warm jacket and his steady hand on my back. The moment we were outside, I sucked in the dry, icy air. It cleared the swirl of messy thoughts in my brain.

Unfortunately the relief only lasted until I saw who was waiting on the sidewalk.

The kid who’d bought me the martini stood by the curb with his four friends. He scowled when he saw me and Cole. “That’s them.”

Crap. I was too tired for this.

Just as I clocked the guy’s presence, Cole muttered, “Green Sunglasses on your three.”

“Yeah, I saw him.”

“Hey,” the kid yelled. “That was bullshit what you pulled in there.” I had no idea if he meant me or Cole.

But Cole stepped out in front of me. “No idea what you’re referring to, son.”

“You and your girl made me look like an idiot.”

“Wasn’t hard,” I said. The kid’s scowl deepened, like a toddler about to have a tantrum. “I didn’t ask you to buy me a drink. I didn’t hit on you.”

“Then why are you going around dressed like that? Huh?”

Cole shook his head. “I suggest you and your buddies go back inside and forget about this. Unless you want your night to get a lot worse.”

The kid sneered, gesturing at his friends. “There’s five of us and one of you, old man.”

Really ? I didn’t count?

That would not do. Not at all .

I walked forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Cole. “Dibs on the two on the right,” I murmured. Which included green sunglasses boy.

Cole sighed. “Fine, I’ll take the left two. And whichever of us finishes first takes the one in the middle.”

“Works for me.”

We spread out. Meanwhile, the kid kept yapping. “I don’t hit girls, even slutty ones, so you’d better get out of the way, babe. Unless you wanna come with us right now and we’ll show you a lot more fun than this dude ever will.”

I laughed. “Last chance, sweetie.”

The man on the far left moved first. Lunged at Cole with his fist raised. Cole blocked the punch and returned it with two quick jabs to the man’s torso.

Green Sunglasses turned, about to go after Cole from the other side. I got in his way. Didn’t want to mess up the kid’s dental work unless I truly had to, but then, he made it an easy decision for me. Green Sunglasses grabbed me by the arm, trying to shove me out of the way. So I twisted my body as my fist smashed a hook into his chin. He careened backward, sprawling half on the sidewalk and half in the muddy street. His green sunglasses clattered onto the asphalt.

The other guy I’d called dibs on came in next. Fists flying. No holding back on account of me being female, and I appreciated it. I stepped out of his path and kicked him at the knee. He toppled next to his friend.

I glanced over to see Cole twisting another guy’s arm at a painful-looking angle. The guy cried for mercy.

And the middle one? That guy was already running down the street. Seemed like he had thought better of engaging, unlike his buddies. But I doubted there were any broken bones. Just bruised egos.

Cole stood, brushing off his hands on his jeans, and walked over to me. “Probably best not to stick around. I don’t want to have to explain this to Sheriff Owen. I can skip the lecture.”

I snorted. The sheriff did have a tendency to be uptight, especially when it came to writing up incidents that caused him a headache. Cole and I were supposed to be keeping a low profile in Silver Ridge.

I was more than happy to move on before the boys got any ideas about a round two.

On the walk back to Keira’s, my blood was singing. The exercise had heated me up enough that I didn’t need Cole’s jacket anymore. But I didn’t take it off.

“Nothing like the endorphins from a good fight,” I said, shaking out my hand. I’d need to ice my knuckles later, but it was worth it.

“Agreed. I mean, I can think of one thing that’s even better for a dopamine rush, but a good fight is close second.” Cole had his eyes on the dark street ahead of us instead of on me. But his smirk said it all.

“Well, it’s been a little while for me when it comes to either of those activities. Fighting or, you know, that other F word.” Much longer, in fact, for the second .

We both laughed, and I felt blood rush into my face. A sudden burst of shyness after the wild night we’d had. Good thing it was dark and he couldn’t see me blushing.

“I thought we fought well together,” Cole said, voice dropping lower.

“Me too.”

As for doing that other F with him… Brynn, get that out of your head .

We needed a new topic of conversation, so I went with the first thing that came to mind. “How do you like your prosthesis?”

His smile faded, the relaxed mood between us turning to tension again. “If you’re really trying to ask if it’s a limitation?—”

“I’m not.” I hadn’t meant to screw up the good vibes so quickly. Last thing I’d wanted to do. “I know other people with prostheses. But it’s different for each person, so I was curious about your experience. If that’s too private, I understand.”

Cole rolled his shoulders. “I don’t mind talking about it. It was tough at first. In the beginning, you just get a temporary fit, because the stump tissue is still shrinking.”

“Sounds painful.”

He grunted. “It sucked. At first, I couldn’t stand the prosthesis more than half an hour at a time, which just pissed me off. I wanted to get back to where I’d been before. Back on my feet, literally. Within several months, though, I had the hang of it. This particular one, I’ve had a couple years. I can wear it for days now, depending on how much I’m on my feet. It’s not an issue.”

“I don’t doubt it. Never meant to suggest it was. You didn’t consider returning to active duty?” An amputation didn’t necessarily end a military career, even for someone like Cole, being a Ranger. It would’ve been incredibly difficult to jump through the Army’s hoops to qualify, but if anyone could do it, I would’ve bet on Cole. The man had a bull-headed, stubborn streak, that was for sure.

“After the way it all went down? Hell no. But.” Cole scratched his chin, pausing on that word. “Did I think about it? Sure. The Army was my career. Pretty much everything I knew. To lose it all in one fell swoop. That was tough.”

I couldn’t imagine. He had told me some of this before, but I got the sense there was far more to it. There had to be, going through something like that. The trauma of the injury. Not just the healing and adjusting to a changed physical existence, but all the mental shock it would entail too. When I thought about it, his strength blew me away.

“I hope you had people supporting you through it. Family and friends.”

His expression remained carefully neutral. “Not so much. No family to speak of anymore. After I came home, my wife decided she’d had enough of me. So she took off pretty soon as well.”

I stopped walking, turning to him. “Are you kidding me? That’s unbelievable.”

He shrugged. “I had my Army buddies and their significant others who stepped up. Aiden’s family especially was great. I’m not complaining. My buddies who didn’t even make it home…” He cleared his throat, shaking his head.

Instinctively, I reached out to squeeze his upper arm. I’d lost people too in the service. But I didn’t want to compare my experiences to his. Each loss was a uniquely brutal punch to the gut, a pain all its own that never fully went away.

His bicep tensed. Then released.

“I have nothing to complain about,” he said. “And yet I’m still a grumpy asshole. Go figure.”

I smiled. “I’m getting used to it. You’re not so bad.”

“Careful. You almost sound like you like me. ”

“I know, it’s worrisome.”

We resumed our walk, but closer than before. Arms brushing. Every once in a while, Cole’s hand would rest on my back again, as if keeping me steady. I was doing just fine in my heels, but I didn’t mind it.

“What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” he asked. “We haven’t talked about what gear and weapons we’re bringing with us. I’d like to know more about Westwick’s head of security. Ryker.”

“Tomorrow’s good for that. I think River’s planning to come by. You’ll also need some new clothes for Cameron Clay.”

He groaned. “Shopping. Can’t wait.”

We kept chatting about the long list of preparations still ahead of us. Only a few days to get it all done. But really, it felt like we were just filling the silence. Because there was something new between us now, and I suspected Cole didn’t know what to do with it, any more than I did.

We reached Keira’s house and went up to her porch. I turned around, not reaching yet for the door. “Thanks for walking me back.”

“No worries.” He was standing in my space. Nearly as close as he had earlier in the bar, when we’d been in character. Yet I felt an urge to pull him closer.

This was a problem. A disaster waiting to happen.

I crossed my arms over his flannel jacket. “Look. I need to say this. Please don’t take offense.”

“I’m listening.” But his eyes were wandering down the length of my body.

I shifted on my heels. “About what happened earlier. It got a bit…heated.”

“The fight? I thought it was pretty low key, all things considered.”

“I mean before the fight. In the bar. ”

“The kiss?” he asked innocently.

“Yes, Cole. The kiss. You know that’s what I’m talking about.”

His feet shuffled forward, his weight moving from hip to hip. He reached out his hand and braced it against the front door behind me. “You thought the kiss was heated?”

“That’s what I just said.”

“And here I was thinking you hadn’t noticed.”

My chest was tight, and I felt lightheaded. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s great we’re getting along better.”

“Mmhmm.” He nodded. “Much better.”

“But this will be tricky. The fake relationship part of our cover.”

“I imagine so.” His eyelids went heavy as he glanced at my mouth.

I leaned against the door, my limbs turning liquid. “We need to keep things professional. There can’t be any more misunderstandings.”

“Misunderstandings about what?”

I felt the soft breath of his words against my mouth. And I had no clue what I had been about to say. None whatsoever. “I’m…uh…”

His nose nudged mine. I sighed. His lips were right there, and it would barely take a move to continue what we’d started earlier. Practice . It was supposed to be practice in front of an audience. But here, it was just us.

“We could try it again,” he said. “For the sake of clarity.”

The door flew open, and I stumbled backward. Cole grabbed my shoulders before I fell.

“Oh! I’m sorry. I thought I heard voices.” Keira stood in the doorway, eyes wide. “Did you want to come in?”

“No,” I said, heart beating a mile a minute. “We were just finishing our chat. ”

Cole touched his fingers to his lips, while Keira glanced between the two of us.

“Here. Cole, this is yours.” As quickly as I could, I started unbuttoning his jacket.

“That’s all right. You keep it.” He stopped me, wrapping my fingers inside his larger hand. “I’ll get it later.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” He stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’ll see you tomorrow, B.”

I felt a secret thrill that he’d used my nickname. It was what my good friends, like Charlotte and River, called me. Did Cole know that? Or had he come up with it on his own?

“Goodnight, Cole.”

“Night.” He nodded, eyes lingering, before he turned away and jogged to the sidewalk.

“What was that all about?” Keira asked.

I let out a heavy exhale. “This is bad.”

“Why? What happened now?”

We went inside the house, Keira closing the door behind me. I flopped onto the couch. The soft fabric of Cole’s jacket rubbed gently against my skin. “I think I like the guy.”

“No kidding.” Keira sat in the chair across from me. Her lips pressed together as she tried and failed not to laugh. “Dean texted that the two of you were about to set the bar on fire with that make-out session. All of Silver Ridge has figured out that you like him.”

“You and Dean are such gossips.”

“What? The Protectors told us to keep an eye on you. I take my job seriously.”

“We were practicing our cover story. Cole suggested he play my boyfriend, and I agreed. Because it makes sense. He’ll be able to stay closer to me throughout the op, and it will probably make the head of Stillwater even more interested if I’m unavailable. ”

“But your practice with Cole got a little too real? According to Dean, he was about to ask you two if you needed a room.”

With a huff of frustration, I collapsed sideways on the couch. “I am an FBI special agent. I shouldn’t be reacting to a kiss like a girl on prom night.”

Then I realized what I had just said. I’d used the present tense when describing myself as an agent. Which just proved how much Cole distracted me.

We were about to go into a life-or-death situation together, and I couldn’t afford to screw up.

“Why is it so bad if you enjoy kissing him?” Keira asked. “Or even if you like the man? I’m sure you can both keep that separate from your undercover mission. And later, if you decide you want to pursue something more with him, then?—”

“No,” I said emphatically. “Please don’t finish that sentence. Because that’s not going to happen.”

The last thing I needed was to get some confused crush on my undercover partner. I hardly knew Cole. We’d just barely started to trust one another.

But this wasn’t even about him. Not really. It was me . Whenever I really liked a man, my heart tended to gallop ahead, leaving my rational brain in the dust. I’d made that mistake before. I couldn’t do it again.

“I will not fall for Cole Bailey. Not now, and not ever. You can quote me on that.” I sat up, unbuttoning his jacket as I went, then tossed it onto the back of the couch. I’d return it tomorrow. Right after I gave Stanford his daily update. Something Cole would be furious about if he knew.

“Sorry,” I said to Keira. “Thank you for talking this through with me. I’m…embarrassed, honestly.”

“Don’t be. This is a stressful mission, and we’re all counting on it to go well. It’s a ton of pressure on you and Cole.”

“As it should be. We can handle it.” I breathed a few times. Solidifying my resolve. “We’re going to see this through to the end.”

“Now you’re talking. Stillwater is going down. I can’t wait to see it.”

“Neither can I.”

But as I got ready for bed, I kept replaying the evening in my head. The fierce blue of Cole’s eyes on me. His lips. The deft strokes of his tongue. How I would’ve let him kiss me again if Keira hadn’t interrupted us.

I probably would’ve kissed him .

But starting tomorrow, I’d be all business. All of my focus would go to this mission. Defeating Garon Westwick and Stillwater.

And after it was over…

There would be nothing but friendship afterward. Not for me and Cole.

I couldn’t let myself fall for the wrong guy again. Not ever . The damaged remnants of my heart just couldn’t take it.