Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother novel Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Penny

Don’t cry or dos T

I state down at my tea like it’s personally triprouble for my entire coumbling erectional state,

Tyler told me he was home.

Home.

So why did Asher say he tell hours ago?

Why is he lying to me?

The questions twist inside me, low and sour, but I face myself to blink fast, to be the slow.

I am not crying over this

Not here.

Not now.

Not when Asher is sitting right there – quiet and still, staring straight ahead like he didn’t just save me from dying of hypothermia and bad decisions tonight

1 fish my tea, setting the mug carefully on the coffee table so I don’t accidentally shatter it with my shaky hands.

1 glance sideways at

Thank you” I say, voice a little rough.

He doesn’t look at me

“Nothing to thank me for

shifting

og to face him mone

I buff, sh

more fully.

“It’s not nothing.” I insist. That storm was awful. You didn’t have to come check on me

His jaw ticks — a tiny movement and then he turns, meeting my eyes. His eyes darken and for a second they hold a ston

Simple.

Certain.

I blink, feeling my cheeks heat, the flush creeping Ap my

my neck

before I can stop it

“Well, I mumble, awkward now, “thank you.”

He nods once, like that’s the end of it.

1 rub a hand over my face, trying to cool

And immediately lunch when my fingers brush the rut on my cheekbon/..

than the one outside.

1/4

Chapter 41: Penny

“Ow, I mutter, wincing. “Forgot thuit wa

Before I can say anything ehe, Asher shifts toward me

His band contes up – fast but qui nough–and his fingers catch my thin between them, tilting my face to the side.

His thumb bushes lightly along the edge of the scratch, inspecting.

like the stora maked all the heat out of the world and left it coiled under his skin instead.

The touch is careful

That it still feels like it sears right through me.

│You cleaned it he asks, voice low.

I pod. “In the shower. With water.

He exhales through his nose, unimpressed.

Not enough

Before I can protest, he’s standing jerking his head toward the kitchen.

“Come on.”

I hesitate because standing, moving, being closer to him feels dangerous right now

But he was there for me today.

Again..

So I push myself up and follow

I stumble after him, still catching at the waistband of his way–too–by pants like they’re personally trying to assassinate me

The hem drags against the floor, threatening to trip me with every step, and after a particularly aggressive stumble, I mutter a curse under my breath, yank them off, and kick them to the side.

The t–shirt I’m wearing his t–shirt is long enough to cover everything important anyway

—

Asher glances back at the sound, arching an eyebrow

“What are you doing?” he asks, vice hall serious, half amputed.

“Saving my life,” I multer. Those things are a hazard”

He smirks that rare, deadly one that always feels like a secret- and shakes his head, jerking his chin toward the kitchen counter.

“Come here.”

I move toward him and before I can brace myself, he steps forward, strong hands closing around my waist.

Without effort, he lifts me to the counter,

I gasp, clutching the edge for balance, heart hammering wildly in my chest.

Chapter 41: Penny

He steps in close between my knees, and suddenly the air between is in to tight, cos hot, ton heavy.

I can’t not notice him

the way his shat clings to the sharp cut of his shoulders and chest,

the way the muscles in his arms shift easily under his skin as he mines,

the way he smells- not just soap and clean laundry, but something darker underneath, like amber and smoke and rain.

I think of how he looked earlier–standing in my domway–grey sweatpants

| low on his hips, white shirt plastered against a body that locked cared

And standing here now, inches from him, breathing him in, Trealize something bone–deep:

This man could destroy ampone

at with

Not

violence.

With sheer gravity

With the way he pulls the air out of a room without even trying.

With the way he makes it impossible to look anywhere else,

And me!

I’d never stand a chance,

1 force melf to focus as he rummages through the first aid kit under the sink, pulling out supplies with quick, efficient movements.

“Hold stall,” he says, nice low enough to rattle loose something deep inside ne

He tears open an alcohol swab and dabs it against the cut on my cheek

I wince, sucking in a sharp breath.

He doesn’t apologize just steadies me with one brood hand at the base of my jaw, thumb skimming lightly under my chin, fingers warm and rough and careful

“Princess,” be mutters under his breath, shaking his head in that experated way that somehow don’t feel cold at all.

He spreads antibiotic cream gently along the scratch, his touch featherlight now, almost reverent

Trying to distract myself from the way my heart is trying to hammer its way through my ribs, I ask, “Did you learn this in the Navy?”

He nods once, concentrating on the tiny wound

“Basic first aids mandatory.”

I ham, not trusting my voice to do anything cobert.

The house groam under another blast of wind.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify