Ramsey Security (Ramsey Security #1-3)(47)

Her words are like a punch to the gut. If she were anyone else, I'd f*cking hate her for being right. Instead, I study Darla staring at me with her big eyes and imagine what my mom might think about her. Darla is too curvy and inviting for a prim and proper woman like Rebecca Sheridan. My mother also didn't approve of public displays of emotion, and Darla is often a walking ball of feelings. No, my mom would certainly not approve of Darla.

"I don't think her dying at someone else's hands would have helped much. I was too old when she died to romanticize her."

Darla's gaze darkens as if my sad sack childhood breaks her heart.

"Don't buy into your female need to pity me. I grew up in a nice neighborhood in a safe home and went to a good school. My father replaced his beloved first love with a second wife a year later. My step mom treated me like a hero for remembering to put down the lid after a piss."

Darla's gaze softens, and a smile spread over her lips. "Do you want to stop talking or can I ask more questions?"

"Ask away, beautiful."

"Is your father mad that you didn't go into the Navy?"

Skimming her forehead with my lips, I smile. "I did go into the Navy. Went into SEALs training too but quit halfway through. Yeah, that part pissed him off."

"Why did you quit?"

"I didn't want some * bossing me around. In the military, even the toughest f*ckers need to follow orders," I explain before taking her hand and guiding her out of the kitchen and into the living room. We sit on the couch where I wrap her in my arms possessively.

"I was lying in bed one day during training. My body hurt. My exhausted mind was racing. SEALs training is brutal, but I was doing well. Making my dad proud."

Pausing, I link my large fingers with Darla's short, slim ones.

"So I'm lying in bed and wishing I could sleep. I knew they might expect us to wake at any minute. I wanted to rest, but something was bothering me. Talking to myself in my head, I reminded myself that my dad and brother stayed tough through this same BUD/S training. I was following in their footsteps. That's when I realized I didn't give a shit. About being like them or making anyone proud. I refused to spend my life taking orders. I had skills, sure, but those skills didn't have to be put to use in the same way they were for Dad and Kevin. I could find my way, so I f*cked up on purpose and got dropped from BUD/S. My dad wanted me to try again, but I was done with the military. As soon as I could get out without going AWOL, I took off and never looked back."

"What then?" she asks in a dreamy voice. Her head rests against my chest as she smiles up at me.

"Are you sleepy?"

"Your heartbeat is making me want a nap," she says without making any effort to move her ear away from my chest.

My gaze takes in the sight of her relaxed against me. Darla's hands rest against my stomach. With her legs curled up and feet hidden under a pillow, she looks ready for a nap. Her eyes are too bright, though. They stare at me as if I'm the sun, and she's been too long in the dark. I catch a smile at the curve of her full lips.

"What did you do after the Navy?" she whispers.

I open my mouth to answer until she takes my left hand and places it on her tit.

"How does one become a contractor?" she whispers again.

My thumb makes little circles against her nipple. The nub of flesh hardens under my touch. I imagine filling my hands with her full tits. Dreaming of touching and tasting all that flesh confuses my brain.

"Troy," Darla says when I remain silent.

"I took a job as a military contractor. Security jobs like I do now, but I was again following orders. A guy approached me about my skill set and thought I'd do well with jobs that were off the books. Liquidation is what he called it. I ended up going solo a year later and stayed that way until Minka kept showing up at the same jobs. We partnered up and worked on our own terms."

"You said you came to Houston because Rafael was starting the company. How did you meet him?"

"Years ago, Minka and I found ourselves snowed in at the Prague airport. Most people had found hotel rooms or were sleeping in the terminal. Minka and I knew better than to let our guards down on foreign soil especially after a job. So we sat in the airport bar, drinking coffee and watching crappy TV for two days. Rafael showed up and made small talk. After awhile, we knew he was like us. There was an unspoken knowledge that we were all contractors, so we played nice until flights were cleared again."

"And you became life long friends afterward?" she asks, squirming as I tug at her nipple.

"We ran into him several times over the next few years. Yeah, we got tight. Not a lot of people understand our type of work."

"I don't really."

"I'm glad. It isn't pretty."

"But you didn't kill anyone nice, right?"

"Nice?" I ask, grinning down at her. "No, nice people don't usually cause another person to pay to have them killed."

"You ever feel bad after a job?" she asks, taking my other hand and kissing the palm.

Hearing the rumble of an approaching thunderstorm, I don't answer right away. Darla glances towards the windows. A moment passes before her expression shifts, and I realize she's scared.

"Is it the noise or were you always scared of thunder?"