Lost and Found (Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten #2)(74)

Something was wrong with Owen, and she couldn’t put her finger on it. He’d been perfectly sweet. He’d been waiting for her at the time they’d agreed on. He’d taken her to dinner and asked about her day, listening patiently as she likely went way too much into how plaque was formed in the brain. Way too much.

It had been an exciting day and it had taken her too long to figure out that his smile didn’t come close to reaching his eyes.

Now they were ensconced in her apartment and she wondered how to tell him she planned on going to the meeting Friday afternoon. She was wondering if she should tell him at all since there was something in his eyes that told her he’d had a rough day.

Maybe it was time to play the submissive. Wasn’t it her job to soothe him? He protected her. She soothed and calmed him. That was the exchange they’d agreed on, and he’d definitely done his job. She wasn’t sure she’d been doing hers. She’d been far too into the sex and pleasure and affection to remember he needed things too.

He locked the door behind him. “I think I might head to my place for the night, love. I’ve got a headache and I worry I’ll keep you awake.”

Yes, something had definitely gone wrong with his day. “Or you could sit down and let me take care of you. After all, I am a doctor. Can you describe it to me? The headache, that is?”

A faint smile crossed his face. “He’s six foot, dark hair, bloodshot eyes. He’s an asshole of the highest order and I have to work with him.”

Oh yes, she could handle this. “I know a couple of those myself. Owen, please stay with me. I don’t mind if you toss and turn. I can handle it. Sit down.”

His eyes caught hers and she realized she’d made a mistake. If he’d had issues with someone at work, it might have made him feel small, and now she was ordering him around. That wasn’t how to handle a man like Owen.

“Please.” That was a better plan.

His gaze softened but he didn’t move toward the couch. “I’m on the edge tonight, Becca. I don’t want to go into it, but work was hard today. I think I could push you tonight if you let me. I don’t want to scare you.”

She moved into his space. “I’m not scared of you at all.”

His eyes seemed grave as he stared down at her. “Maybe you should be.”

She shook her head and put her arms around him, resting her ear on his chest. “No. I do not want to be afraid of you. Not for a second.” She was quiet for a moment because his arms had wrapped around her and he seemed to relax. It was peaceful to breathe him in and listen to the steady beat of his heart. “I wanted to be here all day.”

“I thought you had a good day.” One of those big hands of his moved over her back.

“I did.” The results of the latest test had been spectacular. But she’d still thought about him. He was a distraction, but one she wasn’t willing to let go of. She’d worked all this time thinking of nothing but her research. Maybe Owen was her shot at having something outside of work. She knew it was too early to start thinking like that, but she’d been super careful when it had come to her ex-husband. Careful hadn’t worked. She was following her instincts this time. “But the whole time I was waiting for six o’clock.”

Now that hand came up and cupped the nape of her neck, cradling her to him, and she knew she had him. He wouldn’t be going anywhere tonight. “You have no idea how much I felt the same today.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” He rarely talked about himself. He would let her go on and on, but he tended to turn the conversation when it was about him.

He was silent for a moment. “I screwed up a job a couple of years back. I screwed up badly and it put two of my teammates in danger. They came out of it all right, but it’s when I got injured and had that bad reaction to the drugs they had to give me.”

She went very still because she’d learned this was not something he talked about. He was touchy about the scars on his body. She could have told him they did nothing to detract from how gorgeous he was, but he obviously hadn’t wanted to hear it.

“The reaction was bad,” he continued. “It went far beyond what you see on my skin. It made me weak for a long time. My boss…well, I think he felt so bad about what happened that he couldn’t fire me even though he should have.”

“I can’t imagine you would do anything that would require you being fired.”

“Then you, love, don’t have a good imagination,” he replied quietly. “I assure you, I deserved it and more. But I’ve tried to redeem myself. I was reminded today of everything I did wrong and that some people don’t believe I can change. I also might have tried to kill someone.”

She brought her head up, or rather tried to, but he gently held her down. “What?”

“Hush. I didn’t do it. I was reminded that I have things I care about now,” he replied. “Besides, he deserved it. Sorry. My work isn’t like yours. We’re a bunch of barbarians at heart. It’s all right.”

“Did you get hurt?”

“He never had a chance, though I suspect he’ll try something nasty soon,” he admitted. “I’ll be ready for him. Now, are you sure? Are you sure you want me to stay because I’m still raw. I think it might be best if I go home and Robert and I beat on each other.”