Dizzy with information overload, Danny sat up, pulled in deep breaths, and tried to process how someone so grounded, so light-hearted, so sweet could have possibly gone through that brand of hell. He’d seen a shit-ton of bad in his years—he’d walked through fire and nursed the blistered skin left in its wake—but he had his father, his brother, and his squad to support him. Julie had…no one. NO ONE.

The silence fell heavy around them. With no more than her shallow breaths and soft sniffles, Danny was left with more questions than answers. However, he only had one pressing thing he had to know in that moment. “Julie, how? How in the hell have you made it this far?” His gut churned. She’d been the one to open up the book of her life, and he needed to turn a couple of pages. Just a few. “This house, it’s the home you grew up in, right?”

“Yes.”

Carefully, he continued. “You said you had no family?” He rubbed at his jaw, grateful for the darkness, that she couldn’t see the tears stinging his eyes.

“No, my parents were a bit older when they got married, so I was their only child, and their parents were deceased.”

Danny swallowed the lump in his throat. “Did you have anyone?”

The mattress beneath him shifted just before the room lit with the soft glow from a side table lamp. It was a move he hadn’t seen coming and one that surprised the hell out of him. After being stuck in the dark as she described her nightmare, the light made him feel uneasy, disoriented, as if the present was the dream and the darkness the reality. With her legs still pulled tightly to her chest, Julie draped the arm she used to turn on the lamp back around her calves and tilted her head. Paths had been made down the flawless skin of her cheeks, ones she clearly hadn’t bothered to wipe away. While her gray eyes were bloodshot and rimmed in red, they were no longer filled with the tears of a victim, but with the strength of a survivor.

“I didn’t have family, no.” She pulled her top lip between her teeth and released it. “But I wasn’t completely alone. My mom”—she snorted—“with all of her obsessive list-making, had put together a pretty impressive list of friends that she and my dad kept in touch with over the years. Some I knew, most I didn’t, but they all knew about me. While I was rolling my eyes, shaking my head, and making fun of my mom, she was contacting their friends and mailing them copies of their vacation itinerary and information about me. They must have thought she was crazy. But within hours of finding out about my parents, I had people at my door, offering help and support. My parents”—she brought her eyes to his—“they left for something amazing and beautiful, something they were supposed to enjoy. It was supposed to be selfish and carefree, but even in doing something for themselves, they made sure I was completely protected and surrounded by as much love as they could give me.”

Danny watched Julie swallow, her body still pulled tight, a protective barrier of sorts to keep her safe. His fingers knotted together and clenched to keep from reaching for her when she had clearly expressed her need for physical solitude.

“It took me quite a while to realize it, but even with them gone, I’ve never been completely alone.”

How could that be? He felt lonely for her. “I just”—he shook his head—“I can’t imagine how you got through all of that pain and still shine with so much brightness. Not to sound like a wuss, but you radiate with it.”

A small grin lifted the side of Julie’s mouth. “I think that’s the reason why I flipped on the lamp. I couldn’t tell you my story face to face. It’s still too fresh, too painful. But I need you to remember the woman you’ve seen, the woman you’ve kissed, the one that had you jealous”—he raised an amused brow, and she smiled—“yes, jealous when another man had her attention. I’m still that woman. You wanted to get to know me, but my past isn’t a slow over-dinner-and-drinks kind of story. It’s a trial-by-fire sorta tale.”

“Not that it affects the outcome, but how have other men reacted?”

Julie’s eyes narrowed. “No other man has ever had the opportunity to react.”

Indescribable amounts of something akin to possessiveness and pride washed through him as he stared at what had to be the strongest woman he’d ever met. His own mother hadn’t had the will to live, even though she had two children and a husband who loved her beyond reason, and this young woman stood like a tree in a hurricane, bending with the winds, moving with the rains but never breaking under the pressure.

“Sorry, I lied.” Danny’s gravelly voice cut through the quiet. “Your answer did change the outcome.” Julie’s wide eyes and slacked jaw would have been funny under other circumstances, but her insecurity was unwarranted. “I need you to believe me when I say I’m honored you shared that with me. And you’re right, honey, the light was essential. It didn’t wipe away your past, but it sure as hell cleared up any notion that I may have had regarding pity. I don’t pity you, Julie Bell. I admire you. You’re a soldier, a beautiful one…a strong one. Thanks for letting me in.”

“Danny… it’s all you.” She paused, a shaky breath escaping her lips. “Now will you hold me, please?” Had her husky tone and penetrating gaze not been his undoing, her words would have.

“Oh,” he exhaled, letting go of the crumpled sheets at his sides, “you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say that.”

As he encircled her with his arms, emotions warred through him: sadness and anger for the beautiful woman who’d been forced to walk through hell on her own; pride and confidence that she’d not just walked the distance but done it with grace and integrity; arousal beyond all belief that someone so magnificent wanted him enough to share her story and bare her soul. And he wanted it from her. All of it, every single piece, but most of all, he wanted to give back. Show her that there were no catches, no fine print, nothing that would make her regret trusting him.

He wiped the wetness from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs, then brought them to his lips. Tasting her sadness sent physical pain through the left side of his chest, and he knew that he never wanted her to cry those tears again. “Come here, Jules.” He pulled her close and lowered them to the mattress, face to face, skin to skin. “We barely know each other—” She attempted to interrupt until he placed a finger on her soft lips. “Yet I’ve never known someone more. Thanks for trusting me with you, honey. Won’t let you down.”

“I want you, Danny.” Her gray eyes consumed him. “All of you.”

“You got me, Julie. Christ, you totally got me.” There wasn’t much he’d rather do than sink deep into her pussy, claiming her as his own, but there was one thing. “When I take you, you’re mine. Our pasts will always be with us, baby. Can’t make them disappear. Don’t want to. That said, when I slide into you the first time, I want your mind on us. Only us. Not the tears that came before, not the pain, the battle, the survival—just you and me. Understand?”

Her wide eyes stared at him as her shallow breaths filled the air. She’d heard him, but did she want the same thing? Just another reason to hold off for a little bit longer. It fucking killed him, but he wanted to build something between them. Something real. If she wasn’t into it, there was no reason to start. He accepted her silent nod as a temporary answer, wrapped her tightly against his body, and waited for sleep to claim her. When her breathing evened out, he joined.

Chapter Four

Are You Crazy?

SUNLIGHT POURED THROUGH the window, pooling her bed in warmth she hadn’t felt in… Christ, she couldn’t remember the last time. Well, she could remember, but she never let her mind travel back to those days. While she hadn’t had a lot of rest, due to the man snuggled up beside her and his insatiable need to give her pleasure, the sleep she’d had was deep, restful, and fortifying.