Chapter 60

"Get the fuck away from me." Dix reached out to smack the person, only to encounter soft flesh and hear a smothered scream. His eyes flew open. Crouched beside him in the bed, holding her jaw and trying to talk him off the ledge, was a very naked Peyton.
"Dix, wake up. Please." She turned on the bedside lamp, reached out, and stroked his face, trying to calm him. "It's okay. Everything is all right. I'm right here."
His eyes focused on her, and his stomach flopped. The way she was holding her jaw, had he -
Fucking shit.
His heart was racing in overdrive, and he was covered with sweat. The dream was still so vivid. And Peyton. Jesus! He hoped he hadn't broken her jaw.
"Let me look at that." He reached for her, and she backed away, making him feel even sicker.
But then she blew out a breath and moved close enough that she was crouching next to him. Unbelievably, she stroked his forehead and his cheek, soothing him. Him! The guy who probably broke her jaw.
"You're all sweaty," she told him. "Sit still. Let me get a warm cloth."
"Peyton, you don't have to - "
But she had already slipped from the bed and headed out of the room, toward the bathroom. In seconds, she was back, climbing up on the bed with him.
"Lie back," she urged, pushing gently on one shoulder.
"Peyton, I don't - "
"Shut up, Dix." But she said it softly and without anger.
Obediently, he lay back on his pillow and let her blot the sweat from his face and neck and chest. As she leaned close to him again, he took advantage of the opportunity to study her jaw. A bruise already darkened the skin, and the area around it had started to swell.
"It's a damn lucky break I didn't give you a black eye," he growled, so pissed at himself he didn't know bent from straight up. "I should have known better than to fall asleep with you. I'm dangerous."
"Mmhmm." Apparently satisfied she'd done as much for him as she could for the moment, she made that little noncommittal sound in her throat. "I'm going to take a wild-ass guess here and say this isn't the first one of these you've had."
He nodded once. "Hence the reason I shouldn't have fallen asleep in here. Which means, right now, I'm getting out of your hair before I coldcock you again."
"Uh uh uh." She pressed two fingers on his chest. As if that simple touch could keep him, a man twice her size, in place. "I don't think you should be alone right now."
"And I don't think I'm fit company for anyone. You're not safe with me, for one thing." He gestured toward her face. "Obviously."
Her mouth curved in a small grin. "Oh, I think I'm probably safer with you than any of the idiots I dated. At least I know what's going on here."
He grunted. "Then you must have dated some real fucking idiots."
Red tinged her cheeks, making that cute spray of freckles more obvious. "No kidding. The less said about them, the better. I'd rather talk about you."
"You're better off staying away from me."
Peyton looked at him and suddenly appeared to realize they were having this conversation with both of them naked. Her cheeks might have been red before, but now they were scarlet. If Dix hadn't been in such an anguished, depressed mood, he might have actually chuckled. He watched the play of emotions on her face as she tried to decide if she should get up and put something on. For a moment, he thought she'd grab her T-shirt from the floor. Then, as if she figured what the hell, she sat back next to him and just pulled the covers up over both of them.
"I think you should tell me about it," she told him in a soft voice.
Dix snorted. "Fat chance. I'd scare the red right out of your hair."
She licked her bottom lip, a habit she had that drove him nuts. Even now, in the middle of this situation, his cock took notice and tried its best to stand up.
"I think I'm a lot tougher than I look. Anyway, I'm guessing you've kept this bottled up inside you because of...what? Guilt, for some reason? Don't you think it's time to let it out?"
He sighed. She wasn't going to let it alone. He could get up and just walk out of the room and do his best to ignore her for the rest of their stay. Yeah, that probably wasn't going to work out too well. No matter what he did - including, apparently, socking her in the jaw - she wasn't the type to pack up and leave. And maybe it was time to unload on someone. She wasn't a person he reported to or had interaction with in the SEALs. She wasn't a team member, men he was determined to maintain a good front with, although he wasn't sure just how well he'd been doing. After all, he never expected to see Peyton Gerard after they left this place.
Right?
Right, dipshit?
"Dix?" She said the word softly, linking her fingers with his.
"It's not pleasant listening," he pointed out. "You may want to kick me out after you hear it."
"I doubt that." She squeezed his hand. "Want me to turn out the light? Would that help?"
Help! Sweet Jesus. If he ever hooked up with a woman, Peyton Gerard would be at the head of his list. But that was a big if.
"Yeah, if you don't mind."
She switched it off and nestled back against him. In the darkness, with just the moonlight filtering in through the light curtains at the window and her hand holding his, he told her the story of the fucked-up mission. She didn't say a word while he talked, didn't interrupt him with questions, didn't prod him. When he finished, a heavy silence filled the room, and he was almost afraid to ask her what she thought.
He swallowed. Hard. "I learned after the fact the whole mission had been compromised. When you have so many political layers involved, it's hard to keep a lid on things. We're always leery of this happening and try to be stingy with sharing the information."
"But someone had their own agenda," she guessed.
"Yeah, they did." The anger at this still consumed him. "They were getting big payoffs from one of our targets to keep them informed."
"Holy crap, Dix!" The shock in her voice was evident. "That's treason."
"It is," he agreed. "But the whole thing will just get swept under the rug. The asshole never gave a thought to the fact we were putting our lives on the line."
"Which is why you have to remember this is not your fault."
"Easier said than done."
He waited to see what she'd do or say next. Finally, she gave the hand she was holding a firm squeeze then released it and tossed the covers back. Okay, he thought, here it comes. Too bad, Dix. Just suck it up, Dix. I'm not sure I even want to share a cottage with someone who was responsible for that awful ordeal. He swallowed a sigh as he waited for her to get out of bed and find some clothes.
Instead, she shocked the hell out of him. Rising to her knees, she smoothed her fingers over his cheek and brushed her lips against his.
"What an awful, awful thing to carry around with you." Her voice was warm, and...caring? "But Dix, just like I said. It wasn't your fault. You didn't stand a chance."
"But - "
"You will always carry that burden. How can you not? But you have to find a way to get rid of the guilt." She gave him another light kiss. "Maybe I can at least take your mind off of it for a while. You're strung tighter than a drum. You need something to relax you."
What happened next was the last thing he expected and completely stunned him. Peyton slid her hand down over his stomach to his groin, wrapping her slim fingers around his cock, which, despite everything, had invited itself to the party. She stroked his shaft, squeezing it as it grew even harder with her touch. Then, tucking her hair behind her ear to keep it out of the way, she bent and took him into her mouth.
And Jesus! What a mouth! It wasn't educated. Obviously, she wasn't used to doing this. He'd had enough experienced woman give him blow jobs to know the difference - and was that a good or a bad thing? That just made it all the more erotic for him. And honored that she chose to pleasure him this way.
Her lips were gentle but firm and her tongue a hot, wet flame. She stroked with her warm fingers, moving her head up and down in a coordinated rhythm with her hand. Heat coursed through him, singeing every nerve in his body. His cock in her mouth was so hard, he was afraid it would explode.
Just when he thought he couldn't get any more aroused, she slid a hand between his thighs as she'd done the night before, cupping his balls and rolling them gently.
Dix fisted his hands at his sides, hanging right on the edge of release, and then - bam! He went off like a skyrocket, exploding into Peyton's warm, welcoming mouth. She sucked him hard, still doing those magic things with her fingers, until she had wrung every last drop from him. He collapsed, his muscles limp as wet tissue, his mind a total blank. When she lifted her head and gave him a shy but satisfied smile, he realized that was exactly what she'd been aiming for.
"Come here," he said when he could speak again. "Come up here next to me again."
She wriggled around until she was stretched out beside him, his arm around her, her head nestled on his shoulder. She rested her palm on his chest, fingers idly teasing the curls of hair. Her touch was so soothing, so calming and, after the enormous orgasm she'd wrung from him, he felt more at peace than he had since that night when everything went to hell.
"You know," he said, sifting his fingers through the silk of her hair, "if I were ever to hook up with a woman, it would be someone like you, Peyton. Maybe even you yourself." He blew out a long sigh. "But you have to understand - "
She touched a fingertip to his lips. "Sssh. I'm not looking for anything either. Lord knows my last three relationships would be enough to kill any desire for one." She kissed her fingers and rubbed them over his mouth. "I never thought, after the day we arrived here, that we'd even end up being civil to each other. But we did. Civil and so much more. Let's just enjoy it for what it is, okay?"
He gave a rusty-sounding laugh. "You know, I'd give my left nut to have women say that to me. Usually, they want me wrapped up in a bow. But - "
Again she hushed him. "Don't talk. It's okay. Can you sleep now?"
He snorted. "Oh, yeah. Damn straight."
"Then let's do it." She snuggled against him, pulling the covers over them. "I even think, when we get up, I'll attack my computer again."
He squeezed her gently and closed his eyes.
And was out like a light.