Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Redemption for Misty (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Pierce Securities Book 5) Read Online Free PDF Page B

anyone.”
    Clearing his throat and continuing his ministrations, trying once again to ignore the smooth skin under his fingertips and focus on the burns, Chris simply mumbled, “I’m so damn sorry.”
    “Just keep smearing that stuff on and we’ll call it even.” She spoke with a smile, but as his fingers worked, she still hissed as the frigid lotion spread across her heated flesh.
    After a few minutes of his gentle rubbing, Misty took a deep breath to speak. “What did you mean? Earlier, when you called me your girl?” She spoke quietly, but not timidly. It was like they shared a secret with his answer.
    He shrugged, not willing to let her know the depths of his feelings. He couldn’t act on them. What would be the point? “Just that… you’re my responsibility. I’m supposed to be taking care of you. If Crash wanted Ghost to take care of you, he’d have asked, right?”
    Disappointed leaked into her face with the downturn of her mouth and the twitch of her eyes. But she simply said, “Right.”
    Misty didn’t say anything until they were done. She found another shirt to wear in the supply closet—a work polo with the coffee shop’s logo on it—and slipped it on. Chris felt like he’d messed up big time by not telling her the truth, and he longed for a set of balls that would enable him to just be honest with everybody.
     
    Chapter six
    Misty didn’t know what to do with the words Chris had spoken. She’d known her brother had a hard time with what had happened to her, but to hear about it from someone who’d been with him when it all went down was like having an out of body experience. It was like Chris was talking about someone else and not her.
    To know her brother’s entire platoon was pulling for her, admiring her for escaping the episode, was overwhelming to say the least. She didn’t know how to respond to the new information.
    And the way he had looked at her was insane. Chris had looked at her as if he was the one who had gone nuts during her kidnapping. Like he wanted to be the one to save her. Like he regretted not being there for her.
    And then when she’d given him the perfect opportunity to say something to open their relationship up to something more, he’d pulled back, essentially making her feel like she was nothing more than a favor between buddies.
    So Misty retreated. That night, at dinner, she’d told him to fend for himself, complaining of a headache. She’d said she was taking a cool bath and going to bed, ignoring the pain in his eyes. She knew he felt guilty for spilling the coffee on her, and she’d admit it hurt like hell, but there wasn’t anything to be done for it.
    She didn’t know what to do other than make his job easier on him, so she went to bed.
    The next day, Sunday, she and Mia were only open a half a day, so she got there at her usual time—the butt crack of dawn—and started the muffins. Chris rode with her, as they’d become accustomed to doing, but this time they were silent. She supposed he was taking his cues from her, not willing to talk about the elephant in the room, but she didn’t know what else to do except not talk at all.
    “You’re feeling better this morning?” His voice was a raspy squawk, and she felt bad he was feeling so guilty about burning her, but again, the elephant was keeping them from being open about things.
    “Much. I think that cream really helped. I put some more on last night.” Inane chatter. That’s what they were reduced to. It was painful.
    Sundays weren’t busy. The work crowd was gone and tourists were heading home. So when Mia got there, it was slow. Good old Mia, she brought Jordan along, who sat in the booth with Chris. She also brought her sister, who lived with them, but as she was a pouty teen, she skulked across the shop to slouch in the corner and pulled out her phone. Chris and Jordan hadn’t had many opportunities to chat, and Misty watched their body language with more than a little