Free Officer out of Uniform (Lock and Key Book 2) by Ranae Rose

sound that was half-sigh and half-moan escaped her and somehow, eventually, she fell asleep.
     
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    Henry shut his eyes, even though the room was dark. If he caught so much as a glimpse of Sasha’s outline, he’d lose it – cave and yank off his jeans, tear the covers off her and fuck her hard, like she’d wanted him to. Either that or come in his pants right then and there.
    Saying no to her was the hardest thing he’d ever done, in every respect of the word. The way his balls ached let him know that his body was going to punish him for it.
    He reached out and let his fingertips touch the cold steel of his gun. The feel of it – the exact opposite of her soft, hot body – reminded him of why he was sitting there aching on the edge of the bed while she was beside him, naked beneath the sheets.
    It was going to be one hell of a long night. Between horniness and adrenaline, he was a fucking mess. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anyone, but more than that – above all – he wanted to protect her. No way was he letting anything happen to her. If blue balls were the cost of vigilance, then so be it.
    God knew he didn’t mean to watch anyone he cared about die in front of him ever again.
    The memories of those he’d lost in the past – the ones no amount of carefulness or planning had been able to save – were always just beneath the surface of his thoughts, a subconscious pain that dogged him constantly. He purposely let it rise to the surface and surround him.
    All of it – the hurt, the regret and the bitter shame he couldn’t shake, even though he’d been told a thousand times it wasn’t his fault – could serve a purpose now by reminding him why what he was doing was so important.
    He didn’t believe that everything happened for a reason, but if he could take bad things and give them a reason, well, that was something.
    Sasha didn’t understand. How could she? He didn’t blame her for being frustrated. But he’d protect her, even if she resented him for it. All he had to do was stay one step ahead of anyone who’d want to hurt her or him or anyone else he cared about.
    He could do that, this time. He had to.

CHAPTER 9
     
     
    Randy moved through the darkness, nearly tripping over a rotten log, then catching his sleeve on a sapling. The tree bent back and a cluster of leaves whipped his chin when he tore the fabric free. Though his eyes had long since adjusted to the night, it was barely past the new moon and the scrubby Carolina woods were a bitch when you could hardly see more than a few feet in front of your face.
    He had a flashlight tucked away in a pocket, but didn’t dare use it. He’d rather trip and fall a hundred times than broadcast his location with a beam of revealing light. Peering over his shoulder, he stared in the direction of the little house he’d just left. He could just barely make out a pinprick of light burning in the distance – a porch light.
    Damned if he hadn’t thought he was going to be eaten alive by that dog. The house had a wall-mount mailbox by the front door, and he’d had to sneak right up to it to access the inside. It’d gone smoothly until his fingers had slipped and the mailbox had swung shut with a bang.
    Then the dog had started barking like fucking Cerberus, and he’d had to high-tail it back into the woods. The dog had come charging out the back of the house and had been leaping against the chain link a second later. He hadn’t felt safe enough to slow down until now.
    Still breathing hard, he leaned against an old oak and shoved a hand deep into a pocket, pulling out a bent envelope.
    He grinned. It’d all been worth it. There was no reading the print now, but as soon as he got back to the trailer, he’d tear open the mail and would know exactly who he was dealing with … exactly who was going to die next.
     
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    Despite the fact that Sasha had spent the night, Henry left for work the same way he had the day before: