Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 87(@200wpm)___ 70(@250wpm)___ 58(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 87(@200wpm)___ 70(@250wpm)___ 58(@300wpm)
It had taken me only a microsecond to understand this was the reason I’d processed out of the Navy. Fate had something else in store, something important and meaningful.
Serving Garner Ashley, even in a position as low as his bodyman, had been more of an honor than my years in the Navy.
And it was never more true than the night everything changed between us.
CHAPTER FOUR
GARNER
Six months after my second inauguration, my team and I were just taking off to return home after a productive diplomatic trip to Brunei when we got the news about a coup attempt in Cedruaze. Tensions had been escalating in that part of Central America for a while, and we’d put special forces teams in place for just this eventuality. Air Force One quickly became a mobile command center as we strategized with the top military and State Department personnel to keep the situation from destabilizing the entire region.
We’d spent six intense hours watching it play out through our various intel sources while trying to manage the outcome and minimize casualties. Two of my own military advisors—who had a well-known ongoing feud—had disagreed about how to handle things, and when our delayed response to their urgent requests for direction had resulted in the loss of three members of the team, I’d felt the failure like a crushing blow.
It had taken all of my self-control to stay professional and continue managing the situation from afar until things were settled and the rebel forces had been securely neutralized. We had twelve hours left in flight, and I felt like we’d already been in the air for days. My chief of staff urged me to get some rest, knowing we’d be slammed from touchdown until all of the relevant teams had debriefed us back in the Situation Room.
One of the dueling military advisors whose disagreement had contributed to our losses looked as upset as I felt. The other looked smug. He clapped a big hand on my shoulder. “We got ’em in the end, didn’t we? That’s what matters.”
I bit my teeth against an angry retort, my emotions riding higher than I could easily contain.
As I made my way out of the senior staff room and up to my private quarters, Commander Harper followed me on silent feet. I felt his strong presence behind me and wondered if I could make it to the bedroom and dismiss him before my raw emotions got the better of me and caused me to punch a wall or, worse, break down crying like a child.
“You, ah… you don’t need to come with me,” I began, already knowing how the conversation would go.
He remained silent.
“I’m fine,” I said, trying again. My nerves were shattered, and I couldn’t help but think of the phone calls I would have to make to the loved ones of the fallen soldiers.
“Yes, sir,” he murmured. His soft footsteps on the plush carpet never fell out of rhythm.
We reached the door to my bedroom and entered. Once he’d followed me in, the door clicked closed behind us.
“Dammit, Commander,” I snapped, my voice rough and angry. “I said I don’t need you!”
My hands shook, and my lips felt numb. I’d had to call the families of many military members in my four years in office, but none had felt so personal, so much… my fault… as these did. I was on the verge of doing the unthinkable—I could feel my eyes filling already—and I needed Kenan Harper to get the hell out of my presence so I could suffer my mortification alone.
When I didn’t hear him open the door to leave, I spun around to snap at him again. He was closer than I expected, right behind me, in fact. So when I turned, my hip brushed the front of his suit pants, glancing off a muscled thigh.
Heat roared through me at the feel of his warm body so close.
CHAPTER FIVE
KENAN
There had been many times in the past four years I’d struggled to stay silent. Many times, I’d wanted to assert myself to defend or aid my president. But my job was to neither be seen nor heard. My job was to stand silently in the corner and wait to be needed.
So I’d done my damned job even as the two asshat blowhards had allowed their overinflated egos to interfere with the safety of a mission. Because of them, three good Marines had died. Because of them, my president felt like he’d single-handedly killed them himself.
And I couldn’t stay quiet anymore.
“You did not do this,” I said quietly.
Garner’s eyes looked up at me, bright green and heartbreakingly shiny. “You saw what happened.”
I nodded. Once. “Yes. I saw those fuckers cause good men to die. I saw them use their reputations against you. It was repugnant and fucking criminal.”
As I spoke, his eyes widened in surprise. “Tell me what you really think, Commander.”