Close Quarters (Her SEAL Protector #1) by Roxie Rivera Page A

Irritation edged into his sister's voice. "You're always so mean to her. What did she ever do to you?"
    "Do you really want to start that list, Peyton? How about two years ago when she got you two locked up in a Mexican jail during spring break? How about the time she convinced you to sneak off to that concert in New Orleans? Do I need to remind you about the bikers who tried to turn you two into their old ladies at that rest stop on the Texas-Louisiana border?"
    "To be fair, I don't think they actually wanted us as their old ladies. I think they wanted to make us their sweet butts."
    "Peyton!"
    "Like you've never done anything wild and the slightest bit stupid? Because if I start running down that list, we'll be on the phone all night."
    "This isn't about me."
    "Isn't it?" She waited for him to answer. When he didn't, she spoke again, her tone rough and irritated. "You know what? Go ahead. Tuck tail and run off to that motel."
    "Watch it, Peyton." Now he was the one with a hardened edge to his voice. "I'm too old to be playing dare games with you."
    Her end of the line remained silent for tense seconds. "Please stay, Leelee. I'm worried about her. This…this is different."
    Though he didn't understand the unbreakable bond between those two young women, he knew he would never forgive himself if Jamie got hurt. Peyton would carry that guilt forever. Hating himself for caving so easily, he rubbed his forehead and growled. "Fine. I'll stay, but I swear on everything holy, if this is another one of her schemes—"
    "It's not."
    He narrowed his eyes. "What aren’t you telling me, Peyton?"
    "That's Jamie's story to tell." A muffled rustling sound scratched at his ear. "I have to go. My study group is here. I'll touch base in the morning."
    "All right."
    "Leelee?"
    "Yeah?"
    "Are you okay?"
    She always asked him the same question, and he always answered it the same way. "I'm fine, little bit."
    "I missed you. I'm really glad you're home."
    For a few days , he thought. "I should have come to see you first."
    "I understand that you need to get away sometimes."
    "I'll try to see you before I head back to Virginia."
    "No worries if you can't. I'll be here whenever you have time."
    When Peyton said that, she meant it. Between them, there had always been honesty and frankness. Their experiences as neglected and abandoned children had allowed them to bond quickly and deeply, despite their obvious differences. Where he was tall with blond hair and blue eyes, Peyton was short with dark hair, warm brown skin and coffee black eyes. They might not have been siblings by blood, but they were siblings in the ways that mattered most. He would do anything for her, and she would do the same for him.
    "I've got to run, Leelee. I'll talk to you later. Love you."
    "Love you, sis."
    After the phone call ended, he tapped his phone on the steering wheel. James "Jamie" Pearson's mischievous smile flashed before him. Heat rolled through his lower belly at the mere thought of her lush mouth and tawny eyes. The wealthy heiress to the Lush & Luxe makeup empire had skin a shade darker than Peyton's, rich and silky and ever so tempting. He swallowed hard at the memory of running his hands along her arms and sliding them under her shirt to swipe the soft skin of her stomach and breasts.
    Even now, five years later, his face burned with shame as he remembered how close he had come to crossing that line. At twenty-two, he had been a battle-hardened and weary man already. He had come home that Christmas for a reprieve from the hell of back-to-back tours and losing his closet friend in the unit. He had hoped that being surrounded by family and friends would soothe the raw wound in his chest, but he had only felt more disconnected and alone.
    He had disappeared from the Christmas Eve revelry to seek refuge in his bedroom with a bottle of his father's favorite brandy. Jamie had sought him out and spoken so tenderly to him about losing her father in that climbing