Love Unexpected (Navy Love Series Book 2) by JC Santo

determined that it will not happen.
    As we approach my car, I see a tall, slender figure leaning against my passenger door staring holes into Caleb’s arm that is now around my shoulder.
    “Hey, man, you mind not leaning against my girl’s car?” Caleb calls out as we get close enough that I’m able to make out his features. Tanned skin, tattooed arms, and stormy, green eyes. His arms are crossed over his toned chest, the ankles of his muscled legs crossed.
    “Excuse me?” His tone is almost sinister.
    By this point, I’m standing directly in front of Charlie Reed. With Caleb’s arm still around my shoulder.
    Reed still hasn’t looked anywhere but at Caleb’s hand.
    “Do you have a problem, dude?” Caleb’s voice seems like it’s starting to carry an aggressive tone. I need to defuse the situation quickly.
    I shrug Caleb’s arm off my shoulder and step up to Reed.
    “Hey.” Once he finally quits glaring at Caleb, he locks his eyes on me. “You okay? Is something wrong?”
    A look of confusion crosses his face, but he’s fast to mask it.
    He looks back and forth between Caleb and me.
    “So, this —” he gestures toward Caleb “—is what was so important that you couldn’t talk to me earlier?”
    “No, no—”
    “Who the hell do you think you are talking to her like that?”
    I whip my head around to Caleb.
    “Caleb, you need to leave. I can handle this. Reed and I need to talk.”
    Realization dawns on him as he finally puts the puzzle pieces together. This is Reed , the guy that broke Tegan’s heart.
    He slowly nods. “You sure you don’t need me to stay?”
    I nod back at him. “Thank you.”
    He looks back at Reed. “Don’t fuck with her again, dick.”
    “Yeah? Let me hear you call her ‘your girl’ again and you’ll be the one I fuck with, pretty boy.”
    “Caleb, just go, please.”
    I’m sure it’s done out of spite, but he kisses my hair, glaring at Reed the entire time and then walks away to his car.
    We stand in awkward silence before both of us try to speak at once.
    “What are you—”
    “Look, I—”
    I let out a nervous laugh and fidget with my purse strap as I look everywhere but at him.
    “Can we go somewhere and talk, Tegan?”
    His question causes my eyes to cut to his.
    “There’s nothing to talk about, Reed.”
    He shakes his head.
    “There’s plenty to talk about, babe. We can start with why the fuck that prick had his hands on my woman.”
    His woman ?
     

 
    Reed
     
    My woman?
    I have no idea where that those words came from.
    Is it true? I have no idea.
    Do I want it to be? Fuck yes.
    Does that realization scare the shit out of me? Hell yes.
    I need to talk to her. I know she wants this as much as me, both the physical aspect and the more .
    “Come on, let’s go back to my apartment. We can have dinner and talk.”
    “Reed, why do we need to talk? There’s nothing between us anymore.”
    How did I know this wouldn’t be as simple as I had thought it would be when I was thinking it over last night? I should’ve known better.
    “Tegan, you’ve got two options here. You can get in your car and drive to one of our apartments or I will throw you caveman style over my shoulder, toss you in my truck and take you to mine. Which do you prefer?”
    This poor girl is probably so confused. One minute I’m a complete jackass to her, and the next I’m practically begging her to talk to me. I can’t say for sure that I even know what the hell I’m doing. There was no elaborate plan when I came to her school, I just knew I didn’t want us to be over.
    I know I still have a lot of past demons to deal with, but I’m hoping she’ll hold my hand through all of it.
    That’s what I need. Someone who’s willing to stand by me as I walk through this fire. Close enough to suffer some burns, but willing to take the pain to keep me from getting stuck.
    Not knowing what else to do, I lean in and take her lips in a hard, rough kiss. My tongue pushes its way