Page 28 of Her Wicked Hero

Zed chuckled, and Marcia grinned. He slowly reached out and put his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to his side.

“Kane is the one who snores, we’re constantly rolling him over during missions. Since nobody has kicked me, I figure you’re safe.”

The man’s smile was positively wicked. Marcia took one last look at Nurul and Hana, then relaxed against Zed’s warmth.

“So how often do you SEALs cuddle for body heat?”

“Every mission,” he quickly replied. “I spoon with Cullen, he’s our medic.”

Marcia giggled. As soon as she heard the laughter come out of her mouth, she slapped her hand over her face. How could she laugh after what she’d done?

“Honey, what is it?” Zed turned her, so that they were face to face.

“What am I thinking?” she gulped. “How can I possibly smile at anything after what I’ve done?”

“Marcia, you’ve done nothing wrong,” Zed said softly.

She tried to jerk out of his hold, but he was having none of it.

“Let me go,” she hissed.

“No.”

“You’ve got to,” she let out a little sob. “You’ve got to. Don’t be nice to me.”

“Oh Baby, why wouldn’t I be nice to you?”

Marcia tried to get up, but he held her even closer to his body.

“Honey, listen to me, what you’re feeling is normal. You’ve been through so much today. You need to rest.”

“You’ve got to let me go,” she whimpered. “I need to be alone.”

“That’s the last thing you need,” he said softly. “Marcia, you had no way of knowing what was going to happen, now did you?”

She didn’t answer. She felt his big hand cupping the back of her head, his other hand was stroking her back. She shoved her face into his chest, heedless of the slight pain in her cheek because the comfort she received more than made up for it.

“He killed him like he was nothing. Oh God, Zed, it was awful. Nurul lost everything, her home and her father, all because of me.”

Zed was saying something, she couldn’t hear him over her sobs, but she could feel him, feel his warmth, feel his strength. Marcia had no idea how long she stayed like that, but when she came back to herself, she found herself on his lap, whimpering. He was holding her as tenderly as Nurul had held Hana.

Why didn’t she feel embarrassed? She pushed away just enough so she could look at his face and saw compassion and empathy. It was magical. Another tear dripped down her face, and he caught it with his thumb.

“You didn’t tell me not to cry,” she said in wonder.

“Why would I?”

“Because…because…”

“Oh, honey,” he pulled her close again, and she rested her head against his chest, soaking in his comfort like a flower soaks in the sun. She felt him shift. He handed her the cup filled with water.

“You need to drink,” he said quietly. Her mind went back to when she’d said the same thing to Christie, and she nodded. She took the cup and sipped the warm water.

“What about you?”

“I’ve had some.”

Now that the mundane had entered the quiet of the jungle, Marcia realized the intimacy of her position. She shifted, pushing to get off his lap. Zed didn’t question. With easy strength, he moved her, so she was once again resting by his side.