With a trembling finger, she traced over last year’s gunshot marks on his shoulder, then the older ones on his arms, shoulders, and torso. Scars from shrapnel, knives, a dog bite, gunshot, barbed wire. She found the ugly spot on his ribs from a jagged alder stump he’d landed on during a fight with Bull.

“These are… Look at all this. What happened to you?” The appalled, distressed edge in her voice was oddly heartwarming.

And fuck, he loved her straightforwardness—far better than the women who pretended not to notice. “Some happened in combat when I was in the military. I collected a few more in the police force”—he gave her a bitter smile—“which is another kind of a war.”

“Oh, Gabe.” She shook her head, her eyes damp. “I would have quit after the first time I got hurt.”

Somehow, he doubted that. After all, she planned to return to the roadhouse tomorrow. The girl had guts.

And her sympathy worried the crap out of him. Because he liked it.

He should leave.

All the same, when she pulled him down to kiss him, he didn’t resist. Hell, he let her—and then took back control, enjoying the way her breathing sped back up when he caressed her breasts. Perfectly plump breasts.

“Gabe.” She stopped him so she could whisper, “I…uh…haven’t done this in a long time.”

“Been awhile for me, too.” Since before he was shot, in fact. He circled one rosy tip with his finger. “Let’s see if I can remember what the next step of the process is.”

Her tiny laugh made him grin.

His painfully erect cock knew what it wanted next. But no man with a functioning brain would ever take his dick’s advice.

Moving slowly enough that he wouldn’t jar her ribs, Gabe slipped his fingers under her waistband and stripped her sweatpants off.

Oh yeah. Her pale skin glowed in the dim light, and he could see the golden hair covering her pussy. Her calves were sweetly curved. Moving her left leg out, he settled between her thighs and bent down.

She put her hands over his target.

Seriously? He looked at her and lifted an eyebrow.

“I-I don’t shave. Guys don’t like that.”

Fuck, she was cute. “Some do, some don’t.” Trying not to laugh, he moved the roadblocks from his path, set her arms at her sides, and gave her the intimidating stare a cop quickly mastered. “Stay right like that, or I’ll find my handcuffs.”

Her mouth dropped open, but her arms stayed at her sides…and she flushed a rosy pink.

The thought of her in his handcuffs was damn tempting. He squeezed her wrists in approval. “Very good.”