He released her, met her eyes. Ran a thumb across her cheek.

She held his face. And couldn’t stop her crazy words. “Promise me you’ll always come back.”

He blinked. “Tae.”

“Promise me. Because . . .” Tears blurred her eyes again. “I just can’t love a man who is going to . . .” She closed her eyes, looked away.

“Tae . . . I can’t—”

She was wrecking everything.

And, apparently, panicking, because all thought left her but her first impulse.

She kissed him. And maybe she didn’t mean to kiss him with such force, but she just couldn’t hear the truth.

He wasn’t the kind of guy not to go full throttle into a fight. Which meant he also wasn’t the guy to make silly promises.

What he could do, however, was kiss her.

Colt wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and held her tight, kissing her back.

A few whistles sounded from the boat on the other side of the dock, as the crew unloaded, but it seemed Colt didn’t care. His kiss was thorough and sincere, and he met her eyes when she pulled away.

“Tae?”

“Nope. That’s all I want. Just . . . don’t say anything else, okay?”

His eyes widened. He nodded.

She forced a smile. Took his hand as he helped her out of the boat.

But really, her heart wanted to scream.

Because that wasn’t all that she wanted. Not even close.

TEN

Tae’s words kept ringing through Colt’s head as they went to the kitchen, where Pete lay on the table. Colt stayed back, quiet with the rest of the guys, as Tae opened Pete’s jeans farther, took a look at the wound.

“I just can’t love a man who is going to . . .”

Oh boy.

So maybe she hadn’t actually told him that she loved him. Just that, in the remote chance that she ever did . . .

And then there were the tears. Wow. She’d really been crying, and seeing that up close rattled him more than he wanted to admit. So much that he’d just about made a stupid promise that he couldn’t keep.

Sure, yes, if it was within his power, he would prefer living, thank you. But most likely, he’d also be the guy who ran in, powered by his impulses, and jumped on the grenade. Which meant that any promise he made he was likely to break.

“It didn’t hit anything major,” Tae said, all work and focus. “But he needs an ER.”

A small argument ensued, again, in which Ham sided with Pete, and finally she agreed to stitch Pete up. But it would require Novocain.

About a half hour later, Logan Thorne showed up with the right supplies, like a doctor making house calls.