Degrees Of Honor The Honor Series Book One

Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

Travis

I didn't abort the mission as I had planned. I know I should have, I know it will be hard, damn hard, to stay and not give into what I want. Who am I kidding, it would be harder if I left and didn't do my duty. It would eat at me if I left and something happened to her and I wasn't here to stop it.

When I left my room this morning for my run, once again, I considered my options. Staying here and doing my job would result in me having to deal with this raging hard-on every night. I could do it but I would be taking care of it by hand.

Either way I'd have to find a way to explain to the Colonel why I wasn't focused on the job of protecting his daughter. I'd have to tell him that every time I look at her I have thoughts that have nothing to do with the job. I would have to try to save myself from looking like an idiot in front of her and I'd have to explain to Cassie why I'm here.

When I returned to the house, I was all set on calling Colonel McAfferty. I was prepared to tell him I have to abort the mission. I walked into the kitchen, sweaty, tired and irritated only to see Cassie at the stove humming along to the radio.

Cassie had already been up since I left. I heard her with the kid, quietly talking to him in his room when I left. She's now making breakfast. Her hair piled on her head, her T-shirt sticking to her and her shorts showing off those never ending legs.

I didn't get any sleep thinking about her. I kept thinking about how nice it had felt to have her body pressed against him. All night I kept rewinding those images of what happened in the kitchen and imagined what could have happened. When Cassie looked up and saw me walk in, she didn't fare much better last night. She looked tired and worn out, but she gave me her best smile, pretending those undercurrents of lust the night before never happened. I knew I had to do the same thing. Greeting her politely, I kept my distance from her this time and went straight up to my room. This is going to be harder than I thought. Looks like I'm staying, at least for now.

It had been two weeks since I had moved in. I continued to find a way to ignore the growing tension between us. There was no way the Colonel could find another marine to protect her. Besides, I kept myself in line. I kept my room clean, I remained polite and I helped out around the house. I picked up anything she needed from the store and had even gotten things before she asked for them. She can't be irritated with me when I've been a model tenant.

I have maintained my distance from her since that first night. We've been able to avoid repeating the events and neither of us have mentioned the moment we shared. It's for the best that we leave it alone. Obviously, she doesn't think much of it and it's just me struggling with the memory of the way she made me feel.

My problem, not her.

We have settled into a comfortable routine, her working part time away from the house and me getting my lay of the land around her house. I've taken my runs every morning, not just to stay in shape but to check out the road, the woods and everywhere in a five mile radius. I have found a way to work through the complications from that initial night, without discussing it.

This morning was extremely humid, and was only made tolerable with a periodic cool breeze. I stood at the back of the house, my hands on my hips, staring at the building in front of me. The old storage space behind the house held tools and lawn care and is a perfect hiding spot for anyone who wants to watch her.

I decided early this morning, while out on my run, that it was time to start working on the house. There's plenty around here to keep me busy and it's a lot better for me to focus on some physical labor than laying in bed thinking about the woman down the hall.