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He hadn't expected to enjoy that small intimacy so much He hadn't expected to feel so protective as he installed the securityher hair For the first ti to slip out of that carefully locked box He hoped John wouldn't notice He wasn't ready to have that conversation with his buddy yet Hell, he wasn’t ready to have that conversation with himself

John rose fro Zeke in a bear hug "Good to see you, you bastard," he said

Zeke slapped his back in return "You look good"

He didn't have to lie this time When he'd finally left the base hospital, John was still there They'd met up about six months after John's release His buddy looked like shit, a shell of thetier before he looked healthy Tonight, he even looked happy

Vivian waited quietly at his side He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer "Viv, this is John Walsh We served together in Syria John, this is Vivian"

Seeing Vivian shake hands with John without reacting to his ut But there was no time to wonder how she'd react when she finally saw his injuries because John was helping a lovely woman from a chair

She looked high-class, body toned from ere probably obsessive workouts Her nails were manicured, her outfit carefully chosen to show off her assets in the best way possible Make-up impeccable, but hair unnaturally dark for her skin Her eyes unnerved him Too focused, too possessive, too entitled He'd seen women like he

r before at The Club and he hoped for his friend's sake that his first i

"This is Delilah," John said, kissing her temple His hand skimmed up and down her ar how important this dinner was to John, he put on his best smile and put out a hand

"Nice to meet you," he said "Zeke"

Vivian smiled from his side "Vivian"

The woave a cool smile to Vivian and returned her focus to Zeke Her hand was delicate, tre a little when she shook with him "I've heard so much about you," she said Her voice was breathy and her eyes flashed with soreed His dislike rose another notch "You're the war hero"

He stiffened, casting a frustrated glance at John His friend shifted aardly "She was curious how I got out," he said by way of explanation "I told her a bit"

"I can't believe you survived all of that," Delilah continued "Especially dealing with everything at home John's been so worried about you I told hi person's ad for you" Her laughter was rated his already raw nerves "At least he heard from you before we had to resort to that"

Shit, she wasn't joking, was she? He'dhim for interviews His life had already been a media circus once Offers fro to capitalize on his story To the life and he could never escape it At least, he hadn't been able to escape it until he ran into Mr Mak Now that he had his privacy, he wasn't about to lose it, even for the sake of iirl