She’d thought of Zach because he was a good guy, and he knew what it was like for a single mother to struggle. He loved his sister and he’d do anything to help her. She’d thought he would understand. She sucked in a breath and bit the inside of her lip as tears clogged her throat. She would not cry. She never cried. She couldn’t afford to show weakness. She’d learned that in the hell of the motorcycle club. A tear escaped and slipped down her cheek anyway and she slapped it away angrily.
Zach made a sound halfway between a groan and a sigh. Then he closed the distance between them and put his hands gently on her shoulders. Rubbed her arms lightly. “I’m sorry, Kayla. Really. But trust me, you don’t want to marry me for my benefits. It’s not a good reason to marry anyone.”
His kindness undid her. That and the stress of everything she’d been feeling. The worry. Before she could stop it, the tears began to flow. He didn’t say anything. Just took her hand and led her over to the couch. Sat her down and picked up the remote to mute the television. A box of tissues appeared. She tore several out and wiped her eyes, angry that she’d let her weakness show.
Weakness got you in trouble and she didn’t need more of that.
When she looked up again, Zach was watching her, his handsome face set in a frown. Seeing through her flimsy excuses for marriage and looking for the truth. His words confirmed it.
“Why don’t you tell me what this is really about, Kayla.”
Chapter Three
Neo was still reeling from having Kayla in his home, but he was reeling even more from what’d just happened. First he’d been shocked. Then pissed.
Now he was puzzled. Kayla sobbed like her heart had been broken, which meant there was more to her showing up here tonight than she’d let on.
There were definitely women who chased military men for the benefits—and the other way around since men were also capable of gold digging—and even more women who were SEAL groupies and would love a chance to snag one.
But he didn’t think Kayla was one of those. If she had been, she’d have been chasing the single SEALs relentlessly until one fell for her. She’d certainly had every opportunity to do so, but she never had. It was just him and Shade who were single left on the team, but she had access to other special operators, not just SEALs. HOT was a joint service organization, which meant Marines, Air Force, and Army too. She was pretty enough to have her pick, but he’d never seen her flirt with any of them the few times they’d all been at Buddy’s Bar & Grill together.
She pulled tissues from the box and wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and finally pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes when the tears didn’t stop. He thought about calling Bailey, but he didn’t think Kayla would thank him for it. Whatever was bothering her, if she’d wanted her sister involved then it would’ve already happened.
He figured he’d let her cry it out, find out what was bugging her, and do whatever he could to help her overcome it. He hated seeing her cry. Hated seeing any woman cry, really. He’d always had a visceral reaction to a woman crying and now was no different. It made his gut tighten with unpleasant memories.
When he’d been a little boy, before he’d realized that his mother’s drama was manufactured, he’d always gotten anxious when she cried. He’d hovered and patted and doted, and that’s what she’d wanted. Even now, he had a mixed response to tears. Part of him wanted to make them stop and part of him wanted to know what the angle was.
“Kayla,” he said after a few more minutes had gone by, “you gonna tell me what’s going on? Or do you want me to call Bailey and ask her to come get you?”
Fear crossed her features. She grabbed his arm in her cold hand and gripped it. “No, please. Don’t call her.”
Just as he’d suspected. “Okay, but you have to tell me what’s wrong. This isn’t because I said no to your proposal.”
She dropped his arm and shredded the tissue in her hands, her gaze on her lap. She sniffled from time to time. If her tears were fake, she was damned good at it. He didn’t think they were, though. His mother wasn’t a normal human being by any definition and she could whip up Hollywood-level hysteria at a moment’s notice. Most people weren’t that good.
“Kayla. You can trust me.”
“I know,” she whispered. Then she sighed as if she’d come to a decision. “I don’t want Bailey to know yet. She went through hell for me, and her wedding is next month. I don’t want to worry her when she’s so happy. I want to take care of this myself.”
He didn’t like the sound of where she was going. He didn’t know what it was, but he wasn’t getting a good vibe here. Something was frightening her.
“If I can keep it between us, I will.”
Her eyes were wide and wet. “Please, Zach. Please don’t tell.”
“I’ll do my best, Kayla. I swear.”
“On your honor as a SEAL?”
He didn’t hesitate. “On my honor as a SEAL.”
She pulled in a breath. Met his gaze evenly. “The other day, I went to get lunch for everyone at the salon. You know the diner on the corner?”
“Yes.”
“I walked over there, picked up the food, and walked back. A man in a car slowed down and started talking shit to me. Catcalling. That kind of thing.”
His gut twisted with anger on her behalf.
“I know that doesn’t sound like anything. Just some asshole who saw a woman walking alone and wanted to harass her.” Kayla pulled in a breath. “But that wasn’t all. When I didn’t respond, he said I was going to get what was coming
