I took another step back and then returned to hit him on his other arm. The one that hopefully wasn't hurt. Just a scratch? What a liar.

Another male left the helicopter, but I didn't see who because I had my eyes on Broadrick's shoulder. He rubbed it.

"You said it was a scratch. You don't wrap yourself in bandages for a scratch!" My voice grew dry with the words.

Pierce walked up behind us, shaking his head while he carried a small overnight bag. He continued right on by us to a waiting black car in the lot.

"It won't be just a scratch if you keep hitting me, babe," Broadrick said and used his good arm to loop around my back and tug me toward him.

Without warning, tears flooded my system and spilled over, landing on my cheeks. "You said you'd be safe."

Broadrick glanced around us as if he was searching for help or another woman to handle my emotions. When he came up empty-handed, he hugged me tighter and placed a kiss on my temple. "I was... mostly."

"This is not safe. You're broken." I sniffled, trying to get a handle on my worry. Tabitha never told me this might happen.

Broadrick chuckled. "Definitely not broken. Here, help me get my stuff in the truck and let's go home. I'll show you how not broken I am."

I picked up on his innuendo, but he wasn't getting anything from me except a month of bed rest to fix whatever he'd done to his shoulder. Rather than argue with him about it there, I nodded. It would be a better argument in the safety of our place. We walked to the helicopter with his good arm around my shoulders.

The two long green bags he'd packed when he left for his deployment sat at the base of the now quiet helicopter. Broadrick released me to pick up one and then placed it back on the ground to grab the other.

"That one is lighter," he said, pointing to the second bag. "Do you think you can get it?"

I scoffed at him, but held back on the eye roll. He had an injury. "Of course."

If he could lift a bag one handed with an injury on the other side, I'd have no problem carrying the other. I grabbed on to the bag's handles and hoisted it toward my shoulders. The bag pulled toward the earth and only made it about halfway before my shoulders sagged. Holy shit.

What the hell did he have in here? Boulders? Bowling balls?

I half carried; half swung the bag a few inches from the ground.

"Are you doing okay back there?" Broadrick called from across the lot.

How the fuck did he make it that far ahead of me?

"Doing great!" I called back to him. The bag hit me in the legs, but I kept going, slogging my way to the parking lot.

Why the hell did I park so far from the landing pad? My stomached groaned from using muscles for the first time. If I ended up with a damn hernia, I'd never let him forget it.

Broadrick tossed his bag into the open bed of his truck and then jogged toward me.

"What are you doing?" I demanded as he tried to take the bag, but I held my grip. "You shouldn't be running anywhere."

"Just give me the bag, Von," he said, and I released my fingers, letting him take it from me.

I straightened and my lower back protested. "Fine."

Broadrick carried the extra-long duffel with one hand and kept a quick pace.

"You really shouldn't be walking so fast," I said as we made it to the truck, and he tossed the second bag in like it weighed nothing.

Show-off.

We stayed quiet on the drive to my home. I stewed and thought of ways to yell at him more, and Broadrick tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove. An awkward fog hung over us. He'd only been gone a few weeks, but it felt like two years had passed.

What did you say to your boyfriend who spent a month away from you and then came back broken? Especially after he promised to be safe. Sure, I shouldn't hold his injury against him, but I planned to anyway.

"Did you read my text messages?" I asked.

Broadrick nodded. "Every single one, and-" A ding cut off the end of his sentence. His gaze fell to the dashboard. "I'm out of gas?"

"That's weird." I stared out the passenger window and twirled my hair around my index finger. "I guess we'll have to get some soon."

Broadrick smiled while keeping his eyes on the road. "I missed you."

My heart melted.

"My car might also be empty." Surprise. Welcome home.

Broadrick laughed with a shake of his head and then pulled into the driveway. He turned to me as he shut off the vehicle. "We're leaving the bags in the back."

"Good choice." I couldn't carry them in, and he'd already lifted too much.

"I want you to go inside and get naked. Meet me in the bedroom." He opened the truck door and jumped out.

After I closed my mouth, I followed. Wow. Bossy Broadrick was hot, but no. "That is not happening."

We met at the hood of the truck. "Vonnie, I've been gone a month and you show up to the airport wearing that? It's happening."

I tugged on the short skirt. "I wore this before I learned you're broken. You're going inside and I'm placing you on immediate bedrest. NB is with Katy, but I'll grab him soon. He missed you, too."

"I'll be in bed alright," he said, walking to the front door.

Didn't he hear anything I said about being broken and bedrest?

"Broadrick, you need rest to heal. I'll make you a bowl of soup and we can watch television."

He tipped his head to the side at the front door before sticking his key in the lock. "Vonnie, it's a minor wound and a few dissolvable stitches. I'm hungry, but not for soup."

My cheeks heated, and I searched behind me to make sure none of the neighbors heard. Broadrick pulled me into the house with his good arm and pushed me against the door as it closed.

He attacked my neck, and I became liquid, falling into the embrace. My toes curled and my core tightened. I ran my hands over his arms, letting my fingers wander.

Such glorious muscle.

Bandages.

Wait.

My eyes popped open and widened. I tried to pull away, but hit the door.

"Broadrick, stop. I don't want to hurt you."

He tugged on my earlobe with his teeth. "I've never had a welcome home like the other guys talk about. Legs, arms, pussy, sweat, and other stuff."

I smiled but held back the laugh. Lord, I really loved the man. "You can have that after you're healed. What if we hit your shoulder and hurt it?"

Broadrick sighed and rested his forehead against mine. "I'm willing to risk it."

"You almost died!"

"I did not." He nibbled on my chin, and my toes did the curly thing again. How dare they betray me like this? "It's not even a bullet wound, Von."

I tilted my head to see him better, but he used it as an excuse to kiss my neck again. "It's not?"

"No," Broadrick said, shaking his head. "There was a minor explosion."

I groaned. "Explosions aren't small." Great, now something blew up and took chunks of him.

He chuckled once. "It was small, I promise. The force blew shrapnel in every direction and a few pieces hit me in the shoulder. I barely needed stitches."

"You swear that's all?" I asked, running my index finger over the bandage outline under his shirt.

He made a cross on his chest. "Scout's honor. Now let me have my welcome home fuck."

I pushed his head away. "Fine, but no putting pressure on your shoulder or weird movements. I'll do all the work."

"You're only making it sound better." He grabbed my hand and walked toward the kitchen. "Deal."

"Where are you going?" I asked as he walked into the kitchen.

Broadrick stopped at the island. "I'm doing you on the counter, so we follow all your rules."

How did I tell him no?

**

"Can I drive your truck?" I asked Broadrick the next morning as he drank his coffee in the kitchen.

NB jumped on his legs and scratched, wanting to be picked up. The little dog missed his dude while he'd been gone and wasn't quite over him returning. I think he figured if he mauled Broadrick, he could never leave again.

Broadrick lowered his mug to narrow his eyes at me. "Why?"

I shrugged. "My car may be a little light on gas at the present moment."

NB barked and Broadrick placed his cup on the counter to pick the little guy up. "I put gas in your car last night while you were sleeping."

A smile split my face. "You did? Thanks, B."

I had the world's best boyfriend.

"Where are you headed?" he asked as he scratched NB behind his ear and let him slobber puppy licks on the side of his face.

Man. Now that Broadrick returned from his deployment, I had to explain my decisions and plans to people again. I loved having him home, but he was so suspicious for some reason.

"I've got an errand to run in Clearwater. Shouldn't be gone too long," I said and twisted the handle on the front door.

Broadrick raised a hand to give me a quick wave. "Have fun. Don't get in trouble."

"Never," I said as I walked out.