Protecting Fiona (SEAL of Protection Book 3) by Susan Stoker Read Free Book Online Page A

What the hell, she had nothing to lose.
    “You were a virgin when you joined the Navy and after boot camp your buddies took you out on the town and paid an eighty year old whore named Cookie to deflower you.”
    Cookie started laughing, quietly, and couldn’t stop. It was several moments before he could speak.
    “Jesus, Fee, I’ll have to remember not to piss you off in the future. First, I was deflowered when I was fourteen by my seventeen-year-old date to the Homecoming Dance. So, your last guess is also wrong. Although you’re much more creative than what the reason for my nickname really is. I was the last member to join the team. Typically newbies are called nuggets, FNGs, or cookies. Cookie stuck.”
    They sat there for a moment just looking at each other.
    Not knowing what a “FNG” was, Fiona decided to let it go. It didn’t really matter anyway. “Do you have a real name?” Fiona didn’t know why she wanted to know, but she did.
    “Hunter. Hunter Knox.”
    “Are you serious?”
    “Dead. Why?”
    Fiona couldn’t believe that was really his name. “Because it’s the kind of name a stripper or superhero would have.” She immediately blushed. Oh crap. Had she really just said that out loud? Jesus, she was such a dork.
    “I think I’ll take that as a compliment, Fee, but I prefer to strip for a party of one.”
    “Please, just ignore me. I don’t know what I’m saying. Let me try again.” Fiona looked up. She was embarrassed, but determined to say it. “It’s nice to meet you, Hunter. No, it’s fucking awesome to meet you. I’ve never been so glad to meet anyone in my entire life.”
    Cookie’s eyes lost their humor and he got serious immediately. He understood what she was saying. “I’m happier to have met you than anyone I’ve met in my entire life, Fee.”
    A comfortable silence fell between them. Fiona put her head back on her knees, and closed her eyes again.
    Noticing her white knuckles from squeezing her hands tightly Cookie finally asked what had been on his mind for most of the day. “I need to know what’s up, Fee.” He watched as she flinched. “I don’t know what’s going through your head, but I’m not going to leave you. I’m not going to get mad, I just need to know so I can be sure we all get through this and get home. If your feet are bothering you, I can wrap them with tape to help with that. Shit, I should’ve already done it. We can coat your legs with mud to try to protect them a bit more. I can see all the welts from the bug bites. I wish I had an extra pair of pants for you.”
    Fiona didn’t say anything, just continued to sit next to him silently. Cookie was frustrated. He wanted to help her, but he couldn’t if she wouldn’t talk to him. Finally, he thought he knew what to say to get Fiona to open up to him. Cookie knew she was stubborn and tough just from being around her for a day and for surviving her kidnapping ordeal. He thought of what he could say that would get to her. Finally he knew. It’d be the same thing that, if said to him, would get him to open up and be honest.
    Cookie lowered his voice and spoke from his heart. “No bullshit, Fiona, my life depends on you. I will not leave you. If I don’t know what’s going on with you, and you fall behind or can’t continue, that could end up hurting me as well, because I’ll stay with you and try to help you. There’s no way in hell I’ve brought you this far to leave you behind now. You’re stuck with me. No matter what. ”
    He waited. Cookie thought maybe Fiona had fallen asleep or that she was going to refuse to talk to him.
    Finally Fiona spoke softly, without opening her eyes. “I’m going through withdrawal.”

Chapter Five
     
     
    Whatever Cookie thought Fiona was going to say, it wasn’t that.
    “What?” he asked more harshly than he’d intended. His mind whirled. How could he have missed that? Cookie couldn’t believe it. Well, it was dark in the room he’d found her in