Her Forbidden Marine (Hearts Ablaze: Men in Uniform Book 2) by Makenna Jameison

pocket.  “Can I buy you a drink?” he asked, glad to have something to distract him from watching the way her mouth moved.  The flush on her cheeks, the rosiness of her lips, the way her soft brown eyes were looking up at him—it was almost too tempting.  Spending too much time with her would be dangerous.  Which was exactly why he’d avoided her at all costs in the past.
    “I’ll have a grande skim latte,” Becky said to the barista.  She placed her hand on Matt’s arm, sending heat coursing through him as he gazed down at her.  “But let me buy them.  You got a round of drinks on Friday.”
    “No problem, I got it,” he said, his voice deep.
    “Skim?” the barista asked, getting to work at the espresso machine.  Becky removed her hand from Matt’s arm, and he instantly missed the heat and warmth of her touch.
    “Yes, thanks!” Becky called out to the barista.  “So, uh, thanks for the coffee,” she said, looking back up at Matt.
    “My pleasure.  What are you doing out in this mess anyway?” he asked, gesturing toward the window.
    “I’m on my way to Melissa’s.  I spent the weekend at my parents’, but the rest of the time I’ll be staying with her.”
    Becky took her drink from the counter, and after Matt paid the cashier, they stood facing one another uncertainly.  “I called you this morning,” he said, his voice low.  Not that the cashier and barista really cared about their conversation, but he didn’t exactly want the entire world to hear his business.
    “Right, I got your message.  Sorry I didn’t call you back yet.  Things were a little crazy today.”
    “No problem,” he said, clearing his throat.  “Do you want to get a table?  I was planning to grab some carryout and head home, but as long as we’re both here….”
    “Oh, uh, sure,” Becky said, sounding surprised.  “We seem to have our pick,” she joked as the elderly couple gathered their things to leave.
    “Hopefully we didn’t scare them off.”
    “You can be rather intimidating,” Becky said lightly as Matt eyed her curiously.  What did she mean by that?  Surely she wasn’t ever intimidated by him?
    Becky walked over to a table by the window, and Matt pulled out the chair for her.  “Thanks,” she said softly as he sat down across from her.  She took off her coat, revealing a pretty lavender sweater.  It was casual but hugged her breasts perfectly, and he found it hard to tear his eyes away from her as she sipped her latte.  He took a sip of his own coffee, the hot liquid seeping down his throat.  It didn’t warm him nearly as much as the sight of her did.  Why his heart raced every time she was in the room was a damn mystery, but hell if he didn’t feel more alive than he had all year with her.
    He shouldn’t have suggested they have coffee together right now, though.  He needed to talk to her about Brody, but he’d barely wrapped his head around what he should say.  Now here he was, on the spot, and he needed to just spit it out before he lost his nerve.  Before he lost her.
    She met his gaze, looking at him expectantly.
    “I told Brody I’d look out for you,” he blurted out.
    “What?”
    “I told Brody—”
    “No, I heard what you said,” she said, shaking her head.  “I mean, why would you do that?”
    “He was my best friend.”
    “I know, it’s just—we weren’t friends, Matt.  You and me.  I haven’t even seen you since the funeral.”
    “I know,” he said, guilt rising within him.  “Brody and I—we talked a week before the ambush.  It was just one of those things—we never talked about dying, about what would happen if we were gone, until one day we did.  And he made me swear I’d look out for you if anything ever happened to him.”
    Becky nodded slowly, licking her lips.  “Look, don’t beat yourself up, Matt.  You lost your best friend.  You were injured.  Of course you didn’t have time to worry about me, too.”
    Matt looked at her