Trusting a Warrior (Loving a Warrior #3) - Melanie Hansen Page 0,10

think they were more amused by my arrogant punk-ass routine than anything else. My Chief dismissed me, and as I was heading back to my duties, I heard my name being called. It was one of the SEALs, and yeah, I figured it was time to get my ass kicked. Before I could say anything, he goes, ‘Me and my buddy made a bet. Wanna hear it?’”

Lani groaned. “Let me guess. Something about how long it’d take you to wash out.”

“That’s what I thought, too, but nope. The bet was whether I’d make it or not.” Geo shook his head wonderingly. “Believe it or not, this guy bet I’d make it. You could’ve knocked me down with a fuckin’ feather when he said that. Then he punched me on the shoulder, said his name was Cade Barlow and that I should look him up when I got to the teams. Not if, but when.”

Knowing what she did about the eat-your-own culture of special operations, she couldn’t help her fervent, “Wow. That’s truly amazing.”

“Yeah.” A few beats of silence, and then Geo said softly, “Some of the worst people I’ve ever met are in the SEAL teams, but Cade, he was one of the best.”

His ragged sigh made her heart ache. “Someone worth toasting, then. I’m honored to have been a part of that.”

His jaw rippled, and a haunted look flitted across his face. “You have no idea how much you saying that means to me.” His voice was barely audible. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Drawing her knees up, Lani wrapped her arms around them, unable to keep from wondering what’d happened to Cade. A firefight in a distant country, the full details of which might never be known? An IED? A training accident?

Something about Geo’s body language kept her from asking. Besides, in this moment it didn’t matter. They were celebrating Cade’s life, not his death, and the impact his simple gesture of encouragement had made on a young man on the verge of an enormous mental and physical challenge.

She sifted the cool, damp sand through her fingers. Next to her, Geo had his eyes squeezed tightly shut as he wrestled with his memories, until at last he exhaled slowly and sat up again. They both stared out over the dark, roiling ocean, the silence not uncomfortable.

Suddenly he grimaced, and he fished his buzzing phone from his pocket. He glanced at it briefly, then silenced it.

“You need to go?”

When he nodded, the regret that shot through Lani startled her. Surprisingly, his eyes mirrored that regret back at her as he stood and dusted off the seat of his pants before reaching down to help her to her feet.

Squeezing her fingers, he said, “Thanks again for listening. I, uh, had been wondering how I was going to get through tonight.”

She gazed up at him. “Well, thanks for holding my hair, and listening to my tale of woe. I’d been wondering how I was going to get through tonight, too.”

They smiled at each other.

“Guess it was fate, then, huh?” he said lightly. “Does that mean we should keep in touch?”

A tiny bolt of happiness sizzled through her. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Of course it’d never go anywhere. He’d soon disappear back into the depths of the spec ops world, while she’d be busy trying to work out her own very uncertain future. Still, it’d be nice while it lasted, and she couldn’t deny it felt really good to know she’d been what he needed tonight, puking, hair-holding and all.

They’d reached the boardwalk by then, and Geo waved his hand at a sleek motorcycle parked at the curb. “That’s mine.” Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, he extracted a card and handed it to her.

She glanced at the simple black lettering, which read GeoFrog Tactical K9, followed by a phone number. “You have your own K9 business?”

He shrugged. “I own a bite suit, and sometimes I’ll go work with law enforcement, things like that. It keeps Bosch and me sharp.” Tapping the edge of the card, he said, “Call me anytime, okay? You’ll probably talk to my voice mail a lot, but I promise to call back when I can.”

With that, Geo straddled the bike and unlocked his helmet. “Take care of yourself, Lani. You got this.”

Lifting his hand in a final wave, he roared off, and she stood there long after his taillights had disappeared into the distance.

“I got this? Glad you think so.”

But there’s no one else, is there? It really is up