Trusting a Warrior (Loving a Warrior #3) - Melanie Hansen Page 0,71

against her cheek.

“Mine, too.” She kissed him again, lingeringly, her arms tightening around his shoulders at the hot slickness of his tongue, which danced briefly along hers. When it ended, Geo took her hand and eased her around into his lap.

He linked his arms loosely around her waist as she nestled against his chest with a sigh. For several long minutes they held each other without speaking, his face buried in her throat while she stroked his hair.

Finally he croaked, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” She knew he didn’t mean the kiss. “Geo, one year ago a bomb went off in your life. It’s okay to need help with that.”

At those words, a giant shudder passed through him.

“I get it. I’ve been there. I’m still there, in a lot of ways. It’s not anything I’m ever going to ‘get over.’”

His ragged breathing stilled, as if he was holding it, waiting.

“But I’m also not going to let his death define me anymore. Tyler’s life and suicide were his, not mine.” She paused, then said gently, “Just like your responsibility as a teammate and friend was to Cade—to always treat him with respect, honor and loyalty—but you were not responsible for him, okay? You weren’t responsible for his thoughts, his actions, his happiness...”

Geo gazed up at her, his eyes liquid with a pain he had no idea what to do with. “How did you—” He broke off, his throat working as he swallowed hard, and she pressed their foreheads together.

“I started talking about it. I started sharing it with other people who’d walked in my shoes, and I didn’t hold back. Realizing I’m not alone is when I took that first step toward healing—true healing.”

He nodded, his lips tight.

Lani kissed his temple, then climbed off his lap. “Easier said than done, I know.”

She watched him get to his feet and move to the sink, where he began to wash the plates, his movements sharp, purposeful, shoulders bunched.

“We were good at compartmentalizing grief before we were even adults,” she thought, “and the SEALs taught you how to become a master at it, didn’t they? But all of a sudden those boxes won’t stay closed.”

Sensing he was once again on the verge of bolting, Lani picked up a dish towel and started to dry, feverishly racking her brain for something to say that’d lighten the mood. A dollop of suds landed on the back of her hand, and without thinking, she flicked them at him. “Take that.”

He huffed. “Oh, yeah?” Scooping up a handful of bubbles, he plopped them on her head, where they immediately slid down her cheek, onto her chest and right into her cleavage.

His eyes widened in consternation, but before he could say anything, she patted herself dry with the neckline of her tank top. “I didn’t know this was a wet T-shirt contest.” With that, she dunked her hand in the sink full of water and plastered her open palm right in the middle of Geo’s chest. “Now we’re even.”

He looked down at the soggy palm print, then back up at her. Laughing, she danced backward as he stalked toward her, until her butt was up against the counter. Geo caged her in with his arms, his body close but not quite touching hers. She gazed up at him with a smirk, a lock of wet hair annoyingly stuck to her cheek. Before she could brush it away, he reached up with gentle fingertips and did it for her.

“Beautiful girl,” he murmured, his thumb lingering on her cheekbone. “I love your laugh.”

“I love how you make me laugh.” Biting her lip, Lani toyed with the hem of his T-shirt. “Are you going to stay with me?”

After a brief hesitation, he nodded, and she let out a long, slow breath. “Good. And just so you know, forcing you to talk isn’t part of the deal. If you want to, though, I’m here.”

“I want to.” He tucked the hair behind her ear, his mouth looking a bit less pinched. “I know I need to. It’s just—I have no idea where to start.”

The memory of that first time walking into Maura’s office washed over her, along with all of its accompanying anxiety. She forced it back, hoping it didn’t show on her face. He needed her to be empathetic, cool and capable right now, not an emotional basket case.

“I know it’s not easy,” she said again, proud of how calm she sounded. “In fact, it’ll be one of the hardest things you’ve ever done, not