“Oh-kay…”
Silence stretched. Why didn’t he say anything?
She couldn't exactly come out and talk about their rendezvous. There were too many ears around.
His hand dropped, and she immediately missed his heat. More than that, she'd relished it, and she missed the connection. It'd been too long since she'd felt like a part of a couple. Until that moment, she hadn't realized how much she'd missed it.
The secret looks. The private jokes. The intimate touches. She'd taken it for granted and now her body was remembering just how wonderful it'd been to have someone to lean on.
“How's work?”
A safe topic, right.
He shrugged a massive shoulder. “It's work.”
“Jill says you're almost done with this project.”
“Three more days.”
Three.
Panic crept in.
He couldn't be done so quickly, that didn't give her any time to— to what?
Buck up, Sabrina. You can talk any time. Right now, even.
Somehow all the words she'd rehearsed over the years deserted her.
“Where will you go next?” Yeah, that sounded like normal conversation.
“New Orleans.”
“Will you leave right away?”
His jaw clenched and released. The stoic stance and brief answers soured her stomach. This wasn't the same man who'd made her toes curl. Something'd happened, but she couldn't imagine what would cause such a hundred and eighty-degree turn.
“Maybe.”
Jill kept glancing over her shoulder, obviously checking on them. But Sabrina's heart was sinking fast and she gave the other woman a slow shake of the head.
She'd been so excited to see him again, eager to talk about the monsters and scares. Anxious to relive their favorite haunted houses and costumes from their childhood. They hadn’t had much in those early years, but they’d had each other and wild imaginations.
Her impatience was wasted, and she had no idea what to do. What could she say to get him to open up? There hadn’t been much talking last time and she really wanted to hear about his life, his dreams.
As clear as if he'd been standing next to her, she heard Ethan's voice. “Be yourself.” That was the advice he'd given her before he'd died, and it had served her well, once she'd learned how to do it.
Sabrina Duncan was a go-getter. She didn't settle. She didn't take no for an answer. And she didn't stand around agog, waiting for a man to get his head out of his you-know-what.
Reaching out, she closed a hand around his forearm. Ignoring the deliciously corded muscles, she met his gaze.
Good, she had his attention.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Again with the jaw flexing. The man was going to need dental work if he kept that up.
Slowly, he shook his head. Then he surveyed their surroundings.
“No.”
She stared up at his profile, noting the full lips that had played a starring role in her fantasies lately. The thick, dark brows were currently furrowed.
Sabrina took a deep breath and held for a count of ten. Maybe now wasn't the time or place.
“Good talk.”
“Sabrina…”
She'd just stepped forward to rejoin the others when a blast echoed across the crowd. An arm wrapped around her midsection and then she was on the ground, staring up at the night sky. A sharp rock stabbed into her hip as David's body pressed into hers.
“Stay low.”
She wasn't sure who spoke, but she couldn't have moved if she'd tried. He was big and solid. His hand cradled the back of her head. An uneasy laugh traveled through the crowd and she peaked around David's shoulder to see a low rider cruising through the parking lot.
“Fucking backfire,” David ground out and rose to his knees.
She turned to see Jill laying on the ground next to her, Teo crouching behind a metal trashcan. He blew out a sigh and turned back to his girlfriend. He was at her side an instant later.
“You okay?” His hands hovered over her, checking for injuries.
Jill nodded.
Relief poured through Sabrina.
She wasn’t sure if her heart was racing because of fear or adrenaline.
Around her, the men straightened, dusted themselves off, checked those around them. If a backfire sent them into overdrive, how did they stay sane in a world where there was noisy construction and car alarms? She wondered how they managed living with the memories. No doubt they were used to far more lethal threats. It was obvious with how quickly David moved that he was still expecting a threat. Maybe it was muscle memory or training, but his body was coiled for a fight.
Around them everyone stood up. David dusted off his jeans and held out a hand to her. The instant she slid her palm against his, she was enveloped in his warmth. He pulled her to her feet and glanced over his shoulder as if checking to make sure the threat was really benign.
The weight of his full attention returned to her and he studied her for a moment. Then he reached out and plucked something from her hair.
“You must kick ass at burpees,” she murmured as he tossed the piece of straw. The gesture reminded her of all the times he’d looked after her when they were kids. It wasn’t the first time he’d pulled something from her hair or helped her up. Even when there was an invisible barrier between them, he was looking out for her.
As she’d hoped, the corners of his mouth turned up. He wasn't as aloof as he seemed.
“You okay?” he asked, looking her over.
His concern warmed her.
“I’m fine. You?”
“Fine.” He took a step back and seemed to withdraw back into himself.
It killed her a little. Maybe he'd had a rough day. She could relate. A bride had changed her colors scheme, again, after Sabrina had already painted new artwork for the invitation suite.
She'd give him his space.
But she didn't have much time. Three days. That gave her tonight, tomorrow, this weekend and then Monday and Tuesday.
“So, we're thinking about hitting a burger joint on the way home,” Reya said, bursting through the silence. Sabrina could have kissed her.
“Sounds good,” Sabrina said.
“You in?” Reya cocked her head up at David.
“Red meat, I'm there.”
Typical man.
“Great,” Reya turned back to Dylan, leaving Sabrina and David to themselves again.
The silence returned, stretched. Silence between them had never been uncomfortable before.
But there was so much she wanted to say, so much she should have said before leaping into his arms. Where did she start?
“I've been thinking,” she said.
“Sounds dangerous.”
She ignored his teasing tone.
“I want a second date.”
His brows rose, and he pegged her with a surprised look. All hint of teasing disappeared.
“Isn't that what we had the other night?”
She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “That was sex. Not a date.”
He seemed to mull that over.
“Why would you want a second date? Didn't seem like you liked the first one that much.”
“I did.” She swallowed at the pain in his voice. He obviously wasn't ready to forgive and forget. Somehow, she had to lay everything out there and make him understand just how tortured she'd been back then.
She had an idea of how to do it, she just had to get him to agree.
“You had an odd way of showing it.”
“I agree.”
He huffed out a sigh and crossed his arms over his chest. “Can we just enjoy the haunted house?”
Avoidance. She supposed that was standard operating procedure considering how she’d acted all those years ago.
“No.” She wouldn't be able to enjoy anything until the tension between them was dissolved. And that meant telling him about what she'd heard, about the mean girl
s, Ethan, everything.
She'd been silly to think that sex had changed anything between them. All it'd done was make her body insanely aware of his. It hadn't solved their past, it hadn't rekindled their friendship. He didn't sweep her into his arms and spout sonnets.
That was all in her mind.
She could be forgiven, she supposed, given what she did for a living. She was surrounded by love and couples.
“But I'll try,” she said and stepped up to the ticket booth. For him, she'd try anything. She owed him that much.
* * *
Boomer followed Teo into the burger joint and inhaled appreciatively. He could never get enough hamburgers. It was the one food he and his team had looked forward to most during their endless years of training and missions.
Give him a heaping helping of fries and he was a happy man.
“You guys wanna hit the range next week?” Dylan asked.
“Heck yeah,” Teo said, but glanced at Jill as if asking for permission.
Boomer was secretly glad that he answered to no one but himself. Those moments on Saturday morning where he'd been cozily wrapped in Sabrina's arms, thinking how nice it was to wake up to a beautiful woman were short lived.
He didn't miss the way Vanessa had monopolized his time to the exclusion of everyone else. Lucky for Teo and Dylan, neither of their women were overly clingy. They both had friends of their own, lives, interests, things to do outside of sitting on a couch watching reruns.
Somewhere in the years since her death, he'd forgotten just how needy Vanessa had been. And that'd made it extra hard on him when he'd had to spend so much time away from her.
The mind was funny like that. Blurring edges, sweeping things to the corners of the brain where the cobwebs lurked.
He tried to tell himself that she’d known what she was getting into, but did anyone ever really know what the future would bring? The majority of their fights had centered around his absence, her feeling neglected, not part of a couple. Samuel’s birth had added to the strain that was already as tight as a trip wire.
He pushed the thoughts aside and ordered his burger with extra pickles. After filling his glass with sweet tea, he approached the table.
Dylan and Teo slid into a corner booth. Baby and Joe followed suit. Boomer folded himself into the tight space and scooted around.
“I've got a new scope I want to try,” Teo was saying. Soon Joe had joined the discussion and promised to join them at the gun range.
“Scoot closer,” Jill ordered, waving her hands.
The girls slid into the booth and Jill turned, lifting her phone for a group shot. “Closer,” she ordered playfully.
“I’m as close as I can be without sitting in her lap,” Reya said of Sabrina.
Jill spun around, and Boomer got a sinking feeling. Sabrina was already squeezed up against him. Her stationed on his lap was all he needed. He’d been fighting his body all evening. She was just as gorgeous as he remembered, the form fitting jeans driving him slowly out of his mind.
Part of him, the part he should absolutely ignore, wanted to pull her into his lap. And if he got lost in her eyes, so be it.
He could tell by the look in Jill’s eyes, she was about to play match-maker. There was no polite way to get out of it, especially without hurting Sabrina or causing a scene.
Did Sabrina sense the stillness in him? The turmoil?
She must have because she let out a breathy little laugh. “Hop on, Reya,” she said, patting her right thigh.
And just like that, the tension dissolved. Everyone laughed, squeezed in for the picture. Jill took several shots. Reya slid off Sabrina’s lap just as their burgers began arriving. Everyone fell into easy conversation and Boomer’s heart started beating at a regular rhythm again.
If that erratic beat kept up, he was going to have to see a doctor.
Jill oohed and ahhed as she flipped through the various shots she’d taken. Beside him, Sabrina dunked a French Fry in ketchup, listening intently to Reya telling the story of how she’d finally gotten Dylan’s attention.
When Sabrina nibbled the fry, Boomer found himself staring at her lips. He was in so much trouble. This right here was how men got themselves into situations. Fixation. Obsession.
He’d thought about her all week long. Seen her every time he looked around his rig. Couldn’t get the taste of her off his tongue.
It was a hell of his own making.
How did one dig themselves out of purgatory?
The answer probably started with ‘stop looking at her,’ but that was far easier said than done.
An elbow to the side jerked his attention away from Sabrina. His head swiveled toward Teo, grateful for the distraction.
His friend lifted a brow but didn’t ask the question obviously on his mind. “Pass the ketchup.”
Man, he needed to snap out of it.
He had good reasons to forget about her all those years ago. She’d forgotten about him.
Boomer snagged the red bottle and passed it over.
“I’m not going to give up,” she whispered a moment later.
A hunk of hamburger lodged in his throat. He reached for his water glass with one hand and pounded his chest with the other. She was right there with a soothing hand on his back.
“Not to be an asshole, but you did that really well last time,” he murmured back. He glanced around the table and found everyone involved in a conversation, not paying them the least bit of attention. Which was good.
He was trapped, and she knew it.
“I had a good reason. I’ll tell you on our date.”
Even though he didn’t want to be, he was intrigued. It’d be simpler for him to just pack up and walk away. Head for New Orleans and wherever else after that, leaving Georgia and the aqua eyed goddess behind.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Spending any more time with her would dig him deeper.
What if she had a good reason? He couldn’t think of one, but he’d never known her to be dishonest. As kids, she couldn’t keep secrets from him and when she’d tried her hand at a fib, he’d seen right through her.
But what if what she had to say changed everything? Lord help him, he already liked the new Sabrina. The light hearted, outgoing, always smiling Sabrina. He loved the way she made him feel, the way her body fit against his, the sweet little moan she made when he made her come.
The only thing keeping his heart in check was the ache he’d suffered all those years ago.
“So, you got what you wanted and that’s it?”
Her softly spoken words cut him like shards of glass. His gut clenched.
When he took in her profile, she popped a fry in her mouth as happy as you please and smiled across the table at Baby as if she hadn’t a care in the world.
“It wasn’t like that.”
A perfectly plucked brow lifted toward her hairline.
“Prove it.”
The challenge lay between them and he stared into her eyes. He knew what could happen if he went out with her again. Hell, it was already happening.
Sabrina reached inside him and took hold of his heart somehow. He didn’t think she’d ever even meant to, but years of friendship had turned to more one night. One perfect, spring night.
He’d been powerless to stop it then and he was starting to wonder if history was repeating itself. Knowing everything that’d happened, how destroyed he’d been, it didn’t seem to matter. He found himself wanting to go, to be with her.
Could he risk the destruction of his heart again? He wasn’t sure he’d ever recover if he fell in love with Sabrina again and she walked away. Or worse.
But he also couldn’t stand the look in her eyes when she’d thought he’d used her to scratch an itch. She was never just a lay to him. Never a notch in his bedpost.
So, he did the only thing he could do. He nodded.
“All right.”
Her smile of victory was sweet and sassy, making her eyes sparkle and his hea
rt crack open a little more.
10
Boomer shifted his weight and did the best shimmy a guy of his stature could manage. As it was, his six-foot five frame barely fit between the rows of barbed wire, which was painfully evident when a sharp barb poked him in the ass.
Why the hell did Teo have a barbed wire fence anyway? He raised military dogs, not cows.
The second he was free of the fence a dark blur of feathers, complete with a God-awful squawk, flashed before his eyes. Dropping to the ground, he rolled left, then rose to a crouch and faced his enemy.
A hearty laugh rumbled from across the field, but he didn't dare turn his head away from the wild-eyed rooster.
For several seconds they simply stared at one another. Boomer had no intention of being flogged; he'd seen the cock fights in other countries. It was brutal for both birds, often resulting in lost feathers, blood, even life.
“You have chickens,” Boomer called to his friend.
“Yep.”
The bird fluffed its glossy mane of feathers and looked to be gearing up for round two.
Another laugh was interrupted by a deep bark. Boomer pushed to his feet and regarded the chicken a moment longer. The bird cocked his head, gave Boomer another long look and then, as if deciding he was dreadfully outmatched, pranced away.
“Quite the guard bird you got there,” he said as he turned Teo's way.
His friend wore dark jeans and a NAVY sweatshirt that had seen better days. He removed a pair of leather gloves and tucked them into his back pocket as he closed the distance between them.
A large black and tan dog trotted along at Teo's side, dividing its attention between his master and Boomer.
“That's Elvis. He came with the property.” He held out his arms, indicating the large field. “Leroy Parsons, the old man who sold it to me, was adamant I keep the chickens.” Teo gave what Boomer could only describe as a sheepish shrug.
“Plus, Jill's excited to have hens.”
Boomer laughed and slapped Teo on the back. “You're a regular farmer Joe.”
The dog gave Boomer a sharp look and he let his hand drop.
Teo snorted. “Hardly.”
Boomer was happy with his fifth wheel trailer and small plot of land at the campground. Sure, he hit his head every time he stepped up into the living room, but he had no grass to mow.
Second Chance with Her SEAL Page 8
