“Are you sure about this? That’s a pretty big risk to take. Ms. Marine has been avoiding dog ownership for years. What if she turns you and the dog both down? What then?”
Gower watched Dillon petting the dog. He didn’t look at the man. “I guess I’ll at least have part of her if that happens. This is how it is, Joe. I’m in love with Ms. Marine and plan to marry her… if I can convince Melina to have me. Failure is not an option. That’s her motto, but I’m making it mine in this case.”
“Nice sentiment, but do you know what Melina wants to do with the dog?” Joe asked.
Gower shook his head and sighed again. “No. No idea. We didn’t get that far. I just know the dog made her laugh every time she talked to it. She doesn’t seem to laugh at much else. I have to practically stand on my head to even get a snicker out of her.”
Gower watched the attendant stand and walk to a nearby rack of books. The elderly man pulled a big one from the stack and brought it back.
“If I let you take the dog, you’re going to need a copy of this as well. It will help you understand things—maybe give you the edge you need with your Marine.”
Gower perused the cover. “Dog shows? That’s what she wants to do?”
He heard the man laugh at the complete disbelief so obvious in his tone. The ridicule didn’t lessen his shock any.
A head appeared at his side and looked at the cover. Dillon laughed too. “Does Gunny Angel want to train Princess to jump through hoops?”
Dillon pointed at the woman on the cover holding out a hoop to a small dog.
“Princess? That’s its name?” Gower asked, surprised again.
The dog barked in recognition of its moniker and nearly jumped from the woman’s arms. Gower rubbed a hand over his mouth to keep from swearing. The dog had more personality than Melina did. Maybe that was part of why she’d wanted it. Training dogs though? He was still stunned. He tried to bring a visual of her doing it to mind. The image only made him laugh.
“Princess is a very popular name,” Joe said, grinning.
Gower nodded and grinned. “Fine. I’ll take Princess, the book, and the basics of what she’s going to need for her survival. Dillon and I are rookies. We’re going to need help.”
“I can help you,” the woman volunteered, clipping a leash on Princess’s collar.
Dillon cheered when the woman handed the leash to him. Princess yapped and jumped when Dillon did. Gower smiled. He’d learned to care for Dillon. Surely he could handle caring for a dog.
Shaking his head about his trepidation, Gower took a pen from Joe and started filling out adoption forms. He wrote Princess Angel in the name slot for good luck. He might be its adoptive father, but Melina was going to be officially listed as its mother.
At least the dog would keep both him and Dillon busy until its true owner returned home.
Chapter 13
It was evening by the time she got there. Her body hadn’t adjusted but she knew it would hold up as needed. It paid to keep in shape.
Melina climbed wearily from the jeep and started walking toward the camp. She was met by the very one she’d been most concerned about. He wasn’t even twenty-five yet. Carlyle’s relief to see her wiped away her tiredness. Being strong for him was why she was here.
“Private Carlyle—report. What the hell’s been happening? Can’t you all wipe your assess without me watching every move you make?”
Melina nodded as the boy melted into his explanation. Listening to a story she’d already heard several times, she let her mind drift and her eyes look for the others. They were huddled inside the work tent. Concern for Jack had dropped a gloom over them that eclipsed their normal camaraderie.
They were the supply team, which in stark military terms meant they were nearly invisible. She bet no one had kept them informed about the altercation after the hit or about the results of it. She could change that, but it still pissed her off they’d had to worry so long.
Melina knew they were churning in their guts over what had happened, wondering if it could happen again. And it might, though a soldier couldn’t dwell on the reality without getting dangerously angry. She wouldn’t let them dwell on it. It was her job to make sure they didn’t—a job that sucked more and more all the time.
Sometimes it seemed all she could really do was her best to see they got home as unscathed as possible.
Knowing from her briefing on the ride over here how badly Jack had been hurt, she was concerned about his condition too. By the time she got inside the tent, her men were all standing and looking at her. She fisted her hands on her hips and glared at them.
“Sergeant Dallas’s lucky ass is on the way home as I speak, while my still limping ass is over here with you. Jack chose a hell of way to get to see Corporal Boyd’s infamous tits again, if you want my two cents about the matter. Personally, I’d like to be a hundred percent in the sack, but hey—that’s just me.”
Surprised snickers among the men had her snorting too. It wasn’t often she spoke so casually to them, especially about sexual matters. But it was the quickest way to defuse a pensive mood.
“Well? Am I fucking wrong?” she demanded, pitching her voice above the humming generators.
Crossed arms, grins, and chorus of “No, ma’am” were her answers.
She nodded to them. “Right. Now—on to business. Did anyone take down the fuckers who blew us up?”
“We don’t know, ma’am,” she heard Carlyle say.
“That’s some cock sucking bureaucratic bullshit,” Melina spat as she pulled off her Marine cover in disgust. She smacked the hat against her leg. “Mierda! I hate fucking sand. Why are we even here?” She screamed the last words on purpose.
A ripple of hidden laughter went through the men as she threw her tantrum. She took a long time replacing the now dust-free Marine hat back on her head. She schooled her mouth into a sneer when she wanted to smile about the already improved morale.
“I’m tired of this shit, but first things first. We’re going to find out who did this to Jack. Show me on the map where it happened. Somebody get me the Sergeant Major on a frigging phone that works. Fucking desert. Can’t get a damn cell signal. Why can’t war zones ever be in the mountains? I like the mountains. Lakes. Streams. Fishing. You ever go fishing, Carlyle?”
“My father used to…”
“I asked a simple question, Marine—not for your complete history.”
Melina grinned when the boy ducked his head and the others laughed. It was all normal… so very normal. And it was exactly what they needed to keep doing their job. “You ever catch any fish, Carlyle.”
“No. Never a damn thing, Gunny.”
Melina snorted. “Fishing is stupid anyway. We’re Marines. I say we leave that fishing shit to the Whale Baits—I mean the SEALs. What do you say, Carlyle?”
Carlyle laughed as his gaze met hers. “Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say, ma’am,” he said firmly.
Melina nodded once. “Right. That’s what I thought. Now let’s get something done before it’s time for chow. Airplane food is worse than rations.”
They crowded around her as she leaned over a map. They knew without a doubt she’d meant what she’d said.
***
Two weeks later, Melina was in her hammock trying to get some sleep when she heard someone cautiously approach. She’d been awake for nearly two days straight. Her temper flared at the interruption of her first real break.
“There had better be a good fucking reason you’re in here,” she warned, keeping her hat over her face.
“I heard you were dating Gower Beckett. Is it true?” a voice demanded. “Hell, Melina. He’s a damn kid.”
She pulled her hat from her face and sat up on the swinging bed. She glared at her questioner. “Are we going home yet, Cassidy?”
“Not yet,” he said stiffly. “Answer me, Melina.”
She snorted. “Okay. I’ll answer you. Let’s go with it’s none of your damn business.”
&
nbsp; “Beckett is a kid and he has a kid. What could you want with him? He dates the daughters of rich asshole Admirals, Melina. He was a decent SEAL but shit… he’s not for you.”
Melina tried to roll her eyes, but ended up squinting. The sun was blinding, even inside. She swung herself back into a prone position and closed her eyes once more. “Leave me alone, Cassidy. This duty is miserable enough without your pissy interrogation.”
“Do you love him?”
Melina laughed at the probing question and sighed. She couldn’t answer what she hadn’t yet decided for herself, but she for sure wasn’t about to let the past dictate her future.
That included the last bossy man she’d dated. She was so done with this life.
From now on, she wanted to be the one making the big decisions.
“What difference does it make to you? I’ll tell you. It makes none. That means discussing Beckett is not an option. And if one of my men comes in here and hears your whining drama, I swear I will make you regret it. I don’t know how, but I will find a way, Whale Bait.”
“Fine,” he declared. “I’ll just go interrogate Beckett. He’ll talk plenty when I get through with him.”
“Stop with your stupid threats,” Melina ordered, sitting up again. She grabbed her head. She was so tired it was spinning. Her only true thought was that she was getting too old for this shit.
“You want the story. Fine. I’ll tell you the story. I saved Beckett’s cute ass from a bunch of punks who tried to rob him. He wasn’t fighting back because of his kid. I helped things end in a more satisfactory manner. Fast forward the story, I slept with Beckett’s cute ass because I wanted to. Fast forward again, I’m here in the damn desert. Now leave and let me get some sleep.”
“He’s checking up on you, you know. Beckett’s been stopping by to see Sergeant Dallas.”
“Jack? Oh, is my second in command still alive?” Melina asked.
She laughed at how fucked up it was that she couldn’t find out a single damn thing, yet Cassidy apparently knew about her and Gower. She wanted to do evil things to him just for knowing more than her.
“How is old Jack anyway? He never writes. He never calls. No one seems to give a shit if I know how he’s doing, so I finally stopped asking. I figured I’d see him if he was still alive when we get back home.”
“Don’t worry, Melina. Jack will live. He had some bruised organs, but those are better. His busted leg is going to heal better than they first thought. Word from the doctors is he’ll be fully functional again in a few months. I won’t be around to see him come back, but it’s good news for the team that he will.”
“Yes,” Melina declared. “Good fucking news and I needed some. The only better news would be that we killed the fuckers who hurt Jack in the first place. Or that we’re going home. Otherwise go away and let me sleep, Cassidy. My stomach is churning with fatigue and my head is killing me.”
“Okay. I gotta get back anyway. I just wanted to hear it from you and not through the gossip mill. But you and Beckett. It’s just hard to believe. You’re at least a decade older than him.”
Melina nodded against her hammock, thinking about the naked man she left standing by her bed. He’d checked her holster, kissed her with longing, and then sent her out to do what had to be done. Beckett might be young, but he was no damn kid. She rolled her head and looked hard at the immature, angry man standing by her hammock. Inside, Chris was less grown up. He just didn’t see it.
“Yes. I’m older than Beckett. No one seems to care about this but you. What’s your drama really about, Cassidy? I told you we were done. You don’t even understand what sexual fidelity means, much less want someone holding you to promises.”
Melina watched him drop his head. “What now?” she demanded.
He raised his gaze to the top of the tent. “You were my retirement plan, Melina. I thought we’d retire together, buy a couple of dogs you could train. I had this great idea…”
“That was never fucking going to happen,” Melina finished, interrupting his speech. “I might trust you with my life in a fight, but not with my heart again. Beckett is different. I didn’t get to explore things much before returning to this hell, but I plan to explore it all when I get back. Gower wants that too. For now that’s all I need to know about the man.”
She felt a twinge of regret when Chris sighed, but her mind and body had indeed moved on. It was hard to explain something she was barely coming to terms with. She’d never been in love before.
“What’s so great about him? He’s dated as many women as I ever did. How in the hell is he so different from me?”
Melina shrugged. “He hasn’t dated them while he’s been dating me and that’s already an improvement. Here’s what I know—Gower Beckett is all I think about every day all day. I relive everything we said to each other… and everything we did together… everything, Cassidy. It does not make me happy to remember you, but it makes me very happy to think about Beckett. Did you ever have anyone in your life who made you that happy?”
Melina saw him shake his head as he looked down.
“Well, I hope you do one day. Maybe Beckett and I will fizzle out in a little while, because you’re right… he’s a lot younger than me… and fuck knows, I’m beyond cynical. But I’ve decided to hang in there. Why? Because Beckett feels right in my arms and he likes being there. We fit well in every meaning of the phrase. Go find something real like that, Cassidy. It’s personally redeeming.”
“You’re very Latino about love, do you realize that, Melina? I’m going to miss you. I’m going to miss thinking about you and me as a possibility.”
Melina rolled her head away. “All you’re going to miss is some crazy idea you had in your head. That’s not the same thing as missing me as a person. Beckett checking up on me just means he cares.”
“Alright. I get it. Beckett is the one for you. So you staying in or getting out?”
Melina shrugged and sent her hanging bed swinging. “I still don’t know. I got a temporary extension so I wouldn’t have to decide until I found out about Jack. These are my men. I’ll stay for them if I have to, but I don’t necessarily think that’s the best thing. Jack is what’s best. We all need to move on.”
“I agree. You better hope like hell Beckett likes dogs.”
Melina chuckled at the asinine comment. “I have no idea. We never got that far. He could be allergic to them for all I know. But guess what? I don’t care, Cassidy. I’m going back to him no matter happens because he asked me to. He’s waiting and that’s all I need to know for now.”
“Fuck it. Okay. You have my permission to love him. Go ahead. I’m done pining for you.”
Tired of his drama queen act, Melina swung her hand along a table below her hammock and picked up the nearest heavy object. It was a radio that half-assed worked. Grinning, she flung it at her tormentor with all her might. It grazed a shoulder as it flew past his head. His yelp would likely send several of her team running to check on her.
“Damn it, Melina. That fucking hurt.”
“Good—because that pain completes my part of your education about pissing off women. You’ve officially graduated, Whale Bait. For the record though, I don’t need your fucking permission to do anything with anyone. Now get the hell out of my tent.”
“Okay. I’m fucking leaving. Shit. You’re a crazy woman.”
“Yes. Crazy and tired. Go get done what you came here to do. I want to go home. Don’t make me sic Carlyle on you to get you to leave. The boy has become a deadly weapon over here. He left his fucking teddy bear at home.”
Melina heard a chorus of male laughter just outside the tent as she covered her face with her hat again. Maybe if she got lucky, she’d dream of Gower in her unconscious stupor. Thinking of him naked nearly always improved her mood.
She smiled about him checking in on Jack. Gower simply got her. And without really trying. The man just understood how she worked.
For the first time since she�
��d arrived in the desert, she fell asleep thinking happy thoughts.
Chapter 14
“I don’t see any helicopters.”
Gower checked messages on his phone. “They’ll be here soon.”
“You said that an hour ago.”
Gower looked down and snorted. “It was only ten minutes.”
“Well it feels like ten hours,” Dillon exclaimed. “Are you sure Avenging Angel is coming home today? She’s been gone a long time.”
Gower didn’t huff, but he did glare. Dillon had come up with a name. He used it every time they talked about Melina, which was a hundred times a day when he wasn’t in school.
“You can call her Melina.”
“No I can’t. You said she’d be wearing her uniform, so I have to use her secret identity. No one is supposed to know who she really is. Melina is her real person name.”
Gower’s lips tightened. It had been a long—very long—two months. But at least it hadn’t been six. Or four. Or a year like it might have been in worse circumstances.
And today, if Jack was right, Melina was finally returning. He hadn’t spoken to her once in all the time she’d been gone. She’d sent two cryptic updates by email with “see you soon” at the bottom.
His only real news had been one hateful, but hopeful, conversation with Chris Cassidy, which indirectly had told him the most important thing he’d wanted to know. Before that he’d sustained himself on the memory of her turning back to him just before she left.
Melina had looked like she was going to cry that day. It had been hard as hell to send her off in that condition. He didn’t want to do it again. He’d have to tell her that and get it off his chest, no matter what the fallout. They’d have a lot to work out if she did decide to stay in. He’d have a lot of adjusting to do if he had to get used to her picking up and leaving all the time.
Gower sighed and closed his eyes. Hell. What if he was fooling himself? What if he’d been the only one of them who’d fallen hard? Melina had never said a single word about her feelings for him. Hell, she could barely bring herself to be nice on a regular basis. She worked damn hard to be gentle with Dillon. The boy adored her and never stopped talking about her.
Hot SEALs: SEALed For Life (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 8
