A SEAL's Surrender

by Tawny Weber

His cell phone buzzed. Grateful for the distraction, he reached over to check the incoming text.

  Did you get my money?

  Or maybe he’d go beat the hell out of something to relieve frustration, he added to the previous litany.

  Damn, his father was a pain.

  Cade’s fingers hovered over the text keyboard. He wanted to write back that the loan wasn’t Eden’s to pay. That Robert was an idiot for lending Eleanor money so it was his problem to collect. That Cade wasn’t his damned errand boy.

  But he didn’t type any of that.

  Because none of it would make a damned bit of difference. The minute he tossed this back in Robert’s face, the old man would come after Eden directly.

  She was doing great. Getting her business going, paying off the bank loan her mother had dumped on her. She didn’t need this, too. It was Eleanor’s responsibility, just like the bank loan. Cade wasn’t going to let Eden get railroaded into paying Robert. After trying for a week and a half to reach the elder Gillespie, he’d finally had to accept that it wasn’t going to happen before he went back to Coronado.

  So...on to Plan B.

  Cade glanced at the bathroom door. He couldn’t hear the shower anymore. She’d be out any second now. So he took a deep breath, made one of those split-second decisions that made him an effective SEAL and texted back:

  You’ll have a check tomorrow.

  Cade tossed the phone on the nightstand.

  So the check would have his name on the signatory line, not Eden or Eleanor’s. Robert could just deal with it. Then, when Cade finally heard from Eleanor, he’d make arrangements for her to pay him instead.

  There, he gave a mental clap of his hands. All taken care of.

  Except maybe he should tell Eden about it.

  But what good would that do? It’d just stress her out, add to her worries and mess up his last days with her.

  He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and shoring up his determination.

  He’d tell her later. After sex.

  And after he told her he was heading back to San Diego in four days.

  Never, since the day he left for boot camp, had Cade wanted less to return to duty. And not just because of the gorgeous woman joining him in bed.

  Although she was a big part of the reason.

  But so were the nightmares. The intense, gut-wrenching pain of missing Phil. The doubts about his leadership, the second-guessing of his decisions. Cade wasn’t sure he had what it took to do a good job anymore. He wasn’t sure he could be a SEAL.

  For a man whose confidence had always topped out at supreme, this wasn’t just humiliating, it was confusing as hell. He didn’t know what to do.

  So he wasn’t going to do anything. For now, his entire focus was Eden. On fixing her issues, making her life easier. His, he’d deal with later.

  * * *

  “WELL?” FEELING FRESH and sexy after her shower, Eden sat cross-legged on her bed and leaned over to peer into Cade’s face. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

  He peeled one eye open and gave her a languid look. It took all her control not to giggle, but she managed to keep her expression impatiently expectant.

  “I could say I’m looking forward to some good lovin’. Or I could say good-night, since it’s almost midnight and you had me up early this morning to take care of a goat.” He sounded a lot happier about the former than the latter. Probably because Jojo hadn’t taken too kindly to a man in her pen and had tried to headbutt him right back out.

  “It won’t be good lovin’. It will be great,” Eden corrected primly. Then she arched one brow. “And you had a nap while I saw clients this afternoon, so I’d think you caught up on sleep just fine.”

  Eden wasn’t quite sure what to make of her new life. She just knew it was wonderful. Somehow, in the week since the lakeside lovemaking, Cade had sort of moved in with her. Sort of, because neither of them had actually said a word about it. But his clothes were in a drawer she’d cleared. His toiletries sat next to hers in the bathroom. And the last three nights, she’d come in from a packed day at the clinic to find dinner waiting on the table, Cade in his stocking feet reading the paper and looking about as content as she’d ever seen him.

  Business was booming, her love life was rocking and her social life... Holy cow, her social life. Suddenly she was the most popular girl in town. She’d been invited to join committees, to luncheons and just yesterday, Crystal had called to chat and ask about adopting the kittens.

  It was like she suddenly belonged.

  All thanks to Cade.

  “Okay,” her naked hero said, opening both eyes now and giving her a questioning look. Beneath the query and sexual heat, though, she could see something else. A pain that wrenched at her heart. A pain she didn’t know how to fix. How to heal. All she could do was the same thing she’d done all week. Distract him with sex. But as deliciously wonderful as the results of that were, she knew that sooner or later, he had to face the pain. She just didn’t know how to help him.

  “What were you asking about?” At her blank look, he arched a brow and added, “You asked if I had anything to say, remember?”

  “Remember? Oh, yeah,” she said with a strained laugh. “You visited with your grandmother today, right? How is she doing with Alfie?”

  The look on Cade’s face was pure doubt. “Are you sure that’s a dog? It sounds more like one of the squeaky toys you find at the pet store. It’s about the same size, too.”

  “Alfie’s an AKC-registered Yorkshire Terrier,” Eden said with an offended sniff. Then she grinned. “Isn’t he adorable? As soon as you told me that your grandmother wanted a companion dog, I knew he’d be perfect. The lady who’d been taking care of him almost refused to give him up, but she already has ten dogs of her own.”

  Cade’s jaw dropped. “Ten? Granted, they’re so small, it would take about ten of them to equal the size of a real dog. But...ten?”

  “She’s a breeder who takes in fosters from time to time,” Eden chided gently. “We’re lucky she had the perfect pet so quickly. Sometimes it can take months. But I think it was love at first sight for both Alfie and Catherine.”

  “Yeah, she’s totally into the dog,” he admitted. “She was personally making it oatmeal and steamed carrots when I stopped by this afternoon.”

  “That’s great. Alfie’s fourteen and used to a whole-food diet.” Eden gave him a narrow-eyed look. “What’s the matter? Are you jealous of your grandmother’s new pet?”

  “She has a cook, but she insists on doing it herself. I don’t think she’s made me lunch since I was two,” he muttered, making Eden grin.

  “You are jealous,” she said with a laugh.

  “Only of the time you spend away from me,” he admitted, his hand skimming up her thigh and underneath her nightgown.

  Eden’s breath caught. Desire shimmered, low in her belly.

  “I’m with you now,” she said.

  “So you are.” In a swift move, he rolled over, taking her with him. Laughing, Eden cuddled into the pillow and looked up at his sexy face.

  “Let’s go away this weekend,” he suggested, burying his face in her throat for a nuzzle. “Just us. We’ll go anywhere you want. Dancing all night in the city. A romantic balloon ride in wine country. You name it.”

  “I can’t. We can’t,” she corrected. “This weekend is the Spring Fling, remember?”

  “We’ll skip it.”

  “Your grandmother would kill us both.”

  Cade’s groan reverberated against her throat, but he didn’t argue further. If anything, he got serious about turning the heat up on his kisses.

  Eden shivered in delight, her hands cruising over the hard breadth of his shoulders.

  As much as she wanted that feeling of being a couple, taking a trip together, she wanted the memory of walking into the most prestigious event of the year on the arm of Cade Sullivan. The most popular guy in Ocean Point.

  That memory would be the cherry o
n top of a deliciously sexy, mind-bogglingly amazing fantasy come true. Walking in with Cade would cement her place in society.

  The joy faded a little, happiness taking on a dim edge. Her heart drooped like a flower in desperate need of water as she forced herself to finish that thought.

  She’d have wonderful memories. She’d be a part of the clique that she’d been born into, but only skirted around the edges of for most of her life. She’d have enough clients to pay off her mother’s loan, a solid business and a strong foundation to build her future on.

  The only thing she wouldn’t have was Cade.

  12

  THE SPRING FLING. Ocean Point’s most prestigious social event of the year, and here she was. Not helping the bartender, or sitting at the hostess table by the entrance, checking off RSVPs.

  Nope. Eden was dressed in her fanciest gown, wearing her sassiest shoes, dancing in the arms of the sexiest man in town.

  She gave a little shiver of delight. Wow, so many wonderful things were happening in her life, it was as if the dreams-come-true fairy had dumped a whole bagful of wishes on her life.

  It felt magnificent.

  Almost as magnificent as dancing in Cade’s arms. Except instead of looking like he was having the time of his life, Cade was tenser than she’d ever seen him. Oh, the usual charm was right there, front and center. And he was just as gorgeous today as he’d been two weeks ago, or even a year ago. That hadn’t changed. But Eden was pretty sure this was the first time she’d ever seen him so ill-at-ease. She rubbed a soothing hand over his back, grateful to feel some of the tension drain as he gave her a little smile.

  Torn between the delight of the moment and needing to make Cade feel better, Eden hesitated for just a second. Then, unable to do otherwise, she leaned in to brush a kiss on his cheek.

  “Catherine and the Spring Fling committee did a wonderful job with everything. But maybe we could cut out early. Go home, get naked, heat up some cherry-flavored body oil,” she added with a teasing wink.

  She’d learned to read him pretty well over the last week or so. To look beyond his eyes, which hid everything behind a layer of charm, and instead notice the tiny wrinkles that pinched the corners of his eyes when he was stressed.

  And despite her offer of warm body oil and a quick escape, the wrinkles were still there.

  But all Cade said was, “Now that’s an idea. But I promised my grandmother I’d introduce the Veteran’s Auction.”

  “Then we’ll leave as soon as it’s over?”

  “The very second.”

  Figuring she’d better enjoy the few dances she’d get, Eden cuddled closer into his arms with a sigh and glanced around. It was a magical scene. The chandeliers and candles all glinted warmly. The scent of lilies filled the air, melding with subtle perfumes and rich cologne. Like Cinderella at the ball, Eden reveled in the sight of everyone dressed so beautifully, looking so fancy.

  Well, hell. A lot of those beautifully dressed people weren’t just looking fancy. They were staring. Hard.

  “So this is what it’s like to be royalty,” she murmured, giving Cade a flutter of her lashes as she burrowed a little deeper into his arms as the string quartet’s rendition of The Doors’s “Light My Fire” played. “I feel like I should be doing the princess wave.”

  From a few of the looks shooting her way, the wave would be returned with a single-finger salute. Of course, those were all single women who had crushes on Cade, so she shouldn’t be surprised.

  “I’d rather you kept your hands on me instead of waving to the gawkers,” he said, taking his attention away from her face for just a second to cast a derisive look to the staring crowd. Not that they were the only ones on the dance floor. But they were the only ones cell phone cameras were being aimed at. “Just ignore them. We’re here to dance, to help my grandmother raise a bundle of money, then to get the hell out and have fun.”

  With a tiny shiver in honor of the last round of fun they’d had, Eden smiled her agreement. Dance, help, money, run. She was good with all of that. And maybe if she focused on those steps, she could ignore the stares. Was this what he had to deal with all the time? The paparazzi-like frenzy from his friends and hometown acquaintances? She hadn’t realized how bad it was for him, always being the center of attention.

  A flash of color caught her eye, the vividness of Janie’s dress commanding Eden’s, and quite a few other people’s, attention. The green tulle was just a few shades brighter than the jealous heat in her eyes as she glared.

  Eden shifted, missing a step and almost stomping on Cade’s foot. Before she could even wince, he easily incorporated her stumble into their dance steps.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Just feeling a little self-conscious,” she answered, pulling her gaze away from the crowd. For a second she stared at his shoulder, before lifting her eyes to meet his. “I think I’d be more comfortable dancing without the audience.”

  “Could we be naked?”

  She blinked, then burst into laughter. Her fingers curled tighter around the back of his neck and she gave him a flirtatious look.

  “We could. Or better yet, we could take a radio down to the lake and dance there. Naked and under the moonlight.”

  They grinned at each other for a second. Then, remembering how many times they’d made love by the lake, and in her bedroom, her kitchen, her office, her bathroom, heck, everywhere but her car because it was still in the body shop, they stopped.

  “Why don’t we go outside and practice?” he whispered huskily, his breath warming her ear before he brushed a soft kiss against her cheek.

  “A walk outside would be nice,” she finally agreed, giving him a shadow of a smile. It would give her a few seconds to regroup, maybe a kiss or two to remind herself of why being with Cade was a wonderful temporary fantasy that she should enjoy every second of, and then, she’d be just fine.

  Warm and comforting, his hand curled around hers as he led her off the dance floor. They’d made it about halfway to the wide expanse of French doors when Cade’s steps slowed. She looked up at him.

  His smile had dimmed and tension deepened the wrinkles in the sides of his eyes, stiffened his shoulders. Eden followed his gaze, grimacing when she saw his father settled into the corner with his glass of scotch, unlit cigar and group of toadies.

  “I guess I should pay my respects,” Cade said in the same tone she figured he’d use to accept an order to throw himself on a live grenade.

  Eden’s smile didn’t waver, but she did take a deep, fortifying breath before entwining her fingers tighter with his and nodding. “Sure, let’s say hello.”

  “You’re going with me?”

  “You sound so shocked.”

  “I am. Why would you want to talk to him? I sure wouldn’t if I had a choice.” He slanted her an odd look, like he was about to change his mind about greeting his father.

  “Moral support,” she said, nudging him with her shoulder and pulling him another step forward. “C’mon. Let’s get it over with so we can make out in the garden.”

  That got both a smile, and more importantly, his feet moving. They didn’t make it two yards before their path was intersected by another man dressed in navy whites.

  “Uncle Seth,” Cade said in shock. “What are you doing here?”

  “Can’t a guy drop in to visit his favorite nephew?”

  “I’m your only nephew.”

  “Then let’s call it a friendly visit,” the older man said before giving Cade an arch look and nodding to Eden.

  Cade shook his head, as if clearing a ringing from his ears, then lifted Eden’s hand in his. “Uncle Seth, this is Eden Gillespie. Eden, my uncle, Captain Seth Borden.”

  “Captain?” Eden offered a smile and a warm handshake. “Do you serve with Cade?”

  “We’re on the same base. But I’m in training. Something Cade here will be great at. I’m hoping he’ll take me up on the offer to come work with the BUDS.”

  �
��You moonlighting as a recruiter now?” Cade asked. His smile was friendly, but his tone had a sharp edge to it.

  Tension spiked, sharp and dangerous. Unlike the two men, Eden was unused to battles, so she felt like it was going to smother her. She shifted from one foot to the other, trying to find something to say to defuse the situation.

  What had the other man said? Why was his offer—whatever it was—such an issue?

  “Nah, just a guy with an intense interest in your future.” Seth’s smile shifted, worry lighting his eyes as he gave his nephew a long look. “A guy’s got to know when he’s approaching burnout. When it’s time to take a break and look at some options.”

  What was he talking about?

  Cade was approaching burnout? She gave a tiny grimace, noting that he looked more like he was battling fury rather than exhaustion.

  “Eden, will you excuse us?” Cade asked, not taking his eyes off his uncle.

  “Sure,” she said, her own gaze huge as it sprang from one man’s tense face to the other. “I’ll mingle. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

  Other than Seth’s absent nod, neither of them acknowledged her. Instead, after Cade gestured toward the open patio doors, they both strode out like they were going to strip down and beat the crap out of each other.

  Eden’s heart raced, nerves jangling.

  Cade was a big boy.

  He’d cut his teeth on society events, and this one was sponsored by his grandmother. He wouldn’t do anything to cause a scene.

  And he definitely wouldn’t appreciate any interference on Eden’s part.

  Now that she had all of those reasonable, well-thought-out details solid in her mind, Eden gave a satisfied sigh.

  Then looked around for Cade’s grandmother.

  She was going to need some backup when she went out to interrupt that little talk.

  There.

  She saw Catherine across the room, holding court in a Valentino gown and a diamond necklace and holding a tiny dog in her arm.

  Aww, Alfie was here? Even if she didn’t want, desperately, to congratulate the elderly woman on breaking rules with such panache, Eden would have rushed over just to see the dog.