Groans and grumbles erupted between his teammates.
“Seriously? When did we become teenage girls who shared secrets? Have you guys been braiding each other’s hair since I’ve been off?” He countered.
He supposed he could give them something. Like he’d met a nice girl. No way was he blabbing the news that he was about to be a father. That tidbit he wanted to keep close to his chest. It was still new to him and he wanted to savor the feeling of knowing it was just between him and Suzie. He didn’t even know if she’d mentioned to any of her work colleagues that she was pregnant. Did she have a best friend like Antonia was to Erin? There was so much they still had to learn about each other. He was looking forward to finding it all out.
“I know, it’s that nurse from the hospital. The one from the garden,” Cowboy puffed out as they all started a slow jog down the beach.
Ryan’s wound pinched with each stride, but he gritted his teeth and kept going. The only way to get stronger was to work through the pain. That philosophy had gotten him through BUD/S training, it would get him through this.
“It has to be her,” Red yelled over his shoulder as he jogged to the front of the group. “He hasn’t said a word.”
The temptation to roll his eyes again at his teammates antics was strong, but it also made him smile. To know his band of brothers were interested in his life cemented the friendship they all shared. “Fine. Yes, it’s the nurse from the hospital.”
They stopped, all of them drawing in deep lungfuls of air. “Hey, when Erin and Antonia were in the hospital, weren’t you flirting with a nurse then? Is it her?” asked Italy.
One thing about SEALs they were able to direct their attention to many things all at once. It kept them safe on missions, so he wasn’t surprised at Italy’s question. His mind may have been full of worry about his girlfriend, but he still paid attention to what was happening around him.
“Yeah, that’s her,” he responded as he dropped to the sand and started doing pushups.
For the next thirty minutes conversation was kept to a minimum as they went through their training regime. Ryan was glad for the reprieve but knew it would be short lived. One thing he knew about his brothers, once they got onto an interesting topic, they didn’t let up until they had all the information. Even if that topic was his relationship.
They arrived back at base and headed for the locker room to shower and change and get ready for the day. Ryan was standing at his locker, towel around his waist when a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked and found Robot standing behind him. “Get together my place this weekend, bring your new girl so we can meet her.”
He walked off before Ryan had a chance to open his mouth and protest. What he and Suzie shared was brand new, exposing her to his team could scare her away. He’d seen the hint of fear in her eyes when he’d talked about his job as they discussed if they were going to pursue a relationship. He’d wanted to give her a chance to get used to the idea of dating a Navy SEAL before bringing his team into it. Looks like he wasn’t going to get that opportunity. “Sure, I’ll see if she’s free.”
Another thing he needed to find out, what her shifts were. Plus, he needed to contact Tex to see if he could find out information about her neighbor. Perhaps Ryan needed to make himself seen more often around Suzie so the other guy would get the idea she was off the market.
He smiled as he thought about Suzie, wondering if she was working today or if she was at home. How was she feeling? Did she suffer morning sickness? The doctor said she was in her second trimester and she should be feeling better.
“Brother, you’ve got it bad.”
Ryan looked to his left to find Italy standing beside him, grinning like a loon. “What ya talking about, Italy?”
“You’re smiling like a little kid on Christmas morning. It only means one thing.”
“Yeah, what’s that.”
“You’re falling in love.”
Ryan laughed at the notion. A notion he didn’t want to look too closely at. How could he possibly be falling in love with Suzie? They’d hardly spent any time together. Sure, they were about to be parents, and the sexual attraction sizzled between them. But it wasn’t love. Was it?
“Joker, your face is priceless. Here’s where you’d crack a joke, but by the looks of you, you don’t want to make one.” Italy clapped him on the back and walked away, leaving him to his thoughts.
His teammate was right, the last thing he felt like doing was telling a lame joke. It was what he did when he wanted to take the heat off himself. He’d always used as a way to get people to accept him. It had worked in high school, and when he’d initially enlisted in the Navy. No one thought, geeky Ryan Smith could make it through BUD/S training. He’d proved everyone wrong, but, on occasions, he still didn’t feel like he belonged. At the back of his mind was always the thought he could be replaced. Hadn’t it been what he’d focused on the whole time he was in hospital with his infection?
A slamming of locker jolted him from his introspection. He needed to get a grip of himself. Inattention could get him, or his teammates hurt or killed. That wasn’t going to happen on his watch.
Ever.
Suzie’s stomach somersaulted and she took deep breaths. Now that would be an entrance wouldn’t it, tossing her cookies the second she stepped into Ryan’s team leader’s backyard. No wait, team lead, that’s the correct term. She’d asked Ryan a ton of questions about his team members when he asked her if she’d like to go to Robot’s place. At least she thought they were going to Robot’s place. All these nicknames were confusing.
Her step faulted the closer they got to the gate. She could do this. She could.
“You okay, Roses?” Ryan asked.
“Yeah.” She really wasn’t but she couldn’t let Ryan know that.
Ryan tugged her to the side of the gate and pulled her close, his arms entwining loosely around her waist. She shivered in delight at being held so closely. Since dinner at her place, Ryan had been around most nights. They’d kissed more times than she ever had without taking it the next step and having sex. Oh, there was some serious touching involved and he’d brought her to release just by sucking on her breasts, something that she’d never experienced before.
But they hadn’t taken it to the next step. Ryan had told her he wanted the next time they slept together to be perfect. Hell, every time they’d made out on the couch had been perfect for her, but her romantic soul found it sweet that he wasn’t rushing her into bed. After all they’d already done that. But it was a place she definitely wanted to fall into again.
“If you’re feeling at all uncomfortable we’ll leave. Just say the word. The guys can be a little over the top on occasion.”
She reached up and cupped his cheek, touched by his thoughtfulness. There was so much more to Ryan ‘Joker’ Smith than she’d ever thought. Did his teammates know this or did he not show it to them? Probably the latter. No way would Ryan want to appear weak in front of his teammates.
Just like she wouldn’t. “I’ll be fine. Yes, I’m nervous, but I work in a military hospital. You guys aren’t the easiest of patients. I can hold my own.” Yes she could and she needed to remember that.
“I’m sure you can. And if I forget to say it later on, I’m really glad you’re here with me.”
He leaned forward and placed his lips over hers. Her body melted at the contact. Her mouth opened wider to allow his tongue entrance. Her nipples peaked against her bra and desire gathered low between her legs.
Before they could get too carried away, Ryan broke their connection and rested his cheek against hers. A puff of his breath tickling her ear. She went to move away from him. This close she was tempted to drag him back to his car and demand he drive her back to his or her place and forget all about this party.
He halted her progress. “Wait. I want to hold you for a few seconds longer. I know the moment I get in there I’m not going to be able to spend more than five minutes with you.”
Suzie laid her he
ad on his chest, she didn’t mind him holding her for a little while longer.
“How long have you and Joker been seeing each other?” asked Erin, Italy’s fiancée, as she sat down next to her, two glasses of wine in her hand.
“Not long.” She took the glass of wine Erin held out and placed it on the table in front of her. Like the other glass she’d been given, Suzie would leave it there when she walked away. Ryan had told her he hadn’t mentioned to his team that they were expecting. He said that he would tell them when she was happy for him to mention it. Honestly, she had no problem if wanted to shout it out loud, but she liked that he was waiting for her.
“You meet when Antonia and I were in hospital, right?”
Suzie nodded around the mouthful of food she’d forked into her mouth. She hadn’t met Erin or Antonia when they’d been in the hospital, but she had today. Once she swallowed her food she confirmed her nod. “Yeah, we went to dinner that night, but we didn’t exchange numbers.”
“Dinner was a bust then, huh? Nice of you to give him a second chance.”
As much as she tried to control the rush of blood to her face, Suzie couldn’t. Erin’s eyebrows rose up. “Ohhh,” she said and started laughing. “It was like that, was it.”
The evidence of their one night was going to be showing soon. SEALs weren’t dumb and they’d all work out when exactly she’d fallen pregnant. No point denying what happened that night. It was the best night of her life. One she wanted to experience again. “I’d lie, but there’s no point. Yes, we had a one night stand.”
“Looks like it’s a bit more than that,” Erin said quietly.
Immediately Suzie’s senses went on high alert. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m guessing you saw Joker again after he was shot, seeing as you’re a nurse and all. Being the flirt he is, you couldn’t resist seeing him again, and here you are.”
Relief flowed through Suzie, for a second she was worried that Erin had worked out she was pregnant. “Yeah, something like that.”
“A baby does complicate things though, doesn’t it?”
Erin made her declaration so casually, Suzie was relieved she hadn’t taken another mouthful of food, otherwise she would’ve spat it out over the table. “Sorry, what did you say?”
Erin leaned closer. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you.”
Again, what was the point in denying the truth. She may have lied to her friends about how controlling Peter had been, but these people standing in the backyard were important to Ryan. She didn’t want to be known as a liar. “Yes, but you can’t tell anyone.”
“Joker doesn’t know?” Erin blurted out.
Suzie looked around to see if anyone was watching them, but everyone in the yard where caught up in their own conversations. “Yes, he knows. When I saw him again I told him. I couldn’t keep it from him, even though I’d decided to go the solo route. Now that’s all changed, which is fine. But how did you know?”
“Takes one to know one.” Erin said with a smile.
Hang on a second, was Erin saying she was pregnant too. No that couldn’t be right, she’d brought her a glass of wine when she sat down. Suzie looked at the glassware, noticing there was no indication the glass had been anywhere near Erin’s mouth. “I take it no one knows?” she asked and nodded at the wine glass.
“No. I found out yesterday. Even Antonia doesn’t know.”
Suzie looked over the group of people and found Antonia in a corner talking to Robot. Well talking was a mild expression, it looked like whatever they were talking about was getting pretty heated. She wondered if they’d been an item and were now no longer one. But it wasn’t her business to ask, she was the new girl.
“Congratulations, that’s exciting. I’m sure Carlos will be very excited. Ryan was, once he got over the shock.”
Erin laughed. “This is totally unplanned, but yeah…” Her voice dropped an octave as she stared directly at her man. “He’ll be totally excited.”
Suzie smiled when she heard the tenderness in the other woman’s voice as she talked about her man. “When do you plan on telling him?”
“Probably tomorrow morning when I’m barfing. That’s the reason I went to the doctor, because I was throwing up so much. Carlos was worried.”
“Oh yeah, been there done that, although not every day. It will pass.”
Erin grimaced. “That’s what my doctor said.”
“Guess we need to find a way to dump our wine without anyone being suspicious,” Suzie said as she observed Ryan breaking away from the guys he was talking to and heading in her direction. She couldn’t help the way her lips spread into a grin as he approached.
“Girl, you’ve got it bad,” whispered Erin under her breath. “Welcome to the club.”
Suzie didn’t know which club Erin was talking about, but she hoped it was the pregnant club, because any other club was one she didn’t want to belong to. That other club meant giving up control of her life and she definitely wasn’t going down that route again.
Chapter Eight
The streetlamp flickered before flaring back to life as Ryan pulled up out front of Suzie’s building. He’d had a great time with her at Robot’s place. She’d slipped into the group really easily. It had been difficult to keep from stealing kisses from her every chance he got, but he’d controlled himself. He hadn’t wanted to embarrass her with an abundance of public displays of affection, and he knew the guys would give him a hard time. Hell, he joined in in giving Italy shit every time he’d grabbed Erin to kiss her.
“Do you want to come up?” Suzie asked quietly as the time they spent in the car stretched out.
“Do you want me to?” Shit, what the fuck was he doing answering her question with a question of his own? He may have only had Suzie back in his life for a short time, but he was well aware she was independent and didn’t do anything she didn’t want to. If she asked him if he wanted to go to her place, she meant it.
“Wait,” he held up his hand when she went to speak. “Yes, Suzie, I’d love to come up.”
“Great.” She rolled her eyes as she laughed, the light tinkling sound making him smile wider than he already was. He didn’t think he’d smiled so much as he had Robot’s place. The party had been a lot of fun.
Ryan got out of the car and walked around the front to open the door for Suzie. He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close as he closed the door and locked the car.
The street light flickered again.
“The City really needs to do something about that light,” he commented as they walked into the building.
“It always flickers, but it never goes out. I think the City has bigger things to worry about than a dodgy lightbulb.”
“It’s not safe. I don’t like it.”
Suzie stiffened by his side, the action surprising. “It doesn’t matter if you like it or not, Ryan. It is what it is.”
She pulled away from him and rushed up the remaining steps to the door of her building where she paused. The atmosphere between the two of them had changed in a heartbeat and he had no idea why.
When he reached her side, he looked down into her face. Her eyes, which had been gleaming with desire when he helped her out of the car, were now stormy, any hint of heat gone.
What the hell?
Before Suzie, if a girl changed emotions quicker than a flash of lightning he would shrug it off and see if he could sweet talk her into a better mood. He had an idea that any attempt to sweet talk Suzie would be squashed before he’d even started. Surprisingly, he didn’t want travel that road. What he wanted with Suzie was a true relationship in every sense of the word. A relationship where each person was respected, like his parents’ relationship. His dad had cautioned him many years ago that the key to a successful relationship and marriage was always being honest with each other, even when the truth could hurt the person you loved. If you lied to them you were not only being disrespectful to yourself, you were disregarding the person you ca
red about the most.
If they were going to have the type of relationship he wanted, then he needed to find out what set Suzie off, because something he’d said certainly had. On the front stoop of her building wasn’t the best place to have this conversation, but here they were, and they were going to talk.
“What’s going, Suzie?”
“Nothing.”
Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose, she was pricklier than a prickle bush in the middle of a jungle. Both required him to step carefully through to get safely to the other side. “Nothing is the same as fine. There’s something. Talk to me, Roses. Help me understand what I said to upset you. And I know it’s something I said.”
Tension slid out of her and her body swayed toward his, he caught her and wrapped his arms around her. God, it was so perfect holding her tightly against him. He brushed his lips across the top of her head. “Let’s go upstairs and talk,” he suggested. “That is if you still want me to come in.”
A shudder rippled through her. “Yes, I still want you to come up.”
“Thank you.”
Together they walked into the building and headed for the elevator. The trip to her floor was made in silence, the elevator taking its sweet time. If the circumstances between them had been different he may have used the slow trip to reacquaint himself with her lips. The kiss they’d shared before walking into Robot’s backyard had been playing on repeat in his mind the whole time they were there.
Now he wanted to take it further.
Hand in hand they walked down the hall to her apartment, Suzie’s heart racing with every step they took. Anticipation building inside of her with regards to what was going to happen next. The door at the end opened and Jeffery stuck his head out. Immediately Ryan tensed beside her. If she hadn’t been connected to him through their hands and so tuned into him, she would’ve missed the action. She couldn’t deny having a big sexy Navy SEAL beside her gave her a sense of security when facing Jeffery.
“Hey Suzie, you okay?” The question was a simple one, however for the first time since Jeffery had taken it upon himself to speak to her all the time, there was a hint of anger in his tone. His gaze had zeroed in on their joined hands.
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Guarding Suzie (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 7
