by Susan Stoker
“Perfect. You want me to bring lunch?”
Kenna hadn’t even thought about food, but it was a good idea, so they could hang out on the beach all day—if they weren’t kicked off. “That’d be great.”
“Anything you don’t like?” Marshall asked.
“Not really. I mean, the beach isn’t really the place for something like seafood, but generally I’ll eat whatever.”
“Okay, I’ll come up with something easy to eat that won’t spoil in the heat. Kenna?”
“Yeah?”
Marshall shook his head as if he thought better about asking whatever was on his mind.
“What, Marshall?” Kenna asked.
“I was just going to tell you how excited I am about this weekend.”
She smiled at him. “Me too,” she said quietly. “I don’t know what it is about you, but I feel as if I’ve known you forever.”
“Same,” he agreed. “Drive safe and don’t forget to text me when you get home so I know you got there okay.”
Kenna nodded, then stepped toward him. She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly and briefly. “I had a good time today. Thanks.”
“I’m just happy we’ll have more time this weekend,” he said.
“Me too.”
Marshall stepped away from her slowly, as if reluctant to leave. Kenna definitely knew the feeling. She stood by her car until he was inside his Jeep once more. Only then did she get into her own vehicle. She followed him out of the parking lot and waved when he turned left and she turned right.
After arriving home and shooting Marshall a text to let him know she got there without any issues, she stood in the middle of her apartment with a silly grin on her face. There was something…soothing…about being with Marshall. She didn’t worry about where they were or what they were doing, somehow she just had a feeling he’d take care of all the details. Make sure they were safe.
Had she ever felt this way when she was with a guy before?
She didn’t think so.
Looking at her watch, Kenna saw she had a few hours to kill before she had to leave for work. She decided to spend the time surfing the web and finding the perfect beach for them to go to that weekend. It had to be somewhere that had high reviews online, but wasn’t too hard to get onto. She didn’t want to make Marshall drive all the way up to the North Shore either. Even heading east to the coast could take a while. So she decided to concentrate on beaches on the west side near the Navy base. She hated that he’d have to drive out to Waikiki to pick her up, only to go back where he’d come from, but hopefully she could find a beach that would totally be worth it.
Marshall offering to pick her up was extremely considerate. Especially considering it was so early in their relationship. One of the things she liked best about Marshall was how down-to-earth he was. Being a SEAL probably meant he made more money than the average sailor, but maybe not. She had no idea. Maybe he hadn’t talked much about where he lived because he was embarrassed. Hopefully after seeing her not-so-very-exciting apartment, he’d relax a little. Other than his somewhat snobby comment that first night, he seemed to be a lot like her…middle class, with enough money for the important things in life but not a lot of extra.
Smiling, Kenna sat on her couch and fired up her laptop. She remembered seeing a private beach in a previous search that she thought would be perfect. Coral Springs condos looked classy and posh, and the beach was to die for. With Marshall at her side, she thought they just might be able to sneak in. As a couple, they’d blend in more, seem as if they belonged there. Sunday couldn’t come soon enough.
Chapter Seven
Aleck smiled at his phone, then stuffed it back into his pocket.
“Let me guess, that was Kenna,” Midas said with a smile.
Aleck shrugged and nodded.
“Things are going well with you guys,” Mustang noted. It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah. She’s great,” Aleck said.
“Happy for you, bro,” Pid said.
They were taking a short break from the intense meetings they’d been in all morning. An American had been thrown in jail in Iran for some perceived law he’d broken. Talks had been ongoing to secure his release, but had fallen through. Now other alternatives were being discussed; namely, sending special forces to go in and break the man out. But going into Iran without approval from the government was highly risky. The last thing the SEAL team wanted was to be discovered and incarcerated themselves.
“Thanks,” Aleck told his friends. “I could use some advice though.” He didn’t hesitate to ask his team for their opinion. Mustang and Midas had women of their own and could offer perspective, and the others were always up for telling him what they thought.
“Shoot,” Pid said.
“What’s up?” Midas asked.
The others nodded at him as well, letting him know they’d help however they could.
“So you know how I almost blew it that first night at Duke’s?” Aleck asked.
“You mean when you basically told her you didn’t approve of her job?” Slate said.
Aleck sighed. “That’s not what I said,” he grumbled. “And believe me, I’ve definitely had time to think about it, and Kenna loves what she does and is good at it. If only everyone could have a job they enjoy instead of just tolerate.” Aleck was truly happy for Kenna. She was living in a place she loved, working a job that was perfect for her extroverted personality. So what if she wasn’t making a shit ton of money? If things worked out like he was beginning to hope they would, she didn’t need it. Because he had plenty for them both.
“Go on,” Mustang urged.
“Right, well, I think she has the impression that as a sailor, I’m not making all that much money. Normally, she’d be right. But with our hazard pay and rank, not to mention the housing allowance and cost of living bonus, even without my trust, I’d be doing just fine,” Aleck said.
“And now you’re wondering how, and if, you should tell her that you’re loaded,” Jag said.
Aleck nodded. “Yeah. And that I live in a fucking penthouse at Coral Springs. I absolutely don’t want her to feel weird about me having plenty of money when she doesn’t. But the longer I go without telling her about my trust and my parents’ wealth, the harder it is to figure out how to spill the beans.”
“Just tell her,” Slate said.
Aleck wasn’t exactly surprised at his friend’s suggestion. He was a no-nonsense kind of guy.
“No, man, he can’t just blurt that out. He has to finesse it,” Mustang said.
“I agree,” Midas said with a nod.
“But how?” Pid asked. “It’s not something that’s likely to come up in casual conversation. He can’t say something like, ‘Oh, by the way, I live in a penthouse,’ and expect that to be that.”
“Why not?” Slate asked. “It’s true.”
“Because!” Pid exclaimed.
“Is she gonna be mad that he’s not a broke-ass military guy? Only if she’s psycho,” Slate said with a shrug.
“She’s not psycho,” Aleck said with a shake of his head.
“I agree that the longer you go without telling her, the bigger a deal it’ll be,” Midas said. “But I also think you need to find a good way to tell her that doesn’t feel as if you’re bragging about it or something.”
“You know I never brag about money,” Aleck said, somewhat annoyed.
“I do know. I wasn’t saying you do. But things with Kenna are new,” Midas said.
“So? Anyone got any great ideas?” Aleck asked.
No one said a word.
“Shit,” he muttered.
His friends all looked apologetic. Aleck was going to have to figure out something on his own. It wasn’t that he’d come out and told Kenna that he was barely getting by, and she had called him a snob, so she might not be all that surprised. But he didn’t like keeping such a big detail about his life a secret, even if it made no difference in how he felt about her.
So he needed to suck it up and just tell her.
“How’s her friend? Carly?” Pid asked.
“Good, as far as I know,” Aleck answered.
At the same time Jag said, “Good.”
Everyone turned to stare at their teammate.
“You been talking to her?” Mustang asked.
Jag shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, but yeah. We text now and then. And she sometimes calls me when she’s on her way up to her apartment, you know, as a safety thing.”
Everyone smirked.
“Seriously, she’s one hundred percent anti-dating right now. So we’re friends. I just want to make sure that asshole ex of hers is obeying the protective order and isn’t harassing her,” Jag said.
“And is he?” Slate asked.
“So far, yeah. But it’s only been days, and we all know assholes like that usually don’t slink back to their holes so easily.”
Aleck nodded. It was true. He worried about Kenna as well, since she’d been up in Shawn’s face the other day. He definitely hadn’t been happy about that.
“Oh, hey, if you guys aren’t busy the week after next, Lexie could use some help moving to the new location of Food For All,” Midas said.
“That’s finally happening?” Pid asked.
“Yeah. There’s not much furniture in the new location, but her boss, Natalie, is letting her take a bunch of extra stuff from the downtown location over there.”
“They need a donation to get some things?” Aleck asked. It didn’t really matter what the answer to his question was…he was already planning on making sure Lexie had what she needed to be comfortable and successful at the satellite location of the food pantry where she worked. Located in Barber’s Point, it was closer to Midas’s house, and would really help out the residents in that area. Traveling to downtown Honolulu was out of the question for the families in Barber’s Point who needed help the most.
“It wouldn’t go unappreciated,” Midas said diplomatically.
Aleck nodded.
“Elodie is super excited to work with her,” Mustang told them. “She’s been researching all sorts of healthy meals for box lunches. She’s also talking about the possibility of making dinners too. She said Lexie is working on finding volunteers who wouldn’t mind delivering the meals to the people who can’t make it to the center.”
“Lexie told me about that,” Midas said. “I guess Ashlyn is interested in helping. Maybe even heading up that part of the program.”
Slate growled, surprising everyone.
They all looked over at their friend.
“You don’t approve?” Midas asked.
Slate shrugged. “Just don’t think it’s safe for a woman to be driving around to strangers’ houses by herself.”
“I agree,” Pid said.
“Me too,” Midas added. “But no one said she’d be by herself, and one thing I’ve learned after getting to know Ashlyn through Lexie is that she isn’t someone you say ‘you can’t do that’ to. It makes her dig in her heels and become more determined than ever to prove you wrong.”
Aleck heard the note of warning in his teammate’s voice, and wondered if it was aimed at Slate. He’d just opened his mouth to say something sarcastic, because that was what he did, when their conversation was interrupted by a deep voice from behind them.
“Well, well, well, Smart Aleck’s gone and got hisself some pats on the back.”
Sighing, knowing exactly who was behind him in the hallway, Aleck turned to face the sailor who’d been a pain in his ass ever since the man had arrived on base.
Kylo Braun.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Pid asked the other man.
“I’m just congratulating the big bad SEAL on tackling an unsuspecting civilian and causing a ruckus,” Braun said.
Aleck crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the other man. Kylo had taken an immediate disliking to Aleck the first time they’d met. They’d all been on a company run, and a little girl hadn’t been paying attention and had dashed out into the street, right in front of an approaching SUV that was driving way too fast.
Braun had yelled, “Watch out!”
Aleck had acted. He’d barely gotten to the child in time, diving for her and snatching her out of the way of the approaching vehicle with inches to spare. He’d gotten a hell of a case of road rash out of it…and a commendation from the base commander.
Aleck suspected Braun was embarrassed he hadn’t tried to do anything, even though he was closest to the girl. It probably didn’t help that he’d most likely gotten a rash of shit from the other guys in his platoon. From that moment on, Braun had taken it upon himself to be a thorn in Aleck’s side.
“Thanks,” Aleck said, even though he knew that wasn’t what Braun wanted to hear. He’d done his best to stay away from the man, especially after reading his service record. He wasn’t supposed to have it, but an envelope had appeared at his condo one day and Aleck hadn’t been able to resist reading it.
Somehow, Baker Rawlins had gotten wind of Braun’s antagonistic attitude toward Aleck and had taken it upon himself to get a hold of his records. Baker wasn’t someone Aleck ever wanted to cross. The man was spooky as hell, and could get just about any information he wanted on anyone, as evidenced by the packet on Braun that had appeared on his doorstep.
Apparently, Braun had tried out to be a SEAL but hadn’t made it. He’d been cut fairly early in the process, hadn’t even made it to BUD/S. He’d failed the psychological assessment, which wasn’t exactly a surprise. The man was a bully who hated not being the center of attention.
The fact that the SEAL teams on base definitely got preferential treatment probably didn’t sit well with him. Regardless, Braun went out of his way to cause trouble for the teams whenever he could, and for some reason, he’d singled out Aleck for his own special brand of attention.
“Give it up,” Mustang told him.
“Give what up?” Braun said not so innocently. “I’m just congratulating a fellow sailor on a job well done.”
“You’re pissed that once again, Aleck is out there doing good for the community, while you sit around with your thumb up your ass, wishing it was you getting the attention,” Jag said in a low, deadly tone.
Jag wasn’t usually the first one to jump into a verbal confrontation. Not when they were on a mission and not here at home, on base. But he was the first one to act if one of his teammates was threatened. Aleck wasn’t sure why he was suddenly worked up over this asshole, but he had a feeling if something wasn’t done, the situation could get out of control.
“I appreciate the kudos,” Aleck said, stepping between Jag and Braun. The last thing they needed was a physical altercation, even if the other man was doing his best to provoke one of them into it.
“You’re an asshole,” Braun hissed, his true feelings finally coming out. “You think you’re all badass and better than anyone else just because you’re a SEAL.”
“No,” Aleck retorted. “I’m not better than anyone else because I’m a SEAL, but I’m definitely more observant than the average sailor. I’ve been trained to be that way. And if that means I’m in a position to help a little girl, or a grown woman who’s being harassed, you better believe I’m gonna step in. When’s the last time you stood up for someone else, Braun? You should try championing other people rather than tearing them down. I think you’d find it makes you a hell of a lot happier.”
“Fuck you,” Braun said, his eyes narrowed. “I would’ve saved that girl, but you pushed me out of the way so you could get the glory.”
“See? That’s
where your thinking is fucked up,” Mustang said. “Aleck didn’t put himself in danger because he wanted a pat on the back. He did it because it was the right thing to do.”
“Whatever,” Braun said with a roll of his eyes. “You better watch your back. One of these days someone’s gonna expose the fact that you’re not a superhero, and you’ll come crashing down to Earth.”
“Was that a threat?” Slate asked, stepping toward him menacingly.
Proving that he wasn’t completely stupid, Braun took a step backward. “No,” he said, but he didn’t sound nearly as cocky as he had a second ago. “Just a fact. You aren’t bulletproof, Smart Aleck, and one of these days your true colors are gonna show through, and I’m gonna be there to see it…and rejoice.”
Then, as if knowing he was two seconds away from being laid out on the ground by a bunch of SEALs, Braun turned and walked away as if he hadn’t just threatened one of their own.
Aleck’s hands curled into fists. “What an asshole,” he muttered.
“Please let me go after him and teach him a lesson,” Slate said to Mustang.
But their team leader shook his head. “No. The last thing I need is you getting into trouble over him. He’s not worth it.”
“Oh, it would totally be worth it to smash his face in,” Slate said.
Aleck took a deep breath. He didn’t like the not-so-veiled threat Braun had lobbed his way, but he wasn’t about to stoop to his level and didn’t want any of his friends to get in trouble.
“Ignore him,” Aleck told Slate and the others. “He’s hated me since his cowardice was revealed to the entire company. It’s fine.”
“Can you imagine if he’d somehow slipped through the cracks and become a SEAL?” Pid asked with a shudder. “What a fucking disaster.”
Aleck had to agree. Being on a SEAL team was rewarding, but one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He relied on the five men around him to have his back and had no doubt they would, no matter what the situation. But if Braun was on his team, he wouldn’t trust the man as far as he could throw him, which wasn’t a good situation when you were balls deep behind enemy territory.