The Reckless Warrior (Navy SEAL Romance)

by Jennifer Youngblood

  He placed the flowers in the center of the table where Delaney couldn’t miss them. Then he sat down beside Pops. “Thanks for holding down the fort.”

  “Sure. I enjoyed spending time with Dee. She’s a good girl. We had a great conversation.”

  He kept his tone casual. “What did you guys talk about?”

  “Oh, you know. Life. Relationships … stuff like that.”

  He tensed. “What sort of relationships?”

  Pops reached for the remote and turned down the volume on the TV. Then he angled toward Corbin. He arched an eyebrow, a trace of defiance in his expression. “You really wanna know?”

  “Well, yeah. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.” It was crazy how fast the irritation surfaced.

  “We talked about you and her.”

  The breath left Corbin’s lungs. His eyes narrowed. “What’re you up to, Pops? You have no right to meddle in my personal life.”

  “On the contrary. I have every right. You called and asked for my help, remember? Came here.”

  It was just like Pops to throw that in his face. “Yeah, I wanted to bring Delaney, Dee,” he corrected, “here to keep her safe, not for you to play matchmaker.” There was no telling what Pops told her.

  “Aren’t you interested in what she said?”

  “Well … yeah.” Pops had him and he knew it. He desperately wanted to know what Delaney said, but he wasn’t about to give Pops the satisfaction of begging.

  A sly smile slid over Pops’ lips. “She likes you. A lot.”

  “Really?” Hope rose in his chest. “She said that.”

  “Yeah. Not in those exact words, but that was the inference.”

  He gave Pops a hard look. “Are you sure you didn’t misconstrue the conversation?”

  “Absolutely. Dee cares about you, but she’s scared because of what happened with her ex.”

  “She told you that?” He was surprised that Pops had gotten Delaney to open up to him. And he was a little envious too.

  Pops winked. “Given enough time, I think she’ll come around.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Corbin said darkly. “She’s been hurt bad. I don’t know if she’ll ever be able to trust anyone else.”

  “Just be patient with her. You’ll see … it’ll work out.”

  He could tell Pops really believed that. Corbin wished he could be as sure.

  Pops sat up straight and cleared his throat. “There’s something else I want to talk to you about.”

  “Okay.” Wariness settled over him. This sounded serious. “What is it?”

  “This guy that’s after Dee, he’s bad news, huh?”

  “Yeah, Hugh Allen’s the worst of the worst.”

  “How are you gonna stop him?”

  He tightened his fist. “I’m going to do everything in my power to keep Delaney safe, if that’s what you’re asking.” Was Pops questioning his ability? Of course he was. He never believed that Corbin could do anything right.

  Pops looked him in the eye. “So you’re gonna spend the rest of your life running?”

  He rocked back. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”

  “If this guy’s as ruthless as you say, he won’t stop until he finds you and Dee.”

  Corbin rolled his eyes. “I’m glad to see you have so little faith in me,” he said sarcastically.

  Pops cocked his head. “Is that what you think?”

  “Yeah, quite frankly, that’s exactly what I think.” They stared at one other, all the old hurts and disagreements boiling to the top. Corbin was surprised to see a twitch in Pops’ jaw, then moisture in his eyes.

  “Nothing could be further from the truth.” He placed a hand on Corbin’s arm. “I know we haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, but I want you to know how proud of you I am.”

  The words broadsided Corbin like a fist to the gut. He couldn’t ever remember Pops giving him an outright compliment. Emotion rumbled in his throat as he swallowed.

  “I know you’ve been through some hard times,” Pops continued, “but I want you to know that the proudest moment of my life was when you were serving your country. I don’t know what happened out there, but I know you. I know your heart. You’re a good man.” His voice hitched. “But you’re also a hard, stubborn fool. Just like me. You may think that you’ll never be able to get past what happened to you, but you will. That’s the greatest gift the good Lord gave us … the power to change … to start again. I changed for that amazing, good-hearted woman in the care center, and I know you can do the same for Dee.”

  Tears brimmed in Corbin’s eyes, blurring his vision.

  “I should’ve told you that a long time ago.”

  Corbin coughed to cover the emotion.

  Pops smiled thinly. “I guess with your grandmother around, I didn’t have to. She could take up the slack. But now that she’s … sick … well, things are different.”

  “I miss her,” Corbin said quietly, the ache in his gut so powerful he could hardly contain it.

  “I miss her too, son.” A tear dribbled down Pops’ cheek. “She loved you. In her eyes, the sun rose and set with you.”

  Corbin looked down at the floor. He loved her too, so much that it cut to the quick.

  “Back to this thing with Hugh Allen.” Pops cleared his throat, his jaw tightening.

  Corbin recognized that gesture well. Pops was bottling up his emotion and putting on the hard cap. That he’d said as much as he had was a miracle.

  “You can’t keep running. You and Dee have to face him.”

  He barked out a laugh, hardly believing what he was hearing. “Why? So he can kill Delaney?”

  “So you can put an end to this thing. Better to do it on your own turf rather than on someone else’s.” He lifted his chin, his eyes going hard. “You’ll stand more of a chance facing him here than anywhere else.”

  Corbin shook his head. As frustrated as he got with his grandfather, he admired his torque. Pops believed he was invincible. Sure he was tough, part of that generation that breathed grit and determination. He’d taught Corbin how to fish, how to hunt, how to shoot, how to suck it up and be a man. But Pops had no idea what he was up against here. An image of the little girl flashed through his mind. It was still fresh from the nightmare. The white dress, the mother’s anguished cry, the blood spilling out. A shudder went through him. He could never intentionally put Delaney in harm’s way. “No, I can’t do that.”

  “It’s the only way to keep her safe. Remember the story of the bear?”

  A laugh scratched Corbin’s throat. Pops and his never-ending parables. “I don’t wanna hear the stupid bear story, all right?”

  Pops rubbed a hand across his brow. “Fine, but you’re not thinking about this sensibly.”

  His grandfather was a stubborn old fool. Corbin’s voice rose. “You’d really have me lure Hugh and his goons here? What about you? And Addie?”

  Pops’ face paled.

  Checkmate. Pops hadn’t thought about that, what it would mean for their family. Maybe he’d realize now and drop the whole thing.

  “You said your boss has endless resources. We could tap into those to help fight this.”

  He shook his head. The man was unbelievable, like a dog refusing to let go of a bone. “Pops, this isn’t some game. This is serious—a life and death situation. Sutton, my boss, is taking precautions. When I first found out about Delaney’s situation, I wanted to rush in and take care of Hugh, but Sutton said it would be too dangerous—too much collateral damage. That we should wait and let Hugh come to us.” After thinking about it, Corbin wondered if Sutton’s hesitancy to charge after Hugh was also owed to principle. It was one thing to act out of protection and another altogether to be the aggressor. Heaven favored the former, and Sutton seemed to be a God-fearing man.

  Pops clenched his fist. “Exactly,” he exclaimed, like Corbin had just gotten it. “You lure the bear out of the protection of its cave.”

  “But that doesn’t me
an we should bring the danger to our doorstep. Do you have some sort of death wish?”

  “No, I do not,” he countered stiffly. “And I don’t appreciate your tone. I’m only trying to protect you and Dee.”

  He blew out a breath. “So am I, Pops. So am I,” he repeated quietly. He looked at his aged grandfather, feeling a wave of sympathy for him. “Look, I appreciate your help, but you need to let me do this my way. Sutton has everything under control on his end, and so do I.” He gave Pops a firm look. “Okay? I’m a big boy. I don’t need you or anyone else running my life.”

  Pops nodded, but Corbin could tell he wasn’t convinced. Corbin stood to leave, but Pops caught his arm. He cleared his throat, hesitation washing over him. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  He sat back down.

  “You need to go and visit your grandmother.” His features clouded. “She’s not doing well.”

  Corbin rocked back, eyes narrowing. “Well, of course she’s not well. You’ve got her stuffed away in that place.” The words dripped like daggers from his lips as he shot Pops an accusing look. While a part of him understood why Gram had to be there, the larger part of him couldn’t. No that wasn’t true. This didn’t have as much to do with Pops as it did with himself. Guilt was eating him alive. Corbin was the worst offender of all. He’d left when Gram got sick because he couldn’t stand watching her wither away.

  Pops’ features tightened making him look older, a shriveled banana skin. Then Corbin saw the compassion in his eyes, realized it was directed at him. Without warning, tears rose in Corbin’s eyes.

  “I know Lou Ella’s sickness has been hard on you.”

  Heavy emotion pressed like cement on Corbin’s chest. He couldn’t handle this right now. He had to keep his mind focused on keeping Delaney safe. His personal issues would have to wait.

  “I think if you’ll just go and see Lou Ella, it’ll help you come to terms with what’s happening to her.”

  Corbin sprang to his feet, unwilling to let the avalanche of emotion smother him. “I’m going to check on Delaney,” he said gruffly, turning his back to Pops. He sucked in a breath, brushing at his tears with jerky swipes. “Thanks for taking care of things while I stepped out.” His voice cracked as he fought for control. “Don’t feel like you have to stick around. I know you’ve got plenty of things to take care of.”

  He rushed out of the room before Pops could see him lose it.

  17

  The song was coming, but not as quickly as Delaney wanted. That was mostly because her thoughts kept returning to Corbin and the conversation she’d had earlier with Wallace. The wolf analogy really hit home. No doubt she’d been feeding the wrong wolf because it had been howling the loudest. Could she stop feeding it? Silence her fears once and for all? Oh, how she wanted to.

  It was interesting how closely her and Corbin’s first meeting paralleled Wallace and Lou Ella’s. They’d had an instant attraction and it morphed into something wonderful and lasting. Could that happen to her and Corbin? At this point, the best she could hope for was to open up a small space in her heart for the beginnings of a relationship. Take things one step at a time. Her next thought sent her into a tailspin. Was Corbin even interested in a lasting relationship or was she merely a form of amusement, a way to pass the time? Never again would she take anything at face value. She had to find out what Corbin’s true intentions were before she could even entertain the idea of a relationship.

  She pushed aside the intrusive thoughts, turning her attention back to the song as she strummed her guitar.

  They say I’m damaged goods, and I admit it absolutely, but baby you give me more hope than a person ever should.

  I’ve got to learn to silence these fears and dry my tears.

  Will you be there to hug me in the night?

  Will you still love me in the morning light?

  I’ll absolutely love you … for the rest of my life … until the stars fall from the sky.

  She heard movement, realized Corbin was leaning against the doorframe. Her heart turned a cartwheel. He looked amazing in jeans and a snug sweater that stretched across his pecs. His messy hair was begging for her to run her fingers through it. She took in his lean jaw and arresting eyes, which were sparkling with amusement, making them look more amber. Wait a minute! The more she studied him, the more she got the feeling there was something off about Corbin. The rims of his eyes were a bit red like he might’ve been crying. Then again, he didn’t act like he’d been crying. He was probably just tired. They’d been under a mountain of stress. It was bound to take its toll eventually.

  “Are you doing okay?”

  He looked surprised. “Yeah, why?”

  She tipped her head. “I dunno. You just look a little sad.”

  He pursed his lips, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’m good.” With that, the last traces of despondency vanished, making her wonder if she’d only imagined it. “I like the song.” His grin gave way to a full smile as he repeated the lyrics. “I’ll absolutely love you … until the stars fall from the sky.”

  Heat tinged her cheeks. She hated that she always blushed when she was embarrassed. Once the song was recorded, it would be on display for the world. Why was she feeling sheepish about Corbin hearing it now? The answer came to her in an instant. Because he knew she was talking about him, that’s why. In her music she was most transparent, her innermost feelings coming to the surface.

  She caught the pleased look on his face. Were his feelings for her real? “You forgot a segment.”

  He sat down at the foot of the bed. “Oh?”

  “I’ll absolutely love you … for the rest of my life … until the stars fall from the sky.”

  The hope in his eyes sparked something inside her. This had to be real! No one was that good at pretending. Even when she was with Tuck, a part of her knew he was only pretending to be appalled by his brother’s behavior. Tuck had a reputation for being rough. She’d turned a blind eye to the rumors because she wanted so desperately for him to be her knight in shining armor. And, back then, Tuck and Hugh’s behavior was more a part of everyday life. It wasn’t until she got away from it that she realized how truly warped they were and how mixed up her own mother had been.

  “I like it.” Corbin gave her a searching look. “I’d like to hear the rest.”

  “Do you think Wallace will mind me using Absolutely? It has such a catchy ring to it.”

  “I’m sure Pops will be honored.” He looked down at her notebook of lyrics and chords. “Is the song finished yet?”

  “It’s getting close. I haven’t written the last verse and there are still a few tweaks to work out, but I’m pleased with the progress.”

  “Sounds like you and Pops had a nice breakfast.”

  She sensed his interest, even though he was trying hard to act nonchalant.

  “Yes, we did.” She chuckled lightly. “He has some great stories.”

  “That he does.” Corbin leaned forward and reached for her pencil, absently twirling it in his fingers. “What did the two of you talk about?”

  It was Delaney’s turn to be amused. “He didn’t tell you?”

  His lips drew together. “Nope.”

  “Well, one of the things he mentioned is that you play the guitar and sing.”

  His eyes widened. “He told you that?”

  She couldn’t stop a smile from stretching over her lips. “Yep. Said you’re not half bad.”

  He grunted. “Half bad, huh?”

  She laughed. “Nah, just teasing. He said you were good.” Her eyes held his. “But I’d have to hear it to believe it.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Yep.” Maybe she was playing with fire, but she wanted to get to know Corbin and was tired of putting up so many barriers. She didn’t want to spend her life alone. She was tired of feeding the wrong wolf. There was that darn analogy again, but it had hit home. “Care to join me?” Her heart picked up a beat as she waited for h
is reaction.

  A brilliant smile broke across his lips, causing her to lose her train of thought for a second. “I thought you’d never ask.” He got up and sat beside her.

  Her heart hammered against her ribcage and she wondered if he could hear it. Sheesh! With him this close, it was hard to concentrate. His scent was clean and masculine with a hint of mint.

  He reached for the paper. “Okay, what you got?”

  She sat up straight, her back resting against the headboard as she started from the beginning. After the first round of the chorus, he joined in. His baritone voice was full and rich. They harmonized automatically, him taking over the melody while she played around with the harmonies. Like Wallace said, Corbin was good. The entire time they sang, all she could think about was that these lyrics offered a clear window into her heart, letting him know that she was having some strong feelings for him. Maybe it was good that they were singing. She could express herself better through music than dialogue. When the song ended, she put down the guitar and turned to face him. “What do you think?”

  His eyes were riveted to hers and in them she saw desire swirled with a tenderness that sang to her heart. In this moment, her fears were soothed in a manner she’d not thought possible. “I love it,” Corbin uttered. Her breath caught when he touched her cheek. His finger trailed along her lips, lightly tracing their outline. A tender ache grew in her throat as she leaned closer. This time, it was her lips that touched his first, moving softly and cautiously until he deepened the kiss, pulling her into his arms.