by Cat Johnson
He still didn’t look happy.
Fine. That made two of them. She was a little pissy herself because he wouldn’t let her get her car back from that SEAL’s garage. He said the drug dealers could have messed with it. Put a tracker on it to come and get her later to tie up loose ends. Or put explosives in it to blow her up when she opened the door or started the ignition.
It was ridiculous.
She watched a lot of TV and she’d seen all those plotlines, but that kind of stuff didn’t happen to her.
Then again, she’d never imagined drugs being planted in her tile boxes either so maybe she wasn’t the best judge of what was or was not normal anymore.
She wasn’t allowed near the car until his SEAL buddy got the government dude to check it out—at least that’s what she’d taken away from his explanation to her. He’d spewed out all these names and she couldn’t keep track of who was who.
It didn’t matter anyway. Unless she stole his truck or ordered a ride to Coronado she was at his mercy, riding shotgun in his pick-up. And if she asked Amanda for a ride, he’d really lose his mind at her defying his orders and putting his sister in jeopardy—real or imagined.
Nope. She’d finally gotten on Zach’s good side and she intended to stay there.
The orgasms were too good to risk losing.
They’d reached the door Amanda would be flinging open any second and he was still looking unhappy.
Gabby stopped and planted one hand on her hip. “Zachary Browne, stop frowning at me or Amanda is going to know for sure something is wrong. Then it will be your fault, not mine.”
His lips twitched with a controlled smile.
“What?” she demanded.
“First, Amanda will think it’s perfectly normal if I’m frowning at you. And second, you’re cute when you’re mad and stomp your foot like a little kid.”
“I did not stomp—” Her denial was interrupted by the jiggle of the door lock just before Amanda tugged it open and glared at both of them. “Oh, my God. About time you got here. I’ve been dying. Come inside.”
Zach shot Gabby one more warning look. She rolled her eyes and followed Amanda inside.
“I have a fresh pot of coffee on and cinnamon rolls just out of the oven.”
“At least there’s food,” Zach grumbled before he moved past Amanda and headed for the cabinet where the mugs were.
Amanda always did like to cater an event—whether that be a party or a retelling of their night in Tijuana.
While Zach was busy at the coffeemaker, Amanda pulled Gabby into a hug. “I was so worried.”
Gabby let out a short laugh. “So was I . . . for awhile.” Until Zach showed up.
She pulled out of the embrace and glanced at Zach. Her savior. She forced her focus back to Amanda and saw her friend’s eyes narrow.
Amanda glanced from Gabby to Zach and back again before her eyes shot wide. “Oh my God. You two did it.”
“What?” Gabby drew back, shocked.
Her gaze shot to Zach as he turned from the counter, coffee pot in one hand. He glared back at her.
Gabby held up her hands, palms forward. “I didn’t tell her. I swear.”
“Oh my God, it’s true. You did do it,” Amanda squealed.
Apparently all Gabby’s denial had done was add fuel to the fire of Amanda’s suspicions.
Lips pressed tight, Zach set down the coffee pot and pointed to his sister. “One more word and I walk out of here right now and don’t come back.”
“My lips are sealed.” Amanda ran her fingers across her mouth like she was zipping her lips shut.
Gabby watched with amazement.
Interesting tactic he’d chosen. Not a denial, just a threat. And it worked—for now.
Amanda had already broken out into a smile as she kept looking between the two of them but at least there was no commentary—it must be killing Amanda to not say anything.
Gabby had a feeling she’d be getting an earful later though, as soon as Zach was out of earshot.
Stone-faced, Zach delivered Gabby a cup of coffee, fixed just the way she liked it. Amanda reacted with two raised brows and her mouth pressed tight as if she were physically trying to hold in the words.
He spun to his sister with that pointer finger out again. “Not. One. Word.”
Her eyes went wide with feigned innocence. “What? I didn’t say a thing.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Zach grumbled as he made his way back to get his own mug. He stayed there on the other side of the kitchen and waited, silent, spreading his glare between them.
Gabby assumed that was her cue to start the retelling. She might not be all that great at keeping her mouth shut but she was exceptionally good at talking.
That Zach was seemingly embracing that fact seemed like a good sign and a huge step forward.
Now if she could only remember what she was and was not allowed to tell Amanda about last night. Crap.
TWENTY-ONE
After a week of lying next to Gabby all night every night, he was used to her habits.
Zach knew to hang on tight to his half of the covers or she’d steal them all.
He knew she’d curl up on her side in a little ball when she was really tired, but by the middle of the night she’d be sprawled spread eagle across three quarters of the bed. He knew every once in a while she’d make the most adorable little snore that would sometimes wake her.
And he knew that anytime he reached for her she snuggled against him and didn’t mind at all if the reason he’d tugged her closer was because he couldn’t wait until morning to have her.
He was exhausted from his time off.
His leave was supposed to be for him to get rest and relaxation, possibly on a sandy beach or a secluded hunting cabin. Or for wild times of drinking or gambling, perhaps in Vegas. And—after being celibate for way too long thanks to his deployment—this leave was for him to catch up on sex. Lots of sex.
One out of three wasn’t bad.
But now, as the glow of sunrise crept through the blinds, he needed to get up. He had no intention of having his sister bust into Gabby’s room and find him there naked.
In hindsight, he should have sucked it up, stopped drinking after dinner last night and driven the two of them back to his house.
It would have been worth it. When they had privacy Gabby could be quite . . . vocal in bed.
Last night she’d done her best to be quiet. And he had the teeth marks on his chest where she’d bitten him in an attempt to stay silent when she came.
At the memory, he absently rubbed at the spot.
His lips quirked with a smile. Okay, maybe he hadn’t hated that part. Not at all.
He padded barefoot around the room, finding his pants and shirt in the near darkness to not wake Gabby. He hated he had to get dressed in last night’s clothes just so he could go to his sister’s kitchen to get coffee.
Was this the male version of the walk of shame? He’d no doubt get shit about it from his sister.
He knew he was in trouble when he quietly opened the bedroom door and got the first whiff of the aroma of fresh coffee brewing drifting down the hallway.
Bracing himself for whatever Amanda had to throw at him, he eased the bedroom door closed and made his way to the kitchen.
“Good morning.” Her expression said so much more than her words.
So glad he could amuse her. “Morning.” Eyes down he walked around the kitchen island and said, “Coffee ready?”
“Just about.” She drew in a breath and he knew he was in trouble. “So you go from not wanting me to know about you two at all, to staying overnight here?”
“I drank too much last night to drive home. It was safer to stay here.”
She tipped her head. “Yes, it was. And it wasn’t like you were fooling anyone anyway. She’s slept at your house every night since Tijuana.”
Zach didn’t need that reminder at all. His ill-advised one-night stand had gone on for over a week now.
It shouldn’t have happened the first time. It really shouldn’t have been repeated. Over and over and over again.
He blamed it on his denying himself for so long. He had a lot of missed sex to make up for. That was his theory and he was sticking to it, in spite of the nagging voice in the back of his mind calling him a liar.
Zach lifted one shoulder, not willing to get into the specifics of his sex life or his feelings about Gabby with his sister at all, never mind pre-coffee.
It was bad enough they’d had to do it under her roof last night.
That concept was disturbing in and of itself. But obviously not disturbing enough to make him not want to have sex with Gabby.
“So, you two are pretty serious, I guess,” Amanda continued.
“No.” The denial came out with more force than he’d intended.
She blew out a loud breath. “How can you say that?”
“Easy. My leave is up tomorrow. And once I’m back on duty, you know what it’s like. I’m away all the time, sometimes on short notice, sometimes for long stretches.”
“Gabby knows that. We’ve been friends for as long as you’ve been a SEAL.”
He certainly didn’t need that reminder either.
Gabby and Amanda’s close, long-standing friendship was one of the things that sat dead center in his consciousness, nagging him during every waking moment.
He needed a nice dangerous mission to get his head back on straight. Having free time obviously wasn’t working for him.
Tired of waiting for the full pot of coffee to finish brewing, he grabbed the carafe and splashed coffee into one of the mugs on the counter, before shoving it back under the dripping brown liquid.
He shot a glance at his sister as he reached for the cream. “Knowing what being with a team guy is like and living it are two different things. It’s best if we keep this casual.”
“Casual.” She let out a snort. “Does she know this plan? Have you discussed it with her?”
“Well, not in so many words . . .” Talking in general wasn’t high on his list of favorite activities.
Talking about feelings and shit was even lower.
Amanda’s brow shot high. She had the most judgmental frigging eyebrows he’d ever encountered.
Well, maybe not. He remembered his mother shooting him a similar look when she’d caught him sneaking in at dawn when he was sixteen.
Must be hereditary on the female side of the family.
“I’ll handle it. Okay?” He raised the mug to his lips, hoping this was the end of the conversation.
“No, it’s not okay. Because when you leave and are having a high old time running the O-Course on Coronado or whatever it is you guys do all day, I’ll be here alone with Gabby trying to heal her broken heart because you dumped her.”
He couldn’t help but smile at the ridiculousness of it all. Broken heart. After a little over a week of sex?
His sister had been watching too many chick flicks. He should probably tell his brother-in-law to round up and burn all those romance novels he saw laying around the house too.
“You saying I’m a heartbreaker, sis?” he joked to avoid this conversation. She was being too serious and ruining his morning.
Amanda wasn’t laughing. “Gabby isn’t the kind to sleep around. She’s had a handful of serious relationships and I know for a fact her number as you guys like to call it, is a tenth of what yours is.”
“What do you know about my number?” He had to step to the side so Amanda could wipe up the dripped coffee on the counter.
She sent him a glare and tossed the sponge into the sink. “I know things.”
The frightening part was, he believed her. He wouldn’t put it past Amanda to have a network of spies and know about every woman he’d ever been with.
“Jesus,” he blew out the curse. This woman scared him sometimes.
“Look, all I’m saying is don’t hurt her. She’s been in love with you for years. She deserves better than that.”
Love. The word echoed through his brain.
He frowned at his sister. “Love is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”
Yes, Gabby had looked at him with her doe eyes over the years, but that was a schoolgirl crush at best. They were adults now. Capable of fulfilling each other’s physical needs with no strings attached.
Amanda screwed up her mouth and shot him a sideways glare. “You are so clueless, I swear.”
“Good morning.” The sound of Gabby’s voice brought his head around.
He couldn’t help but smile at how she could look so cute and sexy swimming in the loose navy blue cotton.
She’d taken to wearing his T-shirt to sleep every night. He, of course, loved the easy access it provided to her body.
Best thing he’d ever done was give that shirt to her.
“Good morning,” he said and turned to reach for the carafe to pour her a cup of coffee.
“Good morning,” Amanda said. Something in her tone had Zach turning to glance at her as she continued, “So, what big plans do you have for Zach’s last day of leave before he goes back on duty tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?”
His gaze shot to Gabby’s face. She was visibly taken aback.
“Didn’t you know?” Amanda asked Gabby, before she turned to look at him, brows raised and full of accusation.
Dammit.
Zach focused on Gabby. “I told you. Remember that first day you were at my house. I told you I was on leave for two weeks and you’d better be done with my house by then.”
“I don’t remember.” She shook her head, looking devastated and unsure. “But if today is your last day off, you probably have a ton of stuff you have to do on your own.”
“I don’t really,” he said, his chest tightening as her eyes got glassy. “We can hang out today.”
“Actually, I have work to do on the shop. She’s got a soft opening next week and I haven’t finished all the staging yet.”
There was no excitement in her voice, the way there usually was when she talked about work. And this was the first time she’d said no to their spending time together.
Shit. Amanda could be right.
He didn’t know what the fuck to do with that knowledge or with the sudden tightness in his chest.
But he knew one thing. He wasn’t going to let her keep looking at him like that with hurt in her eyes.
He took a step forward and pulled her toward him, ignoring Amanda’s presence. That she didn’t come willingly right into his embrace, like she usually did, was harder to ignore.
“If you have stuff to do for the shop, then I’ll come with you.”
She shook her head, feeling stiff beneath his hands. “You don’t have to—”
“I want to,” he cut her off.
She hesitated, then finally raised her eyes to meet his gaze. “Okay.”
Satisfied, he nodded. Today was taken care of. He’d worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.
Jasper walked out of the bedroom, freshly showered and dressed for work.
“Good morning, everyone.” His gaze moved over the solemn group assembled in the kitchen as he headed toward the coffeemaker. Oblivious to the mood hanging over the room, he asked, “So what’re everyone’s plans on this fine day?”
Zach let out a sniff. Maybe Amanda was right about that too—men were clueless. Himself included.
TWENTY-TWO
Gabby stared at her phone, willing it to ring, or chime, or something. Anything. It hadn’t done any of the above all day. In fact, she’d gotten no texts or calls since she’d left Zach’s house last night.
Bastard.
“Talk.” Amanda demanded. “What’s wrong.”
“Nope.” Gabby shook her head.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to bad-mouth your brother to you.”
Amanda waved away that concern. “Oh, please. I of all people know him well enough to know he deserves whatever you want to say about
him, so spill.”
Gabby made the split second decision to share. Amanda was her best friend as much as Zach’s sister. And she needed her friend right now.
“So last night we spent, uh, time together.” She cringed at having to allude to sex with Zach to Amanda but it was an important part of the story. “And then right after he says he has to be on base early the next morning.”
He hadn’t actually said get the hell out of my bed, but he might as well have. She’d gotten dressed, let him kiss her goodnight—but did not actively participate in the kiss—and then drove to Amanda’s.
Last night she’d been torn between anger and tears. But after a full day of not even one text, she was just plain mad.
Amanda nodded. “He’s an ass. No doubt about it. But in his defense I know he does leave for base insanely early. Like before dawn. He probably didn’t want to wake you that early.”
He’d woken her plenty early for sex all damn week. Gabby bit her tongue and kept that to herself.
“There’s more to it than just that. He didn’t even tell me his leave was over until you brought it up. Okay, maybe he did mention it like two weeks ago but you’d think it would have come up at least once over the week we spent sweaty in his bed. He could have, you know, maybe said, hey, thanks for the amazing sex and by the way my leave is over Monday.”
“He’s forgetful.” Amanda cringed. “And a little less vivid visuals about my brother in bed, please.”
Forgetful. Yup. He’d forgotten all about her already apparently.
Gabby continued, not inclined to worry too much about Amanda’s sensitivities since she kept insisting on defending her brother’s bad behavior. “You know why he didn’t tell me, right? He didn’t want to have the talk.”
“What talk?”
“The talk. The, ‘What is this? What are we?’ talk. Where we decide if we’re in a relationship or not. Obviously, the answer is not.”
Was he just going to ghost her? She might have been better off when he hated her. At least she knew what to expect from him then.
This—this on again, off again—was horrible.
“I’m not going to defend him, but I really do think he’s just clueless when it comes to relationships, like most men. I think if you want your relationship defined, you have to define it. You need to tell him what you want to be to each other.”