by Tawny Weber
“Acknowledged,” Gabriel murmured, opening his eyes and nodding to show he was in the wrong.
“Banks will watch the same video that I did as he works through the plan, assessing the team’s strengths and weaknesses.” Irish paused, letting that sink in long enough for Gabriel to nod his acceptance of the slap down and the feeling of being a complete ass over the accusation settle. Then he continued, “And he’s going to see one very specific weakness that he’d be smart to eliminate.”
“Jackrabbit?” Gabriel seriously hated thinking badly about a teammate, and even worse hated the idea that he couldn’t find a way to work with every member of his team. But dammit, he’d be glad to see that whining jerk finally get what was coming to him.
“You.”
If Irish had pulled out his pistol and slapped him upside the head with it before dancing a jig over his prone body while singing show tunes, Gabriel couldn’t have been more shocked.
Or horrified.
“Me?” he repeated, hoping he’d heard wrong.
“You.” Irish gave a barely perceptible arch of one brow, waiting for the implication to sink in.
And it did, like a lead weight. Painfully slow, ruthlessly undisputable. His commanding officer, his team leader, his best friend considered him a weakness.
He’d rather be pistol-whipped to show tunes.
Knowing Irish wouldn’t continue until that point had been recognized, Gabriel gave a jerk of his chin. His lips pressed tight, he was starting to feel like a bobblehead with all this nodding to acknowledge his mistakes.
“From your expression, and your response, I’m going to assess that this isn’t the first incident,” Irish said, lifting one hand to stave off any response. “Which means it’s an ongoing hostile situation. Knowing you as I do, I’m going to further assess that you’ve already taken every means possible to peaceably deal with it.”
“I’ve considered a few nonpeaceable means,” Gabriel admitted under his breath. Hell, in the past two minutes he’d imagined at least a dozen more that were leaning quite close to straight-up violence.
“Given these circumstances, and the fact that Banks will be on-site at first light, I’m going to give you one last chance to rectify the situation before I take steps myself.”
Steps.
Gabriel scowled. A part of him wanted to ask exactly what those steps might be, but he knew there was a fine line between Irish’s friendship with him and his stance as his commanding officer. To ask was to risk insubordination.
Still...
“You’d pull me from the team?” Gabriel challenged—which wasn’t exactly the same as asking.
“I’d recommend that you be pulled from this mission. Where it went from there would be out of my hands.” Irish tilted his head to one side. “And that’d be a crappy position to put me in, wouldn’t it?”
Guys had been pulled from missions for injury before, every once in a while because of scheduling conflicts. But to be pulled for endangering the mission, which was how this would go down? Yeah. He’d be off the team.
Fury the likes of which he’d rarely felt pounded through his system. The SEAL team was his life. Being a part of it, it was who he was. He’d been fine waiting for Jackrabbit to pull his head out of his ass and realize he couldn’t win. Hell, waiting the guy out had become something of a challenge in itself. One Gabriel had been willing to take to the limits to win.
His rage was so intense, he couldn’t tell whether he was angrier at Jackrabbit for putting him in this mess, or at the fact that he was forcing Gabriel to concede the win in order to get out of the mess.
It didn’t matter. Fists clenched, Gabriel called on the training of his youth to channel every ounce of that anger into his hands, squeezing it tight until it he’d released it completely.
A deep breath through his teeth cleared away the last dregs of emotion, leaving behind a pool of calm.
“I didn’t intend to put you, or the team, in a bad position,” he admitted quietly, letting the tension pour out of his shoulders as he leaned against the truck to gesture to the camp. “I just figured it’d blow over, you know. The Navy doesn’t let idiots into the SEALs. The guy had to clue in sooner or later.”
“Some guys have an issue with second place,” Irish acknowledged. “That doesn’t make him an idiot.”
Gabriel grunted his annoyance.
“The lengths he went to do it, though,” Irish muttered, making Gabriel’s lips twitch.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?” Irish asked, scowling as he slipped out of his role as commanding officer to simply be a friend. He relaxed enough to lean one hip against the truck and shake his head. “The guy really is a complete dumb ass. You know I’d have had your back.”
“You’ve got enough on your plate.” Gabriel shrugged. “This promotion to head up the training programs, a baby on the way, your upcoming wedding. Last thing you need is to be brought up on charges of assaulting a dumb ass.”
After a long stare, Irish gave a slow, pitying shake of his head.
“You’re so busy protecting the team, protecting me, that you aren’t covering your own ass. I get that brotherhood is priority, believe me. But you’re taking loyalty too far. You’re letting it make you a victim.”
“The hell I am,” Gabriel snapped, the anger returning with a vengeance as he shoved forward with clenched fists, this time ready for battle. He’d never been a victim. He’d made damned sure of that and nobody, not even his best friend, was going to say otherwise.
“No?” Irish gave him a cool look, obviously not intimidated by Gabriel’s threatening stance. “You’re playing fair, working for the good of the team. Meanwhile, this asshole is so busy trying to prove you’re not invincible that he’s going to get you seriously hurt in training. Or worse, killed in action.”
Gabriel’s fury drained, leaving him cold. And a little dizzy at the unfamiliar barrage of emotions hitting him tonight.
“You should have reported Jeglinski when this started,” Irish said quietly. “There are channels in place for dealing with exactly this sort of dispute.”
“That’s not my way.” Gabriel shook his head. The military equivalent of tattling. “I’m sure there are alternatives.”
“Cut the stoic crap,” Irish snapped with a frustrated glare. “There’s a big difference between tolerating rough conditions to accomplish the objective and letting an unnecessary complication fuck up your career.”
Gabriel grinned, amused as always to hear Irish swear like that. He stood by his statement. He wasn’t a victim. But if this kept up, someone else might be.
And hell, he’d been considering rethinking his rules to build a relationship with Tessa. It made more sense to rethink them to save his relationship with his team. And yeah, his career.
“Fine. I’ll deal with it.”
“You’ll file a complaint?” When Gabriel jerked his chin in the affirmative, Mitch gestured toward his quarters. “Good, let’s go.”
“Not to you. I’m not bringing you into this. If there’s a strike, it’s going on my record and mine alone.” Gabriel cast an assessing eye over the camp, knowing nobody had heard a word they said, yet the entire platoon would have all the details within hours. “Jackrabbit isn’t going to roll over and accept the charges. He’ll fight and he’ll fight dirty.”
Gabriel didn’t need to explain that whatever measures Irish took with the complaint, Jeglinski would find a way to construe it as favoritism. Gabriel’s own refusal to speak out about the other man’s actions before would play into his hands, too. Only a bright-eyed optimist would think this was going to go down any way but ugly.
And while Gabriel might be called many things—charming, clever, lucky, talented, among others—he’d never, ever been deemed an optimist.
Mitch shook his head, exaspe
ration glinting in his eyes.
“Seriously, dude. You don’t have to protect everyone.”
“Nope. Not everyone,” Gabriel agreed. “Just everyone who matters.”
* * *
NOTHING LASTS FOREVER.
The eerie way Romeo’s words had echoed Jared’s was still nagging at Tessa several days later as the helicopter approached Catalina.
It wasn’t as if she wanted forever.
But if her whole world was going to turn upside down, she’d like to be the one choosing to change it. Or at least doing wildly outrageous, completely indulgent things that resulted in the changes. That would fit her reputation so much better than this mess.
It wasn’t just her friendship with Livi or her career that was changing, either. Even the...whatever it was she had with Romeo was a major change for her. But as incredibly sexy as he was, as mind-blowingly intriguing as she found him and how surprisingly sweet he’d proved to be, all she’d been interested in was sex. But no, he’d wanted romance. And somehow his insistence on romance had turned into this...whatever it was they had between them.
Tessa stared out the bubble-shaped window at the ocean beyond, the water rough and choppy and tipped in white.
Now her life felt like that ocean, and this...whatever between them was the only thing keeping her from drowning. When she talked to Romeo, all the stress fell away. The worries and doubts and feeling of being adrift without having a clue who she was all faded.
He made her smile. Real, from-the-heart smiles that took a while to fade.
He made her laugh. At his silly jokes, at life in general, even at herself.
He made her think. About choices, about life. About them.
And, oh, baby, he made her hot. All she had to do was close her eyes and imagine his smile and her thighs would tremble. If she imagined his hands, too, she’d get wet. His voice was pure seduction, and when he started talking dirty...
Realizing she was trembling, Tessa shook her head as if that’d help erase the thoughts lodged there. It didn’t matter, though. Because Romeo wasn’t leaving.
She held her breath, her stomach diving into her toes, and not just because the helicopter was landing.
How was it possible that he’d become so important that she felt as though she needed him—not wanted, but really needed him—yet she hadn’t even seen him naked? She hadn’t felt his body slide over hers, welcomed his hard length inside her. She didn’t know if he liked it fast or slow. She could only imagine what his face looked like when he came.
But that was what this weekend was for.
To touch him. To feel him. To revel in the perfection of his body. She took a shaky breath, her mouth watering as she imagined how he’d taste. Oh, his taste. She was going to start at the sharp angle of those gorgeous cheekbones and nibble her way to his mouth. After spending a few minutes—hours, weeks—kissing, she’d lick her way over that chest, down his flat belly and then she’d get to the good stuff.
The thud of the helicopter setting down burst her fantasy. Thankful for the pilot’s helping hand, Tessa climbed out of the helicopter on shaking legs.
“You’re here!” Livi declared and rushed forward to wrap her arms around Tessa so tightly that Tessa almost fell over.
“Hey.” With one hand trying to keep her hair from whipping her in the face, she patted Livi on the back with the other, a little worried that she’d either fly away or be squeezed to bits. “Are you okay?”
“Sure. Fine. Great.”
Uh-huh. Sure she was.
Despite the very strong, very fit arms wrapped around her, Tessa managed a deep breath and ushered the pair of them a little farther away from the helicopter and its wind-whipping blades.
“Why don’t we get a drink and you can fill me in on all the greatness,” Tessa said. Livi nodded, but she didn’t let go. “Or, you know, we can just stay here for a while.”
Livi gave a sniffling sort of laugh, but finally unwrapped herself.
“Sorry. I think I’m a just a little overwhelmed.”
“With all the greatness?” Tessa said, keeping the sarcasm to a minimum when she saw the stress etching lines on Livi’s face. She didn’t know a lot about happy-ever-after, but she was pretty sure a bride wasn’t supposed to be sporting worry-induced wrinkles the week before the wedding.
“Do you remember when the Fit To Be Naked workout series hit so big?” When Tessa nodded, Livi pushed her hair off her face and sighed. “It was a huge success, right? Everything I’d worked so hard for and really wanted, boom. Done.”
“But you were miserable,” Tessa responded quietly.
“Crazy, right?”
Before Tessa could say no, the driver gestured that he’d loaded her luggage in the car and was ready to go. Livi ushered her into the vehicle, telling the driver where to take them, then settled back in the seat.
“It’s nothing,” Livi said, her smile bright again. “I’m just nervous. It’s been like this all week. Ups, downs. If my mood could go sideways I’m sure it would. It’s probably hormones.”
Hormones, her ass. Tessa knew that Livi was always up when she was doing things the way she wanted and down when others shoved their opinions and agendas down her throat—usually saying they were for her own good.
But reminding her of that wasn’t going to help the situation.
“That or the idea of going without sex for the past couple of weeks before the wedding,” Tessa said with a wicked arch of her brow, as always falling back on naughty when she didn’t know what to do. “A hottie on hand and no sex would drive me sideways, for sure.”
Livi gave a relieved laugh, her smile a little too bright again as she gripped Tessa’s hand.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said fervently. “Everything is changing so fast, so much is going on. I always feel braver dealing with that sort of thing with you at my side.”
Tessa blinked away tears, her fingers entwining with Livi’s. Even as her friend’s engagement ring cut into her skin, she could actually feel the protective layer of ice she’d built around her heart melting a little.
“I wish you could have the perfect wedding,” Tessa said quietly. “Your dream wedding.”
“Well, I have my dream man, which is what really counts,” Livi said, her gaze shifting to the window to watch the pretty scenery flash by. “And I’m really glad we’re getting married here on Catalina, even if it’s a little fancier than I’d hoped. But maybe we’ll come back and renew our vows in five or ten years with that cliff-side ceremony I’d originally wanted. Just me and Mitch, with you and Gabriel as our witnesses.”
Gabriel.
Delightful little tingles of pleasure swirled through her system just hearing his name. She took a second to revel in the familiarity of lust, sliding easily into the one thing she still understood, still felt comfortable with.
She held tight to that lust, letting the passion she felt for Gabriel become her anchor in the craziness that was every single other thing in her life.
“What do you think?” Livi asked, clearly oblivious to her little interlude. “Won’t it be fun?”
“Cozy,” Tessa agreed. This time she was the one who had to put the extra wattage in her smile.
Five years from now she was pretty sure the only place she’d have in Gabriel’s life was a notation in the little black book he kept in his head.
And in Livi’s? She bit her lip. Well, she was working on that, wasn’t she? All she had to do was get through this wedding with her agreeable facade in place, and odds were that she’d be around for a while.
“So is everything set for the wedding week?” she asked.
As Livi launched into her description of the weeklong entertainment plans, then on to changes in the ceremony, all Tessa could think was thank God Pauline wasn’t a fa
n of YouTube or trendy wedding crazes. Because there was no way in hell she was body popping her way down the aisle in a strapless dress.
“My dress is still the strapless chiffon in purple, isn’t it?” she asked with a slight frown. “The one I had the final fitting for last week?”
Her jaw clenched. The only one she’d loved out of the thirty-seven she’d had to try on for Pauline’s approval.
“Oh, yeah, your dress is the same,” Livi said, a stubborn look coming into her eyes. “Pauline thought the color might be too strong and wanted to get a pale peach shade instead but I said no.”
Imagining the damage pale peach would do to her skin tone, Tessa gave a slight shudder. She gripped Livi’s hand in gratitude, knowing it couldn’t have been easy for her to stand up to Pauline.
It only took a few minutes to get from the helipad to the luxury beachside hotel, but it was enough time to get an eyeful of Catalina. Mostly because it wasn’t a very big island. It was gorgeous, though. Small and picturesque, surrounded by the dramatic power of the ocean, it practically screamed romance.
She said as much when Livi finally paused to take a breath.
“It is gorgeous, isn’t it?” Livi agreed, staring out the window. “I fell in love with it when Mitch brought me here for the weekend. The cliffs are amazing. Dramatic and powerful, with this feeling of endurance.”
“What changed your mind about having the ceremony there?”
“It really wasn’t practical to ask guests to climb cliffs in formalwear, and the wind would probably make a mess of my hair.” Livi shrugged, the dreamy look on her face falling away. Tessa wanted to scream at her to put it back, dammit.
Instead, she took a deep breath and bit her lip, then, unable to keep her mouth shut, leaned forward.
“You know, you’ve filmed exercise workouts on a cliff without your hair being an issue, and I can’t imagine any guest bitching about the locale considering everything you’re doing to entertain them this week.” And if they did, Tessa was more than ready to take them aside for a little chat. “This is supposed to be your day, your dream. Why aren’t you doing it your way?”