Christopher chuckled. “What crawled up your ass this morning? No, let me guess—you didn’t get laid. Off night?”
“Didn’t realize you were so interested in my sex life. Things cooling off already with Lexi?”
Mike caught up with them as they walked in the locker room, snickering. “Just ignore his sorry ass, Blade,” he said, calling Christopher by his nickname. “Brent was in a shit mood for most of last night, too. Guy hasn’t figured out that when you live with a woman, you’re guaranteed to score.”
Christopher dropped his gear down on the bench. “Doesn’t exactly sound like Cobra’s style. Why commit to one woman when you can have the whole damn town? Or is that the problem—no new women to screw?”
“Assholes,” Brent muttered.
“Think the CO has info on our next op?” Mike asked. “Ice seemed to think we’d be wheels up in a day or so. I might have to make the most of my time with Kenley,” he added, waggling his eyebrows. “I’m sure you’ll be cool with your flavor of the week, Brent—or should I say pick of the night?”
“Do you want me to bust your jaw?” Brent growled, clenching his fists. “Because that’s the kind of mood I’m in today.”
“So you’re just your usual charming self,” Christopher quipped. “And as to Mike’s question, Ice mentioned something about that yesterday. No idea on the details though. Want me to hack into the databases and find out?”
“Yeah, buddy, get yourself court-martialed before we deploy. Always a choice move,” Mike laughed.
Christopher shrugged, and Brent bit back a curse. Just when he’d told his brother Brock to come down for the weekend, it sounded like they’d be leaving. It wasn’t exactly a surprise—they were at Uncle Sam’s beck and call 24/7. Such was the life of a SEAL. It was damn ironic though—he was gone when his sister needed him, and he’d be gone again now with the anniversary of her death approaching. Circle of life and all that shit.
Brent grabbed his gear for their day’s training, the pit in his gut growing larger with every passing minute. He wasn’t sure if it was about the upcoming weekend or the bitter feelings he still had over last night. Way to woo a girl, he thought. Piss her off, leave her lying half-naked on the sofa, and race off into the night.
Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
It wasn’t exactly how nights usually ended for him. He couldn’t even stop by to apologize to Ella since she was leaving today. That and the fact that he’d never gone back to a woman’s house the morning after. Ever.
The door to the locker room slammed against the wall, and Matthew suddenly stormed in, looking angrier than Brent had ever seen him. “What the fuck is your problem?” Matthew accused, eyes blazing as he shoved Brent into the metal lockers.
“Get the fuck off me!” Brent growled, pushing him away. Mike and Christopher glanced over, looking confused by the altercation.
“I told you to fucking stay away from her. You could’ve had any goddamn woman you wanted, and you had to go after her.”
“Away from who?” Christopher asked, looking puzzled. “Did he hit on Brianna or something?”
“Ella!” Matthew ground out. “I told you to goddamn stay away from Ella!”
“Yep, saw that one coming,” Mike said with an easy grin as he leaned back against his locker. “Those two couldn’t keep their eyes off each other all night. What’d you do? Sneak out first thing this morning? You had to know that would come back to bite you in the ass.”
“You slept with Brianna’s friend?” Christopher asked incredulously, looking back and forth between the other men. “She’s going to kill you. Actually, no, it looks like Gator will. Brianna will have to settle for burying your sorry ass.”
“I didn’t sleep with anyone! Jesus Christ,” Brent muttered, turning and slamming his locker shut. “I kissed her—so sue me. She’s a big girl. She wasn’t exactly pushing me away. I’m the one who stopped things before they got out of hand. I’m the one who left.”
“Doesn’t sound like your usual MO,” Mike commented.
“She was over at our place crying this morning—saying that you’re a complete asshole,” Matthew spat out. “I didn’t even get half the story because she didn’t want me to know the details. Maybe you spend every night with a new woman, but she’s not like that. She doesn’t need guys like you treating her that way. There’s stuff she’s dealing with that you don’t even know about.”
“What’s going on?” Patrick ground out as he walked in. His cool blue gaze slid to where Matthew and Brent stood facing off in front of the lockers.
“Brent’s just chasing tail again,” Mike said.
Matthew shot him a deadly glare.
“Chasing after Brianna’s friend,” Mike corrected. “She’s a sweet girl. Way too nice for Cobra.”
“Which is why I left, jackass,” Brent muttered.
“We’ve got training this morning,” Patrick said, his voice steel. “Whatever this is, ends now. No one has time for your goddamn locker room stories.”
“I didn’t have sex with her—not that it’s anyone’s business,” he said, suddenly wishing the other guys didn’t know the half of it. “What kind of jackass do you think I am? I know she’s friends with you and Brianna. And what the hell is going on with Ella that I don’t know about?”
“It’s about those texts she was getting, right?” Mike asked, suddenly looking curious. “Kenley said that she and Brianna both thought Ella was hiding something. Someone was constantly texting her at the pool hall, and she shut off her phone.”
“Damn it,” Brent muttered.
“You owe her an apology,” Matthew said. “I would’ve driven her home myself last night if I knew you’d pull your usual shit with her.”
“Yeah, sure, I’ll just buzz down to Florida to apologize. Great idea, dickhead.”
“That’s enough,” Patrick ground out. “Drills are on the water at 0630. That’s in ten minutes. This ends now. Our team is likely getting called up in a few days to rescue a civilian aid worker nabbed by a terrorist group. More details will be forthcoming. But as for now? This is over.”
Brent and the others grumbled in agreement and finished grabbing their gear. What a fucking spectacular way to start the day, Brent thought. Not only did he piss off Ella and hurt her feelings, but now the other guys were giving him shit, too. And he hadn’t even fucking scored.
Not that he’d considered her another one of his conquests.
Maybe Ella leaving today was for the best. She wouldn’t want to see him again after last night, even if he did owe her some sort of apology. Or explanation. Or anything.
His stomach clenched at the idea of her crying to Brianna this morning. Shit. Had she been crying after he left last night? Probably so, jackass. He wanted to fucking protect her from everyone else, but he couldn’t even save her from himself.
Why would someone like Ella want to sleep with him anyway? She’d turned ten different shades of red when he’d asked what position she liked. Jesus. Had she even had sex before? Or was she just suddenly feeling shy? Her body had sure responded to his touch though, he recalled as his libido roared to life. She’d been moaning beneath him as he hovered over her, kissed his way down her beautiful body, and he hadn’t even reached the promised land yet.
He’d been planning to hold her silky legs apart, lick her arousal-dampened pussy, and bring her to orgasm a couple of times. Before finally sinking his aching cock into her tight sheath. Taking her however she liked. In as many positions as she wanted. All fucking night.
But her response had made his blood run cold. She was too good for a man like him. A guy who’d be gone before the sun rose. Who’d been with so many women it would probably make her head explode. Make her change her mind about him. And as much as it had fucking hurt, he’d backed off. Walked away. Done the right thing for the first time…ever.
Jesus Christ.
And she was jetting off back to Florida. Today.
Even if he wanted to be wit
h her, she was leaving. And it just fucking figured that the woman he needed more than one night with couldn’t give it to him. She was a damn college student with a year of school left. He was Navy SEAL ready to deploy anytime. Stationed in a different state. Even if he believed in relationships, theirs would’ve never had a fucking chance to begin with.
Besides that, she was hiding something that had both Matthew and Brianna worried. Maybe he’d helped her once, back down in Pensacola, but there wasn’t a hell of a lot he could do when he was living in a different state. Flying off on a mission in another damn country.
Maybe she was in some sort of trouble, but he couldn’t help her. And she wouldn’t want his help anyway. Once again, the woman he was worried about wasn’t anywhere near him, and he couldn’t do a damn thing.
Chapter 8
Ella tried not to roll her eyes as the third guy of the night came onto her Friday evening. She shifted restlessly in her high heels, balancing the large tray of drinks she was holding, her arms straining beneath the weight. “Sorry buddy. We only serve drinks here.”
His eyes slid to the low-cut dress she was wearing, eyeing her cleavage. It wasn’t significant, but the tight fitting bodice certainly worked to her advantage. If she was, say, in bed with her boyfriend, not prancing around serving drinks with strange men ogling her. The short dress barely covered her ass, and with the amount of liquor the guys at this table were drinking, she was worried one of them was going to try and slip a hand up her dress. It was crowded in here and noisy. Par for the course for a weekend night but easier for a drunk customer to try to take advantage of the situation. Guys who couldn’t control their liquor were known to get handsy.
“Cocktease,” the guy muttered.
Un-flippin-believable. Since when did waitresses service their patrons? And on what planet did what a woman was wearing indicate she was ready and available?
“I bet she’d spread her legs for me if I asked nicely,” his drunk friend slurred. “What time do you get off tonight, honey? I’ll show you a good time.”
Ella’s face flamed, and she dropped the entire tray of shots down on the table with a loud crash, marching away in a huff. The men protested as she heard the clatter of glasses clanking together and drinks spilling behind her. Were they pissed she was leaving or just mad about their ruined drinks? Did it even matter? Her flight had been delayed for hours, but Frank had demanded she come in right from the airport when two of the other waitresses had called out sick. As if she didn’t deserve a couple of hours to unpack, restock her fridge, and decompress after her stressful flight. As if she had to come running the second he called.
God, spring break felt like months ago, not a mere day. One hour back on her old shift, and she was ready to throw in the towel. Or just throw around a few beverages, she thought with a smirk.
“Ella,” her manager hissed as she stormed past the bar.
God. He’d been pissed that she hadn’t come in early like he’d demanded, but now that she was back? He was on her case more than ever. And what exactly did he expect? It’s not like she worked in the airport control tower. She was at the mercy of the airlines just like every other traveler out there.
“In a second!” Ella pointed to the ladies’ room and watched Frank’s eyes narrow.
Jesus Christ.
Certainly he couldn’t complain about that. She swiped her cell phone from where she’d stashed it behind the bar and ducked inside the bathroom. Two women stood at the counter reapplying their lipstick, and Ella slipped into one of the empty stalls.
Her phone light was blinking with two text messages, and Brianna’s name popped up as Ella swiped her screen and opened the first one:
Glad you made it home safely! Must be nice having Friday nights back to yourself.
Guilt flooded through her. She hadn’t told Brianna she was working here again. First of all, Brianna would probably lose it and be on the next flight down dragging her away from the cocktail lounge. And second, what was the point? Brianna had a good job and already had her MBA. She didn’t need to worry about making money right now. Although she’d taken a job here out of desperation when she was laid off, she was already on to bigger and better things. Plus Brianna was busy with Matthew and their baby on the way. She didn’t need to waste time stressing about Brianna’s situation.
Feeling deceitful for not telling her friend what was going on, Ella simply replied:
Loved seeing you this week! Xoxo
That was the truth. And it’s not like Brianna was going to just randomly pop by the cocktail lounge. Even if she hadn’t moved away, Brianna hadn’t set foot in here since the night that asshole attacked her.
She swiped to the second message and was puzzled to see that the number was blocked. Her heart leapt into her throat as she stared at it in surprise:
I’m sorry.
Unless her jackass of a manager had gotten an unlisted number and was texting her an apology from the bar, the only other person who owed her an apology was Brent. A strange feeling of butterflies filled her stomach. Had he asked Brianna or Matthew for her number? Somehow tracked her down? She stared at the two words another moment before she quickly was flooded with anger and embarrassment. So he was sorry. Big deal. It took him a day to apologize. If it was even him texting her, what did it matter now? She was here; he was there. He was still a jackass for stripping off her clothes, kissing her entire body, and then abruptly up and leaving without so much as an explanation.
Tears smarted her eyes, and she stalked back out of the ladies room, the edge of her phone cutting into her hand as she gripped it. The back hall was empty, and she headed toward the locker room, fully intending to change and head home. She was better than this—than letting someone boss her around, demanding she come into work the second her plane landed. And she was also above crying over a dumb man that she knew better than to get involved with in the first place. If a few minutes of making out on the sofa was “involved.” Hell, that was probably just another night for Brent. Just the warm-up. She’d known the second she’d laid eyes on him that she’d get hurt.
She should really be thanking him for stopping before they’d slept together.
Right.
Like she’d ever thank him for anything.
“Ella!” Frank shouted behind her. “In my office. Now.”
Angry footsteps stormed down the hall, and she spun around and glared at him. His shirt was rumpled, tugging across the paunch on his stomach, and he reeked of booze and cigarettes. His beady eyes lasered in on her.
“I’ve been gone all week and haven’t even been to my apartment yet,” Ella said, exasperated. “I told you I could come in tomorrow. I need to go home.”
“You just spilled all those drinks,” he spat out, eyes flaring. “That’s gonna come out of your paycheck.”
“Are you kidding? He just propositioned me! I’m not putting up with that crap. Those guys deserved having drinks dumped all over them.” She turned around, and Frank grabbed her upper arm, causing her to wince in pain and surprise as his fingers tightened around her bicep.
“Get the fuck in my office. Now!”
Ella froze. No one else was back here. No one could hear her if she screamed. Frank had never touched her before, and the idea of being alone with him right now didn’t bode well. At all. Her eyes fell upon the exit sign at the end of the hall, and his grip tightened even further. She knew it was going to leave a bruise on her arm, but she was too scared to move.
“Don’t make me drag you back there,” he hissed, his breath at her ear. “You’ve been playing games with me all fucking week, ignoring my messages. We are having that conversation. Now.”
“Okay,” she said, her voice shaking. “I’ll come with you. Just calm down.”
His grip lessened ever-so-slightly, and he was breathing heavily as he ushered her down the hall, his meaty fingers remaining on her arm. “I don’t know where this attitude has come from, Ella, but I’m not putting up with it,” he see
thed as he hustled her inside and slammed the door shut.
She backed up a few steps, trembling. “Just calm down, Frank,” she said, holding her hands in front of her.
His gaze landed on her trembling hands. “Fuck. You think I’d hurt you?”
“You just grabbed my arm and practically dragged me down the hallway!”
“I asked you to come in early today. I told you the conditions of my giving you your job back. I was disappointed that you weren’t here as I expected.”
“And I told you my flight was delayed,” she said, trying to keep her hands from shaking as she clutched them at her sides. “What do you want me to do? Learn to fly an airplane?”
He stepped toward her, fists clenching, and she cowered back in fright.
“I already told you want I want. What I expect now that I’ve given you a second chance. I needed you here early today,” he repeated, stalking closer. “Alone.”
“I told you,” she said, her voice wavering. “I want to keep things strictly business between us. I’m not coming in early or staying after hours.”
“Not an option,” he seethed. “You and your friend Brianna have caused all kinds of trouble for me. Police investigations on the assault on Brianna, fire code violations that were written up for the building when the cops and everyone else showed up. Then you leave me in a lurch, up and quitting on me at the same time. How am I supposed to handle the weekend crowds with two waitresses running out on me one Saturday night? I lost money because of you. I was nice enough to give you your final paycheck, but I expect more now that I’ve given you your job back.”
“Then I quit! I already told you I’m not doing anything with you. Ever!”
She stepped forward, but Frank blocked her, holding up one hand. “And how will you pay your student loans? You came in here crying weeks ago that you needed your paycheck. Said that I paid you more than any student job you could find. Are you just going to give up on that now? Be my guest. Walk out that door. But don’t expect to step foot back in here again!”
Protected by a SEAL (Alpha SEALs, Book 6) Page 9