Jesse flashed a crooked grin, but kept his eyes on the small, swinging black bag. The speed bag was his way to release, but a few times he had started hitting while still too keyed up and he had ruptured the bag. Okay, five times, but who was counting really? Besides, it was a better way to calm his nerves than what he could choose. Drinking, fights, gambling, women.
“Nah, I think this one will last a little longer.” His shoulders began to burn, and he gave the bag another few punches for good measure before dropping his arms and letting it swing to a stop. “See? It lives to be hit at least another day.”
“Hey, why don’t you come drink with us?” Brendan clapped a hand on Jesse’s shoulder as they headed into the locker room.
“You know I don’t drink.” Jesse often felt like the outsider of the team. While half of the six man team was married, the other half, though his age, found solace in empty bottles and meaningless relationships. While Jesse understood that - their job was such that they never knew if they would come home night after night - he still couldn’t partake.
Brendan opened up his locker and pulled out a clean shirt. He peeled off his current one and added some deodorant before tugging on the new one. “You don’t have to drink. Look, I won’t drink either. Just come and hang out with us. You have no one waiting for you at home.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Jesse had Bugsy, his Boston Terrier, but he understood Brendan’s point. Most days, Jesse went home, fed Bugsy, made some dinner, and fell asleep watching TV on the couch. It wasn’t much of a life. “All right, I’ll go, but I’m not drinking.”
Brendan’s lips pulled back to reveal his perfectly white teeth. “That’s the spirit. Hurry up and change. We don’t want to leave the rest of the team waiting.”
“Is everyone coming?” Jesse pulled out his shower necessities. Brendan might feel comfortable going out with just a new application of deodorant, but Jesse needed to wash more than just dirt and sweat off. He needed to wash the sound of the bullets and the sight of lifeless bodies from his mind.
“Yeah, Pat’s wife is pregnant again and demanding some crazy food concoctions. Pat agreed to pick them up if she let him have an hour. Cam and Jared’s wives are having a girls’ night, so they whole gang can be together. It will be nice to hang out when we aren’t worried about being shot at.”
“Fine. Give me ten minutes. Unlike you, I like to clean up before I go out.”
Brendan smirked. “I’ve never had any complaints.”
Jesse shook his head as he walked into the shower, but he knew it was true. Brendan had rugged good looks and muscles to match. He rarely had a hard time finding a woman. Jesse on the other hand hadn’t dated anyone in the last few months. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been looking, but he was quieter than his teammates. And he wasn’t looking for right now. He was looking for forever. He just hadn’t found it yet.
Lawfully Pursued - available now!
About the Author
Ginny Sterling is a Texas transplant living in Kentucky. She spends her free time (Ha!) writing, quilting, and spending time with her husband and two children. Ginny can be reached on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or via email at [email protected]
Lawfully Betrothed, Copyright © 2018 by Ginny Sterling
These books are works of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
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