Loved by a SEAL (10 page)

“Okay.” She glanced up to find him watching her.

“Are you okay?
Really
okay?” he asked.

She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “No.”

He’d drive away and she wouldn’t see him again for months, if not longer. He was eleven hours away by car and that was when he was in Virginia. Forget about all the times he wasn’t even in this country.

Hooking his arm around her neck, he drew her to him and kissed her forehead. “Yeah, I know. Me either. We’ll figure something out, okay?”

“Okay.” It was easy to agree when he was here, holding her.

But once he left, once he went back to his life in the military and she back to the daily grind of her own job here, they’d both see more clearly. All the obstacles were still there. Were still insurmountable.

Even if she did look for a nursing job on the East Coast to be near him, the reality was he was away more than he was there. At least that’s what she’d gathered from what Nana and his own family said.

Even if Miss Eleanor and her opinions about Brody dating the help didn’t scare Ashley as much now as ten years ago, the rest still stood. The distance. His responsibilities to the country he served.

How could she deal with that? Being alone in a new town with no family, no friends and no Brody half the time because his life belonged to the Navy.

Not just the Navy. His time was dictated by the mysterious command of whatever special unit he’d joined. The same people who’d given him a week off and then had taken it back just a day later.

She’d never come first in his life. At least not as long as he remained in this job.

Ten years later and nothing had changed. She was still in love with Brody Cassidy and their relationship was still impossible.

Ten hours later, Ashley was home with Nana.

Even as the anticipation built, she was still second-guessing her decision to meet Brody for one last time that night.

The buzzing of her cell phone on the living room table had her jumping. Trying to not look too anxious and arouse Nana’s suspicion, Ashley casually reached for it and glanced at the display.

She frowned as she read the text from Brody.

Don’t come to the park.

He’d insisted on programming their numbers and email addresses into both of their phones today while she tended to Miss Eleanor.

His attempt to make the distance not seem so great once they were separated, she supposed.

But they weren’t separated yet and, even with the overwhelming sadness that he was leaving again so soon, she’d really been looking forward to their last few hours together tonight.

After a glance at Nana to see if she noticed, Ashley confirmed her grandmother was too busy trying to guess the game show puzzle on the screen to worry about Ashley texting.

That still left the worry about why Brody didn’t want to meet. With a feeling of dread, she punched in a question as her reply.

Why not?

I’m coming to you.

Brody’s reply had her eyes widening. Ashley’s fingers flew over the keys of the cell as she responded.

Nana is here!

Nana sleeps like a rock. Leave your bedroom window open. Be in bed by 10 PM.

She hesitated but in the end the idea of being with Brody in an actual bed rather than the park won out. Besides, Nana’s room was on the first floor and at the opposite end of the house. That realization raised one concern.

You do know my room is upstairs?

He responded with a smiley face and two words,
No worries.

A smiley face. From big bad Navy SEAL Brody who, unless he came armed with a ladder, was apparently planning to scale the walls of her home.

Yup. This whole situation was making them crazy.

Even so her heart was pounding with anticipation.

CHAPTER 9

Brody was getting dressed to go out for a run—or rather to
pretend
he was going out for a run while he was actually going to Ashley’s house—when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

Pulling it out, he saw the same number as last night and shook his head. Hitting to accept the call, he said, “Bro, not that I don’t want to talk to you, but why do you insist on calling me at night?”

“Is there a problem?” Chris asked. “Am I interrupting a big date?”

“Nope. Not yet anyway.” He purposely made it sound like a joke. The last thing Brody wanted to do was talk about women with his brother over the phone long distance. Over a beer when they were both home, yeah, maybe then. But not now. He changed the subject. “So how are things going there?”

“Moving along slowly. Very slowly.” Chris sighed.

“Any ETA when you’ll be home?” Brody asked.

“Nope. Even Jon and Zane aren’t sure how long we’ll be here yet.”

If Brody got sent out immediately after getting back to Virginia, he wouldn’t get to see Chris before he left. “Hmm, then there’s a chance we’ll miss each other. Our mutual
uncle
called and he needs me to travel again.”
 

“What the hell? You just got home from deployment.” Chris had understood Brody’s hint that it was Uncle Sam who had recalled him. A man had to get creative when not on a secure line.

 
“I know but you know how it is.”

“Yeah, I do. Damn, I was hoping you’d be around to keep an eye on Darci for me while I’m gone.”

Brody’s brows shot up. “Um, taking care of your girlfriend isn’t exactly in my job description.”

“I didn’t mean take care of her. Just be there if she needs something. Rick’s away right now too and I don’t like her being in that house all alone.”

“Then maybe she should have Ali stay with her. With Jon gone, Ali’s on her own too.”

“Yeah, I know. I suggested it but you know how Darci is.”

“You mean obstinate and stubborn?”

“Hey. Watch it.” The warning was evident in Chris’s tone.

Brody laughed. “You’ve said as much yourself. Anyway, I’d love to help you and your girl, but I can’t even stay here in Alabama as long as I’d planned.”

“Shit. If they’re yanking you off leave something big must be up.” Chris voiced Brody’s own suspicions.

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

“A’ight. Well, keep me informed.”

“I will if I can.” In all likelihood Brody wouldn’t know where he was going or when until the very last moment, and then he probably wouldn’t be able to tell Chris anyway.

“So, how’s the family?” Chris asked.

Brody jumped on the opportunity to tease his brother. “Dude, they’re really pissed at you that you’re not here.”
 

“Fuck you. They are not.”

Brody laughed. “Okay, only Grandmother is pissed. Says you’re out of the will for sure.”

“Yeah, well, if our family had Zane’s kinda money I’d be worried you might be telling the truth. As it stands, not so much.” There was the mumble of voices over the line before Chris said, “Shit, I gotta go. Give everyone there my best. Okay?”

“Will do. And Chris . . . stay safe. Okay, bro?” Brody didn’t know exactly what Chris was in Nigeria doing but he knew no foreign travel came without risk. A GAPS job that required both of the bosses and Chris travel to the heart of Boko Haram country would be no exception.

His brother let out a snort. “Me? How about you? Take care of yourself, little brother.”

“I will. Bye.”

“Bye.”

The line went dead and Brody lowered the phone from his ear.

He’d just gotten a very real reminder of what it was like to be the one left behind while a loved one was away.

It wasn’t easy. He knew that, he’d just forgotten on some level.

Brody had been the one left home when he’d been just a kid still in school and Chris, just a little over ten years older, had enlisted. But Brody hadn’t had the experience in awhile now that Chris had been retired from the teams for a few years.

Retired on not, Chris was currently back in harm’s way leaving Brody home and concerned about his welfare.

Worrying sucked. Brody could only imagine the extent of the worry his family felt when he left, when he couldn’t get in touch with them for weeks at a time.

And Ashley—she’d worry about him too now that they’d gotten close again. He knew it and it pained him to think about what it would do to her.

There was good reason SEALs rarely maintained a decent long-term relationship. And good reason why Brody didn’t do serious relationships. It was too damn hard on everyone.

So why the hell was he planning on keeping in touch with Ashley now knowing how things would be once he left?

That was a good question, one that he had no answer to.

He opened his pack and pulled out a T-shirt so he could finish getting dressed to go see her, because apparently the reminder that this whole thing was pointless hadn’t changed his mind about seeing her tonight.

CHAPTER 10

The sound of scraping against the siding of the house just outside her window was so faint that if she hadn’t been on edge waiting for Brody, Ashley might have missed it completely.

She threw the book she’d been trying and failing to read to the side and ran for the window just in time to see Brody clinging to the sash as his feet dangled below.

“Oh my God.” She had tried to keep her voice low but the shock of seeing him hanging by his fingertips two stories in the air had stolen much of her control.

“Open the window and step back.” Breathlessly, though not as much as she would expect considering, Brody issued that order.

She shoved the window, which had been cracked a few inches, all the way open and took a step back into the room.

Somehow he pulled and wiggled his massive body through the window opening, landing with not much more than a soft thud by her feet.

As she watched, wide-eyed and speechless, he grinned up at her from the floor. “Hey there.”

“What are you doing? You could have fallen and killed yourself.”

Pushing himself off the floor, he stood. As he brushed his hands together he glanced out the window and to the ground below. “From this height? Nah. It would take a much farther fall than that to kill me.”

She didn’t share his blasé attitude. “Why didn’t you just sneak in the back door? Or even better, just meet me in the park like we’d planned?”

“Because this, darlin’, is so much more fun.” He stepped forward until his body was pressed to hers.

She felt the low rumble of his groan vibrate against her and she was lost.

It didn’t matter that Nana was just downstairs. That Brody was leaving in the morning. That she didn’t know when or if they’d ever be together again.

All those concerns took a backseat to the need his touch stoked inside her.

She ran her hands over his shirt and felt the muscles of his back, wishing she could feel the heat of this skin.

“You’re overdressed.”

His brows rose. “Am I? I could say the same about you.”

“Then do something about it.” Ashley didn’t know where this vixen inside her had come from. At the moment she didn’t care.