A SEAL's Pleasure (16 page)

“But you're getting married Saturday. They can't do that,” Tessa said, ready to take on the US Navy.

“Yeah. They can.” Livi shrugged. “What can I say? Duty trumps ‘I do.'”

Tessa rubbed her hand over her mouth to keep from snapping
bullshit
. “What changed? I mean, he had the time approved. It was all arranged. How can they change it? Isn't his grandfather an admiral? Can't he pull strings?”

“Maybe. No. I don't know.” Livi pushed her hands through her hair. “He said it's complicated. Apparently he wasn't even supposed to be on this mission but someone was pulled off the team. Then they changed the launch date or whatever he called it, but there isn't time to bring in someone else.”

Tessa wanted to object.

She wanted to protest.

If it'd help, she'd bitch up a storm.

But she was pretty sure none of that would help and any of it would upset Livi. So she did the next best thing. She tried to think of a solution.

“Okay, then let's move the wedding up,” she suggested desperately. “Get married tomorrow, or tonight even. I know it's not ideal, but at least you'll have a few days together.”

For a second Livi's face lit up. But just as fast it dimmed again. Her shoulders drooped as she sighed.

“I couldn't.” She shook her head. “People are expecting the ceremony on Saturday. Some of the guests aren't even here yet. We can't disappoint them.”

Her voice trailed off, her expression crumbling a little before she plastered that damned smile on her face again.

Tessa couldn't help it.

She threw back her head and screamed.

She'd spent the past two months pretending to be something she wasn't—nice and agreeable. She'd kept her mouth shut instead of voicing her opinion so often that she'd been afraid she'd go mute. She'd put on a smile and played nice with people who drove her batty. All in an attempt to be the right kind of friend.

Well, screw that.

She opened her eyes, ready to tell Livi just what they were going to do to fix this mess.

But apparently she'd finally found a way to burst Livi's Zen bubble. Now, instead of looking mellow and content, tears waterfalled down her friend's face onto hands that were shaking too hard to open the tissue box.

“Oh, damn,” Tessa muttered, her own bottom lip trembling. She rushed over to take the tissues, tearing the box in half in her haste. “Don't cry. Or, here, dry your face. We'll fix this.”

“We can't,” Livi wailed. “There's too much to change. Too many people will be pissed. Mitch and I will have to wait, marry later at city hall or something.”

Oh, hell no.
Tessa cringed. There had to be a way to fix this.

“It sucks.” Livi sniffed, sounding like her old self for a moment. “After everything that went into the wedding, all the drama and putting up with my mother, now this happens? I've tried to stay positive and optimistic. I don't want the baby born with frown lines and a negative attitude.”

Tessa blinked. Could that really happen? She didn't know enough to debate it, so she did the next best thing. She plopped down next to Livi and opened the box of chocolates.

After they'd each had a couple of pieces, she sighed.

“Will worry really mess up the baby's personality?”

“Maybe. After I read all of the pregnancy books I could find I started on old wives' tales. Just in case. I might have gone overboard a little.” Livi rubbed her hand over the small bump and shrugged. “The doctor said now that I'm into my second trimester that there's less risk, but you know...”

Yeah. She wrapped her arm around Livi's slightly expanded waist. She knew.

Livi gave a watery sigh and dropped her head to rest on hers just as the door opened.

For one second, panic flashed in Super SEAL's eyes, then bless him, Mitch squared his shoulders and crossed the room to take his fiancée into his arms.

“Aww, sweetie, don't cry.”

Tessa smiled.

He really was a nice guy. So perfect for Livi.

All of her doubts about their marriage and every worry she'd had fled at the look on his face as he held her best friend.

She'd be damned if anything was going to ruin their wedding. Tessa set her chin and got to her feet.

“Here.” She handed Mitch the candy and went for the door. “I've got some things I need to take care of.”

She was finished trying to be the right kind of friend. Now she'd be the only kind she knew how.

A pain-in-the-butt know-it-all smart-ass with excellent taste, fabulous instincts and the ability to get things done.

All she needed was one thing to make it happen.

Gabriel.

* * *

G
ABRIEL
STOOD
ON
the cliffs watching Mitch marry the woman he loved as the sun rose over the ocean behind them. His eyes cut from the happy couple, their faces glowing as they stared into each other's eyes, to Tessa. Like him, she was standing back from the couple, letting them take center stage with the minister.

He was a little stunned at how fast Tessa could make things happen. Barely twelve hours ago she'd pounded on his door demanding help. Somehow in that time she'd planned the ceremony, arranged for a wedding breakfast and rescheduled the honeymoon to begin that afternoon.

In other words, she'd cleaned up his mess.

His shoulders knotted with tension, Gabriel remembered his talk with the groom before the ceremony. Irish had insisted that he didn't blame Gabriel. He'd even tried to claim that he'd requested the assignment to make up for Jeglinski being a fuckup.

But Gabriel knew who the real fuckup was.

If he'd followed his own rules and kept the issue to himself instead of giving in to pressure, he wouldn't have disappointed the team or let down Irish.

Gabriel didn't mind paying the price for his decisions.

But he'd be damned if others would, too.

Not his team. Not his best friend.

And no way in hell the woman he loved.

Which meant he needed to stick with his rules from now on. All of them.

Watching Tessa wipe a tear from her cheek as the bride and groom kissed, he knew letting her go was going to be the hardest thing he'd ever done. Dragging it out wouldn't make it any easier. Setting his jaw against the sight of Tessa's joy, he decided to leave right after the happy couple.

Two hours later, Gabriel had one eye on Irish, watching for the signal that he was heading out, and the other on the doors to make sure he had a clear escape route as soon as that happened. He wasn't proud of the fact, but he needed a little distance before he told Tessa they were through.

“Yo, Romeo. Whatcha doing in the corner?”

Since he wasn't about to admit that he was avoiding a woman, Gabriel shrugged instead.

“Just watching.”

“Hell of a party, huh?” Lee Martin said. The team gunner was the size of a small bull, but managed to make the crystal flute of champagne look delicate in his beefy hand. “Pure class, ya know.”

Just like the lady who'd planned it all. Gabriel looked around the dining room. From the sparkling crystal to the fabric-draped chairs, it shouted
fancy wedding
. And from the expression on the bride's face, it screamed
perfect
.

“There you are,” Scavenger said, joining them. “Irish was looking for you. Said to make sure you didn't cut out.”

“Why's Irish worried?” Martin asked. “It's not as if Romeo has ever left a party early. Unless it was on the arm of a beautiful woman, of course.”

“You okay, dude?” Scavenger asked, ignoring Martin. “You're not taking this on, are you? You better not be.”

“That's crap if you own this,” Martin agreed, his broad face turning ruddy. “Jeglinski was a problem. I'm all for competition and wanting to be the best, but that guy had no regard for boundaries. No respect for the mission. You did right to report him.”

“There were other ways to handle the situation” was all Gabriel said. “Better ways.”

“Not with a guy like that. He wasn't gonna stop.”

Martin's nod echoed Scavenger's words.

“Look, the mission date wasn't changed because of anything you did. That's just how it goes down. You know that,” Scavenger said, his expression fierce. “And Irish choosing to go? You think he was going to trust this mission to anyone else after he realized what Jeglinski had been doing? He's got to safeguard the team. That's his job.”

A job he wouldn't have had to do if Gabriel had handled things right. He didn't say that, though. He knew they weren't going to hear him. That was what team loyalty was all about. One man covering the other's ass.

“It is what it is,” he said instead.

“Damned right it is,” Martin said, slapping him on the back. “And what it is, is a win. Jackrabbit was bragging but you showed him. He's off the team, and when word gets back that you won the bet by hooking up with the gorgeous brunette, he's gonna curl up in a corner and cry like a baby.” Martin's usually affable face turned to stone. “Small payment for trying to incapacitate you and ruining Irish's honeymoon, I say.”

“Back off, Martin,” Scavenger said quietly. “Just let it go.”

“Let it go? No way, man. Romeo here is the king. He deserves to be honored, man. He took Jackrabbit down like a hunter bags his prey.” The other man's face turned sly. “And what better reward than a sexy brunette who writes how-tos for sex games, right?”

“Actually, I write how-tos for flirting, but I suppose those are sex games in a way.”

Gabriel figured it was a testament to how off-kilter he was that he hadn't sensed Tessa's approach. But it was almost worth being busted to see the look of shamed horror pour over Martin's face. His cheeks turned red, his lips went white and he hung his head so low Gabriel was surprised he wasn't looking backward through his belly button.

“Sorry, ma'am,” Martin muttered, edging around her and scurrying away with impressive haste for a man his size.

A wicked smile played over her lips as Tessa watched him go. Then she looked back at Gabriel with one brow arched and a hint of anger in her eyes.

Scavenger glanced from one of them to the other, then mumbled an excuse and faded away.

Had she overheard? How much? A part of him hoped she'd heard enough to get seriously pissed, to realize that he was to blame for ruining Livi and Mitch's wedding. If she got pissed, she'd pick a fight, rightfully chew him out. Then he could simply walk away.

But that would be cowardly. And Gabriel hadn't been raised to be a coward.

Instead, he stood at ease and waited for the fallout.

“Have you been avoiding me?” The question wasn't the fallout he'd expected, though.

He frowned.

“Avoiding you? Why would I do that?”

“That's what I was wondering.”

With her hair pulled back into a high ponytail and curls sweeping over one bare shoulder, she reminded him of a mythical goddess. Gold bracelets bracketed her from biceps to wrist, jewels sweeping her cheeks. The lack of sleep—and he knew she hadn't had any because she'd been working her ass off all night—didn't show.

She was damn near irresistible.

Good thing he was trained to do the impossible.

“Just watching the show,” he said, using his chin to indicate the party going on behind her. “You did a good job.”

She tossed a frown over her shoulder.

“Maybe. Everything happened so fast, I haven't had a chance to talk to Livi. I hope she's happy with it.”

“Why wouldn't she be?”

“Ask the mother of the bride.”

“Yeah, she's pretty messed up.” Remembering the pale-faced, heavy-eyed woman who'd left the celebration early, Gabriel grimaced. “Is she really twisted that you changed things?”

“It could be the results of cheap rum.” Tessa wrinkled her nose. “But I'm sure when the hangover wears off, she'll be ready to kick my butt.”

“You saved her daughter's wedding. She'd do better to be kissing your butt.”

“Now, there's an image I didn't need.” Tessa's laugh faded as fast as it had come and she gave him a long, searching look.

“Was what they said true?” she asked quietly. “Is it because you reported some moron that Mitch had to take over the mission? Is that why the wedding had to be changed?”

Yep.

But claiming that aloud would only piss off Irish, so Gabriel shrugged instead.

Her eyes hardened into blue ice.

“And the rest?”

“The rest of what?” he asked, stalling. His gut clenched with misery. He knew what he had to do. But damn, this wasn't easy.

“Did you bet on our having sex?” she asked baldly, the words dripping icicles. “Was our entire relationship, everything that happened, based on some macho game?”

Ignoring the tension ratcheting through his body, Gabriel kept his expression mellow and easy. He knew Tessa.

He knew how to play her.

He'd figured out how to reel her in, so it was a given that he knew how to push her away.

Instead of telling her the truth—that he'd never paid any attention to Jackrabbit's dumb-ass challenge to begin with—or trying to smooth things over, he offered a half smile and a shrug.

“C'mon, angel. You know I can never resist a challenge.”

He felt lower than a slug when her eyes flashed with pain. But he steeled himself to ignore it. He wouldn't demean her intelligence, even in his own mind by claiming that this was for her own good.

But it was better for both of them to end things now.

He had a path to walk, one he'd set in place years ago. A path he'd vowed to walk alone. He'd already screwed up enough things by ignoring his vows. He wasn't going to screw up Tessa's life.

“So you're claiming that you actually bet on getting me into bed?” A hint of pain beneath the ice, Tessa gave him an arch look. “Didn't I offer you hot sex at the engagement party?”