Loved by a SEAL (5 page)

Brody shook his head. “It’s bullshit. Dying over the same city we fought for only a decade ago.”

“I know. We shouldn’t have pulled out of Iraq. It was too soon. They weren’t ready.”

“Same damn thing is gonna happen in Afghanistan.”

“Most like.” Grant let out a breath. “That’s one reason I want to come back. I’ve been there. I know this enemy. ISIS might be the new favorite story in the press, but there is nothing new about them. The media talks about all the young men they’re recruiting, but they’ve got a sophisticated hierarchy. The leadership of that organization is populated by experienced fighters. Men who’ve already faced us. Hell, some we trained ourselves. And make no mistake, they are organized and damn well too.”

“Which is why there’s all those drone strikes to hit the key leaders.” Brody nodded.

“The leadership decapitation strategy doesn’t work. These bastards plan for the losses. They have members ready to step into any leadership vacancies. It’s set up like the U.S. government. Anything happens to the President the Vice President is trained and ready to take over. If he goes, there’s the Speaker of the House. But unlike the U.S., whoever takes over for a fallen—and don’t forget martyred—leader will only be more vicious. More vengeful. It’s better not to give them a death to rally around.”

“And the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know.”

“That can be true as well.” Grant sighed and glanced around them again. “Is this the waitress?”

Brody swiveled his head and spotted the blonde he’d spent some quality time alone with tonight. “Nope, but for what I tipped her in the back room, I reckon she’ll carry over a couple of drinks for us if I ask real nice. Hey, darlin’!”

As the girl made her way through the thickening crowd toward their table, Grant snorted out a laugh. “I think I didn’t appreciate my single days quite as much as you do.”

“No doubt.” Brody shot him a grin.

It was one of the sad truths of life that a person didn’t usually appreciate what they had until it was gone. That was exactly why Brody was putting in for leave and, if he got permission, would be driving to Alabama to see his family.

It was also the reason he might let this pretty young thing sit in his lap one more time tonight.

He could always make more money. What he couldn’t make any more of was time and none of them knew how much of that they had left.

CHAPTER 5

“Brody’s here.” The older woman’s voice brought Ashley out of her own thoughts as she concentrated on putting away the clean clothes she’d just folded from the dryer.

Miss Eleanor wasn’t healthy but the old woman had retained her wits. At least, until now.

“No, Miss Eleanor. Remember, Brody is in Virginia.”

“He might have been, but he’s here now.”

Ashley turned to the old lady, concerned this dementia was a new symptom, when she noticed the woman smiling and staring out the window.

With her heart pounding and a feeling of dread mingled with crazy anticipation, Ashley swiveled to face the window.

Damned if there wasn’t a truck parked in the driveway. She hadn’t seen him in a very long time, and even though he was now a man of almost thirty and not a kid anymore, she had no problem recognizing him immediately.

She might be old and ailing, but Miss Eleanor was right. Brody was back . . . and what the hell was Ashley going to do now?

Hiding in the closet came to mind. It certainly seemed simpler than facing the man after their last confrontation. Him angry. Her crying. Both of them too young to be dealing with the feelings and the decisions they had wrestled with.

It was as if it had all happened yesterday instead of many years ago.

One thing she knew for sure, she couldn’t have their first time seeing each other again be under the overly observant eye of his grandmother.

Ashley was no good at hiding her feelings, which is why she’d hid completely from the woman’s sight all those months she and Brody had been together. It had seemed like the only way to avoid Miss Eleanor seeing right through her.

That was probably still true now.

She jumped up from her seat. “I’ll go let him in.”

“Girl, that front door has never been locked in all the years I’ve lived here. Besides, nobody has to let Brody in. This is still his home, even if he is traipsing around the world half the time.”

“I know, but it won’t be a very nice homecoming for him to walk into what looks like an empty house. He won’t know to come back to find us here in the bedroom in the middle of the day.”

“You’re right. It’s a thoughtful idea. You go greet him. The boy deserves that much. Besides, I don’t want him scared that you’ve locked me up here in my bedroom like an invalid even though I’m perfectly fine. You’ll want to give him some warning about that.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ashley didn’t have time for the debate of whether Miss Eleanor was really bedridden or not.

Brody was here and Ashley would be lucky if she could get her legs to walk her to the door, forget about argue with a crafty eighty-year-old.

She strode through the bedroom door, fast before Miss Eleanor could think of anything more to delay her.

In the hallway, Ashley picked up the pace to a jog as she headed for the front door just as a shadow loomed behind the frosted glass.

It would be so much better to have this reunion outside instead of in the foyer where Miss Eleanor might hear everything.

Diving for the knob, Ashley pulled the door open just as Brody had reached a hand out to do it himself.

He stood there, wide-eyed and with a duffle bag in one hand indicating he was planning on staying for at least a little while.

Her chest tight, she managed to squeak out, “Hello, Brody.”

~ * ~

Brody’s mind spun. With observations, memories, questions . . . the biggest question being what the hell was Ashley doing opening the front door of his parents’ house?

She flushed with what he could only guess was surprise at seeing him for the first time in a decade.

Damn, how could she look even better than he remembered?

More, how could he ever have compared her to that stripper the other night? Now, in the light of day, face to face with the reality of Ashley rather than just the memory, there was no comparison.

Her light hazel, flecked with green and gold eyes were the same as they’d always been, he was sure, but after having not seen her for so long, he was struck again with their brilliance.

She had her dark hair pulled back tight but the tendrils that had escaped to curl around her face reminded him how she’d so often left it loose and wild when they were younger. He’d loved the carefree look on her then.

And her body—ten years had only added to the curves he’d found so completely irresistible back then.

As his groin tightened as much as his chest at the sight of her, he realized nothing had changed in that department. The memories of being with her were still strong and that fact alone pissed him off.

“Ashley.” He had nothing else to say yet at the same time unasked questions swirled in his brain.

“Um, I didn’t know you were coming.” She sounded as uncomfortable with their meeting as he felt.

Again he had to wonder what she was doing there and why were they standing outside in the Alabama heat with the door open rather than going inside? He could feel the cool air-conditioned air escaping past her.
 

As she continued to stand in the doorway, essentially blocking his way, he figured the only thing to do was answer her. “I didn’t know I was coming myself until my command approved it. I figured I’d surprise everyone.”

Only he hadn’t known
everyone
would include the girl he’d lost his virginity to. The same one who’d broken his heart.

Damn. It turned out that he was the one surprised.

She nodded, her gaze dropping to the military issue three-day pack with his last name embroidered on the tape.

If she hadn’t known and had been wondering if he was still in the military, his mention of his command and his pack should have confirmed it for her. His enlisting all those years ago had been what had broken them up.

Nothing had changed . . . He was still in the Navy. She would no doubt still not approve of that. So why was he envisioning backing her up and taking her against the wall? Taking her so hard neither of them would ever forget it.

 
Did he want to hurt her like she’d hurt him? Or just remind her how much they’d loved each other before she’d destroyed it?

Hate was as strong as love, he supposed.

That thought gave him pause. Did he hate her?

No, he didn’t, but the hurt and anger and resentment still lived inside him, even after all this time. He’d never had true closure.

Maybe this overwhelming craving to possess her was simply because in spite of the traumatic end to their relationship, Ashley felt like home to him—as much as this house and his family did. That sensation, at a time when he really needed to feel as if he had a home and a family, was pretty powerful.

With Speedy’s death, and Chris still away and without communications on whatever this mysterious GAPS mission was, Brody was feeling more out of sorts than he usually did.

Coming home from deployment was always an adjustment, but with nothing and no one to greet him after six months away but a couple of strippers and an empty apartment, Brody needed to feel something familiar.

For better or worse, Ashley was familiar, even if they’d lived like strangers for the past decade. And she was here, right in front of him, still acting as if she didn’t want him in his own house.

“Uh, can I come in?” he asked.

Her eyes widened. “Oh, of course. I’m sorry. I just wanted to meet you here and warn you.”

Warn him? Good lord, what now? He couldn’t take much more upheaval. “Warn me about what?”

She cringed at the hard tone even he had heard in his own voice. “Nothing horrible. It’s just your grandmother’s health isn’t what it used to be so she stays in her bedroom mostly. That’s why I’m here. To help while your parents are at work all day.”

“Where’s Nana?” Brody asked.

He felt ill at the thought something had happened to the woman who’d raised him and Chris, even if she was Ashley’s grandmother and not his own.

“She’s okay but she had to stop working. She’s up there in years herself and when she fell and broke her wrist—”

“And nobody bothered to tell me any of this?” Brody let out a string of cusses that he shouldn’t have in front of any lady, or anyone else besides one of his team, but he couldn’t help it.

Just when he’d been depending on the stability of family, he’d come back to find his nice stable home life had been turned upside down while he’d been deployed.

Chris was gone to God only knew where. His grandmother was so ill she needed a caretaker. Nana was hurt and had quit the job she’d held for forty years.

What other nasty little surprises awaited him?

Ashley’s touch on his arm brought his attention back to her. “You were away. They didn’t want to worry you. And honestly they’re both fine.”

He pulled his arm back far enough she had to drop her hand. If he couldn’t have her the way he wanted to, he’d rather she didn’t touch him at all. He couldn’t take it right now.

“So what? You’re the housekeeper now?”

The girl who’d had such big plans for her life. College. Career. Plans for a future that were too important for her to risk putting them in jeopardy by coming with him to wherever the Navy chose to send him.

Anger flashed in her eyes. “No, I’m not the housekeeper and what would be wrong with it if I was? My grandmother is the most honest, hardworking—”

“Stop. I apologize. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just all a shock.”

Her being here was like a sucker punch to the gut when he’d already been against the ropes and fighting to stay upright.

She drew in a deep breath. “I’m a nurse. I left a good job at the leading hospital in Alabama to come here to help because Nana and your family needed me. I’m here all day with Miss Eleanor while your parents are at work, then I go home to Nana every night.”