Page 42 of Trusting a Warrior

“Well, you’re gonna have to,” Geo whispered to the empty room. “You’ll have to.”

Because theirs wasn’t a sports team, where a player had the luxury of riding out a slump, of being able to take the time to get some extra help from the coaches and get back on track. Here, if someone couldn’t keep up or got emotional and lost their edge, they were gone.

Even in the SEAL teams—especially in the SEAL teams—no one was irreplaceable. In their world, asking for help meant being seen as weak, cowardly, a breakdown of the mental toughness SEALs were legendary for. It meant possibly losing the confidence of teammates, of brothers, the very way of life they’d all fought so hard to be a part of.

And that was a risk almost no one was willing to take.

With an unhappy sigh, Geo struggled back to his feet and grabbed his phone, which he hadn’t checked all day. As the various notifications popped up, one in particular caught his eye. A text from Lani.

Catching his breath in anticipation, he opened it up.

Hey! Tonight I saw one of the prettiest sunsets I’ve ever seen in my life, so have a pic of the beach, and also a “beetch” who’s very glad to have met you. Not gonna lie, I’ve been pretty lonely, and talking to you is a real bright spot in my life these days. Now I’m off to make myself a delicious dinner, and nope, I won’t exercise after. So there.

When he clicked on the first attachment, Geo’s breath caught.

The Pacific Ocean shimmered in the fading sunlight, the blue-gray waves a white froth as they crashed down onto the shore. The brilliant purple-and-pink sky scudded with clouds, and he could just smell the breeze that’d carry the faint scent of brine to his nose.

“Ah, thank you, Lani,” he whispered. “I really needed that.”

He opened the other picture. Soft brown eyes gazed out at him, the waning San Diego sun highlighting a smattering of freckles that danced across a pert nose and along softly rounded cheeks. Lani was smiling, the light sheen of gloss on her lips emphasizing their shapely fullness.

Thick black hair shone, teased into a halo about her head by the sea breeze. A few strands clung to her lips, and Geo reached out a finger as if to brush them away. Instead of lush, pliable skin, the impersonal coldness of his phone screen greeted his touch, and he settled for tracing the shape of her mouth once, twice, a quiver starting low in his belly that made his heart thud painfully in his ears.

Dropping his hand, he ran greedy eyes along bare shoulders, the hint of cleavage swelling over the scooped neckline of her tank top. A small heart-shaped pendant drew his attention to the hollow of her throat, and the thought of pressing his lips to that enticing hollow swelled his cock to a painful hardness. He gulped, suddenly disgusted with himself. She was his pregnant friend, not a potential fuck buddy.

He had plenty of those in his life, more than he’d ever need.

Friends, though, were in short supply, especially ones outside the community who understood the demands of his job, who wouldn’t expect more of him than he could reasonably give. Someone who enjoyed his friendship almost as much as he did hers.

Who knew what it was like to lose someone in an instant, in a way almost too painful to bear.

Geo sucked in a ragged breath, forcing back the toxic brew of anger, of guilt, of shame, that’d been his constant companion since the night Cade Barlow—his mentor, his friend—had lined up his personal effects on a shelf above his rack, stuck a Post-it note on his computer with his password written on it, then put a Sig Sauer nine-millimeter pistol into his mouth and pulled the trigger.

“What was that? Did one of you assholes have an accidental discharge?”

The crunch of booted feet, the shouting, as everyone in the platoon rushed through the hooch, looking for the source of the unmistakable sound.

Geo had flung open the door to Cade’s room. “Dude, did you hear that?”

The smell of cordite had almost knocked him down. Before the roaring in his ears took over, a steady drip-drip-drip had registered, the sight of a wall splattered with...

His heart galloping, Geo fought the memories as Lani gazed steadily back at him, the gold flecks in her eyes giving them a warmth, a depth, that seemed to flow through the screen straight into his soul. He didn’t look away from her, but clung to her, until the anguish crested, receded, then mercifully flowed away, leaving him limp and drained.

Clearing his throat, he clicked Reply with a shaking finger and typed, Thanks for the pics, pretty girl, and enjoy your dinner. See you soon.

Chapter Nine

“I’m coming!”

Lani could hear the irritation in her own voice, but she didn’t care. Whoever was knocking so insistently on her door was about to get a piece of her mind.

“I don’t need any—” she snapped as she jerked open the door, only to stop short. Instead of the salesperson she’d been expecting, a woman stood on the stoop, a woman who was girl-next-door beautiful, with fair skin and silky brown hair gleaming with blond highlights. Her workout leggings and layered tank tops emphasized a taut, athletic body, and oversized sunglasses perched on the top of her head.

Lani’s stomach dropped to her toes, and her heart started to pound in abject fear.

“Hi,” the woman said. “I’m—”

“I know who you are, Devon,” Lani snapped. “Did something happen to Rhys?”