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“How?” Equally curious and starting to enjoy his friends’ discomfort, Dominic leaned back. “Seriously. You love your ladies enough to commit, right? So how do you balance it? How do you keep from feeling that you’re screwing them over?”
Damn.
He grimaced, irritated that he’d let his amusement loosen his mouth. That wasn’t the kind of thing he meant to share. Hell, that wasn’t the kind of thing he even wanted to admit to himself.
But neither of them looked confused, surprised or even amused at the question. They both looked deadly serious. Thankfully, neither started spouting crap about quality time, unconditional love or, God forbid, sexting for long-distance fun.
“Don’t ask me,” Brody said, lifting both hands. “I tried to quit once and she damn near threw beer bottles at my head. Genna says she’s proud of what I do. I think that helps.”
“Sage had a chance to play the quit card with me. She wouldn’t do it, though,” Masters added, his expression proud. As if his lady had done something amazing.
And she had, Dominic figured. Both of them had a shot at marrying a normal guy, one who was around most days and nights. One who didn’t have top secret written over half his career.
Would Lara feel that way?
He tried to imagine Lara saying she was proud of him, but the image just wouldn’t compute. Had she ever indicated that she was proud of him? Pretty much her only reference to his career had been when she’d been cussing at him for dragging her out of her apartment.
Somehow Dominic just couldn’t picture her as a sweet little stay-at-home military wife, doing tea and bingo in base housing with the other wives.
“You guys got lucky,” he told them with a rough smile.
“You sound like you don’t think you’d have the same luck,” Brody observed.
“It’s not his luck he’s doubting. It’s my sister.”
Dominic barely contained his groan as he got to his feet.
Could this day get any worse?
As one, the three men turned to the door. Brody whistled under his breath while Masters gave a pitying shake if his head.
“You’re hooked on his sister?” Brody muttered.
“Dude,” Masters chided with a laugh.
“Castillo?”
“Sir?” Dominic returned, automatically shifting to attention.
Banks tilted his head toward the door.
Masters paused long enough to give Dominic a punch to the arm, Brody offered a pat on the back, then they were both smoke. Banks had that effect on people.
Dominic jerked his shoulders, shaking off the automatic battle tension. The guy had a right to voice his thoughts when it came to his sister.
“You have a minute?”
Frowning, Dominic nodded. It wasn’t the request that confused him. It was that Banks would make it. He wasn’t known for asking. Or chatting, for that matter.
“Sure. You here to chime in on the chances of a military guy having a lasting relationship?’
“Of course not.”
“You’re not going to offer me advice?”
“Me?” If Dominic had asked him for a kiss smack on the lips, Banks couldn’t have looked more shocked. “Hardly. Besides, I thought advice was your forte.”
“Advice takes one of two things,” Dominic observed. “Experience or objectivity. This is a situation in which I have neither.”
“Well, don’t look at me.” For the first time, Banks didn’t seem like a windup military machine. The guy appeared so seriously horrified that Dominic had to laugh.
“Okay, so if you’re not here to offer advice, what’s up?”
“I want to talk to you about Lara.”
Dominic’s smile faded. He widened his stance, just in case.
“Landon takes a dim view of fighting among the ranks,” he pointed out for the second time that hour.
Not that that’d stop him. He figured he owed Banks a few brotherly obligation shots. And he wouldn’t mind taking a couple of his own. Nothing personal, but the guy had been a witness to Lara dumping him. A few gut shots might soothe the ole ego.
“Why do you think I’d be looking for a fight?” Banks asked. He didn’t sound obnoxious or confrontational. Nope, just curious. The man was a mystery.
“Lara?” Dominic left it at that. If the guy didn’t have his own list, he wasn’t stupid enough to provide one.
“I’m pretty sure if my sister wants your ass kicked, she’d prefer—and is totally capable of—doing it herself.”
“Yeah, she is.” The woman was seriously built and damned strong. And he knew for a fact that she could—and would—fight dirty.
“You know, I’m not here to take you down, but you start thinking lusting thoughts about her while I’m standing right here in front of you and I might change my mind,” Banks mused.
