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He held her gaze. “I mean every word. What we had in Afghanistan was a moment in time. We were in a bubble. Real life isn’t that way. And your real life is a hell of a lot different than mine.”
He gathered the sheet in his fists. Crushed the fabric together. “Get out of my room, Laila and don’t come back. There’s nothing here for you.”
“There’s everything here for me,” she shot back.
He shook his head. “I’m not the same man you... you were with in Afghanistan. I can’t be good for you. I’d only drag you down. So go home and forget about me.”
“Not going to happen, Jase,” she said. “I’ll be here until you’re released, and then I’ll help you get resettled. So get used to seeing me.”
“Hell, no,” he said immediately. “Get your ass out of my room. Right now. Or I’ll call someone to have you tossed out.”
Anger stirring, she held his gaze. “You want me gone? Fine. Get your ass out of that bed and toss me out. It’s the only way I’m leaving.”
His knuckles whitened on the sheet. “I can’t do that,” he said, his voice low. Deadly. “But I can have you thrown out.”
“Go ahead,” she said, lifting her chin. “I’ll just come back.”
He held her gaze for a long moment, then began to swear. Finally he closed his eyes and sighed. “We had great sex in Kabul, Laila, and I loved every minute of it. But that’s over. In the past. A memory. Nothing else.”
“It was more than sex, Jase.” She glared at him. “I think you know that, too. You’re not even willing to take a chance to see if it could be more. I never took you for a coward.”
Before she’d finished speaking he was shaking his head. “More? Hell, no. I don’t do more. A night or two and I’m done. That’s it. We’re past my expiration date, Laila. So go home. Forget about me. You have a life. A job. A bunch of Afghans to mother-hen. You don’t need me in your life. And I don’t want to be in your life.”
“I don’t need you in my life? Really?” She sucked in a breath, her anger bursting free. “Knock it off, Jase. You don’t get to tell me what I need. And all that self-pity is not a good look for you.”
“Too bad, ‘cause it’s all I have left. My job is gone. My buddies are gone.” He pressed his lips together. “Everything’s gone.”
“Only if you want it to be,” Laila said.
“There’s nothing about want in this,” he said, slapping his thigh. “This is the only thing real right now.”
“You’re wrong about that, Jase,” she shot back. “I love you. That’s real. That didn’t change just because you were injured.”
“You telling me you’re gonna throw a pity fuck at me?” he said, staring at her with steely eyes.
The door opened and Dev and Cody walked in just as Jase spoke.
“You don’t want that pity fuck, Conway?” Cody said. “Then you’re a fool. I was gonna ask how you were doing, but,” he nodded at Laila. “Your woman’s here. Guess you’re doing pretty good.”
“What the fuck are you two doing here?” Jase sat up straight and stared at his teammates, shocked. “Why aren’t you doing your job?” Jase barked.
“Hazardous duty leave,” Dev said. “We’ve got two weeks with nothing to do. Figured we’d harass you for a while.”
“You’re not spending it with Mel?” he asked Dev. “What happened? She throw your ass out the door?”
Dev looked away. Shrugged. “Bound to happen. She got bored with me.”
“Sorry, man,” Jase said.
For the first time, Laila saw genuine pain in Jase’s eyes. For his friend, she realized. He might not cut himself any slack, but he had lots of sympathy for his buddy.
“Happens,” Dev said nonchalantly.
“I thought you two were solid,” Jase said.
Dev shrugged again. “Nothing lasts forever,” he said.
Jase looked at Laila and his eyes hardened. “Too true,” he said.
They all stared at each other, no one speaking. Then Mel walked into the room.
