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“Hooyah,” my teammate, Kade, muttered in agreement.
The assignment had initially been a four-day op. Then shit went sideways, and it turned into four weeks. I desperately needed to sleep, but I needed to see Phoebe more.
When I hadn’t been focused on my mission, she’d been on my mind constantly. I hated that I had no way to get in touch with her to let her know I was coming back for her or just to hear her sexy voice. When I could catch a little sleep, I’d dreamed of all the things I planned to do to her when I returned.
Before I could relax, I wanted to see her. Partly because I needed to know she was safe—despite the regular updates from Jonah. Although I got them in bursts because I couldn’t check my email frequently. The other part of me wanted to make sure she was real and as beautiful as I remembered.
I figured I should call first, but I didn’t have Phoebe’s number. Luckily, Arrow and Sage had returned from their honeymoon while I was away. He’d been at the debrief, so I waited for him outside the entrance. The cool air felt amazing after the oppressive heat I’d endured for the past month.
When Arrow emerged, I pushed off the wall I’d been leaning against and walked toward him. “CMC,” I called out.
He stopped and twisted around. “What can I do for you, Petty Officer?”
Arrow was one of my commanding officers, but he was also a friend. Off duty, we called each other by our first names-–except when I called him “Sir” out of habit. However, it was funny that using his given name felt less natural than addressing him by rank.
“How was the honeymoon?”
He grinned and tucked his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants. “Amazing. I love my job, but it was hard to come back after having my wife all to myself like that.”
“I can imagine,” I chuckled. Several weeks ago, that wouldn’t have been true. But now, I only wanted Phoebe’s undivided attention and a lot of uninterrupted time to explore her body. I clapped him on the shoulder and teased, “Knocked her up yet?”
Arrow’s smile grew even wider, and I shook my head in disbelief. “I was joking, Sir. You seriously knocked up your wife on your honeymoon?”
“No. I took care of that before the wedding,” he said smugly.
Laughter burst from my chest, and I had to bend over to catch my breath. When I stood back up, Arrow was still smiling like a loon with his chest puffed out so much I was waiting for him to pop a button.
I shook his hand and slapped him on the back again. “Congratulations, CMC.”
“Thanks. Don’t tell Sage, though. She wants to wait.”
“No problem.” I cocked my head to the side and studied him with a smirk. “How many other people have you told?”
Arrow looked away as he cleared his throat. “I’m guessing my honeymoon wasn’t the real reason you wanted to talk?” he mumbled, avoiding the question.
“Good thing your friends all keep secrets for a living,” I chuckled. “I was wondering if you’d been keeping tabs on Paul?”
Arrow nodded. “Sage was worried about his sister, so she talked Jacob into giving us regular updates on him for her to pass along to Phoebe.”
“How’s he doing?”
He shrugged. “As good as can be expected. Jacob said he’s progressing and thinks Paul will turn things around. But it’s a hard road.”
“And his sister? Phoebe?” I tried to be nonchalant, but Arrow clearly picked up on something in my tone because he narrowed his eyes.
“Was this all your convoluted way of asking about Phoebe? My wife’s best friend? Practically a sister?”
I was acting like I’d grown a vagina. But I was a fucking SEAL. We were straightforward and got shit done. So I stopped trying to be covert and laid it all out.
“There’s something about her,” I admitted. “I met her for all of ten minutes, and that was all it took to know she was mine.”
Arrow rolled his eyes and rocked back on his heels. “Welcome to the club.” Then he winced. “Damn, the timing of this mission really fucked with your relationship. It must have been hell being gone for so long without a way to stay connected to her.”
“Merrick put me in touch with Jonah Carrington,” I explained, knowing Arrow would understand my choice. Merrick Ashford had been a member of my SEAL team long before I came on the scene. Apparently, he’d taken the fall for a corrupt CO to save his teammates’ asses. He’d become a hitman until he met his wife, Audrey. Now he did mostly security consulting, although he helped his friends out on occasion…when someone needed to disappear. We’d worked together a few times and become friends.
His wife was best friends with Jonah’s daughter, so I’d taken advantage of the situation in order to keep me from losing my fucking mind while I was gone.
Arrow nodded. “Smart.”
