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A giggle bubbles up, and I try unsuccessfully to hide it. His eyes soften.
“Okay, so we’ve determined we’re both out of our minds. Can you tell me exactly what’s kept you so busy?”
“You mind if I take a shower first?”
“You got it. I’ll meet you in the living room with a cold beer when you’re ready.” I roll off the bed and lean down to kiss his cheek.
He lets me go, and the sound of the shower starts when I get to the kitchen. I take two beers to the living room to wait. He joins me a few minutes later in sweatpants and nothing else. My mouth starts to water at the sight. He notices, and heat flashes in his eyes.
“Devon, pretty sure Quinn wouldn’t appreciate opening the door to find me fucking you on the sofa. That’s what’s going to happen if you don’t stop looking at me like that.”
I look away, take a sip of my beer, and stay quiet, the thought of him fucking me on the sofa completely on my mind.
He sits next to me and situates me half on his lap. I hand him a beer and wait for him to talk.
“It’s a long story, but Shawn’s situation took a lot longer than I expected. He fully admitted to having a hard time coping with his wife leaving. He was using alcohol as a crutch. Liza and I talked to our superiors and came up with a plan to get him help. He was receptive to all our suggestions and agreed to get help.”
He stops talking, and I wait for more. He drinks his beer quietly, not saying anything. “Um, Bryce, that sounds really cut and dry. Maybe I missed something, but that took all of five seconds to tell me.”
“Well, that’s the story the public knows. Here’s the true story. He was mad as hell. He’s bitter and angry at the world. His wife leaving was icing on the cake. He suspected she was having an affair, and it started during his last deployment.”
“Oh no!”
“Yeah, he convinced himself of this. But we actually got a hold of her, and she willingly spoke to us. There was no affair, only loneliness. She said she tried to talk to him several times, but he wouldn’t listen. So she left as a sign of seriousn
ess, trying to get through to him.
“When he learned this, it all came crashing down. He hit bottom. We gave him a few options. He did agree to get help and speak with an alcohol counselor. Liza and I both worked around the clock to research protocol and standard practices. We reached out to the wife and had her sit down with Shawn to explain their marriage could be saved. Then we got him set up with leave and into an alcohol center. He was admitted this morning. But the three days leading up to it have been pure hell.”
“What would have happened if he didn’t agree to your options?”
Bryce gives me a look, and I know exactly what would have happened. I put my beer down and twist into him, straddling his waist and wrapping my arms around his shoulders. “You saved that man’s career, didn’t you?”
He shrugs. “I guess you could say that.”
“You saved his marriage, too.”
He shrugs again.
“You’re amazing, absolutely amazing.” I kiss along his neck, whispering against his skin, “I’m so incredibly proud of you. He’s lucky to have someone like you on his side.”
He sets his beer down and puts his hands on my hips. “It’s my job. He had an excellent service record before this. I had to do everything in my power to help him.”
Pride and love stream through me, and I lean back, cupping his face in my hands. “Bryce, it’s fine to be noble with your team and crew, but I know how much you impacted this man forever. In the future, if your job takes you away from me with little communication for days, but you’re busy being awesome, don’t worry. I’ll be waiting patiently when you’re done to hear all about it.”
His face finally loses the earlier apprehension, and he gives me a wide smile, his eyes shining. “Being awesome, huh?”
“Oh yeah.” I nod and rest my forehead against his, never losing eye contact. “And I’m pretty sure being awesome deserves a reward.”
“Does this reward include you naked?”
He doesn’t give me a chance to answer but stands with me in his arms and walks us back to my room. With the way his eyes are practically eating me alive, I’m pretty sure I’ll owe Quinn an apology tomorrow morning.
*****
The sound of a soft buzzing wakes me, and I reach over to hit my alarm clock.
Buzz, Buzz, Buzz
