Page 67 of Fire and Rain
She pulled into her garage and parked, glancing over at Sean. His jaw was set, his brow furrowed. She couldn’t blame him for being furious. “I’m sorry, Sean. That was my fault. If I hadn’t—”
“You grab your hungry kiddo and let me carry in the groceries.”
She climbed out, grabbed her handbag, then took Maverick from his car seat and carried him inside. “I’ll make lunch now. Do you want some crackers?”
She set her handbag on the counter, put him in his highchair, and poured fish crackers on the tray. “There you go.”
While Maverick nibbled crackers and Sean carried in her groceries, Eden quickly made mac and cheese. “Here, buddy.”
Sean set a package of diapers on the floor. “I’m going to head back to base. I’ve got a few things I need to do.”
“You’re not going to punch Dalton, are you?”
Sean’s lips quirked in a hint of a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “No, but I thought for a minute you would.”
“God, I wanted to.”
“I could tell.” He held up his phone. “I’ve got your new number. Call the police if anything happens. Otherwise, I should be back in a couple of hours. Keep your doors shut and locked.”
“Thanks, Sean—for all of this.”
“You’re welcome. See you later.” He glanced at Maverick, and his gaze softened. “He’s falling asleep in his lunch.”
Maverick’s head was nodding, little spoon still in his hand, cheese on his face.
“I think we wore him out.”
“I guess so.” With that, Sean turned and let himself out the front door.
* * *
Sean put awaythe things he’d bought at the commissary, still so on edge and angry that he inadvertently slammed his closet door. Thinking that exercise would help him burn off this rage, he dressed out and walked over to the training pool for his least favorite swim workout—interval training.
He focused on speed and efficiency, racing his own best time, pushing himself hard. But even exertion couldn’t cut through the turbulence in his mind.
Did you go behind Justin’s back? Did you sleep with Eden before he died?
Sean ought to have laughed it off. Before that dance, that kiss, he’d never touched Eden in a way that was sexual. He’d certainly never slept with her. But instead of ignoring Dalton, he’d come perilously close to throwing his Coast Guard career away with a fist to the bastard’s smug face.
What the fuck was wrong with him?
Eden.
He wanted her. No, hecravedher.
Dalton had reacted exactly the way Sean knew his fellow Coasties would if he and Eden got together. He had no doubt that Dalton would share his malicious bullshit, and word would make it around base in a matter of days, maybe hours. And then life at Air Station Kodiak would get… interesting.
It wasn’t that Sean had thin skin. He didn’t much care what Dalton and the others thought of him, but operational readiness and station morale were vital for mission success. He didn’t want to compromise either. But if they insulted Eden…
Oh,hell, no.
He’d kept his fists to himself today, but he wasn’t sure what would have happened if Eden hadn’t stomped over, put herself between them, and told Dalton what to do with himself. As angry as Sean had been, he’d still appreciated how fearless—and cute—she’d looked yelling at a man who stood a foot taller than she did.
Of course, the crazy part of it was that Sean wanted to do exactly what Dalton believed they were already doing. He wanted to take off her clothes, run his hands over her soft skin, explore her entire body. He wanted to kiss her and taste her. He wanted to bury himself inside her and fuck her until neither of them could walk.
Way to torture yourself, man.
Sean tried to channel all of that unspent sexual tension into his last lap, giving it everything he had, then he rested against the edge of the pool, catching his breath.
