Page 9 of Finding Carly
He’d slept like a rock last night. Yes, he’d been exhausted from the mission and traveling, but it was more about having her in his arms, knowing where she was and that she was all right, allowing him to finally let go and fall into a deep sleep.
He’d felt a hundred times better this morning, enough to suggest she pack and come to his place. Jag was actually surprised she’d agreed so easily, but he’d seen the determination to move on in her eyes. Less than two weeks ago, at Kenna and Aleck’s wedding, he’d seen a spark of anger, and he’d actually hoped to work with that. But as it turned out, Carly didn’t need him lighting a fire under her ass. She’d decided for herself.
She was strong as hell. He just needed to help her see that.
“Your shower is amazing.”
He turned to see Carly walking toward him. Her blonde hair was still damp around her shoulders. She had on a pair of shorts and a long-sleeve T-shirt. Her feet were bare and the sight of her toes made him smile.
“What?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone with ten different colors on their toenails before.”
Carly gave him a sheepish grin. “I had to do something all day while I was cowering in my apartment.”
Jag put down the spoon he was using to scramble the eggs before pouring them into the pan, then walking over to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and waited until she met his gaze. “Don’t,” he said in a low, earnest tone. “You did what you had to do in order to survive.”
“Jag, I hid out in my apartment like a kid hiding from the boogeyman. It was…pitiful.”
He shook his head firmly. “No, it wasn’t. You just needed some time to process. And I happen to think it was smart. I hate that you were scared,arescared, but I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that asshole doesn’t get anywhere near you.”
“If he really wants me, there’s not much anyone can do. He’ll find a way. You and I both know that.”
“Then I’ll do what I can to teach you how to defend yourself,” he said easily. He hated it, but she was right. If he’d learned nothing from his teammates’ women’s situations, he’d learned that he couldn’t be by Carly’s side 24/7 and there was a better-than-average chance Lukewouldbe able to get to her eventually. “You’ve been a prisoner in your apartment long enough. You need to start living again. Fuck him,” he said harshly. “You can show him that you’re stronger than he or his father thought you were. Nothing will get you down. And if he does decide to be an idiot and pick up where his dad left off, he’ll be sorry, because you’ll kick his ass and make him wish he forgot your name.”
Jag hadn’t meant to be so blunt, but he couldn’t help it. The thought of Luke, or anyone else, getting their hands on Carly made his blood curdle. He knew with a bit of training, Carly could outsmart him and prove he’d picked the wrong woman to set his sights on.
She gave him a small lopsided smile. “In case it’s escaped your notice, I’m not exactly SEAL material,” she said with a shrug.
“You don’t have to be,” Jag told her. “You can use his size against him. He won’t expect you to fight back and…don’t take this the wrong way, but because of the amount of time you’ve spent hiding, he’ll think you’re too terrified to do anything to help yourself.”
Jag could tell Carly wasn’t fully convinced, but he did like how she seemed to stand up a little straighter.
“It smells good in here,” she said after a moment.
She was obviously done with this particular conversation, so he let her change the subject. “What do you like in your eggs?”
“Um…what do you have?”
“Everything.” Jag let his hands drop from her shoulders and he took a step back. What he really wanted to do was pull her into his embrace and tell her that everything was going to be all right, but he didn’t want to make her even more uncomfortable.
Carly chuckled. “Everything?”
“Yup. Bacon, green or red peppers, cheese, salt and pepper, salsa, chorizo sausage, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, spinach, ham, sour cream, hot sauce. I think the sour cream and cheese are still good, and frozen veggies will have to do until I can get to the store.”
“Holy crap, people put all that on their eggs?”
“Well, probably not all of it at the same time.” Jag grinned. “And usually those things go into an omelet. But I can never get omelets to work right, so I usually just mix everything together with my scrambled eggs. I figure it’s the same thing, even if it doesn’t look as pretty. So…what’s your preference?”
“Can I have green pepper, cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, and sour cream?”
“You can have whatever you want, angel,” he told her.
“Can I help?” she asked next.
“Sure. You can shred some cheese.”
They worked together making their breakfast, and Jag felt a pang of longing so intense it almost made his knees buckle. He wanted this. Wanted her right next to him, smiling and relaxed as they made breakfast together in the future.
