The SEAL Next Door (Alpha SEALs Book 5) (13 page)

“I’m sorry to hear about your buddy,” Patrick “Ice” Foster said to Matthew as they changed in the locker room.  Their SEAL team had done grueling dives out in the choppy water, and Matthew’s muscles were already feeling fatigued.  Hell.  He’d love to take another long, hot shower with Brianna right now, watching the water spill down over her gorgeous curves.  Kissing her breasts and teasing her soft folds with his tongue.  It was hard to believe that was only twenty-four hours ago; it felt like a damn near lifetime.

“It sucks,” Matthew muttered, slamming his locker shut.  He glanced over at his team leader, who was appraising him with cool blue eyes.  “Not every man’s lucky enough to make it home, you know, Ice?  And for a guy to try to take his own life?  It just doesn’t make sense.  Beckett was like a brother to me.  I’m the one who got him to join the Navy all those years ago.  I already felt guilty as hell about him getting injured and losing a limb.  Now he tries to off himself and what do I do? Spend the night with his sister.”

Patrick raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, didn’t I mention that?  The woman I was with all weekend is my neighbor and my buddy’s kid sister.  She’s 26 now—”

“Not exactly a kid then,” Patrick pointed out.

“Hell no.  She’s all woman.  But a man doesn’t go after his friend’s sister.  It’s like guy code or something.”

Patrick nodded, smirking.  “Maybe not, but it didn’t sound to me like you were chasing after her.  You protected her—saved her from some jackass in a place she probably never should have been working.  And what happened after in the heat of the moment? Well, it takes two to tango.”

“Hell yeah,” Brent hooted as he walked in to the locker room.  “And that woman was fine, I’ll tell you that.  I’d tango with her any day if she wasn’t already Gator’s.”

Matthew coughed, nearly choking.  Was she his?  The men on his SEAL team seemed to think so.  Too bad convincing his best friend might be another story.

“Who’s this?” Christopher “Blade” Walters asked as he walked in behind Brent.  He dropped his gear onto the ground, opening up his locker.

“No one,” Matthew ground out at the exact same time that Brent said, “Gator’s woman.”

“The hell if I know what’s going on,” Patrick grumbled.  “Thank God I found Rebecca, because some days I have a hard time keeping up with the rest of you.”

Brent guffawed, and Matthew shook his head in disbelief.  “Speaking of Rebecca, thanks for that tip on the job lead in her office,” Matthew said.

“What job?” Christopher asked.

“A marketing position for her law firm.  They’re looking to bring in new clientele and expand.  I think they worked with marketing agencies in the past but are considering bringing someone on board full time.  Brianna might be interested.”

“The woman who’s a cocktail waitress?” Christopher asked, puzzled.

Matthew’s gaze slid to Brent, his eyes steel.  What the hell had Brent been telling everyone?  “That was just a temporary job,” Matthew said coolly.  “She’s an MBA and former marketing exec.”

“Gotcha,” Christopher said.  “If she’s smart like Lexi, you better watch out,” he joked.

Matthew laughed, thinking of Christopher’s computer hacker fiancé.  Christopher was a computer whiz in his own right, but Lexi was his match in every way.  Those two also had a past—they’d been together ten years ago out in Coronado and broken up before recently making a go of things.  Somehow they’d worked out their differences and were now engaged.  Could he do the same with Brianna?  Sure, she’d always been the girl next door, but things had shifted between them this weekend.  And it was no small change—more like a seismic shift in the way he saw the whole damn world.

Life was funny sometimes.

Not even two days after he first told Brianna that he’d never have a family, he was starting to wish for a life like that with her.

Imagine that.

He grabbed his gear, saying goodbye to the other men as he headed out for the night.  He needed food and needed to unpack from the weekend away, but first, he needed to call Brianna.

***

The phone rang as she sat on her bed, laptop propped in her lap, responding to emails.  She’d gotten two bites on the resumes she’d sent out last week.  Neither were exactly her dream job—one was a step down from her last position but local.  The other was in Northern Florida, which meant she’d have to leave her family.  The whole idea sticking it out in the bar had been to wait until the perfect local job showed up.

But what if that never happened?

She reached over to her nightstand and saw Matthew’s name flash across the screen of her cell.

“Hi,” she said softly as she answered.  She set her laptop to the side and stretched out on her bed, clad only in a soft tank top and floral sleep shorts.  Oddly enough, Matthew had never actually called her before.  Growing up together, he’d just shown up at their front door.  And as they grew older, he was always more of Beckett’s friend than hers.  It felt oddly intimate to be sitting here on her bed with Matthew’s voice at her ear.  The exact same bed in which she’d spent the night in his arms.

“Hi, darlin’,” he drawled, and she giggled.

“How was training?”

“Brutal.  My entire body aches, and I wish I was there with you.”

“So I could kiss all the boo-boos away?” she teased.

“Something like that,” he murmured, his voice growing husky.

“I heard back from two potential employers,” she said, changing the subject.  The thought of kissing Matthew was too much to bear right now.  She wanted him here, too, and they’d barely been apart one day.

“Really?  That’s great.  Did you get my email earlier?  Patrick’s girlfriend Rebecca is a lawyer at a firm here in Virginia Beach.  They’re looking to expand and hire a marketing consultant.  It sounded like something you might be interested in.  Plus then you’d be here with me.”

“Yeah, that does sound like it could have potential.”

“So are you going to send me your resume?  I’ll forward it on to her if you want.”

“Uh, sure.”

There was a pause before Matthew cleared his throat and spoke.  “Look, Bri—I didn’t expect anything to happen this weekend when I was home.  Hell, I didn’t exactly expect anything to happen between us ever.  But now that it finally has? I want to keep seeing you.”

“Yeah, me too.  But I’m just not even sure how that would work with my living in Florida and you up in Virginia.  We’d basically be starting out in a long-distance relationship.”

“That makes the job at Rebecca’s law firm sound pretty damn good.  It’s right here in Virginia Beach; we could be together.”

“Well, what would I do?  Get my own apartment there?”

“If you wanted.  Although I’d love to have you living with me—spending every night in my bed, waking up each morning in my arms.”

“Doesn’t it seem too sudden?”

Matthew chuckled.  “Maybe.  But I’ve known you my entire life.  Your entire life, at least,” he corrected.  She could practically see him grinning on the other end of the phone.  “All I know is that I want you with me.  When I saw that guy grabbing you in the hallway—hell, Bri.  It just about damn near ripped my heart out.  It opened my eyes though.  I want you here with me.”

“I’ll send you the resume,” she promised.  “I mean, if the job doesn’t work out, then there’s no point in even trying to figure out the rest—the living arrangements and what not.  There’s just a lot going on at the moment, and I need to figure out what’s best.  I have to take whatever marketing position I can find.”

“If you did come here, move here I mean, I’ll have to tell Beckett.  He has a right to know.  I need to go see him anyway.”

“I was going to fly up there next weekend.”

“When are your parents coming home?”

“Tomorrow.  He’s doing good, I suppose, according to my mom.  I mean considering the circumstances.  But I’m planning to go there on Friday.  Hopefully with some treatment for PTSD he can come home and then continue seeing a doctor down here.”

“They should have someone on base,” Matthew said.  “I can help if you need me to.”

“That’d be great.  I don’t even have the first clue where to start.”

“Would it be okay if I crash on your visit with Beckett next weekend?  I’d probably drive up late Friday.  But then I’d get to see both of you.  Maryland is a helluva lot closer than Florida.”

“That sounds good,” Brianna said.  “But what should we tell him about us?  He’s already stressed enough.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Matthew assured her.  “I think it needs to be between us guys.”

“If you’re sure.”

“Absolutely.  And I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me either.  I already made hotel arrangements for the weekend.  Do you, uh, want to stay with me?”

“Hell yeah,” Matthew said.  “There’s nothing I want more, sweetheart.”  He yawned a moment later, and Brianna giggled.

“Am I that boring to talk to?” she teased.

“Training was brutal, darlin’.  And I didn’t exactly get a ton of sleep over the weekend.  Not that I minded that one bit.”

“So I’ll talk to you sometime this week?  I can email you the hotel info.”

“Absolutely.  I wish I was there to kiss you goodnight.  Hell, who am I kidding?  I wish I could do a lot more than just kiss you.”

“Me too,” she admitted.

“The weekend can’t get here soon enough then.  Goodnight, Bri.”

“Goodnight,” she said as she disconnected the call.

A weekend with Matthew.  It almost felt like they were making it official by telling her brother.  That still didn’t solve the long distance issue, her lack of a job, or anything else.  But the idea of seeing Matthew again soothed her, somehow, and she yawned.  Glancing at her clock, she saw it was only nine p.m.  But after her crazy weekend, she needed to catch up on her rest.  She’d worry about everything else tomorrow.

Brianna cursed at the winds whipping outside the kitchen window on Friday morning.  The trees swayed dangerously close to the ground, debris flew through the air, and rain battered the sides and roof of the house.  The tropical storm blowing through town meant all flights were cancelled for the day, possibly for the entire weekend.  So much for flying up to see Beckett tonight or getting to see Matthew again.

She sank into a chair at the kitchen table, casting one last look out the window.  The angry storm clouds matched her current mood.  She took a sip of her steaming hot coffee and flipped open her laptop, scrolling through her emails.  She’d set up an interview for next week with the local company she’d sent a resume to, but to her surprise, the job lead Matthew had told her about had resulted in a hit as well.  The woman, Rebecca, who was dating a member of Matthew’s SEAL team had called her yesterday.  They’d chatted a bit and Brianna had done a brief phone screening with their HR department.  She had an interview lined up in Virginia Beach in two weeks for the new marketing position at the law firm.

She hardly dared to hope the job would come through, but a week after Matthew had gone back, she was itching to see him again.  It didn’t help that she was currently unemployed.  She might not have exactly enjoyed working as a cocktail waitress, but at least it gave her something to do.  With her parents gone for several days, she’d mostly been at the house, culling through the classifieds and sending out resume after resume.

“That’s nice of your office to let you work from home today,” her mom commented as she walked into the kitchen.

Brianna cringed.  She still hadn’t fessed up that she’d actually been laid off.  Her parents had been so shaken when they’d returned from Walter Reed earlier in the week, though, that she didn’t have the heart to confess she was currently unemployed.  And had been for a while.

“Nothing’s open today,” Brianna casually said.  “Including the airport.”

“Have you talked to your brother?”

“Yeah, he was disappointed I can’t come but is looking forward to my visit next weekend instead. His spirits seemed up.”

“I worry that’s just the medication they have him on.  He’s taking antidepressants.”

“Oh.  Right.”

“We saw a change just in the few days we were there.  But once they lower his dosage, there’s always the possibility of him becoming depressed again.  He’ll be meeting with counselors, but he was before, and look what happened.”

“Maybe if we check in with him more,” Brianna said thoughtfully.  “Matthew said he’d get up there to see him also.”

“I just wish Beckett was back home,” her mom said worriedly.  “Then we could keep an eye on him.”

“He’ll be here soon enough,” Brianna assured her.

Her phone buzzed on the kitchen table, and she grabbed it, seeing Matthew’s name on the screen.  Her mother excused herself as Brianna answered.

“Hi darlin’,” he said.  “I just caught the weather on CNN.  It looks like flying up tonight is a no-go with the tropical storm.”

“Yeah, it’s bad out.  I’m sure we’ll lose power before long.”

“It’s not supposed to hit our area for another day or so.  I may still go up tonight to see Beckett.  It’s easy enough for me to make the drive, and I don’t want both of us to be no-shows.”

“He’d like that,” Brianna said.  “But are you going to talk to him?”

“About us?”

“Yeah.  I just thought I’d be there when you did.  I know he’s injured and all, but he’s my older brother.  I might have to pull him off of you,” she joked.

“You don’t think I could take Beckett?” Matthew teased.  “That was harsh.”

Brianna laughed.  “I worry what you two could do to each other if given the chance.”

“Actually, I was thinking of heading up two weekends in a row.  I’ll just drive up this evening for one night to see him like we planned, and then next weekend I’ll drive up again when you’re there.  We could talk with him then.”

“And your CO will let you do that?  Take two weekends in a row?”

“Given the circumstances, he’s pretty understanding.  And although being several hours away isn’t ideal, I can haul ass back if need be.  We’re on call 24/7, but I arranged to be off next weekend when I’m up there with you.”

“I’d love to see you then.  I was pretty disappointed the tropical storm came through this weekend.  Talk about awful timing.”

“Me too,” he said, his voice gruff.  “I was looking forward to it more than you know.”

The lights flickered, and Brianna glanced around the kitchen.  “It looks like we’re about to lose power.  Hopefully my cell connection will hold.”

“All right, I’ll let you go.  I’m on my way to PT anyway.  Tell my parents I checked in if you see them.  I’ll call you when I get up to Walter Reed tonight.  Stay safe in the storm.”

“I will.  Talk you soon.”

They disconnected, and Brianna gaze again fell to the rain outside, her mind wandering.  She wondered what a day in Matthew’s life would be like—always training to stay in top physical shape, drilling for missions.  It was so different than everything she did.  All that she knew.  Plus a lot of it involved dangerous operations—things she could never know about.  Look at her own brother—he’d barely survived his latest deployment.  Could she live knowing Matthew would always in that type of danger as well?

She restlessly glanced back at her laptop.  She’d have battery life to continue working if the power failed but couldn’t exactly continue sending out emails to prospective employers with Internet access.  Her mind wasn’t in it anyway right now.  It looked like it would be the perfect day to curl up with a good book and forget everything else.

***

Matthew tucked his cell back into his shorts pocket as he walked down the hall to the weight room.  He’d talked to Bri every night this week, and that quick call wasn’t nearly long enough.  He loved the sweet sound of her voice, the tiny gasps and giggles she made over the phone.  He could almost picture the expression on her face most of the time.  Would almost pretend that she was right there beside him.

When the hell had he become the kind of man who liked to sit around chatting on his cell every night?  With Brianna he could easily talk for hours, wanting to learn every last thing about her.  He knew her childhood as well as he knew his own, but to learn about the woman she’d become during their time apart?  He’d gladly spend a lifetime finding out all the tiny details.  But they had PT this morning and then drills all afternoon.  He didn’t have time to sit down for a long talk.  He worried about Brianna, her parents, and his own weathering the tropical storm.  It wasn’t the first they’d seen in Pensacola and sure the hell wouldn’t be the last, but he couldn’t help feeling regret that he wasn’t there.  And wasn’t that the crux of his whole problem.  Even if Bri moved here to Little Creek, he’d be gone a hell of a lot.

Could she handle that?

Could he?

Still, it would be pretty fucking spectacular to wake up beside her each day.  There was a possessive, alpha male instinct in him that wanted Bri in his bed.  Hell, her floral scent on his sheets would make him as hard as a rock.  Add in all that long blonde hair combined with her supple curves, and he’d be lucky if he ever made it
out
of bed.  He’d be willing to sacrifice a good night’s sleep for night after night with her.

And to take care of her, protect her, and have a woman to come home to?  He thought he’d never want something like that, but with Bri, it seemed almost inevitable.

He grinned as he walked into the weight room, and Evan raised his eyebrows.  “Someone’s in a good mood today.”

“Just hoping the whole job situation with Brianna will work out so that she can move up here.”

“Move as in move in with you?”

“Hell, that’s what I’m hoping.  It’s up to her though.  I know she doesn’t want to rush into things, but I’ve known her for a lifetime.”

“Have you guys told Beckett yet?”

“Nope,” Matthew laughed.  “He might just kill me when he finds out.”

“So I should look for your body tomorrow morning?” Evan asked.

“Negative.  That tropical storm just messed up my weekend plans.  Bri can’t fly out, so she’s postponing her trip until next weekend.”

“You still heading up to see Beckett?”

“That’s the plan.  Just for the night though.”

Evan laughed.  “So what makes you think he won’t wring your neck?  That seems even more likely without Brianna there to soften the blow.”

Matthew chuckled.  “She had that same thought.  We’re planning to tell him next weekend when we’re both there.  Her call.  Personally I’d like to just let him know now.  That guy is like a brother to me, but I have to respect her wishes.”

“Any more word on that asshole in jail?” Evan asked, grabbing some of the free weights as he began his set of reps.

“Still rotting in his jail cell.  And he will be until the trail unless he strikes a plea bargain.  Either way he’ll be doing jail time, which makes me feel a helluva lot better.  I still wouldn’t mind smashing his face in though.”

The rest of the team walked into the weight room, and Matthew headed over to one of the machines, ready to start lifting.

“Whose face are you going to smash in?” Brent asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes as he sauntered over.

“That asshole that attacked Bri.  He’s in jail though, so I guess I missed my chance.”

“That’s right where he fucking belongs,” Brent muttered.

“Yep.  I couldn’t agree with you more.”

The other men spread out amongst the weight and equipment, and Matthew let his thoughts drift back to Brianna as he worked on his quads.  Hell, another week apart felt like a damn eternity.  He’d been looking forward to seeing her for days.  How did men deploy for months, an entire year, without seeing their families?  Somehow they made it work.  And if he somehow got the stars to align in his favor, so would he.