Page 6 of Axel Martin

I lifted my mug like an offering. “Just scouting my morning run. Totally not spying on a Navy SEAL throwing another man across a field like a rag doll.”

“You shouldn’t be out here,” he said flatly.

“You shouldn’t hold that much tension in your shoulders.”

His jaw ticked. “This isn’t your business.”

“Too late. You parked me in the middle of it.”

He exhaled, long and tight. “I train hard. That’s all.”

“No,” I said softly, stepping closer. “That wasn’t just training. That was something else.”

He didn’t say anything. But something flickered behind his eyes. Not fury. Not irritation. Something wounded.

I lowered my voice. “Look, you don’t have to tell me. But you don’t have to keep it all locked up, either.”

His shoulders stayed rigid for a long beat. Then, finally, he spoke.

“I lost a friend six months ago. He was still in the service. Rookie. Shouldn’t have been on the op. I told him the SEALs would be good for him.”

The air around us shifted.

I swallowed. “You blame yourself.”

He looked away. “I don’t expect you to understand.”

“I do,” I said, my voice steady. “You think I chase storms for the thrill. But I don’t. I do it because I couldn’t save my dad. I was ten. I watched the tornado tear through our house, and he was on his boat; he had nowhere to hide. Now… now I chase every storm as if I can somehow stop the next one.”

He stared at me, still as stone. Then said quietly:

“You can’t.”

“I know,” I whispered. “But I’m not the only one running.”

A heavy silence stretched between us. But it wasn’t uncomfortable. It didn’t need to be filled.

Then he said, “You’re barefoot. Again.”

I looked down at my feet. “So I am.”

He turned toward the compound, his voice gruff. “Come on. You can walk with me. But if you break a toe, I’m not carrying you.”

I smirked. “You already did once. We’re kind of past that point.”

7

Axel

Iwarned them.

Hell, I practically begged them.

“She’s unpredictable. Don’t engage. Keep it surface-level.”

So naturally, ten minutes into dinner, Lark Bennett had the guys choking on water from laughter, Cooper grinning like a moron, and Turner Rush asking if she wanted to come on the next training op.

I sat across from her, arms crossed, jaw tight, trying not to scowl like an old man.

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