Page 55 of Stone
“We’ve already established that you don’t know me any longer, Dani. You don’t know what I’ve been through, the horrors I witnessed. You have no understanding of what it’s like to suffer while others thrive or when you’re forced to watch someone you care about die right in front of you and there is nothing you can do to save him.” He slammed a coffee pod into the machine, smashing the lever down.
“A fellow SEAL?”
“Oh, fuck. Yeah, a couple. It’s to be expected, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t tear you apart.”
He was masking the real reason for the nightmare, although I knew what he was saying was true. “I’m sorry about your team members.”
“Yeah. Me too. Good guys.”
While he reached into the cabinet, I took a few steps closer. “I also know what it’s like to lose someone you care about.”
He snorted and thrust the mug on the counter with enough force I was shocked the ceramic didn’t shatter. “Not the same thing as seeing a bullet penetrating a man’s brain.”
“That’s why I think you need to talk to someone. You can talk to me if you want. I’m not going to judge you. I care about you and don’t want you to live this way.”
“You won’t judge me? That’s good because if you did, you’d either consider me a heinous bastard or a criminal.”
“That’s not true. You did what you were required to do.” I sensed his exasperation increasing.
“Getting women and children killed? Being solely responsible for their deaths?”
The biting words hung in the air.
I pressed my fingers against my mouth.
“Is that the kind of thing you’d like to chat about over breakfast?” The hissing sound as the coffee finished brewing captured both our attention for a few seconds.
“If that’s what you want to talk about. I’m right here. You’ve told me I’m not going anywhere, so why not allow me to be your friend?”
His grumbling continued as he reached into the refrigerator, grabbing a carton of half and half. He poured some into his mug then slammed the still open carton onto the counter. The force made me jump. Why was he so angry with me? No, that wasn’t the truth. He was furious with himself.
He was suffering and I’d never seen him this way, not even when my father had been giving him hell for nothing more than beingmy boyfriend. But I refused to back down, walking closer until I crowded his space.
“Talking about what I experienced isn’t going to make anything better. Just fucking leave it like I told you.”
“Should I be afraid of you, Stone? Is that why you’re pushing me away?”
With his shoulders heavy, he shook his head, saying nothing. The seconds ticked by. “Goddamn it, Dani.”
“What do you want me to say, Stone? I’m just trying to help you.” My eyes flew up from the ripple in his back to the long arc of his neck to the intense flare of his sea-green eyes.
“Well, how about this? Mind your own goddamn business.” He swept his arm across the counter, knocking both the mug of hot coffee and the carton of cream aside. The cup hit my leg, scalding coffee splashing on my skin before the mug took a tumble to the floor, smashing into dozens of pieces around my feet.
The carton spewed cream across my chest before falling to the floor, still dripping as it fell.
Shock tore through me seconds before pain from the instant burn. Just as I started to lunge forward in my bare feet, Stone rushed toward me, instantly pulling me into his arms.
“Oh, fuck. Oh, my God. Dani. Dani.” His entire body was shaking as much as mine and he rushed me into the bathroom, throwing open the shower curtain.
Gasping, I clung to his neck as tears formed in my eyes.
“Hold on, baby. Just hold on.” Frantic, he held me tightly while reaching down to turn on the water. “Okay. I’m putting your legin the water. Okay. I’ll hold you.” He eased me into the shower, immediately jumping in behind me.
I couldn’t stop shaking, the pain turning into agony as my skin reddened.
With his arm firmly placed around my waist, he cupped his other hand under the water, grabbing handfuls and tenderly splashing the burned area.
“Ouch. That… hurts.” I gritted my teeth and my voice was shaking. While I tried to hold them back, the tears wouldn’t stop falling. The emotional release wasn’t merely about the agony or the shock from his explosive reaction. It was also from the horrible realization he’d had a part of him ripped away by war and death.
