Page 27 of SEAL's Sky
“She turned when I called her name. You’re lying,” the man’s voice was irritated now.
“I’m sure anyone would turn if they heard someone yell out. You need to go back to where you came from. There’s no one by that name here,” Murph’s voice was sharp enough to cut.
Jen peered around him and saw the man take a step back. Six foot whatever of angry SEAL was not someone you wanted to mess with.
“Maybe I was mistaken. Have a good evening,” the man said and backed up a few steps before turning and walking away.
Crisis averted, Jen opened her mouth to thank Murph, when he turned toward her with eyes blazing fire.
“What the hell were you doing? What part of staying inside was hard to understand? What if I hadn’t been here to stop him?” Murph ground out with his jaw clenched.
His anger freaked her out and Jen pulled out of his hold and took a few steps back, fear flooding her system with more adrenaline than she could handle.
“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t be inside anymore,” she stammered trying to hold back the tears that filled her eyes.
At her words, Murph must have realized he scared her. He took a deep breath and the anger dissipated as he breathed out.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you. But seeing you running down the street with that guy chasing you scared the shit out of me. I don’t want you scared of me, but you put yourself in danger.”
She was irritated, but more at herself and her reaction than at him. Yeah, he scared her when he got mad, but she’d deserved it. He was right, she should have stayed put.
“I thought it was okay, but I should have known people would still be looking. Thank you for saving me.”
“I told you I’d keep you safe and I meant it. Now, how about we get inside before anyone else tries to steal you away?” He forced a smile and she appreciated the effort, but it didn’t make it all the way to his eyes.
He put his hand on her lower back. “Let’s go in through the alley, we don’t need to worry your mother.”
“Good point. I’ve been a bear lately. Being cooped up is driving me crazy. I think she’s about ready to toss me out.”
“Pam would never do that.”
“No, she wouldn’t. She’s amazing and I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
When they reached the rear entrance, he gently took the keys from her hand and opened the door, then locked it behind them. The stairs gave him a good view of her butt in the tight jeans. Did it look okay? A weird thought but it was probably from the stress of the last ten minutes. Did she want him to check out her butt? Oh yeah, she was officially losing it.
* * *
Murph’s heart nearly stopped when he saw Sky running down the street with a suit-wearing asshat close behind. He jumped out of his truck and raced toward her, grabbing her as she ran into him. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to not take the guy out. But he also had the moment of clarity. If he did, he’d end up in jail himself.
What he didn’t understand is why she was out of the apartment. Not that it mattered now. Her cover was blown, and they would have to figure out their next steps since Tex still couldn’t find the whereabouts of any of his exes.
Once inside, she didn’t say a word to him, just went to the fridge and got him a beer. It was almost like he’d come home after a long day of work, almost. This wasn’t his home and she wasn’t his woman. Although trying to convince his teammates of that over the last couple of weeks hadn’t been very successful. She brought out feelings he never expected and wasn’t even sure he wanted.
He watched her fill a glass with water from the pitcher inside the refrigerator. When she turned toward him she seemed calmer.
“Can we talk about this if I promise not to get mad again?” he asked as gently as possible.
Nodding, she walked over to the sofa and sat down. He sat in the chair instead of next to her, so he could see her face. The last thing he wanted was to destroy all the trust he’d gained.
“I’m sorry,” she said, as she looked down at her hands.
“Sky, look at me, please. I need to see your eyes.” At first, he didn’t think she’d do it, but finally, she met his gaze. He’d expected to see fear but was surprised to see fire burning in the emerald depths. He’d take a pissed off Sky over a scared one any day.
“Why did you go out? Especially by yourself?”
“Why? Because if I didn’t get out of here I was going to burn it down. I couldn’t take being cooped up anymore. I only went to get more hair color. It was a quick trip and just getting outside for a few minutes felt amazing. I’m sorry if I scared you, hell I scared myself. I knew I was supposed to stay inside, but I’m freaking thirty-two years old. Not a child to be grounded.”
Her words didn’t surprise him, and he couldn’t blame her. He wouldn’t have lasted as long as she did, but now they had another issue. She was no longer safe, so they had to come up with a new plan.
