Page 11 of SEAL's Angel
“I don’t have school tomorrow. Mommy said so. Not until Chase gets home,” Cindy replied, shoving out her chin just like Bob used to.
“It doesn’t mean you can’t try to get some sleep. C’mon, I’ll take you upstairs and read you a story while we wait for your hot cocoa,” Rafe grabbed her hand to lead her up the stairs.
Dawn mouthed, “Thank you.”
He smiled.
She watched them head upstairs.
“How are you doing, angel?”
She jumped when she heard Jake’s voice behind her, his deep voice raising goosebumps on her skin. The SEALs were too quiet. She’d laughed so hard the last time she visited Virginia and Chrissy had mentioned needing to put a bell around Ryan’s neck, because he was constantly startling her.
“Honestly?” she answered. “I’m a wreck, but I’m trying hard to hold myself together. As soon as I think about Chase out there, lost and alone—or worse—I can’t breathe.”
By the time the words had left her mouth, Jake had crossed the room and wrapped her in his muscular arms. Her cheek rested against his hard chest as she listened to the steady thump of his heartbeats. He smelled like an ocean breeze mixed with a scent that was only his.
She couldn’t hold back her soft sigh as she settled against him. His arms held her tight, but not so much she couldn’t step out of his embrace if she wanted. And she didn’t. A few minutes wrapped in his arms couldn’t hurt. It wouldn’t be bad to accept the comfort he offered. Would it?
“I hope you’re not upset I’m here,” Jake said. “I couldn’t let Rafe come alone. Even if we didn’t know each other, I would have come to support my SEAL brother. But I needed to be here for you, too.”
“I get it. I really do appreciate it. When I saw the two of you, I had hope for the first time all day that we’d get Chase back. I just don’t understand why he’d run away. And if someone took him, wouldn’t there be some contact by now?”
“I agree. But I’m more than a little surprised the cops didn’t leave someone here in case you got a ransom demand.” Jake squeezed her a little tighter and rested his chin on her head.
“I don’t know? I didn’t even think about that.” Dawn shivered.
Kidnapping?Oh my God. She’d been trying to avoid thinking about it, but it was possible. Until they found Chase, anything was possible. But after hearing about the fight with Joey, she wondered if Spencer was right, that he’d run away because he was sad.
It wasn’t better, except that it meant he wasn’t in the same danger he’d be in if someone had grabbed him and held him against his will. While Dawn tried not to think about the million horrific things that could happen to her son, Jake hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head, then stepped away.
Dawn shivered when she lost the warmth and the comfort of Jake’s arms, and wished she could mold herself against him and stay there. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Getting attached was a huge no. They were friends—only. Anything other than that was too dangerous to her heart. She couldn’t put any of them through that kind of loss again. A relationship with a SEAL was just as dangerous, if not more, than what she’d had with her Ranger husband. With Bob, there were never any guarantees once he left that he’d come back home.
“Let’s go get that coffee and Cindy’s hot cocoa.” Dawn headed toward the kitchen. She couldn’t look Jake in the eye. What would she find there? Sympathy? That was the last thing she wanted.
There was no mistaking his presence as he followed her into the kitchen. It was like his heat radiated out and warmed her even when they weren’t touching. Dawn needed to stop thinking about him; it wouldn’t help anything. Instead, she reached into the cabinet and grabbed four mugs. Then filled three with coffee before pulling out a packet of hot cocoa for Cindy from the box on the counter.
“Half-and-half is in the fridge, and the sugar bowl is on the table,” Dawn said as she handed Jake his coffee. Even though they hadn’t spent a lot of time together, she felt like she knew him well, but it was weird that she didn’t know how he took his coffee.
“Thank you. I drink it black. This is perfect.”
As Dawn watched, he took a long drink of the steaming liquid, and she had no clue how he didn’t scald his mouth.
“I’m used to drinking it whenever and wherever I can grab it. Coffee is like breathing to me.”
Dawn understood that all too well. There would be no getting through the day if she didn’t have her morning caffeine boost, although there were times she had tea instead of coffee. She’d probably lose her membership card to coffee drinkers anonymous now.
“Can I help with anything?” Jake asked.
“Would you grab the bag of mini marshmallows out of the pantry? It’s that door.” Dawn pointed to the door next to the refrigerator, remembering he hadn’t been in the house before.
After opening the pantry door, he looked at her and quirked an eyebrow.
Dawn smiled. They packed the pantry after their shopping trip last weekend. “Second shelf, left side, plastic bag.”
“Are you sure your parents weren’t military?” Jake asked with a grin.
She loved it when he smiled. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and he even had a dimple in his left cheek. But mostly, the smile softened all the hard angles of his jaw and sharp cheekbones.
