Page 12 of SEAL's Harmony
Harmony giggled. “Sure you can. I do it all the time.”
“That’s because you don’t take your breaks with me. Cookies are the minimum, but doughnuts would be better.”
She pushed down on the lid of her cup, then took a drink and saw Ry watching her. She shrugged her shoulders. She’d learned the hard way to verify it was secure. “Just making sure it’s on tight.”
“Got it.” Then he double-checked the lid on his coffee before taking a drink.
“What did you get?”
“Just black coffee. After the last month, this is like manna from heaven.”
“It’s that bad?”
There was a tug on the leash and Harmony looked down to see Whiskey had stretched out under the table between her and Ry.
“Bad coffee?” He chuckled. “More like horrific. But it’s better than none. That happens sometimes, too. Though not this time.”
“Did everyone make it back okay?”
“Yes, the mission went well. But that’s about all I can tell you. Pretty much everything we do is classified.”
“Chrissy told me. She also said she gets more information because sometimes she’s involved in the missions, but that Ryan hates it.”
“Yup, that’s true. Though now that they’re engaged, most of the time she doesn’t go out with them. She’s come with us a few times. I don’t blame Ryan. I wouldn’t want my woman in danger.”
“But it’s her job. Isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. Ryan understands that, but it doesn’t mean he has to like it. We’re all a bit neanderthal when it comes to the people we care about. I think it goes with the territory. We’ve seen too much death and destruction.”
Harmony nodded. She’d seen enough watching the evening news. “Is that why you don’t date usually?” The question popped out of her mouth before she could stop it. During the last girls’ night with Chrissy, Meghan, Miranda, Sky, and Dawn, she’d learned a lot about all the SEALs on the Black Eagle and Red Falcon teams. Give women pizzas, ice cream, and a lot of wine and there are no more secrets, unless they’re classified. She’d even shared what happened with Jim the asshat.
“I get it. I wouldn’t want anyone I loved to be in danger. But it can’t always be helped.”
“Exactly. But lots of women and men can’t deal with it and that’s why so many relationships break up. It takes a special person to be involved with a special operator or anyone on active duty.”
Harmony nodded and picked up her coffee. Swirling it to mix the milk, she splashed it all over her hand and wrist. She shook her head as the heat rose in her cheeks. Could she embarrass herself any more in front of this man? It was looking unlikely. Maybe she should just knock his hot coffee into his lap and drive him away before she fell for him.
Ry grabbed a couple of napkins. He took the coffee cup from her and put it on the table, then wiped off her hand. Harmony couldn’t remember the last time that someone had cared enough to do that.
“Thank you. But I could have gotten it.”
“I know. I wanted to help. It gave me an excuse to touch you. But is there something you’re not telling me? Are you seeing someone else?”
“No, not at all. There’s no one in my life right now. I haven’t had the best experience with men. I guess I’m trying to figure out why you’re really here.”
“Huh? You mean here with you?”
Harmony nodded and met his gaze. The intensity reflected in his eyes forced her to look away. It sounded stupid when he said it, but she couldn’t wrap her brain around why he’d want to be with her.
“Well, maybe the better question would be why wouldn’t I want to be with you? You’re beautiful and I’ve never seen eyes the color of violets before. But more than that, you’re funny and adorable, and interesting. You don’t try to be someone you’re not.”
“But you’re walking man-candy,” Harmony said.
“What does that have to do with anything? All I know is that since we met at the wedding, I can’t stop thinking about you. If you don’t believe me, ask any of my team. Too bad Whiskey can’t talk, he’d tell you too.”
Hearing his name, the dog woofed and his tail slapped the concrete.
“But if you’re not interested, all you have to do is tell me and I’ll walk you back to the bank and you never have to see me again.”
