Page 34 of SEAL's Harmony
“You don’t owe me anything, Ry. I’m the one who will owe you big time. Quite the first date, huh?”
Whiskey nuzzled her arm and whimpered, and she realized she’d been wringing her hands. The dog was more intuitive than most of the humans she knew.
“That’s for sure. I don’t think either of us will ever forget it.”
“Yup, I agree. Do you think we’ll ever have a normal evening? Dinner, or a movie, and no extra hysteria involved?” It really was ridiculous. First Harry at the bank, and then the car. No way was she going to ask the universe what else could happen. She knew it would delight in showing her.
“We definitely will, sweetheart. And at the end, you’ll probably think it was the most boring date you’ve ever had.”
“I sincerely doubt it. Boring might be nice. I’m a stay-at-home type of girl. Reading or a movie is fine with me.” Harmony watched his profile to figure out what he was thinking. He was probably ready to take back his earlier words, and she hadn’t even gotten to the messy stuff yet.
A few minutes later, they pulled into Ry’s apartment complex, and knots formed in her tummy. Even though he said she’d have her own room, it was the first time she’d be spending the night with anyone besides her father. It sure was a night of firsts.
“I need to take Whiskey for a walk before we go inside. Do you want to wait here or come with us?” Ry asked as he hopped out of the truck.
“I’ll come.” She’d expected Whiskey to jump out the door as soon as Ry opened it, but he waited for her to get out and then jumped down beside her.
Ry reached into the glove box and grabbed a plastic bag and then attached Whiskey’s leash. “We just walk over here at night. Although sometimes he likes to go for a run. But he’s tired from the mission, too.”
“Awww. I didn’t think about that. You must be exhausted.” She barely knew this man, and yet he’d been more protective of her than anyone she’d ever met.
“I’m fine. I slept some on the plane, and this is nothing compared to some of our missions. We’re lucky to get more than a few minutes of rest at a time.”
“I don’t know how you do it. But I’m so glad there are men like you who put their lives on the line for the rest of us.” The heat rose in Harmony’s cheeks at the heat in his expression.
“Most of us couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” Ry said as they walked hand-in-hand around the complex waiting for Whiskey to take care of business.
“Did you always want to be a Navy SEAL?” Harmony asked.
“Not at first. But after nine-eleven I knew I wanted to defend my country.”
“You were young, though.” Harmony figured he couldn’t be that much older than her.
“I was eleven. But I don’t think my parents believed me when I told them I wanted to join the marines. They always figured I’d work in the family business. I would have, if I hadn’t found out about the SEAL teams.”
Harmony couldn’t imagine having a conversation like that with the Kraken. It was his way or no way. She’d earned a scholarship to the University of Iowa, but he wouldn’t let her take it. She ended up going to the local college and then he arranged for her job at the bank.
Before Harmony moved to Virginia, she often wondered if her mother hadn’t run off if her life would’ve been different. She’d cried for her at first, then prayed she’d come back for her, but it never happened. Not that she blamed her for leaving with the way her father acted, but she couldn’t understand why she’d left Harmony behind.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” Ry asked.
She got the feeling it wasn’t the first time he’d asked her a question. “Just thinking about home. Your family sounds wonderful.”
“They are. If I can get the time off, I’m going up there for Thanksgiving. I’d like to take you with me.”
“Ry…”
“Don’t say no. It’s still a few months away. You have plenty of time to decide.” He looked at the dog. Now that Whiskey finished his business, we’ll grab your bag and get you settled.”
Ry led her upstairs to his apartment. When he opened the door, Whiskey pushed past him and disappeared inside.
“Is something wrong?” Harmony asked.
“Not at all. He goes through the apartment and makes sure there’s no threat.”
“Oh. Aren’t you worried about hurting anyone inside?”
“No, they shouldn’t be in my home. If they’re inside, they are the ones who should worry. Whiskey will take them down and wait for me to come to him.”
