Page 39 of SEAL's Tempest
“How could you tell? Were you really going to duct tape her mouth shut?” Tempest asked.
“Nah. But I did threaten to give her a spanking if she didn’t stop acting like a brat.” Lucky grinned.
Tempest would have loved to have been there to see the look on her sister’s face when he said that. It would be great ammunition for their arguments in the years to come. Though, she’d probably be sick of hearing about it soon enough. Grace was supposed to stay with her for a few days before heading to their dad’s house in Washington, DC.
“And she didn’t hurt you?”
“Hell no. I think I shocked her to tell you the truth. But she was hissing mad and didn’t talk to anyone during the trek to the EXFIL.”
“I think you’re the first person to ever get her to stop arguing,” she said. “Maybe you should get a commendation.”
“Fuck, no. He didn’t do anything special,” Josh said as he joined them.
It was the first time she’d spoken to him since they got on the plane. Once he’d woken up, he’d been talking to Quinn.
“How do you know? You weren’t even there. Tempest said I’m the only person who could get her sister to shut up. That’s special,” Lucky groused and tried to look offended.
“Sure, yeah, and they’ll give Whiskey a Congressional Medal of Honor because he pulled your sorry ass across the street after the blast.”
“Fuck you,” Lucky grumbled but he couldn’t hide his grin.
“I think he should get the medal,” Ry agreed.
When Whiskey barked, Tempest grinned. “He thinks he should get it too.”
They were still arguing back and forth when Quinn joined them. “Listen you asshats, we’re landing in a about twenty minutes. You’ll have thirty-six hours of leave. But keep your phones on just in case. Josh and Tempest, you need to be checked out by medical. They’ll decide your operating status.”
“Can’t we just forget about the shoulder? You know I’m fine,” Josh said.
Tempest hid her grin behind her hand. He sounded like a whiny child and not an elite operator. Not that she blamed him. She hated desk duty but there was no point in arguing about it.
“What do you think?” Quinn asked.
“Seriously, Josh? You’d be about as helpful as a condom in a nunnery,” Lucky said.
Josh mumbled, “Fuck you.” But he didn’t look annoyed.
“That’s a new one, Lucky,” Ry commented.
“Yeah, I’ve been working on my one-liners.”
“Sometimes I think I’m wrangling a bunch of two-year-olds.” Quinn sighed and shook his head.
“But you love us, Boss.” Ry grinned. “Although Harmony agrees with you. She keeps saying Whiskey is better behaved.” The dog who was sitting at Ry’s feet woofed when he heard his name.
The friendly teasing helped get rid of the mission stress. Tempest had missed being part of it over the last couple of months. This was her first mission since moving to Virginia. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be her last with the Red Falcon team. But after they reported their relationship, she didn’t think they’d allow it. Thankfully, they were the same rank, or it would have been a bigger problem. But she still needed to talk to Josh. There was so much she wanted to say, but not in front of his team.
The banter continued until it was time to buckle in for landing. Quinn headed to his seat, then turned around and said, “Tempest, head to medical first then you’ll be debriefed.”
“Yes, Boss,” she answered. Then glanced at Josh and gave him a tentative smile.
She’d caught him staring at her a few times, but she didn’t know him well enough to get a read on him. Maybe he was just hurting? Or wondering if she’d changed her mind.
As much as she wanted to pull away from the others, she couldn’t do it. Not there. Not while they were waiting to see the doctor either. It would have to wait until they were alone. Since he was her ride home, hopefully she’d be able to talk to him during the drive, not that it would take long.
* * *
“Will do, Boss,” Josh acknowledged the order even if he didn’t agree with it. But maybe he’d get some alone time with Tempest. He’d sent Doc over to her when he’d woken and seen her rubbing her temples. It earned him his own meds, when he’d groaned as he tried to get up. He had to admit it had taken the edge off the pain.
