Page 20 of SEAL's Tempest
“Falcon 2, come in.” Quinn’s voice crackled in Josh’s ear.
“Copy, Falcon1.”
“The issue is being worked. Prepare for the long game. Falcon 1 out.”
Fuck. Josh glanced at Tempest. Thankfully, she was focused on the video feed and trying to figure out what the tangos were going to do next.
“Clear copy, Falcon 1. Falcon 2, out.”
“What’s the bad news?”
It didn’t surprise him that she’d figure out from his response they didn’t have a solution. “Looks like we’ll be here for a while.”
Josh noticed a couch against the far wall and nodded toward it. “We might as well get comfortable.”
Tempest followed the direction he indicated and nodded. “Might as well.”
ChapterNine
The couch in the reception area looked like a refugee from a seventies sitcom. The orange dust-covered fabric had definitely seen better days. Tempest slid her T-shirt up over her nose and mouth then picked up a cushion. She tossed one to Josh before beating another one against the wall. The last thing they needed was to inhale the dust.
It didn’t take long until it turned into a weird kind of pillow fight as they raced to see who de-dusted the most cushions. Josh won, but Tempest insisted she’d done a better job. He disagreed of course. But at least when they finally sat on the orange monstrosity, they weren’t enveloped in a cloud of dust.
Tempest grabbed her water bottle and sat down. It was a lot more comfortable than it looked, probably helped by lack of use. She leaned back and took a swig of water, putting her feet on the coffee table with a sigh.
“You okay?” Josh asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be? We’re both in the same situation. Should I keep asking if you’re okay?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Josh’s easy smile melted away. Tempest cringed. God, she was such a bitch sometimes.
Josh wasn’t her enemy. Nope, the enemy stood on the other side of thatprakeiktasdoor.He’d done nothing but help and try to come up with solutions to get them out of there.
“I’m sorry,” Josh said. “I didn’t mean to imply anything. It’s been a long day, and it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since we left Norfolk. I’d have asked any of my team the same thing.”.
“I know, and it’s all me. I’m sorry. I can be a bitch sometimes. It seems that old habits die hard.”
Josh nodded, then grabbed a water bottle and sat down on the other end of the couch. “I think we started off on the wrong foot. How about we start over? Hi, I’m Josh Hartman. Welcome to the neighborhood.” He flashed her that killer smile. No wonder they called him heartbreaker.
They had gotten off on the wrong foot but not from anything he’d done. It was time to come clean about what had happened in Coronado. Her behavior toward him was still wrong, but maybe it would help him understand her reaction to him.
“Hi, Josh. I’m Tempest Miller. It’s nice to meet you.” Tempest took his proffered hand.
He grasped hers in a firm handshake that sent a frisson of desire snaking up her arm and left goosebumps in their wake. Surprised, she pulled her hand back and rubbed her arm. His grin told her he’d felt it too. The man was too damn sexy for his own good.
“Great to meet you, too. If you need anything, just come next door. If I’m around, I’ll do what I can to help. Though I should warn you, I do spend a lot of time deployed..”
“Navy?” she asked. The conversation was bizarre since they already knew so much about each other. Yet it seemed to be working. The tension that to perpetually buzz between them had evaporated.
“Yes, for about ten years. How about you?”
“I signed up after college. It’s been about five years for me, most of them stationed in Coronado. But I was ready for a change.”
Josh hesitated. This was new ground, and he probably didn’t know how personal to get.
She took pity on him. “I had an issue with a sailor; it was messy. But even after it was resolved, I wasn’t comfortable there anymore. I asked for the transfer. I was happy to get assigned to JEB.”
“Understood. I’m sorry, I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision to make.”
“Thank you. It really wasn’t. The guy—my ex—told me he was a SEAL when we met. That should have been the first indication something was wrong since you guys don’t walk around, advertising it. But I was new to the base, and he knew all the right things to say. It took about eight months for me to finish all my specialized training and get my top-secret clearance. He’d managed to keep up the ruse the whole time. But when I was assigned to a SEAL team, I finally realized the truth.” She was grateful Josh seemed to understand, she still felt so stupid that she’d fallen for her ex’s lies.
