Page 28 of SEAL's Tempest
Josh chuckled. “I feel the same way. But did I hurt you? Was I too rough?”
“No, not at all. I enjoyed every moment, probably too much.”
Tempest couldn’t resist touching him. For a moment, she was living her dream, but then reality came crashing back. She’d just had sex in Marikistan, in the middle of a war zone. At least the building hadn’t imploded.
Velniop. What was she thinking? She needed to get dressed. His team could show up at any minute. How would they explain this? How would she face him again? She definitely wouldn’t be able to embed with their team again.
“What’s wrong?” Josh asked. He tilted her chin up so he could see her face. “You’re as tense as a board. Are you sure I didn’t hurt you?”
“I’m fine. No worries. It’s just your team could show up any time. I need to get dressed.”
Tempest got up and grabbed her clothing. As she dressed, she avoided his gaze. What could she say? She’d let the moment overwhelm her. How stupid was that?
“Hey, we didn’t do anything wrong. You have nothing to feel badly about.” Josh’s voice reached her as she struggled to figure out what she was feeling. It was too much.
Two days ago, they weren’t even civil to each other. But she liked him. And not just a little, no matter how she’d treated him. Josh was everything she had dreamed of in a partner—a badass, but kind, considerate, funny, and the best lover she’d ever had. But he was in the Navy—a SEAL even—and his nickname was Heartbreaker. Did she need to be reminded how he was a player?
* * *
Josh took care of the condom and then dragged on his clothing. He grabbed his Sig from the coffee table fand slid it into the back of his jeans. He’d just had the best sex of his life, and instead of basking in the afterglow with his woman, Tempest had withdrawn as much as she could while staying in the same room. She’d even rebooted the server to restart the video feed.
What the fuck had happened? Maybe he had hurt her, but it didn’t seem like it. She’d been caressing his chest, her breath tickling his skin, and then she’d jumped off him like he’d bitten her.
Shaking his head, he went in search of a bathroom so he could give her a little space. He splashed water on his face, wishing he could take a cold shower He was already hard again. It was crazy since he was almost thirty years old. Tempest was no ordinary woman, and until she freaked out, he thought they had moved into something more.
Josh returned from the bathroom and found Tempest sitting on the couch, eating a protein bar. They needed to figure how they would handle their involvement before his team came for them. The last thing he needed was his team asking questions about what happened, because they knew him well enough that they’d be able to figure out what went down.
“Tempest?” Josh said her name twice before she acknowledged him.
Her expression was guarded, as if waiting for him to give her a hard time.
They needed to talk, to figure things out. She didn’t need to worry. He’d never do anything to cause her harm. He wouldn’t lie to himself; it hurt to know she wasn’t feeling the same afterglow. Instead, she watched him like he was about to pounce on her. It twisted his insides, and the afterglow started to fade.
Tempest was perfect—strong, funny, brilliant—everything he’d been looking for his entire life. She was the kind of woman he’d marry. Could he have made a huge mistake. He wondered from the way she stared at him.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Did you hear from Quinn yet?” she asked, changing the subject.
“No, nothing yet. I tried, but I’m still just getting static.”
She nodded and took another bite of the bar.
“Can we talk?” Why did he feel like he was back in high school? It shouldn’t be this awkward.
Tempest shrugged. “Is there really anything to talk about? We had sex, and it was great. But it was just stress relief, right?”
Yes. No. Fuck. It had started as a few kisses to distract her from worrying about being stuck in this damn building. Apparently, it had backfired. When their lips had met, everything changed. He’d known she was special, but one kiss had made him realize he wanted so much more. But instead of bringing them closer, he’d managed to push her further away.
Maybe she only wanted sex with no strings attached. Except that wasn’t him. He only never had casual sex. Fuck. It had been at least a year since he’d had sex. The last time was with Mary before they broke up because he knew they wouldn’t work out. He wanted that with Tempest, the whole thing.
Was he crazy? Maybe. Josh didn’t believe in love at first sight…until now. Thought considering how their relationship had started, maybe it had been more like hate at first sight, at least for her. But once he’d met the real Tempest, he’d been hooked. And when she’d melted in his arms, he’d thrown in the line and sinker.
From the stiffness of her shoulders, it was obvious Tempest didn’t want to talk about this. But if they didn’t have this discussion now, it would only get worse between them. He needed her to really listen to him, or they’d end up back where they were before—pre-truce. Or maybe she’d just shoot him.Nah. Although a little kernel of doubt told him it was definitely possible.
“No, it wasn’t just stress relief for me,” Josh said.
With a sigh, he made his way to the couch and sat down, leaving space between them. He didn’t try to touch her, even though he wanted to pull her into his arms and show her just how much she meant to him.
