Page 35 of SEAL's Patience
As she walked toward him, he noticed she was wearing her sneakers again. Didn’t she own any boots? She was just asking to fall on the slick concrete. It was like his thoughts triggered a subliminal response, and as he climbed out of his truck, he watched her slip on the icy cement.
Quinn caught her before she hit the ground. If not for his quick reflexes and years of training, she’d have landed hard onthe sidewalk. Anger made him tighten his grip on her waist as she steadied herself against him.
“That was close. Thank you.” Patience smiled up at him.
His anger fled, leaving behind a need he’d never known he could feel. Shaking his head, he released her after making sure she was steady.
“Why aren’t you wearing boots? You’re going to break your neck in those things.” His voice was rougher than he’d intended, and she winced. “Sorry. Not my business.” Quinn needed to remember that. Patience was neither his responsibility nor his girlfriend.
Following her to the passenger side door, he helped her into his truck. So much for listening to himself. She was grabbing for the seatbelt as he closed the door. At least he’d stopped himself from buckling her in. What the fuck was wrong with him? It was like he couldn’t keep his hands off her.
Quinn growled as he climbed into the driver’s seat and slammed his door. Where was all this emotion coming from? For years, he’d held it in check. Since he’d beat the terrorist in Marikistan to death, he hadn’t been able to put the genie back in the bottle. If he wasn’t careful, Tony would have him in therapy—the last thing he needed or wanted.
“I’m sorry.”
“What?” He turned to look at Patience. Her gaze focused on his, not with fear, but with something he couldn’t figure out.
“It’s obvious you’re annoyed with me. So, I’m sorry. You should have let me take the Uber. Then you wouldn’t have had to be around me today.”
He shook his head. She was way too observant, although all the growling probably gave it away too. “It’s not you, it really is me. I’m not upset. Just frustrated with myself.”
Out of the corner of his vision, he saw her reach for his thigh, but before she touched him, she pulled it back. “I’m a good listener. I promise I won’t share it either.”
Quinn put the truck in reverse and backed out of the parking spot. Maybe he should tell her. It would scare her off, or would if she had any sense. He was a dangerous man, trained by his father and the Navy to be that way.
Deciding against it, he finally answered her. “I’m meeting Doc at the Ready Room to play some pool.”
“Gotcha. Right, I didn’t even think about it. But you have your teammates to talk to. You probably can’t even share what’s bothering you with me. You’d have to kill me, right?” She grinned at her joke.
“You’re right, I might.”
Her startled glance made him chuckle. The first one in days, and it surprised the hell out of him. Less than two minutes ago, he’d almost ripped the door off the truck and now he’s laughing.What the fuck?
“I’d rather not die yet. You can keep your thoughts to yourself.”
A smile pulled at his lips, but he held it back. No sense in giving her any ideas. He was already having a hard time not touching her. If she thought she had a chance with him, she’d push hard. Maybe hard enough for him to give in, and that would be a disaster.
“No problem. I think I can restrain myself.” This time, he couldn’t hold back the smile. It was too easy playing with her, even though he knew he shouldn’t. It was asking for trouble.
“Will everyone be there tonight?”
Finally, something neutral to talk about. “I doubt it. Doc and I are on the only single ones. The rest of the guys will be home with their wives after being away.”
Patience hummed her acknowledgement, not saying anything else. He ventured a glance over, and she was staring straight ahead. Her forehead wrinkled in thought.
He contemplated asking what she was thinking about, but she started talking before he could decide whether to go down that road.
“Just you and Doc? What’s his real name? Or is that another thing you’d have to kill me over?”
“Yup. Most likely.” Quinn smirked. “His name is Fergus. We started calling him Doc when he joined our team as a medic years ago.”
“He seems like the joker of your group, and he’s always teasing the servers.”
“That’s Doc. But it’s just how he is. He doesn’t mean anything by it.”
“We know. Although, he always leaves me alone. Is that because of you?”
Her question surprised him. Doc hadn’t been hitting on Patience. Interesting, but from the way he’d been taunting him lately, it shouldn’t have. “No, I haven’t said a word to him.”
