Hot SEAL, April's Fool, Becca Jameson [best ebook reader for surface pro .TXT] 📗

Cole shoved away from the table. “Don’t know yet, but I’ll figure something out.” He came to her, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her soundly. He’d done that a lot in the last few days, but after she’d ridden him to oblivion yesterday, he’d started kissing her every few minutes. Sometimes, he would go out of his way to grab her and haul her into his arms.

He needed to be touching her, and when his lips were on hers, it numbed the pain, blocked out his problems, made the world stop spinning out of control.

He felt a sense of desperation. Too many things were on his plate, and he was keeping as secret from the woman he loved most in the world. A secret that might end up meaning the end of them.

His phone rang again, vibrating against the table at the same time, and he groaned as he released April to go retrieve it. The last thing he wanted to do was argue further with Chamberlain over the phone, but hopefully, the man had had a change of heart and decided to meet Cole himself.

Cole smiled when he saw the caller ID. Not Chamberlain. It was Zig. “Hey, Zig. What’s up?” He stiffened, worried they might need him back at base.

“Joker, you haven’t checked in for several days. The guys and I drew straws and I was elected to contact you. How’s it going there?”

Cole covered the phone and mouthed toward April. “Navy buddy.”

She nodded.

“It’s pretty messy here, actually. Turns out my dad was in some financial trouble, and the fucking town mayor is breathing down my throat to settle up.”

“Fuck. Seriously?”

“Yep.”

“You’re not going to pay, are you? I’ve never once heard you even mention your dad.”

Cole sighed. “Fuck no, I’m not paying this guy off. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. It’s too much money. I don’t think the asshole even cares about the money. He wants my dad’s garage so he can tear it down and build on the land.”

“What an asshole. Anything any of us can do to help? We could toss a bit of weight around. You’re a big guy, but if three more of us showed up…”

Cole swiped a hand down his face, chuckling at the visual. “Nah. It’s okay. I’ll let you know if things get out of hand. I’m still trying to reason with the prick.”

“Sounds like your mayor is a mob boss.”

“Apparently, and the chief of police is corrupt too. It’s like a low-budget movie here.”

“So, I guess contacting the police is out.”

“Basically. Got a buddy from high school on the force though. He’s not sure how many of the guys are clean, but he’s working on things from the inside at least.”

“Shit. What a mess. Please call one of us if you need backup or some muscle.”

“Will, do, Zig. Thanks for checking in.”

“Later, Joker.” Zig ended the call, but Cole stared at the phone for several moments, realizing he’d never mentioned April or the fact that he hoped to return to base with a woman. If she’d have him. She hadn’t answered him definitively yet. Not that he could blame her.

He may be a big guy, but he needed to grow some balls super quick if he hoped to win April over permanently. Telling her about that day and Violet’s lies was risky but imperative. He might lose her for good, but the longer he kept the details from her, the worse the fallout was going to be.

Perhaps she could forgive him. Perhaps not. But waiting until he had her moved to San Diego was too late to spring things on her. And she undoubtedly agreed, which was why she wasn’t giving him an answer.

In the meantime, Cole needed to get to the shop, spend some more time making sure he was fully aware of all the financial details, and face his next hurdle.

April stood in the kitchen for a long time after Cole had kissed her once more and then left. She couldn’t shake the feelings he elicited from her mind. She loved when he kissed her. But she could sense the desperation behind every touch of his lips too. Not just for her but for everything. Cole was stressed, and the only moments when he could ignore that tension were the moments when his lips were on hers.

She thought about everything that was going on and what he’d said to his teammate. Or more specifically what he had not said. He hadn’t mentioned her once. Maybe he just had so much on his mind that he hadn’t thought to include that detail.

Before walking out of the apartment, he’d scrambled her brain once more by kissing her senseless without breaking free of her mouth for several minutes. He’d left her panting and wet when he finally set his forehead against hers. “Tell me you’ll come back to California with me, ladybug.”

She’d smoothed her hands up his back. “That’s such a huge step, Cole. I’m not sure.” She was sure, but she wasn’t telling him yet. She wasn’t even certain why she felt like keeping him waiting.

Her motives for not telling him concerned her. Was she punishing him for leaving her? Was she not as certain about her decision to move with him as she told herself? Or—and this was the most likely explanation—she was hoping he would eventually explain his disappearance if she held out.

Hell, a combination of all of those was probably true, but she wasn’t playing fair by not forcing the issue. She kept waiting, hoping he would come clean on his own. Dragging the details out of him wasn’t something she relished. She wanted him to care enough to tell her on his own. If he’d simply gotten cold feet and couldn’t face her back then, she wanted to know. They were kids then, and they could certainly move past that now.

April finally shoved off the counter with a sigh and headed for her bedroom.