Chapter 8

Harry was impressed with how easily Rory fit in with everyone. The guys liked her, and she got along easily with Ava, Jessica, and Ingrid. Now, he just had to figure out how to move forward without either of them getting in trouble.

Though he wanted to go running with her and maybe spend Saturday or Sunday just hanging out, he knew they needed to take a break. Two weekends of spending time with each other wasn’t bad, but three in a row would shine a light on them in a bad way.

Rory agreed when he said something, which made him like her even more. He hated the idea that she would quit the military just to be with him, but he felt there was more behind her decision than he knew.

Work was work and kept him busy while he was waiting more than a week to see Rory again. They were brought in during another team’s mission to provide overwatch and make suggestions. Sitting in California while watching a team invade a compound or attack a stronghold was frustrating. Thoughts of the mission they’d gone on with the bad intel hit, and he ran his thumb over the scar. When Bear had told him he was leaking, it had seemed so surreal. It was the closest he’d come to game over.

Missions were dangerous. That’s why they had special teams. Not everyone could go in and rescue a group of people or take out a terrorist. There were some things that were just difficult. Watching the other team work through problems that arose made him proud to be a SEAL and made him wish he was over there doing the raid.

After they finished with overwatch, he headed home, wondering what Rory was doing. He’d said he didn’t want to get together, but now he wanted to see her. If they developed some sort of relationship, they would have to get it approved. Having the government involved in his life was part of being a SEAL. There were things other people could do without giving it a second thought, but he had to live his entire life within the structure of being a part of the military.

He didn’t sleep well that night as thoughts of Rory invaded. He woke hard as a rock, and all it took was him moving the sheets for him to come. It had been almost a decade since he’d come in his bed without jacking off.

He lay stunned by his reaction to dreams of Rory. This was getting intense, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to release the pressure or add on to it. Rory was sexy, smart, and everything he would look for in a woman if he was looking. Maybe they should spend more time together and see if they really were a match.

By late Saturday night, he was still obsessing over Rory. He pulled out his phone, looking at photos he’d snapped when they’d been at the park with the rest of his team and their women. She fit his life. No question, she was the one he wanted. Now, he just had to figure out how to get her into his life without destroying their careers.