A SEAL's Courage (Military Match #1)(15)

But she wasn’t. He was supposed to be keeping his distance from her. Because he wasn’t anything she needed or deserved. And she knew it, too, or she wouldn’t be avoiding him. The problem was, he couldn’t stop thinking about that phenomenal kiss. Or remembering her offer. What fool in his right mind turned down an offer like that from her? Chances were, she’d proposition one of those yahoos the same way and all he could do was watch.

The scrape of a metal chair over the hardwood floor announced he had company at the table. Skylar plopped down beside him with a breathless huff and sat back, staring at the crowd in front of her. “You know, you could just go ask her to dance.”

The smile in Skylar’s voice had Trent hard-pressed not to return it. Either she’d been talking to Will—who’d caught him ogling Lauren more than once—or he wasn’t being as inconspicuous as he’d thought.

Trent sat forward to rest his elbows on the table, looping his hand around his untouched cup of soda. “Why? So I can show her I have two left feet? No thanks.”

Skylar turned her head, eyes narrowed and lips pursed in disapproval. “So, you’re just going to sit here and stalk her all night?”

Trent sipped his soda. Letting her think that was better than having to tell her he kept his distance because Lauren hadn’t spoken two words to him since he’d arrived. Nor did he blame her for it. “I’m keeping an eye on her. That guy in the front keeps pushing drinks into her hand.”

As he watched, one of the guys circling her smiled and tipped the end of her cup, all but pouring what was no doubt alcohol down her throat. The only thing that kept him in his seat was Mandy. She glared at the guy and shoved him off, then took the cup from Lauren and handed her a bottle of water instead. Who the hell had invited that guy anyway?

Skylar nudged his elbow. “Uh-huh. Sure you are. And it’s her birthday. She’s supposed to enjoy herself.” She pushed to her feet, took his cup from his hand and set it on the table, then grabbed his elbow and tugged him out of his seat. “Come on. We’re going to dance.”

She didn’t wait for his approval or denial, but dragged him toward the dance floor. Halfway there, they passed Will, a drink in each hand.

Will smiled. “Where are you two headed off to?”

Skylar paused long enough to take one of the drinks from Will’s hand and downed it, then handed the cup back and pecked his cheek. “I’m giving your brother a shove in the right direction.”

Trent shot his brother a frown and shook his head.

Will’s grin widened. “Good. He needs it.”

Once out on the dance floor, Skylar braced her hands against his back and shoved him in Lauren’s direction. Then the rat turned to the crowd of men surrounding Lauren. Voice raised over the thumping, pulsing music, Skylar propped a hand on one hip. “So, boys. Who wants to dance with the bride-to-be?”

At forty-two, Skylar was a good ten years older than most of the guys surrounding her, but she was tall and blond and she kept herself in great shape. She had invites before Trent could manage to swallow his nerves.

Lauren’s gaze pivoted to him. Her smile fell, reaffirming his earlier thought. She was still upset with him.

Fuck. That look on her face would make him do everything he shouldn’t.

He held out his hand and flashed the brightest smile he could muster. “Any chance I can get a dance with the birthday girl?”

She stared at his hand for a moment before meeting his gaze and arching a cynical brow. “You sure you want to?”

He playfully rolled his eyes, grabbed her hand anyway, and tugged her close. She set her hands on his shoulders and swayed with him, but the stiffness didn’t leave her body.

Trent sighed. He’d hurt her to the point she no longer felt comfortable with him. Hell, she wouldn’t even look at him. Damn it. Somehow he had to fix this. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. You have to know that.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get over it.” Despite her statement, her tone held an aloofness that told him she’d put up walls against him. Big ones.

He’d have to be honest with her. There wasn’t any talking around this anymore. He’d already gone and done too much. So he leaned his mouth beside her ear. He needed to be sure she heard every word, because he wasn’t sure he could repeat it.

“I lost two friends that day. Watched them get blown to pieces. It was my job to find that bomb and I missed it. I got distracted by a couple of nearby children squealing. It was a split second, but it was enough, and I misread Cooper’s cues. There wasn’t just one bomb. There were three, all buried in the same area. I can’t lose any more friends, Lauren. Especially you.”

Heart hammering in his throat, he paused and waited for her to say something, to acknowledge that she’d heard him. It came seconds later. The stiffness left her body and she leaned into him. The move was subtle, merely a shift of her weight, but enough he’d felt it. Time seemed to stop. An entire room full of people fell away as his senses homed in on her.

Yeah. This was what he loved about being in her presence. She quieted the noise in his head. Trent closed his eyes, allowed himself to luxuriate in the moment, and kept talking, using the lull of her against him, her lean curves swaying to the beat of the music, and that sweet scent of hers to help him get the words out.

“Coming home was hard. It’s not easy going from that to civilian life. Coming home to see life just went on. People went about their days like nothing happened. That’s hard to adjust to. You don’t come back the same. That shit etches itself inside of you. I’ll carry those images with me forever. I go to sleep every night hearing their screams. Some nights it’s the war in general that gets me. Hearing the constant gunfire going on around the base. To this day I can still hear the sobs of this little girl we found when we were clearing a building. Her entire family had been murdered by insurgents.”