A SEAL's Courage (Military Match #1)(40)
The dead bolt turned with a quiet clunk, and Trent straightened off the frame in time for the door to swing open. It was a little past nine a.m., but like Trent, Will and Skylar had already been up for hours. Will was dressed, shaved, and ready for the day. As usual.
Will took one look at him and grinned. “Somebody’s in the doghouse.”
Trent furrowed his brow and shook his head. “Okay, you got me. What the hell about me even remotely tells you that?”
Will’s grin only widened. “Because you look like something’s eating at you. You haven’t gotten that look since you’ve been home. You’ve been numb. And I’m just betting your problem is a woman. Mandy says you’re seeing somebody.”
Great. So everybody freaking knew.
“Who’s in the doghouse?” Skylar came around the corner, looking between him and Will. At the sight of him, a grin spread across her face. Every bit as put together as Will, she sauntered to the door and punched Trent in the shoulder. “Don’t give up there, tiger. She’ll come around.”
Trent glared at both of them, because he was pretty sure his face was red as a damn tomato. Will was about the only person he felt comfortable discussing his relationships with. Skylar, not so much. Oh, he knew Skylar would hear about it all anyway. He just didn’t want to have to be the one to tell her. “This isn’t exactly newsworthy stuff here.”
Skylar, never one to miss an opportunity to taunt him, waggled her brows. “Is it Lauren?”
Trent folded his arms. “You guys ’bout done? I came over to talk about the party, not my sex life. I have an idea where to hold it. I wanted to run it by you before I set it into motion.”
Still grinning like the cat that ate the canary, Will nodded toward the interior of the house. “Come on in. I’ll get you some coffee.”
“Thanks.” Trent followed as Will wound his way through the foyer, past the living room, and into the kitchen, then dropped onto a stool at the breakfast bar.
Will crossed the space and pulled two mugs from a cabinet. He darted a glance over his shoulder as he reached for the coffeepot. “What’s up?”
Trent folded his hands on the counter. “You want something low-key, just family and friends, right? What about Mom and Dad’s? Big barbeque in the backyard. You know Mom would be thrilled.”
Skylar came to stand beside him, resting her hands on the counter, and peered across the kitchen at Will. “I don’t know about you, but I like the idea. It’s intimate and personal, nothing flashy.”
Skylar and her sisters came from honest roots, raised by a single father who’d lost his wife when the girls were small. That was partly what had the inspired the idea of the barbeque. Her father had died three years ago of a heart attack, and she’d confessed once to still missing him. He thought it might be nice if she felt surrounded by family.
Two steaming cups of coffee in hand, Will gave one to Skylar and set the other in front of Trent. “Yup. I like it.” He rolled his eyes. “Mom will be over the moon. Don’t bother hiring someone to cater.”
Trent laughed and sipped at his coffee. “Because she won’t let me. She’ll insist on cooking. Yeah, I know. I’ll see if I can wrangle Lauren into helping.”
Skylar moved around the counter, pecked Will on the lips, and winked at Trent as she turned to leave the room. “I’ll just leave you boys to chat.”
When she finally disappeared around the doorway, Will laughed and moved back to the coffeepot, refilling his own mug. “You realize she’s going to want the details later, right?”
Staring down into the dark liquid in his cup, Trent furrowed his brow and shook his head. “Yeah, I know. As long as I don’t have to be the one to tell her. She gets far too much pleasure out of tormenting me.”
Coffee mug in hand, Will chuckled as he slid onto the stool beside him. “Because she likes you. She thinks you’re too serious.”
Trent let out a sardonic laugh. “I am. Enough for both of us.”
“Exactly.” Will sipped at his coffee, turning to peer at Trent over the rim of his mug. “So what’s really eating you? Thought things were going well with you and Lauren.”
Trent set his elbows on the counter and ducked his head into his hands. “They are. That’s exactly the problem. It’s supposed to be just sex, but I find myself doing things I shouldn’t.”
Like going to see her because he couldn’t resist the urge to simply be near her. When the shit in his head overwhelmed him, he craved her presence. He shouldn’t have gone to the bakery three days ago, but the night before that had been hell. He’d spent most of it walking his apartment and craving her. He’d thought maybe if they had dinner, like they used to do before he’d gotten involved with her, then maybe he wouldn’t feel so much like he was using her.
He dragged a hand through his hair. “It’s going to end. It has to. I’m just not ready for more yet. This is all I can handle. Shouldn’t I want more for her than this?”
Will nudged him with an elbow. “You need to stop thinking so damn much. If she’s not complaining, then enjoy her while you have her.”
Trent lifted his head and eyed his brother. “And if I hurt her?”
When he hurt her…
Will leveled him with a somber gaze. “She’s the only person you trust when that shit eats at you. You won’t even come here.” Will nudged him again. “If spending time with her gets you up and living, then run with it.”