Chapter 9 #2
Just then, a little girl ran up to Ace and hugged him around the waist. “Come play, Daddy!” she begged.
Ace lifted her off her feet and turned her upside down.
The girl shrieked. “You wanna play, Rani?” he asked.
Then he gave Jane a smile and headed toward two other girls who looked more than ready to play with their dad.
A blonde woman who Jane assumed was his wife merely shook her head at his antics.
One by one, the other men on Rocco’s team told her they were glad to meet her then headed back to their wives and families. If Jane had stumbled onto the beach party on her own, she never in a hundred years would’ve guessed that she was looking at deadly SEALs.
“Ready to meet my other team?” Storm asked.
Jane took a deep breath. “Bring it,” she mumbled.
Storm chuckled and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “For what it’s worth…they liked you.”
Jane rolled her eyes.
“What? They did,” he insisted.
“Storm, you’re their boss. They wouldn’t let on if they didn’t like me. And meeting me for two seconds isn’t enough for them to know if they liked me or not.”
“Wrong,” Storm said immediately. “These aren’t men who suffer fools. I made the mistake of bringing a woman I was casually dating to one of these things years ago, and it was made more than clear that no one thought she was good enough for me.”
“How?” Jane asked.
Storm shrugged. “Little things. They didn’t shake her hand. Didn’t engage in any kind of small talk. Talked to me like she wasn’t there. They were actually pretty rude, but their point was made. So, you see, baby, they more than approve of you.”
“So what are we doing?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” he asked, frowning.
“You said you brought a woman you were casually dating. Is that what we’re doing?” She hated feeling insecure but couldn’t help it.
“No,” he said firmly. “We aren’t casually doing anything. If we were, you wouldn’t be waking up in my bed as much as you are. I can count on one hand the number of women who I’ve slept the whole night with.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “Really?”
“Really,” he confirmed. “You ready to meet Wolf and the others now?”
She nodded, feeling chastised and special at the same time.
The meeting with the second SEAL team went similarly as it had with Rocco and the others. The men were polite, and their wives were extremely friendly and open. Their kids were well mannered, and everyone seemed happy to meet her.
Afterward, Jane relaxed for the first time, happy that the introductions were over and she could sit and enjoy the day with Storm by her side.
They stayed for three hours, laughing with each other, and Jane even joined some of the wives when they took the kids for a snow cone break.
All in all, it had been an amazing day. Jane shouldn’t have been surprised at how many people had known her, but she still was. She’d been working on the base a very long time, and apparently her hard work and attention to detail had made more of a difference than she’d realized.
They were on their way home, and Storm had her hand in his, as usual. He glanced at her. “You look…content.”
“I am,” she told him immediately.
“Everyone loved you. Not that I doubted they would.”
“I enjoyed meeting everyone you work with very much. I can see now why you work so hard to make sure you have as much information as possible before they go off on missions.”
Storm nodded seriously. “They’re good men. Very good men. And I’d never forgive myself if I sent them into a shit-storm and someone ended up permanently hurt or dead. You saw their wives and families today. I never want to deprive anyone of their husband or father.”
“There were other teams that weren’t here today, right?” she asked.
Storm nodded. “Yeah. Wolf and his guys no longer go on active missions. They stay here and help train the newer teams and help out during BUD/S. But I’ve got two other teams that I work with who couldn’t come today. One is training, and the other guys are on temporary duty in Hawaii.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Jane said with a smile.
“Oh, Hawaii is nice, but the team they’re working with takes great pleasure in flattening anyone who comes out to train with them. It’s way more humid in Hawaii than here in Southern California, and while my guys can adapt to just about anything, it takes a toll.” Storm chuckled.
“You’ve met them?” Jane asked, extremely curious about anyone Storm worked with.
“I’ve met their team leader, Mustang. He came to Phantom’s Admiral’s Mast. He was a witness and was one hundred percent supportive of him.”
“Wow, he knows Phantom?” Jane asked.
“The SEAL community is tight. And Phantom and Kalee spent some time with Mustang and his team while they were in Hawaii.”
Jane nodded. She’d heard the story about how Phantom had brought Kalee to Hawaii to try to reacclimate to life after being a captive of the rebels in Timor-Leste, where he’d rescued her.
“Mustang, Midas, Aleck, Pid, Jag, and Slate are good men.”
“I think you’d say that about all SEAL teams,” Jane teased.
“Actually, I wouldn’t,” Storm replied seriously. “I mean, they’re all technically proficient, but some teams just work better together than others. Some men click and work like a well-oiled machine.”
“Yeah, I’ve had some employees like that.”
Storm smiled over at her. “I’m glad you had a good time today. You seemed to get along well with the women.”
“I did. They were all very welcoming and open. I know that’s because I was with you, though.”
“Nope. It’s because that’s just who they are,” Storm told her. “And because you’re easy to be around. I felt that way from the very beginning. You’re calming, and when I’m around you, I feel more relaxed.”
Jane wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she simply smiled at him.
“You got a bit of sun today,” he told her. “How do you feel about baths?”
“Love them. Why?”
“Because I thought I’d run you one when we get home. You can relax and soak while I make us something light to eat. Then I thought we could watch one of the multitude of movies I’ve got collecting dust on my shelf.”
“I’d love that,” Jane told him. As much as she enjoyed making love with him, she wasn’t as young as she used to be and was tired from being in the sun all day and having to be “on” all afternoon.
A quiet night, vegging in front of the TV and snuggling with her man sounded idyllic.
“But you don’t always have to cook for me,” she protested.
“I enjoy it,” he told her honestly. “Cooking for myself is boring and gets old. I love spoiling you.”
“Far be it from me to protest,” she told him, then changed the subject. “Do you think Dag is worried about this Sandburg guy?” She’d thought about what he’d said on and off all day, and it bothered her that Dag might still be in danger.
Storm shook his head. “No. Now that NCIS has him on their radar, he won’t be a threat for much longer. I’m sure by Monday things will be resolved, and we can all relax.”
“Until the next person who thinks that violence will make them feel better or solve their problems,” Jane muttered.
“True. But how about for tonight, and the rest of the weekend, we try not to think about work and enjoy our time together?”
“Deal,” Jane said immediately.
“Go ahead and close your eyes, it’ll take another half an hour or so to get through this traffic and get home.”
Home. Jane liked the sound of that more than she should for the amount of time she’d been dating Storm. But she merely nodded and rested her head on the seat behind her.