“God, I’m so sorry,” Sarah said as she hugged Rebecca goodbye.  “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?  I can watch the kids if you want to rest or have some time alone or whatever.”

“No, I’ll be fine,” Rebecca sniffed, rubbing her red eyes.  “He’ll be fine,” she whispered.  “He has to be.  And you have to get back to your patients.  I know you’re missing work to be here.”

“Well, if you’re sure.  I could always rearrange my schedule for the rest of the day.  I already cancelled my morning appointments since I’ll never get back in time.”

“Kenley’s coming over,” Rebecca said, mentioning Mike’s girlfriend.  “And Lexi’s on base already, but she said she’d come as soon as she can.  If they talked to Mike or Christopher, maybe we’ll have more information.  I know the guys usually can’t call us when they’re deployed, but I’m hoping somehow they’ll make an exception this time.”

“I’m sure they’ll call as soon as they can.  Any word on when they’ll be back?”

“I’m not sure,” Rebecca said, shaking her head.  “Lexi made it sound like the mission was over already.”

Sarah and Rebecca exchanged a glance.  “Have you watched the news?” Sarah asked.  “I wonder if they did save that woman.”

“I don’t know,” Rebecca said, wiping away a stray tear.  “I’ve been so upset about Patrick, I haven’t turned on the TV.”

“I haven’t either,” Sarah said.  “Are you sure I can’t do anything else?”

“No, but thanks for asking. I have to go over and check on Alison anyway.  It’s good that she’s home—it’ll give me something to do.  I need to get out of the house and not just sit and wait for bad news.”

“It won’t be bad,” Sarah assured her.  “Patrick’s a fighter—and you know he’d do damn near anything to get back to you and the kids.”

“Right.  I know you’re right.”

Sarah said goodbye and walked down the block toward her mini cruiser.  Funny she’d just walked this same path a couple of nights ago—with Ryan of all people.  That felt like a million years ago now.  What had they been arguing about then?  Gas mileage or something stupid?  That seemed so unimportant and insignificant now.

She hadn’t heard from Ryan since he’d left early this morning.  Not that she expected to.  Evidently he’d called Rebecca after missing her at the hospital, so she’d walked in the front door sobbing.

Good God.

He’s lucky she didn’t have an accident driving home.  What kind of a control freak had to tell her the bad news that very second?  Sarah could’ve told Rebecca herself.  Ryan was so hellbent on doing things his own way, he probably just made it harder on Rebecca by having to find out that information when she was alone.

Sarah shook her head in disbelief, dropping her overnight bag into the trunk.

She’d quickly showered and thrown on skinny jeans and a tank top this morning but had already cancelled her morning appointments.  She quickly called the physical therapy office from her car and notified them of her family emergency.  It was probably better she didn’t go in today anyway.  She was a mess and needed some time just to think.  Her brother was lying alone in a hospital bed somewhere.  Was he conscious?  Did he know what happened?  No one had given them any information aside from the fact that he’d been injured.

Rebecca didn’t seem to need her around with the other girlfriends of the SEALs coming over.  With Alison needing her help.  It would be silly for Sarah to sit around moping at Patrick’s house.  The kids would be off at whatever day camps they were doing this summer—and it was better for them to go about their normal routine.  There was no point in upsetting them until they had more news on Patrick’s condition.

She sighed, pulling her wet hair up into a top-knot.  Maybe she’d head down to the beach and get some tea.  Sit on the boardwalk and clear her head. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore always soothed her, and she could use some sunshine and fresh air.

She pulled out her phone and sent a quick string of texts to Morgan.

Patrick was injured on a mission.

I know you’re busy with camp today.

I’ll call you later.

Morgan’s reply came a few minutes later.

Holy crap! Let me know if you need anything.

Call me later.

Sarah sighed and tucked her phone back into her purse.  Morgan was off for the summer and busy working at a children’s camp.  She didn’t have time to talk now.  And honestly, Sarah was so drained she didn’t feel like talking to anyone at the moment anyway.

Two hours later she sank down onto a bench in a shaded area near the middle of the boardwalk.  She was hungry and tired after walking up and down the boardwalk all morning.  Usually the beach cheered her up, but worry was twisting her stomach in knots.  She hadn’t heard from anyone about Patrick’s condition and was wondering if no news meant good news.

She blew out a breath, watching a few seagulls swoop through the air.  The scent of waffle cones from a nearby ice cream shop filled the air, and she heard the shrieks of kids laughing nearby.  Everyone was enjoying a happy day at the beach. Their summer vacation.

Too bad everything in her own world seemed to be freaking falling apart.

Her phone buzzed in her purse, and she anxiously pulled it out, surprised to see a text from Ryan.

Are you okay?  Call me.

Her heart racing, she immediately called him back.  Did he have news on Patrick?  Had something else bad happened?

“Captain Mitchell.”

“Hi.  Ryan.  It’s Sarah.”

“Where are you?  Rebecca said you left hours ago, but she couldn’t reach you at your office.”

“I’m still here.  At the beach, actually.”

“Where?  I’ll come meet you.”

“Is everything okay?  Did you hear anything more about Patrick?”

“He’s still in surgery.  I’m afraid we won’t have any more updates until he wakes up afterward. It could be a while still. I’ve been on base for twenty-four hours and am heading home.  Tell me where you are,” he commanded, his voice gruff.

Her heart did a funny little flip.

“Um.” She looked around.  “I’m down on the beach.  Kind of near that statue thing.  And there’s some kids playing on a play area in the sand.”

“Jesus Christ,” Ryan muttered.  “What’s the address?”

“How should I know? I walked up and down the beach for a couple of hours after I got tea this morning.”

“Where’d you park?”

“Uh, 23rd Street.  Or was it 32nd?”

She heard Ryan mutter under his breath.  “Are you near the Seaside Inn?  Really tall hotel?”

“Yes, that’s it!”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

Sarah scanned the area and saw Ryan walking toward her in khaki cargo pants and a dark tee shirt.  Usually he looked pressed and polished, even when he was supposedly casual.  Now he looked ready to throw on some gear and go jump out of airplanes or something.  Her heart unexpectedly fluttered.  Tourists milled around him in bathing suits and sunscreen, but he looked all business—cool, calm, collected, and ready for combat.  Except he didn’t go on dangerous missions anymore as far as she knew.

He came to a stop in front of her, finally sitting down on the bench beside her.  He crossed his leg over his knee and sat back, looking out at the water.  Completely silent.  She glanced over at him, his strong profile not giving away any hint of his mood.

“Long night, huh?” Sarah finally asked.

“The longest.”

Well, he was a talker.  Ha.

“I know you don’t have more updates on Patrick, but are the other guys okay?”

“There were no other injuries,” he said, his voice low.

“Well, that’s something I suppose.”  She blew out a sigh.  Not that she wanted anyone to come out of it injured, but holy crap.  Did her brother have to be the one who was nearly blown up?  The news had said the hostage was being held in Afghanistan, so she had to assume that’s where they’d deployed to.  A place full of dangerous men who hated Americans.  Who hadn’t given a second thought to kidnapping a woman and holding her hostage.  To fighting with the team of Navy SEALs sent to rescue her.

“Are the other guys on their way home?” she asked.

Ryan stared ahead at the water.  A lone seagull swooped down near the cresting wave, the summer sun gleaming on the water.  “I’d love to tell you everything, but I can’t.  I can’t tell you anything.”  He clenched a fist.  “Operational security.”

“Right.  I understand.”

He glanced her way but seemed to accept her answer.

“Rebecca said she needed to be with Alison today.  I guess her pre-term labor stopped, but Rebecca didn’t want her to be all alone.  I didn’t feel like driving home to Norfolk and already had cancelled my morning clients, so I ended up here.  Just needed some time to think about everything going on.”

He nodded.  “I almost didn’t recognize you with your hair pulled back like that.”

“Oh?  I guess I usually wear it down.”

“I like it both ways.”  He turned toward her, running his thumb over the earrings in her left ear.  Despite the heat, she practically shivered under his touch.  The moment felt strangely intimate, and her lips parted as his fingers slid along her jawline and his thumb lightly brushed over her lips.

“You are so damn beautiful.”

Heat bloomed across her face, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the summer weather.  “That’s literally the last thing on Earth I expected you to say.”

The corner of his mouth tugged up in a hint of a smile, the harsh features on his face softening.  “The very last thing?”

“Yeah.  You could’ve told me you ate bugs for breakfast or something, and I would’ve been less surprised.”

“I didn’t eat breakfast this morning.”

“Me either.  I was too worried and sick to eat a single thing.”

“I was worried, too.  And although I was concerned Ice was injured, I knew he was in good hands.  Knew that he’s a fighter.  But it just about killed me to leave you there crying this morning.”

“Why?”

“Why?” he repeated, in complete disbelief.

“We don’t agree on anything,” Sarah protested.  “Every time we talk, you just look completely amused, like you don’t agree with a damn word that I say.  I want to go dancing; you want to sit and watch.  I chase my nephew around the yard; you stand there looking annoyed.”

“You need to be more observant,” he said dryly.

“What?  What are you talking about?”

“I was watching you,” he said, nailing her with a look.  “And I like how you argue with me.  Challenge me.  Most of the people on base say ‘Yes, Sir’ all day long.  Most of the women I meet can’t string two coherent sentences together.”

Sarah smirked.  “Where are you meeting these women?  Because they sound exactly like the type of women some of the other guys on the team used to date.  Not to name names, but Brent?  Holy hell, he had some doozies.  Floozies, really.”

Ryan chuckled, tiny lines crinkling around the edges of his eyes.

“Come home with me.”

“What?  Now?”

“I haven’t slept in twenty-four hours.  It fucking killed me to leave you this morning, all tucked in your blanket when I just wanted to hold you.”

“So you want to sleep with me?” she joked.

“Yes.” His lips quirked.  Ryan ran a hand over her bare arm, sending shivers racing down her spine.  “There are a lot of things I want to do with you.  Anything.  Everything.  But right now?  I want to literally fall asleep with you.  Hold you in my arms since I couldn’t earlier.  Forget about this clusterfuck of a day.”

“Do I get to drive?”

“Hell no.  There’s no way I’m ever getting in that mini cruiser of yours.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

“What if I drive around topless?” she asked innocently.

Ryan growled beside her, and she playfully swatted at him.  He easily captured both her hands in his, his eyes sparking with interest.  “You’re still trying to spar with a SEAL, are you?  I don’t mind a good fight, but I’m pretty sure you don’t stand a chance.”

Sarah twisted and tried to pull away, laughing, but his grip was like a vice.  “No, I don’t go around trying to spar with Navy SEALs.”

“Umm-hmm,” Ryan said, hauling her onto his lap.  “What do you call this?”

Her legs straddled him as he playfully held both her arms behind her back with one hand.  Thick fingers tightened around her wrists, and her heart began to race.  She could feel his hard length against her core as she squirmed, and she gasped as one of his hands slid to her hip, holding her to him.

“Payback,” she said.

“For what?”

She lightly bucked her hips against him, causing him to groan aloud.  “All the times you’ve mercilessly teased me.”

He released her hands from his grip and moved his to the back of her neck, his fingers curling around her sensitive skin.  “Fucking hell, woman, are you trying to kill me?”

“What do you mean?” she asking, trying not to smile.

His lips at her ear caused her to squirm even more against him, her breasts rubbing against his hard chest.  “I’m fucking hard as a rock right now.”

“Yeah.  I noticed.  Is that a problem?”

“Jesus Christ, sweetheart,” he growled.

“So are you taking me home or not?” she asked innocently.  Their faces were inches apart, and if she wanted to, she could lean in closer for a kiss.  Humor flickered in his gray eyes.

“Yes.  Hell yes.  And I’m not letting you out of my bed until dinnertime.”