Chapter Eleven
Sean threw Elise a look. “You nervous?” He gripped the pole he used to dig into the bottom of the swamp and propel the small boat to his family cabin.
She shook her head, and her ponytail bobbed. “I know Marines and their families. Remember?”
He was afraid of that. Hell, he found his family annoying and intimidating at times—how could she not?
Using his upper body strength, he pushed off the soft bottom again. The raft floated ten more feet. “Not much farther.”
“I hear the music,” she said.
When they got together at the cabin, his family really let go and had an all-out Cajun party with music, alcohol and more food than any person should consume in one day. It had been a while since they’d all gathered here, and Sean was actually looking forward to it.
“I’ll get to meet your sisters too?” Elise asked.
He pushed off. Sweat zigzagged down his neck. “One of them. My younger sister Tyler took off and joined the Marines the other day.”
She gaped up at him. “You didn’t tell me.”
He grinned. “We haven’t done much talkin’, cher.”
She got that deeper color in her cheeks that told him she was blushing. “Was this unknown to all of you, I take it?”
He nodded. “She’s been threatenin’ to join up since she was twelve, but none of us believed her. I never would have guessed she’d shave her head and try to go in as a male either.”
“What?” Elise’s jaw dropped.
“She won’t have gotten far, but for Tyler, it’s all about trying to pull one over on you.”
“Girl’s got guts.” Elise’s tone sounded with admiration.
“Should I be worried that you seem to identify with my sister?”
She crossed her legs. In cutoff shorts, they’d been tormenting him since he’d watched her dress that morning. “Worried? No. You already know what I’m capable of, Sean Knight. So don’t try to pull anything over on me. And you can stop looking at my legs now. I just got a bit of drool on my thigh.”
He made an exaggerated move with his tongue to wet his lips that had her squirming on the wooden seat. “You know what I want to do with those shorts when we get home.”
“I know…” She seemed to be playing the footage of it in her head right now, if the way her nipples bunched under her top was any indication.
They passed a clump of trees, dodging low-hanging branches, and then the cabin came into sight. Each time Sean saw it, his heart warmed with happy feelings. He wanted Elise to feel the same in coming here. Someday he wanted them to bring their children and show them the fun of gator hunting, fishing and general family fun unplugged from the world.
Unplugged was a loose term, however. There might not be electricity or cell service, but last time Ben’s satellite phone had rung and they’d all rushed out on an operation.
Now Sean carried a satellite phone too.
He’d been in touch with all the guys from his team just to tell them how proud he was to be leading them, and he’d gotten verbal pats on the back from each. The good feelings only went so far, though, when he was guilt-ridden for running out on Knight Ops.
He hadn’t seen his brothers face-to-face since accepting the promotion, and part of him feared he’d be met with attitude. But Ben would have paved the way with the others, so he hoped he wasn’t facing any arguments or masked hostilities today.
He wanted this experience to be the most pleasant for Elise.
When they reached the dock, Elise leaned over the side to grab it without being told.
“You’ve done this before.”
“Uh…With Bo.”
“Ah.”
There were still some hurdles there for Sean to leap, but he was trying, dammit. So what if he wanted to get the guy on the ground and smack him around a little bit? That was just guy stuff, right?
Elise grabbed the rope and tied them off on a post. “Look,” she said without looking at him, “it’s in my past. I can’t apologize for living before I met you.” She met his stare, and he nodded.
“You’re right.” He stepped onto the dock and reached down for her hand. She placed it in his and he drew her out of the boat. The music was loud, and nobody was outside the cabin, which was odd considering the weatherman had given the clearest blue sky for their gathering. But Sean took the moment to be alone with Elise.
He cupped her face. “I’m sorry if I seem like an ass when it comes to your ex. I’m trying.”
She smiled softly. “I know. I’d be irritated too if you were best friends with your ex and she came into your closet and picked out your clothes for you.”
“Wait. What?”
Just them Lexi spilled out of the cabin and squealed when she saw them. Sean released Elise and turned to greet his baby sister, but from the corner of his mouth, he said to Elise, “You’re going to explain that later.”
“No doubt.” Amusement tinged her words as she slapped a smile on her face for Lexi.
“Oh my God, Sean. You look so grown-up now. Like a captain.” Lexi walked up to him and threw her arms around his neck.
He hugged her back, lifting her off her feet and swinging her off the dock so her whole body dangled over the swamp, something they’d done since she was a little girl.
She shrieked right in his ear hole, deafening him, and he laughed as he swung her back to put her bare feet on the wooden dock. He stuffed his forefinger into his ear and wiggled it.
“Damn, girl. You can still scream the same.”
“Someone must be dangling Lex over the dock again. Could only be Sean.” Dylan’s drawl reached him as he came outside too, followed by Chaz holding a beer.
Sean released his sister and slipped an arm around Elise’s waist. “Lexi, Chaz, this is Elise. You know Dylan. These are my other two extreme siblings,” he said to Elise.
She had smiles for all and shook hands.
“What do you mean by extreme?” Lexi said with narrowed eyes.
“Only that you two are the risk-takers of the family.”
“Seriously? What about Tyler?” Lexi tapped a foot, the aqua toenails gleaming in the sun.
“We’ve already discussed Tyler,” he said. “Elise, you want a beer?” He took her by the hand and led her into the cabin.
Immediately, Maman turned from stirring a huge pot that, from the smell of it, was her famous low boil. Sean’s stomach growled.
His mother bustled across the room to them and hugged Sean and then Elise, to her surprise. She slanted an amused smile at him as his mother let her go. “I’m so happy to see you here, Sean. We didn’t know with your new team and all…”
Sean gave his mother a smile and introduced Elise. They talked for a moment about what was for dinner before he led Elise across the room to where Roades and their father sat at the table, dismantling a generator. Greasy parts were scattered over an old towel, and both of them were absorbed in the workings.
Roades glanced up, a black smudge across his jaw. “Look what the gator dragged in.”
“Nah, I got the gator in the boat ready for roastin’.” Sean could see a hesitation on Roades’ face that he didn’t like. He was afraid of this—if one of his brothers wasn’t on board with him leaving Knight Ops, it would be the youngest male among them. As kids, Roades had pal’d around with Sean the most, and their bond was strong.
“Pére, Roades, this is Elise.”
She gave them a smile that charmed the scales off one of those gators they’d mentioned, and Roades actually returned it.
“Glad to have you in the family, Elise.” Pére looked up with a gleam in his eyes.
“Thank you, sir.”
“No sir around here. Well, unless you’re talkin’ to Ben or Sean. You can call me Chip.”
Elise’s smile widened. Their father had a way of drawing people in, and the Knights had always joked they’d gotten their hard-ass military tendencies from their mother.
Sean met his stare and gave a small nod. It was the only exchange he and his father would need when it came to acknowledging his new role as captain.
A bit of tension Sean hadn’t known he carried eased from his shoulders, and he pressed a kiss to Elise’s temple. “Want a beer?”
“Sure. All that poling through the swamp made me thirsty.”
He laughed because he’d been doing all the work but didn’t say so as he went out onto the deck to grab two beers from the cooler.
Chaz and Dylan were kicked back on the dock, rigging their fishing poles and shooting the shit. Sean paused near them for a moment.
Dylan looked up. “You finally got the girl.”
“Looks that way.” He grinned.
“Wasn’t your brains that snagged her.”
“Probably not, since she far exceeds me in brain power. Must have been all this.” He ran a hand over his abs, and Chaz made puking noises.
Dylan smirked. “I’m happy for you. Really.”
Sean looked at him closer. “Happy for my promotion too?”
“Of course,” Dylan said at once. “You earned it, bro.” He held out his fist, and Sean bumped his knuckles against it.
“Chaz? You good with the changes?”
“People come and go in units. And the new guy’s good. Probably even a better shot than you.”
Sean grunted. “Asshole. You just had to get that jab in.” Chaz was forever touting his own weapons skills and challenging Sean whenever he could.
Sean cuffed him in the ear, and Chaz smacked him in the balls with the handle of his fishing rod. The blow caught the very edge of his left nut, and he folded in half to recover just as Elise came outside.
“Here’s your beer,” he squeaked in a high voice that had her giggling.
“Which one of you bested this guy?”
“Are you going to avenge me, cher?” Sean asked.
She laughed and accepted her beer. “No, I want to shake his hand.” That had them all laughing.
“That’d be me.” Chaz extended a hand for her to shake.
Sean recovered and straightened, happy with the exchange. Elise was used to dealing with rough guys, and she’d fit right in.
She leaned close and dropped a kiss to Sean’s cheek. “You all right, hon?”
“I’m fine. Don’t you worry about my baby-making abilities.”
“Umm, we’ll discuss that down the road.” Her soft smile and the luminous expression in her eyes had his heart welling with love for her, though. “I’m going back inside and help your maman.”
He felt like he’d burst with happiness. “I think I’ll do some fishin’ with these idiots. If you need me, I’ll be here.”
She nodded and went back inside. Sean took a seat on the dock and reached for one of the poles and some bait. With the sun beating down on them and the scents of good food wafting from the cabin, he couldn’t feel happier. His family, besides Roades, was happy for him. And at least he’d left Knight Ops knowing their sixth member was a good shot.
Still, it niggled at him that he wouldn’t know everything that went down with the team. Since the inception, each operation had brought them all closer. Would he be left on the edges of the group now that he wouldn’t share those experiences with them?
He shook off the thought. This opportunity wasn’t to be missed. He’d wanted it forever, and before Jackson had gathered them all into Knight Ops, the brothers had been scattered far and wide and yet they’d still managed to come together.
A boat came through the trees, and a hoot of greeting sounded from Ben, with Dahlia seated next to him.
Sean made a sign to shed off the evil spirits. “Look at this swamp creature coming for us.”
“Speak for yourself, Rougarou,” Ben said as he caught the edge of the dock and tied off the boat. He wore a grin but there was a reservation in his eyes that Sean didn’t like. Now he had two brothers to get alone and make peace with. Ben and Roades were too close in personality for all of their comfort.
Lexi bounced outside to drag Dahlia off, and their father and Roades drifted out to grab some poles too, the generator abandoned for a few hours.
Sean glanced toward the cabin.
“She’s fine with the ladies,” Ben said. He raised a beer to his lips. “Trust me.”
Sean nodded. “It’s weird, isn’t it? This need to protect them at all times.”
Ben’s eyes gleamed but he said nothing. It was enough for Sean to know he understood and agreed—he just wasn’t willing to voice it in front of the others, if at all.
They sat side by side sipping beer, their lines in the water. Sean needed to address what was on his mind, especially before dinner hit the table and after, when the guitars and banjos were pulled out.
“You good with what went down, man?” he asked Ben.
He looked up. “Of course. Told you I was, didn’t I?”
“Just checkin’.”
“We’ll do fine without you. Gallagher is a great addition to Knight Ops, even though he’s suggested we call it Gallagher Ops.”
Sean chuckled and clasped his brother’s shoulder. “Promise me you won’t let that happen.”
“At this point, I think the order would have to come down from above. But we all wish you the best.”
Sean looked to Roades seated on the other side of their father, staring across the swamp.
Ben followed his line of sight. “Yeah, he’s taken it harder than the rest of us. You always were his hero, Sean.”
That brought a tightness to Sean’s throat that he couldn’t speak around even if he had words. After a minute and a couple sips of beer, he said, “I don’t even know how to smooth things over there.”
“He’ll come around in time. He wants the best for you, but a team is always like family. Except ours is family. Makes it rougher.”
Sean nodded. Ben was stoic about it, but having been in the Marines the longest, he’d come to accept anything over the years. Just about the only thing that would rile him now was some threat to Dahlia.
The ladies drifted outside and took seats around the big picnic table. That was the men’s cue to get up and carry out the food, a tradition among the Knight family. When Sean got up, he caught Elise’s gaze on him, and damn if her plump lips weren’t parted in that I-so-want-you way he was all too familiar with after only a few days with her.
With his cock stirring at the mere look on her face, he ducked under the doorframe and grabbed one of the big platters full of shellfish and corn with spices.
One by one the guys placed the food on the table before the women who’d helped prepare it. Sean couldn’t help but think that one day, each of his brothers would have a woman they loved seated here looking at them the same way Elise was looking at him.
He sank to the bench next to her and leaned close to whisper in her ear. “I saw the way you were looking at me, cher. Don’t think I’ll let that slip by.”
* * * * *
Elise put on her running shoes and went out the door, locking it behind her. The air was cool this morning and hopefully that and the exercise would help her clear her head. She needed a long run to escape the claustrophobic feeling of being in her apartment and knowing Sean was out there leading Team Rou on a dangerous mission.
Worse, that he couldn’t even tell her about it.
She did some cursory stretching exercises and then took off at a light jog. Within minutes, though, she hit her pace. Running through New Orleans in the morning was one of her favorite things. She loved this city, and now that she had Sean to share it with her, she loved it more.
The previous evening he’d taken her to one of the best restaurants and somehow gotten past the waiting list and straight to a table, where they’d gotten the best service. When she asked him who he knew to get that preferential treatment, he’d only given that private smile and shook his head.
Then, mere hours later he’d again given her the close-lipped side of himself when he’d told her he was headed out and would be back as soon as he could.
She pushed out a breath and dragged in another, driving herself to run faster. Exhaustion might be the only thing that shut her brain up for a while.
But if she wanted to continue in a relationship with a man in OFFSUS, she had to get used to this… this not knowing. This fear.
She ran past huge old painted ladies, the houses standing sentry in the early dawn, their colors seeming to glow from some inner spirit of the homes. She adored this district, but it was the coast that called to her, the sand where she and Sean had run for miles. She stretched her stride and focused on running. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the inn where she and Sean had stayed while decoding those messages. The place where they’d first gotten physical and if she was honest with herself, the place where she’d fallen in love with him. Of course, she hadn’t admitted it to herself then, but now she saw it clearly.
An idea hit, and she went inside the inn, hoping her sweaty appearance didn’t put off the innkeeper. She rang a bell at the front desk, and a woman came from the back, a smile on her face.
“Hi, can I help you?” She glanced over Elise’s appearance of running attire.
“Sorry about the early hour. I was out for a run and had an idea. I’d like to book a room for a couple days.”
“Sure. When would you like to come?” She went to her book and opened it to a calendar.
“Um… I’m not sure.” When would Sean be home? It could be days, weeks, months? Oh God, she couldn’t think about that. She hoped OFFSUS would keep them close to home in the South, but she knew the Knight Ops team had been sent overseas not long ago, and that was where they’d gained their overnight notoriety.
She swallowed. “I guess I need to plan better.” She gave a short, nervous laugh, and the woman responded with a reflexive smile. “I’ll make a call when I know the dates.”
“That sounds perfect. I look forward to hearing from you.”
Elise went out of the inn and hit the sand again, her feet pounding this time until her shins ached. She slowed, taking care to put her feet down softer.
As she circled back in the direction of her apartment, she thought of Bo. Whenever she was upset, she’d always call him and even if he couldn’t fix her problem, he was there for her. A solid presence that was comforting. But somehow, consoling herself with her ex’s attention when she was pining over another man felt off.
She had to get through this on her own.
She’d just have to stay busy. After her run, she’d have a long soak in the tub and walk down to the market and shop for something good for dinner. Maybe stock up on some strawberries and fresh cream in hopes her man returned sooner than expected and she could use him as a man buffet to eat those treats off his hard body.
A low quiver in her belly told her she’d better take it one step at a time. When he came home, however, she wasn’t wasting a moment before getting what she wanted.