Tawny Weber - Sexy SEAL Box Set - A SEAL's Seduction / A SEAL's Surrender / A SEAL's Salvation / A SEAL's Kiss

Ask if he had news of Blake and whether or not the team was back yet?

Double-check to see if she’d drooled all over the cot in his aircraft carrier?

She should.

If she wanted an open dialogue and communication between them, it was up to her to take the first step.

And maybe her mother had a point. Maybe she did hold on to anger, creating walls where there didn’t need to be any.

Then again, what if all he wanted to do was lecture her? Or chide her on her career choices? Or any number of other negative things.

Things had always been cut-and-dried between them—her father was the jerk, she was the poor, misunderstood and unappreciated daughter. He was rigid, she was strong. He was wrong, she was right. Simple as that.

Now she didn’t know. Wasn’t sure.

“Who’s in the mood for cinnamon buns?”

Saved from talking herself into approaching her father, Alexia gratefully looked up to see her brother standing in the doorway, a white, aromatic bag in hand.

“Michael,” she greeted, rising to give him a tight hug. “Are you here again? I thought you had a show today.”

“Show, shmow. I took a little personal time. It’s not every year that my sister scares the crap out of me, after all.”

“That seems to be today’s theme,” Alexia said, taking the bag even though she wasn’t hungry. At this rate, she’d be ten pounds overweight before she ever made it home.

“Are you okay?” Michael asked, pulling a chair over and straddling it. “What scared you? Flashbacks? Nightmares? Split ends?”

Alexia’s lips quirked. She pulled a piece off the bun, but didn’t eat it. “Mother said she was scared. When I was gone, she said you all were. I mean, I knew you would be. But I didn’t even consider that they would.”

“She was pretty freaked,” Michael said. “And yeah, I’d have to say Father was, too. He cussed up a storm, threw a few things and ordered me to stay here and take care of Mom while he dealt with this mess.”

Alexia’s lips twitched. “This mess?”

“Yeah. But he didn’t mean you for once,” Michael teased with a wink. “He was talking about the Science Institute. Dr. Darling was being a total ass about the rescue, wanting to do some CYA before bringing in the authorities. He didn’t want the news leaking before he’d talked to the investors.”

CYA. Covering his ass, indeed.

“That Edward sure is a peach,” she said sardonically. She wasn’t surprised, though. He’d been in contact with the terrorist for almost a year and hadn’t caught on that the guy was a murdering lunatic. If that got out, he wasn’t going to look so good. And bad press could slam the door shut on the flow of money to the institute. But still, the man had claimed they were perfect for each other. Maybe he’d have been in a bigger rush to rescue her if she’d slept with him.

As if reading her mind, Michael nudged her shoulder with his. “Good thing you didn’t date the guy, hmm? I mean, what a wank.”

She made a sound of agreement, staring out the window again. She’d thought Edward’s only drawback was that he didn’t turn her on. But it looked as if all the communication skills in the world didn’t make a guy a hero.

“Are you staying for dinner?” she asked.

“Are you?”

“Sure. Mother said there would be guests. But you can sit next to me and keep me entertained.”

And distracted. Because all this self-reflection was really messing with her resolve to accept that things were over with Blake.

Of course, resolve or not, it didn’t really matter.

He was the one who wanted nothing to do with her.

14

BLAKE STOOD AT ATTENTION, waiting for the admiral’s signal.

“At ease,” Pierce said as he moved behind the imposing desk in his home office and sat like a king on his leather throne. “You’re a guest, Landon, relax and have a seat.”

Right .

Blake sat, but he didn’t relax. The venue was a little more informal than headquarters, where he’d had his first debriefing. And he might be the admiral’s dinner guest, but that didn’t change the fact that this was a formal interview.

“You’ve already received official acknowledgment of a job well done,” the admiral said, his fingers steepled in front of his chest as he regarded Blake. The look on his face might have been friendly, but it was hard to tell. Granite didn’t bend well. “I’d like to offer my private, personal appreciation, as well. You got my daughter out, kept her safe and delivered her without harm. Her mother and I are grateful.”

Blake stared. For real? He hadn’t taken the admiral as a gratitude kind of guy.

“Thank you, sir,” he said. Then, knowing he shouldn’t, he still asked, “How is Alexia doing? Has she recovered from her ordeal?”

Meaning the “kidnapping and grueling weather” ordeal. Not the “sex on a cot and subsequent pseudo rejection from him” ordeal. Blake ground his teeth, still not sure if he’d done the right thing. Or more to the point, still not sure he was glad he’d done the right thing.

He missed her. He’d spent eight months missing her, but telling himself she hated him had made it easier to resist the urge to reconnect. Now that he knew she didn’t hate him...? The urge was like a noxious rash, growing and spreading at lightning speed, making him crazy.

“According to the psychologist, she’s processed the trauma in a healthy way and isn’t likely to have long-term issues as a result.” Before Blake could process how stupid that sounded, the admiral continued, “According to her mother, she’s fragile and underfed, but just needs some time and TLC. And if you listen to her brother, who knows her best, she’s stewing over something and needs to go shoe shopping.”

“Shoe shopping?” Blake deadpanned.

“Apparently it’s a cure-all,” the older man said, looking both baffled and embarrassed. Then he pulled his official face back on. “The bottom line is she’s fine. A great deal of the credit for that goes to you.”

“I’d say the credit for that goes directly to Alexia,” Blake shot back without thinking.

And immediately regretted it. The admiral got a wily, weighing sort of look in his eyes. Then he nodded as if Blake had just made some grand confession.

“I’m going to step outside of protocol for a moment,” Pierce said, folding his hands on his desk. He leaned forward, his face creasing in a granitelike smile. “I’d like to talk to you, not as your commanding officer, but man-to-man.”

Blake’s brows arched. Technically, since he was retired, the admiral wasn’t still his commanding officer. Technically . Still, it was the man-to-man part that was worrying.

“You and my daughter have...”

Oh, shit. Have what? Had inappropriate relations? Had a hundred or so mutual orgasms? Had enough emotional intensity between them to fuel a soap opera?

“You have a lot in common. You’re both young and single.”

Blake waited. Was that all Pierce had? Or did he simply not know enough about his daughter to make a list. Blake could. They liked the same music and laughed at the same jokes. They both liked the beach and hated being cold. They were communications specialists who specialized in avoiding communication. They had a sexual chemistry that could blow up both their worlds, and a mutual love for chocolate.

“You’re both intense, focused individuals with strong ethics and career goals,” the admiral finally said, a hint of triumph in his tone. Yep, the old guy really knew what young single people were looking for in each other.

“Sir, are you trying to set me up with Alexia?”

After she’d reacted so well to it the last time?

“ Set up is such a juvenile term. Let’s just say I’d be amenable to the idea of you and my daughter building a relationship together.”