Page 40 of Keeping Astrid

It was quick but having her in his arms didn’t feel like a mistake—it was right. But did she feel the same way? Was her interest only because he was protecting her? He liked to think it wasn’t, but he couldn’t dismiss the possibility.

Growler pushed those thoughts away. Now wasn’t the time to dissect it all. But the feeling that she was it for him wasn’t so hard to push away.

“Astrid’s a witness in a murder case.” Growler gave Rocket a quick rundown of the situation as it stood and why they were down visiting them all.

“That’s one story. What’s the other?” Rocket took a sip of his beer.

“There’s no other story. I’m doing a job, and I think I’m doing it well.” Growler knew exactly what Rocket was getting at, but he wasn’t ready to discuss his relationship with Astrid. It was too new.

“You haven’t stopped looking at her.”

Growler dragged his gaze away from Astrid. So what if Rocket was right? He wasn’t going to admit to anything. “She knows no one here. Of course I’m going to watch to see if she’s feeling uncomfortable.”

Rocket laughed and slapped him on the back. “You keep telling yourself that, buddy. You’ve got it as bad as all of us.”

As much as Growler didn’t want to acknowledge it, he couldn’t deny that his feelings for Astrid were growing. Changing. After last night, a shift had occurred within him. A shift he hadn’t even known he was capable of.

Yes, she was a job, and everything in him wanted to protect her. But it was more than just that. He wanted to be able to share everything with her. Her ups and downs. His ups and downs. The good, the bad and all the in between. First, though, he had to keep her safe. Eliminate whoever was after her.

“Whatever. What’s happening with you guys? You about to go on a mission soon?”

How much would Rocket tell him? Now that he was a civilian, he didn’t have the same security clearances that he’d had in the past. He wouldn’t be privy to the information that he’d once been granted.

“You know how it is. There’s always something going on.” Rocket evaded his question, and it stung a little.

Rocket should know that he wouldn’t blab anything out to the press or tell anyone anything if Rocket had trusted him with the information.

“Right. I’m going to see if Astrid needs anything.” He made to move, but Rocket grabbed his arm, preventing his departure.

“Sorry, man, that was a dick move.”

Growler shrugged. “I get it. It’s good.”

Rocket sighed. “Nah, it’s not. I know you. I worked with you. And yeah, you may not have the clearances, but you know how everything works. I know you’re not going to run your mouth off.”

This was why he’d kept his distance from them. Perhaps, in time, he would have the same dynamics with the guys from Alliez that he did when he was on this SEAL team. At the moment though, Growler was bobbing in the ocean without an anchor to give him the stability he needed.

“You good, Callum?” Astrid's sweet voice tore through his doubts like a knife cutting through a cake.

A sense of calmness swept over him, and he smiled down at her. “I’m good, Comet. You need anything?”

Astrid canted her head to the side, as though she was trying to determine if he was telling the truth or was just saying it to appease her. Beside him, a small snigger of laughter came from Rocket. When they were alone again, his former teammate would probably question him about the nickname that had slipped off his tongue. No way would Rocket have missed hearing it.

“No, I’m fine. You just looked…” Astrid glanced over to where Rocket still stood, a wary expression highlighting her beautiful eyes. “Tense.”

Growler took hold of her hand and squeezed it. Another huge sign to suggest that there was more between him and Astrid than the chef/bodyguard that they were supposed to be. “Seriously, all good here, but thank you.”

He hoped Astrid understood that her coming up to him meant the world to him. Having a mother who spent most of her time at the bottom of the bottle now, having someone aware of him. Aware of what he might be going through meant the world to him.

“Okay, I’ll just go back.” She pointed with her free hand to where she’d been sitting with his former teammates' women, who were all watching the exchange with interest.

Yep, there was no way anyone on this back patio suspected that this was just a job for Growler.

Astrid continued to study Callum to make sure that he was telling the truth. Forgetting the look that had crossed his face during his conversation with this former teammate wasn’t something she could easily push aside.

Callum had looked devastated at whatever Rocket had said to him. Prior to that moment, the two men had seemed to be having a good conversation, and Astrid has suspected she was the main topic between them. She didn’t mind it. The girls had grilled her, politely of course, about what was going on with her and Callum. As much as Astrid had tried to keep it fairly neutral, even she heard the way her voice seemed to soften whenever she talked about Calum.

“Are you okay?” Callum asked again, when she hadn’t moved or said anything else.

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