Page 26 of What I Should Have Done

She nodded, blinking as if it was obvious. “Is that not all you see me as? Some woman who’s on your team because I’m a woman? For some fucking political statement, am I right?”

“I see you as some sniper who thinks they deserve a spot on our team despite not a single combat tour served, not a single mission completed, and nothing more than training under their belt.” As I ran my tongue across my lips, she let out a sharp hiss.

“That’s your issue with me? Even though I proved to you that I am effective?”

“What I know is that you need to fucking stay in your lane and let me do my fucking job.” Now it was my turn for anger to course through my veins. She was here as a temporary teammate to have our backs, not take over our jobs, especially when I was good at what I do. Especially when this was something that I was needed for.

“That goes both ways, Blondie. Stay in your fucking lane when it comes to Reyes and his asshole friends. I can handle my own shit.”

“You’re acting like this doesn’t affect the whole team!”

“It doesn’t!” she screeched.

“How does it not?” I threw my hands in the air and stepped close enough that her chest bumped against me.

“So, you’d have stepped in and done the same thing if some guy was taunting, say, Duncan?” she asked, glaring up at me.

“Yeah,” I replied, and she shook her head.

“Lie.”

“No one would be taunting Duncan, so that’s not the same fucking thing.”

“Exactly!” She uncrossed her arms and jabbed her finger into the middle of my chest. “They wouldn’t pull that shit with anyone else on the team, and it has nothing to do with your ranks, so don’t use that as an excuse because I’ve heard all that before. They do this because I’m a woman—”

“They do it because they’re fucking jealous, Scottie,” I whisper-yelled. I wrapped a hand around her finger, stopping the poke that might still leave a small bruise, and her eyes widened. Shock shoved out all of the anger that had tightened her features as if she’d never even considered that.

“What?” she quietly asked. The moment I released her hand, goosebumps erupted on her skin.

“It’s not an excuse for them to be assholes and dicks toward you, but have you never thought that might be why Reyes acts like he does? You beat him out. You ended up assigned to our team while he got sent to the support side of things. To intel at base. I saw your file, Scottie. Regardless of how I may feel about your lack of actual combat missions, your scores are impressive, for any sniper. Honestly, I hadn’t seen numbers like yours since Griffin left the team,” I explained, and the anger that felt hot and stiff dripped off her shoulders coolly.

“You still shouldn’t have stepped in like you did,” she muttered, a little less hotheaded.

“I protect my team, Scottie. That’s my job and right now you’re a part of that team.” Inappropriate timing, I knew that, but the way her name felt rolling off of my tongue…

The fire in her amber eyes cooled, and her chest expanded with a massive inhale of calming oxygen. “Against the enemy, yeah. But Reyes and his buddies are on our side.”

Shaking my head, I ran a hand over my chin, feeling stubble prickling beneath my palm. “Maybe outside of these walls he is,” I quietly answered and looked over her dark hair. The sky was quiet, the entire night holding its breath as if however this conversation ended would determine the fate of our entire team.

She didn’t respond and didn’t move either. Her chest rose and fell against my torso, warm and rhythmical. The only thing missing was my arms around her. Okay, so yeah, maybe the initial reason I stepped in was simply because she was my teammate, but in hindsight, with her this close, feeling something else spark low in my stomach, maybe there was something else fueling the unusually protective motivation behind my actions.

I probably wouldn’t have stepped in exactly like that if it had been one of my other teammates. Yes, I would’ve stepped in, but mulling over the events that happened, if it had been anyone else, anywhere else, I would’ve probably lived up to my call sign.

“So, to clarify,” I broke the silence between us and glanced down at her. She didn’t look up, not yet, but she hadn’t backed away. “Jokes like that are only funny when they’re about Bernie, right?”

A smile twitched at her lips. “And you.”

I grinned. “Ah, so sex jokes about me and Bernie are free game?”

“Absolutely.” She pushed some hair behind her ear and closed her eyes.

All anger, all the tension that had set her on edge whisked away with the desert breeze. Her rage was justified. She’d explained it a bit, and while I personally would never understand why it was such a big deal, if it was to her, then alright. I would do my damnedest to respect that. I would make sure I didn’t overstep a boundary she set. No matter how much I wanted to make sure that I protected her.

As I studied her, the features that were once pulled taut on her face loosened. Gentleness coated her typically fiery figure. A figure that, despite my better judgment, drew my eyes. I fought as hard as I could to not freely let my gaze roam down her body, this was not the time.

Hell, it would never be the time. She was a teammate and sniper—and I hated to admit, a decent one at that.

“What are you doing out here anyway?” she asked, slicing through my thoughts.

---