Page 140 of Better Late Than Never

Alex grinned. “To conserve butano?”

“Yes, Alex.” I rolled my eyes. “To conserve butano.”

His mischievous laugh was the most adorable thing I’d ever seen.

And once we got into the shower, we probably burned through most of that cylinder of butano.

Totally worth it.

CHAPTER42

ALEX

“Okay, I’m confused.” Chief Wallace inclined his head and arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you were spending your leave on Ibiza?”

“I did.” I grinned. “And that’s exactly where I went.”

“Okay, but…” He gestured wildly at me. “You don’t look like someone who spent an hour, let alone four fucking days, on Ibiza.”

I looked down at myself, then back at him. “Well, Chief, I don’t know about you, but I don’t wear my utilities on vacation, and I don’t wear my vacation clothes to work, so…”

He rolled his eyes. “Not your clothes, dumbass.” He flailed a hand at my face. “No sunburn. No tan. And no green. How, HM1?How?”

A laugh tried to bubble up. No, I hadn’t gotten much sun and I hadn’t done much drinking. The longest, most romantic weekend of my life had left me feeling amazing instead of sun-scorched or hungover like most Americans who came back from Ibiza.

“I don’t know, Chief.” I flashed a toothy grin. “Maybe some of us can just hold our liquor better than others.”

“Oh, shut up.” He rolled his eyes. “Just… get to work.”

I snickered and got to work. I was glad I wasn’t hungover and sunburned all to hell, too, because the day was a busy one. Especially after Chief left for a meeting, I was slammed with patients, paperwork, and emails. Same shit, different day, but at least it kept the time going by. The more I did and the less I sat around being bored, the less likely I was to get lost in thoughts of the man who had rocked—and then become—my world.

Good God, I am stupid for him.

And it feels amazing.

And I felt amazing… right up until I was coming back from lunch and found exactly one person in my waiting area.

“Well, well.” Tobias rose, eyeing me with a sardonic grin on his lips. “Enjoy your weekend away?”

I so did not have time for him. I also wasn’t about to let him ruin my good mood, so I just smiled. “I had a great time. Guess I should’ve taken you up on going to Ibiza when we were together. Except…” I quirked my lips and pretended to give it actual thought. “Nah. Pretty sure I wouldn’t have enjoyed it nearly as much.”

That barb definitely hit what I was aiming for, judging by the tightness of his jaw. “Did Lieutenant Commander Marks enjoy it as much as you did?”

I ignored the reflexive internal panic and stared blankly at him. “Sorry, what?”

He scoffed. “Oh, please. You were there with him.”

“Uh, no? I wasn’t?” I shook my head. Then I smirked. “I mean, unless he was one of the very long parade of men in that back alley, but I was pretty drunk and only saw their dicks, so…” I shrugged flippantly.

His cheeks colored as his jaw tightened, but only for a second. With a caustic laugh, he said, “That does sound like you—enough of a slut to keep sucking dick, but not good enough to make anyone stick around to see your face.”

Not long ago, that would’ve hit me in a tender spot, but not this time. I was far too galvanized by the man who’d not only told me he loved me, he’d shown it by taking massive risks and jumping through all kinds of hoops just to be with me.

Your bullshit can’t touch me anymore, Tobias.

I laughed. “So I’m a slut who can’t keep anyone around, but you’re so hung up on me that you can’t let me go.” I stepped closer and narrowed my eyes. “What does that say about you, sweetheart? Because I doubt it’s anything flattering.”

I had about two seconds to be intensely proud of finally—fuckingfinally—standing up to him and throwing his own poison back in his face.

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